- Founded by Jews United for Democracy and Justice
866OurVote is a national non-partisan election protection coalition working year round to ensure that voters have an equal opportunity to vote and have that vote count. We provide Americans from coast to coast with comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting – from registration to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to their participation. Our volunteers provide voter information, document problems they encounter when voting and work with partners and volunteers on the ground to identify and remove barriers to voting.
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’s mission is to foster civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs at colleges and universities, making them a defining feature of campus life. By recognizing colleges and universities for their commitment to increasing student voting rates, through its national awards program, ALL IN encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship, make democratic participation a core value on their campus, and cultivate generations of engaged citizens who are essential to a healthy democracy.
Anti-Defamation League is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is a global leader in exposing extremism and delivering anti-bias education, and is a leading organization in training law enforcement. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice. We work to hold our political institutions and laws accountable to the twin American ideals of democracy and equal justice for all. The Center’s work ranges from voting rights to campaign finance reform, from ending mass incarceration to preserving Constitutional protection in the fight against terrorism.
The California Center for Civic Participation is a non-partisan, non-profit civic education organization, engaging high school students by sparking their interest with exposure to real excitement of the democratic process. We believe that youth hold so much untapped and unlimited power to change their communities and their world and we exist to expose and nurture that power.
Learn more about the California Center for Civic Participation and volunteer opportunities.
The Center’s mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965.
The Center for Civic Education helps students develop (1) an increased understanding of the institutions of constitutional democracy and the fundamental principles and values upon which they are founded, (2) the skills necessary to participate as competent and responsible citizens, and (3) the willingness to use democratic procedures for making decisions and managing conflict.
The Center for Common Ground empowers under-represented voters through non-partisan voter registration and Get Out the Vote. It provide voter information through door knock canvassing, texting, phone-banking. It also provide free rides to the polls on Election Day.
Learn more about the Center for Common Ground and volunteer opportunities.
Center for Election Innovation & Research engages in cutting-edge work to build voter trust, increase voter participation, and improve the efficiency of election administration. Their work helps elections officials maintain accurate and complete voter lists and secure election technology infrastructure.
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy. We work to ensure open, honest, and accountable government; to promote equal rights, opportunity, and representation for all; and to empower all people to make their voices heard as equals in the political process. Common cause works across four major issue areas: voting and elections; money and politics; ethics, transparency and government accountability; and media and democracy.
Learn more about Common Cause and the Common Cause Education Fund.
Democracy North Carolina is a nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to strengthen democratic structures, build power among disenfranchised communities, and inspire confidence in a transformed political process that works for all.
ElectionDay.Org engages businesses to provide resources and tools to promote voting within their organizations including information on how to register, voting methods, and relevant deadlines.
Equal Justice Works creates opportunities for lawyers to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. Equal Justice Works is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and is the nation’s largest facilitator of opportunities in public interest law. Equal Justice Works brings together an extensive network of law students, lawyers, legal services organizations, and supporters to promote a lifelong commitment to public service and equal justice. The organization believes that a community of lawyers committed to public service can fulfill our nation’s promise of equal justice for all. Following their Fellowships, more than 85% of Equal Justice Works Fellows remain in public service positions, continuing to pursue equal justice for underserved communities.
Learn more about Equal Justice Works and available volunteer opportunities.
The Election Official Legal Defense Network (EOLDN) is a project of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Center for Election Innovation & Research. EOLDN connects licensed, qualified, pro bono attorneys with election administrators who need advice or assistance. Election workers from all over the country, at the state and local level, can contact EOLDN via this website or by phone (1-877-313-5210) at any time, to request to be connected to a lawyer who can help them, at no cost. This service is available regardless of the election official’s political affiliation, or whether they work in a blue or red state or county.
Learn more about Election Official Legal Defense Network and available volunteer opportunities.
FairVote is a nonpartisan organization seeking better elections for all. They research and advance voting reforms that make democracy more functional and representative for every American. FairVote has a proven record since 1992 as a nonpartisan trailblazer that advances and wins electoral reforms at the local, state and national level through strategic research, communications and collaboration. Today, we are the driving force behind advancing ranked choice voting and fair representation in multi-winner legislative districts that will open up our elections to better choices, fairer representation and more civil campaigns.
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. HeadCount uses a grassroots approach to reach young people and music fans at concerts and online to inform and empower. Like music and democracy? Come work (or volunteer) with us!
Learn about how to be involved at a concert or event near you.
Indivisible is committed to providing civic education, policy resources, strategic guidance, and targeted trainings for groups across the country. It educates and empowers civic leaders at the community level across the country.
Learn more about Indivisible and volunteer opportunities available in several states.
Leaders We Deserve is a grassroots organization dedicated to electing young progressives to Congress and State Legislatures across the country to help defeat the far-right agenda and advance a progressive vision for the future.
The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
The Lincoln Project is a leading pro-democracy organization in the United States — dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy. The Lincoln Project launched with two stated objectives. The first was to defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. The second was to ensure Trumpism failed alongside him. As we have seen, our fight against Trumpism is only beginning. We must combat these forces everywhere and at all times. Our democracy depends on it.
Learn more about The Lincoln Project and available volunteer opportunities.
People For the American Way Foundation conducts research, legal, and education work on behalf of First Amendment freedoms and democratic values; monitors, exposes, and challenges the Religious Right movement and its political allies; identifies, trains, and supports the next generation of progressive leaders through its Young People For youth leadership programs and its Young Elected Officials Network; and carries out nonpartisan voter education, registration, civic participation, and election protection activities.
Project Vote is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded on the belief that an organized, diverse electorate is the key to a better America. Project Vote’s mission is to build an electorate that accurately represents the diversity of this nation’s citizenry, and to ensure that every eligible citizen can register, vote, and cast a ballot that counts.
Project Vote Smart offers services and programs for political journalists to enhance their coverage of politics and elections. The Project partners with more than 300 national, state, and local news organizations, all endorsing Project programs. In addition to comprehensive databases on more than 40,000 candidates and incumbents, the Project provides journalists with special research services and publications. We devote considerable effort to researching information about all candidates for presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative office and elected officials. Voters thus have access to unbiased information on candidates as well as those serving in elected positions.
Learn more about Project Vote Smart and available volunteer opportunities.
The Public Citizen Foundation supports Public Citizen’s education, litigation, research, and public information activities. Public Citizen is a national consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts. Public Citizen fights for openness and democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care.
Learn more about Public Citizen and available opportunities.
Rideshare2Vote was created to increase the voice and power of people by expanding their civic engagement and voting rights. We have created a voter touch outreach field program that includes our transportation service specifically for Democratic and progressive voters. Rideshare2Vote focuses our work in disenfranchised communities; voting for the first time; who are not voting in every election; that are disabled; living in poverty and who are elderly.
Learn more about Rideshare2Vote and available volunteer opportunities.
Fusing pop culture, politics, and technology, Rock the Vote works to mobilize the millennial voting bloc and the youth vote, protect voting rights, and advocate for an electoral process and voting system that works for the 21st century electorate. For almost 25 years, Rock the Vote has pioneered ways to make voting easier by simplifying and demystifying voter registration and elections for young adults.
Learn more about Rock the Vote and available volunteer opportunities.
The Andrew Goodman Foundation makes young voices and votes a powerful force in democracy. Our ability to spark their passion — today — will result in change, tomorrow. The Andrew Goodman Foundation supports youth leadership development, voting accessibility, and social justice initiatives on campuses across the country with mini-grants to select institutions of higher learning and other financial assistance to students.
Our vision is that young people will become active, engaged citizens who ensure a just democracy and sustainable future. Join us during this critical time for American democracy and help shape the next generation of civic leaders.
Learn more about The Andrew Goodman Foundation and available volunteer opportunities.
The Center for Public Integrity is dedicated to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on issues of public concern. The mission of the Center for Public Integrity is to protect democracy and inspire change using investigative reporting that exposes betrayals of the public trust by powerful interests. To pursue its mission, the Center generates high-quality, accessible investigative reports, databases, and contextual analysis on issues of public importance; disseminates work to journalists, policymakers, scholars, and citizens using a combination of digital, electronic, and print media; and educates, engages, and empowers citizens with the tools and skills they need to hold government and other private institutions accountable.
The Civics Center is dedicated to building the foundations of youth civic engagement and voter participation in high schools through education, organizing, and advocacy. We support student-led, peer-to-peer voter registration and pre-registration efforts in high school communities.
Learn more about The Civics Center and available volunteer opportunities.
TurnUp is non-profit organization and mobile app that comprises the largest youth-led voter registration and turnout initiative. TurnUp’s 2024 election engagement plans include four integrated programs that work together to increase youth voter registration and turnout: physical registration and turnout drives; relational registration and turnout drives; grassroots organizing; and digital campaigns. TurnUp has Volunteer and Internship positions for high school, college, and recent graduates.
VoteRiders is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations, local volunteers, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts. VoteRiders offers a variety of volunteer options including virtual and on the ground positions.
When We All Vote is a leading national, nonpartisan initiative on a mission to change the culture around voting and to increase participation in each and every election by helping to close the race and age gap. Created by Michelle Obama, When We All Vote brings together individuals, institutions, brands, and organizations to register new voters across the country and advance civic education for the entire family and voters of every age to build an informed and engaged electorate for today and generations to come. We empower our supporters and volunteers to take action through voting, advocating for their rights, and holding their elected officials accountable.
Learn more about When We All Vote and available volunteer opportunities.
Resources
Defending our values through knowledge and action.
July 3, 2026
Wishing you a Happy American Independence Day!
This Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Ambassador Dennis Ross who will be in conversation with Larry Mantle on the topic: “IRAN, ISRAEL, AND AMERICA: WHERE ARE WE AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE?” (Register Here). Ambassador Ross is returning from the Middle East immediately prior to this program….You don’t want to miss this!
Ambassador Dennis Ross is counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. For more than twelve years, Ambassador Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process and dealing directly with the parties in negotiations. A highly skilled diplomat, Ambassador Ross was U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. Dennis Ross has published seven books relating to diplomacy.
Warren Olney was the host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated weekday afternoon program “To the Point,” which originated at NPR affiliate KCRW. Olney and his programs have been honored with nearly 40 national, regional and local awards for broadcast excellence. He is the only two-time winner of the Los Angeles Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Journalist award.
New York Times/Opinion
By the Editorial Board
June 29, 2026
For nearly a century, the Supreme Court has made it difficult for a president to defy the clear text of a law passed by Congress. The court prevented Franklin D. Roosevelt from firing a leader of the Federal Trade Commission in 1935. It stopped the Reagan administration from defying a pollution investigation in 1988. It helped block Barack Obama’s attempt to expand immigration protections in 2016.
Its decision Monday allowing President Trump to fire F.T.C. commissioners represents a break with this history. The ruling dismisses longstanding precedent and effectively discards a 112-year-old law that said the president could fire commissioners only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” Mr. Trump can now fire commissioners in regulatory agencies simply because he wants to.
The majority opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts says that requiring presidents to have cause when they fire agency heads conflicts with the separation of powers in the Constitution. Because the Federal Trade Commission exercises executive power, it “must therefore be controlled by the chief executive,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. The majority has decided that Congress erred when it tried to insulate the F.T.C. and a couple of dozen other agencies from partisan politics by stipulating that its leaders be semi-independent. The ruling happens to suit perfectly the view of President Trump, who has said that Article II of the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever I want as president.”
(To continue reading click here)
Washington Post/Opinion
By Max Boot
June 29, 2026
Pete Hegseth’s purges claim one of the military’s superstars
Gen. Christopher Donahue heads into early retirement as the defense secretary seeks to root out MAGA disloyalty.
To hear those who know Army Gen. Christopher “CD” Donahue tell it, he is one of the military’s superstars, or “water walkers.”
As the commander of Delta Force, the Army’s top Special Operations unit, Donahue was on the front lines of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. As commander of the fabled 82nd Airborne Division, he was the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan in 2021. And as commander of the 18th Airborne Corps from 2022 to 2024, he played a key role in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to roll back the Russian invasion.
Retired Army Gen. Tony Thomas, former head of U.S. Special Operations Command, calls Donahue “a generational leader.” Retired Adm. William McRaven, another former Special Operations chief, has written that he is “one of the most brilliant officers I know.” Retired Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, a former supreme allied commander in Europe, describes him as “almost like a comic book action hero” and, “without a doubt, the most experienced war fighter we have in the U.S. Army.”
Not long ago, Donahue was being talked about as a future Army chief of staff or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is forcing him into early retirement by downgrading his position as commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa after only 18 months and not offering him an alternative four-star slot. That makes Donahue the latest casualty of the secretary’s insidious purge of the senior ranks of the armed forces.
(To continue reading click here)
July 1, 2026
If you missed today’s program featuring Andrew Weissmann in conversation with Patt Morrison, you can watch the program at THIS PAST EVENTS LINK. The program will post a few hours after it ends. Starting Thursday morning, you can listen AT THIS PODCAST LINK
You can find Andrew Weissmann’s book here: “Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America.”
On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Ambassador Dennis Ross who will be in conversation with Warren Olney on the topic: “IRAN, ISRAEL, AND AMERICA: WHERE ARE WE AND WHERE DO WE GO FROM THERE?” (Register Here)
Ambassador Dennis Ross is counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. For more than twelve years, Ambassador Ross played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process and dealing directly with the parties in negotiations. A highly skilled diplomat, Ambassador Ross was U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations. Dennis Ross has published seven books relating to diplomacy.
Warren Olney was the host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated weekday afternoon program “To the Point,” which originated at NPR affiliate KCRW. Olney and his programs have been honored with nearly 40 national, regional and local awards for broadcast excellence. He is the only two-time winner of the Los Angeles Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Journalist award.
New York Times/Opinion
By the Editorial Board
June 29, 2026
For nearly a century, the Supreme Court has made it difficult for a president to defy the clear text of a law passed by Congress. The court prevented Franklin D. Roosevelt from firing a leader of the Federal Trade Commission in 1935. It stopped the Reagan administration from defying a pollution investigation in 1988. It helped block Barack Obama’s attempt to expand immigration protections in 2016.
Its decision Monday allowing President Trump to fire F.T.C. commissioners represents a break with this history. The ruling dismisses longstanding precedent and effectively discards a 112-year-old law that said the president could fire commissioners only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” Mr. Trump can now fire commissioners in regulatory agencies simply because he wants to.
The majority opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts says that requiring presidents to have cause when they fire agency heads conflicts with the separation of powers in the Constitution. Because the Federal Trade Commission exercises executive power, it “must therefore be controlled by the chief executive,” Chief Justice Roberts wrote. The majority has decided that Congress erred when it tried to insulate the F.T.C. and a couple of dozen other agencies from partisan politics by stipulating that its leaders be semi-independent. The ruling happens to suit perfectly the view of President Trump, who has said that Article II of the Constitution gives him “the right to do whatever I want as president.”
(To continue reading click here)
Washington Post/Opinion
By Max Boot
June 29, 2026
Pete Hegseth’s purges claim one of the military’s superstars
Gen. Christopher Donahue heads into early retirement as the defense secretary seeks to root out MAGA disloyalty.
To hear those who know Army Gen. Christopher “CD” Donahue tell it, he is one of the military’s superstars, or “water walkers.”
As the commander of Delta Force, the Army’s top Special Operations unit, Donahue was on the front lines of fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. As commander of the fabled 82nd Airborne Division, he was the last U.S. service member to leave Afghanistan in 2021. And as commander of the 18th Airborne Corps from 2022 to 2024, he played a key role in supporting Ukraine’s efforts to roll back the Russian invasion.
Retired Army Gen. Tony Thomas, former head of U.S. Special Operations Command, calls Donahue “a generational leader.” Retired Adm. William McRaven, another former Special Operations chief, has written that he is “one of the most brilliant officers I know.” Retired Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, a former supreme allied commander in Europe, describes him as “almost like a comic book action hero” and, “without a doubt, the most experienced war fighter we have in the U.S. Army.”
Not long ago, Donahue was being talked about as a future Army chief of staff or chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is forcing him into early retirement by downgrading his position as commanding general of the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa after only 18 months and not offering him an alternative four-star slot. That makes Donahue the latest casualty of the secretary’s insidious purge of the senior ranks of the armed forces.
(To continue reading click here)
June 29, 2026
THIS Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Andrew Weissmann who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison on the topic: “LIAR’S KINGDOM: HOW TO STOP TRUMP’S DECEIT AND SAVE AMERICA” (Register Here)
Andrew Weissmann is an NYU Law School professor and widely respected legal analyst on MS NOW. He was a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office, Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice, General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Director Mueller, a leader of the Enron Task Force, and started out as an organized crime prosecutor in Brooklyn. His latest book is “Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America.”
Patt Morrison has a share of two Pulitzer Prizes as a longtime Los Angeles Times writer and columnist. As a public television and radio broadcaster, she has won six Emmys and a dozen Golden Mike awards.
“The 2020 election was a total FRAUD!” “I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” “There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!!” These and other lies by Donald Trump sparked a historic insurrection to topple our democracy and undermined the public’s faith in elections. The Trump administration’s deceit has enabled the use of law enforcement and the military against the people, the unlawful deportation of immigrants, and the disregard of international rules meant to promote a civilized and peaceful world. Other politicians, inspired by the success of the political lie, have flooded the public square with falsehoods of their own.
Washington Post/Opinion
By George F. Will
June 26, 2026
The Supreme Court errs in this immigration ruling
The justices get it wrong on temporary protected status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
The pungent odor of Kristi Noem lingers in Washington. Nearly four months after she was fired as homeland security secretary, a facet of her tenure produced a Supreme Court case, decided on Thursday.
Her behavior egregiously violated the pertinent law, but was shielded from judicial rebuke by the court majority’s too-mechanical textualism about the secretary’s “determination,” meaning decision. And by a blinkered nonrecognition of the animus behind Noem’s action.
A 1990 statute allows the DHS secretary to grant temporary protected status shielding aliens in America from having to return to nations afflicted by natural disasters, wars or persecuting regimes. When the Trump administration moved to end TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians, five of the former and seven of the latter sued, charging that procedural requirements had not been followed, and that the TPS denial was tainted by racism.
The court ruled 6-3 for the Trump administration, with Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined in the judgment by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Neil M. Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett. The majority noted that the 1990 statute shields the DHS secretary’s “determination” from judicial review. And that the plaintiffs were unlikely to prevail regarding racism, because the Trump administration’s denial of TPS renewal was facially “race-neutral”: The administration has terminated every TPS designation that has come up for renewal.
Justice Elena Kagan, joined in dissent by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, agrees that the TPS statute prevents judicial review of the DHS…
(To continue reading click here)
The Economist
Leaders/Opinion
May 15, 2026
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “$WAMP coins”
Crypto has become the ultimate swamp asset
An industry that dreamed of being above politics has become synonymous with self-dealing
WHEN OFFERED a Boeing 747 by the government of Qatar to replace Air Force One, President Donald Trump responded: why not? Only someone dumb would turn down free money. No presidency has generated so many conflicts of interest at such speed in modern history. Yet the worst self-dealing in American politics is found not on a runway but on blockchains, home to trillions of dollars in cryptocurrencies.
Over the past six months crypto has taken on a new role at the centre of American public life. Several cabinet officials have large investments in digital assets. Crypto enthusiasts help run regulatory agencies. The industry’s largest businesses are among the biggest donors to election campaigns, with exchanges and issuers deploying hundreds of millions to defend friendly legislators and to crush their opponents. The president’s sons tout their crypto ventures around the world. The biggest investors in Mr Trump’s meme coin get to have dinner with the president. The holdings of the first family are now worth billions, making crypto possibly the largest single source of its wealth.
This is ironic, given crypto’s origins. When bitcoin was started in 2009, a utopian, anti-authoritarian movement welcomed it. Crypto’s earliest adopters had lofty goals about revolutionising finance and defending individuals against expropriation and inflation. They wanted to hand power to small investors, who would otherwise be at the mercy of giant financial institutions. This was more than an asset: it was technology as liberation.
That is all forgotten now. Crypto has not just facilitated fraud, money-laundering and other flavours of financial crime on a gargantuan scale. The industry has also developed a grubby relationship with the executive branch of America’s government that outstrips that of Wall Street or any other industry. Crypto has become the ultimate swamp asset.
(To continue reading click here)
June 24, 2026
If you missed today’s program featuring Josh Tyrangiel in conversation with Patt Morrison, you can watch the program at THIS PAST EVENTS LINK. The program will post a few hours after it ends. Starting Thursday morning, you can listen AT THIS PODCAST LINK
On Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Andrew Weissmann who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison on the topic: “LIAR’S KINGDOM: HOW TO STOP TRUMP’S DECEIT AND SAVE AMERICA” (Register Here)
Andrew Weissmann is an NYU Law School professor and widely respected legal analyst on MS NOW. He was a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office, Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice, General Counsel of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Director Mueller, a leader of the Enron Task Force, and started out as an organized crime prosecutor in Brooklyn. His latest book is “Liar’s Kingdom: How to Stop Trump’s Deceit and Save America.”
Patt Morrison has a share of two Pulitzer Prizes as a longtime Los Angeles Times writer and columnist. As a public television and radio broadcaster, she has won six Emmys and a dozen Golden Mike awards.
“The 2020 election was a total FRAUD!” “I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” “There is NO WAY Biden got 80,000,000 votes!!!” These and other lies by Donald Trump sparked a historic insurrection to topple our democracy and undermined the public’s faith in elections. The Trump administration’s deceit has enabled the use of law enforcement and the military against the people, the unlawful deportation of immigrants, and the disregard of international rules meant to promote a civilized and peaceful world. Other politicians, inspired by the success of the political lie, have flooded the public square with falsehoods of their own.
New York Times/Opinion
Transcript of Dialogue between Thomas L. Friedman and Daniel J. Wakin on the subject of the Iran “Deal”
June 24, 2026
Thomas L. Friedman on the Clash at the Core of the Iran Deal
How the world views of Jared Kushner and the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran can help explain the issue at the heart of the negotiations.
The divide between Iran and America is, the Opinion columnist Thomas L. Friedman argues, ultimately about the difference between “Kushnerism” (named for the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner) and “Khomeiniism” (named for the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran). In conversation with the Opinion editor Dan Wakin, Friedman explains what he means and discusses what he sees as President Trump’s recent string of failures.
Below is an excerpt of the transcript of an episode of “The Opinions.” The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Dan Wakin: I’m Dan Wakin, an international editor for New York Times Opinion. When President Trump signed an initial peace agreement with Iran last week, in some ways, it didn’t seem like much of a deal at all. The biggest problem remained unresolved: what to do about Iran’s nuclear program.
Vice President JD Vance was just in Switzerland to meet with the Iranians, trying to come to a lasting agreement. They’ve given themselves 60 days to get it done. It’s worth noting that the Obama nuclear deal took over a year and a half to negotiate. To discuss the latest, I’m here with my colleague, Opinion columnist Tom Friedman.
Wakin: Before we get into this week’s news, I want to go back to something you wrote in a column soon after the war started. You wrote, “We must remember that the timing of the end of this war will be determined as much by the oil markets and the financial markets as by the military state of play inside Iran.”
So, here we are with Trump nervous about high gas prices in the midterms. We have the same Iranian regime basically in place, but now with a younger leader. And Iran is well aware of the power they hold over the Strait of Hormuz. Given all that, what kind of negotiating position is the U.S. in, and what are your hopes for the outcome of this negotiation?
Friedman: Well, I would say that Trump ended this war with a TACO trade — the famous TACO trade described by Wall Street analysts: Trump Always Chickens Out.
In the end, Trump basically calculated that he had to end this war now in order to get oil prices down in time for the midterm elections.
(To continue reading click here)
Foreign Affairs
James A. Davidson and Matthew J. Slaughter
June 23, 2026
A Policy Playbook to Avert Political Crisis
The dawning age of artificial intelligence holds great promise for the world economy and for the United States. Like so many other countries, the United States has endured decades of slow growth in labor productivity. Productivity, the amount of goods and services produced per worker, is the single most important measure of a country’s overall economic success. Slow productivity growth has meant poor growth in average incomes, which in turn has fueled much of the political turmoil manifested across the globe in the last generation. In the United States, slow growth in productivity has contributed to escalating political polarization and what many see as the gradual death of the American dream.
The United States needs to conjure up a productivity renaissance. And AI seems to be a perfect catalyst. In 2024, U.S. productivity in the nonfarm business sector grew by three percent, the fastest increase in a nonrecession, nonpandemic year in decades. A McKinsey study published in 2025 estimated that by 2030, AI-powered agents and robots could generate somewhere between $2.9 trillion and $6.4 trillion in new annual economic value for the United States—a productivity gain equal to nine to 20 percent of the country’s 2025 gross domestic product—and $28.7 trillion for the world overall.
AI is poised to power this kind of renaissance because it drives both capital investment and innovation, the two ways that countries can reliably increase their productivity. The United States and a growing number of other countries are witnessing a surge in capital investment in AI infrastructure, including computer chips, data centers, and electrical systems. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, AI-related investment accounted for about 39 percent of total U.S. GDP growth in 2025. That number is set to go up in 2026. According to the Financial Times, the four largest U.S. “hyperscalers” in AI and cloud computing—Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft—plan to increase their collective capital spending on AI in 2026 to $725 billion, a 77 percent increase from the roughly $410 billion they collectively spent last year.
(To continue reading click here)
June 22, 2026
This Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Josh Tyrangiel who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison on the topic: “WHEN AI MEETS GOVERNMENT: PROMISE, PANIC, AND THE WORK IN BETWEEN” (Register Here)
Josh Tyrangiel is one of America’s leading voices on technology, media, and the future of society—a 12-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist, editor, and filmmaker whose reporting and ideas have shaped how millions understand the forces transforming modern life, particularly related to the intersection of AI, government, education, healthcare and culture. Currently a staff writer at The Atlantic, Tyrangiel has been an editorial leader at TIME, Bloomberg, and VICE News and was The Washington Post’s first-ever AI columnist. His forthcoming book is “AI for Good—a look at how artificial intelligence can strengthen, rather than erode, the core systems of American life.”
Patt Morrison has a share of two Pulitzer Prizes as a longtime Los Angeles Times writer and columnist. As a public television and radio broadcaster, she has won six Emmys and a dozen Golden Mike awards.
New York Times/Opinion
By Oona A. Hathaway
June 21, 2026
Professor Hathaway teaches law and political science at Yale and is a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the president of the American Society of International Law.
You Can’t Be a Superpower Without Allies
As the war in Iran appears to come to a fragile close, Americans are left to wonder why it has accomplished so little. How could a middle power like Iran — geopolitically isolated, economically on the ropes after years of sanctions and beset by widespread protests — face down a global superpower that spent $29 billion and counting to end up in a weaker position than it started?
Put simply: Because the United States attempted to essentially go it alone. Acting only with Israel, President Trump believed he could use the unparalleled might of the U.S. military to overwhelm Iran and force it into submission. The president did not seek approval from the U.N. Security Council, as required by the United Nations Charter, making the war illegal from the start and thus radioactive for many of America’s traditional allies. He did not consult with partners in the region before starting a conflict that put them at direct risk. He was confident that if he dropped enough bombs, he would get what he wanted.
He was wrong. President Trump failed to understand that two can play at that game: Iran illegally closed the Strait of Hormuz by threatening to attack ships that entered. It launched drones and missiles against its neighbors. By the time President Trump decided to seek wider support to stop Tehran, it was too late to build a coalition. Even our NATO allies were unwilling to join his illegal war of choice, even though they, too, suffered from the crippling economic effects of Iran’s response.
Indeed, nations long allied with the United States did not just refuse calls to assist in the war; they wanted nothing to do with it.
(To continue reading click here)
The Economist
Leaders/Our Cover
June 18, 2026
AI has granted America vast new power
Its government is now the gatekeeper to frontier models—and most compute
THE NEWS is full of how an ignominious peace deal with Iran exemplifies a decline in American power. That conclusion could hardly be more wrong. On June 12th the Trump administration ordered Anthropic to block foreigners from Fable and Mythos, its latest and most capable frontier AI models. In an instant, everyone learned that the American government can decide who may use the world’s most important technology. You don’t get much more powerful than that.
The administration was responding to a supposed jailbreak for Fable, meaning a prompt that circumvents defences against uses such as hacking computers or making bioweapons. The chances are that it wanted Anthropic to switch off the models for everyone, and that targeting foreigners was a means to an end. Sure enough, that is what Anthropic did, while claiming that the concern about its model was overblown. The legal basis of the order remains unclear, and the ban seems unlikely to last.
What matters, though, is the demonstration that global access to the best AI may come down to a decision in the Oval Office. The administration showed in March that it is prepared to trample on the frontier AI companies, when it designated Anthropic a “supply-chain risk”. Now it has shown that it is prepared to trample on users, too.
America must decide how to wield this vast new power. The rest of the world must decide what to do about it. Even as it plans for an unreliable America in everything from defence to trade, it now has to cope with a new way of being captive to the world’s biggest economy.
(To continue reading click here)
June 17, 2026
If you missed today’s program featuring James Carville in conversation with Madeleine Brand, you can watch the program at THIS PAST EVENTS LINK. The program will post a few hours after it ends. Starting Thursday morning, you can listen AT THIS PODCAST LINK
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Josh Tyrangiel who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison on the topic: “WHEN AI MEETS GOVERNMENT: PROMISE, PANIC, AND THE WORK IN BETWEEN” (Register Here)
Josh Tyrangiel is one of America’s leading voices on technology, media, and the future of society—a 12-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist, editor, and filmmaker whose reporting and ideas have shaped how millions understand the forces transforming modern life, particularly related to the intersection of AI, government, education, healthcare and culture. Currently a staff writer at The Atlantic, Tyrangiel has been an editorial leader at TIME, Bloomberg, and VICE News and was The Washington Post’s first-ever AI columnist. His forthcoming book is “AI for Good—a look at how artificial intelligence can strengthen, rather than erode, the core systems of American life.”
Patt Morrison has a share of two Pulitzer Prizes as a longtime Los Angeles Times writer and columnist. As a public television and radio broadcaster, she has won six Emmys and a dozen Golden Mike awards.
Garry Kasparov
Trump’s 14 Point Deal…Annotated
June 17, 2026
The Next Move on Substack
When I wrote my column on Monday, the terms of the US-Iran deal to end the war remained as yet unknown. Early reports offered enough color to weigh in, but there were still voices cautioning patience.
“Don’t rush to pass judgment on the Trump administration,” ran the refrain. “Wait until you see what the actual document says.”
Well, now we have the actual document: a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding set to be signed on Friday. Read on as I break down the agreement, point by point.
P.S.: I will give Trump’s defenders this: The MOU is certainly different from some of the early reports. By that, I mean to say—the actual thing is worse than expected. Every surrender featured in the leaks is in the final draft, yet somehow even more egregious than rumored. The document is a dramatic capitulation in a war that should not have been launched in the manner that it was.
To read the full 14 point deal, annotated by Kasparov, to to this link
Substack
By The Steady State and Steven Cash
June 15, 2026
Is Putin Winning Without Firing a Shot?
The Kremlin never needed Americans to love Russia. It only needed them to distrust democracy, despise institutions, and turn against one another.
For decades, conservatives saw Russia as a threat to freedom. Today, many admire the very qualities that once made Moscow dangerous: strongman rule, contempt for institutions, and politics driven by grievance and loyalty.
Putin’s greatest success may not be abroad—it may be here.
Is Russia Now America’s Ally?
For nearly eighty years, the answer would have been obvious.
Russia, first as the Soviet Union and later under Vladimir Putin, was viewed by both Republicans and Democrats as one of America’s principal adversaries. Conservatives, in particular, built much of their modern foreign policy identity around opposition to Moscow’s authoritarianism, aggression, and contempt for democratic institutions.
Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an “evil empire.” Republicans championed NATO, democratic alliances, and resistance to Kremlin influence around the globe.
While there was some hope in the 1990’s following the fall of the Soviet Union that Russia would seek to join the family of nations, it soon reverted to instinctual opposition to the West, and the U.S. in particular. Anything the U.S. was for, Moscow was against.
Now, astonishingly, large parts of the American right speak about Russia with admiration, sympathy, or open defensiveness. Vladimir Putin is praised as “strong,” “smart,” or a defender of “traditional values.” Meanwhile, America’s democratic allies are attacked as corrupt, weak, or ideologically suspect.
How did this happen?
(To continue reading click here)
The Atlantic
By Tom Nichols
June 14, 2026
Trump Celebrates While America Capitulates
The peace deal with Tehran is an Iranian victory.
President Trump has announced that the United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war. “Congratulations to all!” he said in a posting on his Truth Social site this evening. He then headed off to oversee the garish public spectacle he’d arranged for his birthday on the South Lawn of the White House. The United States, however, has little to celebrate: Trump and his team, in record time, just lost a war to a militarily mediocre—but nonetheless extremely dangerous—adversary.
The details of the agreement remain unconfirmed, but the president, of course, is eager to spin the outcome as a victory. (Trump was in a hurry to sign the deal on his birthday; the Iranians, who now seem to be in charge of this whole business, instead said they will send someone to a meeting in Switzerland on Friday.) But even before we have the details, it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible.
If defeat seems a strong word, consider what we do know about how this war will end. Iran has suffered significant damage from U.S. and Israeli military action. But as I and others warned at the outset, killing people and bombing things do not by themselves produce victory. The reality is that the war will close with the regime in Tehran intact and in the grip of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Strait of Hormuz will remain under the threat of Iranian attacks; Iran will continue to possess significant drone and missile stocks; the regime will maintain the capability to be a state sponsor of terror; and many sanctions will be lifted and billions of dollars in unfrozen assets will flow to Iran. In other words, the Iranians have achieved their key strategic aims—regime survival above all—while the Americans have achieved none of their own.
(To continue reading click here)
June 15, 2026
This Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome James Carville who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand on the topic: “CAMPAIGN SEASON IS HERE: JAMES CARVILLE UNFILTERED” (Register Here)
James Carville is one of America’s most renowned political strategist and commentators. Best known as the chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign, he has been a central figure in U.S. politics for decades, admired for his sharp insight, plainspoken style, and deep understanding of American voters. Often called the “Ragin’ Cajun” for his Louisiana roots and outspoken personality, Carville is a frequent contributor on television and a sought-after voice on elections, democracy, and the state of the nation. He is also the author of several bestselling books on politics and public life.
Madeleine Brand is an award-winning American broadcast journalist and radio host with more than three decades of experience in public media. She currently hosts Press Play, an award-winning daily news and culture program on NPR’s affiliate station, KCRW-FM in Los Angeles.
The Economist
By Invitation | A bleak view from Moscow
This article appeared in the By Invitation section of the print edition under the headline “Anonymous” on May 9, 2026
Vladimir Putin is losing his grip on Russia
His every move to preserve power accelerates decay, writes a former senior official in the Russian government
IT ARRIVED NOT as an event but as a sensation, felt everywhere at once: Vladimir Putin has led Russia into a dead-end and nobody has a map for what comes next. The first manifestation is a shift in the language used by senior officials, regional governors and businessmen: they have stopped using the first-person plural when talking about the actions of authorities in the country.
As recently as last spring, everything was “we” and “ours”. Mr Putin’s war on Ukraine may be reckless and failing, but it was shared. “We” were inside it, and it would be better for all of “us” if it ended sooner. Now they describe what is happening as “his” story, not “ours”. Not our project, not our agenda, not our war.
His decisions are described as “strange”. Even stranger is the fact that he decides anything at all. It is not only about falling approval ratings. The future is no longer discussed in terms of what Mr Putin will decide, but as something that will unfold independently of him—and possibly already without him.
This shift in language does not signal a rebellion. The authoritarian system can survive for a long time on fear, inertia and repression. It still has a monopoly on violence, but has lost its monopoly on shaping the future. In the past, the regime, for all its lies, had some project it could tout: “restoring statehood”, reasserting itself as an “energy superpower”. There was even “modernisation” before the U-turn to ultra-conservatism and war….
(To continue reading click here)
New York Times/Opinion
By David French
June 14, 2026
Christian Nationalism’s Dark Forebears
I just finished an extraordinarily illuminating book. It’s not new — it was first published in 2001 — but if you follow the growth and influence of Christian nationalism in the United States, it feels fresh.
It’s by the British historian Julian Jackson, an expert on the French experience in World War II, and it’s called “France: The Dark Years, 1940-1944.” It’s about the regime that emerged after France’s catastrophic defeat in World War II. And as strange as this might sound, reading about the Vichy government is like reading a MAGA Christian fever dream. The nation that the Catholic Vichy nationalists constructed in the unoccupied portion of France is very much like the world that American Christian nationalists are trying to build.
If you read the words “Vichy France,” to the extent that they register at all, one word is likely to come to mind: collaboration.
The Vichy government certainly accommodated itself to German dominance. Its troops fought American and British troops during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of French North Africa in 1942. Worse, the regime deported tens of thousands of Jews from Vichy France, sending them to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps.
All of those things are true, but they’re only part of the story. And that’s not why I’m writing about Vichy France today. The beating heart of Vichy — its animating purpose — wasn’t collaboration with Germany, much less an alliance with the Nazis. While there were plenty of fascists and Nazi sympathizers in Vichy’s ranks, its true purpose could be summed up in four words: Make France great again….
(To continue reading click here)
June 10, 2026
If you missed today’s program featuring Josh Rogin in conversation with Larry Mantle, you can watch the program at THIS PAST EVENTS LINK. The program will post a few hours after it ends. Starting Thursday morning, you can listen AT THIS PODCAST LINK
On Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome James Carville who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand on the topic: “CAMPAIGN SEASON IS HERE: JAMES CARVILLE UNFILTERED” (Register Here)
James Carville is one of America’s most renowned political strategist and commentators. Best known as the chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign, he has been a central figure in U.S. politics for decades, admired for his sharp insight, plainspoken style, and deep understanding of American voters. Often called the “Ragin’ Cajun” for his Louisiana roots and outspoken personality, Carville is a frequent contributor on television and a sought-after voice on elections, democracy, and the state of the nation. He is also the author of several bestselling books on politics and public life.
Madeleine Brand is an award-winning American broadcast journalist and radio host with more than three decades of experience in public media. She currently hosts Press Play, an award-winning daily news and culture program on NPR’s affiliate station, KCRW-FM in Los Angeles.
New York Times/Opinion
By Thomas L. Friedman
June 9, 2026
Everybody Is a Loser in This Middle East War
The leaders of Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the United States have one thing in common: None of them want a commission of inquiry looking into their performance in the latest Middle East conflict. So I have decided to do it for them, and I can summarize my conclusions in two words that apply to them all: “You lost.” There — I’ve saved you all the time and money of an internal investigation. You’re welcome.
This truly is the Middle East war that everybody lost. Even though it’s not over, I can see that. In fact, one reason this war may linger is because most of the leaders of these countries and militias know that history has its eyes on them and the minute the guns fall silent there will be a moral, political and economic accounting that will be devastating for each one of these fools.
Let’s go around the table. Hamas started this latest Middle East conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, with an invasion of Israel from Gaza in which in one day it murdered more than 1,200 people — men, women and children — and abducted more than 250. What was Hamas’s war aim? As far as we can tell, its fantasy was that by invading Israel it would spark a regional uprising in which “resistance” forces — including Hezbollah, Iran and even some Arab nations — would help it to annihilate the Jewish state…
(To continue reading click here)
Bloomberg/Opinion
By Catherine Thorbecke
June 9, 2026
China Is Planning for AI’s Job Shock. America Isn’t
Beneath the veneer of China’s reputation as one of the most enthusiastic adopters of AI is an already fragile labor market, persistent youth unemployment, and a deep anxiety about the future of white-collar work.
That tension is now surfacing in courtrooms and policy signals as Beijing wakes up to a fear it can’t afford to ignore: That the artificial intelligence boom could turn into a bust for ordinary livelihoods. The government isn’t trying to slow AI down; it’s attempting to avert a political problem. Washington should be watching closely.
The Chinese government has reportedly started to warn employers, particularly tech companies, not to cut jobs as they adopt AI. And a series of high-profile court rulings in Hangzhou and Beijing that have sided with laid-off tech workers is gaining international attention, setting a precedent that implementing the technology is no excuse to fire humans. It’s a start, and a welcome contrast to the US, where AI has increasingly become a convenient cover for shedding jobs that may have as much to do with unrelated cost cutting.
But case-by-case litigation is too inadequate an instrument for a potential labor shock at this scale. It may catch or prevent some obvious AI-related cuts. Yet it leaves the burden on displaced workers to navigate a slow, uncertain and often intimidating legal process.
(To continue reading click here)
June 9, 2026
THIS Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Josh Rogin who will be in conversation with Larry Mantle on the topic: “AMERICAN POWER AT THE CROSSROADS: CONFRONTING CHINA AND A FRAGMENTING WORLD” (Register Here)
Washington Post/Opinion
By Fareed Zackaria
June 7, 2026
Human intelligence will win out over artificial intelligence
The more machines can do, the clearer it becomes what only human beings can provide.
The following was excerpted and adapted from a commencement speech given at Bard College on May 23.
Let me start by giving you a trigger warning. I’ve noticed in this commencement season, some graduation speeches have provoked a few boos from students. So, I should probably warn you that I am about to utter the two most provocative letters in the English language today: AI. Artificial intelligence.
But in fact, I don’t really want to talk to you about AI. I want to talk about HI: Human Intelligence.
Every generation has confronted transformative technologies that seemed destined to overwhelm humanity: the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, the internet. Each inspired wonder and panic in equal measure. And now comes the mother of them all: AI — able to write essays, compose music, diagnose diseases, do high-level math, generate videos, pass professional exams and converse with alarming fluency.
People naturally ask: “What will be left for human beings to do?” But perhaps that is the wrong question.
The better question is: “What does AI tell us about all the things that we humans already do, and do distinctively and irreplaceably?” The answer, I think, is profoundly hopeful.
(To continue reading click here)
Bloomberg/Opinion
By Karishma Vaswani
June 7, 2026
Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
From John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev navigating the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 to Henry Kissinger and Zhou Enlai’s meetings that laid the groundwork for China’s opening up in 1971 — modern history is full of examples of human judgement shaping great diplomatic moments.
But what if artificial intelligence could help us face some of today’s most pressing crises better?
Singapore is offering an early glimpse of what that future might look like. Last month, the city-state’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan revealed that he had built a diplomatic second brain using an open-source technology called NanoClaw. The tool curates transcripts, speeches and other material — particularly his own contributions — into a searchable database. It has become so useful, the minister joked, that he does not dare switch it off.
The idea is quintessentially Singaporean in its efficiency, with appropriate shades of dystopia. Still, no serious diplomat — including Balakrishnan — would bet on an AI system negotiating the end to the war in Ukraine or resolving decades of hostility between the US and Iran. The minister’s central message is that while technology can increasingly handle computation, memory and routine tasks, it cannot replace understanding. Or, as he put it: “You can delegate work, but you cannot delegate accountability.”
(To continue reading click here)
June 8, 2026
THIS Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Josh Rogin who will be in conversation with Larry Mantle on the topic: “AMERICAN POWER AT THE CROSSROADS: CONFRONTING CHINA AND A FRAGMENTING WORLD” (Register Here)
Josh Rogin is Lead Global Security Analyst at Washington Post Intelligence. Since 2016, Josh has served as a columnist for the Global Opinions section of the Washington Post. He is also the author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century” (Mariner Books). Previously, Josh has covered foreign policy and national security for Bloomberg View, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy magazine, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week magazine, and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. Josh has been recognized with the Interaction Award for Excellence in International Reporting and as a Finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
Larry Mantle has been the host of AirTalk with Larry Mantle on NPR-member station KPCC, 89.3 FM, since April 1st, 1985. AirTalk is the longest-running daily talk show in Southern California.
Washington Post/Opinion
By Fareed Zackaria
June 7, 2026
Human intelligence will win out over artificial intelligence
The more machines can do, the clearer it becomes what only human beings can provide.
The following was excerpted and adapted from a commencement speech given at Bard College on May 23.
Let me start by giving you a trigger warning. I’ve noticed in this commencement season, some graduation speeches have provoked a few boos from students. So, I should probably warn you that I am about to utter the two most provocative letters in the English language today: AI. Artificial intelligence.
But in fact, I don’t really want to talk to you about AI. I want to talk about HI: Human Intelligence.
Every generation has confronted transformative technologies that seemed destined to overwhelm humanity: the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, the internet. Each inspired wonder and panic in equal measure. And now comes the mother of them all: AI — able to write essays, compose music, diagnose diseases, do high-level math, generate videos, pass professional exams and converse with alarming fluency.
People naturally ask: “What will be left for human beings to do?” But perhaps that is the wrong question.
The better question is: “What does AI tell us about all the things that we humans already do, and do distinctively and irreplaceably?” The answer, I think, is profoundly hopeful.
(To continue reading click here)
Bloomberg/Opinion
By Karishma Vaswani
June 7, 2026
Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
From John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev navigating the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 to Henry Kissinger and Zhou Enlai’s meetings that laid the groundwork for China’s opening up in 1971 — modern history is full of examples of human judgement shaping great diplomatic moments.
But what if artificial intelligence could help us face some of today’s most pressing crises better?
Singapore is offering an early glimpse of what that future might look like. Last month, the city-state’s foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan revealed that he had built a diplomatic second brain using an open-source technology called NanoClaw. The tool curates transcripts, speeches and other material — particularly his own contributions — into a searchable database. It has become so useful, the minister joked, that he does not dare switch it off.
The idea is quintessentially Singaporean in its efficiency, with appropriate shades of dystopia. Still, no serious diplomat — including Balakrishnan — would bet on an AI system negotiating the end to the war in Ukraine or resolving decades of hostility between the US and Iran. The minister’s central message is that while technology can increasingly handle computation, memory and routine tasks, it cannot replace understanding. Or, as he put it: “You can delegate work, but you cannot delegate accountability.”
(To continue reading click here)
June 5, 2026
If you missed this week’s program featuring Ami Fields-Meyer and Julia Angwin in conversation with Patt Morrison on the topic of activism and courage, you can watch the program at THIS PAST EVENTS LINK. You can listen AT THIS PODCAST LINK
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at 5 PM Pacific, we welcome Josh Rogin who will be in conversation with Larry Mantle on the topic: “AMERICAN POWER AT THE CROSSROADS: CONFRONTING CHINA AND A FRAGMENTING WORLD” (Register Here)
Josh Rogin is Lead Global Security Analyst at Washington Post Intelligence. Since 2016, Josh has served as a columnist for the Global Opinions section of the Washington Post. He is also the author of “Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century” (Mariner Books). Previously, Josh has covered foreign policy and national security for Bloomberg View, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy magazine, Congressional Quarterly, Federal Computer Week magazine, and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. Josh has been recognized with the Interaction Award for Excellence in International Reporting and as a Finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists.
Larry Mantle has been the host of AirTalk with Larry Mantle on NPR-member station KPCC, 89.3 FM, since April 1st, 1985. AirTalk is the longest-running daily talk show in Southern California.
New York Times/Opinion
By Thomas L. Friedman
June 2, 2026
Trump Has Failed as Commander in Chief
With each passing month of his presidency, Donald Trump behaves more like America’s commander in thief than its commander in chief.
How so? Let me count the ways. We are a nation at war today, with tens of thousands of troops deployed near Iran. Generally, when our nation has been at war, the commander in chief’s top domestic priority is to keep the country united. Because there is nothing more demoralizing for U.S. troops fighting abroad than to look back and see our country ripping itself apart at home. And there is nothing that encourages an enemy to hold out for better terms for ending a war with America than seeing America at war with itself.
And how has Trump risen to that commander-in-chief unifying duty? He has not lifted a finger to bring Democrats behind the war. Instead, he’s prioritized acting like a commander in thief. At the same moment Trump was asking our men and women in uniform to make the ultimate sacrifice, he engaged in a brazen, in-your-face attempted heist of the U.S. Treasury to benefit himself, his family and his political allies, which could include those who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It was so outrageous that even some of his most reliable Republican Party sycophants couldn’t accept it.
Trump conspired with his own Justice Department, headed by his former personal lawyer, to use taxpayer money to create a $1.776 billion political slush fund, supposedly to compensate those Trump supporters who “suffered weaponization and lawfare” at the hands of his predecessor. In fact, as this paper’s editorial board noted, it would “reward loyalists willing to defy the law and commit violence on behalf of the president.”
Fortunately, a federal judge put a temporary hold on the scheme that no one described better than the Republican former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell: “So the nation’s top law enforcement official is asking for a slush fund to pay people who assault cops? Utterly stupid, morally wrong — take your pick.” In the face of all that opposition, Trump’s acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, said on Tuesday he was withdrawing this terrible plan.
(To continue reading click here)
Wall Street Journal/Opinion
By The Editorial Board
June 2, 2026
Republicans Can Kill Trump’s Retribution Fund for Good
The public will cheer if the GOP stops a rotten $1.776 billion deal.
President Trump is retreating from the proposal to set up a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund as a settlement of his lawsuit against his Internal Revenue Service. “We’re not moving forward with the fund. Period,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress Tuesday. Not moving forward? That isn’t dead for good, and it isn’t enough.
Republicans in Congress can kill the idea forever, however, by barring money for its use. That would be good policy and politics. The “settlement” between Mr. Trump and his own Administration, diverting $1.8 billion of tax money to political allies, possibly including Jan. 6 rioters, would be an ugly precedent. The courts have blocked the payouts for now, and the Justice Department said Monday it will “abide by” that.
Even if Mr. Trump publicly swears off the idea, he could have a change of heart later. The way to ensure the fund is more than mostly dead would be for Congress to put a stake through it. The Senate could add language to the GOP’s immigration reconciliation package. The House could move a two-page bill by Republican Brian Fitzpatrick and Democrat Tom Suozzi to halt payouts.
On the legal merits, this settlement and proposed $1.776 billion fund are different from a normal case against abusive government. Mr. Trump was wronged by the IRS contractor who stole and leaked his tax records in 2019, during the first Trump Administration. He had four years under President Biden to sue the IRS and make a claim for monetary damages. Yet he waited until this year, after voters put him back in office, to bring a case seeking $10 billion….
(To continue reading click here)
Voting Rights and Empowerment
Immigration and Asylum
Equality - Fighting Hate and Discrimination
Freedom of the Press
Voting Rights and Empowerment
CENTER FOR COMMON GROUND’S RECLAIM OUR VOTE CAMPAIGN
Ongoing voter suppression and voter list purging have been disenfranchising millions of eligible voters — especially voters of color. Reclaim Our Vote works in those voter suppression states. Our volunteers inform and mobilize voters of color to make sure they are registered and they know how to get a ballot and vote. It is a nonpartisan campaign of the nonprofit 501(c)3 Center for Common Ground.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
The League of Women Voters of the United States encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS
Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.
ROCK THE VOTE
In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to the censorship of hip-hop and rap artists. Our first partnership, with MTV, promoted the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and activated millions of young people across the country to exercise their rights and represent their interests. For thirty years, we have continuously adapted to the changing landscapes of media, technology and culture to breakthrough and empower each new generation.
VOTE.ORG
Vote.org uses technology to simplify political engagement, increase voter turnout, and strengthen American democracy.
WHEN WE ALL VOTE
When We All Vote is a non-profit, nonpartisan organization that is on a mission to increase participation in every election and close the race and age voting gap by changing the culture around voting, harnessing grassroots energy, and through strategic partnerships to reach every American.
Immigration and Asylum
ACLU
For nearly one hundred years, ACLU lawyers have been at the center of one history-making court case after another, participating in more Supreme Court cases than any other private organization. With attorneys nationwide, we handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated.
Bet Tzedek
Bet Tzedek attorneys and advocates help people of all communities and generations secure life’s necessities. Wherever people are in crisis, Bet Tzedek’s core services and rapid response programs provide stability and hope.
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
CHIRLA is a California leader with the national impact made of diverse immigrant families and individuals who act as agents of social change to achieve a world with freedom of mobility, full human rights, and true participatory democracy. CHIRLA’s mission is to achieve a just society fully inclusive of immigrants.
HIAS
HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.
Public Counsel
Public Counsel is the largest pro bono law firm in the nation. We work with major law firms and corporations to change people’s futures. A staff of 71 attorneys and 50 support staff – including five social workers – along with over 5,000 volunteer lawyers, law students and legal professionals assists over 30,000 children, youth, families, and community organizations every year.
Equality - Fighting Hate and Discrimination
ANTI DEFAMATION LEAGUE
ADL is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. ADL is a global leader in exposing extremism and delivering anti-bias education, and is a leading organization in training law enforcement. ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.
BEND THE ARC
Bend the Arc is a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews all across the country. For years, we’ve worked to build a more just society. Now we’re rising up in solidarity with everyone threatened by the Trump agenda to fight for the soul of our nation.
EQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE
The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
INTEGRITY FIRST FOR AMERICA
Integrity First for America (IFA) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to holding those accountable who threaten longstanding principles of our democracy—including our country’s commitment to civil rights and equal justice.
NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.
Freedom of the Press
ACLU
For nearly one hundred years, ACLU lawyers have been at the center of one history-making court case after another, participating in more Supreme Court cases than any other private organization. With attorneys nationwide, we handle thousands of cases each year on behalf of clients whose rights have been violated.
REPORTERS COMMITTEE FOR FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides pro bono legal representation, amicus curiae support, and other legal resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists.