MICHAEL MORRILL – “Costed platforms” refer to election platforms where the proposed policies and promises have been analyzed for their financial impact, usually including detailed budget estimates. When a party proposes universal childcare or climate reform, they are required to submit their plans to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Independent economists test each promise: How much will it cost? Who pays? What is saved? It isn’t perfect system, but it’s a compass. It points away from fantasy, toward responsibility.
Category: April 2025
The power and pitfalls of protest: how to speak out without falling victim to Trump’s playbook
JONATHAN SMUCKER – As mass protest surges against Trump and Musk, how can we show up as effectively as possible?
Mr. “Peace President,” Where is the Peace?
KELSEY COOLIDGE – We cannot build peace without the voices for peace in government. We also need strong voices outside of the government to advocate for pro-peace policies. Peace movements, non-profit or non-governmental organizations, and the charitable foundations that support them are all involved in this work. These civil society organizations do more to represent a war-weary American public than a government that cuts all funding for peace.
Analyzing Four Disgraceful Trump Actions
By Mel Gurtov Act 1: US and El Salvador Won’t Return Wrongly Deported Man No disgraceful act of the Trump administration is more dangerous than its denial of due process of law, judicial decisions, and unquestionable facts in the deportation…
Florida Shooting Leads to “Worst Day of My Life”
LAURA FINLEY – I got one of the worst text messages a parent can receive at 12:05 p.m. on April 17. “Active shooter.”
Straight Talk to Democrats (and the Rest of Us)
DR. PRU LEE – Dear Democratic Party: I need more from you. You keep sending emails begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time. This administration is not simply “a different ideology.” It is a coordinated, authoritarian machine — with the Supreme Court, the House, the Senate, and the executive pen all under its control. And you? You’re still asking for decorum and donations. That won’t save us. I want strategy. I want fire. I want action so bold it shifts the damn news cycle — not fits inside one.
Guide to Becoming an Environmental Leader and Inspiring the Next Generation of Eco-Defenders
SAM DAVIS – Your community needs leaders who care about the environment. As climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity threaten our planet’s health, we can’t afford to wait for governments or corporations to solve these problems. We need individuals who are willing to take action, inspire others, and make a difference. And those differences need to happen right in our backyards.
What would a general strike in the US actually look like?
Calls for a general strike in the US are growing. It’s important to understand how to organize one, given their key role in overcoming tyrants around the world. By Jeremy Brecher Something is in the air: A perception that American…
Oregon scores 9th in the nation for energy efficiency
ISABEL CHARLE – Oregon ranked ninth this year on The State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization, ranked states based on their latest policy developments and efforts to save energy.
What to do if the Insurrection Act is invoked
DANIEL HUNTER – With the Insurrection Act looming, now is the time to learn how it might unfold and the strategic ways to respond.
Will America’s Golden Age End in Rage and Frenzy?
BOB TOPPER – In 1258, illiterate and misguided Mongols sacked Baghdad, destroying libraries, hospitals, and other cultural institutions. That marked the end of the Islamic Golden Age. The Trump-Musk administration is destroying America’s great institutions and is on a mission to end America’s golden age. But the Trump regime is built on deception and seems fundamentally unstable. It may implode. We the people are waking up to his madness as the price of eggs continues to rise and retirement accounts shrink.
Once seen as a symbolic protest, the nuclear ban treaty is growing teeth
OLAMIDE SAMUEL – In just four years, the TPNW has evolved beyond the caricature of a “protest treaty.” It offers something the traditional forums often cannot: a willingness to confront the uncomfortable truths about nuclear weapons, from their humanitarian consequences to the fragility of deterrence itself. The TPNW is not about dismantling the system overnight; it’s about ensuring we have the courage and the foresight to imagine a future where nuclear arsenals—and the assumption that we need them—no longer exist.
Our Times Call For Nonviolent Resistance. Humor is an Important Component.
TOM H. HASTINGS – Winston Churchill once said that Democracy is the worst form of government except for all the rest that have been tried. That’s still true. And nonviolence is the worst form of uprising and resistance, except for all the other methods that have been tried.
The UN Today: “Mankind’s Best Hope” Is Not a Poker Chip
REBECCA A. SHOOT – We all need to remind our legislators that what transpired in San Francisco 80 years ago was not a poker game but a promise to humankind and our planet.