COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

October 9, 2025 at 3:56 PM

The press steps up as Trump targets Chicago

Local journalism is under siege, but still makes itself indispensable   John, Hi — Mark Jacob here, contributor at COURIER. When a woman is shot by ICE and federal officials rush out a version of events that doesn’t match the bodycam footage, it tells you two things: the government will lie …

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October 8, 2025 at 5:44 PM

No King protests and Trump’s “war from within”

$24 million is going straight into Trump’s Versailles-style White House ballroom—a 90,000-square-foot, gold-plated monument to himself. Most creators on YouTube get a plaque. Trump got himself a ballroom.   John, Last week, Donald Trump told hundreds of generals that America faces a “war fro…

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October 6, 2025 at 4:38 PM

The hiring of Bari Weiss and the end of CBS News

CBS News — once the home of Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, and the belief that tough, factual journalism makes our democracy stronger — just made Bari Weiss, founder of the MAGA-curious The Free Press, its new editor-in-chief.   John, CBS News — once the home of Walter Cronkite, Edward R…

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October 5, 2025 at 3:25 PM

No King protests and Trump’s “war from within”

$24 million is going straight into Trump’s Versailles-style White House ballroom—a 90,000-square-foot, gold-plated monument to himself. Most creators on YouTube get a plaque. Trump got himself a ballroom.   John, This week, Donald Trump told hundreds of generals that America faces a “war fro…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

October 4, 2025 at 3:38 PM

YouTube is helping Donald Trump build his ridiculous golden ballroom

$24 million is going straight into Trump’s Versailles-style White House ballroom—a 90,000-square-foot, gold-plated monument to himself. Most creators on YouTube get a plaque. Trump got himself a ballroom.   John, YouTube just caved to Donald Trump to the tune of $24 million. Not because Trum…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

October 1, 2025 at 6:03 PM

We missed our goal, John

We’ll be honest with you: we can’t keep funding this work if we keep missing deadlines. Grassroots support isn’t just part of COURIER’s budget — it is COURIER’s budget.   John, First, thank you for continued support for COURIER and our mission and for reading this email today. We couldn’t do…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

September 30, 2025 at 10:11 PM

Humbly asking you to read this message about tonight’s fundraising deadline from beginning to end

We’re just hours from midnight, and we’re still well short of our September fundraising goal. Trump and MAGA are escalating their attacks on democracy, speech, and even our right to dissent. Meanwhile, the media is folding. The truth is that, if grassroots supporters don’t step up, we risk losing…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

September 30, 2025 at 3:19 PM

The news media is laundering Trump’s lie about his own popularity.

Please read our urgent message before our fundraising deadline at midnight tonight.   John, At midnight, we face a critical fundraising deadline. We’d be grateful if you took a moment to read why supporting COURIER matters right now — but if you’re able, please chip in today to help us build…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

September 29, 2025 at 2:53 PM

John, please sponsor a newsroom to protect democracy and defeat MAGA

COURIER’s Dogwood is on the ground providing essential reporting. We need your grassroots support to keep our coverage going.   John, You’ve been selected as one of our top supporters to sponsor a newsroom at this critical moment for democracy. With Trump and MAGA escalating their assault o…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

September 26, 2025 at 5:22 PM

The fight for democracy starts in Virginia — and it starts now

COURIER’s Dogwood is on the ground providing essential reporting. We need your grassroots support to keep our coverage going.   John, In this moment of crisis — as Trump and MAGA escalate their assault on democracy and the free press — the most radical thing we can do is show up, speak out, …

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September 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM

Project 2025, Brendan Carr, and Trump’s war on speech

On the campaign trail, Donald Trump swore he had “nothing to do with Project 2025.” He called its ideas “ridiculous” and “abysmal.” That was a lie.   John, On the campaign trail, Donald Trump swore he had “nothing to do with Project 2025.” He called its ideas “ridiculous” and “abysmal.” That…

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September 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM

25% of Americans won’t be able to watch Kimmel’s return – find out why

Here’s how the Kimmel blackout reveals Donald Trump’s strategy of using corporate pressure to stifle speech and silence critics.   John, Jimmy Kimmel Live! is back tonight. But if you’re among the 25% of Americans served by ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair or Nexstar, you won’t see it. Withi…

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September 21, 2025 at 9:58 PM

The best way to protect free speech

Corporations are pushing MAGA cancel culture.   John, We’re $20,000 short of our $60,000 September goal with just 10 days to close the gap.  If you already understand the importance of ensuring that independent media survives Trump and corporate America’s assault on free speech, please contr…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

September 19, 2025 at 5:13 PM

Sinclair threatens Kimmel & ABC with list of demands

The through-line is chilling: corporations with business before Trump’s regulators are folding to MAGA to protect their own bottom lines.   John, Yesterday we told you about ABC’s unprecedented decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! after threats from Trump’s FCC Chair. The suspension wasn’t go…

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September 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM

MAGA cancels Kimmel. This is the moment to stand up for free speech.

By now you’ve heard the alarming news that ABC caved to pressure from the Trump administration, suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. The network blamed “affiliate concerns.”   COURIER doesn’t answer to Donald Trump's pressure or billionaire boardrooms — just our commitment to defen…

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September 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM

Cowardly journalists try to silence the brave

Reaction to the Charlie Kirk assassination exposes media timidity   Hi John, Following the tragic and unacceptable assassination of Charlie Kirk last week, COURIER contributor Mark Jacob wrote about how news operations are making the impact of that murder even worse by firing journalists. Yo…

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September 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM

Report: Trump sues NYTimes for libel

On Truth Social, Trump announced a $15 billion lawsuit against the NYTimes.   Hi John, Overnight, Donald Trump announced he was filing a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and some of its most respected reporters for stories suggesting that he built his fortune in part…

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  Tara McGowan || Courier Newsroom · [email protected]

September 13, 2025 at 3:01 PM

The Only Way to End Political Violence

Political violence surges, rhetoric escalates, and responsible media and action are needed now more than ever.   Hi John, This week was another unprecedented and deeply disturbing week in American politics. I was gathering with members of my team in New York on Wednesday when we heard the ne…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

September 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM

CBS News shows its true colors in the Trump era

CBS is preparing to give a senior editorial role to Bari Weiss — reportedly paying between $100 and $200 million to acquire her right-wing media outlet The Free Press.   Hi John, Tara McGowan here — founder and publisher of COURIER. My very first job in media was at 60 Minutes. Back then, I …

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  COURIER · [email protected]

September 8, 2025 at 4:48 PM

Trump is attacking ActBlue again, John

A new “No Kings” protest is announced for Oct. 18th and MAGA is picking up its war on ActBlue   John, It’s a day of good news — and bad news — in the fight to stand up to MAGA. First, the good: Another No Kings rally is set for October 18. Organizers are taking to the streets again after Tr…

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September 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM

How MAGA Sinclair Broadcasting could swallow up ALL local news, even yours

A court decision shredding ownership limits, a Trump-led FCC bent on empowering partisan broadcasters, and Sinclair’s drive to control the airwaves are converging toward one outcome — a Trump-aligned stranglehold on local news.   John, Sinclair Broadcast Group — the far-right media giant tha…

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  Courier Newsroom · [email protected]

September 4, 2025 at 6:54 PM

In Chicago, we do not submit

Trump is trying to intimidate a city that refuses to be intimidated   Hi — Mark Jacob here, contributor at COURIER. Donald Trump is threatening to send the U.S. military into Chicago — treating one of America’s greatest cities as if it were enemy territory. As someone who’s spent decades repo…

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  Courier Newsroom · [email protected]

September 2, 2025 at 5:28 PM

Trump health rumors are flying. Why isn’t the media covering them like they did Biden’s?

Biden showed signs of decline and the media went all-in. Where is the breathless coverage on Trump’s health issues?   Hi John, This weekend, hashtags like #TrumpIsDead trended as Trump disappeared from view for nearly a week. Rumors flew: some claimed Melania was spotted at Walter Reed, a vir…

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  Courier Newsroom · [email protected]

August 31, 2025 at 11:49 PM

We're out of time. Please show your support for independent media before midnight.

The threats to democracy are no longer abstract. Trump’s assault on free speech and a free press expands every day. That’s why it’s critical that grassroots-funded media like COURIER survives—to expose MAGA propaganda and keep truth alive.   Hi John, This is it: at midnight our August drive e…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

August 30, 2025 at 4:32 PM

Kindly asking you to read this message from start to finish, John

American democracy isn’t just under threat anymore. It’s actively being dismantled. Just seven months into Trump’s second term, MAGA has already completed nearly half of the plan laid out in Project 2025.   Hi John, It’s a holiday weekend, so thanks for taking a moment to read this. If you al…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

August 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM

MAGA public broadcasting cuts are devastating local communities. Read the list.

For millions of Americans—especially in rural communities—it’s one of the only sources for local news and emergency alerts. But Trump and MAGA smeared it as “left-wing propaganda,” and used those smears as an excuse to gut funding.   John, Trump and MAGA gutted public broadcasting—slashing mo…

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August 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM

Born in America. Still not “American” enough for MAGA.

Trump’s actions are alarming enough. But, as usual, MAGA media is pouring gasoline on the fire — escalating threats and making clear who the real targets are: anyone who opposes Trump.   John, Yesterday, the Trump administration detained Kilmar Abrego Garcia again after already admitting they…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

August 25, 2025 at 7:03 PM

A dictatorship or a “slow moving coup”?

This weekend, Trump threatened to deploy troops into Democratic-led cities like Baltimore and Chicago — as he already did in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, up to 1,700 National Guard members are being mobilized from mostly red states.   John, This weekend, Trump threatened to deploy troops into …

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  Mark Jacob · [email protected]

August 24, 2025 at 9:25 PM

Don’t despair. Join these bright lights combatting the MAGA darkness.

Celebrating the heroes of the resistance   Hi John, COURIER contributer Mark Jacob here. Being a realist today means recognizing that our democracy is in severe peril. But being a practical optimist means grasping tightly to the possibility that people of decency can rescue us from a Trump di…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

August 21, 2025 at 4:17 PM

Gavin Newsom is breaking the Internet. Here’s why it matters.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you’ve seen Gavin Newsom’s posts tearing into Trump — all-caps rants in Trump’s own voice, fake press releases, memes so outrageous they forced national outlets to cover them:   John, Donald Trump’s 2024 victory showed us a brutal truth: voters are tuning …

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  COURIER · [email protected]

August 19, 2025 at 7:08 PM

MAGA media are already helping Trump rig the 2026 midterms

January 6 wasn’t spontaneous. It was built online over a year, in plain sight — one post at a time. Trump’s words were the spark, and MAGA media spread the gasoline.   John, Yesterday, Donald Trump took to social media to threaten an executive order banning mail-in ballots and voting machines…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

August 18, 2025 at 6:17 PM

Trump moves to ban mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of midterms

Donald Trump just posted that he would sign an executive order to eliminate mail-in ballots and voting machines nationwide, a move that would inject chaos into the upcoming midterm elections and strip millions of Americans of a secure way to vote.   John, Donald Trump just posted that he wou…

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August 17, 2025 at 7:32 PM

MAGA media giant Sinclair could swallow up ALL local news with Trump's help

A court decision shredding ownership limits, a Trump-led FCC bent on empowering partisan broadcasters, and Sinclair’s drive to control the airwaves are converging toward one outcome — a Trump-aligned stranglehold on local news.   John, Sinclair Broadcast Group — the far-right media giant tha…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

August 14, 2025 at 3:41 PM

PragerU video downplays slavery — Trump wants it on public TV

The video features Christopher Columbus telling kids that slavery was “no big deal,” calling it “as old as time” and suggesting being taken as a slave “is better than being killed.”   John, First, Trump and MAGA gutted public broadcasting and effectively ended the Corporation for Public Broa…

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August 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM

Why won’t the media call out Trump’s strongman lie?

By treating this as just another “both sides” debate, the media is helping Trump hide his real goal — distracting the public from his Epstein ties — while downplaying the danger of an American president willing to use the military against civilians for political gain.   John, Yesterday, Donal…

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

August 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM

MAGA is gutting Public broadcasting — we’re still here.

Last month, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would shut down — after Trump and a MAGA-controlled Congress gutted nearly all of its funding.   John, Recently, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced it would shut down — after Trump and a MAGA-controlled Congress g…

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August 8, 2025 at 1:59 PM

Paramount gets its $8 billion merger from Trump—was that why they fired Colbert?

It’s final. Donald Trump’s FCC has approved an $8 billion merger between Paramount (CBS’s parent company) and Skydance Media—just weeks after Paramount paid Trump $16 million and canceled Late Show host Stephen Colbert, one of the network’s top-rated anchors and one of Trump’s most prominent crit…

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August 7, 2025 at 3:32 PM

BREAKING: Trump sends FBI after Texas Democrats

Texas Senator John Cornyn just announced that, at Donald Trump’s urging, the FBI is actively assisting Texas law enforcement in tracking down Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block a MAGA redistricting scheme.   John, This is not a drill. Texas Senator John Cornyn just announced tha…

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August 6, 2025 at 2:28 PM

Trump is already trying to rig the 2026 midterms

Donald Trump just announced a plan to gerrymander five new Republican seats in Texas—and the media barely flinched.   John, It’s no exaggeration to call the 2026 midterm elections the most important in history. With Donald Trump doing everything he can to silence dissent—threatening protesto…

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  Mark Jacob · [email protected]

August 5, 2025 at 3:26 PM

Will journalism become impossible in the U.S.?

Trump’s war on the free press follows foreign dictators’ playbook   John A few years ago, Americans laughed at North Korea’s claim that Kim Jong-Il shot 11 holes-in-one. We rolled our eyes at Saddam Hussein’s press secretary insisting “there are no American troops in Baghdad” even as tanks …

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  COURIER Newsroom · [email protected]

August 4, 2025 at 5:07 PM

Trump didn’t like the job numbers. So he fired the messenger.

Trump fired the woman in charge of reporting the numbers — BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer — and then accused her of rigging the data to help Kamala Harris.   John, On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a rough jobs report. Growth missed expectations. Previous numbers were rev…

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August 2, 2025 at 3:49 PM

Breaking: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down

More than 1,500 local stations rely on CPB funding for everything from emergency alerts to community bulletins to culturally responsive programming. Many receive more than 25%—and in some cases over 70%—of their budgets from CPB grants.   John, It’s official.  After Trump and MAGA slashed ne…

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  COURIER || Democracy's newsroom · [email protected]

July 31, 2025 at 4:23 PM

As Trump’s threats intensify, our midnight deadline hits harder than ever.

As the Epstein fallout builds, Trump is escalating his campaign to silence dissent and retaliate against anyone he calls the “opposition.”   John, We have less than 12 hours until midnight — and our July fundraising deadline comes at a critical moment. Thank you for supporting COURIER and in…

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  COURIER || Democracy's newsroom · [email protected]

July 30, 2025 at 3:35 PM

Stand with dissent and independent media — before July ends

For every Columbia University folding under pressure, there are stories like the Big Ten — where universities are banding together to fight back. For every CBS or ABC caving to Trump’s demands, there’s a voice — a comedian, a cartoon, a local newsroom — that refuses to let the threat of retributi…

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  COURIER || Democracy's newsroom · [email protected]

July 29, 2025 at 4:41 PM

Asking humbly for you to read this, John

Trump is winning his war on dissent. Supporting independent media like COURIER is how we fight back.   John, Thank you for taking a moment to read our message today. If you already know how critical it is to support independent media in the fight against Trump and MAGA’s war on speech and di…

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  COURIER || Democracy's newsroom · [email protected]

July 28, 2025 at 5:18 PM

Our reporting shows what Ghislaine Maxwell may know—and why Trump’s so scared

This week, COURIER’s Nina Burleigh became the first to publicly connect Donald Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell, and an Epstein survivor.   John, This week, COURIER’s Nina Burleigh became the first to publicly connect Donald Trump, Ghislaine Maxwell, and an Epstein survivor. She broke the story that…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

July 26, 2025 at 4:41 PM

Trump and MAGA gut public broadcasting – Project 2025 tells what happens next

Recently, the MAGA Congress passed a Project 2025 proposal to eliminate all federal funding for public broadcasting, a $1 billion cut that will gut hundreds of local stations, especially in rural communities.   John, Donald Trump’s war on the free press is unlike anything we’ve seen. He forc…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

July 24, 2025 at 2:02 PM

MAGA goes after ActBlue to shield Trump from Epstein truth

According to a Fox News “scoop,” MAGA Republicans have subpoenaed ActBlue execs, reviving baseless claims of “fraud” that the DOJ has already spent months investigating.   John, After years of claiming the Epstein files would expose Democrats, the truth came out — and it pointed right back a…

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  COURIER · [email protected]

July 23, 2025 at 4:19 PM

Jon Stewart’s warning about the media caving to Trump

On Monday, Jon Stewart closed The Daily Show with an impassioned explanation of what CBS’s decision to cancel Stephen Colbert’s show means for the media and our democracy:   John, On Monday, Jon Stewart closed The Daily Show with an impassioned explanation of what CBS’s decision to cancel St…

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July 21, 2025 at 6:02 PM

The real reason Trump is suing the WSJ over Epstein scoop

Late last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump once sent Jeffrey Epstein a birthday card featuring a lewd cartoon and this chilling message:   John, In case you missed it: Late last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump once sent Jeffrey Epstein a birth…

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