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In a week in which Donald Trump signed an order giving himself power over all independent agencies [ [link removed] ], and fully embraced Vladimir Putin and smeared our ally Volodymyr Zelensky [ [link removed] ] on the global stage, there is is some good news. Yes, good news (remember that?). Two new polls, one from CNN [ [link removed] ] and one from The Washington Post [ [link removed] ]/Ipsos [ [link removed] ], show that Americans don’t approve of Trump’s efforts to expand his power, and his approval rating has dropped as a result. Anecdotally speaking, some Trump voters are beginning to express concerns [ [link removed] ], doubts, and even regrets [ [link removed] ] about what they see happening, as they hear stories about chaos and incompetence in Washington while their eggs are up to $9 a dozen [ [link removed] ].
This gives us an incredible opportunity. At the Social Contract, we believe the only way to get out of the crisis we find ourselves in is to repair our broken social contract with our fellow Americans. We’re going to talk about how to do that tonight on my Substack Live segment at 8pm ET. Please join us, and spread the word to others! We also asked you for your ideas. Check out our Social Spotlight below to find out what our readers are doing to help save our country. Thanks to all who contributed. Please keep sending us your feedback [ mailto:[email protected] ]. Every effort counts, big or small.
See you tonight!
It’s time for our Heroes of the Week…
KATHY HOCHUL. The governor of New York gives us plenty to grumble about [ [link removed] ], but she put Donald Trump right in his place this week. When Trump messed with a local NYC traffic policy—something entirely out of the purview of the President of the United States—then declared himself king [ [link removed] ], Hochul told him where to stick it in true New York fashion. “I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it. This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington,” she said [ [link removed] ]. “New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years; we sure as hell are not going to start now.” Well said, Gov!
SUSAN COLLINS & LISA MURKOWSKI. Thank you to the only Republican senators who had the good sense to vote “no” on Kash Patel as FBI Director. But because the rest of the caucus is a bunch of spineless weasels, it wasn’t enough, and Patel was confirmed [ [link removed] ]. So now a conspiracy theorist who is utterly unfit for the office he will hold, who has defended Jan. 6th protesters [ [link removed] ] and supported Trump’s attempted coup [ [link removed] ], who has taken money from Russian [ [link removed] ] and Chinese [ [link removed] ] interests for unspecified work, and who was solely a revenge pick [ [link removed] ] by Trump, will be running the nation’s top law enforcement agency. The country just got a lot more dangerous.
MAIN STREET ALLIANCE, CENTER FOR TAXPAYER RIGHTS, NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, AND COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS OF AMERICA. On behalf of unionized workers, taxpayers, and small businesses, four groups have filed suit [ [link removed] ] against the federal government to stop the unelected co-president, Elon Musk, and his so-called “DOGE” team, from accessing sensitive tax information. The data at issue is highly protected, and political appointees generally don’t have access to it. This is just one of a number of lawsuits [ [link removed] ] filed against the administration, though not all [ [link removed] ] have been successful.
CHRIS KLUWE. Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe [ [link removed] ] attended a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California, and spoke out against the decision to erect a plaque at a local library that features the words “Magical, Alluring, Galvanizing, and Adventurous” in reference to MAGA. “MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy, and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement,” he said. “You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that’s what it is.” He was then arrested for his display of civil disobedience. You gotta watch this guy [ [link removed] ]. He’s fucking awesome.
What Are You Doing to Help Save Democracy?
Everywhere, we hear the question: what can we do?
As we watch our government being dismantled, our Constitution being trampled, our global alliances shifting in a way that seems incomprehensible, and our leaders being mostly feckless, it’s natural to feel helpless. It’s a scary and confusing time, and while we instinctively know we have to do something, we just don’t know what. There is no playbook. We’re in uncharted waters...

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