Sign in

Defenders of Democracy

@defendersofdemocracy.substack.com
1.5K followers 1.5K following 1.3K posts

Advocates for our governance of, by, and for the people

PostsRepliesMedia
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 4h
#Panama #Earthquake #Shipping substack.com/home/post/p-... "The Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) announced a US$250,000 humanitarian donation and made US$50 million in disaster-recovery financing available to Panama."
substack.com
Panama’s October 9 Earthquake
Destruction, Isolation, and the Struggle to Reach Rural Communities
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 08/10/2026
#ICE #immigration #DHS #CBP slate.com/news-and-pol... "...loosening of guidelines, combined with scaled-up immigration enforcement, has resulted in the detention of thousands of parents, many of whose minor children are U.S. citizens...."
slate.com
Trump Found a New Way to Do Family Separation Without the Backlash
Family separation has become just another devastating consequence of the president’s mass deportation agenda.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 07/10/2026
#NATO #EU #Ukraine #Russia #USA united24media.com/war-in-ukrai... "NATO’s Military Committee visited Kyiv for the first time in eight years, bringing together military representatives from all 32 NATO member states for talks with Ukraine’s military leadership...."
united24media.com
All 32 NATO Members Send Military Representatives to Kyiv in First Such Visit in Eight Years
All 32 NATO members sent military representatives to Kyiv for the first time since 2018, discussing Ukraine's war lessons and future security threats.
030
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 07/10/2026
#news #propaganda www.thebulwark.com/p/propagandi... "...a supposedly straight news reporter working as a pool representative covering the president on behalf of the full American media blob one week then becoming a paid shill for that president a few days later."
thebulwark.com
The Propagandist in the Press Pool
From “covering” Trump to covering FOR Trump.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 06/10/2026
#economy #politics #elections slate.com/news-and-pol... "...after winning the White House back in part over higher prices, Trump’s decision to smash the bright red “make gas more expensive” button may have handed Democrats the biggest electoral gift they could’ve hoped for.
slate.com
We Have a New Contender for Dumbest Political Move of the Century
Sometimes, Trump’s terrible policies also make for terrible politics.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 05/10/2026
www.csmonitor.com/World/2026/1... “We want the police to know that workers are not alone.”
csmonitor.com
Our World: The week of Oct. 5, 2026
A global news roundup, compiled by the Monitor’s international team
110
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 03/10/2026
#Ukraine #Russia #EU #NATO www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202... "Putin is not getting his way in Ukraine and wants to make us pay for it."
pravda.com.ua
NATO Secretary General: Europe is not at peace today
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that Europe is not at peace today as it faces a full-blown war in Ukraine and growing Russian hybrid attacks.
001
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 28/09/2026
#ICE #DHS #CBP lawandcrime.com/high-profile... “… the government has also "confiscated his personal belongings, forced him on a plane, and again removed him to El Salvador, leaving him stranded there with no belongings, money, or even his phone….”
lawandcrime.com
Trump-appointed judge finds ICE in contempt for repeatedly violating court orders
A Maryland federal judge on Friday found the Trump administration in contempt for serially violating three separate court orders by "wrongfully" deporting a young man to El Salvador.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 26/09/2026
#USA #PoliticalScience #Tyranny www.cambridge.org/core/journal... The effort is to reshape America away from the constitutional republic it has been and the founding principle that government should serve the people and remain accountable to them.
cambridge.org
Trump’s Remaking of Unilateral Politics | PS: Political Science & Politics | Cambridge Core
Trump’s Remaking of Unilateral Politics - Volume 59 Issue 3
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 24/09/2026
#USA #economics #China www.theatlantic.com/politics/202... "Nearly everywhere, America’s influence is shrinking."
theatlantic.com
The Deferential President
Not long ago, President Trump could claim that he ran the world. Now he’s waiting at the bottom of a set of airline steps for the Chinese president.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 23/09/2026
#Press #Governance #Constitution www.salon.com/2026/09/23/n... "The episode shows that Harp isn’t just there to flatter and soothe Trump; she is also willing to get him worked up so that his terrible decision-making skills deteriorate even further. "
salon.com
Natalie Harp isn't a joke — she is Trump’s dangerous enabler
The aide’s constant flattery makes the president’s narcissism worse
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 22/09/2026
#allies #international #UN #NATO #EU www.theatlantic.com/national-sec... "For years, the strategy among U.S. allies was to wait President Trump out. Now many are preparing for a world in which the United States is no longer indispensable...."
theatlantic.com
America’s Allies Are No Longer Waiting for Trump to Leave
They now figure isolationism and protectionism will be U.S. foreign policy for a long time to come.
020
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 22/09/2026
#DHS #ICE #CBP #Constitution #Law www.theatlantic.com/politics/202... "ICE training instructs officers that the use of deadly force against a fleeing suspect is not permissible unless there is an imminent risk of harm to law-enforcement personnel or the public. "
theatlantic.com
The ICE Officer in Austin Wasn’t Wearing a Body Cam
The officer who shot a Venezuelan man was hired last year from another federal law-enforcement agency.
131
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 21/09/2026
#UN #USA #NAVY #CRIME www.bbc.com/news/article... …"such attacks amount to serial extrajudicial killings….”
bbc.com
US strikes on alleged drug boats could be crimes against humanity, says UN
A report says the attacks, of which there have been at least 68, were not self-defence.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 21/09/2026
#Ukrane #Russia #EU #NATO #USA ukraine.ohchr.org/en/UN-Human-... “Most of the victims of sexual violence were men, particularly in places of detention, but women and children were also affected, primarily in occupied territory of Ukraine. “
ukraine.ohchr.org
UN Human Rights report details shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine | UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
GENEVA (18 September 2026) – A UN Human Rights Office report published today says sexual violence has been used against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine in a shocking pattern of tortur...
030
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 19/09/2026
#climatechange #environment news.arizona.edu/news/plants-... “…leaves are receiving direct radiation from the sunlight, so they can heat up much more than the air temperature around them….”
news.arizona.edu
Plants are heating up faster than the air around them – and climate models are missing it
A new study shows that rising temperatures are going to hit plants harder than most current models predict, which could have significant implications for everything from plant and animal biodiversity ...
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 18/09/2026
#USA #Iran #Israel #NuclearWeapons www.thenation.com/article/worl... Use of a tactical nuclear weapon would ... indelibly brand the US as a dangerous, pariah nation, feared but despised across the globe.
thenation.com
The Peril of Trump’s Final Act: Would He Use a Tactical Nuclear Weapon in Iran?
Trump is trapped in a war that has already been lost, a reality that he will never allow himself to admit.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 10/09/2026
#freedom #terrorism #9/11 #democracy snyder.substack.com/p/helping-th... As I told my colleagues and friends when 9/11 was happening: This will make us all less free.
snyder.substack.com
Helping the Terrorists to Win
A Quarter Century after 9/11
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 10/09/2026
#economy #elections #tyranny newrepublic.com/post/215248/... This dubious IOU gets him more attention during the current news cycle and may distract some from his cratering approval ratings.
newrepublic.com
Even MAGA World Isn’t Buying Trump’s Free Money Promise
The president offered $5,000 to every American if Republicans win the midterms. He’s said that before.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 09/09/2026
#NATO #EU #UN #USA thehill.com/opinion/whit... "...Trump has rejected and ruined 80 years of bipartisanship and general adherence to common themes. "
thehill.com
How to wreck America in 20 months
In 20 months, Donald Trump has probably done more damage to this nation than many of our enemies.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 09/09/2026
#Banking #ecomomy #USA newrepublic.com/article/2148... "...Trump 2.0 has ended an era of carefully built-up economic and financial institutions in remarkably short order. "
newrepublic.com
How Donald Trump Broke the Banks
Trump and his minions are letting Wall Street run wild. What could possibly go wrong?
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 08/09/2026
www.techtimes.co.uk/bernie-sande... Research capable of causing catastrophic harm should not be governed primarily by the private organizations hoping to profit from it.
techtimes.co.uk
Bernie Sanders Says 'We Can't Allow' AI Billionaires To 'Play God': Bill Threatens 'Corporate Death Penalty'
Sen. Bernie Sanders advocates for stricter AI regulations, proposing a ban on artificial superintelligence to prevent tech oligarchs from controlling AI’s future.
011
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 07/09/2026
#Japan #Chna #Taiwan www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... In a ... remark in late 2025, Prime Minister Takaichi indicated that a Chinese naval blockade of Taiwan would count as a “survival-threatening situation” that would, by implication, permit Japan’s use of force for collective self-defense.
theatlantic.com
Japan’s Strategic Turn
The country is taking once-unthinkable steps to ensure its own defense.
021
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 06/09/2026
#SCOTUS #Law #standing #elections #Constitution slate.com/transcripts/...
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 04/09/2026
#AI #technology #science www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/t...
nytimes.com
Why the Hugging Face Hack Should Make You Worry More About A.I. (Gift Article)
The attack by an aggressive “collective” of OpenAI agents shows the danger of artificial intelligence systems that organize themselves.
030
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 04/09/2026
#NIH #Health #MAHA #Pentagon #economy #war thehill.com/homenews/hou... "The Pentagon is attempting to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bolster the agency’s budget, according to the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee. "
thehill.com
Pentagon sought to divert NIH funds for defense use, top House Appropriations Democrat says
The Pentagon is attempting to divert billions of dollars from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bolster the agency’s budget, according to the top Democrat on the House Appropria…
010
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 03/09/2026
#elections #democracy #USA #tyranny #Constitution #Law An unwanted future.
010
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 03/09/2026
#AI #technology #democracy #Constitution defendersofdemocracy.substack.com/p/ai-has-not... There is no technological reason AI must weaken American self-government.
defendersofdemocracy.substack.com
AI Can Be Designed to Serve American Democracy: The Illusion of Inevitability
Written in collaboration with ChatGPT*
020
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 03/09/2026
#elections #democracy #law #constitution open.substack.com/pub/defiance... Plan to see how you voted and snarl up vote by mail
open.substack.com
Someone just risked their life to protect your right to vote. You might never learn their identity.
Bombshell whistleblower complaint could sink one of Trump's nefarious election-rigging schemes.
010
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 02/09/2026
#technology #AI #datacenters #environment #tyranny www.salon.com/2026/09/02/d... Data centers could be developed with community consent and a fair return to the people bearing their costs. And designed to increase democracy. But they are not at present.
salon.com
Data center backlash is panicking tech oligarchs ahead of midterms - Salon.com
Silicon Valley billionaires hope to buy their way out of democracy
020
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 01/09/2026
#Hormuz #Iran slate.com/news-and-pol... The United States helped establish an international legal order that prohibits force against another nation’s political independence and recognizes the right of peoples to control their own natural resources. Current actions appear to destabilize the order.
slate.com
Even for Trump, This Latest Theft Is Pretty Brazen
The oil “deal” in Venezuela looks a lot more like theft.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 01/09/2026
#information #entertainment #news #freedom #liberty #Constitution prospect.org/2026/09/01/p... Freedom of the press depends not only on protection from government censorship, but also on whether those who control the major channels of information can act independently of political power.
prospect.org
Paramount, CBS, Trump, and the Ellisons: The Ultimate Corruption - The American Prospect
A new documentary, ‘Murdering 60 Minutes,’ brilliantly connects the dots.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 31/08/2026
#USA #democracy #economy #corruption www.salon.com/2026/08/31/t... "Ossoff and Talarico have both been smart about not just highlighting corruption, but also why it matters for voters. "
salon.com
Texas and Georgia races show voters are finally sick of MAGA corruption
Jon Ossoff and James Talarico are polling well with a clean government message
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 31/08/2026
#democracy #USA #tyranny #Constitution #Law #Congress defendersofdemocracy.substack.com/p/defending-... ...“by all means necessary” means using every lawful and democratic means ... including research, teaching, writing, voting, discussion, journalism, science, art, and, when useful, comic books.
defendersofdemocracy.substack.com
Defending Democracy by All Means Necessary, Including Comic Books
Why illustrated civic education deserves to be taken seriously
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 31/08/2026
#democracy #despotism #tyranny defendersofdemocracy.substack.com/p/a-film-for... "four fundamental measures of a society’s political health: (1) respect for individuals and groups, (2) the distribution of political power, (3) economic distribution, and (4) access to independent information...."
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 29/08/2026
#Ukraine #Russia #EU #NATO www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrain... "...Ukraine’s civilian population is not only suffering from the immediate impact of the war itself. Some are also struggling with troubling feelings that they have somehow failed to match up to impossible expectations. "
atlanticcouncil.org
Ukrainians are not superheroes with endless powers of resilience
By celebrating Ukrainian resilience as an almost superhuman quality, the international community risks obscuring the much less glamorous reality that Ukrainians are actually ordinary people who have e...
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 28/08/2026
#Liberty #AmericanRevolution #electorate #DeclarationofIndependce #Tyranny defendersofdemocracy.substack.com/p/the-statue...
defendersofdemocracy.substack.com
The Statue of Liberty Was Made and Received as a Commemoration of American Independence
July 4, 1776
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 28/08/2026
#elections #Arizona #USPS #democracy www.azag.gov/press-releas... "This attempt to inject chaos and doubt into our election system would harm the millions of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who choose to vote by mail as they exercise their constitutional right to vote."
azag.gov
Attorney General Mayes Sues United States Postal Service Over Unlawful Attempt to Interfere with Arizona’s Elections | Attorney General's Office
PHOENIX – Attorney General Mayes today
100
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 28/08/2026
#governance #tyranny #authoritarian #electorate www.politico.com/news/2026/08... As fewer and fewer Americans consent to the governance of this administration, explaining that governance becomes politically less successful.
politico.com
Trump’s Cabinet is fanning out to help juice the base. It’s not going as planned.
Trump is deploying Cabinet members across the country to sell his record ahead of the midterms. In some cases, they’re ending up on the back foot.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 27/08/2026
#USA #electiions #SCOTUS #democracy www.thenation.com/article/poli... Diminishing the knowing consent of the governed
thenation.com
The Supreme Court Is Helping Trump Rig the Midterms
Trump’s order limiting mail-in voting is patently unconstitutional—but that didn’t stop the court from giving it the green light.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 26/08/2026
#USA #Military #Iran #War #economy www.thedailybeast.com/jaw-dropping... “The U.S. walked into this war and had not sufficiently thought through base defense in any way, shape or form....”
thedailybeast.com
Jaw-Dropping Cost of Damages in Trump’s War Exposed
The CIA and other intelligence agencies have been hit with unprecedented force.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 26/08/2026
#USA #economy #tariffs #Iran prospect.org/2026/08/25/t... "Administration actions in the past couple of years have been almost deliberately designed to raise prices."
prospect.org
How Trump Declared Economic War on His Own People - The American Prospect
The simultaneous economic sanctions on Iran and Canada will make everything you buy cost more—if we’re lucky.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 25/08/2026
#USA #EU #NATO #Korea #Russia #Ukraine www.atlanticcouncil.org/dispatches/t... Excerpt: ...the timing is troubling. While the alliance trains less, North Korea is gaining something more valuable: battlefield experience in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
atlanticcouncil.org
The view from South Korea on Trump scaling back joint military exercises
Seoul-based Atlantic Council experts weigh in on how US president’s decision to cut short military training is being viewed by the US ally.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 25/08/2026
#SCOTUS slate.com/news-and-pol... If the administration is ultimately successful in using this litigation to impose disruptive last-minute changes on the 2026 elections, the resulting damage to free and fair elections cannot ... be described as an unforeseen consequence of Supreme Court action.
slate.com
KBJ Warns of “Kafkaesque Nightmare” After Pro-Trump Supreme Court Ruling on Mail Voting. We’ll Know Soon Enough.
Only time will tell.
100
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 25/08/2026
#USA #EU #Ukraine #Russia #EU #prison kyivindependent.com/former-pussy... When leaving a country feels like escaping from a prison....
kyivindependent.com
Former Pussy Riot member escapes Russia after 3 years of forced work for FSB
"They began recruiting me, threatening me in every possible way, humiliating me, saying some very unpleasant things, threatening to kill my family, and telling me that I would never in my life be able...
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 24/08/2026
#environment #climatechange #science #health newrepublic.com/article/2146... "Two-thirds of the articles that major U.K. newspapers published about the summer’s fires did not even mention climate change...."
newrepublic.com
Have We Forgotten Covid’s Lessons?
This summer’s deadly heat calls for news coverage based on science, not ideology.
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 23/08/2026
#Ukraine #Russia #EU #NATO #USA #NorthKorea defendersofdemocracy.substack.com/p/north-kore... "A strike on a storage facility can produce secondary explosions that destroy many weapons simultaneously."
defendersofdemocracy.substack.com
North Korean Ballistic Missiles in Russian Service
Destroy Them Before They Fly?
010
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 23/08/2026
#USA #China #EU #Microsoft #Windows #Linux www.notebookcheck.net/China-follow... Trust takes decades to build and can be destroyed much faster.
notebookcheck.net
China follows Europe in switching to Linux with Windows being shown the door earlier than planned
China plans to drop Windows earlier than planned in favor of Linux for some government bodies. The move comes as part of China's broader push to reduce dependence on foreign products and services, esp...
010
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 21/08/2026
#politics #elections #USA What path ahead America?
000
Defenders of Democracy @defendersofdemocracy.substack.com · 21/08/2026
#DHS #ICE #CBP #detention #immigration #deportation prospect.org/2026/08/21/i... “If private detention companies insist on making incarceration their business, California should make accountability, transparency part of the cost of doing business....”
prospect.org
Two Americas: Anti-ICE Fighters vs. Bootlickers - The American Prospect
Elected officials across the country are fighting the federal government’s mass deportation campaign with new laws and funding. But some states are welcoming the shock troops.
000