2025-09-28
Get ready for No Kings! On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.
Let's do this!
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS for the October 18th:
EVENT DETAILS: Indivisible and 50501 groups in Duluth are collaboratively planning a march and rally at City Hall on October 18th (more below).
MARCH: Groups will be gathering at nearby locations at 10AM and marching to City Hall.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: We are looking for people to organize a third group of marchers. This includes selecting a nearby starting point and leading the group to City Hall.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, please reach out to Robin at robinmcintyre19@gmail.com
In this newsletter you will find information about:
This fall we will take an in-depth look at the Palestine-Israel situation along with the world’s and the Western Christian church’s response to it, and how we can accompany and advocate for justice and healing there. We will be using Munther Isaac’s new book, Christ in the Rubble: Faith, the Bible, and the Genocide in Gaza to structure our study as well as relevant videos of major voices for a better understanding of and solutions for ending the catastrophe there. Munther Isaac is a Palestinian theologian who serves as pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church of Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour.
A number of copies of the book are available for purchase at Gloria Dei for $20. We encourage you to get the book and join us this fall.
Please join us even if you have not read the book or have missed any of the earlier meetings.
Duluth from Declining Industrial City to Outdoor Recreation Destination
from Duluth Indivisible
Duluth wasn't always the outdoor recreation mecca it is today - decades of industrial pollution made the St. Louis River virtually unusable and the Lake Superior shoreline in Canal Park was a dumping ground. Clean-up and restoration have been made possible through federal and state funding and the ongoing work of federal and state agencies collaborating with non-profit organizations and citizens. Hear from the people involved in the work about what it took to get us to the great place we are to live and play today.
Come learn about how decades of working partnerships across the public, private and non-profit sectors have been successful, what's at risk, and what we can do to continue progress. This is what democracy looks like.
from Indivisible
Join us for the kickoff of Indivisible’s brand-new Micro-Creator Training Series, a 4-part monthly program designed to turn local leaders into powerful digital storytellers.
No Iron for War
from Twin Ports Against Weapons Trade
Duluth Indivisible, Good Trouble Indivisible, Zenith City Indivisible and 50501 are joining forces for No Kings! October 18th. We practiced at Hands Off! in April, at No Kings! in June, regularly at Stauber's office, the corner of Lake and Superior, at the Coppertop and the EPA. Now let's double our impact! Invite your family, friends, and neighbors, your union, your faith community, your club or team, and your work colleagues! Join us at City Hall on October 18th to proclaim NO KINGS! Our Constitution is under attack from within - We the People have the power to stop that.
In America, we don’t put up with would-be kings. We don't put up with troops in our streets. We don't put up with all three branches of government disregarding the Constitution.
Our peaceful movement is only getting bigger and stronger. “NO KINGS” is more than just a slogan—it’s the foundation our nation was built upon. Born in the streets, carried by millions in chants and on posters, it echoes from city blocks to rural town squares, uniting people across this country to fight dictatorship and authoritarianism together. Last June there were about five million of us on the streets. Can we make that ten million next month?
Duluth Anti-ICE, anti-deportations pro-immigrant dignity rally
Protest map below. Green parking. Purple Protest site. Red no parking on church property.
Our vigil is calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, an end to Israeli blockade of Gaza, an end to genocide in Gaza, and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. This will be a silent vigil. Many find this healing and powerful for continuing our work towards peace and justice. After the half hour of silence, there will be a group song and group reading of names and ages of some of those killed in Gaza. Anyone wanting to stay and stand longer with signs is welcome to do so! Please wear black (if you can) and a hat or scarf for head cover. Homemade signs are welcome.
Contact Christine: christineolson3@gmail.com
You can find more events on our website.
No blank checks for Trump
from Indivisible
"Trump’s authoritarian rise is being funded by our tax dollars. Below is everything you need to know about passing a federal budget by September 30th; how Republicans and Democrats must rein in Trump’s regime, protect access to healthcare, and take away his slush funds for terrorizing our communities; and what you can do..."
Nothing funny about standing up to a bully
from The Contrarian (Jen Rubin)
"Resistance to Donald Trump ultimately comes down to the American people. The courts, especially with this corrupt Supreme Court atop the federal judiciary, can only do so much. House and Senate Democrats in the minority can only do so much (although they’ve deftly flipped the script on Trump, making clear he is responsible for the likely shutdown). However, the power of the American people, despite significant democratic backsliding, remains an awesome force. Ordinary people along with prominent cultural figures can garner attention and affect elections in ways politicians cannot.
"While the boycotts and protests gained steam, fellow comedians swiftly responded to Kimmel’s suspension with brilliant satire, public education, and encouraging messages. Although they risked getting yanked from their platforms, they did not flinch—unlike so many craven law firms, universities and tech companies that have grovelled before Trump.
"The energy and righteous indignation from outspoken cultural figures plus popular action can inspire others. Sure enough, on Monday, the ACLU released a letter signed by 400 big stars decrying the outrageous violation of the First Amendment. 'Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression,' the signers stated. Regardless of their politics, they declared that 'our voices should never be silenced by those in power—because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.' They closed with a call to action: 'This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.'
"Thanks to backlash, Kimmel returned to a record audience of over 6.2 million viewers on Tuesday."
Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Margo Price, and others make Farm Aid 40 one to remember
from The Current
"Farm Aid launched in 1985. Co-founded by Willie Nelson, the idea was struck when Nelson heard Minnesota-born Bob Dylan playing Live Aid and musing aloud that he wished some of the money being raised could help American farmers. Following the energy crisis of the 1970s, U.S. farmers found themselves with higher expenses than earnings, and many family farms went into foreclosure. A nonprofit organization, Farm Aid assists farms in many ways, using music — provided at no charge by participating artists — to bring people together in one space to raise money and awareness, and to build community.
"It feels like a family reunion of sorts backed by an amazing music lineup. 'I'm actually here because we are farmers here in Minnesota,' says Arlene Jones of Bemidji, who also runs the Sprout food hub in Little Falls. 'We're looking forward to seeing all of our friends and all of the great headliners that are here tonight, and all of the regional artists that are here as well.'
"As the event concluded, it seems fitting Huntington Bank Stadium is shaped like a bowl: Farm Aid is all about feeding people. Yes, it’s about supporting family farms, promoting sustainable practices in agriculture, and encouraging diets built on healthy foods. But it’s also about feeding people’s souls — through live music and through the messages of hope, love, cooperation, solidarity, and mutual support that cascade throughout the day, onstage and off."
'It’s a joyful show of solidarity — reminding our city that Duluth loves its library and depends on it,' said Erin Kreeger, executive director of the Duluth Library Foundation, in the news release
from Duluth News-Tribune
"Dozens ventured to the Duluth Public Library between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to participate in the first Great North Star Read Together, which was part of a statewide 'read-in' rally inviting people of all ages to show support for their libraries by doing something simple and powerful — reading. More than 50 libraries statewide participated in the inaugural event. Organizers around the state plan to meet to set a permanent annual date, according to a news release from the Duluth Library Foundation."
What started as a curse laden initial message unsurprisingly ended in a racist petty tirade with subtle threats and devoid of facts—but with a critical lesson learned
from Let's Address This with Qasim Rashid
This essay includes much of a back & forth debate between Rashid & a Trump supporter named Matthew regarding due process. It is a good example of debate skills that avoid "taking the bait."
"So what’s the lesson learned? Well, this conversation with Matthew shows that facts do not matter to propagandists. Evidence does not matter. The Constitution does not matter. What matters is reinforcing their own fears with Google searches, sound bites, and racist insults. But here’s the truth: due process is not a partisan idea. It is the bedrock of our Republic and Constitution. And when Trump supporters argue that immigrants don’t deserve due process, what they’re actually saying is that none of us deserve due process—because once you carve out exceptions, there is no limit to who can be stripped of their rights.
"I share this not because Matthew’s insults matter—they don’t—but because his view is a microcosm of what we face. A world that confuses cruelty for strength, ignorance for conviction, and propaganda for evidence. That is precisely how fascism takes hold.
"...Let this be a lesson—do not let propagandists advance the debate until they answer their initial claim. Their goal is to get you to run around in circles. Hold them accountable to answer one point before moving on. And that’s exactly what I did."
Inspired by a Danish anti-Nazi list of 10 commandments, a group of artists and organizers made their own list to encourage ordinary people to resist the Trump administration
from The Nation
"When the Nazis invaded and occupied Denmark in 1940, the Danes faced a choice: obey or resist. In an article in The Nation earlier this month, Sarah Sophie Flicker details the Danes’ everyday acts of disobedience in the face of the fascist regime. As the organizer and artist explains, the people of Denmark followed 'Ten Commandments for Danes'—a set of moral instructions created by 17-year-old Arne Sejr. The guidance was simple and included such rules as 'don’t work for the Nazis or support their businesses,' 'work slowly or do a bad job when you must work for the Germans,' and 'protect anyone who is ‘chased’ by Nazis.'
"In response to her article, a group of artists and organizers in the United States put together a '10 Commandments of Defiance,' inspired by the Danish list."
Reading recommendation
from Scot Nakagawa (the Anti-Authoritarian Playbook)
"Anne Applebaum’s Twilight of Democracy was published five years ago. In light of recent developments, I thought it might be a good idea to revisit the book as it was, when first published, a warning shot across the bow. It’s not just about authoritarianism’s rise in far-off places—it’s about how democratic backsliding is happening here, how it’s not just a problem of 'the masses,' but one being driven by elites who once stood for democracy but are now selling it out. Applebaum digs into how former allies—journalists, intellectuals, and political insiders—abandoned the principles they once championed in favor of nationalism, conspiracy theories, and authoritarian power plays. If we want to push back, we need to understand why this is happening and what we can do about it.
Authoritarianism Isn’t Just a Bottom-Up Movement—Elites Are Pushing It
"Too often, we talk about the rise of authoritarianism as if it’s a grassroots rebellion against democracy. That’s a mistake. The real danger isn’t just from the street-level extremists—it’s from the elites who make authoritarianism possible, who normalize it, who create a framework for oppression that others then enforce.
"Applebaum shows how political operatives, media figures, and intellectuals have drifted away from democratic ideals—not because they had a grand ideological epiphany, but because authoritarianism offers them something democracy doesn’t: certainty, power, and personal advantage. For some, it’s the lure of influence. For others, it’s nostalgia for a past where their values went unchallenged. And for many, it’s simply that they’ve found authoritarianism to be a more direct path to power and wealth."
The Time to Act is Now
from Scot Nakagawa (the Anti-Authoritarian Playbook)
"We are living through what may be the most dangerous convergence in human history.
"According to the V-Dem Institute, authoritarianism now governs over 70% of the world's population. Freedom House, another global democracy watchdog, reports that only 20% of the people of the world live in countries they rate as 'free.'
"But there’s a second crisis unfolding simultaneously - one that receives far less attention but may be even more destabilizing. Across every major faith tradition - Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism - deep divisions are growing as power hungry, financially motivated supremacists are exploiting the loneliness, fear, and anxiety that cultural displacement breeds, and drawing people into prophetic visions that justify purging society of perceived enemies of Christian dominion, taking over secular institutions, and replacing them with theocracy. Battlelines are being drawn, and violent rhetoric and violence itself is on the rise.
"There's a concept in sociology called "the sacred canopy"—the idea that religion creates a protective dome over communities, giving people shared meaning, shared values, and a sense of security about their place in the universe from cradle to grave. For most of human history, these canopies held...
"Here's what I've learned: fascists can hijack broken faith, but they cannot withstand a healthy faith. They can exploit spiritual crises, but they crumble before spiritual power.
"Look at history: People of faith led the abolitionist movement, the civil rights movement, and the movements that brought down apartheid and toppled communist authoritarianism. Today, they are leading democracy movements worldwide.
"Why? Because authentic faith always calls us beyond ourselves. It demands we see the divine spark in others. It challenges us to build beloved communities rather than dominate and exclude."
As ICE fascists increase their violence against innocent people, a word of reflection on how we make progress
from Let's Address This with Qasim Rashid
"ICE Is Not Combatting Violence—They’re Creating It
"Let me start by reminding you that more than 93% of the people ICE fascists have rounded up have no violent criminal record. This alone shows how the claim that ICE is 'protecting our communities from violent criminals' is demonstrably false. Instead, increasingly, ICE is initiating violence against innocent people.
"A law enforcement agency committed to upholding the law does not need to kidnap people. Instead, they follow the law, procure a judicial warrant, read people their rights, and ensure they are following the Constitutional guarantee of due process afforded to every person in this country without exception. ICE is doing none of this, and instead terrorizing innocent people.
"And finally, this is why I say we need messengers, not martyrs. Especially those of us who are U.S. citizens, we must step up as messengers to tell these stories, so those who are traversing the increasingly impossible immigration system do not become martyrs."
from Heather Cox Richardson
"Today, with the popularity of President Donald J. Trump and his administration dropping, Trump’s disastrous performance at the United Nations, the return of comedian Jimmy Kimmel to the airwaves, and the Tuesday’s election in Arizona of Democratic representative Adelita Grijalva, who will provide the final signature on a discharge petition to demand a floor vote in the House over releasing all the government files on convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the administration appears to be making a dramatic push to seize complete control of the government.
"Last night, Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought tried to jam the Democrats into passing the Republicans’ continuing resolution to fund the government. Officials leaked a memo to Politico, Punchbowl News, and Axios—publications that focus on events concerning Capitol Hill—saying that if the Democrats refuse to pass the Republicans’ measure, the administration will try to fire, rather than furlough, large numbers of federal employees.
"House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded: 'Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack. We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings. Get lost.' Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement: 'Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one—not to govern, but to scare. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government. These unnecessary firings will either be overturned in court or the administration will end up hiring the workers back, just like they did as recently as today.'"
from NPR
"The Justice Department has leveled charges against former FBI Director James Comey, after President Trump demanded prosecutors speed up their pace in an investigation targeting one of his most prominent critics.
"Comey faces one count of making false statements and one count of obstruction of justice in connection with his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee nearly five years ago. The move comes days after the top federal prosecutor in Northern Virginia cast doubt on the evidence, only to be forced out by the president and replaced with one of Trump's former defense attorneys."
from Robert Hubbell
"In less than a week, Democrats and those who value democracy have flipped the script on Trump on multiple fronts. Trump is on his back foot, trying to spin defeats and retreats as victories, which makes Trump look pathetic, desperate, and weak.
"A week ago, Republicans were using the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk as a cudgel to censor Democrats. Through missteps and miscalculations, Trump converted that tragedy-fueled attack on Democrats to a petty vendetta against comedians who dared to criticize Trump. In the process, he managed to portray himself as a sore loser and provoked the ire of the American people, who felt that their free speech rights were under attack.
"The same dynamic is repeating itself on other issues: The weaponization of the DOJ against James Comey, the showdown over the economy, the release of the Epstein files, the scandal of Trump’s border czar accepting $50,000 in cash, the collapse of farm exports because of tariffs, and more."
Why put all the American commanders in one room?
from Thinking About (Timothy Snyder)
"My historian colleagues might correct me, but I do not think anyone at least in recent history has done what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is about to do: put all of the American generals and admirals from around the world into a single room (next week, in Virginia) just to say something to them.
"There is no practical reason to do this: he has easier and more secure ways to communicate with the commanders. And there are obvious risks: the entire armed forces of the United States, spread around the world, will be without its leaders. Given that the government could well shut down the next day, the separation of commanders from their command might be indefinite.
"And if Hegseth has his way, those generals and admirals will all be in one site, announced in advance, which means that the entirety of the American command structure will be more vulnerable, physically, than in any conceivable military scenario, including nuclear war. There is no scenario other than this one in which they would all be in the same place at the same time.
Confronting the longer-term erosion
from Robert Reich
"It’s too easy to accept the conventional view that the widening polarization of our society, and the decline of democracy, are due to the demagogue in the Oval Office.
"That conventional view is way too simple. Follow the money. The underlying cause is the tsunami of legal bribes flowing from huge, wealthy corporations (and their oligarchic CEOs and major investors) into American politics.
"Over the last four decades, corporate political spending has more than quadrupled, adjusted for inflation.
"Labor unions no longer provide a counterweight. Forty years ago, union PACs contributed about as much as corporate PACs. In the 2024 election, corporations outspent labor by more than 3 to 1.
"Corporations have fought off safety nets and public investments that are common in other advanced nations, such as universal health care and paid family leave. They’ve attacked labor laws —
"They’ve collected hundreds of billions in federal subsidies, bailouts, loan guarantees and sole-source contracts. Corporate welfare for Big Pharma, Big Oil, Big Tech, Big Ag, Wall Street, and the largest military contractors now dwarfs welfare for people.
"The profits of big corporations have reached record highs, and the ratio of CEO pay in large companies to average workers has ballooned from 20-to-1 in the 1960s, to nearly 300-to-1 now.
"Most Americans, however, are going nowhere. The typical worker’s wage is only a bit higher today than it was forty years ago when adjusted for inflation."
from NPR
"Nearly 20 immigration judges received emails this month informing them that they are being let go, NPR has learned, adding to the over 80 judges that have already been cut by President Trump so far this year.
"'The dismissal of more immigration judges is an illogical and costly setback for the nation's immigration courts,' said IFPTE President Matt Biggs in a statement to NPR. 'At a time when the backlog has reached historic levels and the administration has made immigration enforcement a central issue, the removal of experienced judges is hypocritical, undermines the law, wastes taxpayer dollars, and further delays justice for citizens and immigrants alike.'
"The latest sets of terminations landed after Congress approved a mega-spending bill that allocated over $3 billion to the Justice Department for immigration-related activities, including hiring more immigration judges. The funding and additional personnel are aimed at alleviating the growing case backlog, which stands at nearly 4 million. Hiring and training new judges can take more than a year.
"Earlier this month, about 600 military lawyers were authorized to work for the Justice Department as temporary immigration judges. And the DOJ made changes to who could qualify as a temporary immigration judge — effectively lowering the requirements and removing the need to have prior immigration experience."
from NPR
"About 600 military lawyers have been authorized to work for the Justice Department as temporary immigration judges, with 150 of them potentially starting as soon as this week, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
"The move comes after the Justice Department last week made changes to who could qualify as a temporary immigration judge – effectively lowering the requirements and removing the need to have prior immigration experience.
"Immigration judges are the only ones who can revoke someone's green card or issue a final order of removal for people who have been in the country for more than two years and are in the process of being deported."
Whether bought, brainwashed, or bullied, the six conservative justices have abandoned their oath, and the consequences are tearing our republic apart
from The Hartmann Report
"'Our emergency docket should never be used, as it has been this year, to permit what our own precedent bars. Still more, it should not be used, as it also has been, to transfer government authority from Congress to the President, and thus to reshape the Nation’s separation of powers'"
— Justice Elena Kagan
"The six Republicans on the Supreme Court have been amazing, baffling, and horrifying Court-watchers and judges beneath them from across the political spectrum, as they use their so-called Shadow Docket to issue dictates that clearly contradict the Constitution, violate settled precedent, and even break black-letter law.
"Consider also what else they’ve done so far this year, handing down more shadow docket rulings in nine months than during the entire sixteen years of the Bush and Obama administrations combined:..."
This essay goes on to detail the shadow docket rulings made this year alone and speculates on the reasons behind the Court's departure from its constitutional duty.
Report — Freedom in the World 2025
from Freedom House
"Violence and the repression of political opponents during elections, ongoing armed conflicts, and the spread of authoritarian practices contributed to the 19th year of declining freedom. In the year to come, all those who understand the value of political rights and civil liberties must work together in the defense of democracy."
U had been leasing to ICE
from Minnesota Reformer
"A Reformer analysis in April found four contracts between the university and ICE, the most recent amounting to $18,867, for the federal agency to use the firearm range for training. Around a third of the most recent year-long contract amount — $6,200 — was used by the time the contract ended in May. According to public spending data, it was ICE’s only existing contract with a university at the time.
"The Reformer report spurred months of advocacy from university students and Rosemount residents, according to the university’s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society. Isaac Stets, a sophomore at the U and a member of SDS, said the campaign to end the gun range lease overlapped with existing efforts by several student organizations to protect noncitizen community members from ICE."
from Axios
"The vast majority of officials and diplomats in the UN General Assembly Hall appeared to walk out as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage for his address on Friday.
"Why it matters: Israel is deeply isolated internationally as it presses on with the war in Gaza. Outside of President Trump, Netanyahu — who faces war crimes charges from the ICC — has very few allies on the global stage.
"Driving the news: Netanyahu said in his speech that Israel "will finish the job" in Gaza, and will do so as quickly as possible.
"State of play: The Trump administration denied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a visa to address the UN, but the General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to allow him to speak remotely."
Several European states recognize Palestine at United Nations, Israel threatens humanitarian flotilla
from Drop Site News
"Israeli forces kill at least 29 people across Gaza since dawn, including 25 in Gaza City, according to Al Jazeera, while 38 killed and 190 injured Palestinians arrive at Gaza's hospitals over the past 24 hours. Israel continues its assault on Gaza City, as health services collapse after bombing destroys the Jordanian field hospital and the only remaining children’s hospital.
"Israel threatened military action against the Global Sumud Flotilla, falsely claiming that it is 'organized by Hamas' and 'intended to serve Hamas,' and vowing to prevent it from reaching Gaza. Activists were instructed to dock in Ashkelon and hand over aid for Israeli-controlled delivery, as Israel maintains a naval blockade of Gaza that has been in place since 2007. Past flotillas, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara mission, were intercepted by force, resulting in ten deaths. Trump envoy Tom Barrack admitted in an interview with The National News’ Hadley Gamble that Israel struck Global Sumud Flotilla ships in Tunisia earlier this month, citing it as part of a broader pattern of attacks on the region."
Governments have failed the people of Gaza. Now, ordinary people are taking humanitarian matters into their own hands — and putting their lives on the line
from the Guardian
"Right now – as presidential planes touch down in New York City for the UN general assembly – a fleet of civilian vessels is sailing to Gaza: the largest convoy in history to traverse the Mediterranean Sea with a mission to establish a humanitarian corridor to reach the starving people of Palestine.
"I am a member of that mission. Since the first batch of boats departed from Barcelona, I have been assigned to Family, the lead vessel of the fleet: a humble motor-cruiser carrying doctors and lawyers, journalists and parliamentarians, students and sea rescue workers from 10 countries across the world.
"All together, this 'Global Sumud Flotilla' carries hundreds of participants from more than 40 national delegations, united by their shared conviction that something must be done to halt the destruction of Gaza – and that if governments refuse to do it, then ordinary people will."
Narrative Strategies for Democratic Movements
from the Anti-Authoritarian Playbook (Scot Nakagawa)
"Authoritarian systems thrive by controlling narrative, determining which stories are told, whose voices matter, and what futures can be imagined. Countering these systems requires not just political organization but narrative reclamation."
This essay provides beautiful examples of strategic storytelling approaches for democratic movements.
"Storytelling that reconnects people to [their] histories builds resilience and provides strategic guidance.
"Authoritarianism requires mythology: stories that justify power concentration, demonize out-groups, and portray complexity as threatening or, often even more powerfully, humiliating. Effective resistance requires constructing compelling counter-narratives.
"Countering authoritarianism requires not just opposing existing systems but making alternative futures tangible through what can be called "prefigurative storytelling." Prefigurative storytelling makes democratic possibilities feel real and attainable.
"Authoritarianism thrives on social division, particularly fears that democracy threatens the interests of specific groups. Effective counter-authoritarian storytelling creates bridges across these divides."
Nakagawa concludes with a point by point action plan for creating impactful, strategic narrative campaigns.
Free Flyers — Download. Deploy. Disobey.
"We want you to take your feelings offline and out into the streets. Our free resistance posters make it easy to peacefully protest. Print and share, use them as your paper ammunition. Hopefully, together, we can make a better world than the emerging hellscape that we are living through right now.
"You know what bots can't do? Tape up posters and flyers in the real world. You can.
"Break the disinformation echo chambers!
"READY. AIM. FLYER!"
from The Alliance for Media & Culture
Storytelling examples & tutorials.
from Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)
"Ellison is a big Trumper, joining in the reactionary denial of the 2020 presidential elections (Washington Post, 5/20/22). Like some of the others in the deal, he is part of the inner circle of Trump’s favorite corporate ideologues. This TikTok deal is not just about money. It’s about control of the political narrative.
"The New York Post (9/11/25) reports that Ellison father and son are now looking to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, which carries with it CNN, creating an unprecedented level of media consolidation.
"Former CBS Evening News star Dan Rather (Hollywood Reporter, 9/15/25) said Americans 'have to be concerned about the consolidation of huge billionaires getting control of nearly all of the major news outlets.' Rather added, 'It’s pretty hard to be optimistic about the possibilities of the Ellisons buying CNN.'
"Rather and others are right that the Ellison duo taking over both CBS and CNN, as well as controlling a major social media network like TikTok, would be dangerous for democracy. And given their closeness to the Trump regime, that seems to be the point."
Resolutions 2025 — 91st PEN International Congress
from PEN International
"At this 91st Congress we affirmed that freedom of expression cannot be atomized —whether in defending peace against authoritarianism, protecting our planet, standing with trans and gender-diverse people, or confronting censorship in the United States and beyond. With these resolutions, PEN International and its writers commit to continue using words as acts of conscience, to inspire and take action, and to safeguard the dignity of all living things.' Burhan Sonmez, PEN International President
"11 September 2025: At its 91st Congress, held in partnership with Polish PEN from 2 to 5 September 2025 in Kraków, Poland, the Assembly of Delegates of PEN International adopted four urgent resolutions: calling on writers to defend human rights and free expression amid rampant authoritarianism and global conflict; writers and governments to address the climate crisis as the human rights issue of our time; the protection of trans and gender-diverse people’s right to free expression and inclusion; and the protection of free expression in the United States."
Launched during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, this call has broad support from prominent leaders in policy, academia, and industry
from AI Red Lines
"AI holds immense potential to advance human wellbeing, yet its current trajectory presents unprecedented dangers. AI could soon far surpass human capabilities and escalate risks such as engineered pandemics, widespread disinformation, large-scale manipulation of individuals including children, national and international security concerns, mass unemployment, and systematic human rights violations.
"Some advanced AI systems have already exhibited deceptive and harmful behavior, and yet these systems are being given more autonomy to take actions and make decisions in the world. Left unchecked, many experts, including those at the forefront of development, warn that it will become increasingly difficult to exert meaningful human control in the coming years.
"Governments must act decisively before the window for meaningful intervention closes. An international agreement on clear and verifiable red lines is necessary for preventing universally unacceptable risks. These red lines should build upon and enforce existing global frameworks and voluntary corporate commitments, ensuring that all advanced AI providers are accountable to shared thresholds."
Plain language steps for digital security. Because protecting yourself helps keep your whole community safer
from Activist Checklist
Simple guides to keep us more safe. We built this because digital security shouldn't be overwhelming. We take a harm reduction approach: start where you are and do what you can."
from Common Dreams
"Hospitals and healthcare clinics across the US have been announcing layoffs, service cuts, and closures in the weeks since Republicans passed a budget law that’s estimated to slash spending on Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.
" Tim Layton, an associate professor of public policy and economics at the University of Virginia, told CNN that rural areas figure to be particularly vulnerable to the Medicaid cuts given their lower population densities.
"'You can expect those places to be impacted by now having people who don’t even have Medicaid,' he said. 'With fewer people to spread fixed costs across, it becomes harder and harder to stay open.'
"Leor Tal, campaign director for Unrig Our Economy, said that the cuts to Medicaid looked particularly bad politically for Republicans when contrasted to the tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high-income Americans.
"'These closures are the congressional Republican agenda in action: cuts to healthcare for rural moms and families, tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires,' Tal said. 'These closures are not an accident—they are the direct result of a law written to serve the wealthy and leave working people behind, and unless Republicans in Congress reverse course, more working-class Americans will be left behind while the rich get even richer.'"
America’s Most Trusted Program Faces a Dangerous, Deliberate Cover-Up
from People Power United
"Friends, Social Security is more than a monthly check. It is one of the most successful public institutions in U.S. history—a lifeline that keeps families afloat and local economies strong.
"Created during the Great Depression to shield Americans from forces beyond their control, it remains a pillar of economic stability and shared responsibility. Today, nearly 6.2 million children—about 9 percent of all U.S. kids—receive benefits, lifting close to a million out of poverty (Teen Vogue, 2025). For seniors, Social Security is often the difference between dignity and destitution: without it, nearly four in ten older Americans would live below the poverty line (Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 2025).
"...the Social Security Administration (SSA) is being deliberately weakened by the Trump administration. Staff cuts and field-office closures that began under Trump have caused delays for seniors and disabled Americans who rely on timely benefits. This is not mere incompetence—it is calculated sabotage. As the Economic Policy Institute warns, the so-called "efficiency" agenda aimed at shrinking government is better described as sabotage (EPI, 2025).
"Worse, evidence is mounting of a cover-up designed to hide the damage.
"Worse, evidence is mounting of a cover-up designed to hide the damage. Senator Elizabeth Warren sounded the alarm in September 2025, revealing that the Social Security Administration quietly removed key customer-service metrics from its public website. "The Social Security Administration is concealing dysfunction by deleting the very data that shows it," Warren said, warning that Americans deserve transparency about wait times, call-back rates, and processing delays (Senator Warren, 2025)."
The top three non-English languages, Spanish, Somali and Hmong, are no surprise. But the state’s language communities range from Pashto to Fulani
from Sahan Journal
A beautiful visualization of the language diversity in MN.
As federal programs are frozen or eliminated, Indigenous communities are seeking new ways to fund and finish urgently needed renewable energy plans
from The Circle
"Cody Two Bear, who is Standing Rock Sioux, served on his tribal council during the Dakota Access pipeline protests in 2017. Growing up in a community powered by coal, the experience was transformative. 'I’ve seen the energy extraction that has placed a toll significantly on tribal nations when it comes to land, animals, water, and sacred sites,' said Two Bear. 'Understanding more about that energy, I started to look into my own tribe as a whole.'
"In 2018, Two Bear founded Indigenize Energy, a nonprofit organization that works with tribes to pursue energy sovereignty and economic development by kickstarting clean energy projects. Last year, with nearly $136 million in federal funding through Solar for All, a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, the nonprofit launched the Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition, which aims to build solar projects with 14 tribal nations in the Northern Plains.
"But when Donald Trump took office in January, those projects hit a wall: The Trump administration froze Solar for All’s funding. That temporarily left the coalition and its members earlier this year without access to their entitled grant (it was later released in March). However, the EPA is considering ending the program entirely.
"Tribes are now seeking philanthropy, short-term funding, and conventional financing to cover delays and gaps in project costs."