Frank D. Russo
banner
fdrtoday.bsky.social
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
In First Public Comments Since Trump’s Racist Video, Obama Laments Lost Decorum
NYT Gift Article

In podcast interview President Obama didn't directly address the video posted by Mr. Trump but denounced a “clown show” on social media

I cried when I watched this on YouTube last night
bit.ly/4rkoNzr
In First Public Comments Since Trump’s Racist Video, Obama Laments Lost Decorum
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 5:41 PM
The backlash against Trump is showing up in hard data not just polls
by G. Elliott Morris

The pollster triangulates new data that shows the backlash against Trump being picked up in the polls isn’t a fluke

Anti-Trump protests are 4x the size they were in his first term and more
bit.ly/4aiLIFb
The backlash against Trump is showing up in hard data, not just polls
New data on protest activity shows organized anti-Trump actions are 4x the size they were in the president's first term. Your weekly political data roundup for February 15, 2026.
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Trump, a Gulliverian Midget amongst Giants
from Better Living Through Beowulf

Trump's complaint that Americans are allowing ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Petti to overshadow his magnificent accomplishments fits the character of Gulliver in Jonathan Swift’s satire

Nails it

bit.ly/40hOR1X
February 15, 2026 at 4:54 PM
I Trusted Jeff Bezos. The Joke’s on Me.
by Lydia Polgreen
NYT Gift Article

From first hand experiences as a columnist meeting Bezos up close & personal when he stated & believed in the principles of journalism he knew EXACTLY what he was doing was wrong

Thoughtful

Very well written
bit.ly/3MyfYCH
Opinion | I Trusted Jeff Bezos. The Joke’s on Me.
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Bondi’s Incompetence Is the Latest Insult for Epstein’s Victims
NYT Editorial Board
Gift Article

The headline is incomplete as it describes more than incompetence

A powerful indictment of Bondi and the DOJ calling it "a weaponized document dump disguised as a reckoning"

Read it
bit.ly/4kC9wY1
Opinion | Bondi’s Incompetence Is the Latest Insult for Epstein’s Victims
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:31 PM
This Is How a Child Dies of Measles
When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
by Elizabeth Bruenig
Atlantic Gift Article

Grueling story based on extensive reporting & interviews with physicians including those who care directly for patients with measles

RFK should read it
bit.ly/3ZDWNuh
This Is How a Child Dies of Measles
When your family becomes a data point in an outbreak
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 4:14 PM
What the EU’s X Decision Reveals About How the DSA Is Enforced
Tech Policy Press

Europe's imposition of a €120 million fine on X has been roundly criticized by Trump and Republicans as anti-free speech

This explains the decision & the Digital Services Act & links to it
bit.ly/4aAOl4b
What the EU’s X Decision Reveals About How the DSA Is Enforced
The European Commission's €120M fine against X exposes how it enforces the DSA, targeting design, transparency, and data access failures across the platform.
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 3:57 PM
‘South Texas will never be red again’: Home builders warn GOP over Trump’s immigration raids
Politico

Construction executives in multiple meetings with White House and Congress to discuss immigration busts on job sites

Not a constructive policy or way to make homes affordable!
politi.co/40gTwRL
‘South Texas will never be red again’: Home builders warn GOP over Trump’s immigration raids
Construction executives have held multiple meetings over the last month with the White House and Congress to discuss immigration busts on job sites.
politi.co
February 14, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally Trump admin continues detentions despite rulings
Reuters you can read

Over 20,000 lawsuits seeking their release threatens to clog the judicial system

700 DOJ attorneys overwhelmed Bo way to run a railroad! Contempt
bit.ly/4kC8TxH
February 14, 2026 at 9:19 PM
San Jose politicians back billionaire governor candidate, slam billionaire-supported mayor

The California Governor's race gets weird

This is an article from the SF Chron by the great political columnist Joe Garofoli

bit.ly/4qGY7Yu
San Jose politicians back billionaire governor candidate, slam billionaire-supported mayor - California News Beep
California's race for governor took a bizarro turn Friday when progressive supporters of Tom Steyer, the race's lone billionaire, ripped San Jose Mayor Matt
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Trump vows voter ID requirements for the midterms 'whether approved by Congress or not'
NBC

In social media post he said if Congress failed to approve legislation he would issue an executive order

Experts say this piles illegality on top of illegality and the Constitution

Read
bit.ly/4ahaoxQ
Trump vows voter ID requirements for the midterms, 'whether approved by Congress or not'
In social media posts on Friday, the president said if Congress failed to approve legislation mandating voter ID, he would issue an executive order.
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 5:29 PM
America the Fearful
Visions of Decline Are a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Foreign Affairs Gift Article

Stephen Miller offered a blunt justification for Trump's actions: that the world is governed by by power

To secure our security Trump can use force wherever and whenever he wants

Read
bit.ly/4kCAoHu
America the Fearful
Visions of decline are a self-fulfilling prophecy.
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Something Surprising Happens When Bus Rides Are Free
By Emily Galvin Almanza
NYT Gift Article

Far beyond just saving riders money free buses deliver a cascade of benefits from easing traffic to promoting public safety

Eliminating fares can clear junk cases out of court system
bit.ly/40gzyqh
Opinion | Something Surprising Happens When Bus Rides Are Free
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:01 PM
America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs
Atlantic Gift Article

Does anyone have a plan for what happens next?

Most MBA students now learn in their first semester: that efficiency gains tend to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is usually somebody else

What's the plan?

bit.ly/4qBabKM
America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs
Does anyone have a plan for what happens next?
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Americans are getting chronic illnesses more often and earlier in life, report finds
The Independent

The cost of health care is also growing more expensive with 2/3 of U.S. adults worrying about paying the bills

Major health events with medical claims exceeding $100,000 doubled
bit.ly/4tBkfWT
Americans are getting chronic illnesses more often and earlier in life, report finds
The cost of health care is also growing more expensive, with two-thirds of U.S. adults worrying about paying the bills
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 4:37 PM
Trump tells soldiers to vote GOP in campaign-style rally at Fort Bragg
WAPO article you can read via MSN

Rally followed familiar plan: Entered to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA,” promoted GOP candidates, bashed his predecessor& told them to vote Republican

Read the details
bit.ly/409RcMn
February 14, 2026 at 4:21 PM
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes,
by Jonah Bromwich
NYT Gift Article

Protesters said in near 100 statements they were singled out by agents who demonstrated that they knew where they lived and abusive following

Federal court suit by ACLU to protect rights
bit.ly/4rgWMse
ICE Agents Menaced Minnesota Protesters at Their Homes, Filings Say
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:55 PM
What It Means to Be a White ‘Race Traitor’
NYT Magazine Gift Article

From Schwerner & Goodman to Good & Pretti white people putting themselves in harm’s way has helped galvanize Americans for justice

1964 murder of civil rights workers standing up for people of color to the present
bit.ly/4rjeEmx
February 13, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Prison Math, Mafia Logic, and the Epstein Cover-Up
by Don Perata, former President Pro Tem of the California Senate

Not for nothing—but when someone who personally knows how prison deaths happen, says “no way,” it’s worth hearing

Short and to the point piece that makes a case

bit.ly/3O7DirF
Cover‑Ups, Corruption, and the Cost of Looking Away
Three Crises, One Lesson: When Power Cheats, Only Voters Can Call the Bluff
threedotdon.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:02 PM
The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT. Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid
The Intercept

“All he did was try and help two people who were being hurt by ICE agents”

She identified herself as an EMT and was prevented from giving CPR by ICE

bit.ly/4tzsW3J
The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT. Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid.
One of the women Alex Pretti was killed trying to defend is an EMT. Federal agents stopped her from giving him first aid.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein’s Power
Ezra Klein NYT Gift Article

Fascinating discussion with Anand Giridharadas a journalist who analyzes Epstein and what is emerging from the sociology of American elites and power

Read the transcript or listen to it or watch it on YouTube
bit.ly/4cuc9ZP
Opinion | The Infrastructure of Jeffrey Epstein’s Power
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Trump Tirade Over Bridge to Canada Backfires, Handing Dems 2026 Weapon
TNR

His corrupt threat to block opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge has become a big albatross around necks of GOP candidates in pivotal Michigan

They are calling it "The Windsor Knot" (after a small border town)
bit.ly/4bUvAea
Trump Tirade Over Bridge to Canada Backfires, Handing Dems 2026 Weapon
His corrupt threat to block the opening of the Gordie Howe Bridge is about to become a big albatross around the necks of GOP candidates in pivotal Michigan.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Frank D. Russo
This is so embarrassing.

The cartel drones Pam Bondi was sounding the alarm about during the hearing turned out to be… party balloons.

This administration is so incompetent.
February 13, 2026 at 2:59 AM
Even Newsmax Thinks Pam Bondi Sh*t The Bed Yesterday
Wonkette

The reviews are in, the judges have spoken, and it turns out it’s not just decent and normal Americans who were repulsed. The vile, indecent Americans of MAGA hated it too

Newsmax? The thinking-even-less man’s Fox News?
bit.ly/3OpKYFA
Even Newsmax Thinks Pam Bondi Sh*t The Bed Yesterday
Uh oh, Pammy Jo!
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Gabbard Whistleblower Complaint Based on Intercepted Conversation About Jared Kushner
WSJ Gift Article

Bureaucratically stalled within Tulsi’s agency for 8 months, heavily redacted in disclosure to Congress

Deals for self enrichment for him abound

Conflicts and coverup

Read
bit.ly/4aPu0sY
Gabbard Whistleblower Complaint Based on Intercepted Conversation About Jared Kushner
The substance of the conversation, which covered in part issues related to Iran, isn’t known.
bit.ly
February 13, 2026 at 4:46 PM