“One of the perils of life under authoritarian rule is that the leader seeks to drain people of their strength. There is an urge to pull back from civic life.” — David Remnick
***
The rainy season has started in these parts, which is good news because some years it doesn’t come at all. Our droughts are difficult and also one kind of trouble we don’t need right now. We’ve got plenty of trouble already.
The disaster unfolding within our national government isn’t going to be solved anytime soon. It won’t suddenly stop, like the rain, to be followed by sunshine. But the sunshine will happen in our natural world, so we can choose to celebrate that when it happens, regardless of the political storms raging in the days, weeks and months ahead.
One natural impulse under these circumstances is to withdraw and try to ignore the crisis unfolding in Washington D.C. Another might be for some to drop everything and join the resistance movement that will surely develop. After all, this already qualifies as the battle of our lifetimes to save democracy.
Personally, I aim to be one of the voices of that resistance.
But for now, perhaps he best plan is just to live healthy, honor friends and family, plant crops, appreciate the rain when it comes, and insist on living life to the fullest despite this threat to our common future.
In the end we each will either shrink our dreams in the face of autocracy or we will stand up and say, “Not on my watch!” Either way, the rains will wash away the dirty air and give us another chance tomorrow.
HEADLINES:
Trump to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS (Politico)
RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination (Guardian)
Trump’s Pick to Lead U.S. Military Has Tattoos Linked to White Supremacists and Nazis (Democracy Now)
Will Elon Musk be able to cut $2 trillion from US government spending? (BBC)
Senators want details of Matt Gaetz ethics probe before his confirmation vote for attorney general (NBC)
With Gabbard, Gaetz and Hegseth, Trump dares Senate GOP to defy him (WP)
Trump Thinks Putin Is His Friend. The Russians Just Issued a Humiliating Statement to the Contrary. (Slate)
Democratic Governors Form a Group to Oppose the Trump Administration (NYT)
France shuns COP29 as divisions deepen at UN climate summit (FT)
Climate change and the next administration (Economist)
Public Trust in Scientists and Views on Their Role in Policymaking (Pew)
The Onion wins auction to take control of Alex Jones’s Infowars (WP)
How The Onion acquired Alex Jones' Infowars (AP)
Feeling lonely increased the risk for dementia — because of any cause, including Alzheimer’s — by 31%, according to data from over 600,000 people. (WP)
Stand-Up, Drama and Spambots: The Creative World Takes On A.I. (NYT)
ChatGPT is a poet. A new study shows people prefer its verses. (WP)
Biden, Trump Die 2 Minutes Apart Holding Hands (The Onion)
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