So this isn't a very uncommon topic, especially for me. But with the lingering thread of the whole "leaked plan" to do so for the midterms and the surge of doomers posting about this with such certainty you'd think it would have already happened, I think it's important to remind everyone here old and new about a tiny problem with this plan: It isn't a realistic one in the slightest.

To keep this relatively simple, martial law is not something that is logistically possible in this country. The geographic size of this country and how spread out the people are make the necessary authoritarian hold not feasible.

Also, the actual amount of people who would be willing to obey for this type of plan to work is not available either. Remember just how unwilling people were to stay inside for more than two weeks a few years ago, and how many complained that wearing a mask was the most outrageous thing possible and didn't. Compared to other countries that might have histories of following their leaders more or who would have histories of authoritarianism are much more likely to abide this type of hostile takeover compared to America who would be non compliant the second that most people's basic privileges would be affected by this (Also why any violent options doomers have compared to voting wouldn't work either.)

And I know that there would be many to say that "Well nothing is being done now so people would surely obey if martial law happened and nothing good could happen", but not only are there still people going out and protesting and voting consistently, but I should remind you that in February when full authoritarian actions were underway in Minneapolis, the people there didn't just "let it happen", they protested and stood up for weeks until it stopped. And that may have only been one state, but that was also one of the most public displays of community and what would happen if this type of plan were to be used.

On top of this, the amount of military, federal agents, and even police if you add in that one doomer belief about them being federalized so the fearmongering can make a little more sense, who would actually be willing to break their oaths to enact this blatant anti-constitutional plan would be staggeringly low. Even if any dissenters were to be purged and removed beforehand, that wouldn't mean that every single person with any hesitation for this would be gone completely, and also it doesn't mean that those people would give up either. I imagine that they would be much more confident about protesting about it than the doomers would coddled in blankets and rocking back and forth whilst posting on twitter.

For a guy who apparently holds all the cards, he sure is nervous.

Hi, all, and happy Sunday!

This newsletter is running late, and I know how important it is to many of you to read it on Sunday night, so I’m keeping this opening short.

Good things are happening. Like, really good. We ignore them at our peril. Remember: what we focus on tends to grow, so doomscrolling alone isn’t a strategy for positive change. We must relish our wins! Savor them! Bask in them! Share them!

So let’s do that.

I’m so proud of the hard work you’re doing; it’s because of people like you that these lists get longer every week. Keep up the great work!

Celebrate This! 🎉

Former Kansas Gov. Mike Hayden (R) is endorsing Democrat Adam Hamilton in his campaign to unseat Republican Sen. Roger Marshall. He is the second former GOP governor to do so, after Bill Graves.

DoorDash apologized for siding with GOP bill targeting D.C.

Lyft agreed to pay the state of California $272.5M to ⁠settle claims that it stole drivers’ wages by mislabeling them as independent contractors rather than employees.

1,000+ nurses marched against Palantir’s collaboration with ICE, demanding Palantir out of hospitals.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that only 17% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. Just 26% approve of his handling of the economy overall, marking a new low.

Nearly every Senate Democrat (except for Fetterman) along with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) voted for Senator Chris Van Hollen’s Section 502B resolution demanding a State Department report on human rights practices in the West Bank and conditioning military aid on its delivery.

Americans across the political spectrum say that data centers and AI will be important to their vote this year.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced an October 11 citywide scavenger hunt focused on New York City’s history of organizing.

A group of people—including a number of clergymembers— is walking nearly 100 miles from Adelanto concentration camp to downtown LA to call for an end to all camps and ICE cruelty.

The Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation into OpenAI, Anthropic, and other artificial intelligence companies over the potential dangers posed by their products.

The NFL asked the Department of Homeland Security to remove a social media post likening former Philadelphia Eagles star Brian Dawkins' greatest hits to immigration agents' treatment of migrants.

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., announced the arrival of her daughter this week, boosting the ranks of congresswomen who have given birth in office.

Oatly, the world’s largest producer of oat milk (and my personal favorite), has joined an unconventional but effective climate journalism campaign.

An international research team identified a new gentoo penguin species, Pygoscelis kerguelensis, on the remote Kerguelen Islands, marking the first penguin species described in over 100 years.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s housing grant cuts.

Chief Justice John Roberts is persona non grata in the town in which he’s had a vacation house for 20 years.

California banned child marriage.

Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to oversee the Cornell University sexual assault investigation.

A federal judge permanently dismissed the vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn with prejudice, barring the U.S. Attorney's Office from refiling charges related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Renee Good’s family is suing both the Trump administration and the ICE agent who shot her for wrongful death and excessive force.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from pursuing border wall construction in the Big Bend region in Texas.

Major League Baseball leadership is no longer considering holding a game inside a national park after major public backlash at the idea.

A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of Marco Rubio was sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on Venezuela’s behalf during the first Trump administration

After an enormous, organized pressure campaign from activists and climate groups, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from a major climate case just a week before the court is scheduled to take it up. Alito had faced calls to recuse himself over his financial interests in energy companies.

Trump posted Tom Cotton’s personal cell phone number on Truth Social. I don’t generally support doxxing but in this case I’ll make an exception.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a ban on single-use nicotine vapes in CA.

Ohio, which raises money for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library by selling license plates bearing her image, sold twice as many license plates in the month after Parton’s death as the previous eight months combined. The money raised will cover a year’s worth of books for over a thousand children.

An appeals court ruled that Trump’s name can’t be carved into the Institute of Peace building.

Early voting data shows emerging signs of a Democratic advantage in the midterms.

A judge overturned Trump’s decision to fire the court-appointed top U.S. prosecutor in Seattle

The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline resumed the specialized services for LGBTQI+ youth in crisis, 14 months after the Trump Administration ended the services.

Marking a novel development in his years-long legal battle with E. Jean Carroll, Trump formally accepted defeat, withdrawing a failed effort to claw back some $5 million from the writer whom he was held liable for sexually abusing.

Hispanic voters on the Texas border have soured on Trump and feel deeply betrayed.

A federal judge rejected the DOJ’s lawsuit to compel Georgia to provide them with access to its complete statewide voter registration database for a second time.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a slew of bills aimed at protecting sexual assault survivors and increasing safety on college campuses

Newsom also signed AB 1448 into law, blocking new offshore oil and gas leases in California waters and cutting off state infrastructure that would support federal drilling!

Newsom also signed a slate of energy-affordability legislation aimed at containing the utility spending that is driving up electricity costs in the Golden State, including two that will boost the use of virtual power plants as an alternative to costly grid investments and gas-fired power plants.

Newsom signed legislation to protect Californians from wildfire by speeding up fire mitigation projects, making it easier to protect homes and communities, and investing in new innovative tools to prevent and fight fires.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed a long overdue bill which bans child marriage in the state of California. Hard to believe this wasn’t already a law but now it is!

Newsom signed a package of legislation to protect California immigrants and communities and strengthen civil rights and public safety including: a ban on shock gloves, restrictions on uses of flash-bang grenades and explosive breaching charges, a prohibition on ICE officers who have committed serious misconduct on the job from becoming peace officers or public employees in California, a new 25% tax on the gross income of for-profit corporations that operate private immigration detention facilities—the revenue will go to a new Due Process for All Fund to support immigration services for California families—and The No Kings Act, which will allow Californians to sue ICE, Border Patrol, and any federal agent who violates their constitutional rights. And it’s retroactive to March 1, 2025!

Macklemore’s ‘Free Palestine Tour’ sold out in minutes.

According to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, more than 650,000 people nationwide have already voted, and an astounding 48 million mail-in ballots have been requested. In Virginia, early voting has tripled 2022’s turnout pace.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s authority to withhold some federal counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet its election administration demands.

The Georgia Peanut Commission chair became the latest Republican to back Jon Ossoff.

A second, senior prosecutor working on the so-called grand conspiracy investigation into a wide array of Trump’s enemies has resigned from the case.

A new A.I.-powered search tool that Trump unveiled Tuesday to help Americans get information from the federal government started out providing facts that contradicted false claims Trump has made about topics such as election fraud and immigration. (It now says it can’t provide “political commentary.”)

Zach Bryan wore a Free Palestine shirt while performing at Gillette Stadium after Macklemore was banned from the venue.

A leading anti-abortion zealot just quit the FBI.

Ken Paxton got caught on tape saying that Trump’s Texas convention hurt Republicans.

Half a million trees will be planted across England in the next three years to protect against extreme weather.

The States Project has expanded their map to include four final states where they believe their expertise and targeted investment could unlock and shore up governing power this November: Indiana, Missouri, Maine, and Texas!

Governor Newsom signed ALL of Climate Action California's priority bills!

Some GOP senators are warning Trump to stay away from key Senate races, cautioning that his presence will likely turn off independent voters.

ActBlue raised $833 million for Democratic party candidates and causes in the third quarter, a record amount that will help narrow the financial advantage the GOP enjoys with big donors.

The DCCC added eight new deep-red House seats to their offensive House battlefield list of “Districts in Play.”

The judge overseeing the Kennedy Center case “was reared to love and respect the arts” by his mother, who was closely associated with the Kennedy Center.

Top GOP funding groups are scaling back their North Carolina ad spending, essentially giving up on the Senatorial race there. They are instead sending that money to KANSAS, because apparently we’re competitive there now!

A federal judge ruled that Trump doesn’t have the power to fire court-appointed U.S. attorneys, rejecting a core tenet of the Trump administration’s approach to top prosecutorial jobs.

Watch This! 👀

This was released in the fall of 2024, but it feels even more relevant now.

So I don't want to ramble, but due to how often this topic gets brought up on social media, especially after the recent news of 20% of Generals being fired and Musk and Newt Gingrich being involved in the Pentagon, I think it's important to discuss how the military isn't as big of a concern with the election as much as some would suggest.

Most of the arguments I've seen online regards to the idea that the military would have any people who would dissent to unconstitutional actions removed and than the remainder would be sent across the country to either invoke martial law and/or halting elections all together.

But one thing to mention is that getting rid of those who would dissent is a bigger task than you would think, since following the constitution and disobeying illegal orders is one of the most crucial lessons taught to those in the military, and forgetting and abandoning those principles entirely is a much more unlikely task for enough people in the military.

Also, the amount of people in the military alone to cover the entire country to halt all elections is just not there. Even if you add in any federal agents who would aid this it just isn't realistic to happen like this.

And to the theory that Musk being involved in the military now is a sign that he could somehow use military technology alone or using it to alter the results I don't think is likely for a variety of reasons that I feel are a little common sense.

I get being afraid of this since it feels like for many people that there would have to be something drastic done to attempt to change the outcome of the elections, but I would argue that those smaller and more likely avenues of suppressing votes in crucial races like the Dallas Primary situation earlier this year are what we should keep an eye out for, and even if this specific plan were attempted at all, I doubt it would ever work.

I'm wondering if there's any way to successfully take this stupid fuckass law to court or something because I drink CBD drinks at least weekly and this bullshit cannot fucking stand.