Global Update SDS Celebrates Black History Month Elon Musk’s Most Asinine Plan Yet Democracy in Central America Is on the Brink SNL At 50 Trump Fires Top Military Brass in Friday Night Purge Democratic Party Leaders Are Asleep at the Wheel The Fight Against the AI Systems Wrecking Lives

Breaking down U.S. politics, culture, and power—without the partisan spin. Stay informed. Stay engaged.

February 22, 2025
Global Update
Write an SEO-optimized excerpt for the given content Photo credit: Frank Cone 2025 - now what? | XR Argentina on Extraction | XR on Bluesky | XR Washington and Elections | How to Take Action | XR Australia and Science | XR’s 2nd Demand Dear Rebel, The world is on fire. You may be experiencing this in different ways: you may be living it literally if extreme weather events are impacting you or your loved ones. You may be feeling it politically as you witness irresponsible leadership and inflammatory rhetoric. Or you might see it play out socially through heated arguments and divisiveness in your community. It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed, scared, and hopeless. It may feel, at a time when immediate climate action is crucial, like no one is doing anything to stop climate change, and that it might not be worth it anyway. We want to take the opportunity in this short update to show you that neither of these fears are true. Our purpose in XR Global Support is to support and amplify our hundreds of groups around the world. We’d like to let just three of these groups speak for themselves, and tell you about their exciting actions. We hope you will feel encouraged, and maybe inspired to act yourself. And if that’s not enough, take a look at our online map, and see for yourself how many XR groups are organizing and taking action around the world. At a time when connection and community are more important than ever, take comfort in the fact that you’re probably closer to a group of concerned citizens than you think! This Global Support update is just a taste of what is happening at XR. In our next newsletter, we’ll bring you more reflections from the Global Support team, as well as spotlights of XR rebels and actions worldwide. Remember: together we are stronger! Local Focus – XR Argentina Long Read: El extractivismo verde / Green Extraction En el actual escenario de policrisis civilizatoria lo que está en cuestión es el actual modelo basado en el crecimiento ilimitado. [EN] In the current scenario of a civilizational polycrisis, what we question is the current model based on unlimited growth. Read the full piece here in Spanish If you want to read in your language, after clicking the link above: On Safari, press the translate button on the url bar and choose the language. On Chrome, you can right-click anywhere on the page and select Translate to [Language] Take Action – Follow us on Bluesky Say no to toxic social media and meet us over on Bluesky @xrglobal.bsky.social Local Focus – XR Washington DC Only We Can Save Us: On Elections, Democracy, and Our Collective Power The system is fucked. The election will not save us. All we have is us. So what are we going to do? Read the full piece here Take Action – XR where you are Make 2025 the year you channel your rage into action We need all kinds of skill sets and we also need enthusiasm and energy. No experience necessary. There are many roles that don’t involve getting arrested (but lots that do if that is okay for you!) Find your local group here or join us as a remote rebel volunteer in Global Support here. Local Focus – XR Australia Scientists Must Act and Speak Up. It’s About Survival, Not Politics In order to protect all life, we need to listen to nature and read the signs and make use of the best available science. Read the full piece here XR Global - 2025 When it was founded in 2018, Extinction Rebellion’s Second Demand was Act Now: Every part of society must act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and begin protecting and repairing nature immediately. But seven years have been wasted by those in power. Should we change the Second Demand’s deadline to a later date? Should it be scrapped altogether? Local and national XR groups may decide differently. Here at Global Support, we’re still talking about it. Let us know what you think: contact@rebellion.global Rebel with your Wallet This year our focus is on community-led action. We are empowering local groups to build capacity, identify critical targets, and devise strategies to maximise the impact of their actions. Become a recurring donor and help us escalate and resist against climate injustice - from Bolivia to the Congo and beyond! Donate What You Can Change the language using the globe icon in the top right corner of XR Global website. French, German, Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Portuguese translations available. Subscribe to the XR Global Newsletter. Contact us: xr-newsletter@protonmail.com Brought to you by XR Global Support, a worldwide network of rebels who help our movement grow. We need donations for this crucial work. About the Rebellion Extinction Rebellion is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Our movement is made up of people from all walks of life, contributing in different ways with the time and energy they can spare. Chances are, we have a local branch very close to you, and we would love to hear from you. Get involved …or consider making a donation.. The excerpt should be compelling and should succinctly summarize the content, incorporate relevant keywords naturally, and be between 150–160 characters (including spaces and punctuation. Also add relevant hashtags to encourage online engagement. The excerpt should encourage click-through.
February 22, 2025
SDS Celebrates Black History Month
  Celebrate Black History Month! Defend DEI! This February National SDS celebrates Black History month by continuing to defend Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Affirmative Action in our universities and workplaces- especially in the face of recent attacks by Trump’s administration. We honor the Black student activists and community members who fought for these progressive policies in the first place. We affirm the importance of Black History and policies which insure equal access to education for Black students. Trump’s last minute attempt to retroactively […]
February 22, 2025
Fearing AI will take their jobs, California workers plan a long battle against tech
Meanwhile, people like Amba Kak see opportunities for gains by workers against technological threats but said that it may require strategically picking the right battles. Kak previously advised the Federal Trade Commission and is executive director of the AI Now Institute, a nonprofit that researches the human rights impact of the technology.   — Kak told CalMatters she plans to pay more attention to activity in state legislatures in places like California and New York, where lawmakers are already considering a bill that protects people from AI in […]
February 22, 2025
Elon Musk’s Most Asinine Plan Yet
  Sam Stein talks the ridiculous Saturday evening request from DOGE to federal employees to send bullet points of what they have done in order to keep their job. As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Don’t care for video? Use the controls on the left-hand side of the player to toggle to audio. Great Job Sam Stein & the Team @ The Bulwark Source link for sharing this […]
February 22, 2025
Banning NIH Grant Meetings, Trump Circumvents Courts That Blocked Funding Freeze | Common Dreams
The Trump administration’s attempt to freeze all federal grants, including those at the National Institutes of Health, has been temporarily blocked since late last month, when two federal judges ruled that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to pull back the funding—but new reporting on Friday detailed how the administration has circumvented the rulings, threatening critical funding for biomedical research. As The New York Timesreported, the Trump administration has issued an order “forbidding health officials from giving public notice of upcoming grant review […]
February 22, 2025
Thousands in Midwestern GOP Districts Attend Sanders’ First Stops on Tour to Fight Oligarchy | Common Dreams
After addressing more than 3,400 Nebraska residents in Omaha Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Saturday made his second stop on his National Tour to Fight Oligarchy—telling Iowa City, Iowa residents that “Trumpism will not be defeated by politicians inside the D.C. Beltway.” “For better or worse, that is not going to happen,” said the Vermont Independent senator, whose broadly popular policy proposals have long been dismissed by Democratic leaders as unrealistic and radical while President Donald Trump has increasingly captured the attention of […]
February 22, 2025
Democracy in Central America Is on the Brink
The last fifteen years have seen tremendous political upheaval in Central America. El Salvador has fallen under a repressive, authoritarian regime, while Honduras has liberated itself from one; President Daniel Ortega has increasingly isolated himself from former Sandinista allies in Nicaragua; and in Guatemala, a popular tide of outrage against an entrenched ruling class saw an unlikely social democrat take the presidency. Amid de facto dictatorships, besieged reformers, and popular demands for change, the political infrastructure installed as part of Central America’s postwar transition in […]
February 22, 2025
SNL At 50
Season 2 cast promo shot (MovieStillsDB) On this week’s episode, I’m joined by the New York Times’s James Poniewozik to discuss SNL’s (rather lengthy) 50th anniversary celebration. (Here’s a gift link to James’s piece on his favorite episode of SNL.) We discuss the show, how it has changed, and how changes in how people watch the show change its meaning (and our relationship to it). I also asked James about his book, Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America and how […]
February 22, 2025
Trump Fires Top Military Brass in Friday Night Purge
Sam Stein and Bill Kristol talk about the wild military firings that went down Friday night! As always: Watch, listen, and leave a comment. Bulwark+ Takes is home to short videos, livestreams and event archives exclusively for Bulwark+ members. Don’t care for video? Use the controls on the left-hand side of the player to toggle to audio. Great Job Sam Stein & the Team @ The Bulwark Source link for sharing this story.
February 22, 2025
Democratic Party Leaders Are Asleep at the Wheel
For years, prominent Democrats warned us against Elon Musk and the latent authoritarianism of Donald Trump. But now that these two billionaires have created a constitutional crisis as they thumb their noses at democracy and lay waste to the government, the leadership of the supposed opposition party is flailing. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries pathetically unveiled a new nickname for Trump this week: “Captain Chaos.” People across the political spectrum cringed. As one conservative New York City councilwoman asked, “Why do they insist on making […]
February 22, 2025
The Fight Against the AI Systems Wrecking Lives
As a former legal aid attorney, Kevin De Liban knows President Donald Trump’s plan to double down on artificial intelligence comes with major risks. Over and over, De Liban has seen how automated decisions can ruin people’s lives. Just before Christmas in 2022, for example, Robert Austin and his daughter were living in his car in El Paso, Texas. As a single father, he had a hard time finding a shelter that would take them both. He applied for food stamps, temporary aid, and tried […]
February 22, 2025
Will the Real POTUS Please Stand Up? (with Kara Swisher)
  It seems like Elon Musk is running America right now. SOME people in our focus groups don’t like it all that much. Legendary tech reporter and Musk-whisperer Kara Swisher joins the show to discuss Musk’s MAGA character arc and what his real motivations are with DOGE.   Great Job Sarah Longwell & the Team @ The Bulwark Source link for sharing this story.