BOB TOPPER – A number of major problems began when the Republican Party became theocratic. Democracy requires rational debate guided by facts, and it achieves progress through compromise. But the religious right eschews rational debate for they are guided by belief, the acceptance that things are true when they are not supported by fact. They reject for instance the fact of global warming and accept, without evidence, that Trump won the 2020 election. So, unlike the Republican Party of Eisenhower, Goldwater, Reagan, or George H.W. Bush, today’s theocratic party is unable to find common ground and is thus unable to govern–instead they attempt to rule.
Category: June 2025
Lessons in courage, care and collective action from the international accompaniment movement
MOIRA BIRSS and ZIA KANDLER – International accompaniment was developed in Central America during the 1980s and ’90s in response to threats against human rights defenders, communities and activists at the height of the civil wars there. Recognizing the global power dynamics and unequal treatment across borders by state actors, international solidarity movements and accompaniment organizations emerged to provide a protective presence, using international volunteers to deter violence and support grassroots struggles for justice.
Real World Effects as Republicans Scuttle International Humanitarian Assistance
LAWRENCE WITTNER – Calling for aid “to help 114 million people facing life-threatening needs across the world,” the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs said that “this isn’t just an appeal for money―it’s a call for global responsibility, for human solidarity, for a commitment to end the suffering.” Thus far, there’s no indication that the Trump administration has that commitment.
If fear is the goal, then solidarity is the antidote
DANIEL HUNTER – We would do well to take refuge in each other. We can focus on the fear or we can focus on the acts of courage around us. We would do well to steel our wills and gird ourselves — for these times require great courage. And courage is contagious. So let this be our mantra: It outlaws me, and I outlaw it.
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
DAMIAN CARRINGTON – “People deeply understand we are in a climate emergency,” said Cassie Flynn, at the UN Development Programme, whose People’s Climate Vote in 2024 found 80% of people wanted stronger climate action from their countries. “They want world leaders to be bold, because they are living it day to day. World leaders should look at this data as a resounding call for them to rise to the challenge.”
How Some Independent Radio Stations Avoid Sounding Like Corporate Drones
DAMON ORION – Local radio stations and digital networks of independents are keeping “human-driven, anti-algorithm expression” alive.
How Sanctuary Cities Protect All of Us
ROBERT KOEHLER – As George Cassidy Payne writes, “Sanctuary cities offer more than a geographical claim. They challenge us to look past a person’s nationality and recognize their humanity.”
What We Are Losing Through Trump’s Policies
MELINDA BURRELL – A problem with many of the policies made in this administration is thst they create massive change for the sake of disruption, without considering the consequences. The U.S. will be poorer without international students. We lose their perspectives enriching campus conversations. We lose the financial benefits of their tuition and other spending. We lose the edge they bring us in science, business, and the arts.
Is Nuclear Winter a Climate Issue?
NORMAN SOLOMON – With adversaries in common, the climate movement and activists for nuclear disarmament have an unexplored potential to work together. In profound ways, they could become effective allies in helping to save the world from unimaginable disasters.
The MAGA Command Center Progressive Philanthropy Still Doesn’t Understand
WALEED SHAHID – If progressives are serious about governing in an era defined by authoritarian threat—not just mobilizing in bursts—they need an institution built for the crisis we’re actually in, not the one our current infrastructure was designed for. Most of our organizations were built for a different strategic landscape: the post-Obama world of base-building, mass mobilization, and piecemeal policy advocacy. But that’s only one dimension of the current fight.
Union Members Hold the Keys to a Restored Democracy
ANDREW MOSS – If coalition members are serious about protecting democracy as a whole – not just their own institutional turf – they’ll be willing to leave their familiar silos. If, for example, an M.L. King or a U.S. President can walk a picket line, so can the president of your alma mater, or the head of that prominent law firm in your town. Or, for that matter, so can the rest of us.
This campaign against deportation flights shows how to target companies enabling Trump
ANDREW WILLIS GARCES and CHRISTI CLARK – Winning high-stakes fights against powerful opponents like Avelo, an airline working with ICE, requires undermining their key pillars of support.
Why Trump, the “Peacemaker,” Can’t Secure Peace
LAWRENCE WITTNER – The people of the world have a great deal to gain by strengthening international organizations that are genuinely committed to fostering peace.
How Bad Does It Have to Get Before the DNC Declares an Emergency?
NORMAN SOLOMON – Right now, the Democratic Party appears to be stuck in a never-ending logjam. The only real possibilities for major improvement will come from progressives who make demands and organize to back them up with grassroots power.