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.
Dear Friend,
This Wednesday, August 20, at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Alex Vindman, who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “HOW THE WEST DECEIVED ITSELF ABOUT RUSSIA AND BETRAYED UKRAINE” (Register Here).
Alexander Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, national security expert, and prominent whistleblower who played a key role in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump.
Madeleine Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
August 15, 2025
The Attack on UCLA Will Have Devastating Consequences on Americans
It’s understandable that Trump has declared war on institutions of higher learning because the more educated a person is, the less likely they are to support Trump. In the 2024 elections, college graduates favored Kamala Harris over Trump by 13 points. As we have seen, Trump’s fevered priority as president is to punish all those individuals and groups that did not support him, from women to Blacks to LGBTQ+—to the college educated and the colleges and universities that produced them. Logic, facts, history, and science conspire to prove Trump’s policies to be unsupportable and his opinions to be irrational. So, they must go.
Now Trump has come for UCLA, my alma mater, and the first public school to face his wrath. He has ended $500 million in federal funding for research and is demanding UCLA pay him $1 billion to restart the funding. Also, the school would have to pay $172 million to a claims fund for victims of civil rights violations. [Reminder: I am also pro Israel’s right to exist and pro the prosecution of antisemitic actions, but I am not pro Netanyahu or his arrogant, fascist actions against Palestine. Anyone who is truly pro-Israel should demand his removal and his immediate prosecution.] I have a decades-long history of fighting antisemitism, and I can say without hesitation that Trump using antisemitism as a ploy to undercut education is as offensive as his blatant racism. Remember, he’s the guy who just called people Shylocks and pretended he didn’t know that was an insult to Jews.
These unprecedented attacks on UCLA won’t just affect the education of the nearly 50,000 students who attend the school each year, but they will also result in the serious stoppage of critical research on new immunotherapies that could treat cancerous tumors, new technologies to diagnose Parkinson’s earlier, and new methods to produce the building blocks of semiconductor chips that power our phones, computers, and cars. What happens at UCLA has a major effect on all our daily lives.
On a personal note, if not for UCLA, you wouldn’t be reading this Substack right now. My teachers there gave me the confidence to pursue writing. Coach Wooden taught me basketball, but more importantly he taught me how to always stand up for moral principles. My history classes taught me how events of the past can guide us on the path to the future. I am UCLA.
Trump’s attempt to extort a billion dollars from UCLA will result in the average American being deprived of many scientific innovations, especially in medicine and health care, for many years to come. It will have a devastating effect on the economy as other countries push ahead in developing scientific breakthroughs that benefit their countries but not ours. It will cost jobs, not just for university employees, but for the other businesses that work with UCLA.
All because Trump got his feelings hurt.
Dear Friend,
Next Wednesday, August 20, at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Alex Vindman, who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “HOW THE WEST DECEIVED ITSELF ABOUT RUSSIA AND BETRAYED UKRAINE” (Register Here).
Alexander Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, national security expert, and prominent whistleblower who played a key role in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Vindman immigrated to the United States as a child and went on to serve over two decades in the military, including a combat tour in Iraq where he earned a Purple Heart. As Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, he raised alarms about Trump’s 2019 phone call with Ukraine’s president, ultimately testifying before Congress. Following his military retirement in 2020, Vindman became a vocal advocate for democratic norms and a critic of U.S. policy toward Russia. He is the author of “Here, Right Matters: An American Story” and “The Folly of Realism,” both of which were NY Times bestsellers. He currently holds fellowships at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and other institutions, continuing to shape debates on U.S. foreign policy and the defense of liberal democracy.
Madeleine Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
New York Times/Opinion
M. Gessen
August 13, 2025
The Fundamental Truth About U.S. Strategy That Putin Knows and Trump Ignores
Donald Trump wants the war in Ukraine to end. Volodymyr Zelensky wants the war in Ukraine to end. Many other presidents and prime ministers want the war to end. Vladimir Putin is not one of those presidents. The war in Ukraine has become the political, psychological and economic center of Putin’s regime.
That basic asymmetry would seem to doom any attempt at a negotiated peace — it is, in fact, the main reason no meaningful peace negotiations have occurred in the three and a half years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump thinks he has a solution, though. He says he intends to use his negotiating prowess and keep ratcheting up economic pressure until Putin has no choice but to stop the fighting.
Between the bombastic social media posts, the shifting deadlines, the erratic announcements — one day a White House official says Trump will meet with Putin only after Putin meets with Zelensky, another day Trump drops the requirement — it’s easy to overlook the fact that…
(To continue reading, click HERE)
The Atlantic
Anne Applebaum
August 13, 2025
Trump Has a New Definition of Human Rights
State Department reports portray Germany as more oppressive than El Salvador.
For nearly half a century, the State Department has reported annually on human-rights conditions in countries around the world. The purpose of this exercise is not to cast aspersions, but to collect and disseminate reliable information. Congress mandated the reports back in 1977, and since then, legislators and diplomats have used them to shape decisions about sanctions, foreign aid, immigration, and political asylum.
Because the reports were perceived as relatively impartial, because they tried to reflect well-articulated standards—“internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”—and because they were composed by professionals reporting from the ground, the annual documents became a gold standard, widely used by people around the world, cited in court cases and political campaigns. Year in and year out, one former official told me, they have been the most downloaded items on the State Department website.
Dear Friend,
If you missed today’s program featuring Ron Brownstein 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.
Here is a gift link to Ron Brownstein’s post on today’s Bloomberg.
Next Wednesday, August 20, at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Alex Vindman, who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “HOW THE WEST DECEIVED ITSELF ABOUT RUSSIA AND BETRAYED UKRAINE” (Register Here).
Alexander Vindman is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, national security expert, and prominent whistleblower who played a key role in the first impeachment of President Donald Trump. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Vindman immigrated to the United States as a child and went on to serve over two decades in the military, including a combat tour in Iraq where he earned a Purple Heart. As Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, he raised alarms about Trump’s 2019 phone call with Ukraine’s president, ultimately testifying before Congress. Following his military retirement in 2020, Vindman became a vocal advocate for democratic norms and a critic of U.S. policy toward Russia. He is the author of “Here, Right Matters: An American Story” and “The Folly of Realism,” both of which were NY Times bestsellers. He currently holds fellowships at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and other institutions, continuing to shape debates on U.S. foreign policy and the defense of liberal democracy.
Madeleine Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
New York Times/Opinion
M. Gessen
August 13, 2025
The Fundamental Truth About U.S. Strategy That Putin Knows and Trump Ignores
Donald Trump wants the war in Ukraine to end. Volodymyr Zelensky wants the war in Ukraine to end. Many other presidents and prime ministers want the war to end. Vladimir Putin is not one of those presidents. The war in Ukraine has become the political, psychological and economic center of Putin’s regime.
That basic asymmetry would seem to doom any attempt at a negotiated peace — it is, in fact, the main reason no meaningful peace negotiations have occurred in the three and a half years since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Trump thinks he has a solution, though. He says he intends to use his negotiating prowess and keep ratcheting up economic pressure until Putin has no choice but to stop the fighting.
Between the bombastic social media posts, the shifting deadlines, the erratic announcements — one day a White House official says Trump will meet with Putin only after Putin meets with Zelensky, another day Trump drops the requirement — it’s easy to overlook the fact that…
(To continue reading, click HERE)
UCLA FUNDING FREEZE
LA Times
August 12, 2025 9:07 PM
Trump Administration Must Restore Hundreds of UCLA Research Grants, Federal Judge Rules
Read complete article at THIS LINK.
_______________________________________________________
JUDJ Statement on Trump’s $1 Billion Demand from UCLA Statement Issued August 9, 2025
The Atlantic
Anne Applebaum
August 13, 2025
Trump Has a New Definition of Human Rights
State Department reports portray Germany as more oppressive than El Salvador.
For nearly half a century, the State Department has reported annually on human-rights conditions in countries around the world. The purpose of this exercise is not to cast aspersions, but to collect and disseminate reliable information. Congress mandated the reports back in 1977, and since then, legislators and diplomats have used them to shape decisions about sanctions, foreign aid, immigration, and political asylum.
Because the reports were perceived as relatively impartial, because they tried to reflect well-articulated standards—“internationally recognized individual, civil, political, and worker rights, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights”—and because they were composed by professionals reporting from the ground, the annual documents became a gold standard, widely used by people around the world, cited in court cases and political campaigns. Year in and year out, one former official told me, they have been the most downloaded items on the State Department website.
Dear Friend,
Next Wednesday, August 13 at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Ron Brownstein, who will be in conversation with Larry Mantle (see bios below) on the topic: “LIFE DURING WARTIME: POLITICS IN AN AGE OF CONVULSION” (Register Here).
Ron Brownstein, a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of presidential campaigns, is a senior political analyst at CNN, a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, and has served as senior editor at The Atlantic.
He also served as the national political correspondent and national affairs columnist for the Los Angeles Times and covered the White House and national politics for the National Journal. He is the author of seven books, most recently, “Rock me on the Water,” about the confluence of music, movies, television, and politics, and “The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America.”
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
Bret Stephens
August 5, 2025
First and most obviously: The government of Israel needs to rush, in abundant quantities and to immediate and undeniable effect, food and medicine to the places in Gaza that desperately need them.
This is as much a matter of self-interest as it is of humanitarianism. Few things hurt Israel more than the global perception, however tendentious, that it’s deliberately starving kids. Nothing helps Hamas more, either. Whatever benefits Hamas might derive from the aid pale next to the propaganda boon it has achieved through the starvation narrative — even if it’s Hamas itself that bears the final responsibility for causing and perpetuating Gaza’s misery.
But then what? There are three basic options.
The first is a negotiated settlement. Until just two weeks ago, the prospect of a cease-fire appeared to be tantalizingly close. Then Hamas hardened its stance. It has flatly refused to disarm until a Palestinian state is created.
It has also posted atrocity videos of two hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, visibly starved and nearing death, which were guaranteed to spark anguish and outrage among Israelis, though the rest of the world barely seemed to notice… (To continue reading, click HERE)
TIME
Michael S. Roth, President of Wesleyan University
August 6, 2025
What Jewish Tradition Teaches Us About the Violence in Gaza
“When you besiege a city,” reads Deuteronomy 20:19, “you shall not destroy its trees.”
The Torah is clear enough. Even in a time of war, even when conditions are most brutal, Jews are commanded to observe restraint, to practice proportionality. The rabbis expanded on this notion over the centuries. The commandment of bal taschit prohibits wasteful destruction and is especially relevant in military conflict because in the fog of war humans can feel justified in destroying anything in their paths.
Apologists for Israeli Government policy may argue that Israel is not intentionally starving people in Gaza, dismissing the famine as a sad consequence of a war, but the traditional Jewish sources are unequivocal. The concept of Adam Mu’ad L’Olam suggests that people are responsible for their actions—even when they are not a product of direct intention. Since starvation is a predictable outcome of the Israeli policies, Israel is morally responsible under Jewish teaching.
And not just Israel, but also those who enable its actions. It’s not enough that we Jews in leadership positions conscientiously read the newspapers or watch television reports and feel angst and sadness. We must demand that our government put an end to this manufactured hunger crisis. Every day brings accounts of children dying in Gaza of starvation, of mothers unable to suckle their newborns because they themselves are so malnourished that they have no milk to give. Those who respond to this dreadful situation by defending the historical legitimacy of “sieges” or noting that “if Israel really wanted to kill them all, there would be a lot more dead,” are participating in a moral abomination, and, unless we object, we are too.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
TODAY at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Jonathan Weisman who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “AMERICAN ANTISEMITISM: BEING JEWISH IN THE AGE OF TRUMP,” (Register Here).
Jonathan Weisman is a seasoned political journalist at The New York Times. Over a 30-year career, he has reported on key institutions of government—from Congress and the White House to economic policy — for major outlets including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, before joining The Times in 2012. He has also reported on the causes of and suggested cures for partisan division and about American antisemitism. As an author, he’s written the critically acclaimed nonfiction memoir “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Trump Era.
Madeleine Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
MSNBC/ Opinion
By Richard L. Hasen, Professor, UCLA School of Law
August 5, 2025
Trump started a redistricting war.
As the Cold War taught us, détente is better than mutually assured destruction for all the parties.
A sudden war over redistricting has broken out in Texas and looks to spread across the country, with California, New York and elsewhere considering tit-for-tat Democratic partisan gerrymanders to negate the Republican hardball in Texas. Congress, rather than the courts, is in the best position to stop the upcoming race to the bottom. But even though it’s in everyone’s interest that Congress act, don’t hold your breath.
Redistricting — the drawing of district lines for electing members of Congress or state or local representatives — is typically a cyclical affair that starts at the beginning of each decade, after the U.S. Census Bureau releases updated population figures. The Supreme Court’s “one person, one vote” cases from the Warren Court in the 1960s require that all these districts be redrawn to roughly equalize populations within districts. Other constraints apply too, including compliance with state laws, the Voting Rights Act and a requirement (that conservative justices have read into the 14th Amendment) that race not predominate in drawing district lines.
When legislators or other partisan actors draw the lines, it is not unusual for them to “pack” (concentrate) or “crack” (disperse) voters aligned with the minority. This partisan gerrymandering can assure that the majority maximizes the number of districts it controls. As the new decade progresses, some of these plans get challenged in court, and courts sometimes order new lines to be drawn. The process can take up to the full decade, until the next census, and then it may start all over again.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
NY Times Opinion
David French
August 3, 2025
I think it’s fair to describe me as a Christian Zionist. I believe in the necessity of the Jewish people to have their own safe, secure homeland. And while I have never thought Israel was perfect (far from it), I have seen the antisemitism and genocidal intent animating its enemies in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
I can see the extraordinary antisemitism and bias in the larger international community. When a United Nations that includes North Korea, Syria, Russia and China condemns Israel more than any other nation in the world (by far), you know that the Jewish state is being singled out.
I’m also a veteran of the Iraq war who served as judge advocate for an armored cavalry regiment during the surge in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. Before I became a journalist, I was part of a legal team that defended Israel from war crime accusations after Operation Cast Lead, the Gaza war of 2008 and 2009.
I know that Israel had the right under international law to destroy Hamas’s military and to remove Hamas from power after the massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7. In other words, Israel had the right to respond to a terrorist force like Hamas the way the United States and its allies responded to a terrorist force like ISIS after ISIS launched its terrorist campaign across the Middle East and across Europe.the secular language of civil rights from public life, packing the government with loyalists, ending the social safety net, killing business regulations, and purging American institutions of all but right-wing ideologues.
So, yes, I consider myself a friend of Israel. But now its friends need to stage an intervention…
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
This Wednesday, August 6 at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Jonathan Weisman who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “AMERICAN ANTISEMITISM: BEING JEWISH IN THE AGE OF TRUMP,” (Register Here).
Jonathan Weisman is a seasoned political journalist at The New York Times. Over a 30-year career, he has reported on key institutions of government—from Congress and the White House to economic policy — for major outlets including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, before joining The Times in 2012. He has also reported on the causes of and suggested cures for partisan division and about American antisemitism. As an author, he’s written the critically acclaimed nonfiction memoir “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Trump Era.
Madeline Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
NY Times Opinion
David French
August 3, 2025
I think it’s fair to describe me as a Christian Zionist. I believe in the necessity of the Jewish people to have their own safe, secure homeland. And while I have never thought Israel was perfect (far from it), I have seen the antisemitism and genocidal intent animating its enemies in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.
I can see the extraordinary antisemitism and bias in the larger international community. When a United Nations that includes North Korea, Syria, Russia and China condemns Israel more than any other nation in the world (by far), you know that the Jewish state is being singled out.
I’m also a veteran of the Iraq war who served as judge advocate for an armored cavalry regiment during the surge in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. Before I became a journalist, I was part of a legal team that defended Israel from war crime accusations after Operation Cast Lead, the Gaza war of 2008 and 2009.
I know that Israel had the right under international law to destroy Hamas’s military and to remove Hamas from power after the massacre in southern Israel on Oct. 7. In other words, Israel had the right to respond to a terrorist force like Hamas the way the United States and its allies responded to a terrorist force like ISIS after ISIS launched its terrorist campaign across the Middle East and across Europe.the secular language of civil rights from public life, packing the government with loyalists, ending the social safety net, killing business regulations, and purging American institutions of all but right-wing ideologues.
So, yes, I consider myself a friend of Israel. But now its friends need to stage an intervention…
(To continue reading, click HERE)
HERE ARE TWO CURRENT BLOG POSTS WHICH ANALYZE THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OF THE WEEK, INCLUDING HEATHER COX-RICHARDSON’S SUBSTACK POST ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT 2025 AND MARC ELIAS’ DEMOCRACY DOCKET POST ABOUT THE TENNESSEE GERRYMANDERING PROJECT.
Substack/Letters from an American
Heather Cox Richardson
July 30, 2025
On July 2, 2024, just about a year ago, president of the right-wing Heritage Foundation Kevin Roberts told the listeners of Steve Bannon’s War Room webcast: “[W]e are going to win. We’re in the process of taking this country back.” Roberts pointed to the Supreme Court’s decision in Donald J. Trump v. United States the day before giving the president absolute immunity for committing crimes while engaging in official acts.
“That Supreme Court ruling yesterday on immunity is vital, and it’s vital for a lot of reasons,” Roberts said, adding that the nation needs a strong leader because “the left has taken over our institutions.” “[W]e are in the process of the second American Revolution,” he said, “which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”
Roberts was the man who organized Project 2025, the blueprint for a new kind of government dictated by a right-wing strongman. Creating that new government would require a president willing to act illegally, stripping the secular language of civil rights from public life, packing the government with loyalists, ending the social safety net, killing business regulations, and purging American institutions of all but right-wing ideologues.
When Americans learned about Project 2025, they hated it. An NBC News poll from September 2024 showed that only 4% of Americans saw the project favorably. Even among Republicans, that number climbed only to 7%. For those identifying as MAGA Republicans, the number rose to just 9%.
So Trump and his campaign advisors denied that he had anything to do with the plan. “I know nothing about Project 2025,” he wrote on social media in July. “I have no idea who is behind it.”
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Democracy Docket/The Week
By Marc Elias, Founder
August 1, 2025
Donald Trump has spent the last six months relentlessly attacking our democracy — and this week proved that the cracks are starting to show. His personal lawyer and Department of Justice hatchet man, Emil Bove, is now a federal judge. Republicans moved to further weaken the Voting Rights Act. Members of Congress laid the groundwork to permit more aggressive voter purges — even as Democracy Docket broke the news that the DOJ is seeking confidential voter data from all fifty states.
The most immediate threat to democracy this week, however, came from Texas, where Trump convinced Republican officials to undertake an unprecedented round of gerrymandering. If successful, the effort would yield five more Republican seats in Congress.
With control of the House on the line, anxiety among Democrats is high, and simple solutions are elusive. The threat of a new wave of extreme GOP partisan gerrymandering — from Missouri to Florida to Ohio — hangs in the humid summer air. State by state, in red and blue alike, Democratic politicians, senior strategists and teams of lawyers are working on potential reactions and solutions.
My own thinking about how to combat the scourge of Republican gerrymandering has evolved. I’ve always been a fierce defender of democracy who is not afraid of a partisan brawl. I understand the power of litigation as a tool to combat anti-democratic schemes. That has not changed.
However, times have changed… (To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
If you missed today’s program featuring Bill Kristol 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.
Wednesday, August 6 at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Jonathan Weisman who will be in conversation with Madeleine Brand (see bios below) on the topic: “AMERICAN ANTISEMITISM: BEING JEWISH IN THE AGE OF TRUMP,” (Register Here).
Jonathan Weisman is a seasoned political journalist at The New York Times. Over a 30-year career, he has reported on key institutions of government—from Congress and the White House to economic policy — for major outlets including The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, before joining The Times in 2012. He has also reported on the causes of and suggested cures for partisan division and about American antisemitism. As an author, he’s written the critically acclaimed nonfiction memoir “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Trump Era.
Madeline Brand is the host of the award-winning daily news and culture show, Press Play. On the show, she covers national, international, and local stories through a Southern California lens. She is also the co-host of KCRW’s legal affairs podcast, The Legal Eagle Files.
Several Jewish non-profit organizations have issued statements concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Here are three of the statements released this week..
Israel Policy Forum Calls for Urgent Action on Gaza Humanitarian Crisis.
Israel Policy Forum https://israelpolicyforum.org/
The scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza is devastating, and alleviating the human catastrophe in Gaza is a moral imperative. We are relieved that Israel has begun to take some critical measures to expedite aid delivery to those in desperate need. More can and should be done with urgency.
Israel Policy Forum has outlined steps to improve aid delivery and long urged for a ceasefire that brings the hostages home and enables the war in Gaza to end. It has been and remains critical that the U.S. encourage and facilitate cooperation and coordination between Israel, the United Nations, and key aid agencies.
While the humanitarian needs in Gaza must be urgently addressed, they cannot be fully addressed without an end to the war. Israel has been fighting in Gaza for nearly 22 months in response to Hamas’ October 7 massacre and abduction of Israelis. The war has exacted a heavy toll on Hamas, but has also exacted a heavy toll on IDF soldiers, Palestinian civilians, the hostages and their families, and Israeli and Palestinian societies. The costs of continuing to fight outweigh the benefits. Gaza is now in the full throes of a humanitarian crisis, and Israeli denials of hunger in Gaza, despite evidence to the contrary, have created a diplomatic crisis in addition to the humanitarian one. Continuing along this path is not strategically tenable nor morally justifiable. Israel had every right, and indeed an imperative, to hold Hamas to account. But after more than 660 days of war, the only way to defeat Hamas is to engage in a political strategy, not a military one.
The United States is critical to what happens next. President Trump’s call for the United States to “own” Gaza early this year gave life to the fantasies—and plans—of the Israeli extreme-right, and provided an unrealistic endgame for Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pursuit of “total victory.” The U.S. must lead on a course correction.
American leadership is needed to mobilize the international community in support of a viable plan for Gaza’s future, to ensure Israel’s agreement with a day-after plan that safeguards Israel’s security and prevents Hamas’ resurgence, to hold the Palestinian Authority accountable to reforms that build its capacity and legitimacy for a return to Gaza, and to craft a viable political horizon for Israelis, Palestinians, and the region that can ignite a reshaping of the Middle East. But this process can only succeed with an Israeli declaration that it is prepared to end the war in return for the release of all hostages. We call on the Trump administration to work with Israel in bringing the war to an immediate end, and to then begin the complicated process of winning the peace
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AJC Statement on the Humanitarian Aid Situation in Gaza. American Jewish Committee: www.ajc.org.
AJC welcomes Israel’s announcement of a series of significant additional actions to increase the flow and distribution of aid in Gaza, including new airdrops, humanitarian corridors for United Nations (UN) aid convoys, humanitarian pauses, and measures to increase access to water. We urge Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the UN, and all responsible parties involved in aid distribution to increase cooperation and coordination in order to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
AJC also reminds the international community and media that Hamas — whose priority is and has always been the destruction of Israel, not the rights and welfare of the Palestinian people — has exacerbated the challenges of humanitarian aid distribution by diverting aid from civilians, exploiting aid to generate revenue that fuels its control over Gaza and war against Israel, and by using violence and intimidation to prevent civilians from accessing goods. Hamas has continuously and cynically created the conditions for, and weaponized, Palestinian suffering in order to demonize Israel — a tactic that too many continue to ignore. Hamas is ultimately responsible for this war and its continuation — further evidenced this week by its unwillingness, once again, to reach a renewed ceasefire and hostage-release agreement.
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JCRC of the Bay Area Statement on Hunger in Gaza
Jewish Community Relations Council, Bay Area. https://jcrc.org/
We are deeply troubled by media reports of hunger and food insecurity among civilians in Gaza. The photos emerging of human suffering are disturbing. Food security is a basic human right ,and Torah commands us to feed the hungry. It is the global community’s collective responsibility, including the United Nations and the governments of the United States and Israel, to ensure Gazans have access to humanitarian aid, including food, water, and medicine.
We condemn Hamas’ undermining of food distribution to civilians, which poses immense challenges. We also recognize that widespread disinformation surrounding this issue, specifically, and the war more broadly, is intended to undermine the State of Israel. Yet even vocal supporters of the Israeli government, including President Trump, have acknowledged that hunger in Gaza is real.
As the government of Israel works to secure the return of the hostages, who have suffered in Hamas’ captivity for 662 days, it must also aid Gazan civilians who are hurting in this war. We are encouraged by actions taken in recent days by the Israeli government and partners to increase aid by land and air, but the need remains to develop longer term solutions.
We call on the government of Israel with its global partners to harness the “Start Up Nation” innovative spirit, which has garnered global awe in its pursuit of medical breakthroughs and scientific wonders, to address this deeply complex and challenging humanitarian crisis.
This statement is a reflection of JCRC’s four core positions on the war, held since October 7, 2023:
1. All hostages must be returned
2. Hamas cannot have the capacity to repeat the October 7 massacre
3. Humanitarian aid, including food, must be maximized to Gazan civilians
4.Civilian casualties in Gaza must be minimized
Dear Friend,
This Wednesday at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Bill Kristol who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison (see bios below) on the topic: “SPEAKING OUT AND SPEAKING UP: BILL KRISTOL ON THE STATE OF THE NATION,” (Register Here).
Bill Kristol is an American political analyst and commentator. He was the editor and publisher of the political magazine The Weekly Standard and a former Fox News political analyst until friction with Fox News Chief Executive Officer Roger Ailes caused him to switch to the news division of ABC, where he is a political analyst. Prior to his career in journalism, Kristol was a Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University, where he received is BA, MA and PhD.
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. Her first book, “Rio LA,” about the Los Angeles River, was a bestseller. Her most recent book is “Don’t Stop the Presses! Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper.”
Wall Street Journal/Opinion
Neera Tanden
July 27, 2025
How Democrats Can Win on Immigration
Our proposal would secure the border, end the misuse of asylum, and admit more legal immigrants
The Trump administration’s first six months of immigration policy are a case study in unimaginable cruelty that makes no distinction between legal immigrants and the undocumented, that targets undocumented people who have been here for decades, and that uses brute force police tactics to intimidate communities.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is raiding churches, courthouses, and schools and locking up undocumented grandmothers. The Homeland Security Department is revoking the protected status of tens of thousands of legal immigrants, clearing the way to deport people who have lived here for more than 20 years.
Thankfully, the American people are rejecting this cruelty. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 35% of the country approves of the Trump administration’s actions—the lowest figure of this term. Meanwhile, 79% of Americans now believe immigration strengthens the country—a record high and up from 64% last year. This reflects a seismic shift in the politics of immigration over six months.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Washington Post/Opinion
July 25, 2025
The 12 days that turned back the clock on Iran’s nuclear program
Israeli and American assessments agree Tehran’s infrastructure to finish a bomb is shattered.
Now that the rhetorical debris has settled from Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, there’s growing evidence that Iran’s nuclear program suffered such severe damage that it will be neutered for at least a year, and probably far longer.
“Iran is no longer a threshold nuclear state,” one well-informed Israeli source told me. He said that Iran would now require at least one to two years to build a deliverable nuclear weapon, assuming it could somehow hide its activities. Tehran could conceivably try to demonstrate a crude nuclear device more quickly. But Israel would probably see the test coming and could mount a disabling attack, the source said.
This account supports claims by both the Trump administration and Israel that the Iran campaign achieved its objectives. This new evidence adds weight to that assessment, but some issues are still unclear. Iran could have hidden centrifuges, uranium stockpiles or weapons that weren’t destroyed. It could react by dashing toward a bomb with its meager resources — or by mounting terrorist campaigns that could be devastating for Israel or the United States. There are still many unknown unknowns.
Israeli and American sources said the bombing campaign, in addition to …
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
Next Wednesday at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Bill Kristol who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison (see bios below) on the topic: “SPEAKING OUT AND SPEAKING UP: BILL KRISTOL ON THE STATE OF THE NATION,” (Register Here).
Bill Kristol is an American political analyst and commentator. He was the editor and publisher of the political magazine The Weekly Standard and a former Fox News political analyst until friction with Fox News Chief Executive Officer Roger Ailes caused him to switch to the news division of ABC, where he is a political analyst. Prior to his career in journalism, Kristol was a Professor of Political Philosophy at Harvard University, where he received is BA, MA and PhD.
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. Her first book, “Rio LA,” about the Los Angeles River, was a bestseller. Her most recent book is “Don’t Stop the Presses! Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper.”
Wall Street Journal/Opinion
Peggy Noonan
July 17, 2025
MAGA’s Epstein Fault Line
Some Trump supporters look at the refusal to release the files and see a failure to drain the swamp.
Donald Trump says Republicans have been ‘duped’ into furthering the Jeffrey Epstein saga, though his own supporters promoted the theory that the sex offender didn’t commit suicide in jail. Could a special counsel keep Democrats at bay, or would such an appointment make matters worse for the President?
We just witnessed a bit of political history. The Jeffrey Epstein story is big, and though it will be quieted eventually, it won’t go away, it will stay as a fissure and may widen over time.
The Trumpiest part of President Trump’s base showed him—and showed itself—that it can buck him, push back in unison. He seemed startled. Maybe they are too. It struck me as not just a political event but a psychic one for his movement.
Mr. Trump has never spoken of his supporters the way he did this week, with disrespect and baiting insults. On Wednesday on Truth Social, he called the Epstein uproar a Democratic Party “scam” and said “my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bulls—’ hook, line, and sinker.” Those demanding the government produce all files in the Epstein investigation are ungrateful and don’t deserve him: “I have had more success in 6 months than perhaps any President in our Country’s history. . . Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats work, don’t even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don’t want their support anymore!”
(To continue reading, click HERE)
POLITICO
Nicole Markus
July 22, 2025
Stewart, Colbert slam CBS, Trump for cancellation of late night franchise: ‘Fear and pre-compliance’
“I believe CBS lost the benefit of the doubt two weeks prior, when they sold out their flagship news program to pay an extortion fee to said president,” Jon Stewart said.
Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert — two of Paramount’s most prominent TV stars — are slamming the network for its decision to axe Colbert’s “The Late Show” amid an ongoing rift with President Donald Trump.
“If you’re trying to figure out why Stephen’s show is ending, I don’t think the answer can be found in some smoking-gun email or phone call from Trump to CBS executives, or in CBS’s QuickBooks spreadsheets on the financial health of late night,” Jon Stewart said during “The Daily Show” on Monday. “I think the answer is in the fear and pre-compliance that is gripping all of America’s institutions at this very moment.”
Paramount, which is CBS’ parent company, said the move to cancel “The Late Show” was “purely a financial decision,” but the announcement came shortly after Colbert criticized CBS for offering “a big fat bribe” to Trump.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
Today at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Paul Maslin and Michael Murphy who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison (see bios below) on the topic: “WHAT DOES WASHINGTON’S CHAOS PORTEND FOR THE 2026 MIDTERMS?” (Register Here).
Paul Maslin has been one of the leading public opinion analysts and campaign strategists for more than three decades. His most noteworthy recent work includes polling and providing strategy for Patty Murray’s reelection in the 2022 Washington U.S. Senate race, and doing the same for the key independent expenditure committee that helped elect Karen Bass Mayor of Los Angeles in 2022.
Mike Murphy is a Republican political consultant, entertainment industry writer, and producer. He advised Republicans, including John McCain, Jeb Bush, John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Spencer Abraham, Christie Whitman, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Until January 2006, he was an adviser to Mitt Romney. Murphy is a vocal Republican critic of 45th U.S. President Donald Trump.
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. Her first book, “Rio LA,” about the Los Angeles River, was a bestseller. Her most recent book is “Don’t Stop the Presses! Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper.”
New York Times/Opinion
Ezra Klein
July 20, 2025
Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another
It’s a tense time in the Jewish family group chats. The consensus that held American Jewry together for generations is breaking down. That consensus, roughly, was this: What is good for Israel is good for the Jews. Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. And there will, someday soon, be a two-state solution that reconciles Zionism and liberalism.
Every component of that consensus has cracked.
Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor has forced, among many Jews, a reckoning with how far they have drifted from one another. Mamdani does not use the slogan “globalize the intifada,” but he does not condemn those who do. He has said that if he were mayor, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, would face arrest on war crimes charges if he set foot in New York City. Israel has a right to exist, he says, but “as a state with equal rights.”
Many older Jews I know are shocked and scared by Mamdani’s victory. Israel, to them, is the world’s only reliable refuge for the Jewish people. They see opposition to Israel as a cloak for antisemitism. They believe that if the United States abandons Israel then Israel will, sooner or later, cease to exist. To them, Mamdani is a harbinger. If he can win in New York City — a city with more Jews than any save Tel Aviv — then nowhere is safe.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
Dear Friend,
This Wednesday, July 23 at 5 pm Pacific, we welcome Paul Maslin and Michael Murphy who will be in conversation with Patt Morrison (see bios below) on the topic: “WHAT DOES WASHINGTON’S CHAOS PORTEND FOR THE 2026 MIDTERMS?” (Register Here).
Paul Maslin has been one of the leading public opinion analysts and campaign strategists for more than three decades. His most noteworthy recent work includes polling and providing strategy for Patty Murray’s reelection in the 2022 Washington U.S. Senate race, and doing the same for the key independent expenditure committee that helped elect Karen Bass Mayor of Los Angeles in 2022.
Mike Murphy is a Republican political consultant, entertainment industry writer, and producer. He advised Republicans, including John McCain, Jeb Bush, John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Spencer Abraham, Christie Whitman, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Until January 2006, he was an adviser to Mitt Romney. Murphy is a vocal Republican critic of 45th U.S. President Donald Trump.
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. Her first book, “Rio LA,” about the Los Angeles River, was a bestseller. Her most recent book is “Don’t Stop the Presses! Truth, Justice, and the American Newspaper.”
New York Times
July 16, 2025
For Trump, Domestic Adversaries Are Not Just Wrong, They Are ‘Evil’
The president’s vilification of political opponents and journalists seeds the ground for threats of prosecution, imprisonment and deportation unlike any modern president has made.
When the Pentagon decided not to send anyone to this week’s Aspen Security Forum, an annual bipartisan gathering of national security professionals in the Colorado mountains, President Trump’s appointees explained that they would not participate in discussions with people who subscribe to the “evil of globalism.”
After all the evils that the U.S. military has fought, this may be the first time in its history that it has put globalization on its enemies list. But it is simply following the example of Mr. Trump. Last week, he denounced a reporter as a “very evil person” for asking a question he did not like. This week, he declared that Democrats are “an evil group of people.”
“Evil” is a word getting a lot of airtime in the second Trump term. It is not enough anymore to dislike a journalistic inquiry or disagree with an opposing philosophy. Anyone viewed as critical of the president or insufficiently deferential is wicked. The Trump administration’s efforts to achieve its policy goals are not just an exercise in governance but a holy mission against forces of darkness.
(To continue reading, click HERE)
New York Times/Opinion
Ezra Klein
July 20, 2025
Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another
It’s a tense time in the Jewish family group chats. The consensus that held American Jewry together for generations is breaking down. That consensus, roughly, was this: What is good for Israel is good for the Jews. Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. And there will, someday soon, be a two-state solution that reconciles Zionism and liberalism.
Every component of that consensus has cracked.
Zohran Mamdani’s triumph in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor has forced, among many Jews, a reckoning with how far they have drifted from one another. Mamdani does not use the slogan “globalize the intifada,” but he does not condemn those who do. He has said that if he were mayor, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, would face arrest on war crimes charges if he set foot in New York City. Israel has a right to exist, he says, but “as a state with equal rights.”
Many older Jews I know are shocked and scared by Mamdani’s victory. Israel, to them, is the world’s only reliable refuge for the Jewish people. They see opposition to Israel as a cloak for antisemitism. They believe that if the United States abandons Israel then Israel will, sooner or later, cease to exist. To them, Mamdani is a harbinger. If he can win in New York City — a city with more Jews than any save Tel Aviv — then nowhere is safe.
(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.