Trustworth Sources
The administration is attacking journalism. Much of the mainstream media is facing shrinking revenues and has become averse to critical thinking about the news they report lest they offend an advertiser or a partisan reader group. So what to read?
Here’s a list of trustworthy sources:
Our Shame
Today, February 28, 2025, our President and Vice President and their GOP enablers betrayed the United States and eighty years of stabilizing alliances. They parroted Russian propaganda, bullied a courageous and embattled ally, and disgraced America. Historian Timothy Snyder lays it out plainly.
https://open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p/five-failures-in-the-oval-office
It is little wonder that there is speculation that Trump has been a Russian asset for forty years.
God save America.
Clueless
Buyer’s remorse is dawning on some. Others nervously conform and wait to see how it will turn out. History instructs us, but reality collides violently with the delusions of dogmatic thinking.
Heather Cox Richardson continues to illuminate current events with the lessons of history. Read more below and subscribe.
Keeping Track
The very unpopular and much lied about Project 2025 is notching off its “accomplishments” one-by-one as congress allows the executive branch unfettered sway even when the actions are lawless overreach. Here is a website that’s keeping score and citing the sources.
This does not, of course, track items on the more hidden agenda of intended covert consequences that is disabling and eliminating the means to hold anyone accountable. Much of the factual reporting and more candid analysis is showing up in independent media like Substack.
The NY Times has a series titled “The Opinions” and if you are trying to understand the lack of GOP and mainstream media opposition to all of this evil, I recommend you listen to “There’s a reason even smart people surrender to Trump” (below).
There’s a reason …
This thirty-minute interview explores how we are being manipulated into anticipatory compliance contrary to our deeply held values. The GOP fell into line first, and now they are coming for the rest of us.
A National Shame
The school shooting in Madison was the 83rd such incident in 2024, bringing the total killed to 38 and the total wounded to 115.
Angry? You’re more likely to spread misinfo
The News Literacy Project Reports:
Making people feel outraged is an effective way to spread misinformation — and foreign purveyors of disinformation use this tactic regularly, according to a Washington Post analysis of two new studies. The first study, in the journal Science, found that social media users who share content that angers them are less likely to read or verify it before sharing, and content from low-quality sources — including hyperpartisan sites — is more likely to provoke outrage.
A separate report from the nonprofit Issue One found that foreign disinformation in the 2024 election aimed to tap into similar strong emotions, such as anger, fear and mistrust. The report identified 160 false narratives spread by Russia, Iran, and China, and concluded these foreign influence operations used “pink slime” websites that misleadingly imitate genuine news sites, networks of trolls, and generative artificial intelligence technology to spread falsehoods.
The newsletter is aimed at educators and those who work with young people. It suggests ways to engage them by asking questions. Maybe this would be a good way to engage our friends and neighbors — ask questions and listen actively to their answers.
Talk with the young people in your life about content that makes them angry online. What steps could they take to counter misinformation? Why does outrage drive misinformation online? Why would social algorithms prioritize content that provokes strong emotions?
Misinformation Evokes More Outrage
Remain Yourself
In the face of an emerging authoritarian government, Timothy Snyder outlines how each of us should meet the challenges. His main message is don’t anticipate and comply. Retain and live your values. He also suggests that we strengthen and support regional institutions that will nurture and defend our values. Excellent positive advice for us to be resilient and generative, not just resistant. Watch the video.
Now What?
Reset. “Chop wood, carry water” and do the necessary things to be calm and strong in the face of danger.
What we know about thriving through adversity – Americans of Conscience
TL;DR These three things I’ve learned are essential to thriving through difficult times: Allow yourself to feel, get connected, and take profoundly good care of yourself. Eight years ago, we faced this reality: A newly-elected president whose commitment to democratic norms were self-serving at best. Many were as angered and fearful then about what the…
