The police militarization debate is over Quaint disputes about the proper role of police and military have been superseded by a more urgent threat: Donald Trump is creating his own, personal paramilitary force

Radley Balko tracks the law-enforcement side of the descent into fascist dictatorship.
The police militarization debate is over open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...

Trump realizes people are turning on him, which means he will get more desperate, aggressive, extreme, and violent.

These are all actions of a weak regime and weak man.

He’s gonna send the troops into our cities to create violence as a pretense for shooting us to control the violence.

As this passage from a letter from several Dem lawmakers makes clear, ICE’s refusal appears to violate explicit federal law:

Screen shot of N.Y.T. article: "Harvard University, whose former president Claudine Gay resigned last year following a bruising appearance before a House committee, is also on the list. So are George Washington University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California."

53 Republican Senators and not a one of them represents the state of any of the universities on Trump's hit list. What a coincidence.
(Source: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/u...)

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows smog hanging over the New York skyline

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows damaged oil drums piled high at an Exxon refinery.

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows cars driving down a road as smoke spews from factories in the distance and air pollution hangs over everything.

A vintage photo from the National Archives shows smog in Los Angeles taken from a high vantage point.

Just thinking about what the US looked like before the EPA existed

Imagine a president so villainous he is trying to destroy Habitat for Humanity.

Again, the goal for this administration isn’t to counter antisemitism or protect Israel. It’s to weaponize antisemitism to go after their political enemies, advance an extreme agenda, and undercut democracy — and it only makes Jews *less* safe.

Trump's assault on Kentucky's economy continues. First he spurs retaliatory bourbon tariffs. Now he imposes steel and aluminum tariffs.

Right-Wing Donors and Foundations Spent $1 Billion to Keep People From Voting Last Year A new study documents the fortunes spent to suppress voting in 2024.

From 2020-2022, "more than $1 billion flowed from more than 3,500 foundations and high-net-worth donors to about 150 nonprofits that advocate purging people from the voting rolls, restricting vote-by-mail or early voting, removing drop boxes, and other ways of making it harder for people to vote."

Deadliest phase of fentanyl crisis eases, as all states see recovery In some parts of the U.S., drug deaths have plunged to levels not seen since the fentanyl crisis exploded. Addiction experts say communities still face big challenges.

Casting Trump's Canada/Fentanyl lie into further relief: thankfully, this catastrophe, which took off under Trump 1, began to subside well before Trump 2 took office.
www.npr.org/2025/03/07/n...

A recent report showed that the destruction of just one USAID program, the anti-AIDS PEPFAR initiative, would lead to the deaths of one million people *every year* www.vox.com/future-perfe...

🤩🤩 It's so good

Statement of AAU President Barbara R. Snyder Regarding the Cancellation of $400 Million in Federal Contracts and Grants to Columbia University | Association of American Universities (AAU) Statement of AAU President Barbara R. Snyder regarding the cancellation of $400 million in federal contracts and grants to Columbia University.

Glad to see a statement from AAU on Columbia, since AAU can afford to be more assertive than any particular targeted university can be. But disappointed to see "unprecedented" not spelled out.

1/

www.aau.edu/newsroom/pre...

Not only does the ADL support Trump's DHS/ICE goons disappearing a legal permanent resident, they openly hope that it will scare others into being quiet.

"Sorry, did I say Canada? Heh. Kentucky. I meant Kentucky."

The Biggest US Banks Have All Backed Out of a Commitment to Reach Net Zero In the lead up to the inauguration, the six largest US banks left a voluntary alliance with the UN to reach net zero by 2050. Now, critics are calling for new climate laws.

If you haven't yet fired your bank, why not fire your bank?

(Specifically: Bank of America, BMO, CIBC, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, National Bank, TD Bank Group, and Wells Fargo.)
www.wired.com/story/big-ba...

Journal of Applied Philosophy: Vol 42, No 1 Click on the title to browse this issue

JOAP SPECIAL ISSUE ON PROCREATION, INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE, AND THE CLIMATE CRISIS | Guest Eds: Serena Olsaretti & Isa Trifan onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14685930... #philsky #appliedphilosophy

KDA Statement on “Retaliatory Tariffs” on Bourbon - Whiskey Network Kentucky Distillers' Association President Eric Gregory released the following statement today on what the KDA calls "retaliatory tariffs" against bourbon:"Kentucky bourbon is a great American success...

Rather than get mad at "retaliatory tariffs" maybe the Kentucky Distillers' Association should place the blame where it belongs: on Donald Trump. whiskeynetwork.net/2025/03/kda-...

Bill would tip scales of justice against health and safety, encroach on KY courts' independence • Kentucky Lantern A bill moving in the Kentucky legislature would hamstring the courts in their independent role and state agencies in their duty to implement laws.

Commentary by Tom FitzGerald

Shortsighted and unconstitutional

Senate Bill 84 would tip scales of justice against health and safety, encroach on KY courts’ independence.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/03/05/s...

FACT: Immigrants are our nation's strength! Immigrants make up 17% of all health care workers, 28.2% of physicians, 27% of direct care workers, and a staggering 38% of home health aides. #ProtectImmigrantFamilies #MOMSky

Why did crime decline in 2023? Because local government went back to normal

My favorite explanation, which isn't a complete one (nor would the author claim it was), is this by @johnkroman.bsky.social, who points to the not-much-help-from-the-Feds restoration of local social services, who are in many ways even more "first-responders" than the police.

It's true homicides are still higher than they were in the early 2010s, when they hit near-historic lows.

But the decline in homicide since 2021 has been truly staggering. It's a huge public safety win, and thousands of ppl are alive bc of it.

It deserves--demands--the same attention as the spike.

Even better if the 25 who leave at any one time are from different parts of the audience, and they have to get out noisily with "excuse me"s etc. Just a constant stream of people needing to leave.

Seconding this idea. The only good response in the joint address today is to walk out 25 at a time every third sentence, then gather at some designated meaningful spot outside for an event foregrounding T&M's victims, and formally announce the end of their cooperation with the coup.

Beautiful Trouble Creative tools for a more just world.

We are not starting from scratch. The strategies and tactics are out there to resist the #Trump mafia state. But it’s time to put it all into action. Find some friends and start making some beautiful, good trouble. beautifultrouble.org

Resources for philosophers on Bluesky:

1. Starter packs
go.bsky.app/kiKSKZ (people)
go.bsky.app/RMuQBg3 (orgs)

2. New PhilSky＋ feed 🦋
bsky.app/profile/did:... – uses #PhilSky & other common hashtags (see profile for more)

3. Lists
bsky.app/profile/did:... (people)
bsky.app/profile/did:... (orgs)

James Harrison, whose rare blood helped save millions of babies, dies at 88 By donating blood over 1,100 times, James Harrison helped develop Anti-D, a life-saving treatment for newborns at risk of Rhesus disease

The most extraordinary thing about James Harrison, who donated his rare plasma every 2 weeks for over 60 years and saved the lives of an estimated 2.4 million babies, is that he had to overcome a FEAR OF NEEDLES.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Imagine that. 💰

✊🏾🖤🪧📢🫶🏾🎯🫶🏾📢🪧🖤✊🏾