A top staffer to Sen. Tina Smith emailed Sen. Mike Lee’s top staffers on Monday about “how much additional pain you’ve caused on an unspeakably horrific weekend” Full emails below

worth every second

Harvard stands up against Mad King Donald. More of this, America!

In a blatant move to undermine indies, am*zon announced a sale the weekend of Independent Bookstore Day. The thing is, indies survive because we're more than a website. We're more than an algorithm. We're third places and community spaces and safe havens. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Reminder: Elon Musk took taxpayer money to build his empire, then turned around and cut jobs, gutted services, and fought unions that benefit everyone else.

“We want to stay in the loop,” the Houthis said.

The S&P 500’s performance since Inauguration Day is now the worst for any president up to this point in data going back to 1928.

It’s a footrace between Trump’s autocracy and American patriots. While Trump is losing steam—we’re just getting warmed up! @normeisen.bsky.social highlights the latest pro-democracy victories in his Publisher’s Roundup

Called my congressman who voted for the SAVE act. Me: What documents will I need to vote if this passes? Staffer: a DL and birth certificate. Me: The documents don’t match Staffer: Then a marriage certificate. Me: Will my husband need the marriage certificate too? Staffer: No Me: See the problem?

Keep the faith

Smoking kills over 490,000 Americans every year. Every day, 1000s of kids try tobacco for the first time, most often by vaping with flavors like cotton candy targeted to kids. Trump's strategy? Gut CDC programs that prevent youth smoking and help people quit and help Altria stock skyrocket.

The cruelty is the point.

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is a danger to the public’s health and should resign or be fired, says APHA. In just a few short weeks, his actions on vacccines, fluoride and other public health science have shown how wrong he is for the job. Read & share our statement: apha.org/news-and-med...

✅ crashes stock market ✅ fires long covid researchers ✅ puts quack in charge of HHS ✅ seems friendly with measles Holy sh*t. Did we just elect a coronavirus for president? 😱

SCOTUS has overturned the block on deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.“ That means innocent people will continue to be caught up and deported.” Brennan Center statement:

They fired another senior level woman in the military. Soon there will be none left. 😡😡😡 U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the Trump regime.

The Supreme Court is corrupt. And it is not a court, it is a highly radical super-legislature (“kings in robes”). The courts will not save us, because this Supreme Court will do everything in its power (including interference on TROs as here) to protect Trump and MAGA.

Every American needs to see this testimony. This is Trump’s America and Republicans are totally fine with him treating the Department of Justice as his own personal mob organization. This woman is brave and principled to speak out about the corruption of the law and intimidation of honest workers.

Leading scientists at the US National Institutes of Health were swept up Tuesday in the Trump administration’s latest firing blitz. Among them is Dr. Richard Youle, known for his groundbreaking research identifying mechanisms behind Parkinson’s disease.

•••••••BREAKING••••••• The measles crisis in West Texas has claimed the life of a second child. The 8-year-old girl died early Thursday morning of “measles pulmonary failure” at a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/h...

This is Trump’s tariff logic. Republicans are letting him do it. Nice work, a$$holes.

Turns out fascism is not great for business. Who knew? 🤔

LINCOLN: “Overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” REPUBLICANS: “Cool, let’s elect him President instead.”

Massive rallies in Wisconsin cities on April 5 protest Trump, Musk, federal cuts via @bspears.bsky.social @isiahholmes.bsky.social wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/04/05/b...

Absolutely.

The People are fed up! #HandsOff

Oh wow: Portland Oregon is NOT KIDDING #handsoff

Several THOUSAND turned out in Madison, Wisconsin today — April 5

Expanding on original post: Some medicines can be purchased. Some lab supplies can be purchased. But many — not all — people who place the orders and pay have been removed; credit card bans still exist. So the sum effect is to kill most purchasing at NIH while leaving a trickle.

From a source at NIH: “Right now NIH’s ability to buy things is dead. Nearly all people with the power to make an order — purchasing people — have been removed. The NIH hospital can’t buy medicines, the labs can’t buy petri dishes. X-Ray machine breaks? Too bad. Everything is stopped”

And more questions: What happens when HR issues arise but most of HR is gone? What if your building is running out of toilet paper and no one knows when they’ll be able to purchase more? (True story.) What about when comms teams are gone and media requests pile up? We’re being set up to fail.

If you think this can’t happen, remember that of the 125,000 Japanese Americans who were interned during WWII for years without charge or trial, two-thirds were U.S. citizens. Including me.

A DOGE operative at the Department of Veterans Affairs appears to be trying to use an AI tool to write code for the agency's systems, among other proposals.

NEW: DOGE is all over the Department of Veterans Affairs. A DOGE operative at the VA appears to be trying to use an AI tool to write code for the agency's systems, among other proposals. read @telliotter.bsky.social:

This is indeed a moment of truth for Harvard — and for American higher education as well as science, medicine, technology, and the humanities. If the richest university in the world submits to lawless extortion by the Cult of Trump, we are truly sunk. We must be clear: Veritas is not for sale.

Reminder: as the Dow is tanking faster than 2008, and four dead servicemen arrive at Dover, Trump is golfing: with the saudis

“I think we’re all familiar with the old adage, 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going to Florida for a Saudi-backed golf event'...” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

Just heard DOGE/Musk are cutting half of the staff at the Social Security offices in Alexandria. 40% of the staff in Rochester. It’ll make it a lot harder for seniors to get help when they run into issues, which might be exactly what they want.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are stiffing our farmers and processors – taking away resources these folks were guaranteed. It’s unacceptable that this administration is leaving them high and dry just so they make their rich friends richer. edition.cnn.com/2025/03/30/b...

Each week, The Contrarian selects an "Undaunted" individual working to defend democracy This week's spotlight: Senator Cory Booker Sen. Booker's marathon 25+ hour Senate speech was a masterclass in substance, courage, decency, and conviction—qualities our democracy needs now more than ever.

The Brennan Center is in the fight to stop the SAVE Act — and any effort to restrict the freedom to vote. Stay informed by subscribing to The Briefing, our free weekly newsletter: bit.ly/3yZ0JfB

NEW — After putting all Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) employees on administrative leave Monday, I'm told DOGE is canceling congressionally-appropriated grants to state libraries across the entire country. Libraries are getting notice that funding was canceled as of 4/1. More here:

Just a reminder:

Lol perfect

@booker.senate.gov made history yesterday. He made genuinely “good trouble.” During his brilliant record-breaking filibuster, he asked “Where does the Constitution live, on paper or in our hearts?” All of us are called in our own way to answer that question by our actions, not just our words.

Burst into exhausted tears of joy in Wisconsin when the race was called for Susan Crawford. So proud of our state, and so thankful for all the people everywhere who helped us repel evil today. America really needed a win for the good side. Justice. Fairness. Goodness. All prevailed today.