Data
posted 2025-07 to 2025-09
A reading list (roughly in reverse chronological order) of contributions to the common pool of resources" beginning late July.
— a readers travelogue ::: to bear witness
The Myth Of The MAGA Majority
Trump's latest 'landslide' claim masks what a minority movement MAGA really is
from The Big Picture
"Every four years like clockwork, whether they win the presidency or not, Republicans trot out some variation of this [on left] map as a sort of security blanket, to reassure themselves that the United States is—really, you guyzz!—a 'red' nation.
"As with so much of Trump’s hyperbolic self-aggrandizing style of communication, his claim of strength here, i.e. his so-called 'landslide times two' victory, masks significant underlying weakness, something Kamala Harris called out just yesterday on The View.
"When discussing why she wrote her new book, '107 Days,' Harris observed quite rightly that the 2024 election was 'the closest presidential race in the 21st Century in terms of the outcome.'"
The Uphill Battle to Safeguard Rights
Report — Freedom in the World 2025
from Freedom House
"Violence and the repression of political opponents during elections, ongoing armed conflicts, and the spread of authoritarian practices contributed to the 19th year of declining freedom. In the year to come, all those who understand the value of political rights and civil liberties must work together in the defense of democracy."
Varieties of Democracy
Home of the Democracy Report
"V-Dem provides a multidimensional and disaggregated dataset that reflects the complexity of the concept of democracy as a system of rule that goes beyond the simple presence of elections. We distinguish between five high-level principles of democracy: electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian, and collect data to measure these principles."
"Democracy Report 2025: 25 Years of Autocratization – Democracy Trumped?"
A Lot of Powerful People Just Don’t Realize How Unpopular Trump Is
The backlash to ABC/Disney canceling Kimmel shows why it's important for businesses and the public to understand that two-thirds of Americans are not Trump voters
from Strength in Numbers
"It’s not just that more people disapprove than approve of Trump, but that the disapprovers feel their emotions much, much more intensely. Depending on the polls you pick for your average, between 46 and 50 percent of U.S. adults tell pollsters they 'strongly disapprove' of the job Trump is doing as president. That is double the percent that strongly approve (24%):
"Put another way, less than half of the people who voted for Trump in 2024 currently 'strongly approve' of his presidency.
"See, Disney/Paramount are not losing revenue for news because all consumers are abandoning all news. Quite the opposite: Interest in alternatives to the broadcast networks is soaring. Semafor reports a bump in subscribers for left-wing and anti-Trump newsletters, such as The Bulwark and Crooked Media, since Trump took office. Semafor’s reporting even underplays their success: These two newsletters alone combine for an audience that is larger than that of any late-night show (Kimmel was reportedly reaching just 1 million people nightly, and only ~250,000 in the younger demographics that advertisers care about.
"Then consider the size of the email list for other liberal Substackers (Substack GOAT Heather Cox Richardson has 2 million readers, Paul Krugman is approaching half a million), it won’t be long until #Resistance Substacks command a larger audience than all of TV news combined."
Wealth Inequality in the United States
he United States exhibits wider disparities of wealth between rich and poor than any other major developed nation
from Inequality.org
"The collective net worth of America’s top 12 billionaires now surpasses $2 trillion. Their combined wealth increased by more than $1.3 trillion, or 193 percent, between March 18, 2020 and December 3, 2024..."
Trump’s Invasion of D.C. Costs over $1 Million a Day. What Could That Fund Instead?
Deploying the National Guard against D.C.’s unhoused population costs four times more than simply housing them. And that’s true across the country.
from Inequality.org
"Previous reporting found that National Guard deployments cost the U.S. government $530 per Guard member, per day. So the price tag of deploying 2,091 troops to D.C. is well over $1 million per day — and the number of troops will likely continue to grow. And with no deadline for the D.C. deployment, those costs could add up for months or even years.
"This militarized spending comes at the expense of federal programs — like public housing — that actually do prevent crime and improve health and education outcomes.
"Using those figures and other publicly available data, I calculated that the daily cost of operating public housing for all 5,616 people who are unhoused in D.C. on any given night is one-quarter the daily expense of deploying the National Guard. If the Guard remains deployed for three months, it would cost more than operating public housing for the entire unhoused population in D.C. for an entire year."
Trade-Offs: Your Money, Your Choices
Fighting for a U.S. federal budget that prioritizes peace, economic security and shared prosperity
from National Priorities Project
"National Priorities Project makes information about the federal budget accessible to citizens, journalists, and developers. We have several unique resources that breakdown federal budget data into categories and datasets that are meaningful at the local, state, and national levels."
'America’s Reichstag Fire'
Political violence remains rare, but leaders can help prevent tragedy by condemning hate and defending democratic values
from Strength in Numbers
"There is a puzzle at the heart of this recent violence: Most Americans reject political violence in all circumstances, especially when you measure it carefully. The few who do support violence are typically isolated, sick, and, unfortunately, in America, also have easy access to weapons manufactured for the sole purpose of murdering people.
"So if support for violence is very low, why does violence appear to be getting more common — and more severe? I’ve taken a look at the evidence from social science, and much of the answer has to do with toxic rhetoric from our political leaders. Rising level of hate and affective polarization, exacerbated by social media, also play a role."
People are more likely to support partisan violence when they think the other party does too
Studies finds that Americans are more likely to express anti-democratic views, including support for partisan political violence, when they believe the other party also holds those views
from Strength in Numbers
"Now it would be one problem if the share of people with these anti-democratic, violent views was high. But research also finds most Americans dramatically overestimate the share of the opposing party that holds pro-violence beliefs. This causes a second-order national increase in those beliefs that is entirely preventable with the proper information.
"The paper shows that Democrats and Republicans overestimate the share of the other party that approves of partisan violence by 2.4-4.9x, or 239-489%!!
"Social media, I think, has a big role to play here. A while back, I read a book by Yale social scientist Christopher Bail that showed how social media distorts our collective view of the opposition party’s politics.
"But luckily, there is a way to decrease mass partisan violence: spreading the truth about how few Americans actually hold violent beliefs."
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker
from Freedom of the Press Foundation
"President Trump received a total of $32 million to settle his claims against ABC News and CBS News. With ongoing suits against the Des Moines Register and The Wall Street Journal, he is more emboldened than ever to pursue claims against the news media."
"In July, we received reports of dozens of additional aggressions against journalists across the country, from Atlanta to Spokane. We've documented 14 arrests or detentions, 64 assaults, eight instances of journalists' equipment being damaged, and two where it was searched. Of the more than 75 affected journalists, most reported exposure to chemical irritants at least once.
"While the Tracker is investigating two dozen additional reports, one thing is already clear: Law enforcement officers responding to the protests — including federal agents — either don't care that members of the press are being injured or are deliberately targeting them."
Democracy Docket
from Matt Cohen
"Matt is a senior reporter covering elections, voting rights and threats to democracy. He’s covered far-right extremism, dark money and state and local elections as an investigative reporter at The American Independent and Mother Jones. Prior to reporting on politics, Matt cut his teeth as a local reporter in D.C. at the Washington City Paper and DCist."
Journalists Killed in the Gaza War
from Wikipedia
"The killing of journalists in the Gaza war, overwhelmingly Palestinian, along with other acts of violence against journalists, marks the deadliest period for journalists in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict since 1992 and the deadliest conflict for journalists in the 21st century.[1] The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) counted 178 journalists who were killed (176 Palestinian and 2 Israeli), as of 12 June 2025,[2] and the International Federation of Journalists counted 174 journalists and media workers who were killed (170 Palestinian and 4 Israeli), as of 5 June 2025.[3] A July 2024 count by the Gaza government media office placed the number of Palestinian journalists killed at 160,[4][5] and in January 2025 the Gaza Government Media Office increased it to 202.[6] July 2025 saw the number climb to 217.
"The head of the Committee to Protect Journalists stated in 2024, 'Israel's war on Gaza is more deadly to journalists than any previous war'."
Strength in Numbers
"Strength In Numbers is a data-driven news website that provides regular analysis of national politics and elections in the United States."
Presidential Actions
from the White House
Keeping an eye on the endless ...
Project 2025 Tracker
"Project 2025 is a comprehensive conservative policy blueprint developed by The Heritage Foundation and supported by an alliance of over 100 conservative organizations. It provides a detailed roadmap for transforming the federal government and implementing conservative policies in a future Republican presidential administration.
Project 2025 Tracker is "a comprehensive, community-driven initiative to track the implementation of Project 2025's policy proposals"
Surveillance locations in St. Louis County
Flock Camera Locations
- Co. Rd. 7 S/B @ Co. Rd. 133 (Meadowlands, MN)
- Midway Rd. N/B @ Seville Rd. (Hermantown, MN)
- Lavaque Rd. S/B @ Martin Rd. (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 7 N/B @ Co. Rd. 101 (Iron, MN)
- Rice Lake Rd N/B @ Martin Rd. (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 21 S/B @ Wahlsten Rd. (Embarrass, MN)
- Co. Rd. 4 N/B @ Co. Rd. 16 (Aurora, MN)
- US Hwy 53 S/B @ MN 194 (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 77 N/B @ Lost Lake Rd (Tower, MN)
- US Hwy 5 S/B @ Hobson Lake Rd. (Hibbing, MN)
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
We are a nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone — regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ZIP code, immigration status, or disability status — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity.
We combine rigorous research and analysis, strategic communications, and effective advocacy to shape debates and affect policy, both nationally and in states.
The final tally for the Big Ugly Bill
from Robert Hubbell
"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued its final report on the "cost" of the Big Ugly Bill. According to the CBO, the bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion and result in 10 million Americans losing health coverage.
"...the shocking increase in the deficit was spent almost entirely on tax breaks for millionaires and grotesque increases in the budgets for ICE and the military. To the extent the deficit was offset, it was "paid for" by removing 10 million Americans from healthcare."
Minnesota Budget Project
The Minnesota Budget Project has a track record of successfully combining sound research and analysis with advocacy, engagement, and communications strategies to enact policy change towards a more just and equitable Minnesota. Established more than 25 years ago, we are a nonpartisan project of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
Agencies that use License Plate Readers (LPR)
from Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (MN)
"This page contains information provided by Minnesota law enforcement agencies about their use of License Plate Reader (LPR) technology. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) publishes this information on the BCA website as required by Minnesota law."
Surveillance locations in St. Louis County
Flock Camera Locations
- Co. Rd. 7 S/B @ Co. Rd. 133 (Meadowlands, MN)
- Midway Rd. N/B @ Seville Rd. (Hermantown, MN)
- Lavaque Rd. S/B @ Martin Rd. (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 7 N/B @ Co. Rd. 101 (Iron, MN)
- Rice Lake Rd N/B @ Martin Rd. (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 21 S/B @ Wahlsten Rd. (Embarrass, MN)
- Co. Rd. 4 N/B @ Co. Rd. 16 (Aurora, MN)
- US Hwy 53 S/B @ MN 194 (Duluth, MN)
- Co. Rd. 77 N/B @ Lost Lake Rd (Tower, MN)
- US Hwy 5 S/B @ Hobson Lake Rd. (Hibbing, MN)
Goods Unite Us
"The U.S. Supreme Court has said that corporations have a constitutional right to political speech. We want everyone to hear what they’re saying!"
Search For A Brand --> See Its Politics!
"Goods Unite Us has spent thousands of hours vetting companies' political expenditures in federal elections."