Disney had a decision to make. Do we accede to Trump’s pressure? Apparently, it wasn’t an easy decision. But they made the wrong one. They bowed to government pressure and censored Kimmel. And then a slew of people pushed back. After the pushback, Disney assessed its options. They could have joined the ranks of other capitulating institutions. But they looked at the strength of the people — specifically the tens of thousands closing up wallets — and said: we’ll pick the stronger side. They’re bringing Kimmel back. Disney didn’t bring Kimmel back because they suddenly grew a backbone. You were… Read full email…

[View Email in Browser] ChooseDemocracy.us, Feeling powerless doesn’t mean you are powerless. Trump and the Project 2025 plan is to rapidly shock the system and invoke a state of paralysis so they can take permanent control of the country. Authoritarianism is a system of controlling a population — not by persuasion but by a little bit of raw power and a lot of fear. Fear with a dose of raw power can make people fold. It can cause capitulation as companies, universities, organizations, and individuals try to make deals with a bully. We’ve been seeing this dynamic since Trump took… Read full email…

In case you missed the news, Donald Trump has ordered the National Guard to head to our nation’s capital. Claiming emergency powers from the Home Rule charter due to crime, he’s taking control of the Capital’s police, too. DC’s Mayor Bowser struck a conciliatory and yielding position. “We have a responsibility to support the executive order and one of the roles I have is to ensure that we work very collaboratively with our federal partners.” Her only clear push back was Trump’s excuse, citing the city’s statistics showing violent crime generally is at a 30-year low (the FBI has slightly… Read full email…

ChooseDemocracy.us, We’re only doing this once: a single ask for donations. That’s it. No fundraising drive. No countdown clock. No guilt. (Please, no guilt!) Because we’d rather be doing the work than writing you fundraising emails. But if you do value what Choose Democracy is doing — and want to support it — now’s a great time to pitch in. We’re trying to raise $50,000 to to make sure we keep pace with the challenges before us. Donate to Choose Democracy   We’ve got more projects brewing. We’ll keep doing the work. Your support helps make it possible. In solidarity,… Read full email…

In these hard days of naked brutality, it’s easy to feel like we’re sprinting just to stay upright. The pace of authoritarianism isn’t just fast; it’s dizzying. It wants us to stumble. To lose our grounding. To get used to the smoke, the noise, the constant edge of dread. But here’s a quiet truth: it’s a sign of your humanity that it feels awful. It means the sickness hasn’t set in. That your body, your spirit, your gut knows this isn’t normal. That we’re still capable of discerning dignity from decay. That our hearts haven’t adapted to the chaos—and that’s worth holding onto.… Read full email…

We’re on a knife’s edge moment — caught between promise and peril, precarity and possibility. In case you missed it: Donald Trump has deployed 700 marines alongside up to 4,100 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. This comes in direct defiance of local voices and elected leaders who made it clear they do not want this ICE-led crackdown. Protests erupted as people tried to shield their communities and loved ones. ICE escalated quickly—using tear gas and stun grenades. No one requested the National Guard. The violence began with ICE ripping families apart. Trump wants to escalate it with the military and national… Read full email…

We’re on a knife’s edge moment — caught between promise and peril, precarity and possibility. In case you missed it: Donald Trump has deployed up to 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. This comes in direct defiance of local voices and elected leaders who made it clear they do not want this ICE-led crackdown. Protests erupted as people tried to shield their communities and loved ones. ICE escalated quickly—using tear gas and stun grenades. No one requested the National Guard. The violence began with ICE. It escalated with ICE. And any reporting that suggests otherwise is distorting the truth. California Governor… Read full email…