I teach this history of near-misses.
Most Americans think Sec Def, Joint Chiefs, Speaker, SOMEONE must also approve POTUS orders—
not true.
It's unilateral "god power," no safety mechanism.
Yes, the President Could Actually End Civilization and Nobody Could Stop It
open.substack.com/pub/collapse...
@race2extinct.bsky.social Lyle Lewis makes a persuasive case that conservation is a form of ecological CPR.
"We try to stabilize what remains, protect fragments, reduce pressures where we can, keep species and ecosystems alive long enough to preserve possibility."
open.substack.com/pub/lylel/p/...
"The State of the Union is Not Strong, Says a Majority"
6/10 Americans think the country is worse off than a year ago, 7/10 say checks & balances aren't working, and 8/10 know US democracy is in serious jeopardy. The largest change is among Independents.
maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/the-st...
January NY Times–Siena poll found 54% voter opposition to T-Rump’s tariffs.
New WaPo poll: His tariff disapproval has now risen to 64%—in just a month.
Tariffs = Consumer prices soaring, T-Rump sinking.
"The Effects of Tariffs, One Year Into Trump’s Trade Experiment"
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/b...
T-Rump is at 36% overall approval.
Fox is broadcasting 34% public approval on tariffs.
WaPo poll: 35% approval in foreign affairs, 32% approval re: inflation.
🍊🐷 is compensating by screaming that Dems stole millions of votes in the 2024 election he won.
newrepublic.com/article/2069...
James Hansen’s latest update is a fire alarm. Since 2010 warming has accelerated 50%. "The 1.5°C limit is deader than a doornail." We’re on a fast-track to a killer-storms crop-killing 2°C/3.6ºF > normal; natural cooling can no longer offset the trapped heat.
jimehansen.substack.com/p/another-el...
The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Jorie Graham's poetry is a lifeline in these times, as it always has been. Grateful for her voice.
This is such a great issue @lrb.co.uk !
exaclty how much has changed in 150 years?
I teach with this cartoon. Powerful. Answer:
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
wapo.st/3MH96TF
"Scientists thought they understood global warming. Then the past three years happened."
It appears we're losing cloud cover (albedo reflecting solar heat away from Earth), yet another new feedback loop we can't control.
We're out of time and we have no plan.
Gift Link 🎁 🔗
Gift link, WaPo exclusive—
"IRS improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS"
DOGE & Trump toadies at IRS illegally transferred sensitive taxpayer personal info to ICE for human hunting, both immigrants and everyone with the same surnames. IRS claims they just noticed.
wapo.st/3O2v3gu
"The names Alex Pretti and Renee Good now become part of history, along with James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, the three civil rights workers slain by the KKK. Those 3 deaths in MS helped propel the country toward advances in social justice...
ICE activity has not noticeably tapered off yet here and in fact this week they seem to be focused on terrorizing kids at bus stops and schools.
Please share with friends living under ICE and Border Patrol occupation. And save for when ICE comes to your town.
Resist
"Strongly worded"
Judge Scolds Bondi for Publishing Photos of Protesters on Social Media www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
To honor @brucespringsteen.net 's great new protest anthem "The Streets of Minneapolis ", let's post some of our other great songs of protest for those who have not yet heard them. There's a world of vision & fury out there, penned by our great songwriters. Here's one...
youtube.com/watch?v=90WD...
youtu.be/kyxNBSdDHKA?...
One of the greatest protest songs in our long history of protest songs. Bless you @brucespringsteen.net
We will be singing it all together
a snapshot of where MAGA is taking us
One of the unacknowledged advantages of this awful era is that it's revealing for all to see the putrid connections between great wealth and great power.
The intentions of the oligarchs are fully exposed and more blatant than ever.
But remember: We outnumber the oligarchs.
The earliest skeletons of collapse. Ghost ski resorts scattered across the Alps are what ecological overshoot looks like before the food systems fail.
apple.news/AncGi29LhS46...
The AI surveillance state is real — and it's being built by Palantir. https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=UCDbzicHDPZE7T7S
