Palate cleanser: Cabel Sasser’s review of all of the weird new snacks and cereals he found at the grocery store in 2024. There are some truly unhinged things in here, including IHOP pancake-flavor potato chips and s’mores Cup Noodle.
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From Scientific American, Avoiding Outrage Fatigue While Staying Informed. “We can take...
From Scientific American, Avoiding Outrage Fatigue While Staying Informed. “We can take care of ourselves in an onslaught of overwhelming news.”
Timothy Snyder: Of Course It’s a Coup
Historian Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny, is urging people and the media to understand and acknowledge that what’s happening right now is definitely a coup.
Imagine if it had gone like this.
Ten Tesla cybertrucks, painted in camouflage colors with a giant X on each ...
Lots of people asking what they can do about the coup. Here’s...
Lots of people asking what they can do about the coup. Here’s a start: an updated guide from Indivisible, “a set of strategies and practical first steps” for “anyone who lives in America and is upset, scared, and determined”.
Federal software contractor Dan Hon (who’s worked with HHS, Head Start, Medicaid/Medicare,...
Federal software contractor Dan Hon (who’s worked with HHS, Head Start, Medicaid/Medicare, DOD) has a great & informative thread about Musk’s seizure of the government’s computing systems.
“Musk’s Impossible Power Grab And America’s Crisis”
This long post by Mike Brock at Techdirt does a great job in laying out the many reasons why we should be concerned about Elon Musk’s power grab. Here’s just part of the section about all of the federal laws he is breaking:
When Congress passed 18 U.S.C. § 208, they were i...
Since NYC began congestion pricing, subway ridership is up, subway crime is...
Since NYC began congestion pricing, subway ridership is up, subway crime is way down, traffic fatalities are down. Also, trip times for drivers and buses are faster and bus ridership is up.
Incredible: Nearly 96% of new cars registered in Norway in January 2025...
Members of Musk’s team have tried to gain access to servers at...
Members of Musk’s team have tried to gain access to servers at the NOAA. Project 2025 says the agency is “‘harmful to US prosperity’ for its role in climate science”. Their data collection and capabilities would be a massive loss.
The End of the Liberal Consensus
I really appreciate Heather Cox Richardson’s daily newsletter for providing historical context to what’s happening right now. In this morning’s letter, after summarizing the Musk/Trump attacks on our government (most of which I linked to yesterday), Richardson talks about th...
A Programming Note
Hey, everyone. I just wanted to update you on what’s been happening here at KDO HQ. As you might have noticed (and if my inbox is any indication, you have), I have pivoted to posting almost exclusively about the coup happening in the United States right now. My focus will be...
This Changes Everything
This is a great piece by Jamelle Bouie, which lays out in plain language what Musk and Trump are doing to the federal government, why it matters, and what can be done about it.
To describe the current situation in the executive branch as merely a constitutional crisis is t...
“A self-coup, also called an autocoup…is a form of coup d’état in...
“A self-coup, also called an autocoup…is a form of coup d’état in which a political leader, having come to power through legal means, stays in power illegally through the actions of themselves and/or their supporters.”
FAIR calls out some of the shoddy coverage on the 2025 Coup...
FAIR calls out some of the shoddy coverage on the 2025 Coup by the NY Times & Wash. Post. They “largely buried these stories, downplaying their earth-shattering break from democratic norms”. (Wired & Rolling Stone have been courageous in their coverage.)
I’m a Federal Worker. Elon Musk’s Government Data Heist Is the Entire...
I’m a Federal Worker. Elon Musk’s Government Data Heist Is the Entire Ballgame. “Those outside the federal government might not understand the gravity of this situation.” And: “Now is the moment to act.”
Mike Masnick: Some Conservatives Admit We’re In A Constitutional Crisis. “It’s about...
Mike Masnick: Some Conservatives Admit We’re In A Constitutional Crisis. “It’s about recognizing that the politics of destruction, even when wrapped in the flag of ‘winning,’ leads inevitably to collective loss.”
Personal Discretion Over the Treasury’s Payments System Means the End of Democracy....
Personal Discretion Over the Treasury’s Payments System Means the End of Democracy. “Don’t like “woke” research? Turn it off. Hate USAID? Cut off the money. Think payments to Lutheran Family Services are illegal? Shut them down.”
Why It Matters That Musk Has Taken Control of Key Government Operations
It’s a couple of days old by now, but this Bluesky thread by Abe Newman (“someone who spent a decade studying how centralized information systems are used for coercion”) does a great job in laying out some of the stakes and potential consequences of Musk’s & Trump’s il...
The Verge interviewed federal employees about the chaos they’re seeing. “Many workers...
The Verge interviewed federal employees about the chaos they’re seeing. “Many workers still worry that outside the government, people don’t realize how unprecedented this situation is — or how much is at stake.”
‘Fuck That’: Federal Workers Say They’re Scared But ‘Digging In’ Amid Trump’s...
‘Fuck That’: Federal Workers Say They’re Scared But ‘Digging In’ Amid Trump’s Chaos. “Ironically for the Trumpies, bringing us back to the office will make us stronger morale-wise.” Signs like this of resistance are good news!
The 2025 Coup (Derogatory)
In her latest installment of Letters From an American, historian Heather Cox Richardson writes about the ongoing coup of the US government by Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
I’m going to start tonight by stating the obvious: the Republicans control both chambers of Congress: t...
Here is some good news: the white nationalist terrorist group Proud Boys...
Here is some good news: the white nationalist terrorist group Proud Boys have lost control of their trademarks. They are now controlled by a Black church in Washington DC that the group attacked in 2020.
Trump & Musk have discussed placing “spies” in gov’t offices to root...
Trump & Musk have discussed placing “spies” in gov’t offices to root out anti-MAGA sentiment so gov’t employees can’t inform Americans about the ongoing coup. (And some fed. employees are using Reddit to get news on what’s happening in their depts.)
More on Musk’s alarming unconstitutional seizure of the Treasury Department payments system:...
More on Musk’s alarming unconstitutional seizure of the Treasury Department payments system: they’ve had admin access since Jan 31 and have already made changes to the system’s *live code*. (Good luck getting your tax refund if you voted for Harris?)
VERY VERY BAD: Under the direction of Elon Musk, a 25-year-old engineer...
VERY VERY BAD: Under the direction of Elon Musk, a 25-year-old engineer has seized admin privileges to the code for “Treasury Department systems responsible for nearly all payments made by the US government”, incl. Social Security, tax payments, etc.
“Musk’s political project with DOGE is actually quite straightforward: The world’s richest...
“Musk’s political project with DOGE is actually quite straightforward: The world’s richest man appears to be indiscriminately dismantling the government with an eye toward consolidating power and punishing his political enemies.”
It Only Tuesday. “Not only do Americans have most of Tuesday morning...
It Only Tuesday. “Not only do Americans have most of Tuesday morning to contend with, but all of Tuesday afternoon and then Tuesday night.”
Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Aim to Create Jim Crow for Trans People....
Donald Trump’s Executive Orders Aim to Create Jim Crow for Trans People. “The orders also, variously, deny people the ability to exercise control over their own bodies, medical care, and future, while also infringing on rights of free expression.”
Heather Cox Richardson is perhaps too dispassionate in her piece about Trump’s/Musk’s...
Heather Cox Richardson is perhaps too dispassionate in her piece about Trump’s/Musk’s ongoing attempts destroy the US government but these are the facts and her sources list is well-worth making your way through.
Scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder on the 2025 coup: “The people who...
Scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder on the 2025 coup: “The people who now dominate the executive branch of the government…are acting, quite deliberately, to destroy the nation.”