Five Things We Did This Week

Does it count if they were ALL phone calls to our legislators?

Karoli, Aliza, and I were chuffed¹ to welcome Fran Langum of The Professional Left to our podcast this week. We spent the hour comparing notes on the diminishing state of our ailing democracy, the response of our Democratic leaders, and - not joking - talking about what WE are trying to do about it.

And it’s a dilemma, because as Fran said, ““I don’t know how we fix this country and stay true to our values as Democrats. Or stay true to our BASE as Democrats. And just nominate white guys from now on. Because we can’t fight Joe Rogan.”

That could be why California Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a new podcast where he is chatting with MAGA stars (another topic we had some thoughts about).

View the video:

Or listen to the audio:

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RIP Washington Post

When billionaire Jeff Bezos purchased the Washington Post in 2013, he was hailed as a savior - and for a while, he was. He staffed the paper with first-rate editors, reporters, and opinion writers, and increased its online subscriber base (as an Amazon Prime member, I was accessing the Post for about half of what the New York Times was charging me at the time). Most importantly, Bezos appeared to get out of the way of his employees, who continued their winning streak of Pulitzer Prizes from 2014-2022.

We all know what happened in 2024. I’m one of the quarter-million loyal Washington Post subscribers who cancelled a subscription following Bezos’ order to pull their presidential election endorsement of Kamala Harris. Since then, that stellar staff of news professionals has been running out the door - most recently, opinions editor David Shipley, who resigned rather than implement the new order to only publish pieces that reflect Bezos’ libertarian point of view.

As Oliver Darcy reported today in his independent newsletter, Status:

Little insight has been offered on what Bezos' shock announcement—that The Post's opinion section will now be tasked with "writing every day in support and defense of" personal liberties and free markets without opposing viewpoints—means for the newspaper's stable of columnists. Will those who do not wish to write in favor of such ideals be shown the door? Does the mandate mean that criticism of capitalism's excesses will be prohibited from The Post's opinion section? Bezos said that the editorial pages will "cover other topics too," but how much latitude will those opinions be given? Will The Post's roster of columnists be forced to focus solely on the issues Bezos outlined even as Donald Trump and Elon Musk take a hatchet to the federal government and U.S. foreign policy is upended?

Too many of our legacy media are failing their mission to keep the electorate informed. That’s why we put together our list of journalists, commentators, and other resources where we can learn what’s actually happening in Washington and the world. The latest update is now live, with a new section on Health and Science information (small at the moment, but bound to expand) and other new additions. Download the document here.

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One Last Thing

We had such a great time chatting with Fran yesterday that we completely forgot to include the following video: It’s a moving testimonial to the difference government programs like Medicaid and the Child Tax Credit make in people’s lives - and the devastation it will cause if the Republicans succeed in their quest to destroy them. Watch it - and then fire up your 5Calls app.

Because as Fran says: “This is a climb… I can’t believe the change in my attitude after I’ve called a member of Congress. It’s like a Valium. It is absolutely like a drug to your brain.”

1. I’m watching entirely too much British TV. Or maybe just enough to escape our bleak US reality.