The thing that stands out most to me in this post is the idea that the legislative and judicial branches ceded their powers… didn’t even put up a fight in the end…and what is 47 going to do for them? Absolutely nothing.
A big problem with this "No Kings" slogan: It points us all the way back to 1776, and when it gets there it puts the focus on King George III and leaves Parliament in the shadows. Bringing "oligarchs" onstage is a step in the right direction, but putting Musk's face on it obscures another crucial point: economic power. Economic power -- not just oligarchs, but über-wealthy individuals and big corporations -- has the potential to co-opt and hamstring the three constitutional branches of government, and since the tax cuts and union busting of the Reagan administration it's been doing exactly that.
What else to say? It is wrong to use troops. They know that and move to authoritarianism anyway. It will be soon that the tensions on this strap will break and violence will escalate. I am not hopeful that protest peacefulness can be sustained. The authoritarians are stoking the flames to start the fire. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/troops-in-los-angeles?r=3m1bs
I will be in the city center in Chicago with friends. We have been told Trump will send the National Guard here because there have been thousands protesting ICE and Chicago cops helping them in violation of our state law, and in solidarity with those in LA. My friends in Hamburg Germany have their own No Kings rally. It is the sister city to Chicago, so when I go out, they will be having dinner and I will send them pictures.
🇺🇸To My Beloved Grandparents: The Truth Is Still Ours to Share
First, I want to send a warm and hearty congratulations to everyone who took part in the No Kings protest yesterday. From coast to coast, grandparents, parents, and young folks alike stood shoulder to shoulder for truth, democracy, and the America we still believe in. Your voices were heard. Your peaceful presence made a powerful statement: we will not be ruled by fear, lies, or authoritarian fantasies. We’re still “We the People.” And we showed up.
But the march doesn’t end on the streets. After the No Kings protests, I had some heartfelt conversations in my own family—especially about why, in 2024, no one seemed to talk about how much the Biden Administration improved the economy after COVID; they feel this gap in information lead to Trump getting elected. That gap in coverage isn’t an accident—it’s a choice made by media outlets that don’t benefit from reporting progress. But we can help fill that gap. That’s why I want to talk honestly with you today about something that’s been weighing heavily on my heart: the difficulty of knowing what’s true anymore.
🧠
Truth is Hard to Find in Today’s Media World
Local newspapers—our once-reliable sources of community truth—have shut down across the country.
Billionaires have bought up major TV networks and national papers, deciding what gets covered—and what gets buried.
Social media algorithms reward outrage, conspiracy theories, and lies, repeating them endlessly until they feel familiar—even when they’re false.
It’s no wonder so many people feel lost, angry, or misled. Even topics like the economy, which can be measured with numbers and facts, have become battlegrounds for spin and propaganda.
I’ll be honest: the clearest picture of what’s really going on comes from the kinds of things most people don’t have time (or patience) to sort through—economic charts, job statistics, spending patterns, labor market graphs. Economists use these tools every day. But most people don’t, and that’s where the manipulators thrive.
📊
The Truth About the U.S. Economy in 2024—In Plain Language
Let’s remember what really happened:
The entire world shut down in 2020 because of COVID. Every economy crashed.
But in the years that followed, America led the global recovery.
By 2023–2024, we had:
Stronger GDP growth than any other G7 nation
Falling unemployment and rising wages in several key sectors
A powerful rebound in consumer spending that helped other economies recover too
A resilient dollar and global trust in the U.S. financial system
But many people still believe that the Biden Administration left our economy is in ruins. Why? Because they’re only hearing one version of the story—often from partisan outlets like Fox News, that only show what fits their political goals.
The truth doesn’t always make the news because it doesn’t stir anger, drive ratings, or sell ads.
🧓👵
A Call to My Fellow Grandparents
You and I—we remember a different time. We grew up with Walter Cronkite, with local reporters we could meet at the grocery store. We remember when the news was trusted. Today, our kids and grandkids are being misled by a media environment designed to divide and enrage, not inform.
✅ If you believe in the messages I share here, please copy and customize them for your Facebook, emails, or family chats.
✅ Add your voice. Make it personal. Tell your children and grandchildren what you have seen, what you have lived through, and what you still believe in.
✅ If you marched, tell them why. If you stayed home, tell them what you’re standing for.
This is our time to make an impact—not just in protests, but in conversations that shape the future.
Let’s keep showing up, speaking up, and lifting up the truth—because the next generation needs us now more than ever.
Excellent article, thank you for being brief but accurate describing the journey we are all on that got us to where we are today. I have tried to tell anyone who will listen that the power of the spoken word can be used for great evil as well as great good. T***p is a lifelong salesman who has always been able to talk otherwise sensible people into financing his “I can make us both rich!” schemes that usually end in financial disaster for the other party and him escaping even richer to go find another wealthy dupe to reel in. He was mentored by men who hated women, on how to convincingly spin the truth and to use the law as a weapon with which to manipulate and sweet talk people who stood up to him. A self absorbed, narcissist and sociopath who now, again sits in the Oval Office, daily issuing decrees that legitimize corruption and heap pain and suffering upon most Americans. His gigantic horrific budget act contains illegal, non budgetary language that, if passed, will codify his executive orders to become the law of the land. So while Congress and the Supreme Court stand by clapping and cheering, we will lose our democratic republic. Despite its many flaws and history of brutality against people who aren’t white Christian heterosexual men or able bodied and mentally fit members of our society, I believe the national experiment those radical colonists endeavored to create in 1776 is a damn fine democratic republic, warts and all, and well worth our combined efforts to save.
Just returned from the rally near my home town. I was nervous especially after those horrible murders. But everything was peaceful, loud but peaceful, so many people who care and want to do something.
Yes, there will be much rebuilding to do. I believe we will succeed, in voting out the Republicans in the House and Senate, if we unite in the desire to defend democracy. Tie every last one of them wh voted for these abominations to the horrific consequences.
In addition to curbing the power of the ultrawealthy to buy the candidate of their choice, as this article clearly points out, another area on which we will need to focus is rebuilding the Department of Justice from the ground up. And then there is the CDC, the NIH. The list goes on. There must be our Project 2026 and 2028. I am just thankful that Democratic Attorney Generals in the various states understood that Trump might be re-elected and had law cases ready to file.
Just learned from friends that Minnesota is in a state of emergency because two lawmakers have been shot and killed by someone impersonating a police officer.
Yes. It is another aspect of the situation that is bad. The horror of Steve Miller saying that 2 Democrats should be killed in each state shows us how dangerous the followers of Trump are. I just cannot believe that these poor people were killed and the guy is not caught yet, or has he been?
I wish I could say I'm surprised. But POS declared open season on Ds in his first term. Now, he's said protests will be met with force. Time for every military person and law enforcement to renew their oaths and make their choice - fascism or democracy.
Yes. However, they will have a hard time sorting out what they are obliged to do and what not. We need good leadership. It is absent. They are choosing between the constitution or the demagogue.
I don't think it's absent - it's quiet. You don't tell the enemy what you're going to do. The Resistance in Germany didn't advertise who they were until they needed to. Just praying there are more Canarises, Osters, Stauffenbergs, etc. here than there were in Germany.
I have said that as well, but one does not know. We have to hope that there are people keeping quiet in the leadership ranks until the time is right. Let us hope there are secret meetings to try to decide what to do. Our troops are unsafe during this leadership of the military, intelligence community, homeland security, the White House and this Congress and Supreme Court. Not a good deal at all.
An excellent essay summing up for us the events of the last five months. Now the day is here and I think it will be historic for a number of reasons. It will never be repeated. It represents a pinnacle of sorts of both one man's hubris and a militarist spirit-the worship of both power and violence by people who have lost their way.
Thank you for this free post. I am retired and do not have the funds for all the posts worth reading.
We do not stand a chance with all the voter suppression and the insecurity of the technology ised in the voting tabulations. Trump often says what he is doing. "Elon is great with computers... I won in all the swing states" Why were there no demands for hand recounts in the last election?
The thing that stands out most to me in this post is the idea that the legislative and judicial branches ceded their powers… didn’t even put up a fight in the end…and what is 47 going to do for them? Absolutely nothing.
A big problem with this "No Kings" slogan: It points us all the way back to 1776, and when it gets there it puts the focus on King George III and leaves Parliament in the shadows. Bringing "oligarchs" onstage is a step in the right direction, but putting Musk's face on it obscures another crucial point: economic power. Economic power -- not just oligarchs, but über-wealthy individuals and big corporations -- has the potential to co-opt and hamstring the three constitutional branches of government, and since the tax cuts and union busting of the Reagan administration it's been doing exactly that.
What else to say? It is wrong to use troops. They know that and move to authoritarianism anyway. It will be soon that the tensions on this strap will break and violence will escalate. I am not hopeful that protest peacefulness can be sustained. The authoritarians are stoking the flames to start the fire. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/troops-in-los-angeles?r=3m1bs
Be safe today. Here is advice on being safe and knowing your rights from my Indivisible training.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/indivisible-training-recommendations?r=f0qfn
I will be in the city center in Chicago with friends. We have been told Trump will send the National Guard here because there have been thousands protesting ICE and Chicago cops helping them in violation of our state law, and in solidarity with those in LA. My friends in Hamburg Germany have their own No Kings rally. It is the sister city to Chicago, so when I go out, they will be having dinner and I will send them pictures.
We need to be brave and safe today!
🇺🇸To My Beloved Grandparents: The Truth Is Still Ours to Share
First, I want to send a warm and hearty congratulations to everyone who took part in the No Kings protest yesterday. From coast to coast, grandparents, parents, and young folks alike stood shoulder to shoulder for truth, democracy, and the America we still believe in. Your voices were heard. Your peaceful presence made a powerful statement: we will not be ruled by fear, lies, or authoritarian fantasies. We’re still “We the People.” And we showed up.
But the march doesn’t end on the streets. After the No Kings protests, I had some heartfelt conversations in my own family—especially about why, in 2024, no one seemed to talk about how much the Biden Administration improved the economy after COVID; they feel this gap in information lead to Trump getting elected. That gap in coverage isn’t an accident—it’s a choice made by media outlets that don’t benefit from reporting progress. But we can help fill that gap. That’s why I want to talk honestly with you today about something that’s been weighing heavily on my heart: the difficulty of knowing what’s true anymore.
🧠
Truth is Hard to Find in Today’s Media World
Local newspapers—our once-reliable sources of community truth—have shut down across the country.
Billionaires have bought up major TV networks and national papers, deciding what gets covered—and what gets buried.
Social media algorithms reward outrage, conspiracy theories, and lies, repeating them endlessly until they feel familiar—even when they’re false.
It’s no wonder so many people feel lost, angry, or misled. Even topics like the economy, which can be measured with numbers and facts, have become battlegrounds for spin and propaganda.
I’ll be honest: the clearest picture of what’s really going on comes from the kinds of things most people don’t have time (or patience) to sort through—economic charts, job statistics, spending patterns, labor market graphs. Economists use these tools every day. But most people don’t, and that’s where the manipulators thrive.
📊
The Truth About the U.S. Economy in 2024—In Plain Language
Let’s remember what really happened:
The entire world shut down in 2020 because of COVID. Every economy crashed.
But in the years that followed, America led the global recovery.
By 2023–2024, we had:
Stronger GDP growth than any other G7 nation
Falling unemployment and rising wages in several key sectors
A powerful rebound in consumer spending that helped other economies recover too
A resilient dollar and global trust in the U.S. financial system
But many people still believe that the Biden Administration left our economy is in ruins. Why? Because they’re only hearing one version of the story—often from partisan outlets like Fox News, that only show what fits their political goals.
The truth doesn’t always make the news because it doesn’t stir anger, drive ratings, or sell ads.
🧓👵
A Call to My Fellow Grandparents
You and I—we remember a different time. We grew up with Walter Cronkite, with local reporters we could meet at the grocery store. We remember when the news was trusted. Today, our kids and grandkids are being misled by a media environment designed to divide and enrage, not inform.
✅ If you believe in the messages I share here, please copy and customize them for your Facebook, emails, or family chats.
✅ Add your voice. Make it personal. Tell your children and grandchildren what you have seen, what you have lived through, and what you still believe in.
✅ If you marched, tell them why. If you stayed home, tell them what you’re standing for.
This is our time to make an impact—not just in protests, but in conversations that shape the future.
Let’s keep showing up, speaking up, and lifting up the truth—because the next generation needs us now more than ever.
With purpose and pride,
✍🏼 Clarissa Sr.
American Grandma 🇺🇸
Excellent article, thank you for being brief but accurate describing the journey we are all on that got us to where we are today. I have tried to tell anyone who will listen that the power of the spoken word can be used for great evil as well as great good. T***p is a lifelong salesman who has always been able to talk otherwise sensible people into financing his “I can make us both rich!” schemes that usually end in financial disaster for the other party and him escaping even richer to go find another wealthy dupe to reel in. He was mentored by men who hated women, on how to convincingly spin the truth and to use the law as a weapon with which to manipulate and sweet talk people who stood up to him. A self absorbed, narcissist and sociopath who now, again sits in the Oval Office, daily issuing decrees that legitimize corruption and heap pain and suffering upon most Americans. His gigantic horrific budget act contains illegal, non budgetary language that, if passed, will codify his executive orders to become the law of the land. So while Congress and the Supreme Court stand by clapping and cheering, we will lose our democratic republic. Despite its many flaws and history of brutality against people who aren’t white Christian heterosexual men or able bodied and mentally fit members of our society, I believe the national experiment those radical colonists endeavored to create in 1776 is a damn fine democratic republic, warts and all, and well worth our combined efforts to save.
Just returned from the rally near my home town. I was nervous especially after those horrible murders. But everything was peaceful, loud but peaceful, so many people who care and want to do something.
Yes, there will be much rebuilding to do. I believe we will succeed, in voting out the Republicans in the House and Senate, if we unite in the desire to defend democracy. Tie every last one of them wh voted for these abominations to the horrific consequences.
In addition to curbing the power of the ultrawealthy to buy the candidate of their choice, as this article clearly points out, another area on which we will need to focus is rebuilding the Department of Justice from the ground up. And then there is the CDC, the NIH. The list goes on. There must be our Project 2026 and 2028. I am just thankful that Democratic Attorney Generals in the various states understood that Trump might be re-elected and had law cases ready to file.
Just learned from friends that Minnesota is in a state of emergency because two lawmakers have been shot and killed by someone impersonating a police officer.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/2-minnesota-lawmakers-shot-targeted-incident-officials/story?id=122840751
Be safe today.
The Minnesota legislature was equally divided at the house level and Democrats held a one seat majority in the senate there.
Yes. It is another aspect of the situation that is bad. The horror of Steve Miller saying that 2 Democrats should be killed in each state shows us how dangerous the followers of Trump are. I just cannot believe that these poor people were killed and the guy is not caught yet, or has he been?
Two Democrats, one a former speaker of MN house, are dead. The first martyrs?
This is craziness.
I wish I could say I'm surprised. But POS declared open season on Ds in his first term. Now, he's said protests will be met with force. Time for every military person and law enforcement to renew their oaths and make their choice - fascism or democracy.
Yes. However, they will have a hard time sorting out what they are obliged to do and what not. We need good leadership. It is absent. They are choosing between the constitution or the demagogue.
I don't think it's absent - it's quiet. You don't tell the enemy what you're going to do. The Resistance in Germany didn't advertise who they were until they needed to. Just praying there are more Canarises, Osters, Stauffenbergs, etc. here than there were in Germany.
I have said that as well, but one does not know. We have to hope that there are people keeping quiet in the leadership ranks until the time is right. Let us hope there are secret meetings to try to decide what to do. Our troops are unsafe during this leadership of the military, intelligence community, homeland security, the White House and this Congress and Supreme Court. Not a good deal at all.
This is what living in a Kakistocracy looks like.
An excellent essay summing up for us the events of the last five months. Now the day is here and I think it will be historic for a number of reasons. It will never be repeated. It represents a pinnacle of sorts of both one man's hubris and a militarist spirit-the worship of both power and violence by people who have lost their way.
Thank you for this free post. I am retired and do not have the funds for all the posts worth reading.
We do not stand a chance with all the voter suppression and the insecurity of the technology ised in the voting tabulations. Trump often says what he is doing. "Elon is great with computers... I won in all the swing states" Why were there no demands for hand recounts in the last election?