"Trump’s cabinet picks wouldn’t pass the background check to volunteer on a school field trip…"

Jess Piper‬

Trump’s new director of the “Crypto Council” is Bo Hines, whose qualifications are apparently 1) playing football in college; 2) losing the 2022 midterm general election for a North Carolina House seat; and 3) losing even worse in 2024.

There was a singular moment in 2015-16 where Bernie Sanders could have been the Democrat Elect instead of Clinton. He was sabotaged, and along that, so was democracy in the US, as it opened the gates for Trump and all that ensued afterwards.

The future (and present) in the US is oligarchy, not a democratic republic. It's just that now it's going to be completely in the open, and legally elected for it. The dream is dead.

64 years ago on this day in 1960, 6-year old Ruby Bridges walked into the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, escorted by 4 federal marshals and made history by becoming the first African-American child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South.

Her courage and poise paved the way for the fight for Civil Rights and Justice.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Bridges
#RubyBridges #segregation #integration #CivilRights #USpolitics #USHistory
1/n

The biggest take-away from the US election:

The fourth estate is dead. Without a free press, democracy cannot exist.

EDIT: Not only do we not have a free press, we have a propaganda press.

#fourthestate
#FreePress

I've been seeing a lot of conspiracy theories about how Trump stole the election here, and I know it's every more common on The TikTok.

This is where we should apply Occam's razor: when multiple explanations fit the evidence, err on the side of the simplest.

So, here's my counter:

Finally: remember to take care of yourselves. There is a long road ahead, but we’re in this together.

#4: Trans rights

#3: Reproductive rights

#2: Migrant rights

Then: choose your fights. Think about what matters most to you, and look for ways to fight for those things. Find people who are members of communities under threat and/or experienced organizers doing this work already, and ask them what they need. Help the people around you.

First, take steps to protect yourself. Find community. Take care of your health. Learn how to protect yourself digitally. Find and nurture sources of reliable news and information.

Maybe you’re not ready to read how to fight yet. It’s okay to take some time to rest, grieve, be angry. When you're ready, read on.

And it is the people who have been fighting not just to protect themselves, their communities, and the things they love, but also fighting for people they’ve never met, in places they’ve never been, living lives they’ve never lived, facing horrors they’ve never faced.

I am disappointed. I am sad. I am afraid. But, you see, I was disappointed, sad, and afraid before the election, too. In and outside of the United States, across the political spectrum, governments are and have been failing their people.

Newsletter: A message to those asking “what do I do now?” How to protect yourselves, and how to fight.

https://www.citationneeded.news/wind-the-clock/

Dear world,

Stop telling xenophobes their concerns are "valid" and then trying to win elections on it.

You are assisting the fascists.

Yours faithfully,

People with a conscience

https://xkcd.com/

Your friendly neighborhood poll worker would like to remind you: It's against the law in most states to wear items that promote a candidate into a polling place. Many states have expanded this to coded language such as "Let's Go Brandon" gear, "Childless cat lady" clothes, etc.

We election workers are all nervous given that there has already been one violent attack on a poll worker due to this regulation. Please be kind to your election volunteers and leave the campaign clothes and buttons at home!

Also, don’t forget there’s an audio version of these newsletters for those of you who prefer to listen! There’s an embedded player in the article, or find it in the Citation Needed audio feed wherever you get your podcasts. 100% real human voice, no text-to-speech.

https://pod.link/1719025552

That’s just a tiny portion of what’s in this week’s issue. If you like my writing and want to support my work, please consider signing up for a pay-what-you-want subscription! It really helps me to keep doing this work.

https://www.citationneeded.news/signup/

Some new crypto PACs have cropped up, including a few putting emergency funding behind Ted Cruz (R-TX) as his race appears to be tighter than originally predicted.

The weirdest new PAC is probably a very short-lived committee called “Republicans for A Pro-Crypto Senate Majority”, which raised about $200,000 from mostly Coinbase employees (including CEO Brian Armstrong), but also people like World Liberty Financial team member Zachary Witkoff.

Elsewhere, Coinbase’s astroturfed “Stand With Crypto” lobbying group threw a Black Keys concert to benefit Bernie Moreno (R-OH). Perhaps because so few people showed up, half the audience were left watching the backs of the performers. “Weirdest gig we’ve ever played”, said the band.

Coinbase has been promoting a new $25 million contribution to the Fairshake crypto-focused super PAC, which, like their May contribution of the same amount, appears to be in violation of campaign finance laws prohibiting contributions by federal contractors.

However, when I noted this earlier this week, I was met with a threat from Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, who tweeted that continuing to report on Coinbase would be “.... unwise”.

Newsletter: Coinbase threatens me that continuing to report on their activities would be “.... unwise”. Also, election spending hits a fever pitch, with several new crypto PACs coming out of the woodwork.

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-69/