Hey fellow pebble casters,

Just a reminder from the late Andrea Gibson - its ok to let your heart break.

Have a great day!

Issue 73: July 22, 2025

Something to learn…

The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE

ProPublica obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts. Read the full article here.

Something to do…

ADOPT A STATION: Save Public Media

Using this great website, first, donate (or up your donation) to your local public media station. Then, "adopt" a station that's lost 50% or more of their revenue through the rescission. Congratulations, you've adopted a station!

Something to celebrate…

Something to reflect on…

Happy Friday, fellow Pebble Casters!

How’s the new Monday/Friday rhythm working for folks? We might still pop in on a Wednesday from time to time, but this schedule feels more sustainable on our end and helps bookend the week with things to do. Please let us know your thoughts, and as always, you can send suggestions for content (we especially appreciate suggestions for things to do and things to celebrate) to apebblecast@gmail.com. Oh and tell your friend’s to subscribe!

From our dog to you, we hope you are have a nice day!

Issue 72: July 11, 2025

Something to learn…

People in Texas are still dealing with the recovery after a devastating flash flood killed more than 120 people, with countless more still missing.

Hindering the recovery of the disaster is the slow response and help from FEMA. This is a good piece that breaks down FEMA’s failures and the growing call within the Trump administration to flat out abolish the agency, even as climate change ensures that disasters like these will be more frequent and severe in the coming years.

Something to do…

From Families First:

On Saturday, July 26th, American families in every corner of the country will come together in peaceful marches, rallies and events to say: our families come first, and we will protect each other.

In all 50 states and Washington DC, we will put care over the cruel cuts and attacks on families that we’re seeing from Congress and the White House. We’re committing to ensuring that every one of our friends and neighbors knows they are not alone, and hears what’s at stake for families in our country right now.

Sign up to host or attend an event NOW to fight for our families and our future.

Something to celebrate…

From NPR:
Canceled grants get the spotlight at a Capitol Hill 'science fair'

Something to reflect on…

Excerpt from the poem REVOLUTIONARY LETTER # 8 by Diane di Prima.

Happy Monday, folks.

A gentle reminder to be more activist and less shit. Always.

Go get it!

Issue 71: July 7, 2025

Something to learn…

Did you know you can audit online courses from Harvard for free? True story.

Harvard offers over 100 free, self-paced, online courses in almost any subject area imaginable, with some particularly interesting ones in government, policy, and the social sciences.

Check out We the People: Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy

Something to do…

From “Project Mail Storm”

Project Mail Storm is officially rolling.

We’re flooding the system with handwritten letters - day after day, generation by generation.

Not to yell, not to beg… just to apply peaceful, relentless pressure in the one place they can’t ignore: the mailroom.

You don’t have to be an expert. You don’t need the perfect words.

You just need a stamp, an envelope, and the courage to keep showing up.

📬 Write once a week. Or every damn day. 💌 Send it in a sparkly envelope or on the back of your junk mail. 🌀 Just keep mailing.

Get details and learn more here.

Something to celebrate…

Read more here…

Something to reflect on…

As fireworks light up our skies and flags wave from porches this week, we here at A Pebble Cast are struggling to find something worth celebrating in this country. Our leaders just passed the most significant transfer of wealth in our nation’s history—funneling billions to the ultra-rich while condemning poor and middle-class Americans to be poorer, sicker, and hungrier.

People will die because of these choices.

Meanwhile, our government is constructing what amounts to a concentration camp in the Florida Everglades—a grotesque monument to cruelty.

This is not normal. And we cannot pretend it is.

Patriotism should mean loving our country enough to demand it live up to its promises. It should mean refusing to stay silent while fascism gains ground, ICE kidnaps our neighbors, and our tax dollars fuel genocide abroad.

Patriotism means refusing to look away.

Many of us may find it difficult to celebrate anything today. But we can choose to celebrate the people and movements throughout our history who never stopped fighting for this country’s liberation: the rioters at Stonewall who sparked Pride, the pacifists who stood firm against war, the brave souls who marched, fought, and were martyred for civil rights, workers and unions who labored and striked to ensure work has dignity, and everyone who, in quiet but powerful ways, cared for their neighbors and never, ever gave up.

That is what we celebrate today. We celebrate you.

We’ll leave you with Langston Hughes’ poem, “ Let America be America.”

O, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!

Issue 70: July 4, 2025

Something to learn…

Here are the Declaration of Independence’s Grievances Against King George III. Many Apply to Trump.

Something to do…

Something to celebrate…

Immigration Crackdowns Are Booming. So Is the Digital Resistance Fighting Them: As ICE ramps up under Trump 2.0, a scrappy movement of techies is creating real-time tools to resist.

Something to reflect on…

In the summer of 2020, the U.S. commemorated Independence Day amid nationwide protests for racial justice and systemic reforms in the wake of George Floyd’s death. That June, NPR asked five young descendants of Frederick Douglass to read and respond to excerpts of his famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”. It's a powerful, historical text that reminds us of the ongoing work of liberation.

You can read the full text of the speech here.

Good morning Pebble Casters,

A friend of ours recently decided to run for the school board in their community. They didn’t have all the answers or a perfect resume, but they had courage, conviction, and a deep belief in protecting and investing in our kids.

In a world that feels scarier by the day, especially for our children, moments like this remind us: every time someone steps up, speaks out, and does something brave—like running for office—it makes the world a little less frightening and a little more hopeful.

So let this be a reminder: your voice has power. Even if it shakes when you speak, now is the time to use it. Our communities need each of us to show up, to act, and to fight for the future we deserve.

And with that, let’s get into it…

Issue 69: July 4, 2025

Something to learn…

While ICE ramps up its attacks, brave neighbors in Massachusetts are stepping up to protect immigrant families. Check out the full story on this scrappy bunch of volunteers standing up to ICE.

Something to do…

Feeling rage right now? Yeah, us too. Why not rage give? “Rage giving” means channeling your anger into urgent support for frontline and mutual aid groups—the people and organizations doing direct work in communities. Even a small donation can make a big impact when it goes to those on the ground fighting for justice.

Skip the big national orgs. Give directly to local groups who need it most.

Here’s a guide helpful guide from Fight for the Future on where to rage give right now.

Something to celebrate…

This past weekend in Budapest, Hungary, over 100,000 people flooded the streets for the city’s annual Pride parade, defiantly marching despite a ban from the far-right government. It was an unprecedented show of solidarity for LGBTQ+ rights in a country where those rights are under relentless attack—shattering previous attendance records and sending a powerful message of resistance.

Something to reflect on…

As former theater kids, we were actually embarassed that we were today ( well yesterday) year’s old before we knew about the the Jimmy Awards (or the National High School Musical Theatre Awards) that happened over the weekend.

Theater and music give kids a safe space to express themselves, explore their emotions, and tell their stories. These experiences don’t just spark joy—they build confidence, empathy, and resilience. When children see their voices and imaginations celebrated they learn that they matter, and they carry that hope with them long after the curtain falls.

Whether you were a theater kid growing up ( or a theater adult), we hope you can also appreciate these kids perform and be joyful during a time when hope and joy are sorely needed.

Hello friends,

First, a quick update: Many of you shared during and after our recent hiatus that, while you value these dispatches, daily emails felt overwhelming or easy to skip. To make this more sustainable for us and more useful for you, we’re shifting to a 2-to 3-times-per-week schedule. We’ll be piloting a Monday and Friday model, with the occasional Wednesday edition sprinkled in as needed.

As we settle into summer, we’ve come upon anniversaries of pivotal Supreme Court decisions—from the victories of marriage equality to the devastating rollback of abortion rights with the fall of Roe. Alongside recent rulings with profound consequences for the safety and dignity of our neighbors, these anniversaries remind us that elections have consequences—and that lasting progress, or the reversal of injustice, demands steady, determined work. Let’s keep at it, together.

Issue 68: June 27, 2025

Something to learn…

Speaking of the Supreme Court, today wraps up the Supreme Court’s term, and we’re about to see rulings on the last six cases which could have a huge impact, especially a case about birthright citizenship. Learn more about his case and it’s consequences here.

Something to do…

From Protect Democracy:

The Democracy Playbook

How You Can Protect Democracy: 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy.

These actions can offer not only knowledge, relief, and power, but also joy, fun, and community. And of course, you don’t have to do all of them to make an impact.

Click here to see them all.

Something to celebrate…

Earlier this week, NY State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani won an astonishing upset victory in the NYC Mayor Democratic Primary, beating disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Something to reflect on…

Hope you all have homes and hearts filled with people you love.

If we can start there, we can do anything.

Dear Reader,

It’s been a minute. Longer than we expected. Longer than you likely expected, too.

We'd like to begin with an apology for the unplanned pause in A Pebble Cast. We didn’t intend to go quiet, but we needed a breath we didn’t know we were holding. Life, as it tends to do, reminded us that even the most committed voices need rest. And in the spirit of what this space was always meant to be—an invitation, not an obligation—we stepped back.

In that silence, some of you reached out. You asked if this project was still alive. You told us you missed the rhythm of these small nudges, these daily(ish) calls to action or reflection. And in doing so, you reminded us why we started this in the first place. Thank you for noticing, for caring, and for affirming that this work matters.

Lately, we’ve been thinking about choir theory in activism. The idea that a movement, like a choir, depends on its members taking turns to breathe. No one sings every note. We inhale when we need to. And while we do, others carry the melody.

That’s what this pause was. A breath. And while we were catching ours, we know many of you kept singing—organizing, advocating, witnessing, resisting. We are so grateful for that. For you.

We're back. Not because the fight ever stopped, but because enough of you keep the song going for us to rejoin the chorus. Moving forward, we might lean into the “ish” of the daily-ish a little more, so this little project can be a little more sustainable, but more on that later… for now, thanks for sticking with us. It’s good to be back.

Let’s get into it.

Issue 67: June 23, 2025

Something to learn…

A lot of shit has happened over the past few weeks, and for millenials who came of age in the Bush Administration, its feeling like Groundhogs Day as Trump is now trying to get us into war/regime change in Iran… a lot is happening but here’s a decent piece that tries to summarize and look at where we can go from here…

Something to do…

Since it’s been a while since we’ve shared something to do, here’s a short list of reminders to get us caught up and meeting the moment we are in from (she/her).

Something to celebrate…

Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been reunited with his wife and newborn son after spending several months in immigration detention in Louisiana.

Something to reflect on…

Speaking of choirs, a good reminder that joy is resistance from Whoopi Goldberg and the cast of Sister Act 2.

Hey all,

In our home, we have a list of how to build community. Remember that how we build community in small ways is how we liberate in big ways.

Here are some of those small ways to build community:

Turn off your TV - Leave your house - Know your neighbors - Look up when you are walking - Greet people - Sit on your stoop - Plant Flowers - Use your library - Play together - Buy from local merchants - Share what you have - Help a lost dog - Take children to the park - Garden Together - Support Neighborhood Schools - Fix it even if you didn't break it - Have Pot Lucks - Honor Elders - Pick Up Litter - Read Stories Aloud - Dance in the Street - Talk to the Mail Carrier - Listen to the Birds - Put up a Swing - Help Carry Something Heavy - Barter For Your Goods - Start A Tradition - Ask A Question - Hire Young People for Odd Jobs - Organize a Block Party - Bake Extra and Share - Ask For Help When You Need It - Open Your Shades - Sing Together - Share Your Skills - Take Back the Night - Turn Up The Music - Turn Down The Music - Listen Before You React To Anger - Mediate A Conflict - Seek To Understand - Learn From New And Uncomfortable Angles - Know That No One is Silent Though Many Are Not Heard - Work To Change This.

Have a great day!

Issue 65: May 29, 2025

Something to learn…

From the good folks at Fight for the Future:

Police illegally using real-time facial recognition, attacks on trans healthcare, censorship threats under KOSA, and the removal of the nonprofit killer bill—this week’s Tech Speedrun is packed.

For more info and tools to take action: 🔗 banfacialrecognition.org 🔗 stopkosa.com

Something to do…

From Feeding America:

Tell Congress: Allow SNAP benefits to reflect changing nutrition standards!

Benefits that our neighbors facing hunger receive through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should reflect the latest nutrition science and today's economy. As the cost of nutritious foods increases, as it has in the last few years, SNAP benefits should increase, too.

Congress can help millions of families afford a healthy diet by continuing to modernize SNAP and ensuring the Thrifty Food Plan—used to determine SNAP benefit amounts—reflects adjustments for inflation as well as evolving dietary recommendations and consumption patterns.

Take Action Here!

Something to celebrate…

This Pope is pretty dope. In a little bit of savvy counter-programming, Pope Leo XIV will hold a massive video broadcast and Mass at the White Sox ballpark in Chicago on June 14 at the same time as Trump’s birthday military parade. Bless him (the Pope, not Trump).

Something to reflect on…

This is the future kids want … lets keep fighting for a future where they can realize their dreams.

Reporter Anna North recently asked some kids what they want to be when they grow up, and what changes they hope to see in the world. A selection of their responses, which have been condensed and edited, are below. If the kids in your life would like to weigh in too, you can reach me at anna.north@vox.com.

_______

I want to be a gymnastics teacher. I want to get married and have kids, maybe five. I want to go to France. I want to do ballet in France.

I want to do anything I want. I want more kittens on the planet. I want everyone to have their own house with their own family. I want self driving lawnmowers. I don't want people to eat chickens, who should be treated like a princess.

—Mairead, age 8

During Covid, our math and science teacher would show us these videos about space. Those videos really inspired me. The idea that there might be life other than planet Earth was just really cool to me. Our universe is so big, there's so many places to explore, so many new things to learn.

[As a Scholastic Kid Reporter, I wrote a story] about the total solar eclipse. I remember interviewing Mr. James Tralie. That was really cool, because he worked at NASA, but he was also an animator, and I also love art and drawing. From that experience, I learned being part of NASA and learning about space is not only about being a scientist or being an engineer, it's also about doing art, doing music, and just doing what you truly love related to space.

When I was younger, I loved playing with Legos. I love building new things. I've learned a lot about being an aerospace technician or an engineer: building rockets, fixing issues related to space technology. I also love exploring. So being an astronomer is one of my dreams.

I just don't think it makes sense that there's only one planet in our entire universe where there's life. I hope to find life on other planets in the future.

—Aiden, age 13

I want to be a teacher because I see in my class a lot of different faces and colors of everyone, and I think it's going to be important to help other people grow like I grow in my school.

In my class, I have people who are shy, people who need extra help, and people who are really smart, so I feel like getting education for everybody to reach the same [level] is going to be hard.

—Kimaaya, age 8

I would like to taxidermy a lamprey eel.

—Eleanor, age 6

Interviewing ukulelist James Hill as a Scholastic Kid Reporter and talking to him about music showed me that there are many different ways to play an instrument. On his ukulele, he doesn’t just play a couple of chords — he makes creative musical sounds, even drumbeats. Talking with him inspired me to become a performer on the ukulele and guitar.

Not to brag, but I feel like I’m very skilled with ukulele. I feel like if someone gave me a sheet of music, I could learn it and play it for them maybe the next day perfectly.

My biggest goal is to experiment more with the notes and strings, learn some more tricks on it, and maybe someday make my own album.

—Owen, age 12

I want to do research in politics or economics that could bring about real changes in our world.

Growing up during the Covid pandemic, we were all stuck online. I was seeing a lot of stuff about the Black Lives Matter movement, lots of Instagram stuff about LGBT rights, there was the Trump administration, and it really got me curious about politics and social justice.

I'm from Hong Kong as well, and in 2019 there were the protests that occurred about democracy. I'm really obsessed with the idea of preserving democracy, so I think that just pushed me further into reading more about politics.

I think you could use the quantitative bit of economics and tie it into the qualitative bit of politics, and use data, like observing patterns and everything, and apply that to something that could cause change in the world. I think I would be studying politics and economics so that I could keep both doors open, depending on what I want to pursue in the future. Because I'm still 17. I'm not set yet, but I think both of these paths offer me the education, the knowledge to potentially bring impact.

—Macy, age 17

Watching the Olympics, hearing about doing archery, and seeing pictures [inspired me to want to be an Olympic archer]. Last year, I started saving up for an archery bow, and now I have one. We go to archery club every Sunday.

[I also want to be] a bat scientist. A few days ago, we went on a bat watch in the middle of the night. Have you heard of something called a bat detector? It's a little device, and it can intercept different kinds of bat calls with this little dial, and you turn it [to] different levels, and you can listen for bats. We were at this wood cabin, and there was a big light for the bugs, and the bats would quickly go for them. So we didn’t really see them clearly, but we heard them very loud.

[I want to] study about bats: what they eat, what size they are, and where they like to go and everything.

—Flower, age 8

Your mom says you want to be an owl scientist. What makes you want to study owls?

They’re so pretty.

What’s your favorite owl?

Snow owl.

What do owls eat?

Mice, rabbits, bugs, bats. … If I have a pet owl, and Flower has a pet bat… [trails off]

—Tabby, age 4, Flower’s sister

Clarissa did not do enough to prepare us for this folks. At least we have each other.

Keep making calls, keep showing up, keep using your voice to speak out, keep being there for each other.

For the love o Melissa Joan Hart, keep going!

Issue 64: May 28, 2025

Something to learn…

The Potential Impacts of Cuts to Medicaid

From the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health:

Two health policy experts explain how Medicaid spending cuts could affect health care facilities, clinicians, and services, as well as millions of Americans who depend on the program.

Something to do…

From the folks at stopice.net:

ICE is using an entrapment strategy to arrest people in court houses across the country when their deportation proceedings are dismissed by a judge. There are also reports that ICE has been detaining people whose cases have not been dismissed by a judge.

Ways you can help support:

1) Show up and document. You have a legal right to film and document any law enforcement officer plainly visible in public spaces.

Help hand out flyers to people with information about opposing dismissal and requesting to speak to an attorney about their options.

2) Protest outside. Show a presence. You have a right to assemble outside the court house and raise your voice. There is power in numbers.

3) Send an alert at Stopice.net to your area requesting support. You can also request attorneys to show up and help represent people at risk of detention.

4) Contact your local rapid response team. Spread the word on social media. Contact local news. Publicity = pressure.

Stay aware, stay alert, be vigilant.
Report ICE activity directly from your phone at stopice.net / @stopicenet
Text “JOIN” to 877-322-2299 to get local alerts
Text “REPORT” to send an alert

Something to celebrate…

An ongoing series of good news about this administration's losses from

Amanda's Mild Takes

Donald Trump's Ls for the Week

Read more

a year ago · 55 likes · 3 comments · Amanda's Mild Takes

Something to reflect on…

On Tuesday, a group of LGBTQ climbers and advocates hung a large transgender pride flag in the middle of Yosemite’s famous El Capitan rock formation.

Trans Is Natural, a coalition of transgender, queer and ally climbers unfurled the flag “in an act of solidarity and resistance.”

Let this flag fly higher than hate.

Have a great, long weekend, folks. See you on Tuesday!

Issue 63: May 23, 2025

Something to learn…

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed Trump’s “ Big Beautiful Bill.” And it sucks. A lot. In a razor-thin final vote of 215-214. House Republicans were successful in basically screwing everyone but billionaires and the military.

The Cut has a good explainer about what was in the final bill, it’s potential impact, and the next steps ( it goes to the Senate). Let’s be clear, though - if implemented, people will die as a result of this bill.

We need to spend the days ahead annoying the shit out if our Senators. Here’s the Capitol Switchboard number: (202) 224-3121

Something to do…

From the Mrs. Frazzled Substack:

Something to celebrate…

Maybe not a resounding victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Yea separation of church and state!

Something to reflect on…

You Are Who I Love by Aracelis Girmay

Good day, Pebble Casters!

It’s rainy as heck out here, but hoping that nothing is raining on your parade. And if you are going through some stuff, channel that spider and lock in. You got this.

Peace!

Issue 62: May 21, 2025

Something to learn…

From the good folks at Red Wine and Blue:

1 in 4 Americans know that they’ve shared misinformation or disinformation online. We also know that a lot of disinformation intentionally comes from bad actors, like other governments that want to interfere with our democratic elections.

A hot-off-the-presses survey from YouGov and NewsGuard just reported that one third of Americans believed Russian disinformation when they were shown actual false claims that have been spreading on social media. Less than 1% — regardless of political party — were able to tell that all the claims they were shown were false!

Watch this quick, one minute video from the News Literacy Project about these troubling results and how we can improve our ability to spot this dangerous disinformation and keep it from spreading.

You can check out the News Literacy Project’s free resources on fact-checking, mis- and disinformation, and more. If you’re a teacher, they have a special set of resources and lesson plans just for you!

Something to do…

Speaking of misinformation and disinformation, those at the helm of our federal government’s health system are doing a bang-up job on that front, especially when it comes to vaccines. Our HHS Secretary just removed COVID-19 vaccines from the federal schedule for children and pregnant people.

Luckily, state and local public health agencies and private organizations are stepping up to fight back and you can too.

Visit Voices for Vaccines, an organization working to ensure people are informed about vaccines and have the resources to combat misinformation. You can also access and the actual CDC vaccine schedule with friends & parent groups.

Something to celebrate…

This is firmly 1/2 of A Pebble Cast claiming celebration for this, but that 1/2 is currently writing this edition, so dear reader, bear with me.

Yesterday, English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur won the Europa League and its first trophy in nearly 20 years! After a dismal season plagued by an injury, they now find themselves champions with a ticket to compete at the highest echelon of European football next year. Happy Days!

If you are not a football/soccer fan, or worse, an Arsenal fan ( we kid) we wanted to once again share this quote from author John Green:

"I don't need you to love football, I only need you to love something that brings you together with others whose love is pointing in the same direction. For me that's football but for you it could be crochet or Jane Austen or distance running. But to be bound up with others with friends and strangers alike is the human condition and to be in community is to be, for me anyway, more fully alive."

Something to reflect on…

The provocations below are attributed to the late Dorothy Day, the American radical and activist who inspired this little daily(ish) effort. We’ve found them to be helpful groundings to revisit from time to time. Hope they help and inspire you.

Hey all,

Back from a little hiatus. Hope everyone is taking time for themselves. Its a marathon not a sprint.

Remember you are loved, you are important, and you are capable of incredible things.

Lets gooooo!

Issue 62: May 21, 2025

Something to learn…

Here’s an award-winning Voice of America story about what happens to accountability here in the US when local news organizations are driven out of business.

Something to do…

From America’s Service Commissions:

On April 14, all AmeriCorps NCCC members were unexpectedly removed from service and sent home with no warning. And on April 25, over 1,000 AmeriCorps programs were immediately terminated, leaving nearly 30,000 AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps VISTA members suddenly without a living stipend and other benefits, such as healthcare. As a result, many of them now need financial assistance to address housing, food, transportation, and/or health emergencies.

America's Service Commissions (ASC) launched a national emergency assistance fund for AmeriCorps members. Contributions to this new national emergency fund will initially provide financial assistance to AmeriCorps members recently removed from service as they determine their next steps. Making your gift a recurring donation will provide future support to address unexpected emergencies faced by the thousands of AmeriCorps members that serve unmet needs in our states and communities each year.

If you are able to make a small donation, give here.

Something to celebrate…

Yesterday, major faith groups are officially launching a new campaign urging religious communities to pledge to Recommit to Pride during Pride Month this June.

Learn more here.

Something to reflect on…

Treating people with kindness shouldn’t be controversial, but here we are.

We’re all going through a lot right now. Try to make that extra effort to be kind, patient and understanding, even when it’s hard.

Let’s go!

Issue 61: May 15, 2025

Something to learn…

From Pro-Publica: An Agency Tasked With Protecting Immigrant Children Is Becoming an Enforcement Arm, Current and Former Staffers Say.

Something to do…

It’s not to late to join a community garden in your neighborhood, or even starting a small container garden in your home.

If you need help getting started check out the Seed Library Network.

Something to celebrate…

Good News: Democrat John Ewing Jr. just turned Omaha blue—defeating the longest-serving GOP mayor in the country and becoming the city’s first Black mayor in history.

Something to reflect on…

Give each other love.

It’s Wednesday ya’ll - Happy Hump Day!

Thinking about the brave and bold people who took to the House floor yesterday to protect cuts to Medicaid. If you’ve been calling, writing, haranguing, and cussing out your reps over the garbage spending bill being considered in Congress - keep it up. If you haven’t, there’s no day like today.

Ok lets get into it.

Issue 60: May 14, 2025

Something to learn…

From the 1A Podcast:

'If You Can Keep It': The Math Behind The 'Big, Beautiful' Spending Bill -

Something to do…

Speaking of the federal budget and spending, Republicans have snuck a provision in that would allow President Trump's Treasury Secretary the ability to designate ANY nonprofit (church, university, food bank, or climate organization) as a terrorist organization without proof or due process.

This isn’t the first time this has been brought before Congress, but its implications are dire. Union for Concerned Scientists has a great tool to call Congress and gives you all the info you need. This is timely, so please call ASAP.

Something to celebrate…

New Mexico made childcare free. It lifted 120,000 people above the poverty line.

Something to reflect on…

If you want to learn more about the activist and organizer Ady Barkan you can read his autobiography, Eyes to the Wind or watch this short documentary.

Hey all.

This shit is hard. but spite can be a great motivator to keep going.

So let’s keep going

Issue 59: May 13, 2025

Something to learn…

This is a follow-up and an even further deep dive to a “ Something to learn…” a couple of weeks ago, around some landmark Supreme Court Cases concerning the separation of church and state by the good people of Last Week Tonight.

Something to do…

Medicaid is at risk. Want to do something about it? Join the Working Families Party for a Mass Call: Hands Off Our Healthcare this coming Thursday evening.

Something to celebrate…

ICYMI last week, Maine Governor Janet Mills stood up to bully/facist and won.

Something to reflect on…

Read Mahmoud Khalil’s letter to his newborn son, Deen. Over two months since his abduction by ICE and DHS on Columbia University property, Mahmoud remains in ICE detention in Jena, Louisiana.

Good Monday, Good People!

Good Monday good people,

Have a great week. Do good things. Listen to some punk rock to inspire.

You do you.

Let’s gooooo!

Issue 58: May 12, 2025

Something to learn…

Reporter Abdallah Fayyad unpacks Trump's plan to make America's poor even poorer.

Something to do…

This is a good reminder from the folks at Fight for the Future: if you are out there protesting or posting things on social media, remove the metadata from your photos before you post! Listen to this parody cover of Blink-182’s “ All the Small Things” to learn how.

Something to celebrate…

This is not the most joyful thing to celebrate, but as painful as it is to watch, this is how we need to show up for each other right now. Thanks to the neighbors and community of Worcester, MA, who fought to block an ICE raid and protect an infant child from being seperated from her mother.

Something to reflect on…

Happy Friday, all!

There’s a new Pope in town. He’s a Midwesterner who grew up in Chicago and dislikes J.D. Vance. So...things could be worse.

The pope memes out there are amazing. Please send us your favorite ones. So far, this wins for us…

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate!

Issue 57: May 9, 2025

Something to learn…

This one is a bit longer than usual “ something to learns” but you have a weekend to check it out. Listen to this three-part series from the Reveal Podcast called “40 Acres and a Lie.”

The podcast delves into the history of the "40 Acres and a Mule" promise made during Reconstruction and how for man, the promise was short-lived. Despite the issuance of land titles to over 1,200 freedmen in Georgia, pressure from former slave owners led to the reversal of these allocations. The federal government returned the land to its original owners, effectively nullifying the promise. Today, some of these lands have been developed into affluent, predominantly white communities, highlighting the long-term impact of this broken promise on Black generational wealth.

You can find it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Something to do…

This Mother’s Day, honor mothers everywhere by taking action. Check out the great organization MomsRising, look at their TAKE ACTION Page, and find an issue or action that speaks to you.

Something to celebrate…

The GOP tried to steal a NC State Supreme Court seat and failed.

Something to reflect on…

Happy Conclave Day to all who observe!

Even if you aren’t Catholic, you get to follow high-stakes drama with a global flair. If you need a primer, watch Conclave (the movie with Stanley Tucci) or this quick recap of the contenders. (We’re pulling for Asian Francis or Petey 1.)

Ok, here we go!

Issue 56: May 7, 2025

Something to learn…

Water…that seems important, right? You’d think.

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. But Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It. ProPublica breaks down what’s happening and what’s at stake.

Something to do…

From the National Alliance to End Homelessness:

TAKE ACTION: Protect HUD Homelessness Funding: “President Donald Trump has released a budget request signaling the administration’s goal to gut many critical HUD programs. We need you to tell Congress what we actually need from a federal budget.”

Click the link for three easy things you can do.

Something to celebrate…

If you’ve been boycotting Target, we have some great news for you…

Something to reflect on…

In addition to it being Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to take a moment today to appreciate each and every one of you for sticking with us week after week, sharing resources and actions and for keeping up the good fight.

Be well. Do good things. Here we go!

Issue 55: May 6, 2025

Something to learn…

The latest edition of Vox's The Logoff dives into the Trump administration's decision to resume aggressive collection efforts on federal student loans.

Something to do…

This teacher appreciation week, turn appreciation into action with these helpful resources from the NEA.

Something to celebrate…

Law students organize to give Trump-caving firms a recruitment problem:

By creating a spreadsheet, Georgetown Law students sparked national headlines, along with PR headaches and staffing challenges inside the world's most powerful firms.

Something to reflect on…

As you may have heard, the Trump Administration has ordered federal funding for NPR and PBS. Below is a video of Fred Rogers’ testimony in front of Congress, the last time public media funding was seriously threatened.

Boom! We’re back, baby!

Our apologies for the unplanned hiatus, but we’re back in the saddle this week.

Thanks for sticking with us, folks!

We’ve missed a lot, so let's get into our daily to-dos!

Issue 54: May 5, 2025

Something to learn…

From Mother Jones: How MAHA Poisons the Food Movement

Something to do…

Take a minute to write a note and send some mail to the good folks at Greyhound.

Something to celebrate…

From Wired: Trump Wants to Erase Black History. These Digital Archivists Are Racing to Save It.

Donald Trump’s executive orders are attacking everything from the Smithsonian to Black sports history, but grassroots organizers are launching a resistance.

Something to reflect on…