🚨 🚨

Columbia Caves

A 🧵

If we’ve learned anything during the Trump era, it’s that once you cave to a bully, the bullying is just getting started.

So isn’t hard to see how this plays out from here: Follow-up letters by the Trump administration…

1/ unsatisfied with Columbia’s response and demanding even more concessions. Then more caving by Columbia. And downhill from there.

And buoyed by his success with Columbia, Trump will no doubt make similar “hold-ups” and lists

2/

🚨 🚨

While there were students there for the photo-op, there were also a number of other prominent politicians at Trump’s event yesterday—announcing the destruction of the Dept of Ed

And the old saying that “you are judged by the company you keep” certainly applies here…

1/ Because the governors who were there to cheer on this latest attack on public education all have one thing in common beyond their party affiliation: they are all pursuing disastrous education privatization schemes in their states.

2/

🚨 🚨

Defying Court Orders: Heed the Tragic Lesson from Ohio

A 🧵

The Trump administration violated a federal court order, claiming that because planes in question were in the air and outside of American airspace, they were beyond the reach of the court:

1/ Think about what would happen if that argument—that “the planes have already left the country so we can ignore a judicial order”—prevailed.

2/

🚨 🚨

Trump’s DOJ Campaign Rally

A 🧵

One of the most disturbing aspects of Project 2025 was that it openly called for the political weaponization of the DOJ (and the FBI).

No longer should it remain independent of the President, the infamous plan made clear.

1/ No longer should it serve the broader mission of justice and the rule of law—even (and especially) when those goals conflict with the wishes or interests of the occupant of the White House.

2/

🚨 🚨

The Attack on Academic Freedom, continued…

A 🧵

One of the central fronts in the far right’s attack on democracy is its vicious attack on America’s colleges and universities.

As JD Vance summarized,

1/ they consider higher ed institutions “the enemy” and an obstacle to their conservative views winning the day.

This is playing out in so many ways—the NIH cuts, the censorship and attacking of academic freedom under the mantra of “DEI,”

2/

🚨 🚨

Last year, I launched the first chapter of “2025,” my novel that took seriously and dramatized all the promises Trump was making along the campaign trail, as well the details of Project 2025.

Chapter 1 involves a former student who had been involved in campus

1/ protests:

“So you’re gonna detain everyone who was involved in the college protests from last year? That’s nuts.”

The bald man winked, then looked over Ammon’s shoulder.

“Not everyone."

The man to his left shifted in his chair, laying another piece of paper on the desk.

2/

“Shut Up About 🥚 Prices”

A quick 🧵

When he was asked, Trump said nothing was more central to his victory than the high price of eggs.

As he told NBC’s Kristen Welker after the election, when she asked why he won, here was his answer:

1/ “Very simple word, groceries. Like almost -- you know, who uses the word? I started using the word -- the groceries.

When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time,

2/

🚨 🚨

No More Celebrating Women?

A 🧵

Diversity.

Equity.

Inclusion.

In 2025, under Trump, all three have been turned into words of suspicion.

Banned and punished.

Now come more…

Women….

1/ Black…

2/

🚨 🚨

The destruction of public schools.

A 🧵

This is what’s happening in Ohio and other states under privatization scans and giveaways.

If Trump has his way, this is what will happen in every state.

H/t @StephenODyer on the slides and data

1/ Point one: Many states have long underfunded public schools to begin with.

Ohio has long had a problem that the state short-shrifted public school funding, relying too much on local property taxpayers to foot the bill.

2/

The View from Ukraine:

A 🧵

A few weeks back, I shared a thoughtful and eye-opening letter from a man named Valerie Pekar, who helped provide insight on the US-Russia-Ukraine nightmare from the perspective of a Ukrainian reformer.

1/ Let me share another piece sent by the same Ukrainian family friend. It also comes from Professor Pekar—and was shared on the substack Persuasion — American Purpose.

Here are a few eye-opening observations and excerpts:

2/

Disgusted. 🤢

Dirty.

Ashamed.

A 🧵

For an entire afternoon, most of us felt it. Still do now.

The mobster-like bullying and language:

1/ Open trash talk and ganging up you’d expect from high schoolers.

Lies and disinformation (like Vance’s lie that Zelensky had never thanked America….Grok made clear how false that was)

2/

🚨 🥇 🏆

My Patriots of the Week

A 🧵

Lots of people are starting to step up.

So there’s a lot of kudos to give out this week.

Individuals. Groups.

@JasmineForUS and @ChrisMurphyCT are on fire.

But this week, I’m honoring those everyday patriots

1/ whose actions changed the conversation in America over the past week.

And began to, as RFK said, send ripples of hope and passion and energy around the nation, building as they spread.

These folks held feet to the fire that needed to be held to that fire.

2/

🚨 🚨

BREAKING

After all the Vivek hype yesterday, turns out he’s BEHIND @amyactonoh in the polls for #ohgov

Without ever having run for office, and even being out of the limelight for years (vs Vivek nonstop media) she’s STILL up 45-44.

Why?

1/

https://twitter.com/314action/status/1894421234776944978

Lots of reasons.

But from this @314action poll, Ohioans far prefer a doctor (40%) to lead our state than a billionaire (26%) or a politician (6%).

They especially prefer a doctor (60%) than a billionaire (21%) when it comes to their healthcare.

2/

🚨 🚨

NEW WHITEBOARD

How a bill in the House (the “SAVE” Act) Kneecaps Democracy

A video and 🧵

“How bad can it be?” you ask.

Truly terrible.

WATCH to understand, read the thread for receipts, and RT so people know. Then take action. ☎️

1/ History demonstrates that the scale and process of registering voters directly determines the health of our democracy.

When Jim Crow laws made registration impossible for Black voters, there was no democracy.

When the VRA reversed that, a pro-democracy revolution followed.

2/

🚨 🚨

Day 83 — February 22, 2025

Elon Musk, a billionaire whose role remains unclear atop the federal government (except that he spent $200M-plus to secure that role) sent an email to millions of federal workers

1/ In a tweet hours before that email went out, Musk previewed it was coming, then said “[F]ailure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

2/

Some of the paramount positions in the federal government have long been independent and above presidential politics, with leaders remaining in place even as presidents change.

1/ One such position has been the FBI director. Thursday, in violation of that tradition, the Senate confirmed Kash Patel as Trump’s hand-picked director.

2/

🚨

In his shameful speech in Europe, Vance mocked Europe by saying: “if American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

Think about this disinformation for a second.

1/ America recently learned that mere “months” of Musk can mean hundreds of millions of dollars flooding the zone.

That spending has essentially made Musk our co-president, at least.

And no Republicans will dare speak up because they are worried he will primary them.

2/

🚨 🚨

Day 77 of my Trump tracker

February 16, 2025

As part of its continued piracy of Americans’ private data, DOGE’s next target is the IRS. DOGE employees—whoever the hell they are—sought access to the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System,

1/ which houses the data of millions of Americans. The Washington Post reported that IRS officials are considering a memorandum of understanding that would allow access to some systems.

To make matters worse, reports are…

2/

🚨 🚨

The Company Trump Keeps

A 🧵 (and a quiz)

We’ve had a wide variety of presidents. We can debate their records and their legacies and their integrity.

 But whatever party, whatever era, and however successful, these presidents have largely been consistent

1/ on one matter (in words, if not always in action).

And that is their professed belief in and adherence to the rule of law, and the Constitution. Here’s a sampling of what U.S. Presidents have said about the rule of law and the Constitution since our Founding:

2/

🚨 🚨

What they say, and what they do

A 🧵

Following the election, Republican officials, from Trump on down, talked non-stop about how the American people are intensely focused on getting by, rising costs and overall economic well-being.

And I don’t disagree with that

1/ But what staggers me is how those same politicians continue to take proactive steps to make things more difficult, everyday life more costly, and further squeeze everyday Americans who are already struggling.

2/

🚨 🚨

Putin’s Victory Dance

A 🧵

Whenever Putin and Trump get together, what inevitably happens reminds me of the US-UK summit in the movie “Love Actually.”

1/ Remember, when the President of the United States (played by Billy Bob Thornton) bullies Hugh Grant, playing the Prime Minister?

Amid the negotiation, the President says: “I'll give you anything you ask for - as long as it's not something I don't want to give.”

2/