Join me live and in person this Thursday night at 7pm in Bethesda, Maryland - Join us, bring friends and colleagues! Will be great to see folks in person......
Meanwhile, the long-unhinged Trump Regime seems to be disintegrating. There are many encouraging signs – and perhaps we need a bit of levity in these bleak times. Andy Borowitz, my favorite satirist, appears to have inside information:
. "Iran Says It Has Started to Achieve Regime Change in US"
TEHRAN (The Borowitz Report) — The leaders of Iran’s Islamic Republic crowed on Thursday that they have begun to achieve their goal of regime change in the U.S.
“First Kristi Noem, and now Pam Bondi,” the official Iranian statement read. “The dominoes are falling one by one.”
Iran said that, although the US claims Donald J. Trump is still in power, “His speech last night did not prove that he is still alive.”
Thank you so much for doing the phonebanks for VA! Democracy Docket had an article on how Peter Thiel is throwing in 2.5 mill for the NO campaign and this murky group was behind using President Obama's likeness to target black voters to vote No. They are desperate and deplorable!
For those who like writing postcards - Postcard to Voters started their campaign!
Turnout PAC had a great campaign too but I think it's too late to order cards, they have to be done and mailed by 4/10. My postcard group did about 500 for VA with the 3 campaigns. We started a program of delivering packs of 50 cards to people who are homebound and can't come to our in person meetings.
I've been calling and thank my 2 Dem senators and Dem house rep to say THANK YOU for holding strong. I have been also asking they do Town Halls in GOP districts - I feel the ones in 2025 where Dems went into GOP districts worked very well. People are hurting and they need to see a real elected come and hear them.
Simon, I wonder whether you might address the issues with ActBlue, hopefully in a way that dampens anxieties.
I must confess that I am rather worried about some of the alarming revelation about ActBlue that have recently come to light. The New York Times just published an extensive article on the organizations inner workings – or, should I say, dysfunction. (Hope this gift link works.)
Regardless, it seems to me that the key question is: How might Trump’s DOJ, FCC and other agencies exploit and abuse ActBlue’s current predicament? This is, of course, a very different question than examining the legalities from a neutral point of view!
.
I realize “whatabout…” is not a valid defense, and certainly not a valid legal defense, but I am nonetheless perplexed. What about the massive untraceable cryptocurrency donations – many of them quite possibly foreign – to Republican PACs and candidates? Are those somehow perfectly ok??
Likewise the various and sundry "investments" in Trump’s very own cryptocurrency… How is that not corruption in broad daylight?
I stopped giving via ActBlue several months ago because I was concerned that an unsavory hacker could get a great list of Democrats to harass or terrorize. I donate when I can to the campaigns here, but I send checks so my contributions are not included in the running totals. This year I will concentrate on Iowa.
Yeah, that's pretty bad. It's always kind of made me leery that there is only one platform for all these folks to use, and it's not really being regulated/overseen by any FEC entity. Pretty good target for hacking & nefarious behavior. Of course, the other side is far worse, but that doesn't make it right OR safe.
I watched a zoom interview that Swing Blue Alliance did with the executive director of ActBlue a few months ago and she assuaged my concerns. In fact, I left impressed and inspired. I tried to find it on YouTube; haven't yet. Swing Blue actually has run some tests to surface bad actors/practices on ActBlue; ActBlue acted on them, shut down some accounts and practices.
Simon, given people's concerns, would it be worth interviewing ActBlue's E.D.?
ActBlue is a hugely important organization. They make campaign donations convenient, well-target and secure. I would like to see and interview or an analysis that reassures us and tells us how ActBlue’s leadership is dealing with the situation.
If you do find a link to that interview, please post it here or to a future Hopium.
I think that’s a good idea. I haven’t personally had a bad experience with ActBlue and most importantly the money we give through ActBlue seems to be going where it’s supposed to go, to the candidates and state parties. But it makes sense to me to put a face to this organization we rely on so heavily.
I have to say I find it rather galling to see the press touting the creation of 178,00 jobs this month as good news when month after month of job creation during the Biden administration was met with a collective yawn. Yet another example that the media does not treat the two parties equally.
One party supports a free press and the other wants absolute partisan control of a propaganda machine. The owners of the big media companies clearly know which they prefer.
Last evening, my wife and I attended an evening with VP Kamala Harris as the concluding speaker for the Colorado Speaker Series. (This year, we heard from Mayor Pete, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger as well.) She is an amazing speaker - warm, funny and super intelligent. She related many conversations with world leaders after the carnage of Trump 1 after she was elected. In fact, her main duty after COVID was repairing our reputation in the world! She was very encouraged by the organic community response aganst ICE in Minnesota, and the NO Kings rallies. We will prevail with the enthusiastic resistance exemplified by the volunteer activities reported everyday on this site.
She's best in smaller groups where she can talk to people individually, but has gotten a lot better before larger audiences. Very warm and very sharp! Thanks for the great report!
At the recent No Kings protest, our Indivisible Group (Resistance Action East Bay) set up four tables and handed out over 1,300 flyers inviting new volunteers to join our ,1,200 volunteers at a welcoming party.
At the Monterey No Kings event (which the local paper said had over 10,000 participants, more than doubling no Kings 2) they had a table for voter registration, but got almost no registrations. If you come to No Kings, overwhelmingly you are already registered.
from now on think u just need signs/banners at events "register to vote on vote.org". takes 2 mins on their own cell phones. no volunteers needed, but nice. banners helpful. and announcements from stage.
As far as I can tell, the people assembling the data (as opposed to their bosses) are just as hardworking and honest as ever, but sample sizes have dropped, and they have lost a lot of resources. So they probably aren’t lying so much as they have Vaseline smeared on their glasses.
I am good and steamed about what's going on around the White House compound. Per my friend who lives in the area, the building, and surrounding blocks--including all of Lafayette Square - is blocked off with fencing and big "DO NOT ENTER" signage. Clearly they do not want us peons to see what's going on w the East Wing fiasco, nor do they want us protesting in a PUBLIC PARK.
For those who don't know, the entire area around the WH is PUBLIC, including the Ellipse to the south, 15th St. to the east, 17th St. to the West, and Lafayette Park/the closed off portion of PA Ave to the north. They have NO LEGAL RIGHT to close down this area without a serious public safety reason that would be adjudicated by various law enforcement entities and the city. WTAF?
If I were down there, I'd totally be organizing a public protest. "This aggression cannot stand, man!"
Called Booker & Kim yesterday re the dismantling of the Forestry Svc, which is an absolute abomination. I am not sure which non-profits/legal entities are advocating vs. this - if folks know, please post so we can support them. Today I'm going to call regarding the sh*tshow that is the U.S. military. Are folks aware that psychopath (and I don't say that lightly) Hegseth has changed longstanding military protocol and is now permitting firearms to be carried on military bases? Again, WTAF? Longstanding policy is they must be securely stored unless in use in official capacity. I don't think I need to explain why the combo of stress & access to deadly weapons makes this policy an absolute disaster waiting to happen. See: Navy Yard, Ft. Hood, etc. As a gun safety advocate, I am absolutely irate.
Yeah, I'm pissed. Keep going, folks - we cannot let up!
PS-VA postcards should be arriving shortly, and will be mailed by 4/15. Let's do this!
Did the fencing around the White House just go up in the past 1-2 days? Bush-appointed Judge Leon ruled 3 days ago that under no circumstances was the regime allowed to start construction on the ballroom without full Congressional approval. Apparently anticipating how T loves to ignore court orders, the judge further explained in detail what he meant by "no construction.' There is a planning commission who did approve the ballroom yesterday, but it is a planning commission only and they have no authority to any construction.
Thank you Simon for the VA phone banks!!!! And in advance to the amazing Hopium community for helping to ' bring this one home!!!!!!!!' with more exclamations per Simon. Donated to Virginia s for Fair Elections.
Of course you may also have seen the Minnesota jobs report, which is flat, and our unemployment % is now above the national rate. Hopefully, our state will begin to heal and hire and find jobs again.
I hope we can run out the clock on the House Rs until the mid-term elections sweep them out of the majority.
Run off for MTG's seat is 4/7.
Meanwhile, the long-unhinged Trump Regime seems to be disintegrating. There are many encouraging signs – and perhaps we need a bit of levity in these bleak times. Andy Borowitz, my favorite satirist, appears to have inside information:
. "Iran Says It Has Started to Achieve Regime Change in US"
TEHRAN (The Borowitz Report) — The leaders of Iran’s Islamic Republic crowed on Thursday that they have begun to achieve their goal of regime change in the U.S.
“First Kristi Noem, and now Pam Bondi,” the official Iranian statement read. “The dominoes are falling one by one.”
Iran said that, although the US claims Donald J. Trump is still in power, “His speech last night did not prove that he is still alive.”
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/iran-says-it-has-started-to-achieve
Let's send ICE to Iran
Thank you so much for doing the phonebanks for VA! Democracy Docket had an article on how Peter Thiel is throwing in 2.5 mill for the NO campaign and this murky group was behind using President Obama's likeness to target black voters to vote No. They are desperate and deplorable!
For those who like writing postcards - Postcard to Voters started their campaign!
https://postcardstovoters.org/ (We just finished the Shawn Harris and Wisconsin Supreme Court campaigns). And Activate America has their campaign: https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
Turnout PAC had a great campaign too but I think it's too late to order cards, they have to be done and mailed by 4/10. My postcard group did about 500 for VA with the 3 campaigns. We started a program of delivering packs of 50 cards to people who are homebound and can't come to our in person meetings.
I've been calling and thank my 2 Dem senators and Dem house rep to say THANK YOU for holding strong. I have been also asking they do Town Halls in GOP districts - I feel the ones in 2025 where Dems went into GOP districts worked very well. People are hurting and they need to see a real elected come and hear them.
I have postcards and stamps waiting to be deployed! Will get to work after my paying job day.
Awesome! Thank you for writing! It does make a difference.
I've heard from a GA friend that when they went to canvass for a candidate, people who got a postcard were very happy to talk and take action.
I just got addresses for postcards from postcardstovoters too.
Postcards to Voters is such a great program --- they have huge dedicated writing group. 1,800 writers wrote for Emily Gregory!!
I know, I was one of them! 😀
I have some postcards from Progressive Turnout Project (Postcards to Swing States) coming.
Yay! My groups are doing 200 next Tuesday and Thursday! The script is actually very short and easy this time.
We continue to do the News Boosts - they are very well done.
ACTBLUE – Questions…
Simon, I wonder whether you might address the issues with ActBlue, hopefully in a way that dampens anxieties.
I must confess that I am rather worried about some of the alarming revelation about ActBlue that have recently come to light. The New York Times just published an extensive article on the organizations inner workings – or, should I say, dysfunction. (Hope this gift link works.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/02/us/politics/actblue-democrat-fundraising-foreign-donations.html?unlocked_article_code=1.X1A.y34v.unzJGJwYw5Wm
Regardless, it seems to me that the key question is: How might Trump’s DOJ, FCC and other agencies exploit and abuse ActBlue’s current predicament? This is, of course, a very different question than examining the legalities from a neutral point of view!
.
I realize “whatabout…” is not a valid defense, and certainly not a valid legal defense, but I am nonetheless perplexed. What about the massive untraceable cryptocurrency donations – many of them quite possibly foreign – to Republican PACs and candidates? Are those somehow perfectly ok??
Likewise the various and sundry "investments" in Trump’s very own cryptocurrency… How is that not corruption in broad daylight?
I stopped giving via ActBlue several months ago because I was concerned that an unsavory hacker could get a great list of Democrats to harass or terrorize. I donate when I can to the campaigns here, but I send checks so my contributions are not included in the running totals. This year I will concentrate on Iowa.
Yeah, that's pretty bad. It's always kind of made me leery that there is only one platform for all these folks to use, and it's not really being regulated/overseen by any FEC entity. Pretty good target for hacking & nefarious behavior. Of course, the other side is far worse, but that doesn't make it right OR safe.
I watched a zoom interview that Swing Blue Alliance did with the executive director of ActBlue a few months ago and she assuaged my concerns. In fact, I left impressed and inspired. I tried to find it on YouTube; haven't yet. Swing Blue actually has run some tests to surface bad actors/practices on ActBlue; ActBlue acted on them, shut down some accounts and practices.
Simon, given people's concerns, would it be worth interviewing ActBlue's E.D.?
ActBlue is a hugely important organization. They make campaign donations convenient, well-target and secure. I would like to see and interview or an analysis that reassures us and tells us how ActBlue’s leadership is dealing with the situation.
If you do find a link to that interview, please post it here or to a future Hopium.
I think that’s a good idea. I haven’t personally had a bad experience with ActBlue and most importantly the money we give through ActBlue seems to be going where it’s supposed to go, to the candidates and state parties. But it makes sense to me to put a face to this organization we rely on so heavily.
Keep up the pressure, team! He’s done if we make it so.
I have to say I find it rather galling to see the press touting the creation of 178,00 jobs this month as good news when month after month of job creation during the Biden administration was met with a collective yawn. Yet another example that the media does not treat the two parties equally.
One party supports a free press and the other wants absolute partisan control of a propaganda machine. The owners of the big media companies clearly know which they prefer.
Last evening, my wife and I attended an evening with VP Kamala Harris as the concluding speaker for the Colorado Speaker Series. (This year, we heard from Mayor Pete, and Rep. Adam Kinzinger as well.) She is an amazing speaker - warm, funny and super intelligent. She related many conversations with world leaders after the carnage of Trump 1 after she was elected. In fact, her main duty after COVID was repairing our reputation in the world! She was very encouraged by the organic community response aganst ICE in Minnesota, and the NO Kings rallies. We will prevail with the enthusiastic resistance exemplified by the volunteer activities reported everyday on this site.
She's best in smaller groups where she can talk to people individually, but has gotten a lot better before larger audiences. Very warm and very sharp! Thanks for the great report!
perfect combination of funny, smart, sincere, serious policy wonk!
At the recent No Kings protest, our Indivisible Group (Resistance Action East Bay) set up four tables and handed out over 1,300 flyers inviting new volunteers to join our ,1,200 volunteers at a welcoming party.
Anyone do voter registration at your No Kings protest? Does Indivisible make that kind of effort?
Indivisible does encourage doing voter registration at No Kings events, but cannot legally encourage partisan voter registration.
At the Monterey No Kings event (which the local paper said had over 10,000 participants, more than doubling no Kings 2) they had a table for voter registration, but got almost no registrations. If you come to No Kings, overwhelmingly you are already registered.
from now on think u just need signs/banners at events "register to vote on vote.org". takes 2 mins on their own cell phones. no volunteers needed, but nice. banners helpful. and announcements from stage.
The best suggestion I've seen all week is that we should be doing voter registration at gas stations.
Jobs reports are extremely noisy. People I think respond more to prices which are going up.
The war is going to be terrible. Firing a 4 star in the middle of a war where the civilian leaders are promising war crimes is ominous.
I am almost done with 25 postcards to NE that I will mail tomorrow.
Do we believe any of the data coming out of this administration?
As far as I can tell, the people assembling the data (as opposed to their bosses) are just as hardworking and honest as ever, but sample sizes have dropped, and they have lost a lot of resources. So they probably aren’t lying so much as they have Vaseline smeared on their glasses.
I am good and steamed about what's going on around the White House compound. Per my friend who lives in the area, the building, and surrounding blocks--including all of Lafayette Square - is blocked off with fencing and big "DO NOT ENTER" signage. Clearly they do not want us peons to see what's going on w the East Wing fiasco, nor do they want us protesting in a PUBLIC PARK.
For those who don't know, the entire area around the WH is PUBLIC, including the Ellipse to the south, 15th St. to the east, 17th St. to the West, and Lafayette Park/the closed off portion of PA Ave to the north. They have NO LEGAL RIGHT to close down this area without a serious public safety reason that would be adjudicated by various law enforcement entities and the city. WTAF?
If I were down there, I'd totally be organizing a public protest. "This aggression cannot stand, man!"
Called Booker & Kim yesterday re the dismantling of the Forestry Svc, which is an absolute abomination. I am not sure which non-profits/legal entities are advocating vs. this - if folks know, please post so we can support them. Today I'm going to call regarding the sh*tshow that is the U.S. military. Are folks aware that psychopath (and I don't say that lightly) Hegseth has changed longstanding military protocol and is now permitting firearms to be carried on military bases? Again, WTAF? Longstanding policy is they must be securely stored unless in use in official capacity. I don't think I need to explain why the combo of stress & access to deadly weapons makes this policy an absolute disaster waiting to happen. See: Navy Yard, Ft. Hood, etc. As a gun safety advocate, I am absolutely irate.
Yeah, I'm pissed. Keep going, folks - we cannot let up!
PS-VA postcards should be arriving shortly, and will be mailed by 4/15. Let's do this!
Did the fencing around the White House just go up in the past 1-2 days? Bush-appointed Judge Leon ruled 3 days ago that under no circumstances was the regime allowed to start construction on the ballroom without full Congressional approval. Apparently anticipating how T loves to ignore court orders, the judge further explained in detail what he meant by "no construction.' There is a planning commission who did approve the ballroom yesterday, but it is a planning commission only and they have no authority to any construction.
Joyce Vance did an excellent job 3 days ago of explaining the ruling by and likely temperament of the judge: https://joycevance.substack.com/p/its-our-house?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Wow, Simon, when you say find a higher gear, you really lead by example!
Thank you Simon for the VA phone banks!!!! And in advance to the amazing Hopium community for helping to ' bring this one home!!!!!!!!' with more exclamations per Simon. Donated to Virginia s for Fair Elections.
Aren't the markets closed today for Good Friday?
Of course you may also have seen the Minnesota jobs report, which is flat, and our unemployment % is now above the national rate. Hopefully, our state will begin to heal and hire and find jobs again.
Thank you Simon. Trying to keep it together. Everyone enjoy a peaceful, Happy Easter and Passover despite all the pain and chaos in the world