In 2023, Governor JB Pritzker was joined by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, advocates, and lawmakers at the Harold Washington Library to sign legislation outlawing book bans in Illinois.

Illinois made history as the first state to outlaw book bans once and for all.

Marginalizing people, ideas, or facts has no place in our state — and they have no place in a democracy.

This National Library Week, we continue our commitment to free thought and free speech.

NPR receives $113 million in charitable gifts "My hope is that this commitment provides the stability and the spark NPR needs to innovate boldly and strengthen its national network," says Connie Ballmer, who gave $80 million of the $113 million.

NPR has received two of the largest gifts in the network's existence, totaling $113 million, which will fuel innovation in use of digital technology, increasing it’s audience, and ensuring the viability of public radio stations after Congress eliminated all federal funding for public media.

LOVE THIS.... The @uft.org has pushed for a pied-à-terre tax several times during my tenure here. In a day & age when the ultra-rich are hoarding more & more of their wealth, any time we're talking about making them pay their fair share is a good thing for NYers. @mayor.nyc.gov @governor.ny.gov

We just won our trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
 
A jury ruled in our favor and is holding the companies responsible for their illegal monopoly that cost consumers millions of dollars.
 
This is a landmark victory to protect New Yorkers from harmful monopolies.

France passed a law requiring solar panels on every parking lot with more than 80 spaces.

Equals 10 nuclear reactors
Reduces heat island, shades cars

The US -- 800 million parking spaces. Most of them are uncovered asphalt sitting in direct sunlight.

Why aren't we doing this?

The average federal income tax for an individual is 14.5%.

But in 2025, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, paid just an 8% tax rate.

Meta paid just 3.75%.

Amazon paid just 1.37%.

Palantir and Tesla paid nothing.

itep.org/corporate-ta...

If you paid even a penny in federal income tax last year, you paid more than:

Tesla
Southwest
Disney
Live Nation
HP
United
PayPal
CVS Health
Palantir
Citigroup
PG&E
3M

That's right. They paid $0 in federal income tax.

It's time for big corporations to pay their fair share.

This is the way.......

VOT’s Raleigh chapter hosts a voter registration event

People often ask why Democrats don’t have something like TurningPoint USA — so before the year ends, let me introduce you to Voters of Tomorrow.

We’re on campuses across the country, organizing over 10,000 Gen Z members to engage our generation.

🧵THREAD

@rweingarten.bsky.social shares a story of talking with AFT paraprofessionals about our fight for the Working Americans' Tax Cut Act:

"The light in their eyes of the possibility that policy could change to help people. They just saw possibility, and that's what's important about making this fight."

Just...... wow.

I’d like to hear serious people start talking about what needs to happen to assure us that a Trump type individual will NEVER AGAIN gain this kind of power.

Mon Mothra: "I believe we are in crisis. The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil."

Right after she said this...

Mark Ruffalo, Glenn Close, Ben Stiller, Jane Fonda, John Cusack, Kristen Stewart, JJ Abrams, Katie Phang, John Leguizamo, and over a thousand actors, writers, directors, journalists, producers, composers, and Hollywood executives have signed a letter against the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger:

🧵

Cardinal Cupich: "We're dehumanizing the victims of war by turning the suffering of people & killing of children & our own soldiers into entertainment. To splice together movie cuts w/ actual bombings & targeting of people for purposes of entertainment is sickening. This is not who we are."

FIFA faces new crisis as SoFi Stadium workers in LA threaten strike action The union UNITE HERE Local 11 has made a series of demands to FIFA and voiced major concerns about ICE agents around World Cup venues

Thousands of workers are threatening to strike at the Los Angeles World Cup stadium.

The SoFi Stadium plans to host two of the three US Men's World Cup matches, but now 2,000 cooks, servers, bartenders and more may strike.

Their main issue? ICE being present at the World Cup.

This is Sadie. She was finally reunited with her human, astronaut Christina Koch, after her mom’s voyage around the moon took her the furthest any human has ever been from their dog. She can't wait to hear all about the universe. 14/10 (IG: astro_christina)

Opinion | Always Be Posting: The New Rules for Democratic Candidates

This is the best piece I've read on this topic: A successful campaign in '26 must operate like a full-time production studio. You need to harmonize your message across the ever-growing list of ways people are reachable. Communicators need to be everywhere all at once www.nytimes.com/2026/04/05/o...

The People Have Spoken: Millions Demand #nokings YouTube video by AFT

From big cities to rural communities, AFT members showed up—loud, united & ready to make one thing clear: there are #NoKings in America. In a historic display of grassroots power, we showed we'll fight for the future of our democracy and well-being of our communities.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-cf...

A March madness style bracket of municipal fixes around NYC PARK FIXES Repair and repaint playground benches (Dyker Heights) Fix a public water fountain (Lower East Side) Install park trail markers (Forest HIllS) Repair playground fencing (Morris Park) Fix a public water fountain (Lower East Side) MAYOR'S MUNICIPAL MADNESS Repair playground fencing (Morris Park) Paint a public pool interior (Highbridge) Clean up illegal dumping (Soundview) Repaint a recreation center's hallways (Far Rockaway) Install dog waste bag dispensers (Sunset Park) Clean up illegal dumping (Soundview) Install dog waste bag dispensers (Sunset Park) COMMUNITY SPACE FIXES Replace missing litter baskets (Bushwick) Replace boardwalk planks (South Beach) STREET FIXES Replace missing litter baskets (Bushwick) Replace a faded street sign (Prince's Bay) Paint a faded crosswalk (Jamaica) Replace boardwalk planks (South Beach) Resurface a basketball court (Morrisania) Resurface a basketball court (Morrisania) Restore a tennis court with fresh clay (Morningside Heights) Paint a handball wall (East Harlem) Paint a handball wall (East Harlem) Replace windscreens at a tennis court (Silver Lake) SPORTS FIXES

Fixing what's broken in our community shouldn't be maddening. All 16 frustrations in our Municipal Madness bracket are getting fixed — but you get to vote for which one I handle myself. Pick your fix at nyc.gov/madness, and report new problems by calling 311.

An outstanding pack by GG @whatifisaidit.bsky.social.
These are amazing accounts 💙

Distracted by Design

Smartphones and social media are harming youth, increasing anxiety and depression while causing distractions that reduce learning. In American Educator, professor and author Jonathan Haidt argues the problem isn’t with kids, teachers or parents—it’s tech’s profit model.
aft.org/ae/spring202...

Twin Cities No Kings Rally Remarks as prepared for delivery

"Americans don’t agree on everything—but we agree that ‘we the people’ have the ultimate say. Not the president—and sure as hell not a wannabe king!”

Read @rweingarten.bsky.social's full remarks at Saturday's #NoKings rally in Minnesota here ⤵️
randiweingarten.substack.com/p/twin-citie...

Thank you Marcie @mlipsitt.bsky.social for this fantastic pack 💙

Santiago’s Chaotic Thoughts | Substack I've spent 15 years tweeting every thought that came into my head. This is that... but longer. Click to read Santiago’s Chaotic Thoughts, by Santiago Mayer, a Substack publication.

@santiagomayer.com is the real deal as far as I'm concerned..... A consistent force for good who works to move the needle, especially for younger voters. That’s why I follow him & subscribe to his Substack.

Santiago’s Chaotic Thoughts santiagomayer.substack.com?r=h0fu0&utm_...

No Kings protests in Barrow, Alaska- the most northerly town in the USA.

#nokings

Enough is enough. We need to rein in prediction markets.

I appreciate good news but I will not trust any news that runs a Kalshi tracker on the bottom like we’re covering the Knicks playing the Lakers

Tomorrow.

People across the country will come together because too many families are being squeezed by rising costs and living with fear—and we know this isn’t the American dream.

There’s still time to find a #NoKings event near you: go.aft.org/nokings

Thank you Mel @lilmudda.bsky.social.
I am excited too! ❌👑