Cathi Harris
@cathiharris.bsky.social
Writer, editor, and opinionated human.
I write a blog and weekly email newsletter, Alte Frau - New Life, about life in Berlin. You can find it at www.diealtefrau.com.
And I natter on about everything else at cathiharris.com.
She/hers
I write a blog and weekly email newsletter, Alte Frau - New Life, about life in Berlin. You can find it at www.diealtefrau.com.
And I natter on about everything else at cathiharris.com.
She/hers
The whole world is watching.
In Minneapolis zerren ICE-Beamte eine Frau aus ihrem Auto, während sie verzweifelt um Geduld bittet. Nach dem Tod von Renee Good und landesweiten Protesten kommt es weiterhin zu gewaltsamen Übergriffen der US-Einwanderungsbehörde.
Minneapolis: ICE-Beamte zerren Frau aus Auto - »Ich habe nur versucht, zum Arzt zu gehen«
In Minneapolis zerren ICE-Beamte eine Frau aus ihrem Auto, während sie verzweifelt um Geduld bittet. Nach dem Tod von Renee Good und landesweiten Protesten kommt es weiterhin zu gewaltsamen Übergriffen der US-Einwanderungsbehörde.
www.spiegel.de
January 15, 2026 at 9:12 AM
The whole world is watching.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
That is what was relayed
January 15, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
“The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening.” - Rosa Luxemburg, brutally murdered in Berlin on this day in 1919.
Her words still ring true.
www.slowtravelberlin.com/rosa-luxembu...
Her words still ring true.
www.slowtravelberlin.com/rosa-luxembu...
January 15, 2026 at 8:50 AM
“The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening.” - Rosa Luxemburg, brutally murdered in Berlin on this day in 1919.
Her words still ring true.
www.slowtravelberlin.com/rosa-luxembu...
Her words still ring true.
www.slowtravelberlin.com/rosa-luxembu...
Reposted by Cathi Harris
On the ground here in Minnesota, it’s hard to reconcile the immense bonds of community that have been built in a week with the fact that we live in a country whose government appropriated billions of dollars to an unaccountable paramilitary force whose sole purpose is ethnic cleansing.
January 15, 2026 at 5:05 AM
On the ground here in Minnesota, it’s hard to reconcile the immense bonds of community that have been built in a week with the fact that we live in a country whose government appropriated billions of dollars to an unaccountable paramilitary force whose sole purpose is ethnic cleansing.
Revenue from the initial oil sales - valued around $500 million - is being held in bank accounts controlled by the U.S. government, according to an administration official, citing an order issued on Friday.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
US completes first Venezuelan oil sales valued at $500 million, US official says
The U.S. has completed the first sales of Venezuelan oil that are part of a $2 billion deal reached earlier this month between Caracas and Washington, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday.
www.reuters.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Revenue from the initial oil sales - valued around $500 million - is being held in bank accounts controlled by the U.S. government, according to an administration official, citing an order issued on Friday.
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
www.reuters.com/business/ene...
Trump campaigned on and has said all along he would seek retribution against his political opponents.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump promised retribution - how far will he go?
As the US president pushes a crackdown on left-wing groups and openly targets political foes, critics ask where he's taking America
www.bbc.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:37 AM
Trump campaigned on and has said all along he would seek retribution against his political opponents.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Everyone in the U.S. should watch this and pay attention. And, if you think this isn't coming for red states, too, you are kidding yourself.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd8M...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd8M...
MN Gov. Walz addresses state amid ICE crackdown
YouTube video by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Everyone in the U.S. should watch this and pay attention. And, if you think this isn't coming for red states, too, you are kidding yourself.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd8M...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd8M...
Reposted by Cathi Harris
“Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada are sending troops to Greenland amid continued threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex the territory, multiple outlets reported.”
Good.
Good.
Germany, other NATO allies sending troops to Greenland amid Trump threats
Trump said Wednesday that anything less than U.S. control of Greenland would be "unacceptable" in a warning to NATO allies.
www.newsweek.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:49 PM
“Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada are sending troops to Greenland amid continued threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex the territory, multiple outlets reported.”
Good.
Good.
This is a smokescreen. The plan is to steal the oil and the profits and figure out some other bullshit cover story later. There is no stabilization happening.
www.reuters.com/world/us/rub...
www.reuters.com/world/us/rub...
Rubio says US plan for Venezuela is stability, recovery, then transition
The U.S. has a three-step plan for Venezuela that will begin with stabilizing the country after U.S. forces seized leader Nicolas Maduro on Saturday, ensuring U.S. oil companies have access to the cou...
www.reuters.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This is a smokescreen. The plan is to steal the oil and the profits and figure out some other bullshit cover story later. There is no stabilization happening.
www.reuters.com/world/us/rub...
www.reuters.com/world/us/rub...
In all the coverage of Trump's meeting with oil execs where he promised them 'total safety' to go back to Venezuela, why is no one mentioning that his State Dept is right now warning all Americans there to leave immediately?
January 11, 2026 at 6:27 PM
In all the coverage of Trump's meeting with oil execs where he promised them 'total safety' to go back to Venezuela, why is no one mentioning that his State Dept is right now warning all Americans there to leave immediately?
Per U.S. DoS: "Due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest ... All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately."
share.google/jAbxrrPkOtEV...
share.google/jAbxrrPkOtEV...
Venezuela Travel Advisory
share.google
January 11, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Per U.S. DoS: "Due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest ... All U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately."
share.google/jAbxrrPkOtEV...
share.google/jAbxrrPkOtEV...
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Gotta love how tending to not give unfair preferential treatment to your ‘friends’ or for personal gain is ‘lacking empathy’ to a neurotypical.
No, autistics do not “lack empathy”: “Where researchers had assumed impairment, they found autistic people applying moral principles more consistently—even to strangers, even when costly.” By Ludmila Pradlova.
**This includes non-speakers &/or peeps w/ID**
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/posi...
**This includes non-speakers &/or peeps w/ID**
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/posi...
What the World Got Wrong About Autistic People
For decades, autism research compared autistic people to animals, denied them moral sensitivity, and assumed autistic traits made them miserable. All wrong.
www.psychologytoday.com
January 11, 2026 at 2:15 AM
Gotta love how tending to not give unfair preferential treatment to your ‘friends’ or for personal gain is ‘lacking empathy’ to a neurotypical.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Russia and China have launched influence operations to quickly capitalize on controversy — this time surrounding the U.S. operation to seize the Venezuelan president — by spreading conspiracy theories and disingenuous content, researchers said.
How China and Russia are using Maduro’s capture to sway U.S. discourse
Chinese and Russian influence operations have sought to capitalize on the U.S. operation in Venezuela by spreading conspiracy theories, confusion and inflammatory claims, researchers say.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 11, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Russia and China have launched influence operations to quickly capitalize on controversy — this time surrounding the U.S. operation to seize the Venezuelan president — by spreading conspiracy theories and disingenuous content, researchers said.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
This time, the visual evidence captured from various angles is so overwhelming that many news agencies have begun to provide detailed analyses that leave little room for doubt: it was murder. However, the fascists will continue to lie, and #genAI will give them the tools they need to erode trust
2/
2/
January 8, 2026 at 2:25 PM
This time, the visual evidence captured from various angles is so overwhelming that many news agencies have begun to provide detailed analyses that leave little room for doubt: it was murder. However, the fascists will continue to lie, and #genAI will give them the tools they need to erode trust
2/
2/
Reposted by Cathi Harris
The fight against fascism is also a fight for a shared sense of reality. We see demagogues twisting the facts and blatantly lying, while legacy media are keen to present every story as a matter of conflicting interpretations. With social media drowning in #AIslop, this is only going to get worse
1/
1/
January 8, 2026 at 2:25 PM
The fight against fascism is also a fight for a shared sense of reality. We see demagogues twisting the facts and blatantly lying, while legacy media are keen to present every story as a matter of conflicting interpretations. With social media drowning in #AIslop, this is only going to get worse
1/
1/
Reposted by Cathi Harris
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... Broad daylight with witnesses and video from 3 angles.
First the Shooting. Then the Lies.
The Trump administration has perfected the smear campaign.
www.theatlantic.com
January 9, 2026 at 6:29 AM
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... Broad daylight with witnesses and video from 3 angles.
And, then came the events of last Saturday. And now, apparently a new world order - the Donroe Doctrine - an evil alternate-universe SNL skit come to life.
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
Fiddling while the world burns
Why I still nag my son do his math homework even when I feel like society is collapsing
www.cathiharris.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:18 PM
And, then came the events of last Saturday. And now, apparently a new world order - the Donroe Doctrine - an evil alternate-universe SNL skit come to life.
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
www.cathiharris.com/fiddling-whi...
Reposted by Cathi Harris
Es wird immer verworrener. Nun gibt es ein weiteres Schreiben, angeblich von der ursprünglichen #Vulkangruppe - die sich von dem Anschlag aufs Stromnetz in Berlin-Lichterfelde distanziert. Ob das wirklich die Gruppe ist, lässt sich aber erneut nicht unabhängig überprüfen. taz.de/Brandanschla...
Brandanschlag auf Stromnetz in Berlin: „Vulkangruppe“ distanziert sich von „Vulkangruppe“
Noch ein Schreiben einer „Vulkangruppe“: Nun distanziert sich die angebliche Ursprungsgruppe von dem aktuellen Brandanschlag in Berlin-Lichterfelde.
taz.de
January 7, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Es wird immer verworrener. Nun gibt es ein weiteres Schreiben, angeblich von der ursprünglichen #Vulkangruppe - die sich von dem Anschlag aufs Stromnetz in Berlin-Lichterfelde distanziert. Ob das wirklich die Gruppe ist, lässt sich aber erneut nicht unabhängig überprüfen. taz.de/Brandanschla...
This is what I wish more people would point out about "Make America Great, Again.' He means great for himself, his family and those he considers his peers - the wealthy 'winners' at life. Everyone else is just a 'sucker or loser' to be exploited.
When Trump says it won’t end up costing the United States to illegally invade and “control” Venezuela because of the value of their oil, he means there will be a massive public cost, but that’s ok because private companies and oligarchs, including his family, will make a ton of money.
People wondering whether the US is going to be able to "run the country" of Venezuela at "no cost" might like to remind themselves it's a place one-third *larger* than Afghanistan, the running of which cost the US $2,260,000,000,000. (That's $2.26 trillion).
January 4, 2026 at 7:19 AM
This is what I wish more people would point out about "Make America Great, Again.' He means great for himself, his family and those he considers his peers - the wealthy 'winners' at life. Everyone else is just a 'sucker or loser' to be exploited.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
For gazillionth time, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept
“Well… we can’t just keep filing impeachment articles all the time.”
Yes you can! If the man is committing impeachable offenses on the regular, you’re acquiescing to a standard that raises the bar for impeachable offense to absurd levels.
Yes you can! If the man is committing impeachable offenses on the regular, you’re acquiescing to a standard that raises the bar for impeachable offense to absurd levels.
How are voters meant to understand how serious things are if in lieu of shouting fire AND going into building with hoses, you're simply posting fire safety suggestions on social media?
Not introducing articles of impeachment is a message that Trump hasn't committed impeachable offenses.
Not introducing articles of impeachment is a message that Trump hasn't committed impeachable offenses.
January 4, 2026 at 6:25 AM
For gazillionth time, the standard you walk past is the standard you accept
This year's Berlin NYE stats:
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
Silvester 2025 in Berlin im Liveblog: Feuerwehr elfmal angegriffen oder bedrängt – Ringbahn nach Brand auch am Morgen unterbrochen
Nach der Party wird aufgeräumt: Rund ums Brandenburger Tor macht die BSR die Straßen sauber für den Neujahrslauf. Das UKB operierte in der Nacht „am Anschlag“, die Polizei zählte 420 Festnahmen. Der S...
www.tagesspiegel.de
January 1, 2026 at 11:40 AM
This year's Berlin NYE stats:
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
-420 people arrested, 20 more than last year;
-30 police officers injured, two seriously;
-1,830 fire department calls between 7 p.m. NYE and 6 a.m. this morning, 232 more than last year;
-11 reports of people attacking or harassing firefighters
-30 reported injured*
"People have thrown firecrackers down subway stairs, into streetcars, and just at random people on the street. The smoke makes the air quality terrible. And the resulting trash strains the city resources even more."
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
We need to talk about Silvester
How not to have the wrong kind of blast on New Year's Eve
www.diealtefrau.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:39 AM
"People have thrown firecrackers down subway stairs, into streetcars, and just at random people on the street. The smoke makes the air quality terrible. And the resulting trash strains the city resources even more."
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
www.diealtefrau.com/p/we-need-to...
Average annual earnings would top $150,000 if wages had kept up with productivity over the past 50 years.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
‘Affordability’ is really a wage crisis
American workers are 150% more productive than they were 50 years ago. If wages kept up, the average worker would make $150K. Fixing affordability requires acknowledging and solving wage stagnation.
open.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Average annual earnings would top $150,000 if wages had kept up with productivity over the past 50 years.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
That additional value doesn’t just disappear if it isn’t being paid out to the working class. The top 1% of earners have seen their real wages increase by an order of magnitude.
Reposted by Cathi Harris
This is a good reminder that hardened opposition to good ideas can dissipate like … smoke
I lived thru the end of public smoking. Early in my career I presented to city councils who were smoking, in front of audiences who were smoking.
Smoking in restaurants, airplanes, hospitals…
All of that seems insane now, but it was very controversial when we DID change it.
We CAN change things.
Smoking in restaurants, airplanes, hospitals…
All of that seems insane now, but it was very controversial when we DID change it.
We CAN change things.
It’s crazy that people used to be able to just smoke cigarettes wherever they wanted
December 21, 2025 at 3:54 AM
This is a good reminder that hardened opposition to good ideas can dissipate like … smoke