Frank D. Russo
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Frank D. Russo
@fdrtoday.bsky.social
Attorney, active in politics & public policy half a century starting with JFK & civil rights movement, Ex Publisher California Progress Report & Legal Counsel to Speaker of CA Assembly. Trying to enjoy life in difficult times with music, photography travel
Pinned
I’m a mediator & seek agreement on facts hence my banner at top with another FDR. I also work as an arbitrator where I decide truth amongst “alternative facts.”

With all the news & opinion maybe I should focus more on WHAT SHOULD BE DONE about this “fine mess” we’re in.
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There Is a Way Out of This Mess
by Jon Grinspan curator of political history Smithsonian National Museum of American History
NYT Gift Article

Mark Twain coined the term The Gilded Age in 1873

We had another one in the 1920's

It took a new generation to rein it all in

Read history
bit.ly/4jlY6XF
December 31, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Trump ends National Guard deployment in 3 cities after Supreme Court loss
Politico Breaking News

Said troops will no longer be in LA, Chicago and Portland

“We will come back, perhaps in a much different and stronger form, when crime begins to soar again - Only a question of time!”
bit.ly/4sjvGSb
Trump ends National Guard deployment in 3 cities after Supreme Court loss
The president said troops will no longer be in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.
bit.ly
December 31, 2025 at 10:26 PM
The 2025 Politics Yearbook: Most Likely to Be Extreme and Chaotic
by Michelle Cottle
NYT Gift Article

A great read encapsulating 2025 and a look to 2026 and who is most likely to succeed-or not
nyti.ms/4qygVJN
December 31, 2025 at 9:35 PM
2025 In Review: The Year The US Changed Sides in The Ukraine War
by Phillips P. OBrien

A sober look from a historian and professor of strategic studies

Acknowledging reality is the only way to fight it. We have changed sides. How the rest of the world reacts will define the future
bit.ly/4q1nJzD
2025 In Review: The Year The US Changed Sides
Amongst many stories, one stands out
phillipspobrien.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:25 PM
US updates ‘do not travel’ warning for Russia urges Americans leave right away
Michigan Live

"The risk of wrongful detention of US citizens remains high. Even if a case is determined wrongful there is no guarantee of release"

Ukraine War & martial law cited

Something else going on?
bit.ly/45slCfR
US updates ‘do not travel’ warning for major world power, urges Americans leave right away
Americans in the country are advised to return to the U.S. as soon as possible
bit.ly
December 31, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Trump Is the Jan. 6 President
NYT Editorial Board
Gift Article

Powerful opinion piece that tells the truth about Trump & one of the most disgracefully anti-American acts in the nation’s history

And his defiance of the Constitution with malice toward those who stand up to his abuses
bit.ly/49lWDw1
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 PM
'Bad actors are clearly concerned': AG Bondi lashes out after John Brennan's lawyers beg chief judge to keep Aileen Cannon away from grand jury probe
Law & Crime

Something really fishy about maneuvering to get infamous Southern District Florida judge on this

Russia 2016 interference
bit.ly/4slfboT
Bondi lashes out after John Brennan lawyers fear Judge Cannon's involvement in grand jury probe
AG Pam Bondi caused a stir with slams in conservative media of "bad actors" running scared from "their liability" as a grand jury probe is ongoing.
bit.ly
December 31, 2025 at 6:37 PM
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
WAPO Gift Article

Strategy document shared with immigration officials details plans to use influencers, geo-targeted ads to hire thousands of deportation officers nationwide

Trump militia

bit.ly/4jEIJdn
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
bit.ly
December 31, 2025 at 6:23 PM
The Separation:
Inside the Unraveling U.S.-Ukraine Partnership
NYT Gift article

As Trump sought peace deal and Putin victory factions in the White House and Pentagon bled the Ukrainian war effort

A packed fact and analysis must read article

Damning for Trump and his regime
nyti.ms/3KUgHxx
December 31, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Federal Judge Blocks Deportations of South Sudanese Migrants
NYT gift article

Temporarily preserves deportation protections for South Sudanese set to expire January 6

Important: Real danger if they return. Racism in Trump's action compared to his treatment of White South Africans

bit.ly/49APFoc
December 31, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Judge orders Trump administration to continue to seek funding for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau a watchdog agency he has been trying to dismantle through staffing and funding cuts
NPR/KQED

CFPB created after 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers and is mandated by law
bit.ly/45j8B8s
Judge orders Trump administration to continue to seek funding for the CFPB
The order is the latest in a complex legal battle over the fate of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog agency.
bit.ly
December 31, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Minnesota Day Care Fraud Crisis Explained
Minnesota Star Tribune reporter interviewed

Based on other articles, it appears to me that this IS a serious problem AND that DOJ and MAGA are using it to wildly tarnish the entire 100K Somali population in the state and Dems

bit.ly/3MZNLVl
Video Minnesota's alleged daycare fraud crisis explained
The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Jeffrey Meitrodt discusses how a viral video led to investigations involving federally-funded child care centers.
abcnews.go.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Trump’s immigration crackdown upended life in California. It continues as the new year begins
CalMatters

A good recap of the year

Impacts heavily on families with deep roots in the state with decades-long residence, U.S.-citizen children, stable employment & following legal pathways
bit.ly/4azhMoM
Trump's immigration crackdown upended life in California. It continues as the new year begins
President Trump focused on California as he cracked down on unauthorized immigration, sent the National Guard to L.A. and carried out high profile raids.
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Trump Is Suddenly Looking a Lot Smaller
He is no longer dominating his party or the country in the way he once did
by Jonathan Lemire
Atlantic Gift Article

Accurate assessment and analysis as Republicans panic

But we can't just depend on this. What do we have to offer in 2026?
bit.ly/4aCTt9B
Trump Is Suddenly Looking a Lot Smaller
The president is no longer dominating his party or the country in the way he once did.
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 6:13 PM
China’s $1 Trillion Trade Surplus: What the West Got Completely Wrong
The China Academy

We misread what China is selling: not cheap goods but a new energy ecosystem offering countries independence from oil-dollar system. America sanctions taught world the value of what China provides
bit.ly/49kMiAF
China’s $1 Trillion Trade Surplus: What the West Got Completely Wrong
By missing this point, America’s trade war not only aimed at the wrong target from the start but also became China’s best advertisement.
thechinaacademy.org
December 30, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The "Trump Heritage Foundation" Shows How MAGA Will Die
Even corrupt institutions can reach a tipping point
by Paul Krugman

Mass exodus of staff to Pence's "think tank" because of Heritage dalliance with white nationalist antisemites like Nick Fuentes is the beginning of the end
bit.ly/4q20RA9
The Heritage Foundation Shows How MAGA Will Die
Even corrupt institutions can reach a tipping point
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Ric Grenell Throws Tantrum Over Canceled Kennedy Center Concert, Other Acts Quickly Cancel As Well To Spite Him
The real cancel culture
By Gary Legum
Wonkette

We have the power to resist the takeover of the Kennedy Center. Like the boycott of Target, we must make an issue of this
bit.ly/4aW7GP9
Ric Grenell Throws Tantrum Over Canceled Kennedy Center Concert, Other Acts Quickly Cancel As Well To Spite Him
The real cancel culture.
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Why the Supreme Court Is Giving ICE So Much Power
By Nancy Gertner, former Federal Court Judge
Atlantic Gift Article

The Constitution inarguably applies to federal immigration agents—but the Supreme Court has taken away the hope of ever holding them to that standard

Great analysis
bit.ly/3LmHRNC
Why the Supreme Court Is Giving ICE So Much Power
The Constitution inarguably applies to federal immigration agents—but the Supreme Court has taken away the hope of ever holding them to that standard.
bit.ly
December 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
‘I Was Just So Naïve’ Inside Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Break With Trump
NYT Gift Article

How Georgia congresswoman went from president’s loudest cheerleader to his loudest Republican critic

"I want you to know that Johnson is not our Speaker. He is not our leader”

Speaks her mind
bit.ly/3LcBhJw
December 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation
ProPublica

Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment they’ve found efforts more likely to be vilified than appreciated

Damned if you do
bit.ly/3LovoJh
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
bit.ly
December 29, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Frank D. Russo
"Norman Rockwell was antifa," his granddaughter says. (Fact check: literally true.)
www.thebulwark.com/p/norman-roc...
The MAGAfication of Norman Rockwell
Trump uses the artist’s work—like other cultural icons—to promote Gestapo tactics and nativist ideas.
www.thebulwark.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Democrats' redistricting win sparks a new party war in California
Politico

About the Valadao swing Congressional district

In making more competitive districts we've intensified a longstanding battle between mods & progressives about what kind of D should carry the banner

Either or
bit.ly/4qhn0e1
Democrats' redistricting win sparks a new party war in California
Zohran Mamdani’s lead media strategist cut an ad for a progressive running in California’s Central Valley.
bit.ly
December 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Birthright Citizenship Under the U.S. Constitution

From the Brennan Center by an attorney and a historian who are part of the Democracy Project

Explains the 14th Amendment long understood to grant citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil

Ahead of Supreme Court arguments this spring
bit.ly/45wjkwi
Birthright Citizenship Under the U.S. Constitution
The 14th Amendment has long been understood to grant American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil.
bit.ly
December 29, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Stephen Colbert Hits a High Note
NYT Gift Article

When “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” won the Emmy for outstanding talk series he gave thanks with a short mission statement that the show “was about love” and a sense that we might be losing it

Read and be inspired

bit.ly/49dYdQm
December 29, 2025 at 5:40 PM
The Idea That Once Held America Together Died in 2025
By John Fabian Witt author of “The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America”
NYT Gift Article

Powerful review of Civil War amendments, FDR, process rooted in our Constitution we need to regain
bit.ly/4pjOrlL
December 29, 2025 at 5:24 PM