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Source: https://www.truthdig.com/feed

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<title>Another Day, Another Hollow ‘Reimagining’</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/another-day-another-hollow-reimagining/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=another-day-another-hollow-reimagining</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/another-day-another-hollow-reimagining/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Veronica Phillips]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:46:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Arts & Culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TD Original]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[horror]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[hulu]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[reboot]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sexual assault]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[thriller]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312865</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Hulu's updated version of "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" offers little new or modern.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/another-day-another-hollow-reimagining/">Another Day, Another Hollow ‘Reimagining’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[The original 1992 iteration of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” hinged on the thematic bread and butter of many horror and thriller films throughout the 1980s and ’90s: an outside threat to the quintessential nuclear family successfully infiltrates the home through a normally safe avenue and tears domestic bliss apart from within. In “Poltergeist,” the spirits connect with the family’s children through the living room television; in “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” the invasion comes in the form of a much-needed, very pretty, very put-together nanny. Like “Fatal Attraction,” “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” is, at its core, about a malevolent being in the form of a beautiful yuppy woman fracturing the family home. In “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” Mrs. Mott (who falsely names herself “Peyton” as an alibi) is out for revenge. Claire Bartel, loving and content wife and young mother, was the first woman to accuse Peyton’s husband of sexually assaulting her at his gynecological practice. Dr. Mott’s subsequent suicide causes Peyton to have a miscarriage. Peyton sees Claire as having everything that she has lost — a home, a husband, two healthy children and the general trappings of an upper-middle-class lifestyle. Peyton is determined to steal everything she lost back from Claire, and begins by infiltrating the Bartel family home under the guise of being a model babysitter. The film, like many thrillers and horrors, is a reactionary one, basing its fear factor on the fragmenting of the nuclear, heterosexual family and tropes of “stranger danger.” It’s a story of sexual assault, women as enablers and yuppie-on-yuppie crime. It’s also, notably, not a very good movie. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left">
<blockquote>
The current horror/thriller reboot trend is near-constant and regularly produces subpar films.
</blockquote>
</figure>Regardless of the original film’s quality, last week Hulu released its reboot of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” a remake that is being touted as a “<a href="https://abc7ny.com/post/hand-that-rocks-the-cradle-mexican-director-michelle-garza-cervera-brings-bold-vision-hulu-reimagining-classic-film/17960273/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">reimagining</a>” of the 1992 original. The current horror/thriller reboot trend is near-constant and regularly produces subpar films, in no small part because of the genre’s reactionary nature. A culturally topical theme from decades ago will likely fail to resonate now, and so instead has to be clumsily “updated” or “elevated.” In the newer iteration of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” the Peyton equivalent, now named Polly, meets the beautiful part-time lawyer, part-time passable mom Caitlyn at a meeting regarding Polly’s tenant rights. Polly’s beef with Caitlyn runs deeper than the original “Cradle’s” storyline. Polly’s hatred for Caityln was sparked by a mutually traumatic childhood event that Caitlyn is not aware of, and that Polly has made Caitlyn the antagonist of for decades. In the original “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” the unraveling of Peyton’s lies has to do entirely with Claire’s discovery of Peyton’s ties to the sexually abusive Dr. Mott — a revelation that is obviously and immediately disturbing. In the new “Hand,” Caitlyn’s “discoveries” regarding Polly’s character are that she is impoverished, she is a lesbian and she is a recovering alcoholic. Ideally this goes without saying, but it feels important to note that none of these traits on their own determine someone as having poor moral character. One of Polly’s fellow Alcoholics Anonymous members confesses to Caitlyn that she pretended to be a reference for Polly in order to help her get the nannying job. This is a gesture I personally perceive as a commonplace and minor deceit that is sometimes necessary for survival in modern America, but Caitlyn sees this as definitive evidence of genuine nefariousness. These “failings” on Polly’s part — a fudged phone call, a Fourth of July firework brought into the house, a past with addiction — are the evidence Caitlyn builds her case upon, long before she finds out anything conclusively disturbing about Polly. The fact that Caitlyn ends up being correct — Polly is secretly messing with the dose on Caitlyn’s psychiatric medication and angling to steal her husband, children and home — doesn’t make the new film’s case any better. On the one hand, Caitlyn makes assumptions based on intense classism. And on the other hand (which is actually the same hand), she is proven correct narratively, with the movie ultimately validating Caitlyn’s suspicions. When talking about representation in “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle”–verse, it’s near impossible not to touch on Ernie Hudson’s character, Solomon, in the original film. Solomon is a Black man with intellectual disabilities who is hired to help with odd jobs on the Bartels’ property around the same time that Peyton arrives. Claire is suspicious of Solomon where she is not of Peyton, but is proven wrong when Solomon saves her baby at the end of the film. Showing Solomon huddled up in the corner of the attic, clutching the baby, is clearly imagery attempting to invoke “To Kill a Mockingbird’s” Boo Radley. The message we are meant to receive about presumptions based on identity aspects is given with all the subtlety of a club to the head. <div id="ad_slot_wrapper_22724279127_1" class="max-w-td m-auto p-6 ad-slot--wrapper ad-slot--wrapper--article-hrec-1">

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In the original iteration of “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle,” the big moral lesson is a ham-fisted, patronizing, liberal one: We are wrong to be inherently suspicious of Black men and/or of people with intellectual disabilities — technically true (hopefully obviously so), but executed with little grace in the film. In the new iteration, the suggestion is one that is inherently reactionary and ideologically conservative: We are right to be suspicious of a poor person and/or of someone who suffers from addiction. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left">
<blockquote>
These updates are slapdash and haphazard, vague signifiers of modern womanhood without any intention.
</blockquote>
</figure>This “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” remake gets rid of the Solomon character entirely, gives the mother figure a job and a more ambivalent relationship to her role in the home, creates some vaguely queer but poorly articulated tension between nanny and mother, and calls it a day. These updates are slapdash and haphazard, vague signifiers of modern womanhood without any intention. This lack of intention is the issue with horror reboots in general: There is no meaningful political, cultural or artistic purpose to what is changed and what is kept, no consideration to what reheating a decades-old film may telegraph politically and culturally in the present day. The issue with many of these reboots is that these films just aren’t reboot-able, at least not in a way that’s worthwhile. And yet, the remake mill persists ceaselessly. A “Basic Instinct” remake is in the works, and is <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/basic-instinct-reboot-joe-eszterhas/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">being described by its creators as “anti-woke</a>.” (Was the original “Basic Instinct” woke?) The 1983 cult classic “Sleepaway Camp” is a film infamous for its transphobic “twist” ending that has now been reclaimed by some in the transgender community with a nuanced and cultural renegotiation of the film that hinges upon understanding the era in which it was made. “Sleepaway Camp” also has <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/09/sleepaway-camp-kenan-thompson-developing-reimagining-1236548085/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">an incoming remake</a>, spearheaded by “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kenan Thompson. Their only options will be to (likely clumsily) reckon with the trans aspects of the film or be rid of them entirely — neither outcome is the best option, because the best option is leaving the original “Sleepaway Camp” be. I think before anyone is permitted to remake another culturally nuanced cult classic, they have to, at the very least, be able to answer why, exactly, they are doing it. The promise by Thompson’s co-creator, <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/09/sleepaway-camp-kenan-thompson-developing-reimagining-1236548085/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Johnny Ryan Jr., that they are</a> “adding some insane new twists and going crazy with the merch, too” for the “Sleepaway Camp” reboot does not inspire confidence. Instead of these “reimaginings” that are barely hidden attempts to reheat intellectual properties for streamers and sell a few Camp Arawak T-shirts, it might be nice to watch a horror film that is actually just freshly imagined, an idea entirely of its own.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/another-day-another-hollow-reimagining/">Another Day, Another Hollow ‘Reimagining’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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<title>VA Makes It Harder for Male Vets With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/va-makes-it-harder-for-male-vets-with-breast-cancer-to-get-coverage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=va-makes-it-harder-for-male-vets-with-breast-cancer-to-get-coverage</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/va-makes-it-harder-for-male-vets-with-breast-cancer-to-get-coverage/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[ Eric Umansky / ProPublica ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:36:09 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Health & Wellness]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[agent orange]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[breast cancer]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PACT Act]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[veterans affairs]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312861</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive order about “restoring biological truth” in government.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/va-makes-it-harder-for-male-vets-with-breast-cancer-to-get-coverage/">VA Makes It Harder for Male Vets With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
This story was originally published by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-affairs-male-breast-cancer-coverage-trump-executive-order" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">ProPublica</a>.
The <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration is making it more difficult for veterans with a rare but deadly cancer to get their health care needs covered by the government. The new policy, involving breast cancer in men, is laid out in a Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica.
The previously undisclosed document does not cite any evolving science. Rather, it relies on an order that President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> issued on his first day in office titled: “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government</a>.”
An agency spokesperson confirmed the change.
“As of Sept. 30, the department no longer presumes service connection for male breast cancer,” Press Secretary Pete Kasperowicz wrote in a statement to ProPublica. He noted that veterans who’ve previously qualified for coverage can keep it.
But for the roughly 100 male veterans who are newly diagnosed each year, the path will now be significantly harder. They will have to show their cancer was connected to their military service, a burden that has often been hard to meet.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Cancer in male veterans should be covered.”</blockquote></figure>
Without VA coverage, experts say, veterans’ care could be delayed or even missed altogether — even as research has shown the rate of breast cancer among men has <a href="https://www.breastcancer.org/news/male-breast-cancer-cases-increase" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">been increasing</a> and the disease is <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/news-events/cancer-currents-blog/2019/male-breast-cancer-higher-mortality" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">deadlier than for women</a>. One study also found that breast cancer for men is “<a href="https://www.mdedge.com/fedprac/avaho/article/265217/breast-cancer/demographic-characteristics-veterans-diagnosed-breast-and" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">notably higher among veterans</a>.”
“Cancer in male veterans should be covered,” said Dr. Anita Aggarwal, a VA oncologist who researched and treated breast cancer for years before retiring recently. “These people have put their lives at risk for us.”
As Aggarwal noted, breast tissue in men and women are similar. “Male breasts don’t produce milk,” Aggarwal said. “But the treatment is the same.” She added that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1476-069X-11-87" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">research has linked</a> breast cancer to toxic exposure.
The administration’s new policy rolls back benefits that were created under the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, a <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a>-era law that ushered in one of the largest expansions of health care and benefits in VA history.
After a long <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/08/texas-burn-pit-bill/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">fight by advocates</a>, congressional Democrats and Republicans passed the measure three years ago, making it easier for veterans poisoned by Agent Orange and other toxic substances to get benefits.
Before the law, the VA had frequently been denying the claims. Now, the government would presume many ailments were connected to veterans’ military service, so long as they served in particular areas and had any number of diseases on a VA list.
As a result, more than <a href="https://department.va.gov/pactdata/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2025/09/VA-PACT-Act-Dashboard-Issue53_091925_v2-508c.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">200,000 veterans</a> likely exposed to toxic substances during their service have qualified to have their care covered.
The Trump administration’s change means that male veterans who get breast cancer will no longer be able to benefit from that easier path for coverage.
Veterans who have breast cancer said the move left them aghast and puzzled.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“This is really nickel and diming a very small group of people who should be taken care of.”</blockquote></figure>
Jack Gelman, an 80-year-old former Navy fighter pilot who served in Vietnam, is already facing the fact that his long-dormant breast cancer came back last year. Now he has to grapple with the fact that the government has just made it harder to get his care covered.
“I’m astonished,” Gelman said repeatedly when ProPublica told him about the change. “This is really nickel and diming a very small group of people who should be taken care of.”
Other veterans echoed that. “I don’t care if it’s toenail cancer,” said Kirby Lewis, who was diagnosed with breast cancer about a dozen years ago and is now Stage 4. “If exposure occurs, they should take care of those people.”
Lewis, who served in the Navy for five years during the 1980s, isn’t worried about losing his coverage, which the VA granted him as a result of unrelated heart issues. But he said the administration’s decision risks further stigmatizing men with the disease.
“There’s this machismo aspect that they don’t want to accept that we have breasts, but we do,” said Lewis, who called the decision “very upsetting.”
The PACT Act gives administrations widespread discretion to cover diseases as science develops. Last year, <a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2024/06/14/va-to-add-male-breast-cancer-two-other-conditions-to-presumptive-list/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">the VA added three cancers</a>, including male breast cancer, to the list.
The law states that “reproductive cancer of any type” be covered. Officials added male breast cancer under that category after a working group of experts reviewed the science. <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/10/01/2024-21852/va-adjudication-regulations-for-disability-or-death-benefit-claims-based-on-toxic-exposure" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">The decision noted</a> “the marked similarity of male and female breast cancer.”
The Trump administration’s memo argues that designation is a mistake. “The <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a> Administration falsely classified male breasts as reproductive organs,” Kasperowicz said in his statement to ProPublica.
A former official who was involved in the VA’s decision last year said that while there were discussions about how to interpret “reproductive cancer,” the scientific consensus among VA oncologists was clear. “The evidence showed that male and female breast tissue respond similarly to toxic exposures and share nearly identical biological and mutational profiles,” said the former official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing concern for his job prospects in government. “Expanding coverage to male breast cancer was the right call.”
Rosie Torres, who advocated for the PACT Act after her husband became sick, said the current administration is putting politics above patriotism and people. “It shouldn’t matter who signed the bill,” Torres said, referring to Biden. “If you don’t like the ‘reproductive’ word, do it under another category. Don’t remove it. These are peoples’ lives.”
Kasperowicz emphasized that veterans can still get coverage, so long as they show a connection between their illness and their service.
“The department grants disability benefits compensation claims for male Veterans with breast cancer on an individual basis and will continue to do so,” he said in his statement. “VA encourages any male Veterans with breast cancer who feel their health may have been impacted by their military service to submit a disability compensation claim.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Expanding coverage to male breast cancer was the right call.”</blockquote></figure>
The change follows <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-affairs-hospital-shortages-trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">a wider tumult at the VA</a>, where tens of thousands of staffers have left amid plummeting morale and work edicts such as a return to office.
VA Secretary Doug Collins has long insisted that care will not be affected. “Veterans’ benefits aren’t getting cut,” <a href="https://news.va.gov/138326/va-secretary-doug-collins-veterans-benefits/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Collins said in February</a>. “In fact, we are actually giving and improving services.”
<a href="https://www.veterans.senate.gov/2025/2/senate-republicans-vote-against-toxic-exposed-veterans-and-survivors-tank-senator-blumenthal-s-amendment-to-protect-the-pact-act" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Advocates and Democrats say they’re concerned</a> that the rollback of presumptive coverage for male breast cancer could presage wider cuts. This year, House Republicans passed a bill to <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5194764-democrats-republicans-veterans-funding/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">cut a fund</a> for veterans covered under the PACT Act, which they’ve criticized as lacking in oversight. The bill has not passed in the Senate.
Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/project-2025/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="8" title="Project 2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a>, the conservative initiative to create a blueprint for the Trump administration, urges officials to <a href="https://static.heritage.org/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf#page=681" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">roll back benefits</a>, or as the initiative puts it, to “target significant cost savings from revising disability rating awards.”
The Trump administration has so far not done that. ProPublica asked the VA whether there are any plans to change coverage beyond male breast cancer.
The department did not respond.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/va-makes-it-harder-for-male-vets-with-breast-cancer-to-get-coverage/">VA Makes It Harder for Male Vets With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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<title>Welcome to Viktor Orbán’s America</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/welcome-to-viktor-orbans-america/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=welcome-to-viktor-orbans-america</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/welcome-to-viktor-orbans-america/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Thom Hartmann / The Hartmann Report ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 15:25:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Column]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[democracy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[donald trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[hungary]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Project 2025]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Viktor Orbán]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312855</guid>
<description><![CDATA[We have reached the midpoint between democracy and dictatorship — much further than many pundits are willing to admit.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/welcome-to-viktor-orbans-america/">Welcome to Viktor Orbán’s America</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> and the billionaires and foreign fascists he’s aligned with are both stronger than most think and weaker. Today I’ll deal with the stronger part; tomorrow, the weaker.
We’re living in a moment when the line between democracy and dictatorship is far less clear than we like to believe. As a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5372334/harvard-professor-offers-a-grim-assessment-of-american-democracy-under-trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">recent analysis</a> by Steven Levitsky, co-author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Democracies-Die-Steven-Levitsky/dp/1524762946/ref=thomhartmann" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“How Democracies Die,”</a> puts it, we’ve already moved onto the midpoint along the spectrum between democracy and dictatorship where “competitive authoritarianism” lives.
That’s the world of regimes that hold elections but use their control over the nation’s systems to skew the rules, restrict opposition, weaponize institutions, vandalize the truth and destroy/ignore democratic norms. We’re more than halfway down that road in just 10 short months.
In the United States today, it’s impossible to ignore how much of that template was <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/179776/heritage-foundation-viktor-orban-trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">laid out by Viktor Orbán</a> to the Heritage Foundation, which embedded core strategies of his authoritarian rule over Hungary into the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/project-2025/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="8" title="Project 2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a> blueprint now being executed step-by-step by President Trump and his lickspittles.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The line between democracy and dictatorship is far less clear than we like to believe.</blockquote></figure>
And with <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/immigration-and-customs-enforcement/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="20" title="immigration and customs enforcement">Immigration and Customs Enforcement</a> agents making warrantless arrests while brutalizing and now spying on protesters with <a href="https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/ice-and-cbp-are-secretly-tracking-us-using-stingrays" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Stingray</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/02/trump-immigration-ice-israeli-spyware?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Pegasus</a> software, Putin’s <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-20/how-russian-secret-service-took-control-of-presidency/103052176?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=link" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">FSB</a> secret police are also providing a model for Trump.
We often comfort ourselves with the idea that elections alone guarantee democracy, but the fact is that democratic institutions can be hollowed out from within even as ballots are still being cast.
In Hungary, under Orbán, elections exist, but the playing field is so tilted using tools like gerrymandering that the opposition never has a fair chance. The media has been captured by Orbán-aligned oligarchs and both the courts and the legislature are packed to the point where they lost their autonomy.
That Hungarian model is now being mirrored in America. <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/project-2025/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="8" title="Project 2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a> doesn’t call for an overt single‐party takeover; rather it tweaks the administrative levers, centralizes power, bypasses checks and balances, staffs courts, commissions and agencies with loyalists, undermines election administration and deploys state power to punish dissent while preserving the appearance of normalcy.
Where are we on the spectrum? Much further than many pundits will admit.
We now have elected and Trump-appointed officials who openly defy precedent, judicial rulings and the rule of law; we have partisan weaponization of powerful institutions capable of punishing dissenters, ranging from the Department of Justice and the FBI to the IRS; we have dark-money networks influencing everything from policy to courts with the blessing of a corrupt Supreme Court; and we have billionaire capture of most of our media, producing widespread disinformation and naked attacks on the very idea of truth.
That is less a democracy and more a system of “managed competition,” where electoral outcomes are shaped in advance, not determined by a fair contest. In short, the clock is running fast toward a complete loss of democracy, the “autocratic breakthrough” I’ve <a href="https://hartmannreport.com/p/fourteen-steps-to-tyranny-how-autocratic-8d3" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">written about before</a>.
And while millions of Americans show up for protests — which matters — protests alone are nowhere near enough.
In effect, while protesters may feel emboldened and signal a national discontent, in the absence of durable organization, leadership and strategy the protests are easily absorbed, marginalized or rendered irrelevant by Trump’s fascist forces and billionaire supporters once the streets are empty again.
This is precisely the gap the Trump-Orbán-Putin model exploits. At the same time the marches are occurring, the foundation of <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/republican-party/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="11" title="republican party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the GOP</a>’s up-and-coming fascist autocracy is being built: the staffing of key agencies, the rewriting of rules under emergency or administrative power, the gerrymandering and court packing, the stealth takeover of local precincts and state and county election commissions.
We must be careful that the dazzle of street energy doesn’t blind us to the quiet but decisive work of tearing down the institutional foundations of authoritarian rule that Trump, the GOP and their morbidly rich backers are quickly laying. If we’re to stop America’s slide toward fascism we must face that stark reality.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>That Hungarian model is now being mirrored in America.</blockquote></figure>
The details underlying Project 2025 <a href="https://hartmannreport.com/p/we-watched-others-fall-now-the-edge-e80" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">echo Hungary’s path</a> with startling specificity. In that country a small, wealthy clique around Orbán orchestrated the capture of media, courts, electoral oversight bodies and the constitution itself, which they then rewrote (<a href="https://hartmannreport.com/p/the-gops-silent-coup-how-republicans-4de" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">as Republicans are planning to do to ours</a> when they get control of just a few more states).
Orbán changed campaign finance rules, muzzled the press and built a client state reliant on personal loyalty rather than democratic accountability. Want a government contract? Toss some money Orbán’s way, or at his family, or to his closest cronies. Want a pardon? Ditto. An exception to rules, laws or even taxes? Ditto again.
In the U.S. we see an analogous thinning of institutional independence, combined with the same type of cult of personality that always characterizes autocratic strongman governments. Trump’s openly expressed contempt for civil service norms, his threats to independent agencies, Republicans’ ideological staffing of courts all were cloned from the Hungarian template.
And while the U.S. remains superficially democratic — voting still happens — the basis of open, free, fair, competitive elections is under vigorous assault by “tech bros” and other billionaires who <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/tech-billionaires-dont-believe-in-democracy-says-gilded-rage-author-10800608" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">openly disdain</a> democracy itself.
Trump announced last week that he’s sending “<a href="https://time.com/7328448/trump-election-monitoring-doj-bondi-newsom/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">election monitors</a>” to California and New Jersey — even though these are entirely state and not federal contests — presumably to intimidate both voters and election officials around the balloting happening in those states next week.
Red states are gerrymandering to prevent Democrats from ever again controlling the House of Representatives. As I lay out in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Last-American-President-Broken-Corrupt/dp/B0F5LVHP8X/ref=thomhartmann" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“The Last American President,”</a> voter purges and ballot challenges knocked <a href="https://hartmannreport.com/p/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won-c6f" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">over 4 million mostly-Democratic voters off the rolls</a> or prevented the ballots they cast from being counted in 2024, giving Trump and the GOP the White House and Congress.
So what must Democrats — and unaffiliated/independent democracy advocates — do?
We have to go beyond showing up in the streets and writing outraged posts on social media (although both do help). Movements that fail to coalesce around leaders and build institutions typically die in the glare of their own moral light.
We need leadership and institutions capable of organizing, strategizing and executing on multiple fronts: precincts, courts, local elections, media ecosystems and state regulatory agencies. Protest without public faces and follow-through is like fireworks: beautiful, brief and gone before the smoke clears.
Our challenge is both structural and strategic, and, lacking hundreds of morbidly rich billionaires funding us like Trump has, we’re already way behind.
It’s not enough to oppose; we must propose, build and defend. As <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/bernie-sanders/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="7" title="Bernie Sanders" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bernie Sanders</a> is constantly pointing out, we must fight for reforms that fortify democracy: enforce campaign finance transparency, build public horror of concentrated media and money power, demand independent courts, safeguard election administration from partisan capture and work to guarantee that our vote is harder to take away than our guns.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>It’s not enough to oppose; we must propose, build, and defend.</blockquote></figure>
We must train a generation of leaders who don’t just show up for the “march” but stay for the precinct meeting, the town hall, the election board challenge. We must invest in institutions — particularly the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/dnc/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="6" title="DNC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic National Committee</a> — that outlast ephemeral flare-ups of outrage and build resilient and genuinely progressive democratic infrastructure.
This is, after all, a progressive populist moment, and the Mamdani campaign and crowds showing up for Sanders and Rep. <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a>’s Anti-Oligarchy Tour shows. We just have to join it fully and ride its power.
Here’s the plain truth: Any movement that wants democracy to prevail must realize that its job is just beginning when the banners are raised and the cameras roll. The billionaire-funded right-wing movement bent on authoritarianism has its candidates, its loyalists, its media echo-chamber and its policy train.
This moment demands no less. We can no longer simply debate about policy or personality; we’re in a contest of governance models, of democratic versus authoritarian futures. James Carville <a href="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/10/unhinged-james-carville-has-full-blown-meltdown-psakis/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">recently told</a> Jen Psaki that, “You aren’t scared enough yet!” Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jefferies and the entire <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/democratic-party/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="12" title="democratic party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic Party</a> need to hear that message and act now. Along with the rest of us.
The longer we leave the field uncontested, the more power we hand to those with a blueprint. The window is narrowing, and the Hungarian/Russian lesson is clear: When the opposition wins the street but not the state, democracy loses.
All of us who believe in a republic of citizens — not subjects — must work to build not just rallies but infrastructure, not just energy but strategy, not just slogans but institutions.
Join progressive organizations and get inside the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/democratic-party/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="12" title="democratic party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Democratic Party</a>. Bring energy, enthusiasm and passion. If you’re inclined and capable, run for office yourself.
The hour is urgent. The stakes are existential.
Tag, we’re it!
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/welcome-to-viktor-orbans-america/">Welcome to Viktor Orbán’s America</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Conservationists Endorse the Age of Synthetic Biology</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/conservationists-endorse-the-age-of-synthetic-biology/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=conservationists-endorse-the-age-of-synthetic-biology</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lital Khaikin]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:18:56 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[dna]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[gmo]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[IUCN]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[synthetic biology]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[World Conservation Congress]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Delegates at the World Conservation Congress debated the wisdom of releasing GMOs into the wild, but rejected calls for a moratorium.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/conservationists-endorse-the-age-of-synthetic-biology/">Conservationists Endorse the Age of Synthetic Biology</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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From restoring coral reefs and increasing frogs’ pathogen resistance, to reviving extinct species of wolves and engineering microbes to gobble up industrial pollution, synthetic biology offers novel ways to rewrite natural history. At the same time, it is threatening to erode some of the foundational principles of conservation. The growing divide over the future of biotech was on full display during this month’s World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the quadrennial conference of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
One question loomed over the summit: Should genetically modified organisms be released into the wild? Debates once limited to genetically modified seeds — which threaten to choke out wild species or float across national borders — have widened to include much larger swaths of the natural world. Rabbits, wasps and mosquitoes can be <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69259-6" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">sterilized</a> and eradicated within a few generations by selective breeding. Molecular scientists are <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41434-024-00468-8" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">tinkering</a> with insect immune systems to combat malaria. In New Zealand’s ongoing <a href="https://predatorfreenz.org/toolkits/know-your-target-predators/possum-facts-and-control-tips/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">war on possums</a>, gene drives are deployed to protect <a href="https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/pests-and-threats/predator-free-2050/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">endangered birds</a> and the domestic cattle industry. Honeybee colonies are of especially high interest, as researchers look to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724003097" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">induce</a> pesticide resistance among contracting bee populations.
Artificial intelligence is accelerating the science of rewriting animal and insect DNA. And with this acceleration comes heightened risks that are dividing IUCN members, a number of whom continue to hold deep reservations about the safety and wisdom of releasing modified DNA into the wild. But these members are in the minority. In an 88% majority vote, delegates <a href="https://iucn.org/news/202510/iucn-agrees-first-global-policy-synthetic-biology" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">adopted</a> a moderate policy of case-by-case evaluation. This vote passed after members had rejected a motion for a “precautionary pause” — essentially a <a href="https://iucncongress2025.org/assembly/motions/motion/133" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">moratorium</a> — by one vote.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Artificial intelligence is accelerating the science of rewriting animal and insect DNA.</blockquote></figure>
“IUCN members have chosen to engage with these tools thoughtfully and responsibly, rather than turn away from them,” <a href="https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/25330/IUCN-Members-Choose-Science-and-Ethics-in-Landmark-Vote-on-Synthetic-Biology.aspx" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">said</a> Dr. Susan Lieberman, WCS vice president of International Policy who voted against the moratorium. “[The proposed blanket pause] would prevent us from using tools that could safeguard both people and wildlife.”
Revive & Restore, a California-based conservation nonprofit, meanwhile, was more pointed. The group issued a statement <a href="https://reviverestore.org/innovation-wins-iucn-rejects-moratorium-adopts-balanced-synthetic-biology-framework/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">calling</a> the moratorium the “latest attempt to halt innovation in conservation” by a “small group of anti-GMO activists.”
But support for the moratorium was broader than just a small group of activists, and included leading genetic researchers and conservation scientists. Following the vote, more than 100 international scientists and biosafety and policy experts published an open letter explaining why a moratorium was needed. “No robust framework exists to guarantee that the release of genetic biotechnologies and associated risk mitigation strategies would not cause ecological harm,” it read.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
The IUCN has decided to ignore the need for adequate safeguards against irreversible harm to nature … We are losing invaluable legacies from millenaries of evolution and plant-insect interactions, overall genetic diversity is impoverished, entire food webs are endangered as key species disappear and ecosystems might lose the fragile balance of which we know very little.
</blockquote>
The letter specifically targeted the dangers of editing the genomic traits of bees to make them more tolerant of pesticides. The newest and most experimental forms of genetic engineering use gene drives to suppress certain genetic traits during pollination, potentially introducing undesirable molecules into the DNA of other species. Gene drives introduce or remove certain traits by damaging a target sequence in a chromosome and potentially introducing a new gene into the break. While gene drives are usually tested in lab animals, the inherited traits can be spread into the wild upon release.
Genetic modification is billed as precision technology, but evidence shows that when the lab hits the ground, life chooses its own way. Jonathan Latham, virologist and founder of the biochemical whistleblowing project <a href="https://www.poisonpapers.org/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">The Poison Papers</a>, points to the case of <a href="https://recombinetics.com/recombinetics-awarded-wide-ranging-chinese-patent-gene-edited-livestock/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Recombinetics</a>, a Minnesota-based company (now in <a href="https://www.startribune.com/recombinetics-engineered-hornless-dairy-bulls-its-now-filing-for-bankruptcy/601180278" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">bankruptcy</a> proceedings) that used CRISPR editing on cows to cut into a DNA sequence, and ended up <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/08/29/65364/recombinetics-gene-edited-hornless-cattle-major-dna-screwup/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">introducing</a> unintended traits like antibiotic resistance genes. CRISPR editing for HIV-resistance in humans by Chinese scientist He Jiankui also infamously <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/did-crispr-help-or-harm-first-ever-gene-edited-babies" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">glitched</a>, when modifications of embryonic genes turned out to be inconsistent, with unpredictable consequences on other proteins and heritable traits innewborns’ DNA. Jiankui was imprisoned in 2019 for skirting scientific regulations, but his research is now being <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/08/05/nx-s1-5454691/the-quest-to-create-genetically-modified-babies-is-getting-a-reboot" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">revisited</a> by a private startup known as the <a href="https://manhattangenomics.com/faq" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Manhattan Project</a>.
Synthetic biologists with IUCN have also <a href="https://purl.stanford.edu/cv716pj4036" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">warned</a> of the <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/what-do-about-mirror-life" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">potential lethality</a> of “mirror bacteria,” a phenomenon where DNA and RNA molecules are reconstructed in a way that flips their asymmetrical structure, or “chirality,” like a mirror image. Because they are unnatural, mirror bacteria can evade natural immune systems, setting the stage for possible global public health disasters. “[T]he only safe mirror bacterium is one that doesn’t exist,” the immunobiologist Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov <a href="https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/qanda-how-mirror-bacteria-could-take-a-devastating-toll-on-humanity/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">told</a> the Yale School of Medicine in an interview.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Synthetic biologists with IUCN have also warned of the potential lethality of “mirror bacteria.”</blockquote></figure>
The synthetic biology frontier is not entirely lawless. Since 2000, 173 nations have adopted the <a href="https://bch.cbd.int/protocol/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety</a>, an international agreement under the Convention on Biodiversity that lays out a regulatory and risk assessment framework for GMOs. The agreement also protects countries’ right to adopt sovereign policies on scientific risk as well as ethical, cultural or socioeconomic considerations. Citing this right, Peru <a href="https://navdanyainternational.org/peru-extends-gmo-moratorium-mexico-phases-out-glyphosate-and-gm-maize-in-food-disallows-gm-maize-releases/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">extended</a> a moratorium on the import and production of GMOs meant for wild release in 2021. Mexico in turn <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/world/corn-us-mexico-tortilla-war-gmo-glyphosate/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">banned</a> GMO maize cultivation to protect native species.
But, say experts, the Cartagena Protocol is neither universally respected — 25 nations have yet to ratify it — nor keeping pace with rapid developments in synthetic biology.
“Unfortunately, its enforcement mechanisms are weak and there is reluctance among biotech developers to further develop the protocol,” said Franziska Achterberg, head of policy at the nonprofit Save Our Seeds. “The CBD has repeatedly emphasized the need for precaution regarding the environmental release of synthetic biology applications, [but] biotech developers have fought that process long and hard.”
National laws, meanwhile, continue to regress. Although members signed off on risk assessment guidance for gene drives at last year’s U.N.’s biodiversity summit, the final guidelines were deemed “<a href="https://www.twn.my/title2/biotk/2024/btk241107.htm" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">hollowed out</a>” by biotech policy watchdogs. Even Europe, which once boasted of the world’s strictest biotech regulations, is moving toward <a href="https://friendsoftheearth.eu/press-release/eu-ambassadors-back-new-gmos-deregulation-a-dark-day-for-farmers-consumers-nature/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">deregulating</a> new variants of GMOs.
“Because many of these proposals have not yet reached large-scale or commercial deployment, decision makers often treat synthetic biology as a future issue rather than an immediate threat,” said Joann Sy, a biopolicy and epidemiology expert who advises the pollinator conservation group Pollinis.
But amid the pace of change, the central question — should we be redesigning nature at all? — is being lost. 
“Once we accept genetic engineering as a normal part of managing wild ecosystems,” she says, “we fundamentally alter the ethos of conservation.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/conservationists-endorse-the-age-of-synthetic-biology/">Conservationists Endorse the Age of Synthetic Biology</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Methane Emissions From Big Meat Exceed Those From Big Oil and Gas</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/methane-emissions-from-big-meat-exceed-those-from-big-oil-and-gas/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=methane-emissions-from-big-meat-exceed-those-from-big-oil-and-gas</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Georgina Gustin / Inside Climate News ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:07:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Americas]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Ahead of the next U.N. climate summit, advocacy groups are urging companies and governments to tackle emissions from livestock.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/methane-emissions-from-big-meat-exceed-those-from-big-oil-and-gas/">Methane Emissions From Big Meat Exceed Those From Big Oil and Gas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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The world’s biggest meat and dairy companies are responsible for emitting more climate-warming methane than all of the countries in the European Union and United Kingdom combined, according to a <a href="https://foodrise.org.uk/research/roasting-the-planet/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">new assessment</a> published Monday.
Livestock, mostly beef and dairy cattle, account for roughly one-third of global emissions of methane, a short-lived but especially potent greenhouse gas. Yet, unlike energy companies, beef and dairy companies are not required to report their greenhouse gas emissions. 
So, in an effort to understand the climate impacts of these livestock companies, the nonprofit research firm Profundo and four environmental advocacy groups calculated emissions by cobbling together available production and slaughter data and plugging the numbers into an updated <a href="https://www.fao.org/gleam/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">modeling framework</a> used by the United Nations. 
They looked at 45 major livestock and dairy companies, finding that they generated about 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 — roughly the same amount as reported for Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest oil producer. 
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Livestock, mostly beef and dairy cattle, account for roughly one-third of global emissions of methane.</blockquote></figure>
“These emissions are huge and are not really mentioned or confronted in government policy right now,” said Ben Lilliston, the director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, one of the advocacy groups that published the report.
The others are Friends of the Earth U.S., Foodrise and Greenpeace Nordic. 
The top five greenhouse gas emitters were the Brazilian meat giants JBS, Marfrig and Minerva and the American companies Tyson and Cargill. Together these five accounted for nearly half of the emissions of the 45 companies analyzed in the report. JBS, the world’s biggest meat company, accounted for nearly one-quarter — more than the methane emissions reported by fossil fuel giants ExxonMobil and Shell combined, the advocacy group found. 
The report comes three weeks before the annual United Nations climate summit, the Conference of the Parties (COP), opens in Belém, Brazil. It is the first time the conference has come to the Amazon region. The Brazilian beef industry has long been blamed for the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest as ranchers cut and burn huge swaths of trees to clear for pasture. Cattle ranching is the biggest driver of deforestation in the region, accounting for nearly 80%. Despite public commitments to stop buying cattle from illegally deforested land, the practice continues.
Meanwhile, <a href="https://cgspace.cgiar.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/95318160-38dd-4b4d-92f3-9decd0e08533/content" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">only a handful</a> of countries that have signed on to the Paris climate agreement have set targets to cut emissions from livestock. 
“We hope that with this report, it’s another set of data that show that unless the meat and dairy sector significantly curb their emissions — and that means an overall reduction in the number of animals — we won’t even come close to meeting climate targets,” said Kari Hamerschlag, deputy director of food and agriculture at Friends of the Earth. “We hope this will provide important input in this conversation about the need to implement more mandatory emissions reductions, particularly around methane.”
Inside Climate News contacted the top five emitters in the analysis to ask if they noted any inaccuracies or misrepresentations in the report. They did not respond.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“These emissions are huge and are not really mentioned or confronted in government policy right now.”</blockquote></figure>
Even if the world stopped burning fossil fuels, by far the largest source of climate-warming gases, emissions from the current food system would surpass climate targets, <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aba7357" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">research has</a> shown. 
Yet, despite some voluntary promises to cut emissions, most livestock and dairy companies have set ambitious growth targets. JBS has said it plans to increase production to match an estimated 70% increase in global meat consumption by 2050, even as it vowed to cut emissions. 
“They’re not planning to stop,” Hamerschlag said. 
In February 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against JBS USA, accusing it of misleading the public about its plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 despite ramping up production.
Earlier this year, the New York Supreme Court granted JBS’ <a href="https://www.climatecasechart.com/collections/people-v-jbs-usa-food-co-_ca8fd0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">motion to dismiss</a> the case, agreeing with the company’s challenge of New York as the correct jurisdiction.
The agriculture sector’s climate emissions and environmental impacts, already <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/22122023/milking-it-reducing-methane-from-livestock-critical-for-climate/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">largely unregulated</a> in the United States, are seeing <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/06/30/secretary-rollins-rolls-back-overly-burdensome-environmental-regulations-unleash-american-innovation" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">even less scrutiny</a> under the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration.
At least three major companies covered in the report have quietly dialed back some of their voluntary emissions targets and climate-related claims in recent months amid the broader regulatory backslide.
Nestlé dropped out of a <a href="https://business.edf.org/dairy-methane-action-alliance/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">dairy industry compact</a> in which companies agreed to report and reduce their methane emissions. JBS has said that its goals for net-zero were only aspirational, not actual commitments. Tyson has dropped its “<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19092024/tyson-foods-emission-reduction-promise-lawsuit/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">climate smart</a>” beef label, which it no longer advertises on its website.
“They seem to be walking back even some of the weak commitments they made,” Lilliston said. “It’s discouraging.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“They’re not planning to stop.”</blockquote></figure>
In an emailed statement, Nestlé said it reduced methane emissions by 21% between 2018 and 2024. “Nestlé regularly reviews its memberships of external organizations. As part of this process, we have decided to discontinue our membership of the Dairy Methane Action Alliance,” a company spokesperson said. “Nestlé remains steadfast in delivering against the objectives in our Dairy Climate Plan and Net Zero Roadmap. These strategies continue to guide our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, throughout our supply chain.”
Lilliston noted that California and the European Union will start requiring large companies, including food and agriculture companies, to report emissions linked to their supply chains in the next two years. 
“What we’re hoping is that we can start to get more transparency around companies’ reporting and be able to compare them over time, using one agreed-upon methodology,” he said. “That’s where we need to get to at a minimum.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/methane-emissions-from-big-meat-exceed-those-from-big-oil-and-gas/">Methane Emissions From Big Meat Exceed Those From Big Oil and Gas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>How Are States Prepping for a Last-Second Obamacare Deal?</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/how-are-states-prepping-for-a-last-second-obamacare-deal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-are-states-prepping-for-a-last-second-obamacare-deal</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Amanda Seitz, Julie Appleby / KFF Health News ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:57:06 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Economic Justice]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Health & Wellness]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[affordable care act]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[government shutdown]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[healthcare]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[obamacare]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Even if Congress strikes a deal soon to extend more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies, the prices and types of ACA plans available could change dramatically.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/how-are-states-prepping-for-a-last-second-obamacare-deal/">How Are States Prepping for a Last-Second Obamacare Deal?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
One family in Virginia Beach, Virginia, just found out their health plan’s deductible will jump from $800 to $20,000 next year. About 200 miles north, in Maryland, another household learned they’ll pay $500 more monthly to insure their brood in 2026. And thousands of people in Idaho were greeted with insurance rates that’ll cost, on average, $100 more every month.
As shopping season opens for Affordable Care Act plans in some states, customers are confronting staggering costs for their health insurance next year. The extra federal subsidies put in place in 2021 that made coverage more affordable for millions of people will expire at the end of this year unless a gridlocked and idle Congress acts.
With Democratic and Republican lawmakers at an impasse, mainly over the estimated $353 billion needed to continue providing enhanced subsidies for roughly 24 million people insured under the ACA, also known as Obamacare, the federal government shut down on Oct. 1. Both sides have dug in, with Republicans saying Senate Democrats must vote to reopen the government before they’re willing to negotiate on the ACA’s costs.
If Congress does manage to strike a deal in the coming days or weeks to extend subsidies, the prices and types of plans available on the online marketplaces could change dramatically, bringing unprecedented uncertainty and upheaval to this year’s open enrollment period, which begins in most states on Nov. 1.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Exchange customers in Maryland can expect to pay, on average, about 35% more next year.</blockquote></figure>
Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, the state-run marketplace, is gaming out strategies should that happen, including the possibility of pausing enrollment so her 200-person team can update the plans to reflect any changes, should Congress extend the ACA subsidies.
“We will do whatever it takes to make sure we can provide Marylanders with the most affordable health coverage,” Eberle said. “The mechanics of how that gets done, we don’t really know until we figure out what Congress might do.”
“I think everyone realizes that, depending on what happens, we just can’t flip a switch overnight,” she added.
Exchange customers in Maryland can expect to pay, on average, about 35% more next year, even with help from the state, which agreed to offer backup subsidies should the federal government’s discounts dry up. Eberle said notices of premium hikes — which assumed the federal subsidies would expire — had already been sent to customers. One middle-income family of four in the state, for example, will see their monthly premiums increase from $916 to $1,427.
People in most states still use healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace, to enroll in coverage. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the federal exchange, declined to answer questions about how quickly the agency could pivot on any changes Congress may make after sign-ups start.
“CMS does not speculate on potential Congressional action,” Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said in an email.
Like other states that run their own ACA exchanges, California has sent letters to policyholders with information about their 2026 coverage, with costs calculated under the assumption that the subsidies would expire.
But the California exchange team, too, devised backup plans to contact policyholders and revamp its online marketplace if Congress acts before year’s end.
“At no point is it too late,” said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California, the state’s exchange. “We are ready to move any mountain we can possibly move to make any changes as quickly as we possibly can.”
It could take about a week to reprogram the site to reflect prices that factor in subsidies at their current level, Altman said.
States may also have to update premiums themselves to reflect new rates. Most insurers submitted two sets of premium rates to states this year in case Congress agreed to extend the subsidies.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>If a subsidy deal is reached, insurers could lower the premiums.</blockquote></figure>
Right now, many shoppers are seeing the set of higher rates that insurers plan to charge if the subsidies expire.
Insurers say it is necessary to raise premiums without the subsidies because they anticipate healthier, younger people will drop coverage rather than pay more. That would leave insurers with a sicker, older pool of people to cover.
If a subsidy deal is reached, insurers could lower the premiums.
The complications don’t end there.
If Congress passes a subsidy deal after customers have started picking plans, people who see the new prices might want to reconsider their options. Enrollees may change plans as long as enrollment is open, through Jan. 15 in most states.
Dozens of insurers offer ACA plans across the country. Those plans range widely in the doctors or medications they cover, as well as how much customers contribute in copays, the fees owed for medical services, and deductibles, the out-of-pocket amount paid before insurers pitch in.
Some people might be willing to pay a higher monthly premium in exchange for a lower deductible. Others, especially those who don’t expect to incur major medical bills, might risk a higher deductible to keep monthly premium payments lower.
In Virginia, some customers are being presented with strikingly high deductibles for next year, said Deepak Madala, the director of Enroll Virginia, which assists people with signing up for coverage.
He said he’s helping one family in Virginia Beach facing a jump in premium costs from $70 to about $280 a month.
To buy a plan with a similar premium, the family, with a household income of about $60,000, would need to look at coverage that carries a deductible of $20,000 or more, he said. Right now, their deductible is $800.
With premiums and deductibles that high, some customers might rethink coverage entirely, he said.
They’re deciding whether “to go without or switch to a plan with a very high deductible,” Madala said.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>About a third of customers are expected to drop coverage.</blockquote></figure>
Pennsylvania’s state-based exchange, which last week started sending out notices detailing 2026 rates, estimates a 102% increase in premiums for its roughly 500,000 customers. About a third of customers are expected to drop coverage, said Devon Trolley, executive director of the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority.
The timing of any subsidy deal reached by Congress is most precarious, though, for the roughly 135,000 Idahoans enrolled in ACA coverage.
That’s because their state opened enrollment on Oct. 15, weeks before the rest of the country — and it will end earlier, on Dec. 15.
With ACA enrollees facing average increases of 75% for coverage costs, about 20% are expected to drop out of the marketplace, said Pat Kelly, executive director of Your Health Idaho, the state exchange.
Idaho is prepared to revamp its website if anything changes on the subsidies — a process that could take days — and has “notices ready to go” to inform policyholders of additional savings, Kelly said.
“We would work to do it as quickly as possible, and make sure it is done right,” he said, adding that factors such as the day of the week or proximity to the Thanksgiving holiday could lengthen the process.
If Congress waited to act until the federal subsidies expire on Dec. 31 — the date Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has repeatedly raised as the deadline for a deal — it would be too late for people in Idaho.
“We would run out of open enrollment, and there would not be enough time to make changes,” Kelly said of any congressional deals reached after mid-December.<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank"></a>
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/how-are-states-prepping-for-a-last-second-obamacare-deal/">How Are States Prepping for a Last-Second Obamacare Deal?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>The Pentagon Drafts a New Legion of Propagandists</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-pentagon-drafts-a-new-legion-of-propagandists/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pentagon-drafts-a-new-legion-of-propagandists</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ari Paul / FAIR ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:47:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Column]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[department of war]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[freedom of the press]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[pentagon]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[pete hegseth]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[press corps]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312818</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After most journalists refused to sign the new terms of the Pentagon Press Corps, all that's left are fringe rightwing media outlets.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-pentagon-drafts-a-new-legion-of-propagandists/">The Pentagon Drafts a New Legion of Propagandists</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
When the Pentagon announced that reporters would only be credentialed if they pledged not to report on documents not expressly released by official press handlers, free press advocates, including <a href="https://fair.org/home/trump-turns-pentagon-into-department-of-war-on-first-amendment/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">FAIR</a>, denounced the directive as an assault on the First Amendment.
The impact of this rule cannot be understated — any reporter agreeing to such terms is essentially a deputized public relations lackey.
Many journalists, thankfully, displayed solidarity with one another and the idea of a free press when they resisted the state’s new censorship efforts. “Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon … rather than agree to government-imposed <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-journalists-new-restrictions-hegseth-b9e70801f7d7930251a0740e7168f775" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">restrictions on their work</a>,” reported the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-press-access-hegseth-trump-restrictions-5d9c2a63e4e03b91fc1546bb09ffbf12" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>.
CNN’s Brian Stelter <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/15/media/pentagon-press-hegseth-restrictions-journalists-fox" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">reported</a>:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
A flyer with the message “Journalism is not a crime” appeared Tuesday on the wall outside the “correspondents’ corridor” where journalists operate at the Pentagon. It was a silent protest of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new policy that severely restricts press access.
</blockquote>
The policy criminalizes routine reporting, according to media lawyers and advocates, so news outlets are refusing to abide by it. Instead, they are giving up their access to the building, while vowing to continue thoroughly covering Hegseth and the military from outside the Pentagon’s five walls.
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-news-outlets-reject-pentagon-press-access-policy-2025-10-14/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">noted</a> that it and at least 30 other outlets refused to sign the pledge, citing the others:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Associated Press, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CNN, Fox News, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, Axios, Politico, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Hill, Newsmax, Breaking Defense and Task & Purpose.
</blockquote>
Good on these outlets for showing some spine against an administration for whom <a href="https://fair.org/home/how-trump-will-seek-revenge-on-the-press/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">anti-media bellicosity</a> has been a central feature of its authoritarian impulse. It’s a sign that perhaps at least some of them can toughen up against the administration’s threats against democratic and constitutional order. Even some outlets on the right — Murdoch properties Fox News and Wall Street Journal, and Christopher Ruddy’s Newsmax — declined to be part of Hegseth’s captive news corps.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘The new Pentagon press corps’</h3>
However, the Pentagon is touting the success of its draconian order. “Today, the Department of War is announcing the next generation of the Pentagon press corps,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell <a href="https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/1981048206923329719" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">announced</a> on X:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Over 60 journalists, representing a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists, have signed the Pentagon’s media access policy and will be joining the new Pentagon press corps ….
New media outlets and independent journalists have created the formula to circumvent the lies of the mainstream media and get real news directly to the American people. Their reach and impact collectively are far more effective and balanced than the self-righteous media who chose to self-deport from the Pentagon. Americans have largely abandoned digesting their news through the lens of activists who masquerade as journalists in the mainstream media. We look forward to beginning a fresh relationship with members of the new Pentagon press corps.
</blockquote>
In fact, this “broad spectrum” of outlets represents the fringes of the right, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/business/media/pentagon-press-reporters.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwY2xjawNnGh5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHoiuiouNHw6gzkq6zOKuCgbJhYbvYPsF6QZM7iUkOMKDHhFjj3VPVeYjvkT5_aem_YQOmPpX_5CqGmzHoJw1VOw" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">reported, including</a> One America Network, Epoch Times, Gateway Pundit, Human Events, LindellTV, Frontlines and the National Pulse.
These outlets are old and new. <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/164396/human-events-trump-ronald-reagan-magazine-maga" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Human Events</a> shaped its worldview in early Cold War nationalism. Frontlines is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnZT7Gz_VSN5Op7sa7-MdWxG_Xra6fVsg" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">project</a> of the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/04/mike-lindell-mypillow-tv" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">LindellTV</a> is the brainchild of MyPillow CEO and 2020 election denialist <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2mnyj0ev2o" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Mike Lindell</a>.
The Times quoted LindellTV bragging about its elevation into the halls of power in twisted, Orwellian speak: “We are officially part of the new Pentagon press corps, this is a major win for free speech and real journalism.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Conspiracy outlet InfoWars … is also reportedly in the revamped press pool.</blockquote></figure>
The Gateway Pundit blog has been around since 2004, long enough to have pushed <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/03/10/a-conspiracy-site-with-white-house-press-credentials-revives-a-debunked-birther-story/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">birther conspiracy theories</a> before it promoted <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246998565/gateway-pundit-bankruptcy-defamation" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">2020 stolen election theories</a>. National Pulse (slogan: “Radically independent”) is more recent, founded and edited by a <a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/raheem-kassam" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">former chief adviser</a> to British far-right leader Nigel Farage.
One America Network, which FAIR founder Jeff Cohen observed “makes Fox News sound like Democracy Now!,” was founded in 2013 <a href="https://fair.org/home/att-and-oan-not-so-strange-bedfellows/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">so that AT&T</a> could add a second right-wing network to its DirecTV platform. <a href="https://fair.org/home/for-us-corporate-media-not-intervening-in-chinese-politics-is-journalistically-suspect/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Epoch Times</a> is affiliated with China’s Falun Gong movement and comes to its Trumpy politics through Chinese anti-communism.
Conspiracy outlet InfoWars — famous <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-supreme-court-rejects-alex-jones-challenge-14-billion-defamation-judgment-2025-10-14/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">for losing</a> a $1.4 billion defamation judgment for falsely stating the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was faked, as well as something about chemicals <a href="https://www.infowars.com/posts/tucker-alex-jones-vindicated-on-gay-frog-claims" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">turning frogs gay </a>— is also reportedly in the revamped press pool. “Breanna Morello is responsible for covering the Pentagon on behalf of Infowars and will do so from outside of DC,” the Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5570622-pentagon-revamped-press-corps/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">reported</a>.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">‘Maximum lethality’</h3>
This new directive didn’t come about in a vacuum; the Pentagon is closing its doors to the press, and by extension the rest of the public, at a time of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-caribbean-military-venezuela-timeline-2dd9d16f4f74d9dfa4aca76d3123678d" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">ramping up violence</a> off the coasts of South America and elsewhere. Hegseth couldn’t have been clearer in his recent <a href="https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4318689/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-addresses-general-and-flag-officers-at-quantico-v/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">speech</a> to the military’s top officers when he said the Pentagon’s only mission was “warfighting, preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit,” highlighting a focus on “common sense, maximum lethality and authority for warfighters.”
President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>, despite <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/17/politics/fact-check-trump-president-end-war" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">his claims</a> of ending wars, is certainly acting like he wants more war in the future, a crucial development for the public. “Trump beats the drums of war for direct action in Venezuela,” rang a headline in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/22/venezuela-trump-maduro-war-narcotics/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, with the subhead:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
The administration has surged warships, planes and troops to the Caribbean for drug interdiction. Some see the ultimate goal as toppling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
</blockquote>
The Trump administration has already carried out attacks <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/22/iran-nuclear-midnight-hammer-bunker-buster" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">on Iran</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clywg335680o" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Yemen</a>. And the administration “continues to expand troop deployments to U.S. cities, escalating a campaign to assert military power at home <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-06/troops-in-us-cities-how-trump-s-deployments-test-his-powers" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">with little precedent</a> in U.S. history.”
The Economist <a href="https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/10/23/donald-trump-has-turned-the-war-on-drugs-into-a-real-war" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">warned</a> that the Trump administration, which has invoked cartel violence <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/trumps-war-drug-cartels-interdiction-caribbean-or-invasion-venezuela" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">to justify</a> the president’s lethal hostility toward Venezuela, was turning the war on drugs into a full-scale, international military campaign with little restraint. The magazine said:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Past presidents have also stretched their powers to wage wars and even to start them. Indeed, Mr. Trump is gesturing at precedents they set. But “this administration is going further, and going further with less public, detailed defense of what they’re doing,” says Peter Feaver, a political scientist at Duke University. “I think the biggest difference is that Congress is not holding this administration to account in the way that they did even to Trump 1.0, let alone to <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a> and to Bush.”
Just because Mr. Trump has labeled some migrants and even leftist opponents as “terrorists” does not mean he will use the armed forces against them. But right now, it’s not clear what, besides his own inclinations, might prevent him.
</blockquote>
This new loyalty pledge has now chipped away at another restraint: the press. It is true, as many FAIR readers know, that the Pentagon has <a href="https://fair.org/extra/how-television-sold-the-panama-invasion/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">sold wars</a> to <a href="https://fair.org/uncategorized/media-on-the-march/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">the public</a> through the <a href="https://fair.org/uncategorized/legitimate-targets/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">establishment</a> <a href="https://fair.org/take-action/media-advisories/iraq-and-the-media/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">media</a> without these draconian credentialing pledges. However, what we are likely to see now is an army of meme-obsessed MAGA sycophants posing as independent journalists obediently copy-and-pasting Pentagon press releases into articles, selling an imperialist agenda to the president’s right-wing, nationalist base. That’s chilling news for those of us living here, and for any country that might sit in the crosshairs of the Trump administration’s imperial ambitions.
There is some hope that military reporters will continue to do their jobs and receive information from the inside via channels that exist outside the actual walls of the Pentagon. Atlantic correspondent Nancy Youseff, one of the recently departed from the official pool, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/archive/2025/10/pentagon-press-corps-hegseth/684570/?utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_content=edit-promo" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">said</a> “mid-level troops have been reaching out to me, unsolicited, and promising that they would keep providing journalists with information” in order to “uphold the values embedded in the Constitution.”
If legacy publications are truly horrified by these developments, they will get more creative in their methods of reporting when it comes to the Pentagon’s advances. That can result in more critical and less obedient coverage of the war machine, which would be a good thing, for once.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-pentagon-drafts-a-new-legion-of-propagandists/">The Pentagon Drafts a New Legion of Propagandists</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Yes, We Are in a Constitutional Crisis and on the Verge of Democratic Collapse</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/yes-we-are-in-a-constitutional-crisis-and-on-the-verge-of-democratic-collapse/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=yes-we-are-in-a-constitutional-crisis-and-on-the-verge-of-democratic-collapse</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Bill Blum]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:00:38 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Column]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[birthright citizenship]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[constitutional crisis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[donald trump]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[national guard]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312783</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Donald Trump has cracked the foundations of a system that was never as strong or exceptional as its hagiographers claimed.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/yes-we-are-in-a-constitutional-crisis-and-on-the-verge-of-democratic-collapse/">Yes, We Are in a Constitutional Crisis and on the Verge of Democratic Collapse</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/24/white-house-demolition-east-wing-trump-ballroom" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">demolition of the East Wing of the White House</a> isn’t just an architectural abomination; it’s symbolic of the wrecking ball he’s taken to the Constitution. Driven by his unbounded megalomania and supported by the high-tech oligarchy and a Cabinet of fawning sycophants, the 79-year-old president has precipitated a constitutional crisis and set the nation on the road to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5372334/harvard-professor-offers-a-grim-assessment-of-american-democracy-under-trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">authoritarianism</a> and <a href="https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/the-end-of-us-democracy-and-what-this-means-for-international-relations" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">democratic collapse</a>.
Since resuming his seat behind the Resolute Desk, Trump has issued more than 360 <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Trump%27s_executive_orders_and_actions,_2025#Executive_orders_issued_by_Trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">executive orders</a>, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Trump%27s_executive_orders_and_actions,_2025#Memoranda_issued_by_Trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">presidential memoranda</a> and <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Trump%27s_executive_orders_and_actions,_2025#Proclamations_issued_by_Trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">presidential proclamations</a>, effectively replacing the system of checks and balances and separation of powers that forms the backbone of the Constitution with <a href="https://tanner.utah.edu/news/ruth-ben-ghiat/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">strongman-style rule</a>. Among his most notorious decrees are those that:
<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>end federal <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-and-wasteful-government-dei-programs-and-preferencing/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs</a>;</li>
<li>roll back <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/unleashing-american-energy/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">environmental protections</a>, encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters, and eliminate electric vehicle mandates;</li>
<li>impose sanctions on <a href="https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/article/trumps-executive-orders-against-law-firms/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">liberal law firms</a> and <a href="https://www.naicu.edu/policy-advocacy/advocacy-resources/fact-sheet-executive-orders-affecting-higher-education/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">elite universities</a>; </li>
<li>would <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/preserving-and-protecting-the-integrity-of-american-elections/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">restrict</a> mail-in voting and impose national voter ID requirements;</li>
<li>empower the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Department of Government Efficiency </a>to reduce the size of the federal workforce and dismantle the administrative state; </li>
<li>authorize <a href="https://cmsny.org/publications/essential-but-ignored-low-earning-immigrant-healthcare-workers-and-their-role-in-the-health-of-new-york-city/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">mass deportations</a> and expedite removal proceedings to secure the borders and protect the nation from a claimed “invasion;” </li>
<li>seek to <a href="https://progressive.org/latest/present-but-not-protected-watkins-20250618/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">end birthright citizenship</a> by reinterpreting the citizenship clause of the 14th Amendment</li>
<li>designate <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">antifa</a> as a domestic terrorism organization; </li>
<li>create a “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Joint National Terrorism Task Force</a>” to “investigate, prosecute, and disrupt” the work of “entities and individuals” who sponsor, fund or “otherwise aid and abet” acts of “political violence,” including alleged attacks on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/immigration-and-customs-enforcement/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="20" title="immigration and customs enforcement">Immigration and Customs Enforcement</a> facilities and “anti-police and ‘criminal justice’ riots;” </li>
<li><a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/department-of-defense-security-for-the-protection-of-department-of-homeland-security-functions/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">federalize the National Guard</a> and dispatch troops to American cities;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/new-data-show-trump-administrations-illegal-targeted-withholding-of-funds" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">impound congressionally authorized funds</a> for foreign aid and medical research; </li>
<li>levy <a href="https://ustr.gov/trade-topics/presidential-tariff-actions" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">tariffs</a> on imported goods without congressional approval; and</li>
<li>authorize Trump to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/ensuring-accountability-for-all-agencies/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">fire members of independent federal agencies</a> without cause under the auspices of the “unitary executive theory,” which <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=943046" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">posits</a> that all executive power is concentrated in the person of the president.</li>
</ul>
Trump has also openly <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/trump-third-term.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">teased about running for a third term</a> in contravention of the 22nd Amendment; <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/list-individuals-including-lisa-cook-targeted-trump-administration/story?id=124968309" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">secured three indictments</a> and counting against his political critics; launched a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/24/us-military-strike-alleged-drug-boat-caribbean" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">lethal air campaign</a> against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific without congressional authorization and in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/politics/white-house-boats-law.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">arguable violation of international law</a>; and demanded that the Justice Department hand him <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/politics/trump-justice-department-compensation.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">$230 million</a> to compensate for the federal investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and for <a href="https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/873052e810ffe3d8/eb43fcf4-full.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">prosecuting him in the Mar-a-Lago documents case</a>.
Confronted with this wreckage, most legal scholars now believe we have crossed the Rubicon. “We are in the midst of a constitutional crisis right now,” Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky told The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/politics/trump-constitutional-crisis.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">New York Times</a> last February after Trump’s initial spate of executive orders. “There have been so many unconstitutional and illegal actions in the first 18 days of the Trump presidency. We never have seen anything like this.”
Although there is no universally accepted definition of a constitutional crisis, Princeton University professor of politics Keith Whittington has <a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/coming-constitutional-crisis" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">written</a> that constitutional crises fall into two general categories: operational crises, which occur when vital political disputes can’t be resolved within the existing constitutional framework; and crises of fidelity, which happen when a major political actor no longer feels bound by constitutional norms.
The United States is beset by both calamities at once. As Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman explained <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/09/opinion/trump-impeachment-constitution.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">on the eve</a> of Trump’s first impeachment, Trump’s abiding lawlessness means that “we no longer have just a crisis of the presidency. We also have a breakdown in the fundamental structure of government under the Constitution. That counts as a constitutional crisis.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“We also have a breakdown in the fundamental structure of government under the Constitution.”</blockquote></figure>
In Trump 2.0, the dangers have multiplied, extending from the executive branch to the supine Republican majority in Congress and the Supreme Court. <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/republican-party/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="11" title="republican party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Republican Party</a> has been completely captured by Trump and the MAGA movement, both at the state and national levels. 
The Supreme Court has similarly surrendered the last vestiges of actual judicial independence. All claims to the contrary evaporated last July with the court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity (<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Trump v. United States</a>), authored by Chief Justice John Roberts. The decision not only killed special counsel Jack Smith’s election subversion case against Trump, but it also altered the landscape of constitutional law, endowing presidents with absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken pursuant to their enumerated constitutional powers, such as pardoning federal offenses, and <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">presumptive immunity</a> for all other “official acts” undertaken within the “outer perimeter” of their official duties.
In a scathing dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor blasted her Republican colleagues for inventing “an atextual, ahistorical, and unjustifiable” concept of immunity. “The Constitution’s text contains no provision for immunity from criminal prosecution for former Presidents,” she wrote, citing the famous Watergate tapes decision of <a href="https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep418/usrep418683/usrep418683.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">United States v. Nixon</a>. She concluded in a sad and angry lament, “The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
Trump’s ascent has exposed the inherent weaknesses, loopholes and limitations that have always existed in the imperfect system created by the venerated Founding Fathers, who for all of their failings (<a href="https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-constitution-and-slavery#:~:text=Of%20the%2055%20delegates%20to,members%20of%20anti%2Dslavery%20societies." rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">slaveholding chief among them</a>), tried to erect formal structures to protect the republican form of government they established. Many realized the frailties of the project they undertook. Alexander Hamilton, perhaps the most prescient of the Founders, all but prophesied the rise of a Trump-like demagogue, warning in a letter to George Washington written during of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1792" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">the financial panic of 1792</a>:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
When a man unprincipled in private life, desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper … is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity, he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.’
</blockquote>
Hamilton’s warning isn’t just a curiosity for professional historians to ponder. It’s an announcement of a five-alarm fire in 2025. 
The all-important question is how we fight back. The first step, plainly, is to realize the gravity of the moment. American exceptionalism — the idea that this country is immune from authoritarianism — is a myth. 
The second step is to realize that Trumpism is not just another form of partisan politics. It cannot be countered by lethargic appeals by establishment Democrats to re-embrace the political center.
Winning the fight against Trumpism requires building a new progressive politics guided by energetic leaders like Zohran Mamdani, who can articulate a small “d” democratic vision for the future. And it will require a commitment from each of us to engage for the long haul, and never forget that together we have power, and that alone we have none.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/yes-we-are-in-a-constitutional-crisis-and-on-the-verge-of-democratic-collapse/">Yes, We Are in a Constitutional Crisis and on the Verge of Democratic Collapse</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>In About-Face, USDA Declines to Shuffle Funds to Extend SNAP During Shutdown</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-about-face-usda-declines-to-shuffle-funds-to-extend-snap-during-shutdown/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-about-face-usda-declines-to-shuffle-funds-to-extend-snap-during-shutdown</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-about-face-usda-declines-to-shuffle-funds-to-extend-snap-during-shutdown/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shauneen Miranda Ariana Figueroa / States Newsroom ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:45:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[food stamps]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[government shutdown]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[usda]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312776</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The position is a reversal from the department’s earlier stance, which pledged to use contingency funds to cover the program short term.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-about-face-usda-declines-to-shuffle-funds-to-extend-snap-during-shutdown/">In About-Face, USDA Declines to Shuffle Funds to Extend SNAP During Shutdown</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26196837-usda-memo-102425/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">a memo</a> Friday the agency’s contingency fund cannot legally be used to provide food assistance benefits for more than 42 million people in November, as the government shutdown drags on.
The position is a reversal from the department’s earlier stance, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26196921-fy2026-usda-lapse-plan-sept30/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">a since-deleted copy</a> of the USDA’s Sept. 30 shutdown plan that said the department would use its multiyear contingency fund to continue paying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits during the ongoing shutdown. 
SNAP has about $6 billion in the contingency fund — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program, putting November benefits in jeopardy. 
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>SNAP has about $6 billion in the contingency fund.</blockquote></figure>
<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/pay-trump-and-congress-continues-shutdown-unless-they-ask-it-be-held" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Because of a stalemate</a> in Congress over a stopgap spending bill, the government shut down on Oct. 1 without new SNAP funding appropriated.
The memo, which was first <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/gov-shutdown-snap-payments-emergency-funds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">reported by Axios</a> on Friday, said states would not be reimbursed if they use their own funds to provide benefits.
“There is no provision or allowance under current law for States to cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed,” the memo says, while also noting that “the best way for SNAP to continue is for the shutdown to end.”
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Discrepancy with shutdown plan</h3>
The memo also says the contingency fund is meant for natural disasters and similar emergencies, not for a lack of appropriations.
But the USDA’s Sept. 30 contingency plan contradicts that, appearing to greenlight the use of the contingency fund to bridge a lapse in funding.
“Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown,” according to the plan. “These multi-year contingency funds are also available to fund participant benefits in the event that a lapse occurs in the middle of the fiscal year.”
The USDA’s contingency plan is no longer online, but is accessible through an internet archive.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The USDA’s contingency plan is no longer online.</blockquote></figure>
After providing States Newsroom with the memo Friday afternoon, the USDA did not immediately respond to a follow-up inquiry about the discrepancy between Friday’s memo and its contingency plan.
In the memo, the USDA said transferring money to SNAP from other sources “would pull away funding for school meals and infant formula.” 
The agency said it has <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/nutrition-program-women-infants-and-children-stay-afloat-through-end-month" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">shuffled funds from other sources to cover</a> several nutrition programs during the shutdown, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, as well as the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Dems call on Rollins to tap into fund</h3>
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said last week that because of the ongoing shutdown the government would not have enough funds to deliver November <a href="https://x.com/SecRollins/status/1978984208975478809" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">SNAP benefits</a>. 
Friday morning, U.S. House Democrats, like nearly all of their Senate counterparts and the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, urged Rollins to not only use the contingency fund, but to redirect other money as well to cover the $3 billion shortfall. 
“A potential lapse in benefits would be felt by Americans of all ages and affect every corner and congressional district in the country,” according to the letter from more than <a href="https://democrats-agriculture.house.gov/uploadedfiles/251024_-_letter_-_house_dems_to_usda_on_snap_shutdown.pdf?utm_campaign=2270-520" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">200 House Democrats.</a>
In a separate letter <a href="https://www.booker.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_to_release_funding_to_continue_snap_into_novemberp.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">sent</a> to Rollins on Wednesday, 46 Senate Democrats voiced concerns that the USDA told states to stop processing SNAP payments for November. 
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“A potential lapse in benefits would be felt by Americans of all ages.”</blockquote></figure>
“We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks,’” according to the letter. “In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.” 
The chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, also urged Rollins in a <a href="https://www.collins.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/102325mainesnaplettercollins.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Thursday letter</a> to “consider all available options in accordance with federal law to ensure that this vital nutrition assistance continues, including the use of contingency funds and looking at the viability of partial payments or any transfer authority you may have.”
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Benefits could be slow even if a deal reached</h3>
States have been told by the agency to hold off on submitting SNAP benefit requests to for federal approval. Food banks and <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/rhode-island-food-pantries-slammed-snap-beneficiaries-brace-funding-run-dry" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">pantries</a> are already bracing for the increased need, including <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/food-banks-prepare-lapse-snap-funding-unprecedented-need-due-government-shutdown" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">in Iowa</a>, where more than 270,000 residents rely on SNAP each month.
Even if Congress immediately reached a deal to end the shutdown, the time needed to process the payments and make them available for recipients would likely delay the distribution of SNAP benefits, and state officials have warned recipients of that possibility.
In West Virginia, <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/im-very-scared-snap-benefits-delay-worries-wv-elderly-who-use-it-feed-themselves-grandkids" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">officials said delays are expected</a> and advised residents to seek assistance at local food pantries. Roughly 1 in 6 West Virginia residents rely on SNAP each month. 
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Legal requirement cited</h3>
Sharon Parrott, a White House Office of Management and Budget official during the Obama administration who now leads a left-leaning think tank, <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/press/statements/trump-administration-is-legally-required-to-provide-snap-in-shutdown-contrary-to" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">said in a Thursday statement</a> that the USDA is legally required to use its SNAP contingency funds.
Parrott, the president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said the multiyear contingency fund is “billions of dollars that Congress provided for use when SNAP funding is inadequate that remain available during the shutdown — to fund November benefits for the 1 in 8 Americans who need SNAP to afford their grocery bill.”
Parrott said the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration could use its legal transfer authority, just as it did with WIC funding, to “supplement the contingency reserves, which by themselves are not enough to fund families’ full benefits.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-about-face-usda-declines-to-shuffle-funds-to-extend-snap-during-shutdown/">In About-Face, USDA Declines to Shuffle Funds to Extend SNAP During Shutdown</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>US Deploys Aircraft Carrier to the Caribbean</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/us-deploys-aircraft-carrier-to-the-caribbean/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=us-deploys-aircraft-carrier-to-the-caribbean</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Devin B. Martinez / Peoples Dispatch ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:32:40 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Americas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[colombia]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[extrajudicial killings]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gustavo Petro]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nicolas maduro]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[venezuela]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[As U.S. warships inch toward Colombia and Venezuela, Petro denounces Trump’s airstrikes as 'extrajudicial executions.'
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/us-deploys-aircraft-carrier-to-the-caribbean/">US Deploys Aircraft Carrier to the Caribbean</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
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As the United States continues to escalate threats and military pressure against Venezuela and now Colombia as well, on Oct. 14 “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth announced the <a href="https://news.usni.org/2025/10/24/hegseth-orders-uss-gerald-r-ford-to-u-s-southern-command" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">deployment of the aircraft carrier</a> USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean. The most capable and lethal strike platform in the world adds to the already massive military buildup in the Caribbean of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/politics/caribbean-sea-boat-strike-us-venezuela.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">10,000 U.S. troops</a>, at least <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/us-fighter-jets-live-fire-drills-venezuela-tensions-10838195" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">eight warships</a>, P-8 surveillance planes and F-35 jets deployed amid the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration’s alleged counter-narcotics operations. U.S. troops are also reportedly <a href="https://x.com/disclosetv/status/1981740723679486098?s=46&t=gkcdVtxRtvHViIGNpZgyhQ" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">deploying to Trinidad and Tobago</a>, mere miles from Venezuela, for five days of coordinated “military exercises.”
“It’s past time for Maduro to go. Keep it up, President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a>,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham in <a href="https://x.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1981484384864596162" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">an X post</a> on Oct. 24.
Venezuela is “a candidate for decisive military action on land, sea, or air” because it has for years been “a safe haven for drug cartels poisoning America,” Graham added.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>At least 43 people have been extrajudicially executed in a total of 10 boat bombings since September.</blockquote></figure>
During a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/president-trump-makes-an-announcement-oct-23-2025/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">White House address on Oct. 23</a>, President Donald Trump said, “Now they’re coming in by land. … I told them the land is gonna be next.”
“It’s very hard to find any floating vessel right now. In the Pacific or in the Gulf,” Trump added.
Acknowledging the escalation that a land invasion would represent, Trump said, “We may go to the Congress and tell them about it, but I can’t imagine they’ll have any problem with it.”
On Oct. 21 and 22, the U.S. military also expanded maritime operations to Colombia’s Pacific coast, striking two boats near the South American country. The attacks marked the eighth and ninth such vessels blown up by the U.S., allegedly targeting drugs, but the first beyond the Caribbean Sea. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called these attacks “murders” and violations of the country’s sovereignty.
At least 43 people have been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/un-experts-say-us-strikes-against-venezuela-international-waters-amount-2025-10-21/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">extrajudicially executed</a> in a total of ten boat bombings <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/09/the-caribbean-on-a-knifes-edge-trumps-military-buildup-threatens-venezuela/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">since September.</a>
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Petro defies Trump</h3>
Petro has been one of the most outspoken defenders of Venezuela amid the latest bout of American aggression, condemning the U.S. military attacks in the region. At the <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/25/humanity-must-stop-the-genocide-in-gaza-petros-radical-speech-at-the-un-general-assembly/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">United Nations General Assembly in September</a>, Petro said the passengers on the boats were not narco traffickers but rather “poor young people from Latin America.” He went as far as to call for investigations of the U.S. president:
“Criminal proceedings must be opened against those officials, who are from the U.S., even if it includes the highest-ranking official who gave the order: President Trump.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“What they want is Venezuela’s oil.”</blockquote></figure>
Friction was already present then, especially <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/09/29/following-visa-revocation-colombias-petro-joins-calls-to-move-un-hq/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">after the U.S. revoked the Colombian president’s visa</a> over his remarks at the General Assembly. Yet the tension sharply escalated in recent days. At a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Cb0MHqaQ8" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">news conference earlier this month</a>, Petro declared, “Oil greed is behind the strategy that is firing missiles at fishermen.”
The Colombian leader asserted that the U.S. aggression in the Caribbean and against Venezuela has nothing to do with fentanyl or drugs.
“What they want is Venezuela’s oil.”
To that end, the leftist president claimed, the U.S. is conducting “extrajudicial executions” in the Caribbean in violation of international law. He also made a <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/1979700160608206983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1979700160608206983%7Ctwgr%5Eb1624a3a23b81902363b07e6095279f1ee6d500a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fdid-u-just-kill-random-133021257.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">post on X</a>, directly implicating the White House in the killing of a Colombian fisherman in a missile strike in mid-September.
“U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters,” Petro wrote.
Petro said that fisherman Alejandro Carranza “had no ties to the drug trade” and emphasized that the small Colombian vessel had experienced an engine failure and “had its distress signal up,” seeking help when it was targeted by the U.S.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Trump unleashes threats on Colombia, and bombs off its coast</h3>
Petro’s comments aggravated Trump, who took to his Truth Social platform Sunday to call the Colombian president an <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/did-u-just-kill-random-133021257.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“illegal drug leader.”</a> 
In an apparent threat of direct military confrontation, Trump said Petro “better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”
In response to Trump’s threats, Colombia <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/20/colombia-recalls-ambassador-to-united-states-amid-diplomatic-spat" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">recalled its ambassador to the U.S.</a> and asserted that Colombian troops would <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/us-colombia-tensions-surge-presidents-032211354.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">not support a potential military intervention</a> in Venezuela.
“What Colombian would help invade where their own family lives, only to see them killed like in Gaza?” Petro said.
The diplomatic row continued through the week, with Trump announcing on Wednesday that all funds to Colombia had been cut and threatening higher tariffs.
“What happens if they take away aid? In my opinion, nothing,” Petro <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/23/colombias-gustavo-petro-dismisses-threatened-us-aid-cuts-as-nothing" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">said at a news conference</a> on Thursday. Confident in his country’s ability to mitigate the effects of tariffs, he claimed that Trump is unlikely to raise tariffs on oil and coal because of the potential consequences. Since these industries represent 60% of Colombia’s exports to the U.S., the majority of their trade is relatively safe, while alternative markets exist for other industries that may be more vulnerable.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Petro says 17,000 cocaine factories have been destroyed under his government.</blockquote></figure>
Trump also doubled down on his characterization of the Colombian president as a drug leader, as well as his threats of military confrontation.
“They’re doing very poorly, Colombia. They make cocaine. They have cocaine factories. … He better watch it or we’ll take serious action against him and his country,” Trump said.
On Oct. 24, Treasury Secretary <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0292" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Scott Bessent announced</a> sanctions against Petro and members of his family, alleging “cocaine production in Colombia has exploded to the highest rate in decades, flooding the United States and poisoning Americans.” Bessent insisted that “President Petro has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”
In response, Petro declared that he would take action <a href="https://x.com/UltimaHoraCR/status/1981121629074636875" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">in U.S. courts</a> against Trump’s accusations.
“I will defend myself judicially with American lawyers in the American justice system” from the “slanders” by high-ranking officials, said the leftist leader.
While Washington decertified Colombia’s efforts to combat drug trafficking in September, claiming that the country is not doing enough to counter the narcotics trade, Petro <a href="https://x.com/petrogustavo/status/1981163853666013394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1981163853666013394%7Ctwgr%5E15974ac8a1578caea04f7b059d35b09f9416f1af%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2025%2F10%2F23%2Fus-colombia-tensions-surge-as-presidents-trump-petro-trade-threats" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">says</a> 17,000 cocaine factories have been destroyed under his government.
He has also pointed out that drug trafficking is <a href="https://mazo4f.com/en/colombian-president-petro-warned-that-ecuador-is-becoming-the-new-platform-for-the-export-of-cocaine" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">concentrated in Ecuador</a>. “It already seems that most of the export of cocaine through the Pacific is being made from the ports of Ecuador” turning it into the “largest cocaine export platform in the region.”
Amid the threats and accusations from the White House against Petro and his country, the U.S. military targeted two small boats off the coast of Colombia last week.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Attempts to bolster the Colombian far-right ahead of elections</h3>
Petro also alleged that Trump’s military and diplomatic pressure against Colombia aims to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Cb0MHqaQ8" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">boost far-right forces in the country</a> ahead of elections.
Colombia’s presidential election is scheduled for May 31, 2026, and legislative elections will be held in March.
Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, was elected in 2022. Since Colombia’s constitution doesn’t allow consecutive terms, Petro will be leaving office next year. While his administration pursued major reforms in labor, social welfare and foreign policy, many of those reforms have struggled in a divided Congress and a deeply polarized country.
In this context, the nation’s next president could have a major impact on whether Petro’s agenda and direction for the country continues, is slowed, or totally reversed.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, was elected in 2022.</blockquote></figure>
Leading up to the elections, voters are undoubtedly paying close attention to how well this administration manages diplomatic crises, economic policy and security. At such a critical time, threats, condemnations and mischaracterizations from the U.S. could feed opposition narratives about a leftist government being incompetent, “soft” on security or uncooperative with counter-narcotics and the U.S. military. Cuts in aid also represent a form of pressure, reducing the state’s capacity and even security in some cases, opening opportunities for the far right.
On the other hand, Washington’s aggression also risks provoking deeper unity in the country behind the leftist, sovereigntist direction. As Petro frames the U.S. missile strikes as “violations of sovereignty” while the U.S. continues to threaten confrontation or invasion, an anti-imperialist sentiment could quickly grow among his base.
At a critical moment for Colombia, Petro has argued that the purported drug-trafficking operations are instead a political tactic that aims to tip the scales internally in favor of U.S. interests.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Regional solidarity with Colombia and Venezuela </h3>
The solidarity between Colombia and Venezuela has taken center stage as both countries find themselves under increasing pressure from the U.S. But there is a wave of solidarity growing across Latin America and the Caribbean and <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2025/10/17/china-condemns-us-airstrikes-in-caribbean-backs-venezuelan-sovereignty/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">the rest of the world</a> amidst the escalating aggression.
“The U.S. president has unleashed a series of lies and falsehoods aimed at linking President Petro and his government to illicit drug production,” the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America proclaimed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQDB1mdj02R/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">in a statement</a> on Oct. 21.
The U.S. is launching “threats of military action and unilateral coercive measures that constitute a flagrant violation of Colombia’s national sovereignty,” the regional forum declared.
On Oct. 22, Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced that Colombia has the <a href="https://english.news.cn/20251022/319d1863dc1340aca7a819bf6106bdaf/c.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">full support of his country’s armed forces</a>.
“Anyone who refuses to kneel before U.S. imperialism risks being called a narco trafficker,” he said. The insult “offends not only [Petro] but also the Colombian people.”
In a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peoplesdispatch/reel/DQIKn6XgJEt/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">televised address</a>, Venezuelan President Nicólas Maduro said, “Colombia knows that we are one. … If they touch Venezuela they touch Colombia, we are one homeland of the heart.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/us-deploys-aircraft-carrier-to-the-caribbean/">US Deploys Aircraft Carrier to the Caribbean</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Sometimes a Wrecking Ball Is Just a Wrecking Ball</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/sometimes-a-wrecking-ball-is-just-a-wrecking-ball/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sometimes-a-wrecking-ball-is-just-a-wrecking-ball</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeb Lund]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:23:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[donald trump]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[white house]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The White House ballroom under construction is a monument to Trumpism that needs no guide.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/sometimes-a-wrecking-ball-is-just-a-wrecking-ball/">Sometimes a Wrecking Ball Is Just a Wrecking Ball</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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Smart people have trouble with stupid things. When confronted with something irreducibly simple, cleverer minds often reject the premise and construct a more convoluted rationale, as if reality needed sprucing up to deserve their attention. At airier epistemic altitudes, this is how you get a generation of research that says, “The best way to help people is to give them money,” and a politics and press that respond with, “That can’t be right.” At street level, this is how you get a president who commits crimes saying, “I intend to commit this crime,” and a protected media class inventing a game of 5D chess to attribute anything but incoming crime to <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>.
Thankfully, though, some things really are what they are on their face. Donald Trump wants money and attention, and above all he wants what he wants, and there are no other impulses at work except revenge against those who deny him something. The insatiable chasm in Donald Trump eats what it will, and this time it devoured the East Wing of the White House and Jackie Kennedy’s garden in service of a Trump ballroom bankrolled by cowards and goons. There are any number of further motives at work, but, as is the case with the rest of his administration and the nation, those all take a back seat to the Big Man.
Donald Trump destroyed it because he wanted to. He is increasingly enfeebled, he’s got blood and skin coiling above his socks like the scarf on Tom Baker’s Doctor Who, he’s sundowning earlier and earlier, and once every few weeks he completely disappears for a while and emerges from a hospital. Could his handlers simply be using Trump’s proposed White House ballroom as pretext to recreate features of Mar-a-Lago, which he is increasingly less able to fly to? Sure, that could be happening. On the other hand, apart from redecorating the Oval Office in Saddam’s Palace chic, the White House does not feature any decor in Donald Trump’s preferred style of late ’80s Sea-Doo dealership owner with a cocaine problem. Donald Trump loves destroying things he has no understanding of and replacing them with tacky shit he can put his name all over.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>There are no other impulses at work except revenge against those who deny him something.</blockquote></figure>
Is it a scheme to collect millions in bribes? Yes. This is the Trump administration; everything is one of those. Could this all be a retributive gesture, a way of spitting at the over 7 million people who showed up last weekend to tell him to go to hell? Almost certainly. The United States is a hostage, and when that many people told Trump they were coming for him, he did the equivalent of when the captor lets the hero see him flick open a switchblade and slice a shallow bloody line down the ingenue’s face. On the other hand, Trump wanted to build this already. Maybe more of the East Wing came down than planned the week before; maybe the schedule accelerated for punitive emphasis, but the project began and was nurtured in his want, the engine of all things.
You can see all this. Anyone can see all this. Trump leveling part of the White House and leaving some of it up on blocks in the yard is a rare and unmediated image done to something that most Americans synonymize with their country. The symbol of the American executive — the symbol for many Americans of America — the metaphor for the function, agency or existence of this nation in every disaster movie, every war film, every terrorism-fueled action plot, every TBS weekend of Movies for Guys Who Like Movies, just got carved up by the same dickhead ruining everything else.
The national political discourse leans fondly on phrases like “saying the quiet part out loud” long past their sell-by date, like when <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/republican-party/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="11" title="republican party" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the GOP</a> made the quiet part the entire platform. “Unforced error” gets a similar level of abuse, attributing messages to the party, like the whole platform, as faulty messages to a congealed Centrist America yearning for bipartisan policy. But of all the unforced errors Trump could have committed, demolishing part of the White House and leaving it gashed and exposed leaves nothing to America’s imagination while violating any number of visions of America in its citizens. It is a national monument to Trumpism that needs no guide.
So much of the Trump tyranny’s destruction relies on the passivity of it. <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/when-nobody-comes-to-fix-the-bridge/">One day, the bridge isn’t rebuilt</a>. One decade of vanished USAID later, and eight figures of African children are dead. The river water doesn’t turn orange all at once; polluted air darkens the skies on a long dimmer switch, if it darkens it at all. The holes in our national security or white-collar policing won’t appear until the rubble is smoking or the billions disappear in a suitcase bound for a non-extradition country. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits expire in November, and those who never saw the people dependent on them will never notice when they aren’t there anymore. We will never have the abominable luxury of seeing the Trump administration put all their victims of hunger in one location, where they can die in the worst place possible, on television.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>It is a national monument to Trumpism that needs no guide.</blockquote></figure>
A hole in the White House is plain and immutable in the way that a protest is not. The New York Times cannot estimate its size as two orders of magnitude smaller than it actually is without everyone noticing. No one can tell you that the East Wing is still there — or most of it — or that it looks good, actually — or that you really wanted a ballroom all along. The media can repeat an administration press release saying it’s only 5 feet wide, but you can just look at it. The news can run with the administration’s framing that they are addressing a critical groundswell of national desire for formal ballrooms, but you know you never thought, “I think someone should level part of the White House without asking,” and you definitely never added, “Because powerful people deserve minuets and mazurkas.”
The sudden gash in the White House, the sudden razing of a portion of it, sends a message more powerful than Trump’s opposition ever could, because he crafted it himself, and actions speak louder than words. It can’t be unsent or drowned out by the next day’s reflexively reversing lie, rolling tape of the demolition in reverse. For those not verging on PTSD from mainlining their social media timeline, or who don’t have the network’s chyron burned into the bottom of their screen from marathoning despair, it asks only a question, maybe the first one like this some people have thought to ask: What if everything he’s done is like this?
It is a simple question and deserves the simple answer. The case for building a better nation belongs to the first people willing to give it.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/sometimes-a-wrecking-ball-is-just-a-wrecking-ball/">Sometimes a Wrecking Ball Is Just a Wrecking Ball</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Corporate Media Use ‘Peace’ Prize to Fuel War Propaganda</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/corporate-media-use-peace-prize-to-fuel-war-propaganda/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=corporate-media-use-peace-prize-to-fuel-war-propaganda</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/corporate-media-use-peace-prize-to-fuel-war-propaganda/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Ricardo Vaz / FAIR ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:50:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Americas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Column]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Social Justice]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[coup]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[hugo chavez]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nicolas maduro]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[nobel peace prize]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[venezuela]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Mainstream outlets have whitewashed María Corina Machado's record to paint her as a beacon of democracy despite her undemocratic past and unsavory alliances.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/corporate-media-use-peace-prize-to-fuel-war-propaganda/">Corporate Media Use ‘Peace’ Prize to Fuel War Propaganda</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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The awarding of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan far-right leader María Corina Machado took nearly everyone by surprise (with the exception of insiders who apparently used advance knowledge <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/nobel-prize-bets-machado-investigation.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">to profit on betting markets</a>).
The Nobel Committee <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2025/press-release/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">justified the award</a> on the basis of Machado’s “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” However, Machado’s <a href="https://sovereignmedia.online/nobel-peace-prize-descends-further-into-farce-with-machado-award/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">track record</a> paints a very <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/opinion/maria-corina-machado-what-the-mainstream-media-isnt-saying-about-her/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">different picture</a>.
Rather than scrutinize the opposition politician’s credentials, the media establishment seized the opportunity to whitewash the most unpeaceful elements in her background in order <a href="https://fair.org/home/nyt-advises-trump-to-kill-more-venezuelans/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">to advance</a> its <a href="https://fair.org/home/guaido-is-gone-but-media-dishonesty-is-here-to-stay/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">cynical</a> pro-regime change <a href="https://fair.org/home/corporate-media-cover-for-us-mob-threats-against-venezuela/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">agenda</a> targeting <a href="https://fair.org/home/calibrated-dishonesty-western-media-coverage-of-venezuela-sanctions/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Venezuela’s socialist government</a>. Not coincidentally, Machado’s award coincided with an escalation of U.S. military threats against Venezuela, meaning that corporate pundits used a “peace” prize as a platform for war propaganda.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Whitewashed profiles</h3>
The Nobel Prize meant corporate outlets had to give their readers an idea of Machado’s political trajectory. And <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/who-is-nobel-peace-laureate-maria-corina-machado-2025-10-10/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">though some</a> had <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/maria-corina-machado-nobel-peace-prize-venezuela.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">profile pieces</a>, there was a concerted effort to conceal the most unsavory elements. The Financial Times <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/65dececd-6ea5-4536-80ba-8cd07f61a0c4" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">euphemistically stated</a> that Machado “enter[ed] politics in opposition to Hugo Chávez” — president of Venezuela from 1999 through 2013 — while the Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/10/venezuelan-politician-maria-corina-machado-wins-nobel-peace-prize" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">summed up</a> that she has been “involved in politics for more than two decades.”
No establishment outlet mentioned Machado’s first relevant political action: supporting the short-lived April 2002 coup against the Chávez government, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmona_Decree" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">signing</a> the infamous “Carmona Decree.” In one fell swoop, this decree did away with all democratically elected institutions, annulled the 1999 constitution and established a de facto dictatorship headed by the leader of Venezuela’s corporate business lobby. Machado later <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20230203003738/http://www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve/maria-corina-machado-a-bolivar-lei-cuando-estaba-colegio-y-universidad/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">denied</a> signing the decree, though her name appeared on a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060509103934/http://el-nacional.com/referencia/documentos/pdf/Listadeimputados.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">list</a> published by Venezuelan newspaper El Nacional.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The U.S.-backed figure has also made no secret of her plans to repress her political opponents.</blockquote></figure>
Looking past the undemocratic debut, establishment journalists instead started the story with the mid-2002 creation of Súmate, calling it an NGO dedicated to election monitoring or transparency, according to reporting by <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-10/nobel-peace-prize-awarded-in-oslo-to-maria-corina-machado" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>, The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/10/nobel-machado-maduro-despotism-election/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/who-is-nobel-peace-laureate-maria-corina-machado-2025-10-10/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Reuters</a> and The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/maria-corina-machado-nobel-peace-prize-venezuela.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">New York Times</a>. Yet they did not mention that this alleged quest to safeguard democracy was <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/news/692/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">funded by the U.S.</a>, or that the opposition made <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/661/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">unfounded fraud claims</a> after failing to unseat Chávez in a 2004 recall referendum.
Machado’s second act was also the antithesis of peace and democracy, as the opposition politician led the 2014 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Salida" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“La Salida”</a> (“The Exit”) campaign of street violence to overthrow the Nicolás Maduro administration, leaving dozens dead. That same year, in order to denounce the Venezuelan government, she acted as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-26726282" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">an “alternate ambassador”</a> for Panama at a meeting of the Organization of American States. The stunt led to Machado losing her parliamentary seat.
Yet instead of scrutinizing the new laureate’s less-than-peaceful actions, corporate outlets chose to ignore or misrepresent them as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/10/nobel-machado-maduro-despotism-election/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“denouncing</a> the regime’s abuses,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/opinion/nobel-peace-prize-machado-maduro-venezuela.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“participating</a> in anti-regime protests” or <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-10/nobel-peace-prize-awarded-in-oslo-to-maria-corina-machado" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“allegations</a> she’d tried to foment a coup.” Only the Associated Press offered a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-maria-corina-machado-nobel-profile-8f070d0650de4509c67e9aa4225ca4e5" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">minimal concession</a> that the Machado-led “anti-government protests … at times turned violent.”
Another key aspect of the opposition operator’s political career has been outspoken <a href="https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2025/06/18/maria-corina-machado-pidio-mas-sanciones-de-estados-unidos-contra-la-dictadura-de-maduro/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">advocacy</a> for U.S. sanctions, which have caused economic <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/infographics/us-sanctions-against-the-venezuelan-oil-industry/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">devastation</a> and led to tens of thousands of deaths, <a href="https://cepr.net/report/economic-sanctions-as-collective-punishment-the-case-of-venezuela/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">according to</a> the Center for Economic and Policy Research. But Western media ignored Machado’s lobbying for collective punishment of the Venezuelan people — with the New York Times a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/world/americas/machado-nobel-peace-prize-venezuela-opposition.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">notable exception</a>.
The U.S.-backed figure has also made no secret of her plans to repress her political opponents. Machado is on the record making thinly veiled threats to “<a href="https://ifmnoticias.com/maria-corina-machado-indico-la-importancia-de-erradicar-el-socialismo/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">eradicate</a> socialism,” and pledging to “<a href="https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2025/10/11/maria-corina-machado-el-regimen-de-maduro-nos-declaro-una-guerra-y-con-la-ciudadania-y-el-apoyo-de-los-democratas-del-mundo-la-vamos-a-ganar/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">neutralize</a>” destabilizing groups should she eventually take power. Factoring in the Venezuelan far right’s <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/10547/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">history</a> of <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/13270/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">racist violence</a>, it is not unreasonable to predict a dirty war against Chavistas if Machado ever reached Miraflores.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">The company you keep</h3>
The reporting on the Nobel Peace Prize plainly described Machado as belonging to the Venezuelan opposition, but few outlets bothered to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/world/americas/machado-venezuela-nobel-peace-prize.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">disclose</a> her <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/10/venezuelan-politician-maria-corina-machado-wins-nobel-peace-prize" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">political views</a>, apart from euphemistically labeling her a “conservative” or a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/who-is-nobel-peace-laureate-maria-corina-machado-2025-10-10/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">supporter</a> of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/world/americas/machado-nobel-peace-prize-venezuela-opposition.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“economic liberalism.”</a>.
Machado has heaped praise on far-right former Oresidents Álvaro <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/mar%c3%ada-corina-machado-se-solidariza-con-%c3%81lvaro-uribe-en-%22estas-horas-tan-duras-y-complejas%22/89749185" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Uribe</a> of Colombia, who was <a href="https://jacobin.com/2025/08/uribe-trial-corruption-colombia-paramilitaries" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">responsible</a> for serious human rights violations, and Brazil’s Jair <a href="https://www.infobae.com/america/america-latina/2018/12/31/la-opositora-venezolana-maria-corina-machado-le-pidio-a-bolsonaro-que-lidere-la-presion-externa-contra-maduro/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Bolsonaro</a>, who tried to foment a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-bolsonaro-conviction-appeal-231bda7878d097d075347886504fb963" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">coup</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Few outlets bothered to disclose her political views.</blockquote></figure>
In February, Machado sent a video <a href="https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/5680486/0/machado-pide-ayuda-patriotas-europa-sacar-regimen-poder-venezuela/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">message</a> during a “Patriots for Europe” summit, calling for far-right leaders’ support and openly referring to them as “allies.” The high-profile gathering featured neo-fascist parties like Spain’s Vox, Italy’s Lega and France’s Rassemblement National (RN). The same media establishment that paints the likes of Hungary’s <a href="https://fair.org/home/right-wing-us-media-applauds-hungarys-orban-as-example-to-follow/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Viktor Orban</a> as a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/07/trump-viktor-orban-electoral-autocracy" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">threat</a> to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5340753/trump-democracy-authoritarianism-competive-survey-political-scientist" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">democracy</a> chose to ignore Machado’s quite open alignment with his politics.
But more damning is the complete erasure of Machado’s outspoken support for Israel, even amidst the recent genocide. Venezuela’s far-right leader has <a href="https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/1235174206490505218" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">repeatedly</a> <a href="https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/1392217318600724480" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">praised</a> Israel’s defense of “Western values” and “freedom,” while her party established an <a href="https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/1286456459233034246" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">alliance</a> with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in 2020. In 2018, Machado penned a <a href="https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/1070339692476940288" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">letter</a> to the Israeli prime minister, asking him to lead a foreign intervention to “dismantle the criminal Venezuelan regime.”
At a time when the U.S./Israeli genocide in Palestine has sparked outrage around the world, no corporate outlet found it relevant to mention that this year’s “peace” laureate did not utter a single word of condemnation. On the contrary, <a href="https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1979204263675826483" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">according</a> to Netanyahu himself, Machado told the prime minister she “appreciates” his “resolute” actions in a recent congratulatory phone call. Unsurprisingly, only Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/israel-says-venezuelas-machado-voices-support-call-netanyahu-2025-10-17/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">briefly reported</a> on the Nobel laureate’s war criminal ally.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Beating the war drums</h3>
The media establishment’s careful whitewashing of Machado’s undemocratic past and genocidal allies is particularly damning, given the present context of a U.S. military buildup and overt threats against Venezuela. One of the U.S.-backed politician’s most <a href="https://misionverdad.com/venezuela/la-incesante-campana-de-maria-corina-machado-por-la-intervencion-militar" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">persistent</a> habits has been calling for a foreign <a href="https://x.com/MariaCorinaYA/status/1259826624700219393" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">intervention</a> against <a href="https://sovereignmedia.online/nobel-peace-prize-descends-further-into-farce-with-machado-award/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">her country</a>.
In the wake of her peace prize, Machado has wasted no time in lobbying for violent regime change. In a BBC interview, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cy4r4yxpjvpo" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">she argued</a> that Venezuela needs to be “liberated” via a “coordination of internal and external forces,” an expression she also used <a href="https://elpais.com/america/2025-10-10/maria-corina-machado-maduro-decide-si-lo-toma-o-lo-deja-pero-va-a-salir-con-o-sin-negociacion.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">in an interview</a> with El País.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Machado has gone as far as to cheerlead the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration extrajudicially executing her fellow citizens.</blockquote></figure>
Borrowing a page from U.S. administration’s book of redefining concepts such as “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0967010620921006" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">imminent threat</a>” or “<a href="https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/opinion/2012-05-29/analysis-obama-embraced-redefinition-of-civilian-in-drone-wars" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">civilian</a>,” Machado bombastically claimed that the Maduro government “has declared a war” against the Venezuelan people, and urged <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> to help her side “win” this war, according to reporting by the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cy4r4yxpjvpo" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">BBC</a>, <a href="https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2025/10/11/maria-corina-machado-el-regimen-de-maduro-nos-declaro-una-guerra-y-con-la-ciudadania-y-el-apoyo-de-los-democratas-del-mundo-la-vamos-a-ganar/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Infobae</a> and <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/15/americas/venezuela-machado-trump-maduro-latam-intl" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">CNN</a>. The opposition leader has latched onto the administration’s “narcoterrorism” <a href="https://fair.org/home/media-continue-to-push-misinformation-about-venezuela-and-drug-trafficking/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">fairy tale</a> that has been <a href="https://venezuelanalysis.com/opinion/the-great-hoax-against-venezuela-oil-geopolitics-disguised-as-war-on-drugs/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">debunked</a> over the years, just like she supported the White House’s Tren de Aragua <a href="https://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2025/02/03/67a1079afdddff7b698b458c.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">narrative</a>, even if it meant a gruesome crackdown against Venezuelan migrants.
Machado has gone as far as to cheerlead the Trump administration extrajudicially executing her fellow citizens, arguing that the lethal U.S. strikes in the Caribbean, which have killed at least 30 people, are “saving lives, not only Venezuelan lives, but also life of American people,” Daily Beast <a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/nobel-winner-lavished-trump-praise-132012975.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">reported</a>.
But it is not just Machado using her new platform to promote U.S. military intervention. The Washington Post editorial board <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/10/venezuela-maduro-trump-machado-war-peaceprize/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">openly expressed</a> that U.S. interests would be “better served” with a “reliable American partner” like Machado. True to form, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/a-nobel-for-venezuelas-iron-lady-1e3b8b9a" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">also used</a> Machado’s award to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trumps-war-drums-in-venezuela-5346a06d" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">double down</a> on calls for Trump to bomb Venezuela in the name of “freedom” and “democracy.”
The warmonger lineup was complete with the New York Times’ <a href="https://fair.org/home/why-advocating-torture-is-ok-but-single-payer-is-beyond-the-pale/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Bret Stephens</a>, who never needs excuses to endorse the <a href="https://fair.org/home/nyt-advises-trump-to-kill-more-venezuelans/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">murder of Venezuelans</a> in the name of U.S. interests. In this case, Stephens claimed that regime change is the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/opinion/nobel-peace-prize-machado-maduro-venezuela.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">only option</a> to address the “catastrophe of Chavismo,” even if it means “full-scale military confrontation.”
The Nobel Peace Prize has long <a href="https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2010/december/the-nobel-war-prize" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">lost</a> any <a href="https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/is-the-nobel-peace-prize-a-tool-of-propaganda" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">credibility</a> when it comes to upholding actual peace. With Machado’s award, it followed a recent tradition of aligning itself with Western foreign policy. And even more predictable was the corporate media seizing the opportunity to advance its war and regime-change propaganda against Venezuela.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/corporate-media-use-peace-prize-to-fuel-war-propaganda/">Corporate Media Use ‘Peace’ Prize to Fuel War Propaganda</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>In Earnings Call, Private Prison Execs Revel in Profits From ICE Arrests</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-earnings-call-private-prison-execs-revel-in-profits-from-ice-arrests/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=in-earnings-call-private-prison-execs-revel-in-profits-from-ice-arrests</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Eliza Dewey / Prism ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:35:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Economy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Immigration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Social Justice]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[corecivic]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[geo group]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[immigration and customs enforcement]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mass deportation]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[private prison]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312742</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Second-quarter earnings calls reveal how GEO Group and CoreCivic are championing and profiting from Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-earnings-call-private-prison-execs-revel-in-profits-from-ice-arrests/">In Earnings Call, Private Prison Execs Revel in Profits From ICE Arrests</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
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During a second-quarter earnings call in August, an executive with the GEO Group ticked off a list of the private prison company’s accomplishments so far this year. These included securing contracts with <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/immigration-and-customs-enforcement/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="20" title="immigration and customs enforcement">Immigration and Customs Enforcement</a> for expanded immigrant detention centers in New Jersey, Michigan, Georgia and California; working to convert six facilities — most of them former prisons — into ICE detention sites; and making moves to cash in on detention operations at military sites.
“All of these efforts are aimed at placing our company in the best competitive position possible to pursue what we continue to believe are unprecedented growth opportunities,” George Zoley, the executive chair of the GEO Group board, told investors and other stakeholders on the Aug. 6 call, according to the online investment research website, Seeking Alpha.
Executives at CoreCivic, another major for-profit prison company, were equally upbeat in their earnings call that month.
“Our business is perfectly aligned with the demands of this moment,” CEO Damon Hininger said on the Aug. 7 call. “We are in an unprecedented environment with rapid increases in federal detention populations nationwide and a continuing need for solutions we provide.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Our business is perfectly aligned with the demands of this moment.”</blockquote></figure>
In some sense, the cheerfulness was not surprising. The day after President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> was elected to his second term, share prices of GEO Group and CoreCivic jumped by double digits. Trump had repeatedly <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2024/11/15/trump-mass-deportation-immigration-border/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">promised mass deportations</a> on the campaign trail, and private prison companies were in place to <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/what-trumps-victory-means-private-prison-industry" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">reap the rewards</a>, based on their longstanding role under <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/immigrants-rights/unchecked-growth-private-prison-corporations-and-immigration-detention-three-years-into-the-biden-administration" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">both parties</a> in detaining immigrants.
The earnings calls from the nation’s two largest private prison companies offer details about how big players in that industry are championing and profiting from Trump’s <a href="https://prismreports.org/2025/10/08/iranian-immigrants-deportation-iran/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">mass deportation agenda</a>. GEO Group reported a <a href="https://investors.geogroup.com/news-releases/news-release-details/geo-group-reports-second-quarter-2025-results-and-announces-300" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">second-quarter profit</a> of $29.1 million, compared to a net loss in the same period a year earlier, while CoreCivic <a href="https://ir.corecivic.com/news-releases/news-release-details/corecivic-reports-second-quarter-2025-financial-results" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">reported earnings</a> of $38.5 million, more than double from 2024. Third-quarter reports are expected in <a href="https://investors.geogroup.com/news-releases/news-release-details/geo-group-announces-date-third-quarter-2025-earnings-release-and" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">early November.</a>
“What they’re doing is heinous; there’s no other way to describe profiting off of human suffering,” said Paolo Almiron, media coordinator for the advocacy group Resistencia en Acción New Jersey.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Industry acknowledgment of the federal arrest quota</h3>
Neither Zoley and the GEO Group nor Hininger and CoreCivic responded to a detailed list of questions on the allegations in this story, including about whether they had ethical or moral concerns about their business. ICE also did not respond to Prism’s request for comment.
Multiple media outlets, as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, reported earlier this year that the Trump administration set a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/trump-ice-arrest-quota" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">quota of 3,000 ICE arrests per day</a>. That number supercharged the immigration raids that spread across the country this summer, resulting in the increased targeting of immigrants without a criminal record.
In August, the Department of Justice <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/03/white-house-doj-immigration-quota-mismatch-00490406" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">denied</a> that such a quota had existed.
But on the GEO Group earnings call this summer, these same quotas were described as common industry knowledge. 
After Zoley described media reports that ICE wanted to increase its capacity to 100,000 beds by the end of this year, one participant on the call asked a follow-up question.
“Do you have a sense for the detention rate required to justify 100,000 detention beds?” he asked. “In other words, is it [that] 3,000 a day equals 100,000 beds?”
“It is that simple rule of thumb, as you described it,” Zoley responded, adding it was a model “that we’ve heard many times.” 
“It was based on the objective of deporting a million people a year,” he said, clarifying that the quota was a “theoretical model” that would likely be affected by lawsuits.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">No mention of poor conditions</h3>
Leaders in both calls discussed how much money their companies have made from facilities that have made headlines for allegations of <a href="https://prismreports.org/2025/10/21/disabled-immigrants-adelanto-detention/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">widespread abuse</a>.
Patrick Swindle, president and chief operating officer of CoreCivic, spoke about the company’s revival of the country’s largest immigration detention facility, located in Dilley, Texas. 
“We are on schedule to complete full activation by the end of the third quarter, when we expect to generate the full fixed monthly revenue for the facility,” said Swindle, who did not respond to Prism’s request for comment.
The Dilley Immigration Processing Center, formally named the South Texas Family Residential Center, was first opened under former President Barack Obama in 2014, when it faced criticism from human rights advocates for detaining mothers and their children seeking asylum after crossing the border. It was closed last summer by former <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Joe Biden</a>’s administration, but the Trump administration reopened it this spring.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“She was at risk of bleeding out.”</blockquote></figure>
Advocates who spoke with Prism described ongoing poor conditions at Dilley, including delayed medical care and the weaponization of “self-deportation” by federal agencies.
A mother and her child who were sent to Dilley in September after being swept up in an immigration sweep in a Chicago grocery store experienced this firsthand, according to the immigrant advocacy group RAÍCES.
The woman had a severe ovarian cyst but was not given access to her normal medication while detained. 
“She was at risk of bleeding out, and she was in significant pain throughout the course of her time at Dilley,” said Faisal Al-Juburi, RAÍCES’ chief external affairs officer. 
The excruciating pain led her to agree on Oct. 10 to “self-deport,” a strategy that Trump has made a cornerstone of his immigration crackdown. 
Ten days later, the woman was still in detention without proper care for her cyst, according to Al-Juburi. He said ICE’s only response to repeated inquiries by his organization has been to confirm that she is being processed for removal.
Other media outlets have also covered complaints about <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-detention-trump-dilley-children-flores-settlement-ab13b37de2b5c1e8b198116c175a68eb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">delayed medical care</a> at the Dilley facility, particularly for children, held for <a href="https://www.scrippsnews.com/scripps-news-investigates/ice-is-detaining-children-with-their-families-beyond-limit-set-by-federal-judge#:~:text=Facebook-,ICE%20is%20detaining%20children%20with%20their%20families%20beyond%20limit%20set,a%20maximum%20of%2020%20days." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">weeks or months</a> without justification.
Meanwhile, those on the GEO Group earnings call spoke about the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey, which began holding immigrants in May. Zoley said the company’s contract at that site was “expected to generate in excess of $60 million in annualized revenues in the first full year of operations.”
The call did not include any mention of conditions at the center. Advocates told Prism about a range of ongoing concerns there.
“The spaces are extremely crowded, the food is in such bad state that people refuse to eat it, the water has a strange odor, and people are not given medical care until they are extremely sick,” said Almiron of the immigration advocacy group Resistencia en Acción.
“Visiting schedules are irregular and are mostly spread through word of mouth,” Almiron, who goes by one name, added. “It’s only thanks to the work of local immigrant rights organizations that there’s at least an idea of when people can go and visit.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“People are going without food for 12 hours.”</blockquote></figure>
Kathy O’Leary, New Jersey coordinator for the Catholic advocacy organization Pax Christi USA, stands watch outside Delaney Hall three to four times a week as part of a New Jersey coalition called Eyes on ICE. 
“What we’re hearing is that people are going without food for 12 hours,” O’Leary said. “The food is coming frozen, moldy, otherwise spoiled and in meager portions.”
Both advocates described a strict dress code that can keep visitors from seeing their loved ones. One woman traveled to Delaney Hall from Massachusetts to visit a family member, only to be told her jeans did not pass the dress code, O’Leary said. Eyes on ICE volunteers outside the facility found a pair of pants for the woman to wear so she could enter.
In June, detainees frustrated by inadequate food and overcrowding broke windows, doors and security cameras at the facility while others made panicked phone calls to loved ones and attorneys outside the walls. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/12/nyregion/newark-migrant-detention-center-disturbance.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Four men escaped</a> and the facility was ultimately placed on lockdown. The four men were re-arrested later.
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Profiting off detention</h3>
Despite increasing anti-ICE protests across the country and viral videos of increasingly aggressive ICE arrests across social media, the second-quarter earnings calls in the private prison industry were business as usual.
“Our financial performance, which has been pretty significant this year, only incorporates … a very small part of the opportunity that’s going to be, I think, near-term for us as we go to end of this year into 2026,” Hininger said.
The content of the calls isn’t necessarily shocking to immigrant advocates.
“At the end of the day, their priority is their bottom line for their shareholders,” Al-Juburi said. “This is what happens when we prioritize profits over people. Is it shocking? Yes. But is it surprising? No.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/in-earnings-call-private-prison-execs-revel-in-profits-from-ice-arrests/">In Earnings Call, Private Prison Execs Revel in Profits From ICE Arrests</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Trump Jeopardizes Plan to Reduce Global Shipping Emissions</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/trump-jeopardizes-plan-to-reduce-global-shipping-emissions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trump-jeopardizes-plan-to-reduce-global-shipping-emissions</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Naveena Sadasivam / Grist ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:25:11 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Courts & Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Science]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[US]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[donald trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[global carbon tax]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[greenhouse gas emissions]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[International Maritime Organization]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[shipping]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312739</guid>
<description><![CDATA[After the Trump administration threatened countries with tariffs and visa restrictions, a first-ever global carbon tax is left to an uncertain future.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/trump-jeopardizes-plan-to-reduce-global-shipping-emissions/">Trump Jeopardizes Plan to Reduce Global Shipping Emissions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
This story was originally published by <a href="https://grist.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Grist</a>. Sign up for Grist’s <a href="https://go.grist.org/signup/weekly/partner?utm_campaign=republish-content&utm_medium=syndication&utm_source=partner" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">weekly newsletter here</a>.
With relatively little fanfare, the first-ever global carbon tax was poised to be formally adopted as an international agreement this year.
The International Maritime Organization, or IMO, the United Nations agency overseeing global shipping, had drafted a net-zero framework to move the sector toward cleaner fuels — a crucial step in the energy transition, since the industry that handles around 90% of global trade also accounts for 3% of the world’s emissions.
The framework would require shippers to pay a fee per ton of greenhouse gas emissions if their emissions rose above a certain threshold. The fees would then be <a href="https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/pressbriefings/pages/imo-approves-netzero-regulations.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">pooled into a fund</a> and distributed to support the development and uptake of alternative fuels and decarbonization in developing countries. The shipping industry, which had been seeking a consistent regulatory environment and level playing field, was largely supportive of the plan. So were the vast majority of U.N. member countries.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The administration began pressuring other nations to abandon the deal.</blockquote></figure>
Then, in April, the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration abruptly withdrew from IMO negotiations. As a vote over the framework approached this month, the administration began pressuring other nations to abandon the deal. The administration <a href="https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/10/taking-action-to-defend-america-from-the-uns-first-global-carbon-tax-the-international-maritime-organizations-imo-net-zero-framework-nzf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">also released a statement</a> warning that the U.S. was considering additional tariffs, visa restrictions, additional port fees and sanctions on officials from countries that voted for the framework. President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> himself took to Truth Social, calling the proposal a “global green new scam tax on shipping.”
The campaign succeeded. Last week, at the tail end of negotiations, Saudi Arabia abruptly called for a vote to adjourn the IMO meeting for one year without making a decision on the net-zero framework. Since IMO rules dictate that a call to adjourn precedes all other considerations, the proposed delay was voted on immediately and passed with 57 countries in favor and 49 against. (Twenty-one countries abstained from the vote.) That means that it will be another year, at least, before the framework can be officially inked.
Close observers of the IMO’s decarbonization efforts told Grist that U.S. obstruction was a decisive factor in preventing the framework’s adoption. 
“It’s fair to say that the retaliatory measures and punitive threats that were shared by the U.S. administration in advance of the meetings played their part,” said Em Fenton, a senior director at Opportunity Green, a U.K.-based climate group that has been closely tracking the IMO negotiations. “The outcome last week is a devastating blow for climate multilateralism.”
The IMO has been inching toward emissions rules for several years, but the effort ramped up in 2023, when the agency’s 176 member countries agreed to a greenhouse gas strategy that would commit them to net-zero emissions by about 2050. In order to reach that goal, countries began negotiations on legally binding measures that included a standard capping the carbon intensity of fuel used by shipping companies, as well as an economic measure to enforce that standard, which could take the form of a levy or carbon trading mechanism.
On the economic measure, countries were split. An ambitious coalition of more than 64 countries, including European Union countries, the United Kingdom, Pacific and Caribbean nations, and African countries, proposed a relatively high flat tax on all maritime emissions. Under their proposal, every ton of their greenhouse gas emissions would be priced at the same level across the board. Another set of countries led by China, however, was in favor of a carbon-trading mechanism that allowed countries to offset their emissions through carbon credits. (China and other emerging economies are large exporters, and a flat fee, they argued, would hurt businesses and reduce their competitiveness.)
Ultimately, the countries landed on a compromise with a two-tier system: High emitters in the top tier could engage in some amount of carbon trading. Those in the bottom tier would pay the levy based on a fee per ton of emissions. And those who comply with the zero or near-zero emissions fuel requirements would receive financial rewards. This approach became the net-zero framework that was supposed to be voted into effect this year. 
The shipping industry largely welcomed the framework. For one, the industry has had record profits in recent years. A <a href="https://www.opportunitygreen.org/publication-shipping-company-profits-and-taxes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">report by Opportunity Green</a> found that 139 of the world’s largest shipping companies, which make up more than 90% of the global fleet, made $340 billion in profits from 2019 to 2023. The 10 largest companies were effectively taxed at less than 10% on average — far lower than the average global corporation tax rate of 21.5%.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Only global rules will decarbonize a global industry.”</blockquote></figure>
The industry was also eager for regulatory certainty. Ahead of the meeting last week, a group of trade organizations representing the shipping industry issued a statement calling for the adoption of the framework. “Only global rules will decarbonize a global industry,” they noted. “Without the framework, shipping would risk a growing patchwork of unilateral regulations, increasing costs without effectively contributing to decarbonization.”
With the framework now in jeopardy, the path forward is unclear. Although the shipping talks won’t resume for another year, Fenton said countries should push for additional technical clarity <a href="https://www.imo.org/en/mediacentre/pressbriefings/pages/imo-net-zero-shipping-talks-to-resume-in-2026.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">during other interim meetings to reach a consensus</a> and ensure the framework is adopted next year. 
Meanwhile, cities and ports across the world have been taking steps to green their infrastructure. Alisa Kreynes, a director of the ports and shipping program at C40, a global network of mayors taking climate action, pointed to various initiatives already underway to reduce carbon emissions from the shipping industry. Cities have built green shipping corridors, trade routes where ports and other partners work together to transition to zero or near-zero emission fuels. Ports have also begun establishing stricter emission standards for trucks and supported the development of offshore wind.
“The way we are reacting is that cities continue to deliver a just maritime transition, despite what happened at the IMO last week,” Kreynes said. “The cities will continue to push forward with advancing equitable port and shipping decarbonization.”
But those measures won’t put a significant dent in the industry’s primary source of emissions, which is the massive, fuel-hungry boats that crisscross the globe delivering goods. And the collapse of IMO negotiations rings as a warning about the fragility of international cooperation. The dynamic could continue at COP30, the international climate conference taking place in Belém, Brazil, next month. 
“The sort of playbook of delay-and-obfuscate is more likely to be on the table and visible at COP30 than it would have been if it had not prevailed here at the IMO,” said Fenton. “And that is hugely disappointing.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/trump-jeopardizes-plan-to-reduce-global-shipping-emissions/">Trump Jeopardizes Plan to Reduce Global Shipping Emissions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>The Limits of Vision</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-limits-of-vision/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-limits-of-vision</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-limits-of-vision/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Corey Atad]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Oct 2025 14:17:40 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Arts & Culture]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TD Original]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[documentary]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ghana]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[gold coast]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Kwame Nkrumah]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TIFF]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.truthdig.com/?p=312734</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A new Obamas-produced documentary paints a shallow portrait of Ghanaian revolutionary leader Kwame Nkrumah.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-limits-of-vision/">The Limits of Vision</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
On Feb. 12, 1951, when Ghana was still called the Gold Coast and under British colonial rule, the revolutionary leader Kwame Nkrumah was released from prison. The Convention People’s Party, which he’d formed just a few years earlier, had just won a parliamentary election in a landslide, and Nkrumah had secured a seat in the city of Accra. A year later, Nkrumah would be prime minister, and after a few years more, in 1957, he would lead the country to independence as its first president. During this period of transition and widespread African decolonization, Nkrumah hired a cinematographer: Chris Hesse.
Hesse is the main subject of the new documentary “The Eyes of Ghana,” which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 4. For roughly a decade, from 1956 until Nkrumah’s overthrow in 1966, Hesse was the official cinematographer for the president and his government. During that time, he captured endless hours of footage on thousands of feet of film — much of which had seemingly been destroyed after the 1966 coup d’etat in an effort to erase the history and legacy of Nkrumah’s revolutionary leadership. But due to difficulties developing film footage in Ghana, most of the negatives were processed in London, and what’s more, most of it is still stored there, safe, but unseen.
Directed by Ben Proudfoot and executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, “The Eyes of Ghana” tells the story of Kwame Nkrumah through Hesse’s eyes and his almost entirely unrestored films. Now in his 90s, Hesse has undertaken a project to bring those films back into the public record, both for the sake of history and for the legacy of a great leader whose memory was tarnished following the coup against him.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The rest of the film fails to match its visual strengths.</blockquote></figure>
The film also follows as Hesse forms a close bond with young Ghanaian filmmaker Anita Afonu, who sets out to stage a screening of the roughly 15 minutes of restored film from the 1,300 reels still in storage in England, at an old, shuttered movie theater in Accra. While his film is in some ways a standard documentary, Proudfoot distinguishes “The Eyes of Ghana” by leaning into his subject’s work as a cinematographer. The documentary looks gorgeous. Shot with vivid colors and wonderful texture, its directors of photography David Feeney-Mosier and Brandon Somerhalder elevate even the most basic talking head interviews. Unfortunately, the rest of the film fails to match its visual strengths.
A word first on the score, which the former president and first lady shouted out in their video introduction before the premiere. It may be grand and beautiful, but it is also overbearing to the point of distraction and feels trying by the film’s end. The film leans heavily into redundant aggrandizing of both Hesse and Nkrumah, and also the power of cinema. Scene after scene of characters talking in the most glowing terms about their subjects inevitably prompts questions about how grounded and true their stories are, and how objective the film really aims to be. It also feels like the product of a documentary about film footage rather than one based on it, because most of Hesse’s work has not been scanned. Seeing is believing, but here it’s mostly telling, which leaves the viewer uncomfortably reliant on the film’s historical and political analysis, which is slight at best.
As an overview of Nkrumah’s career, his Wikipedia page seems to offer more insight than the platitudes and surface-level accounts supplied by the film. This would be a problem in any case, but is even less forgivable for a film essentially about attempting to rewrite a history distorted by Nkrumah’s opponents. That it also overstates the degree to which Nkrumah has been both forgotten and ill-rendered by history only highlights the problem: This is a documentary essentially about a former propagandist that is doing its own form of propaganda.
Nkrumah was more than just a leader who wanted to free Africa from the grips of colonialism. He was a strong political theorist whose writing is studied to this day, as well as a strong voice in the then-emerging wave of African socialism, which the film name-checks but fails to delve into any deeper. Instead, the film builds up Nkrumah’s more universalist idea for a United States of Africa, which took some inspiration from America, without ever digging into the socialist ideology that undergirded it. What the film presents is a sanitized account of a revolutionary, a controversial figure made palatable for a liberal Western audience in the same way Nelson Mandela’s memory has been largely washed of his association with violent rebellion and forceful, left-wing thought. Even Hesse’s history with Nkrumah is sanitized, at times suggesting he was a close confidant and supporter, while glossing over the fact that the cinematographer continued working for the government that ousted him.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“The Eyes of Ghana” is ultimately a film about politics made with a liberal-style anti-politics.</blockquote></figure>
When it comes time to address the coup against Nkrumah — which is widely understood by many to have been either aided or effectively managed by the U.S. — the film finally pays some lip service to the unfortunate realities of his rule. A complicated figure, Nkrumah quickly began making enemies after taking office, in particular due to his anti-tribalism, which eventually led him to jail thousands of political opponents. He also established, through the construction of monuments and other propaganda efforts, something that looked not far from a cult of personality. These failings, which have been debated for decades, helped set the stage for his military overthrow, and though the film does bring up these criticisms, it does so without much detail, and essentially as a sop to those who might question its otherwise saintly account. Hesse practically shrugs while telling the audience that it’s up to us to decide. A documentary more genuinely interested in truth would have attempted to reckon with these contradictions rather than waving it all away as something for the audience to sort through themselves, presumably by doing their own outside research.
The involvement of the Obamas in the film speaks, in a way, to its lack of both depth and teeth. “The Eyes of Ghana” is ultimately a film about politics made with a liberal-style anti-politics. Nkrumah was a great leader who needs to be remembered, but apparently only in the most vague, unchallenging terms. A real look into the mechanics of his industrial nationalization policies, or the unique perspectives of African socialists in contrast with their European Marxist counterparts is absent. Including that would require dealing with the ins and outs of revolutionary left-wing discourse rather than spending valuable running time on feel-good stunts like the restoration of the Rex Theater and a screening celebrating Hesse’s career. It’s the money and resources expended, too — on the quality of the lighting and camera, the bombastic score and bringing the theater back to life — all of which might have been better spent on actually restoring Hesse’s mountains of untouched film reels to gain real historical insight instead of yet another self-congratulatory and ultimately, hollow crowd-pleaser.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-limits-of-vision/">The Limits of Vision</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Meet the Silicon Valley Millionaire’s Club That Wants to Control the Psychedelic Industry</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/meet-the-silicon-valley-millionaires-club-that-wants-to-control-the-psychedelic-industry/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-the-silicon-valley-millionaires-club-that-wants-to-control-the-psychedelic-industry</link>
<comments>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/meet-the-silicon-valley-millionaires-club-that-wants-to-control-the-psychedelic-industry/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Russell Hausfeld]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:19:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business & Economy]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Health & Wellness]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[TD Original]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[big tech]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Lykos Therapeutics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MDMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[psychedelics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[silicon valley]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The Psychedelic Science Funder’s Collaborative has installed its members in positions of power throughout the psychedelic industry — with the goal of controlling the future of the field.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/meet-the-silicon-valley-millionaires-club-that-wants-to-control-the-psychedelic-industry/">Meet the Silicon Valley Millionaire’s Club That Wants to Control the Psychedelic Industry</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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My colleagues and I at the psychedelic education nonprofit Psymposia spent the last year investigating the financial and political forces shaping the psychedelic industry. Initially, we wanted to inform the public about the forces attempting to shape the Food and Drug Administration’s 2024 decision on the drug MDMA, but our work soon evolved into a broader investigation of the influences and motivations within the field as a whole. This research has culminated in a 201-page report released in four parts that is now available on our website.
Drawing on hundreds of emails, transcripts, presentations and other primary materials, “<a href="https://www.psymposia.com/psychedelic-syndicate-executive-summary-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">The Psychedelic Syndicate: How Silicon Valley Used Veterans to Hijack the Psychedelic Industry</a>” traces the rise of the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative and its extensive influence across the field. We dissect how the PSFC — a group consisting largely of Silicon Valley elites that include podcaster Tim Ferriss, SpaceX board members Antonio Gracias and Steve Jurvetson, GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons, Mark Zuckerberg’s college roommate Joe Green and more — brought the tech world ethos of “move fast and break stuff” to the psychedelic industry. We detail how this group and its affiliate organizations conducted a strategic campaign to shape public perception in favor of Lykos Therapeutics’ failed MDMA-assisted therapy application and demonize its critics. The PSFC’s ultimate goal was to persuade the FDA to approve Lykos’ application, against the <a href="https://www.fda.gov/media/180703/download" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">recommendation</a> of its own advisory committee and <a href="https://icer.org/news-insights/press-releases/institute-for-clinical-and-economic-review-publishes-final-evidence-report-on-treatment-for-post-traumatic-stress-disorder/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">numerous</a> <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00048674231174171" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">other</a> <a href="https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/apa-releases-official-positions-on-issues-affectin" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">professional organizations</a>. This approval would have jump-started a psychedelic industry in which many of the PSFC’s members are <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/PSFCEMAILEXPLAINER-Long.png" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">financially invested</a>, and expedite the privatization of psychedelic research and proliferation of intellectual property barriers.
Our analysis reveals the PSFC’s efforts to circumvent federal regulatory structures and manipulate state-level policy development, transforming a community-led movement into a vehicle for centralized corporate influence.
The following Truthdig overview provides readers with a primer on the main characters directing the PSFC, the organization at the heart of Psymposia’s reporting. These individuals have been inserted into prominent positions on the boards of high-profile psychedelic drug developers and promoters, including the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and its spinoff pharmaceutical company, Lykos Therapeutics. Additionally, PSFC members occupy leadership roles in organizations advocating for changes in psychedelic policy, such as the New Approach PAC and the Healing Advocacy Fund. Through these platforms, they have shaped the priorities and strategies of the industry.
Editor’s note: In August 2025, Lykos Therapeutics <a href="https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/p%CE%B1-psychedelic-bulletin-207-lykos-rebrands-to-resilient-pharma-pushes-back-on-norways-ketamine-reimbursement-decision-abbvie-gilgamesh-deal-viewed-as-validation" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">changed its name</a> to Resilient Pharmaceuticals. Resilient has not announced any changes to its board of directors since changing its name from Lykos. This article is based on the last publicly available information about Lykos Therapeutics leadership.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312683" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/BobJesse-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bob Jesse</h2>
Former PSFC board member; founder of the Council on Spiritual Practices 
Bob Jesse is a significant yet often overlooked figure in the resurgence of psychedelic research. He worked his way up the ranks of the early Silicon Valley tech scene to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobjesse/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">become a vice president</a> at the computer technology company Oracle, before shifting his focus toward exploring the spiritual applications of psychedelics in the 1990s. In 1993, he <a href="https://csp.org/docs/about" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">founded</a> the Council on Spiritual Practices, which sought to develop effective approaches for using psychoactive substances in spiritual contexts.
Jesse’s work has been central to the modern psychedelic research movement — especially his collaboration with Roland Griffiths and Bill Richards at Johns Hopkins University. The 2006 study they co-authored, which examined the potential of <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16826400/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">psilocybin to induce profound mystical experiences</a>, has been credited with lending credibility to psychedelics as tools for personal transformation and <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/2018/11/from-the-director-groundbreaking-efforts-empathetic-care" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">kick-starting</a> the modern psychedelic renaissance.
In 2017, Jesse <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181014214412/https://psfc.co/board-of-directors/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">helped establish</a> the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative. Psymposia obtained an email from July of 2017 sent by Jesse to early PSFC members defining the group as a “funding collective” intent on advancing the psychedelic industry. Jesse’s early intentions for this collective were to promote and secure funds for psychedelic outlets like MAPS, Usona and Heffter Research Institute.
Jesse resigned as a director of the PSFC in 2018, but remains a central figure in the world of psychedelic funding, research and influence.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312684" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/JoeGreen-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Joe Green</h2>
PSFC co-founder and president; Lykos Therapeutics board member; MAPS board member
Joe Green, Mark Zuckerberg’s <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/founders-400m-facebook-mistake/story?id=15469445" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">former college roommate</a>, has built his career around leveraging technology to affect political change. 
Green <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/tech/meet-joe-green-who-walked-away-from-a-10b-facebook-fortune/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">helped</a> Zuckerberg create Facemash, the controversial precursor to Facebook that allowed users to compare and rate the attractiveness of their peers. He went on to co-found Causes, a platform designed to mobilize grassroots organizers around political causes, and NationBuilder, a software company <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2012/03/08/community-organizing-platform-nationbuilder-raises-6-3m-from-andreessen-horowitz-causes-founder-joins-as-president/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">focused on political organizing</a>. Green also co-founded FWD.us with Zuckerberg, a <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/04/11/fwd-us/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">lobbying group</a> focused on immigration reform and technological advancement. Green has made strategic investments in high-profile tech companies like <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/person/joe-green" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Asana</a> and <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1467623/000119312518055809/d451946dex42.htm" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Dropbox</a> and he co-founded Lyft, positioning him as an influential figure in Silicon Valley’s venture capital ecosystem. While these ventures showcased Green’s focus on tech-based solutions, they also reflect his penchant for using digital platforms and tech world networks to influence public opinion and policy. In 2013, The New Yorker reported on a leaked 15-page plan written by Green that focused on “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/change-the-world" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">tapping Silicon Valley’s potential as a political force</a>”:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“One section of the text listed several reasons that ‘people in tech’ could be organized into ‘one of the most powerful political forces,’ including, ‘Our voice carries a lot of weight because we are broadly popular with Americans,’” the magazine reported.
</blockquote>
Green’s mindset about political influence would later shape his activities in the psychedelic space. As reported by Psymposia, the PSFC funded — to the tune of millions of dollars — <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/psychedelic-syndicate-part-1-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">astroturfed veterans organizations</a> with the intent to pressure the FDA to approve MDMA-assisted therapies, even though <a href="https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/breaking-fda-publishes-lykos-therapeutics-mdma-complete-response-letter-crl" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">the science was unsound</a>.
His venture capital-driven mindset permeated his involvement in psychedelics, where Green has played a major role in shaping the industry’s future through his leadership at the PSFC.
The PSFC has brought entrepreneurial and venture capital principles into a space traditionally driven by academic, scientific and nonprofit interests. As a <a href="https://maps.org/people/joe-green-board-of-directors/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">board member</a> of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies — the organization originally conducting clinical trials on MDMA-assisted therapy — Green has further cemented his position of power in the psychedelic movement. As Psymposia reports, his efforts helped turn MAPS Public Benefit Corp. into a more <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/psychedelic-syndicate-part-1-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">traditional, investor-funded pharmaceutical company</a>, called Lykos Therapeutics (later renamed Resilient Pharmaceuticals). Green also <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250125204516/https://lykospbc.com/leadership/joseph-green/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">secured a seat</a> on the board of Lykos after it was spun off from MAPS.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312685" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GrahamBoyd-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Graham Boyd</h2>
PSFC co-founder and executive director; New Approach PAC executive director; Dr. Bronner’s political director
A graduate of Yale’s Law School, Graham Boyd has held many roles in legal advocacy and policy reform, particularly within the realms of drug law and philanthropy.
Boyd is the <a href="https://psfc.co/board-of-directors" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">co-founder and executive director</a> of the PSFC and <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/New_Approach_PAC" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">executive director</a> of the New Approach PAC, a political action committee focused on drug reform. With influence extending across both philanthropic and policy spheres, he has spearheaded multiple statewide initiatives, including the legalization of cannabis and the push for psilocybin therapy access. Boyd’s work has positioned him as a strategic orchestrator, guiding the field of psychedelic policy reform and leveraging his connections to high-net worth philanthropists to fund the movement.
Boyd has described the PSFC as a “<a href="https://archive.is/lug0W#selection-1215.361-1215.607" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">field catalyst</a>,” carefully arranging the “pieces” of the psychedelic movement to ensure that key players and initiatives are positioned for optimal use. His leadership in the PSFC and its symbiotic relationship with New Approach PAC effectively blends philanthropy with political lobbying. Discussing the intertwining relationships between organizations he is involved with during a <a href="https://youtu.be/6icxB_EK-7g?si=llump9nrkFVLaQwz&t=2884" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">2025 panel discussion</a>, Boyd explained:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
“We’re [PSFC] a 501c3 — that means that we, at PSFC, do not do political work. But there is a related organization called New Approach, which I’m also the director of that, and that’s a 501c4, which did run both of those campaigns in Colorado and Oregon. Members of PSFC, as individual philanthropists, are also the main donors to those campaigns. So, the money that was necessary to run those campaigns. So it’s something that is — to use the overused term ‘adjacent’ — it is PSFC-adjacent, but not specifically a PSFC effort. The implementation, though, in Oregon and Colorado — building out the clinics, training people, the training centers, all of that — that’s very much right in the sweet spot of PSFC … and certainly part of what our donors support, often through PSFC.”
</blockquote>
Boyd’s New Approach PAC has recently been at the center of <a href="https://www.lucid.news/whistleblowers-claim-2024-ma-psychedelics-ballot-initiative-violated-campaign-finance-laws/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">campaign finance violation allegations</a> for similar unethical overlap of organizations in Massachusetts. Whistleblowers contacted the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to allege that New Approach was unethically intertwined with a number of other advocacy organizations and political organizations, including Heroic Hearts Project, the Yes on 4 campaign and the Open Circle Alliance charity.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312686" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DavidBronner-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">David Bronner</h2>
PSFC board member; MAPS board member; Dr. Bronner’s “cosmic engagement officer” (CEO)
David Bronner holds influential roles as a <a href="https://psfc.co/board-of-directors" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">board member</a> of the PSFC, <a href="https://info.drbronner.com/media-center/executive-team/#:~:text=David%20Bronner%20is%20Cosmic%20Engagement,fifth%2Dgeneration%20soap%2Dmaker." rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">CEO</a> of soap maker Dr. Bronner’s and <a href="https://maps.org/people/david-bronner/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">board member</a> of MAPS. Under Bronner’s leadership, his soap company has <a href="https://qz.com/quartzy/1374780/dr-bronners-soap-is-a-trendy-120-million-company" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">expanded significantly</a>, growing from $4 million in annual revenue in 1998 to $120 million by 2017. He has leveraged his position at Dr. Bronner’s to advocate for cannabis and psychedelic reform, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/527s/527cmtedetail_contribs.php?ein=465419389&cycle=2020" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">funneling millions</a> <a href="https://info.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2017/04/donating-5-million-maps/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">of dollars</a> into organizations like MAPS and New Approach PAC. To aid in these political efforts, Bronner <a href="https://theorg.com/org/psychedelic-science-funders-collaborative/org-chart/graham-boyd" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">has employed </a>the PSFC’s and New Approach PAC’s Graham Boyd as the political director of Dr. Bronner’s.
Over the years, Bronner has expressed support for controversial and abusive figures in the psychedelic ecosystem, such as Françoise Bourzat, who was exposed in 2021 for <a href="https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/grossbard-bourzat-psychedelic-assisted-therapy-abuse" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">sexually abusing clients</a> during psychedelic therapy. Months prior to this exposure, Bronner had described Bourzat as a <a href="https://info.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2021/03/sounding-the-alarm-on-compasss-interference-in-oregons-psilocybin-therapy-program/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">“remarkable psilocybin therapist”</a> and promoted her upcoming psychedelic facilitator training program.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>PSFC members have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in financial contributions to Bourzat’s school.</blockquote></figure>
As reported by Psymposia, Bourzat was <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/psychedelic-syndicate-part-1-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">central to the PSFC’s plans for training psychedelic therapists</a> in Oregon, where a bill was passed to legalize psilocybin therapy. The scandal surrounding Bourzat raises concerns about the lack of accountability and oversight within the rapidly expanding field, and specifically by the PSFC’s leadership. According to Psymposia’s reporting, PSFC members have provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to Bourzat’s school, the Center for Consciousness Medicine, dating back at least to 2020. And Boyd disclosed that he acted as a paid legal adviser for Bourzat’s school in 2021.
This isn’t the only psychedelic practitioner scandal Bronner has been involved in. In 2022, Dr. Bronner’s became one of the first companies in the country to <a href="https://www.enthea.com/dr-bronners-case-study" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">offer employees psychedelic-focused health care benefits</a> — including ketamine-assisted therapy — through psychedelic benefits coordinator Enthea (where PSFC member Michael Cotton is an adviser). 
A <a href="https://courtindex.sdcourt.ca.gov/CISPublic/casedetail?casenum=24CU026973C&casesite=SD&applcode=C" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">wrongful death lawsuit</a> filed against Dr. Bronner’s claims that an employee died of a drug overdose at a psychedelic session organized by Bronner, his wife and another employee from the company. Following a back injury, this employee was allegedly made to believe that the session was part of her Enthea company health care plan; but it was not. Instead, Bronner is alleged to have arranged a “ketamine massage” with an unlicensed masseuse who proceeded to give the employee a high dose of MDA (a drug similar to MDMA). Speaking with TV station KPBS about this lawsuit, one Dr. Bronner’s employee said that recreational drug use among the events team and <a href="https://www.kpbs.org/news/public-safety/2025/02/06/dr-bronner-overdose-death" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">certain executives</a> is “common.”
Bronner’s various roles uniquely position him to impact cannabis and psychedelic advocacy efforts. Despite having significant influence, Bronner’s support for controversial, unqualified figures like Bourzat or the unlicensed masseuse in the lawsuit highlights the challenges of navigating a rapidly evolving field where charismatic individuals can sometimes hide harmful actions. When figures like Bronner and his colleagues at the PSFC act as the centralized body deciding which projects and individuals to greenlight within the industry — and their judgment turns out to be incorrect — it can cause real-world harm.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312687" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/MikeCotton-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Michael Cotton</h2>
PSFC board member; Enthea adviser
Michael Cotton is a health care executive who held the role of chief operating officer at Meridian Health, a multistate managed care provider. Cotton’s background is closely <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/real-estate/2014/11/19/dan-gilbert-cotton-family-downtown-detroit/19249845/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">tied to his family’s</a> involvement in health care management. His father, David Cotton, is an <a href="https://www.fa-mag.com/news/obamacare-helped-make-this-doctor-a-billionaire-40147.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">American billionaire</a> and former owner and CEO of Meridian Health Plans. His mother, Shery Cotton, and his brothers also have held high-level positions at the company. In recent years, Cotton has extended his expertise to entrepreneurial ventures and advisory roles. He is currently an <a href="https://www.enthea.com/our-team#Advisors" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">adviser</a> to Enthea, a third-party administrator for health insurance plans focused on psychedelic medical treatments. (Dr. Bronner’s was one of Enthea’s <a href="https://www.enthea.com/dr-bronners-case-study" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">first customers</a>.) This position leverages his experience in health care operations and his growing involvement in the emerging psychedelic sector. As a board member of the PSFC, Cotton claims to be focused on advancing the research and integration of psychedelic treatments into medical practice.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312688" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GenevieveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Genevieve Jurvetson</h2>
PSFC board member; chair of PSFC’s Founders Circle
Genevieve Jurvetson’s career has spanned multiple sectors, beginning in investment banking and transitioning into the tech industry, where she <a href="https://www.greenmarketreport.com/the-big-money-behind-psychedelics/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">co-founded</a> the AI-powered recruiting platform, Fetcher. Jurvetson shifted her focus to philanthropy through the Jurvetson Foundation, which claims to fund “moonshot” initiatives aimed at addressing mental health challenges. She has become a prominent figure in the psychedelic space as a <a href="https://psfc.co/board-of-directors" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">board member</a> of the PSFC and chair of the collective’s Founders Circle, made up of donors who have <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/magazine/psychedelic-syndicate-part-1-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">provided more than $1 million</a> to the psychedelic field. As reported by Psymposia, she has been an ardent supporter of the organization, hosting high-profile events at her Bay Area home — “Casa Jurvey by the Sea” — to celebrate the PSFC’s organizational milestones.
Following the FDA’s rejection of Lykos Therapeutics’ MDMA-assisted therapy application in 2024, Jurvetson was a <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot-2024-07-20-at-1.36.18%E2%80%AFPM.png" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">vocal leader</a> — alongside <a href="https://heroicheartsproject.org/exposing-icers-anti-veteran-campaign-against-mdma-assisted-therapy/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">PSFC-funded veterans nonprofits</a> — in a disinformation campaign blaming the decision on external parties such as Psymposia and the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, despite <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/joarhalvorsen.bsky.social/post/3lcdtuzhsik2a" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">clear evidence</a> of clinical trial shortcomings that contributed to the rejection. In September of 2025, the FDA released its <a href="https://psychedelicalpha.com/news/breaking-fda-publishes-lykos-therapeutics-mdma-complete-response-letter-crl" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">complete response to Lykos Therapeutics</a>, which further contradicted Jurvetson’s claims about Psymposia’s and ICER’s influence.
Rather than acknowledging the legitimate challenges faced by Lykos Therapeutics, Jurvetson has helped frame the issue as a political battle against “radical leftists” who she falsely claims oppose treatments for veterans. She has increasingly appealed directly to the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration to overturn the FDA’s rejection throughout 2025.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312689" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DanGrossman-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dan Grossman</h2>
PSFC board member; Lykos Therapeutics board member
Dan Grossman serves as a board member for the PSFC and Lykos Therapeutics. His professional background includes over 20 years at Boston Consulting Group, where he was managing director and senior partner, focusing on corporate strategy, pipeline development and commercialization within the health care sector — particularly in neuroscience. In his role at the PSFC, Grossman has been described as being involved in building the infrastructure for the psychedelic industry and shaping policy within the field.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312690" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/ProtikBasu-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Suprotik (Protik) Basu</h2>
PSFC board member; Helena Special Investments managing partner; Lykos Therapeutics board member 
Protik Basu has had a varied career that spans private finance, philanthropy and public policy. He is currently the <a href="https://helena.org/team/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">managing partner</a> of Helena Special Investments, a firm that <a href="https://www.gawkerarchives.com/i-have-no-idea-what-this-startup-does-and-nobody-will-t-1771036238" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">says it addresses</a> societal issues through a mix of for-profit, nonprofit and legislative actions. Helena’s investment arm claims to back companies tackling global challenges, including those related to mental health.
Basu’s connections to the psychedelic industry are primarily through his roles with the PSFC and Lykos Therapeutics. In 2023, his private equity firm, Helena, led a <a href="https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/maps-lykos-mdma-ptsd-helena-fundraise/703794/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">$100 million Series A funding round</a> for Lykos, which was working to commercialize MDMA-assisted therapy. Basu was given a <a href="https://lykospbc.com/leadership/protik-basu/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">seat on Lykos’ board</a> following this investment round. Basu’s academic background includes degrees from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/about/leadership/health-advisory-board/board-members/suprotik-basu-mhs-02" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">currently serves</a> as chair of the advisory board. His role in funding psychedelic developments — particularly as an investor in Lykos, which had previously <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/corporadelic-maps-for-profit-arm-raises-100-million/">rejected the idea of private investment</a> — is illustrative of the increasing role of private capital in shaping the development of psychedelic therapies.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312692" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RonBeller-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ron Beller</h2>
PSFC founding member; Lykos Therapeutics board member 
Ron Beller has a background in banking and finance, having <a href="https://www.ronbeller.com/about-1" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">served as a partner</a> at Goldman Sachs. He later founded Peloton Partners, a hedge fund that peaked at $3 billion in assets under management and was one of the top-performing hedge funds in Europe in 2007. Beller has become increasingly involved in the psychedelics space, where he has held leadership positions at multiple organizations. He is a founding member of the PSFC, and claims to have been a <a href="https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/ideas-speakers-lectures/2024-06-03/aps2024-fireside-chat-rick-doblin-ph-d-with-ron-beller" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">close adviser</a> to senior executives at MAPS in his role as an executive coach. He has also served on the board of MAPS Israel. His ties to MAPS extend to his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20250126153032/https://lykospbc.com/leadership/ron-beller/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">current position</a> on the board of Lykos Therapeutics. Beller also claims to be a trained <a href="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/a3/a6/9645ac6f40d298ed28a9615c8013/aspen-pychedelic-symposium-2024-program-book-digital.pdf" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">psychedelic integration guide</a>.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson.png?width=1024&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312693" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=1024&height=1024 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=300&height=300 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=150&height=150 150w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=768&height=768 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=180&height=180 180w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=270&height=270 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=405&height=405 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=585&height=585 585w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/SteveJurvetson-scaled.png?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /></figure>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Steve Jurvetson</h2>
PSFC member and mega-donor; SpaceX board member; Future Ventures co-founder
Steve Jurvetson is an American billionaire venture capitalist known for his <a href="https://future.ventures/bio" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">early investments</a> in companies such as SpaceX, Tesla, Planet Labs and Memphis Meats. He co-founded the venture capital firm Future Ventures and was previously a partner at Draper Fisher Jurvetson. He has also served as a presidential ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship under President Barack Obama, and claims to be a close friend of <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/elon-musk/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="19" title="Elon Musk">Elon Musk</a>.
Jurvetson’s connection to the psychedelic industry became more prominent through his <a href="https://maps.org/news/media/business-insider-tech-execs-are-donating-millions-to-make-mdma-a-legal-treatment-for-ptsd-continuing-silicon-valley-s-longtime-love-affair-with-psychedelics/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">financial support of MAPS</a> and his involvement in its fundraising efforts. He participated in the MAPS Capstone Fundraiser to support the completion of Phase 3 clinical trials for MDMA-assisted therapy. His wife, Genevieve Jurvetson, is also a board member of the PSFC. His firm, Future Ventures, is also an investor in psychedelic pharmaceutical company incubator atai Life Sciences.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Jurvetson’s connection to psychedelics has also been marked by his vocal opposition to critics of the industry.</blockquote></figure>
One of Jurvetson’s biggest career controversies involved the drug he and the PSFC have championed. In 2017 — <a href="https://qz.com/1178134/brotopia-new-book-says-steve-jurvetson-hosted-party-with-sex-and-drugs" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">as reported</a> in Emily Chang’s book “Brotopia” — Jurvetson was removed from DFJ following allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct at a professional party he hosted. The incident involved a gathering where MDMA was reportedly used inappropriately by one attendee to coerce another attendee into sexual acts.
DFJ commented to Recode after Jurvetson’s departure in 2017, “We were dismayed to learn of behavior at the party [at Jurvetson’s property] that was <a href="https://qz.com/1178134/brotopia-new-book-says-steve-jurvetson-hosted-party-with-sex-and-drugs" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">completely at odds</a> with DFJ’s culture which has been, and will continue to be, built on the values of respect and integrity.”
As detailed in Psymposia’s report, Jurvetson’s connection to psychedelics has also been marked by his vocal opposition to critics of the industry. Like his wife, Genevieve, he has participated in <a href="https://www.psymposia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/signal-2024-06-26-124240_002.jpeg" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">spreading misinformation</a> against organizations like Psymposia and ICER, which he claims have hindered the FDA’s approval of MDMA-assisted therapy.
Psymposia also reported on Jurvetson’s dystopian vision for the future of psychedelic therapy. Speaking to Spiriterritory, Jurvetson — who is an investor in <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/elon-musk/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="19" title="Elon Musk">Musk</a>’s xAi, the parent company of X — explained that he believed that artificial intelligence therapists were an “obvious long-term solution” for the industry. 
“There’s no reason in the world that it needs to be a human in the room holding your hand for 24 to 48 hours,” Jurvetson said. He then described a future where AI would handle psychedelic therapy while untrained humans — “the lowest-cost labor you can imagine” — served as backup for physical emergencies.
Read Psymposia’s full report, “<a href="https://www.psymposia.com/psychedelic-syndicate-executive-summary-silicon-valley-maps-lykos-mdma-fda-billionaires/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">The Psychedelic Syndicate: How Silicon Valley Used Veterans to Hijack the Psychedelic Industry</a>.”
All illustrations by Russell Hausfeld
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/meet-the-silicon-valley-millionaires-club-that-wants-to-control-the-psychedelic-industry/">Meet the Silicon Valley Millionaire’s Club That Wants to Control the Psychedelic Industry</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>The Farm-to-School Model Is Under Threat</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-farm-to-school-model-is-under-threat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-farm-to-school-model-is-under-threat</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Stacie Stukin / Capital & Main ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:47:28 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Federal rollbacks are leaving farmers and schools struggling, but local investment is helping Tucson’s program endure.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-farm-to-school-model-is-under-threat/">The Farm-to-School Model Is Under Threat</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
]]></description>
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This article was produced in collaboration with the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2025 Impact Fund for Reporting on Health Equity and Health Systems.
At Manzo Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona, fifth-graders Mia Leyva and Glenn Brockman recently led a tour through their school garden. After noting the sweetness of their homegrown carrots, they enthusiastically dug their hands into compost teeming with worms and explained how it would help fertilize the vegetable seedlings in the greenhouse. They invited visitors to smell sprigs of mint and rosemary, showed off fresh eggs from the chicken coop and professed their love of kale. While some of the garden’s modest harvest will end up in the school cafeteria, nutrition experts say it offers something else of value: food literacy.
But this scene may become increasingly rare. Across the country, a cascade of federal funding cuts by the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration and Republican lawmakers are dismantling the infrastructure that makes nutrition education programs possible and helps schools purchase local farm products for meal programs. The impact of cuts to farm-to-school programs isn’t distributed equally. Well-resourced school districts like Tucson Unified have reliable funding from district coffers and grants as well as established systems in place to continue their farm-to-school and food literacy programs. However, small or rural districts that may have one elementary, middle and high school with one person overseeing food service will face new challenges.
“Those districts just got stretched a lot thinner,” said Jessie Gruner, director of policy and community innovations at Arizona’s Pinnacle Prevention, a nonprofit that advocates for food system equity.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683" alt="" class="wp-image-312675" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=300&height=200 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=768&height=512 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=270&height=180 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=405&height=270 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=607&height=405 607w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=877&height=585 877w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD036-scaled-1.jpg?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mia Leyva, a fifth-grader at Manzo Elementary, gives a tour of the school greenhouse.</figcaption></figure>
These cuts come at a time when American schoolchildren face an epidemic of diet-related illnesses. In Arizona and nationwide, about <a href="https://assets.aecf.org/m/resourcedoc/Aecf-2025kidscountdatabook.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">three in 10 children</a> ages 10 to 17 are overweight or obese, which can lead to chronic health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Many children in the Tucson Unified School District, like kids in other low-income communities, also lack access to safe places to exercise and affordable healthy food, often relying on ultraprocessed foods.
Public health advocates say the cuts have come despite <a href="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5c469df2395cd53c3d913b2d/611027419232d281ad2f51ff_BenefitsFactSheet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">research</a> demonstrating that children exposed to farm-to-school programs — like school gardens and nutrition education — eat more vegetables, are more willing to try new foods, exercise more and make healthier food choices.
The cuts began less than two months into President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a>’s second term, when the Department of Agriculture (USDA) abruptly canceled the Local Food Purchasing Assistance and the Local Food for Schools programs, which provided more than $1 billion to help schools and food banks nationwide buy produce, meat and dairy from local farms and ranches. Launched in 2021, these <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a> administration programs offered relief to more than 40 states grappling with supply chain disruptions during the pandemic. The investment boosted long-standing farm-to-school programs and helped schools and local farmers build new relationships while enabling children to access fresh, healthy foods.
Capital & Main reached out to the Department of Agriculture for comment about the cuts, but did not hear back before publication. However, the USDA said in a March statement, reported by <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/usda-cuts-over-1-billion-funding-schools-local-food-purchases-2025-03-11/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Reuters</a> and other publications, “These programs, created under the former Administration via Executive authority, no longer effectuate the goals of the agency.”
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683" alt="" class="wp-image-312676" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=300&height=200 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=768&height=512 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=270&height=180 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=405&height=270 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=607&height=405 607w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=877&height=585 877w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD058-scaled-1.jpg?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Carmen Nugent of Pivot Produce offloads boxes of locally grown lettuce that will go in school lunches at the Tucson Unified School District’s food warehouse.</figcaption></figure>
These cancellations have handicapped effective food distribution pipelines that connect local agriculture to school cafeterias and food banks, said Audra Christophel, vice president of community development at the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. “There’s all this work that goes into building systems that help farmers increase their capacity so they build on past successes. Then to have them yanked back, it’s like, never mind,” she said. “That has an incredible impact on these farm businesses, family-owned farms, and on those communities who are benefitting from really healthy, fresh, local food both through schools and emergency food distributors.”
The cuts come alongside another blow to school nutrition: Tens of thousands of children are expected to begin losing access to free school meals in October 2027, and some sooner, when they lose their SNAP eligibility. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump signed in July, which Republicans in Congress passed over the universal opposition of Democrats, includes massive cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest food assistance program. And access to free school lunches is tied to SNAP eligibility. The Congressional Budget Office, Congress’ nonpartisan official scorekeeper, <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/by-the-numbers-harmful-republican-megabill-takes-food-assistance-away-from" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">estimated</a> that the cuts to SNAP will result in 96,000 kids losing free meals at school in a typical month as their families lose eligibility for SNAP.
Cuts to SNAP also mean the loss of educational dollars from SNAP-Ed, a decades-old program that, among other things, links farmers with schools, provides cooking classes and guides districts through grants for kitchen and garden upgrades.
Research confirms that school meals are some of the healthiest — and most reliable — meals children eat. During a recent lunch period at Tucson High Magnet School, in a district with a Latino majority and where 60% of students qualify for free or reduced-price school meals, students chose from entrees including honey hot sauce chicken wings and a whole-grain, low-sodium ramen cup served with edamame. Every meal came with a side of fresh vegetables from local farms served with a Greek yogurt ranch dip.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683" alt="" class="wp-image-312677" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=300&height=200 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=768&height=512 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=270&height=180 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=405&height=270 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=607&height=405 607w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=877&height=585 877w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD093-scaled-1.jpg?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Kitchen staff prepare to serve the day’s lunch at Tucson High Magnet School.</figcaption></figure>
“School lunch today is not like it was when we were kids,” said Lindsay Aguilar, Tucson Unified’s food services director, while standing in the high school’s bustling cafeteria kitchen. She noted that meals now meet strict nutrition standards and often include locally sourced produce. “Healthier food at school is important,” Aguilar said, “but nutrition education, that’s where the investment should be, that’s how progress can be made, because learning gives kids the skills to eat healthier.”
School food has more benefits than just food security. It can improve health and lower body mass index, as well as improve classroom behavior and reduce visits to the school nurse, <a href="https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/School-Meals-are-Essential-Health-and-Learning_FNL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">according to</a> the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit organization that works to end poverty-related hunger in the United States.
For farmers who built their business models around selling to schools and food banks through these federal programs, the cuts have created immediate hardship. 
Cindy Gentry helped found the Sun Produce Cooperative, which works with 40 farmers who sell their products to consumers, schools and food banks across eight counties in and around Tempe, Arizona. Next February, the co-op will lose a $400,000 contract with the food banks that buy its farmers’ produce. “The seeds had been ordered, equipment was purchased and now we have lost those sales for the farmers,” she said about the abrupt cancellation of the Local Food Purchasing Assistance funds.
As for the farm-to-school program, Gentry had been expanding. Sales of about $31,000 in 2023 had ballooned $278,000 last year. Now those gains, and the progress made getting fresh local produce into schools, is at risk. 
One Tucson-area farmer, Bill Shriver, has been selling up to 100 cases of greens to the Tucson school district from his aquaponic and hydroponic farm, Merchant’s Garden. “I’ve built my business for 10 years on those sales,” he said. “Now those funds will be gone.”
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="682" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=682" alt="" class="wp-image-312678" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=682 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=300&height=200 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=768&height=512 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=270&height=180 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=405&height=270 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=608&height=405 608w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=878&height=585 878w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD057-scaled-1.jpg?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Lettuce grows at Merchant’s Garden, an aquaponic and hydroponic farm near Tucson.</figcaption></figure>
The cuts to farm-to-school programs are coming at a time when families already face significant challenges maintaining healthy diets due to high food prices and impending cuts to food assistance.  
When children don’t have access to school meals, the alternatives are often nutritionally inadequate. Kim Sieck, food service director in Iowa’s Grinnell-Newburg School District, said she’s seen students bring “three small candy bars and a bag of chips” as their lunch when school meals weren’t available.
Recently, the <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/09/10/secretary-rollins-announces-reinvigorated-farm-school-grants-supporting-american-farmers-and" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">USDA touted</a> the reinstatement of the Patrick Leahy Farm-to-School Grant program, which was cut in February along with the other farm-to-school programs. While advocates including Karen Spangler, policy director of the National Farm to School Network, welcomed the release of the $18 million program’s funding, she noted that only 10% of the funds can be spent on actual food purchases under grant rules; the rest can be used for personnel, infrastructure and equipment.
“With all 50 states having lost their SNAP-Ed programs, competition for the [Patrick Leahy] Farm-to-School grants is going to be tenfold because everyone is trying to fill up the void from the other cuts,” said Gruner of Pinnacle. 
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683" alt="" class="wp-image-312680" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=1024&height=683 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=300&height=200 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=768&height=512 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=270&height=180 270w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=405&height=270 405w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=607&height=405 607w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=877&height=585 877w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250910-TUSD102-scaled-1.jpg?width=2000 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Student Glenn Brockman holds a chicken in the Manzo Elementary School’s chicken coop in Tucson, Ariz.</figcaption></figure>
The impact of these cuts to food assistance will be increasingly hard to measure. Last month the USDA <a href="https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/09/20/usda-terminates-redundant-food-insecurity-survey" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">announced</a> it will discontinue the Household Food Security Survey that’s been in place for 30 years. According to Katie Bergh, senior policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The public will be losing our most consistent, most reliable, and a very long-running data source that helps us understand the rate of food hardship in this country.”
For the fifth-graders tending their garden in Tucson, their love of kale might endure. But other students across the country may not get an opportunity to learn how food grows or develop a palate for fresh vegetables. “So much of our food choices are innate. We learn [eating habits] surrounded by our friends and our family. Our culture really shapes and forms our relationship with food at a very, very young age,” Gruner said. “That’s why farm to school is so important. It really starts at the very beginning, nurturing that curiosity of where our food comes from.”
Copyright 2025 Capital & Main.
All photos by Rebecca Noble.
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<title>These Israeli-Backed Gangs Could Wreck the Gaza Ceasefire</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Connor Echols / Responsible Statecraft ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:39:55 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Column]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[As Hamas seeks retaliation against Israeli-collaborators, Israel’s hardliners reap the benefits of internal violence, chaos and Palestinian division.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/these-israeli-backed-gangs-could-wreck-the-gaza-ceasefire/">These Israeli-Backed Gangs Could Wreck the Gaza Ceasefire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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Frightening images have emerged from Gaza in the week since a fragile ceasefire took hold between Israel and Hamas. In one widely circulated video, seven blindfolded men kneel in line with militants arrayed behind them. Gunshots ring out in unison, and the row of men collapse in a heap as dozens of spectators look on.
The gruesome scenes appear to be part of a Hamas effort to reestablish control over Gaza through a crackdown on gangs and criminal groups that it says have proliferated during the past two years of war and chaos. In the minds of Israel and its backers, the killings reveal Hamas’ true colors — and represent a preview of what the group may do if it’s allowed to maintain some degree of power.
Indeed, some are already arguing that these attacks should spark a return to war. “Hamas continues to show that their barbaric and irresponsible actions are the biggest threat to the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/1979919411742978261" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">said</a> in a statement, adding that Israel will “respond forcefully” to Hamas’ “brutal rule.”
The U.S. seemed to back Netanyahu up with a statement warning of a planned Hamas attack on Palestinian civilians. “Should Hamas proceed with this attack, measures will be taken to protect the people of Gaza and preserve the integrity of the ceasefire,” the State Department <a href="https://x.com/StateDept/status/1979670820042559983" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">said</a>. The Washington Post editorial board, in an editorial blaming Hamas for a potential collapse of the ceasefire, <a href="http://washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/19/hamas-gaza-ceasefire-collapse-violence-terrorism/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">argued</a> that “[t]errorist brutality risks igniting a Palestinian civil war.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Many of the groups now clashing with Hamas receive weapons, supplies and protection from Israel.</blockquote></figure>
But this emerging narrative omits crucial context: Many of the groups now clashing with Hamas <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-providing-guns-to-gaza-jihadist-gang-to-bolster-opposition-to-hamas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">receive</a> weapons, supplies and protection from Israel. And that support has continued despite Israel’s decision to sign on to a ceasefire. As Israeli troops have withdrawn from parts of Gaza, the leadership of many of these groups have retreated with them, giving the militants space to build up their forces and issue public calls to fight Hamas.
Experts who spoke with Responsible Statecraft described the support for anti-Hamas militants as part of a long-standing Israeli policy of stoking division in Palestinian politics. In order to prevent the rise of a unified, nationalist Palestinian leadership, Israel has often offered assistance to smaller, less politically engaged factions. In Gaza, this approach has expanded to include highly controversial groups, including ones led by criminals and people with links to the Islamic State.
Now, it looks like the strategy could pay off for an Israeli leadership that remains skeptical of a lasting ceasefire. “We are starting to see these groups trying to sow the seeds of civil strife in order to try and destabilize things in Gaza,” said Tahani Mustafa, an expert on Palestinian affairs who is a visiting scholar at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “That can be incredibly dangerous because it doesn’t take much for Israel to use [it] as a pretext to revert back to war.”
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Preventing Palestinian unity ‘at all costs’</h3>
Israel’s divide-and-rule strategy dates back to the early days of the occupation, when Israeli leaders attempted to govern the West Bank and Gaza in coordination with “village leagues” made up of apolitical Palestinian leaders. At that time, the goal was to find an alternative to dealing with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which sought to free Palestine through force of arms.
In the late 1980s, Israel also began to lend a certain degree of support to Islamists in Gaza, whom Israeli leaders viewed as less politically dangerous than the PLO radicals. But that equation flipped when Hamas, which Israel had initially <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/02/19/hamas-israel-palestine-conflict/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">supported</a>, began to carry out attacks on Israeli civilians. Meanwhile, the PLO morphed into the Palestinian Authority, which now works closely with Israel on security.
Following a Palestinian civil war in 2007, Israel has primarily focused on ensuring that the PA and Hamas remain at loggerheads. At times, this has meant tacit acceptance of Hamas rule in Gaza, including through Netanyahu’s controversial <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-1.7010035" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">policy</a> of allowing Qatar to make payments to the Hamas-run government in Gaza.
Since the beginning of the current war, Israel has pitched a plan for post-war Gaza in which prominent clan leaders could manage the affairs of the enclave. As part of this policy, Israeli officials, with assent from the U.S., have <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-wants-local-clans-to-run-gaza-after-the-war-but-the-candidates-are-refusing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">attempted</a> to cultivate relationships with influential families. Sometimes this just meant leaving behind weapons or supplies when Israeli forces evacuated an area. But other times, it was more direct.
“Shin Bet officers would actively reach out to people on their phones or send them [middlemen] with a clear message of ‘Here are weapons, here is money, your job is to challenge Hamas,’” said Muhammad Shehada, a close watcher of the Gaza war and a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Not a single clan agreed to cooperate as a clan, but members within the clan agreed.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“Not a single clan agreed to cooperate as a clan, but members within the clan agreed.”</blockquote></figure>
One family that Israel attempted to court is the Doghmush clan, several members of which have been publicly executed in recent weeks. The clan has a complicated history with Hamas, in part due to one influential Doghmush leader’s time <a href="https://www.jns.org/who-are-the-gaza-clans-opposing-hamas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">running</a> an ISIS affiliate opposed to Hamas in Gaza.
Further inflaming tensions is the fact that a handful of Doghmush members, at Israel’s request, recently <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/hamas-battles-rival-militias-for-control-of-gaza-following-israels-withdrawal-13450580" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">began</a> launching attacks against Hamas, according to family leader Nizar Doghmush, who condemned those members of his clan. So far, this condemnation has not been enough to spare the Doghmush clan from retribution. At least 27 people have been killed in Hamas-Doghmush clashes since the ceasefire.
As the war in Gaza dragged on and Israel struggled to recruit from the major clans, it resorted to working with less savory characters, according to Shehada. Emerging evidence suggests that Israel is backing at least four different Palestinian armed groups across Gaza, which are now engaged in a low-level conflict with Hamas.
One such organization is led by Yasser Abu Shabab, known as a “notorious criminal” in Gaza due to his involvement in drug and weapons smuggling and apparent ties to ISIS in the Sinai, according to Mustafa. Abu Shabab’s Popular Forces have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/03/israel-gaza-clans-abu-shabab/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">become</a> infamous in Gaza for allegedly looting aid trucks in order to sell the supplies on the black market. (Israeli officials are now seeking to rebrand Abu Shabab as a “grassroots, deradicalized civil society activist,” according to Shehada.)
Husam al-Astal, who once served time in a Gaza prison alongside Abu Shabab, initially fought for the Popular Forces but has since split off and formed his own group, known as the Counter-Terrorism Strike Force. Astal has publicly <a href="https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1iw2dtaeg" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">said</a> that he is working with Israeli forces, which on at least one occasion involved Israel bombing Hamas militants in order to preempt an attack on Astal’s fighters.
Hamas has also recently found itself fighting with a group known as the Popular Army, led by a previously unknown figure named Ashraf al-Mansi. Like the Popular Forces, the Popular Army has staged its operations in areas that remain under Israeli control. Video evidence strongly <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/videos-show-fresh-evidence-of-israeli-support-for-gaza-militia-13451682" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">suggests</a> that Mansi’s men are receiving supplies directly from Israeli forces, according to Sky News.
The crackdown on these groups, while brutal and extrajudicial, enjoys fairly wide support among Palestinians in Gaza. “Hamas has basically regrouped with other forces like Fatah, the [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine], the [Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine] and others in order to try and reinstate a sense of law and order,” Mustafa said, noting that much of the demand for this sort of action has come from Gazans fed up with “lawlessness.”
The precise extent of these groups’ collaboration with Israel is hard to determine, but Shehada says some of them work closely with the Israel Defense Forces and carry out military operations on their behalf. Adding to the confusion — and suspicion — is the fact that Netanyahu has publicly <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-providing-guns-to-gaza-jihadist-gang-to-bolster-opposition-to-hamas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">admitted</a> to working with some of these groups without naming any of them in particular, leaving Hamas wide latitude to crack down on alleged collaborators.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Emerging evidence suggests that Israel is backing at least four different Palestinian armed groups across Gaza.</blockquote></figure>
For Israel, alliances with Palestinian collaborators in Gaza are valuable for two main reasons. One is that these groups have little interest in Palestinian nationalism. “They have their own narrow self-interests, and that works very well for Israel,” said Khaled Elgindy, a visiting scholar at Georgetown and a former adviser to PA leaders.
Another is that, by subcontracting the fighting to Palestinians, Israel can distance itself from any resulting violence. “There’s quite a lot of potential there for these groups to be disruptive,” Elgindy told Responsible Statecraft. “And to the outside world, it will look like intra-Palestinian violence.”
Israel’s security establishment once sought to maintain stability at all costs, but now it appears to view chaos as an upside, Elgindy said. In the near term, instability will provide plenty of opportunities for Israel to return to full-scale war in Gaza. And in the long term, it will strengthen Israel’s argument that Palestinians are simply too divided — and militarized — to negotiate with in good faith.
Harder to understand is why the U.S. continues to support these policies. Mike Casey, who served as a foreign service officer in the Palestinian section of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem from 2020 to 2024, argued that Washington’s backing for Israeli efforts to divide the Palestinians has left everyone worse off. “There’s just this constant cycle of violence that [the U.S. is] not taking steps to stop because the Israeli government is pushing to prevent a Palestinian state and Palestinian unity at all costs,” Casey told RS.
When Casey resigned from the State Department, one major factor was his frustration with the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/joe-biden/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="5" title="Joe Biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden</a> administration for lining up behind Israel’s plan for a clan-based government in post-war Gaza. “We were just taking Israeli directives on what to do and not thinking through what’s best for the United States, for our interests, for Palestinian interests and for Israeli interests,” Casey said. “We just did whatever Netanyahu and others would tell us to do.”
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/these-israeli-backed-gangs-could-wreck-the-gaza-ceasefire/">These Israeli-Backed Gangs Could Wreck the Gaza Ceasefire</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>The Billionaire’s House</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-billionaires-house/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-billionaires-house</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Robert Reich / Substack ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2025 15:27:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Trump is tearing down the East Wing of the White House to build a monument perfectly suited to this second Gilded Age.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-billionaires-house/">The Billionaire’s House</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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In the first Gilded Age, which ran from the 1890s through the 1920s, captains of American industry were dubbed “robber barons” for using their baronial wealth to bribe lawmakers, monopolize industry and rob average Americans of the productivity of their labors.
Now, in a second Gilded Age, a new generation of robber barons is using their wealth to do the same — and to entrench their power.
The first Gilded Age was an era of conspicuous consumption. The second is an era of conspicuous influence.
The new robber barons are having their names etched into the pediments of the giant new ostentatious ballroom President <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> is adding to the White House.
They already own — and influence — much of the news Americans receive. And they are eager to promote their views.
Marc Benioff, the billionaire founder and CEO of Salesforce, told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/us/marc-benioff-san-francisco-guard.html" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> that Trump should send the National Guard to San Francisco. (After his remarks drew condemnation from many of the city’s civic leaders, he apologized. He seems about to get his wish nonetheless.)
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>They already own — and influence — much of the news Americans receive.</blockquote></figure>
Marc Rowan, the billionaire chief executive of Apollo Global Management, is the force behind Trump’s recent “compact” calling on universities to limit international students, protect conservative speech, require standardized testing for admissions and adopt policies recognizing “that academic freedom is not absolute,” among other conditions. The Trump regime dangled “substantial and meaningful federal grants” for universities that agree.
(It didn’t work. Seven of the nine universities approached rejected the deal.)
Billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman, the chief executive of Blackstone, is also shaping the Trump regime’s campaign to upend American higher education. Schwarzman has emerged as a key intermediary between Trump and Harvard University.
Other of America’s new robber barons are rapidly consolidating their control over what Americans read, hear and learn about what’s occurring in our country and the world. They include Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and his son David, Mark Andreessen, Rupert Murdoch, Charles Koch, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and, of course, <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/elon-musk/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="19" title="Elon Musk">Elon Musk</a>.
Perhaps the new robber barons’ most lasting impression on the U.S. government will be the lavish White House ballroom Trump is constructing — a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/10/20/g-s1-94315/white-house-demolishing-east-wing-trump-ballroom" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">90,000-square-foot, gold-leafed, glass-walled</a> banquet room that will literally overshadow the so-called People’s House.
It will not be an assembly hall, dance hall, music hall, dining hall, village hall or town hall. It will be a giant banquet and ballroom designed to accommodate 650 wealthy VIPs.
Trump claims that the East Room, the largest room in the White House, is too small. Its capacity is 200 people. He doesn’t like the idea of hosting kings, queens and prime ministers in pavilions on the South Lawn.
Trump’s real intention is to have the White House resemble Versailles.
Potential billionaire donors have already received pledge agreements for “The Donald J. Trump Ballroom at the White House.” In return for donations, contributors are eligible for “recognition associated with the White House Ballroom.”
Their names will be etched in the ballroom’s brick or stone edifice.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Trump’s real intention is to have the White House resemble Versailles.</blockquote></figure>
Trump last week <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5557860-trump-hosts-ballroom-donors-white-house-dinner/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">hosted a dinner</a> at the White House for the project’s donors, which included representatives from Microsoft, Google, Palantir and other companies, as well as Schwarzman, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and other billionaires.
Meredith O’Rourke, a top political fundraiser for Trump, is leading the effort, paired with the Trust for the National Mall, an organization that supports the National Park Service.
The trust’s nonprofit status means donations come with a federal tax write-off.
Construction began Monday. Trump is now literally taking a wrecking ball to the White House — sending parts of the East Wing’s roof, the building’s exterior and portions of its interior crumbling to the ground.
It seems fitting that in this second Gilded Age — an age of conspicuous influence and affluent access — the People’s House will be replaced by the Billionaire’s House.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-billionaires-house/">The Billionaire’s House</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<title>Inside Oklahoma’s Christian Nationalist Education Experiment</title>
<link>https://www.truthdig.com/articles/inside-oklahomas-christian-nationalist-education-experiment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=inside-oklahomas-christian-nationalist-education-experiment</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jennifer Smith Richards / ProPublica ]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:39:42 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The state is ground zero in the conservative quest for more patriotic and Christian public schools.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/inside-oklahomas-christian-nationalist-education-experiment/">Inside Oklahoma’s Christian Nationalist Education Experiment</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[
This story was originally published by <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-education-department-oklahoma-public-schools" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">ProPublica</a>.
The future that the <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration envisions for public schools is more patriotic, more Christian and less “woke.” Want to know how that might play out? Look to Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has spent the past few years reshaping public schools to integrate lessons about Jesus and encourage pride about America’s history, with political leaders and legislators working their way through the conservative agenda for <a href="https://www.heritage.org/solutions/#Education" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">overhauling education</a>.
Academics, educators and critics alike refer to Oklahoma as ground zero for pushing education to the right. Or, as one teacher put it, “the canary on the prairie.”
By the time the second <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/donald-trump/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="4" title="Donald Trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump</a> administration began espousing its “America First” agenda, which includes the expansion of private school vouchers and prohibitions on lessons about race and sex, Oklahoma had been there, done that.
The Republican supermajority in the state Legislature — where some members identify as Christian nationalists — passed sweeping restrictions on teaching about racism and gender in 2021, prompting districts to review whether teachers’ lessons might make students “feel discomfort, guilt, anguish” or other psychological distress about their race. The following year, it adopted one of the country’s first anti-transgender school bathroom bills, requiring students to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with the gender they were assigned at birth or <a href="https://newschannel9.com/news/nation-world/protest-after-transgender-student-suspended-3-times-for-using-incorrect-bathroom-norman-high-school-oklahoma-senate-bill-615-governor-kevin-stitt" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">face discipline</a>.
While he was state schools superintendent, Ryan Walters demanded Bibles be placed in every classroom, created a state Office of Religious Liberty and Patriotism, and encouraged schools to use online “pro-America” content from conservative media nonprofit PragerU. He called teachers unions “terrorist” organizations, railed against “woke” classrooms, threatened to yank the accreditation of school districts that resisted his orders and commissioned a test to measure whether teacher applicants from liberal states had “America First” knowledge.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>Ryan Walters demanded Bibles be placed in every classroom.</blockquote></figure>
Many of the changes endorsed by the state’s leaders have elements of Christian nationalism, which holds that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and often downplays troubling episodes in the country’s history to instead emphasize patriotism and a God-given destiny.
Walters, who declined to comment for this story, resigned at the end of September and became CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance, an arm of the conservative think tank Freedom Foundation that aims to “fight the woke liberal union mob.” But much of the transformation in Oklahoma education policy that he helped turbocharge is codified in the state’s rules and laws.
“We are the testing ground. Every single state needs to pay attention,” warned Jena Nelson, a moderate Democrat who lost the state superintendent’s race to Walters in 2022 and is now running for Congress.
<a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/education-department-public-schools-activists-linda-mcmahon-trump" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">ProPublica has reported</a> that U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has brought in a team of strategists who are working to radically shift how children will learn in America, even as they carry out the “final mission” to shut down the federal agency. Some of those strategists have spoken of their desire to dismantle public education. Others hope to push it in the same direction as Oklahoma.
Walters tapped the president of the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that published <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/tag/project-2025/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="8" title="Project 2025" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Project 2025</a> and the blueprints that preceded it, to help rewrite Oklahoma’s social studies standards. The Legislature did not reject the rewrite, so the standards now include roughly 40 points about the Bible, Jesus and Christianity that students should learn, as well as skepticism about the 2020 presidential election results and the origins of COVID-19. If the new standards survive a legal challenge, they could be in place until they’re up for review again in six years.
But while Oklahoma made these shifts, it has consistently ranked near the bottom on national measures of student performance. Scores on eighth-grade reading and math in national evaluations are abysmal. Only New Mexico’s proficiency rates rank lower. The high school dropout rate is one of the highest in the country, while spending on education is one of the lowest. Only three other states — Utah, Idaho and Arizona — spend less per pupil. And in the most recent federal data about average teacher pay, Oklahoma tied with Mississippi for dead last. Many school superintendents and parents say state leaders have been fixated on the wrong things if the goal is to improve schools.
“The attention to the culture war thing means that there’s a lot of distraction from the basic needs of kids being met,” said Aysha Prather, a parent who has closely followed changes in state education policy. Her transgender son is a plaintiff in a 2022 lawsuit challenging the state’s bathroom ban. That case remains on appeal.
“The school should be the nicest, happiest, best-resourced place in a community,” she added. “That’s how we show that we value kids. And that is obviously not how most of our Legislature or state government feels about it.”
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“We are the testing ground. Every single state needs to pay attention.”</blockquote></figure>
In a statement to ProPublica, the new state superintendent, Lindel Fields, said he was sorting through previous rules and edicts that have created “much confusion” for schools, including about the standards and the PragerU teacher certification tests. He said the public rightfully has questions about how the state Education Department changes after Walters’ tenure, but “given all these pressing tasks, we simply don’t have time for looking backward. Whether we are 50th or 46th or 25th in education, we have work to do to move our state forward,” Fields wrote. He said his first tasks are “resolving a number of outstanding issues that are hindering operations,” including creating a budget for the agency.
The state’s public school superintendents do not oppose all of the mandates from the past several years. When Walters directed schools last year to place Bibles in every classroom and teach from them, one district superintendent emailed to thank him for offering “cover” to incorporate Bible-focused lessons, according to news reports.
Another superintendent, Tommy Turner of Battiest Public Schools, said students at his schools have always had access to the Bible. The district still puts on a Christmas program and observes a moment of silence to start the day, and the school board prays before meetings.
“Christ never left the school,” he said in an interview in his office.
A lifelong Republican living in a remote area of southeast Oklahoma notable for timber and twisting roads, Turner said he is concerned about the state’s priorities and doesn’t see Bibles as the most pressing issues.
In his district, a cafeteria still needs repairs even after the emergency replacement of a roof that had a gaping hole in it. Many of his teachers work second jobs on weekends because the pay’s so low. Nailheads are poking through the gym’s thin hardwood floors. The district has lost 15% of its students to an online charter school and homeschooling. Voters have rejected three bond issues in a row for building repairs and renovations.
Turner said he’d like to retire, but he loves the students and wants to protect his little district. He put on his cowboy hat, apologized for the pile of dead wasps on his office floor — the infestations barely register anymore — and walked over to the high school. He said he hadn’t even read the new social studies standards.
“I don’t have time to chase every rabbit,” he said. “I’ve got a school to run.”
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Patriotism and Jesus</h3>
The changes to Oklahoma’s curriculum rules don’t just touch on national issues around race and gender. Here, teachers aren’t supposed to tell students that the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 — a defining incident of racial violence in Oklahoma history — was perpetrated by racists.
State social studies standards for years have included discussion of how white Tulsans murdered as many as 300 Black people. But since the state law that restricted teaching about race and gender passed in 2021, some teachers have avoided the topic.
The law prohibits teachers from singling out specific racial groups as responsible for past racism. It specifies that individuals of a certain race shouldn’t be portrayed as inherently racist, “whether consciously or unconsciously.” In addition to teachers’ licensure being on the line, repeated failure to comply would allow the state to revoke a district’s accreditation, which could result in a state takeover.
When educators questioned how to teach about a race massacre without running afoul of the law, legislators and the Tulsa County chapter of the conservative parent group Moms for Liberty weighed in to say that white people today shouldn’t feel shame and that the massacre’s perpetrators shouldn’t be cast as racists. A Moms for Liberty chapter representative did not respond to questions from ProPublica.
At a speaking engagement at the Norman Public Library in 2023, <a href="https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/hear-and-read-ryan-walters-full-remarks-about-the-tulsa-race-massacre/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Walters suggested teachers</a> present the facts about the murders but should not say “the skin color determined it.” Even two years after the law went into effect, news reports said teachers were still <a href="https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/after-a-state-law-banning-some-lessons-on-race-oklahoma-teachers-tread-lightly-on-the-tulsa-race-massacre/" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">treading lightly</a> on the massacre, wary of the state suspending or revoking their licenses for exposing students to prohibited concepts. Those fears are not hypothetical; the state has revoked at least one teacher’s license and suspended two others’.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The law prohibits teachers from singling out specific racial groups as responsible for past racism.</blockquote></figure>
Other historic episodes that reveal racism also are getting a new look in Oklahoma through the state’s partnership with PragerU Kids, which creates short-form videos to counter what its founder believes is left-wing ideology in schools.
Teachers in the state aren’t required to use the videos, but some like them and show them in class. The videos align with conservatives’ push to teach a positive view of America’s past and with the state’s rules on teaching about race and gender. For instance, PragerU Kids’ version of Booker T. Washington’s story is a cheery lesson in self-sufficiency and acceptance. Once freed from slavery, Washington toiled in coal mines, worked as a janitor in exchange for formal education and became a great American orator and leader of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
The video does not linger on his being born into “the most miserable, desolate and discouraging surroundings” or, as he wrote in his autobiography, that slavery was “a sin that at some time we shall have to pay for.”
“America was one of the first places on Earth to outlaw slavery,” a cartoon version of Washington tells two time-traveling children in the PragerU video, so “I am proud and thankful.” (The U.S. did ban <a href="https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/slave-trade.html#toc-the-act-prohibiting-the-importation-of-slaves-1808" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">importing slaves</a> in 1808, but it did not enforce that law and did not outlaw owning people altogether until 1865, after Britain, Denmark, France and Spain had done so.)
The Washington character says in the video that he devoted his life to teaching people “the importance of independence and making themselves as valuable as possible.” And when one child says she’s sorry that he and other Black Americans faced segregation and discrimination, Washington thanks her for her sympathy but assures the child, who is white, that she’s done nothing wrong.
Echoing a conservative talking point, the cartoon Washington says, “Future generations are never responsible for the sins of the past.”
Jermaine Thibodeaux, a historian at the University of Oklahoma, said he is familiar with the PragerU videos and considers them an ideological tool of a “reeducation project nationwide” that can be misleading.
“I don’t think that’s something Washington necessarily uttered,” he said of the quote about future generations.
The value Washington placed on independence, Thibodeaux added, was “predicated on the notions of self-sufficiency post-slavery, when there was little help coming from the government.”
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="538" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=1024&height=538" alt="" class="wp-image-312647" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=1024&height=538 1024w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=300&height=158 300w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=768&height=403 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=320&height=168 320w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=480&height=252 480w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=720&height=378 720w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=1040&height=546 1040w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/PragerUv2_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true.webp?width=1600 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">In a PragerU Kids’ cartoon video, Booker T. Washington echoes conservative talking points about slavery. (PragerU)</figcaption></figure>
A spokesperson for PragerU declined to comment for this story.
Pressure to keep squeezing social justice and LGBTQ+ issues out of classrooms has been intensifying since 2021, when Republican state lawmakers began pushing “dirty book” legislation that would censor school libraries. One bill, which didn’t pass, called for firing school employees and fining offenders $10,000 each time they “promoted positions in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of the student.” That was the backdrop when the state accused Summer Boismier of “moral turpitude” and then revoked her teaching license last year.
The English department at Norman High School near Oklahoma City told Boismier and her colleagues that they needed to remove books that might be considered racially divisive or contain themes about sex and gender. Or they could turn books around on the shelves so students couldn’t see the titles.
“I remember just sitting in my seat shaking. I had colleagues in the room who were in tears,” Boismier said. Given the choice to purge books or hide their covers, Boismier did neither. She wrapped her classroom’s bookshelf in red butcher paper and wrote “books the state doesn’t want you to read” on it in black marker. She added a QR code linking to the Brooklyn Public Library, where students could get a library card and have virtual access to the books considered inappropriate in Oklahoma, then posted a photo of it all on social media.
Boismier, who resigned in protest of the 2021 law, challenged the license revocation in court, and the case is ongoing. She said she does not regret taking a stand against a law she views as unjust. The state has argued the revocation is valid.
“I am living every teacher in Oklahoma’s worst nightmare right now,” she said. “I am unemployable.”
In the Battiest district, where Turner is superintendent, an elementary reading teacher told ProPublica that just to be safe, she removed books about diversity and the inclusion of others who are different. She said that was uncomfortable; half of her students are Native American, and so is she.
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="764" height="1024" src="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558.jpg?width=764&height=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-312649" srcset="https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=764&height=1024 764w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=224&height=300 224w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=768&height=1029 768w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=134&height=180 134w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=201&height=270 201w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=302&height=405 302w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=437&height=585 437w, https://truthdig.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP22305569073558-scaled.jpg?width=1910 1910w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px" data-recalc-dims="1" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Former Oklahoma high school English teacher Summer Boismier’s state license was revoked after she gave her students instructions on how to access books that had been forbidden by her school. (AP Photo/Sean Murphy)</figcaption></figure>
Adopted this year, the state’s new social studies standards provide even more specifics about what should be taught. They include the expectation that students know “stories from Christianity that influenced the American Founders and culture, including the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (e.g., the ‘Golden Rule,’ the Sermon on the Mount),” to second-graders. A state court last month issued a temporary stay on requiring schools to follow the standards while a lawsuit against them plays out.
In addition, the new standards accept President Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election. They dictate that ninth-graders learn about “discrepancies” in election results including “the sudden halting of ballot-counting in select cities in key battleground states, the security risks of mail-in balloting, sudden batch dumps, an unforeseen record number of voters” and other unsupported conservative talking points. The Trump campaign and supporters filed <a href="https://electioncases.osu.edu/case-tracker/?sortby=filing_date_desc&keywords=&status=all&state=all&topic=25" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">at least 60 lawsuits</a> covering these points; nearly all were dismissed as meritless or were decided against Trump. The election skepticism standard has left the superintendent of a roughly 2,000-student district north of Tulsa confused. He said he and other superintendents are unsure how they would navigate those but are hopeful that “standards rooted in fact prevail.”
“There comes a point where curriculum cannot be opinion,” said the superintendent, who didn’t want to be named because he feared retaliation. “I’m not trying to get involved in conspiracy theories.”
<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Fear and Resistance</h3>
The push by state leaders to embed more Christian values in schools isn’t what keeps many superintendents in rural parts of the state up at night. They say the Bible has never left their classrooms.
“I am smack-dab right in the middle of the Bible Belt,” said the leader of a tiny district on the western side of the state. “We are small, but we have seven churches. You’re talking ‘Footloose’ here.”
While she doesn’t disagree with everything the Legislature and Walters have done, she said she feels like some of their actions undermine public schools and could “shut down rural Oklahoma.”
She and other leaders of public school districts worry that the state’s expanded school choice program, which allows families to get tax credits if their children attend private and religious schools, will draw students away from their districts and, ultimately, erode their funding. Congress passed the first federal private school tax credit in July.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>The credits cost the state nearly $250 million in tax revenue this school year.</blockquote></figure>
It’s just the second year of the statewide tax credit program approved by the Legislature that allows students to use public funds to attend private and religious schools. The credits cost the state nearly $250 million in tax revenue this school year and subsidizes almost 40,000 students. That money, superintendents say, is desperately needed in their districts.
The state also has encouraged the growth of charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately run and subject to fewer regulations. Last year, the state’s third-largest district, behind the Oklahoma City and Tulsa districts, wasn’t a traditional one. It was EPIC, a statewide online charter school. Walters and Gov. Kevin Stitt supported St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in its efforts to become the country’s first religious charter school. The Supreme Court blocked it from opening.
Even communities with few private schools feel threatened by the state’s push toward privatization. A few miles from Battiest, at Nashoba Public School, the roughly 50 kids who make up the elementary and middle grades are taught in split-grade classrooms. Like hundreds of other Oklahoma districts, more than three-quarters of which are rural, it’s not just a school, it’s the school; there are no private schools in Pushmataha County.
Because school funding levels are often based on enrollment figures, when students leave public schools and enroll in charter schools, they often take funding with them, while districts have to maintain operations as before.
“You starve your public schools to feed your private schools and charter schools,” said Nashoba Superintendent Charles Caughern Jr. “Our foundation was set up for a free and appropriate education for all kids. All kids!”
Caughern fears students with disabilities will suffer as public schools are weakened. Private schools don’t have to admit students with disabilities, and many won’t, he said.
Erika Wright, a parent who leads the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition, which advocates for public schools, said the state’s deep-red politics might lead outsiders to think Oklahomans support state leaders pushing education far to the right. But that’s not the case, Wright said.
“They don’t understand what’s happening,” Wright said. “They just assume that public schools are always going to be there because they’ve always been there in their lifetime. I think the average Oklahoman does not understand the gravity and complexity of what is taking place.”
That’s not to say there isn’t resistance. A group of about 15 parents and public school advocates (which Walters derided as the “woke peanut gallery”) goes to State Board of Education meetings — a visual reminder that people care about education policy and public schools. A suburban Oklahoma City district is devising plans to deliver all of the Bible lessons contained in the new social studies standards on the same day, giving parents an easy way to have their children opt out. Court challenges to some of the state’s right-wing policies are pending.
<figure class="wp-block-pullquote alignleft has-text-align-left"><blockquote>“You starve your public schools to feed your private schools and charter schools.”</blockquote></figure>
Some are hopeful that Oklahoma will recalibrate the more extreme policies that marked Walters’ tenure. The State Board of Education last week decided not to revoke the licenses of two teachers Walters wanted punished for their social media posts about Trump. The new superintendent said he would drop Walters’ plan to distribute Bibles to every classroom.
But many of the significant changes in classrooms came out of the Legislature, which has continued this year to propose bills to rid schools of “<a href="https://oksenate.gov/press-releases/senator-hamilton-introduces-bill-require-school-districts-provide-list-all-available?back=/node" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">inappropriate materials</a>” and proclaim that, in Oklahoma, “<a href="https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20250418_1" rel="nofollow external" target="_blank">Christ is King</a>.” A lot of damage already has been done to public schools, said Turner, the Battiest superintendent.
He was only half-joking when he said some parents have been “brainwashed” by right-wing TV news and Oklahoma leaders’ talk of liberal indoctrination to think the district is teaching students to be gay or converting Christian kids into atheists.
A couple of years ago, one mom stopped him in the parking lot at school to say she was withdrawing her child from the district because its teaching didn’t align with her values. The superintendent was floored.
“That’s the power of the rhetoric,” Turner said.
He said he used to sit a couple of pews behind that mom in church every Sunday.
The post <a href="https://www.truthdig.com/articles/inside-oklahomas-christian-nationalist-education-experiment/">Inside Oklahoma’s Christian Nationalist Education Experiment</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.truthdig.com">Truthdig</a>.
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