March 5, 2025

Hello, Friends-

It’s been nearly a month since my last post. I’m going to be upfront about it and apologize for the downtime. Honestly, it’s been a struggle to even read the news lately, let alone comment on it. But I’ve run across a few things recently that helped me put things in perspective. Before I go any further, though, I do have a content warning: Some of the following resources use four-letter words quite a bit, so be ready for some of that.

First up: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Oliver (who is, by the way, a naturalized American citizen and the husband of an Iraq War veteran) is a regular commenter on the state of American politics. He also frequently expands upon that format and brings up tangential topics; like, for instance, his recent episode on Facebook and content moderation. I recommend watching the episode, embedded below, and if you’re still on Facebook (as I am), checking your settings as well:

Let’s turn things back towards explicit political stuff from here. Next up: Adam Conover. Some of you may be familiar with the College Humor/TruTV series Adam Ruins Everything that ran during the 2010s. Adam continues to comment on and skewer various topics, but earlier this week posted a 17 minute rant about what people who disagree with the current administration in some form are doing. Or more precisely: What they aren’t doing, and what they should be doing. Doom-scrolling or quietly holding up a placard during a significant speech that says, “FALSE” doesn’t accomplish much. Doing something does a whole lot more than doing nothing.

Related to the website mentioned in Conover’s video above, I wanted to offer some links to some news sites that may help fill in the blanks in a similar fashion to what I’ve tried to do. I often check these sources for what’s happened recently, then branch off into other resources to fact-check and look for perspective:

• Ground News: As advertised by Conover, this site features significant news stories with annotations on whether they’re primarily covered by right-wing, left-wing, or centrist news sites. (There are American, European, International, and other localized versions, to boot.) I’m still getting the feel for the site, but it’s an intriguing method of becoming more aware of media bias in reporting.
• What the F*** Just Happened Today?: Self-described as “Your essential guide to the shock and awe in national politics. A sane, once-a-day newsletter helping normal people make sense of the news.”
• Letters from an American: Also on the daily beat of what’s happening in American politics, historian Heather Cox Richardson has created this “chronicle of today’s political landscape, but because you can’t get a grip on today’s politics without an outline of America’s Constitution, and laws, and the economy, and social customs, this newsletter explores what it means, and what it has meant, to be an American.” Her write-up on last week’s disastrous Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is particularly noteworthy.

Speaking of the meeting with Zelenskyy, John Oliver’s former “boss”, Jon Stewart, had quite a monologue on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show about the “heel turn” that America seems to have taken of late. It’s a bit lengthy (the part about the meeting starts about 5 minutes in), but it’s worth the watch.

Finally, I wanted to reach out to you, friends and readers, and ask if there’s any other resources that have assuaged, encouraged, or bolstered you in recent days. Feel free to share in the comments. I’m trying to get back on this horse, and if you have something that will help, I’m open.