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John,
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Courage Begets Courage
I hope you all had a nice Holiday and found some time to rest and recharge with those you love. I took some time off to do the same, and while I am optimistic about the work we will do together to win back power in Congress, we began the new year with more tragedy: mourning the killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, watching the Trump regime escalate lawlessness at home and abroad, and bracing for another fight to keep millions of people from losing their health care.
Welcome to 2026.
This week on The Practivist Pod , Jess Craven and I talked about grief, rage, resolve, and why action remains the most reliable antidote to anxiety. Because when institutions fail, people still matter. And when people act, courage spreads.
A Killing — and the Gaslighting That Followed
Renee Nicole Good was killed by an ICE agent while standing up for her neighbors. She was a mother, a community member, someone doing exactly what so many of us have done: observing, documenting, and refusing to look away.
What followed was almost as disturbing as the killing itself, an immediate attempt by the Trump regime to rewrite the reality that we could all see with our own eyes, to claim the agent was injured, and to shift the investigation away from local law enforcement and bury it in federal hands.
This is gaslighting of Orwellian proportions, and it’s their standard operating procedure. ICE has already killed others and more violence from this unvetted and unqualified force will happen again and again if this level of impunity goes unanswered.
What They Want Is Silence. What They Get Is Solidarity.
One of the most important things we talked about this week is something history keeps proving true: intimidation doesn’t actually make people comply, it mobilizes them. In the hours after Renee Good was killed people didn’t hide, they showed up. Vigils formed. Protests grew. And not just from the usual activists, but from independents, first-time protesters and people who simply want to show up to support their community.
We’ve seen this pattern before. Charlottesville. George Floyd. Heather Heyer. Each time, tragedy was met with an effort to scare people back into submission, and each time, people stepped forward instead. This is truly who we are as Americans.
Congress: Two Fights Happening Right Now
While the chaos is constant, there are two congressional fights that deserve focus — because pressure is working.
1. War Powers and Venezuela
The Senate passed a bipartisan War Powers Resolution pushing back on Trump’s unilateral escalation in Venezuela. That matters. Even Republicans are signaling limits on endless war, and the House is next. Every foreign conflict Trump stokes comes with a domestic cost: fewer resources, higher prices, and zero answers on affordability.
2. Health Care and ACA Premiums
The ACA premium tax credit extension has now passed in the House, with Republicans breaking from the MAGA coalition and voting alongside Democrats. That’s an important statement coming into the new year about how Trump’s hold on the GOP is weakening.
But it’s fragile. The Senate could water it down or kill it, which would mean millions losing coverage and millions more paying far more. This fight isn’t going away. Health care will be the defining issue of the midterms just as it was in 2018.
Trump can chase wars. Republicans can cut deals for billionaires. But people still need doctors, medicine, and stability. We need to continue to stay focused on these kitchen table issues.
Why Blue Wave California Matters in This Moment
Everything we’re seeing reinforces why this work matters:
* Public opinion is moving against authoritarian overreach
* Republican unity is cracking
* Grassroots pressure is forcing votes that leadership doesn’t want
* Health care, democracy, and basic dignity are converging issues

California is essential, not just electorally, but as a model of resistance, organizing, and governance rooted in reality. This is where we build infrastructure early, defend vulnerable communities, and help shape a national narrative grounded in rights and accountability.
Courage Is Contagious
Our guest on the show this week, Deirdre Schifeling from the ACLU, put it simply: courage begets courage . When people see others standing up, at protests, in courtrooms, at local city councils, and in their communities, they realize they’re not alone. That’s how movements grow. That’s how turnout follows.
The ACLU has filed over 230 legal actions against this administration already. They’ve helped pass 84 state and local protections. They’re training tens of thousands of people in “Know Your Rights” and their work has never been more important than right now.
What You Can Do Now
You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do something .
* Stay loud about Renee Nicole Good. Don’t let her story disappear.
* Keep calling Congress about ACA premium tax credits. Lives depend on it.
* Support organizations like the ACLU defending civil liberties on the ground.
* Share this newsletter. Build the circle.

The wind is truly at our back but this year will be hard. Progress doesn’t happen because people feel comfortable. It happens because even when we feel despondent, we put one foot in front of the other and do the work.
That’s who we are and that’s what we will continue to do.
Hope is an action.
— Stev e
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