Ruth McDonald

The State of Democracy in the United States

Democracy in the United States is in crisis. But the story of this moment is not only one of crisis. It is also one of courage.

Ahead of President Trump’s State of the Union address tonight, we released our new report ⬇️
democracyforward.org/work/researc...

1/21/2026 - Minneapolis

Federal agents abduct two teenagers (15 & 16) from a doctor's appointment

At one point, it appears an agent tases one of the children

What a joke

people.com/nj-girl-foun...

"6 years old... walking by herself on the street, crying, crying out for her dad, asking, 'Where's Papi? Where's Papi?'..."

good morning mr president, heres your daily list of things you could do today to make everyones life worse

Volunteers in Minnesota Deliver Groceries So Immigrants Can Hide at Home

Volunteers in Minnesota Deliver Groceries So Immigrants Can Hide at Home www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...

Top Catholic Clerics Denounce U.S. Foreign Policy

Top Catholic Clerics Denounce U.S. Foreign Policy www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/u...

Tanning bed users are at higher risk of skin cancer, especially in unusual places Indoor tanning is trending among Gen Z. A new study finds tanning bed users not only have a much higher risk of melanoma, they also have DNA damage linked to cancer across nearly their entire skin.

Indoor tanning is trending among Gen Z. A new study finds tanning bed users not only have a much higher risk of melanoma, they also have DNA damage linked to cancer across nearly their entire skin. n.pr/4qcoLss

Exclusive | Trump Isn’t Certain His Economic Policies Will Translate to Midterm Wins In an interview, he said his efforts to secure investments in the U.S. haven’t fully taken effect and “I cannot tell you how that’s going to equate to the voter.”

A WSJ interview with Trump on the economy was interrupted multiple times by phone calls, including one from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “who joined by speakerphone to discuss the administration’s plans for Washington, D.C., golf courses.”

www.wsj.com/politics/ele...

‘A very hostile climate for workers’: US labor movement struggles under Trump National Labor Relations Board, the federal watchdog for workers’ rights, has been rendered toothless as employees grapple with corporations

This is a great piece on Trump's near-destruction of the National Labor Relations Board. (And I'm betting they don't let the Acting GC go on-the-record about anything after his performance here. Kudos to @msainato.bsky.social for a very effective interview.) www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Something important to take into account with Venezuela: When Obama did the drone strikes extrajudicially, he did it under the 2001 AUMF. That was a dubious pretense but Congress made the authorization too broad. Trump and Hegseth have no such authorization to do those strikes.

Why aren’t the Epstein files released yet? Still being doctored up with black Sharpies?

Seems like part of the answer here could be to change the college application process to in-person interviews, group discussions, and in-person essays and assignments. A super time-consuming process and logistically much harder to do, but seems worth it to find the students who want to be there.

Paging Congress

Also the US Senate doesn’t use AI at all in any kind of official capacity, making them completely vulnerable and even reliant on hearsay, which the majority are more likely to get from executives, not workers.

Demolishing the East Wing of the White House before finalizing plans for what will be built above its ruins is a near-perfect metaphor for Trump's approach to economic policy. The only difference is the wrecking crew doesn’t claim the rubble is evidence of unprecedented growth.

And more are likely to try to migrate

This is unjust

An investor called $140,000 the new poverty line. Experts disagreed but said he had a point. Michael Green’s tally of the costs of raising a family in the U.S. today is going viral, even if some economists scoff at his math.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

How Congress can still get health care subsidies in place for 2026 Some are saying it’s too late to get health care subsidies back in place for 2026. They’re wrong.

How Congress can still get health care subsidies in place for 2026 www.statnews.com/2025/11/06/h... via @statnews.com

The first Antifa Counter Terrorism Task Force Trump already gave so many of us jobs with ICE. We may have to start recruiting soon to fill all these spots.

NEW: I took a long look at the Proud Boys and found some of their most extreme chapters are sharing ICE recruiting materials on encrypted apps and even suggesting members have joined up. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/in-the-...

The U.S. saved him from the Taliban, but now it wants to send him back He supported America’s war, escaped Afghanistan and started a family in the U.S. Then ICE arrested him. If he is deported, he expects the Taliban to kill him.

wapo.st/3W4mySQ

TO ALL FEDERAL WORKERS: if you were illegally fired today and have information of wrongdoing or abuse of power by the Trump Administration, our whistleblower tip line is open.

We want to hear from you. All whistleblowers are federally protected.

RFK Jr.’s Crusade Against Vaccines Hits Its Action Phase His anti-vax–stacked advisory committee is expected to revise rules for life-saving hepatitis B vax.

Another great piece from @citizencohn.bsky.social on RFK's imminent threat to vaccines -- particularly the one for Hepatitis B -- and a smart, deep dive into why that vaccine is so important. open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

What a disaster this administration is

beginnings of a recognition of the scale of the catastrophe they've created for their own core policy of reshoring industrial factories. still deputy secy of state mcrandoson probably wont cut it.

I am heartbroken and furious over the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. Kids should be learning, laughing, making friends — not running for their lives on the very first week of school.

How many more children will live this nightmare before our elected leaders do something?

We're watching an almost exact replay of the initial Abrego-Garcia crisis, where Trump is behaving like an honest-to-god dictator and Democrats are tiptoeing around the issue because they're afraid to be seen defending immigrants, cities, whatever. They only see risks, not opportunities.