You're so right that the news we receive is not the whole story and is tailored toward someone else's agenda! I've started doing the same, investigating and not taking things at face-value. The smart "consumer" of either knowledge or a physical item will do their homework before making a decision or believing what is being presented. It's a shame we need to do this more now, but I suppose it's always been that way when you stop and think about it.
What an informative essay this morning! Every point you make is spot on. We should be reminded monthly! I would also add to corroborate everything you read with at least two other sources, hopefully included one that isn’t an echo chamber of the first. Bezos owning the Washington Post makes it a good counterpoint to the NYT, PBS, Political, The Hill, Axios and others.
A man/woman's home is their castle. I cannot imagine, as an American citizen, no longer feeling that is the case, especially if it is masked men that break into my home. How have we devolved to this point and what do the courts and congress have to say?
Hundreds of families in Kansas have one less thing to worry about, thanks to an anonymous philanthropist who donated $15,432 to clear outstanding lunch debts for about 450 students in Winfield Unified School District 465. “This generous gift directly supports our families and ensures that students can focus on learning without the burden of meal debt,” said superintendent Tricia Reiser. “We are incredibly grateful.”
I would add "1a. Make sure the writer is really a writer." Across the spectrum, we keep seeing the same tells that an article was generated by AI. The em dashes. The "Not X, but Y" statements. The arrows in place of bullets. The clever(-ish) headings. The staccato rhythms of the paragraph structures like the ones I just wrote on purpose to make this point.
I posted a 7,300-word guide on my LinkedIn page the other day that I created initially with AI, simply because I've spent my adult life in a field that doesn't excite me (a lament for another time). By the time I was done reality checking and smoothing out the composition structure to approximate my actual voice, I realized I could've just done the bloody thing myself and finished in half the time. I doubt, though, that journalists who are turning to AI to free up their afternoons to scroll social media feeds are taking the time to make those revisions, leaving us to read one article after another that looks like it came from the same author. Irritating at the surface level, but more concerning when we're left to wonder just how accurate the story is.
Everything is the history of the universe has a specific truth. But most of those truths are specters to be hidden from the light of day and replaced with endless lies.
Regarding "What is True?" -- I use multiple news sources from across the political spectrum, and both U.S. and foreign sources (almost all have English-language versions). One way AI helps here is translation, if original sources are in foreign languages. I keep hearing about this "Ground News" service, but haven't pulled the trigger. One point of correction on the Minnesota fraud example -- the Strib and NYT did cover Minnesota social services fraud before Shirley's video, but it was focused on Feeding Our Families, not the day-care fraud. I'm from Minnesota and still have lots of family there, including lifelong DFL'ers -- I've gotten an earful!
Regarding ICE entering private residences without warrants: I'm retired military law enforcement. There have always been entry warrant exceptions, such as exigent circumstances, hot pursuit, arrests with an arrest warrant. The exceptions are narrow, there is plenty of precedent on them, and courts will suppress evidence if authorities color outside the lines. We were trained on this ad nauseam. If ICE training and policy is aligned with the Core Rule and narrowly defined exceptions, they are consistent with every agency in the country. If they are really being trained that they can disregard the 4th Amendment, that's another matter entirely.
Thanks, Bill!! This was helpful and reassuring. We've always been told "you can't believe everything you read on the Internet." It's true now more than ever. Great steps to help us navigate the chaos!!
You need to use a jaded eye when reading news. I get two local papers, and often the reporting on the same subject is different. Choose your sources wisely and understand the slant of the writer. And red more than one source.
I wonder how the US can have any allies any more, Trump has pretty much ticked off every country in the world in the past year.
And how and KISS possibly be considered for the songwriters hall of fame? Their songs were basically three chord juvenile tripe. But that’s just my opinion.
Hannah Arendt was right. We just keep seeing it over and over now. The idea behind politicians (especially), media, and those with a vested interest in the outcome of national discussions putting out propaganda and lies is not to convince anyone of anything, but to confuse everyone so much that they can no longer discern what is truth, so they give up trying.
You are so right. As Bannon bragged, “flood the zone.” For example, what is really a domestic terrorist? It seems ICE now epitomizes the definition and we cannot count on the courts nor the DOJ to accurately portray domestic terrorists because they have become an example themselves.
“Domestic terrorism involves violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups within the U.S. that are inspired by domestic extremist ideologies (political, religious, social, racial, environmental) and aim to intimidate civilians or coerce the government, without foreign direction. Key elements include violence, ideological motivation, U.S. jurisdiction, and intent to influence government or civilians, distinguishing it from terrorism directed by foreign entities.”
this might be a good time to repeat info about the group Braver Angels, folks from 'both sides' wanting to join together & try to cut down on the inciteful, misleading talk/news...
from Braver Angels co-founder, Bill Doughtery
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Thomas Paine penned these words 250 years ago to inspire Americans at a low point in the Revolutionary War. We are at another low point now—this time fighting each other rather than a colonial ruler. I live in the Minneapolis area, where I am witnessing the tearing of the social fabric. The soul of Braver Angels is also being tried, with some dedicated members wondering if our mission is still relevant. They are bluntly asking, “Why keep talking to those people?” This is my written response as a cofounder of Braver Angels.
As a therapist, my job is to help clients do two things with powerful emotions: understand what they are feeling, and then act mindfully rather than react instinctively. Political stress is stirring up two main emotions—fear and outrage—and they feed on each other. Fear can lead to one kind of reactivity: shutting down and withdrawing. Outrage can lead to another kind: demonizing and lashing out. The alternative is hard but possible: thoughtful responses informed by our emotions but not directed by them. It means showing up with a non-anxious presence when others around us are escalating, cutting people off, and losing hope. It takes a special form of courage to keep engaging with people in our lives whose views appall us. Ernest Hemingway called courage “grace under pressure.” We live in a pressurized time, when courageous citizenship requires real emotional work.
So far, I’ve described how we can function psychologically in a national crisis. But what about social action?
I think of work for social change as happening in three ways: Resist, Replace, and Repair—three Rs. All are necessary, and none alone is sufficient.
Resist refers to organized efforts to publicly name serious social problems and confront leaders and institutions that create and reinforce them. Resist is about vigorous, sustained calls for change now. (“We Shall Overcome.”)
Replace refers to what comes next: concrete reforms and changes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Resistance movements need a Replace agenda in order to be effective.
Repair refers to organized efforts to heal the social fabric that is inevitably torn by the turmoil and polarization of major social change—what Lincoln called binding up our wounds. (South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and closer to home, Braver Angels.)
I see all three Rs as essential for successful long-term social change. We have to name injustices. We have to enact concrete solutions. And we have to treat one another with respect while debating the changes—and after one side wins out against opposition. Unfortunately, the repair work is often neglected.
Consider one example from perhaps the most successful social movement in U.S. history: abolitionism in the 19th century. It resisted the institution of slavery and helped replace it through constitutional amendments. But after the Civil War, the work of repair and healing was tepid and ultimately abandoned by many leaders. We are still paying the price.
This framing helps me respond to those who call for Braver Angels to speak out about injustices and abuses of governmental power. If we support democracy, this argument goes, then to not publicly resist these assaults is at best timidity and at worst complicity. The time for talking to the other side is over. They are unreachable; the only thing left is to fight them. (This challenge is coming mostly from progressive Blues distressed by the Trump Administration, but I could imagine a time when it would come from conservative or populist Reds upset, say, with a Mamdani administration.) In effect, the call is for Braver Angels to join the resistance.
My response is threefold.
First, we should distinguish between Braver Angels as an organization and what individual Braver Angels members decide to do with their own efforts at social change. Some may feel called to step away from Braver Angels and focus on Resist. For them, this may be the right season for that choice.
Second, I don’t believe Braver Angels can effectively do Resist and Repair. If Braver Angels camps on one shore, we lose the cross-partisan trust that makes our work possible. Organizations seen as neutral on policy and politicians are best positioned to do the work of healing divisions and bridging divides. I ask: Is the nation better served by Braver Angels adding one more small voice to a resistance and losing our ability to Repair?
Third, somebody has to staff the Repair brigade. Resist often has no shortage of volunteers. Keeping contact through conversation—and feasible joint activities—is essential to the functioning of our democratic republic.
I believe Braver Angels has an opportunity to make a difference only if we stay in our distinctive lane—one we’ve become pretty good at. What’s more, ours is the long game beyond any political leader or party in power. The forces of polarization that brought us to this crisis moment are not going away soon. Our work, in the Hebrew phrase, is Tikkun Olam—repairing the world. It is a never-ending human endeavor. And it matters, because when the talking stops, the only alternatives are coercion and violence. I’m seeing that danger up close right now in Minneapolis, where local and national leaders have stopped talking, and escalation is overtaking us. I pray that the talking begins and the healing starts soon. We have real work ahead in Braver Angels—and I know we are up to it.
Bill Doherty, Braver Angels co-founder, talking about the MN stuff:
it's 20 minutes long, but when you have time, perhaps give a listen:
You're so right that the news we receive is not the whole story and is tailored toward someone else's agenda! I've started doing the same, investigating and not taking things at face-value. The smart "consumer" of either knowledge or a physical item will do their homework before making a decision or believing what is being presented. It's a shame we need to do this more now, but I suppose it's always been that way when you stop and think about it.
What an informative essay this morning! Every point you make is spot on. We should be reminded monthly! I would also add to corroborate everything you read with at least two other sources, hopefully included one that isn’t an echo chamber of the first. Bezos owning the Washington Post makes it a good counterpoint to the NYT, PBS, Political, The Hill, Axios and others.
A man/woman's home is their castle. I cannot imagine, as an American citizen, no longer feeling that is the case, especially if it is masked men that break into my home. How have we devolved to this point and what do the courts and congress have to say?
Hundreds of families in Kansas have one less thing to worry about, thanks to an anonymous philanthropist who donated $15,432 to clear outstanding lunch debts for about 450 students in Winfield Unified School District 465. “This generous gift directly supports our families and ensures that students can focus on learning without the burden of meal debt,” said superintendent Tricia Reiser. “We are incredibly grateful.”
I would add "1a. Make sure the writer is really a writer." Across the spectrum, we keep seeing the same tells that an article was generated by AI. The em dashes. The "Not X, but Y" statements. The arrows in place of bullets. The clever(-ish) headings. The staccato rhythms of the paragraph structures like the ones I just wrote on purpose to make this point.
I posted a 7,300-word guide on my LinkedIn page the other day that I created initially with AI, simply because I've spent my adult life in a field that doesn't excite me (a lament for another time). By the time I was done reality checking and smoothing out the composition structure to approximate my actual voice, I realized I could've just done the bloody thing myself and finished in half the time. I doubt, though, that journalists who are turning to AI to free up their afternoons to scroll social media feeds are taking the time to make those revisions, leaving us to read one article after another that looks like it came from the same author. Irritating at the surface level, but more concerning when we're left to wonder just how accurate the story is.
Everything is the history of the universe has a specific truth. But most of those truths are specters to be hidden from the light of day and replaced with endless lies.
Regarding "What is True?" -- I use multiple news sources from across the political spectrum, and both U.S. and foreign sources (almost all have English-language versions). One way AI helps here is translation, if original sources are in foreign languages. I keep hearing about this "Ground News" service, but haven't pulled the trigger. One point of correction on the Minnesota fraud example -- the Strib and NYT did cover Minnesota social services fraud before Shirley's video, but it was focused on Feeding Our Families, not the day-care fraud. I'm from Minnesota and still have lots of family there, including lifelong DFL'ers -- I've gotten an earful!
Regarding ICE entering private residences without warrants: I'm retired military law enforcement. There have always been entry warrant exceptions, such as exigent circumstances, hot pursuit, arrests with an arrest warrant. The exceptions are narrow, there is plenty of precedent on them, and courts will suppress evidence if authorities color outside the lines. We were trained on this ad nauseam. If ICE training and policy is aligned with the Core Rule and narrowly defined exceptions, they are consistent with every agency in the country. If they are really being trained that they can disregard the 4th Amendment, that's another matter entirely.
Thanks, Bill!! This was helpful and reassuring. We've always been told "you can't believe everything you read on the Internet." It's true now more than ever. Great steps to help us navigate the chaos!!
You need to use a jaded eye when reading news. I get two local papers, and often the reporting on the same subject is different. Choose your sources wisely and understand the slant of the writer. And red more than one source.
I wonder how the US can have any allies any more, Trump has pretty much ticked off every country in the world in the past year.
And how and KISS possibly be considered for the songwriters hall of fame? Their songs were basically three chord juvenile tripe. But that’s just my opinion.
Isn’t the saying there are three sides of a story - your side, my side and what actually happened?
Hannah Arendt was right. We just keep seeing it over and over now. The idea behind politicians (especially), media, and those with a vested interest in the outcome of national discussions putting out propaganda and lies is not to convince anyone of anything, but to confuse everyone so much that they can no longer discern what is truth, so they give up trying.
You are so right. As Bannon bragged, “flood the zone.” For example, what is really a domestic terrorist? It seems ICE now epitomizes the definition and we cannot count on the courts nor the DOJ to accurately portray domestic terrorists because they have become an example themselves.
“Domestic terrorism involves violent, criminal acts committed by individuals or groups within the U.S. that are inspired by domestic extremist ideologies (political, religious, social, racial, environmental) and aim to intimidate civilians or coerce the government, without foreign direction. Key elements include violence, ideological motivation, U.S. jurisdiction, and intent to influence government or civilians, distinguishing it from terrorism directed by foreign entities.”
I found your article insightful.
In the times of news-clutter, it's helpful to have a guide map... your article is just that.
this might be a good time to repeat info about the group Braver Angels, folks from 'both sides' wanting to join together & try to cut down on the inciteful, misleading talk/news...
from Braver Angels co-founder, Bill Doughtery
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” Thomas Paine penned these words 250 years ago to inspire Americans at a low point in the Revolutionary War. We are at another low point now—this time fighting each other rather than a colonial ruler. I live in the Minneapolis area, where I am witnessing the tearing of the social fabric. The soul of Braver Angels is also being tried, with some dedicated members wondering if our mission is still relevant. They are bluntly asking, “Why keep talking to those people?” This is my written response as a cofounder of Braver Angels.
As a therapist, my job is to help clients do two things with powerful emotions: understand what they are feeling, and then act mindfully rather than react instinctively. Political stress is stirring up two main emotions—fear and outrage—and they feed on each other. Fear can lead to one kind of reactivity: shutting down and withdrawing. Outrage can lead to another kind: demonizing and lashing out. The alternative is hard but possible: thoughtful responses informed by our emotions but not directed by them. It means showing up with a non-anxious presence when others around us are escalating, cutting people off, and losing hope. It takes a special form of courage to keep engaging with people in our lives whose views appall us. Ernest Hemingway called courage “grace under pressure.” We live in a pressurized time, when courageous citizenship requires real emotional work.
So far, I’ve described how we can function psychologically in a national crisis. But what about social action?
I think of work for social change as happening in three ways: Resist, Replace, and Repair—three Rs. All are necessary, and none alone is sufficient.
Resist refers to organized efforts to publicly name serious social problems and confront leaders and institutions that create and reinforce them. Resist is about vigorous, sustained calls for change now. (“We Shall Overcome.”)
Replace refers to what comes next: concrete reforms and changes such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Resistance movements need a Replace agenda in order to be effective.
Repair refers to organized efforts to heal the social fabric that is inevitably torn by the turmoil and polarization of major social change—what Lincoln called binding up our wounds. (South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and closer to home, Braver Angels.)
I see all three Rs as essential for successful long-term social change. We have to name injustices. We have to enact concrete solutions. And we have to treat one another with respect while debating the changes—and after one side wins out against opposition. Unfortunately, the repair work is often neglected.
Consider one example from perhaps the most successful social movement in U.S. history: abolitionism in the 19th century. It resisted the institution of slavery and helped replace it through constitutional amendments. But after the Civil War, the work of repair and healing was tepid and ultimately abandoned by many leaders. We are still paying the price.
This framing helps me respond to those who call for Braver Angels to speak out about injustices and abuses of governmental power. If we support democracy, this argument goes, then to not publicly resist these assaults is at best timidity and at worst complicity. The time for talking to the other side is over. They are unreachable; the only thing left is to fight them. (This challenge is coming mostly from progressive Blues distressed by the Trump Administration, but I could imagine a time when it would come from conservative or populist Reds upset, say, with a Mamdani administration.) In effect, the call is for Braver Angels to join the resistance.
My response is threefold.
First, we should distinguish between Braver Angels as an organization and what individual Braver Angels members decide to do with their own efforts at social change. Some may feel called to step away from Braver Angels and focus on Resist. For them, this may be the right season for that choice.
Second, I don’t believe Braver Angels can effectively do Resist and Repair. If Braver Angels camps on one shore, we lose the cross-partisan trust that makes our work possible. Organizations seen as neutral on policy and politicians are best positioned to do the work of healing divisions and bridging divides. I ask: Is the nation better served by Braver Angels adding one more small voice to a resistance and losing our ability to Repair?
Third, somebody has to staff the Repair brigade. Resist often has no shortage of volunteers. Keeping contact through conversation—and feasible joint activities—is essential to the functioning of our democratic republic.
I believe Braver Angels has an opportunity to make a difference only if we stay in our distinctive lane—one we’ve become pretty good at. What’s more, ours is the long game beyond any political leader or party in power. The forces of polarization that brought us to this crisis moment are not going away soon. Our work, in the Hebrew phrase, is Tikkun Olam—repairing the world. It is a never-ending human endeavor. And it matters, because when the talking stops, the only alternatives are coercion and violence. I’m seeing that danger up close right now in Minneapolis, where local and national leaders have stopped talking, and escalation is overtaking us. I pray that the talking begins and the healing starts soon. We have real work ahead in Braver Angels—and I know we are up to it.
Bill Doherty, Braver Angels co-founder, talking about the MN stuff:
it's 20 minutes long, but when you have time, perhaps give a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggG7TSGeUYg