Brian White
@brianwhite.bsky.social
Learning design/tech. Jazz guitar, and cocktail enthusiast. Former news broadcaster. Sighthound owner. Advised a handful of political campaigns.
Opinions are my own.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwhite55
Opinions are my own.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianwhite55
Pinned
The Resistance Manual | Substack
The Resistance Manual is a growing series of tips and approaches to proven, non-violent protest actions that everyday people can use to resist authoritarianism and build power in their communities. Cl...
open.substack.com
The Resistance Manual is a place to document what’s happening, add context, and share practical, nonviolent ways people can respond. Always free to read and subscribe.
🧵 I appreciate much in the quoted thread, and I think @chrislhayes.bsky.social and @bencollins.bsky.social have some good discussion and make good points. I'll also note that @masnick.com is someone I think routinely does good, thoughtful writing on the subject of AI.
A few thoughts...
A few thoughts...
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 12, 2026 at 5:11 AM
🧵 I appreciate much in the quoted thread, and I think @chrislhayes.bsky.social and @bencollins.bsky.social have some good discussion and make good points. I'll also note that @masnick.com is someone I think routinely does good, thoughtful writing on the subject of AI.
A few thoughts...
A few thoughts...
The NFL has plenty of problems, but staging a Spanish-language halftime show with Latin superstars proves they get one thing the MAGA crowd doesn’t: demographics don’t lie. They’re reading the room on where America, and their audience, is headed.
February 9, 2026 at 4:12 AM
The NFL has plenty of problems, but staging a Spanish-language halftime show with Latin superstars proves they get one thing the MAGA crowd doesn’t: demographics don’t lie. They’re reading the room on where America, and their audience, is headed.
@aselrod.bsky.social Alan Elrod is a very good writer, and this essay makes an important point about art, empathy, and the authoritarian impulse to diminish both. Worth your time.
Follow him and subscribe to Liberal Currents.
Follow him and subscribe to Liberal Currents.
I know I’ve posted this piece a lot, but it’s about so many of the things that matter most to me, especially the relationship of empathy to democracy.
I hope you’ll read it. www.liberalcurrents.com/none-more-wo...
I hope you’ll read it. www.liberalcurrents.com/none-more-wo...
None More Wonderful Than Man: Art, Artists, and MAGA’s Hollow View of Humanity
MAGA sees art as nothing more than a tool of self-aggrandizement, and artists as less than human.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:27 AM
@aselrod.bsky.social Alan Elrod is a very good writer, and this essay makes an important point about art, empathy, and the authoritarian impulse to diminish both. Worth your time.
Follow him and subscribe to Liberal Currents.
Follow him and subscribe to Liberal Currents.
A responsible White House press corps might follow-up on this incredulous claim, and demand to know how an unnamed staffer could impersonate the President and post content to his official, personal social media account – without any apparent checks in place. And ask the name of the alleged staffer.
BREAKING: President Trump's racist post about Obamas is deleted after backlash. The White House had defended it but now blames staffer.
Trump shares a racist video that depicts the Obamas as primates in a jungle
President Donald Trump has used his social media account to share a video about election conspiracy theories that includes a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle.
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 12:39 AM
A responsible White House press corps might follow-up on this incredulous claim, and demand to know how an unnamed staffer could impersonate the President and post content to his official, personal social media account – without any apparent checks in place. And ask the name of the alleged staffer.
What is happening at the local and state levels is more important now than ever. Local governments will be the bulwark that protects democracy. @taniel.bsky.social and the team at @boltsmag.org are doing super important reporting. You should follow both.
2 elections on my radar tomorrow:
—A legislative special in Louisiana; the GOP is aiming for first seat flip since 2024.
—A mayoral election in Leander, Texas, where a Dem-endorsed candidate faces two candidates with GOP affiliations.
Details in my guide: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
—A legislative special in Louisiana; the GOP is aiming for first seat flip since 2024.
—A mayoral election in Leander, Texas, where a Dem-endorsed candidate faces two candidates with GOP affiliations.
Details in my guide: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...
February 6, 2026 at 4:32 PM
What is happening at the local and state levels is more important now than ever. Local governments will be the bulwark that protects democracy. @taniel.bsky.social and the team at @boltsmag.org are doing super important reporting. You should follow both.
It doesn’t have to be like this. We all need to keep working to stop this insanity.
February 6, 2026 at 3:45 PM
It doesn’t have to be like this. We all need to keep working to stop this insanity.
Reposted by Brian White
Refugees International has a devastating report on what Trump's gutting of USAID has done.
www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-brie...
www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-brie...
A Generational Collapse: Tracking the Toll of Trump’s Humanitarian Aid Cuts - Refugees International
The consequences of these cuts have been deadly and devastating and are now coming into focus. Will humanitarian funding ever rebound?
www.refugeesinternational.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Refugees International has a devastating report on what Trump's gutting of USAID has done.
www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-brie...
www.refugeesinternational.org/reports-brie...
We’re at an inflection point in history. Whatever you can do, now’s the time. Be loud, be persistent. Remain adamant and hopeful. It doesn’t have to be this way.
A video shared on President Trump’s Truth Social account depicts the Obamas as apes.
February 6, 2026 at 6:44 AM
We’re at an inflection point in history. Whatever you can do, now’s the time. Be loud, be persistent. Remain adamant and hopeful. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Good piece.
It’s the Democracy, Stupid
It turns out voters care about rights and freedoms after all.
www.thebulwark.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Good piece.
Reposted by Brian White
My expectation for this is they'll make a big show of rolling out the goon squad outside a handful of locations, the states will seek and likely get emergency injunctions, and meanwhile the whole spectacle will only motivate way more people to show up and vote in defiance than are scared away.
I understand folks are scared but I want you to think about the mechanics of this.
There are more polling places (>100k) than ICE and CBP agents combined, so they can only pick a few districts to try to intimidate.
Now what happens when cell phone footage of that goes online in the early morning?
There are more polling places (>100k) than ICE and CBP agents combined, so they can only pick a few districts to try to intimidate.
Now what happens when cell phone footage of that goes online in the early morning?
i think people should consider the extent to which bannon, a known bullshit artist, knows that you will see this and panic. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
February 5, 2026 at 5:04 AM
My expectation for this is they'll make a big show of rolling out the goon squad outside a handful of locations, the states will seek and likely get emergency injunctions, and meanwhile the whole spectacle will only motivate way more people to show up and vote in defiance than are scared away.
The First Amendment doesn’t just protect speech. It names the press as a critical element in preserving that protection. Watching major newsrooms be hollowed and captured by power is both sad and dangerous.
America Without an Independent Press
Why the collapse of major news organizations is dangerous in the USA and around the world
open.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:52 AM
The First Amendment doesn’t just protect speech. It names the press as a critical element in preserving that protection. Watching major newsrooms be hollowed and captured by power is both sad and dangerous.
Reposted by Brian White
Gonna write this up at more length.
But if you believe Trump's goons will not follow the law, if you believe Trump will reverse November's election.
Your job is NOT to doom monger. It is to treat people-in-the-streets as the one remaining measure.
But if you believe Trump's goons will not follow the law, if you believe Trump will reverse November's election.
Your job is NOT to doom monger. It is to treat people-in-the-streets as the one remaining measure.
February 4, 2026 at 10:50 PM
Gonna write this up at more length.
But if you believe Trump's goons will not follow the law, if you believe Trump will reverse November's election.
Your job is NOT to doom monger. It is to treat people-in-the-streets as the one remaining measure.
But if you believe Trump's goons will not follow the law, if you believe Trump will reverse November's election.
Your job is NOT to doom monger. It is to treat people-in-the-streets as the one remaining measure.
The Resistance Manual is a place to document what’s happening, add context, and share practical, nonviolent ways people can respond. Always free to read and subscribe.
The Resistance Manual | Substack
The Resistance Manual is a growing series of tips and approaches to proven, non-violent protest actions that everyday people can use to resist authoritarianism and build power in their communities. Cl...
open.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:10 PM
The Resistance Manual is a place to document what’s happening, add context, and share practical, nonviolent ways people can respond. Always free to read and subscribe.
🧵 Kate is right about how Bannon’s rhetoric is meant to intimidate and depress participation. But I’ll add a fourth level/pillar to her thread: visible, real-world community response. Minneapolis shows how observers, neighbors, and organized pushback blunt fear by refusing silence. (1/9)
ICE at the polls! Bannon is basically yelling “fire” in a crowded theater here. His objective is to cause chaos (and suppress votes on the left). And it’s already working.
This threat works on multiple levels and doesn’t have to be “real” to serve its purpose.
Let me explain & offer some advice.
This threat works on multiple levels and doesn’t have to be “real” to serve its purpose.
Let me explain & offer some advice.
Steve Bannon says the federal government is planning to send ICE officers to patrol polling stations during the midterms.
"We're going to have ICE surround the polls come November."
"We're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again." www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
"We're going to have ICE surround the polls come November."
"We're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again." www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
February 4, 2026 at 9:47 PM
🧵 Kate is right about how Bannon’s rhetoric is meant to intimidate and depress participation. But I’ll add a fourth level/pillar to her thread: visible, real-world community response. Minneapolis shows how observers, neighbors, and organized pushback blunt fear by refusing silence. (1/9)
This is a remarkable rebuke to to so much nonsense pushed by the right – and further shows that the targeting of immigrants is based in bigotry, racism and hate more than anything else.
The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.
https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3
February 4, 2026 at 3:34 AM
This is a remarkable rebuke to to so much nonsense pushed by the right – and further shows that the targeting of immigrants is based in bigotry, racism and hate more than anything else.
Tacoma, WA today. Masked federal agents with rifles in civilian neighborhoods, pretending to be law enforcement. We’re past the point of fixing this at the margins. A system that normalizes fear needs to be torn down. Completely.Stochastic terrorism will grow in power without accountability.
February 4, 2026 at 2:49 AM
Tacoma, WA today. Masked federal agents with rifles in civilian neighborhoods, pretending to be law enforcement. We’re past the point of fixing this at the margins. A system that normalizes fear needs to be torn down. Completely.Stochastic terrorism will grow in power without accountability.
Federal agencies are stitching together data on everyone, with little oversight. Once built, this surveillance machinery will outlive any administration and permanently weaken civil liberties.
An good read:
An good read:
Opinion | ICE Is Watching You
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:22 AM
Federal agencies are stitching together data on everyone, with little oversight. Once built, this surveillance machinery will outlive any administration and permanently weaken civil liberties.
An good read:
An good read:
Reposted by Brian White
BASH: Would you be comfortable w/Trump 'taking over' elections nationally?
REP GONZALES: POTUS is bringing up a fact on many Americans' minds - election integrity
B: Isn't the issue that he's not telling the truth?
G: One of the issues is every state does it differently. That gives a lot of doubt
REP GONZALES: POTUS is bringing up a fact on many Americans' minds - election integrity
B: Isn't the issue that he's not telling the truth?
G: One of the issues is every state does it differently. That gives a lot of doubt
February 3, 2026 at 5:51 PM
BASH: Would you be comfortable w/Trump 'taking over' elections nationally?
REP GONZALES: POTUS is bringing up a fact on many Americans' minds - election integrity
B: Isn't the issue that he's not telling the truth?
G: One of the issues is every state does it differently. That gives a lot of doubt
REP GONZALES: POTUS is bringing up a fact on many Americans' minds - election integrity
B: Isn't the issue that he's not telling the truth?
G: One of the issues is every state does it differently. That gives a lot of doubt
“The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump told Dan Bongino, the former deputy director of the FBI, in a podcast appearance.
Trump calls on Republicans to ‘nationalize’ future elections | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump called on Republicans to “nationalize the voting” in an interview airing Monday with Dan Bongino, the former deputy director of the FBI.
www.cnn.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
“The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” Trump told Dan Bongino, the former deputy director of the FBI, in a podcast appearance.
Reposted by Brian White
A federal judge stayed Noem’s decision to end Haiti’s temporary protected status, thank goodness. But it's still vital to understand how "they're eating the pets" participatory propaganda was used to motivate and justify that policy change. This article gives a detailed breakdown of that effort.
Highly recommend this article showing how the "They're Eating the Pets" refrain emerged from the right's participatory propaganda machine. Extremely relevant, as many Haitian immigrants (the targets of that false rumor/campaign) lose their status Feb 3. americanunreality.substack.com/p/american-u...
American Unreality — Part 1: Springfield, Ohio
The Story That Devoured a Town
americanunreality.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 4:04 AM
A federal judge stayed Noem’s decision to end Haiti’s temporary protected status, thank goodness. But it's still vital to understand how "they're eating the pets" participatory propaganda was used to motivate and justify that policy change. This article gives a detailed breakdown of that effort.
Reposted by Brian White
Not ICE, but CBP.
ICE is terrible, but CBP is orders of magnitude worse. In many ways, abolishing or radically overhauling CBP is of greater urgency than ICE, but likely tougher to do.
One can argue that ~all of ICE's duties can be reallocated. Harder to say that with CBP.
ICE is terrible, but CBP is orders of magnitude worse. In many ways, abolishing or radically overhauling CBP is of greater urgency than ICE, but likely tougher to do.
One can argue that ~all of ICE's duties can be reallocated. Harder to say that with CBP.
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 2, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Not ICE, but CBP.
ICE is terrible, but CBP is orders of magnitude worse. In many ways, abolishing or radically overhauling CBP is of greater urgency than ICE, but likely tougher to do.
One can argue that ~all of ICE's duties can be reallocated. Harder to say that with CBP.
ICE is terrible, but CBP is orders of magnitude worse. In many ways, abolishing or radically overhauling CBP is of greater urgency than ICE, but likely tougher to do.
One can argue that ~all of ICE's duties can be reallocated. Harder to say that with CBP.
Trump: “Remember, the States are merely an "agent" for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do.”
Here we go.
Here we go.
February 2, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Trump: “Remember, the States are merely an "agent" for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do.”
Here we go.
Here we go.
Although public attention seems very focused on ICE, it’s important to note that a lot of the criminal brutality is actually coming at the hands of CBP too — including the two CBP agents now identified as those who fired on and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Although public attention seems very focused on ICE, it’s important to note that a lot of the criminal brutality is actually coming at the hands of CBP too — including the two CBP agents now identified as those who fired on and killed Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Is it just me, or does Melania’s outfit from her movie premiere remind you of a redacted file?
January 31, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Is it just me, or does Melania’s outfit from her movie premiere remind you of a redacted file?
New Resistance Manual post up: When Journalists Are Arrested for Reporting — What It Says About Our Rights
When Journalists Are Arrested for Reporting — What It Says About Our Rights
Press freedom, public protest, and the fragile line between law enforcement and intimidation
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 6:14 PM
New Resistance Manual post up: When Journalists Are Arrested for Reporting — What It Says About Our Rights