Frances Dinkelspiel
frannydink.bsky.social
Frances Dinkelspiel
@frannydink.bsky.social
Journalism junkie from paper to digital to newsletters to Insta and TikTok. Co-founder of Cityside. Reporter and author, too. Hand me a book, and I am happy. https://francesdinkelspiel.com/
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
So the American Nazis are finishing the work of the German Nazis now
November 17, 2025 at 7:41 PM
I've heard from friends that the new documentary, "The Tallest Dwarf," is not to be missed. It's a new take on what "little people" think about their treatment. It is screening at the New Parkway in Oakland on Wed. Nov 19 at 6:45 p.m.
November 17, 2025 at 7:22 PM
@BerkeleyLab scientists feel like they have Trump’s ‘ax hanging above their head.’ Nearly 1 in 30 staffers have been laid off. The term “climate change” is banned from new proposals. And federal budget cuts could destroy world-class research teams. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/09/22/l...
Berkeley Lab scientists feel like they have Trump's 'axe hanging above their head'
Nearly 1 in 30 have been laid off. The term “climate change” is banned. And federal budget cuts could destroy world-class research teams.
www.berkeleyside.org
September 23, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Oh no. ‘A mighty redwood of a man has fallen.’ Remembering Malcolm Margolin, founder of Heyday books www.berkeleyside.org/2025/08/20/m...
‘A mighty redwood of a man has fallen.’ Remembering Malcolm Margolin, founder of Heyday books
Writer, editor and publisher Malcolm Margolin, who promoted Indigenous cultural renewal across California, died Wednesday. He was 84.
www.berkeleyside.org
August 21, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Never before in U.S. history has one man exercised such unbridled discretion affecting the lives of so many, while simultaneously preventing others — Congress, the courts, the American people — from having a say or even knowing what he’s going to do next.

This is dictatorship.
July 15, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
For now #UCBerkeley’s RIch Lyons is off the hook since the latest anti-semitism on campuses hearing of House Committee on Education and Workforce scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. But this from @frannydink.bsky.social on what’s at stake is worth a read. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/07/07/u...
July 8, 2025 at 11:11 PM
The Trump administration hasn't targeted UC Berkeley and the UC system as aggressively as it has Columbia and Harvard. Still, Cal has lost $30-$40 million in grants. The UC system has lost about $600M. I explain the stakes. and how they are fighting back. www.berkeleyside.org/2025/07/07/u...
UC Berkeley chancellor is prepping for Capitol Hill grilling
Rich Lyons is preparing to testify before a U.S. House committee investigating on-campus “antisemitism upheaval and hatred” in a hearing with huge stakes both for Cal and the wider UC system.
www.berkeleyside.org
July 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
You may have seen clips of this speech, but if you haven't yet, you really ought to watch the entire thing and then share it with everyone you know!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8slq...
Governor Newsom's Address: Democracy at a Crossroads
YouTube video by Campaign for Democracy
www.youtube.com
June 11, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
"Two young men from DOGE, one who dropped out of college, commandeered the offices of the NEH in early April and unilaterally decided, without consulting any of the experts inside the agency, to cancel 1,500 grants"
Trump’s tactic to ‘flood the zone’ is now threatening Mark Twain’s legacy
OPINION: What is one more cut to another revered institution? President Trump is trying to create a sense of paralysis. We don’t have to comply, Frances Dinkelspiel writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
June 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
After 58 years of fed support, two kids cancel the $450,000 grant that keeps Mark Twain’s work alive. Another reason to get out on No Kings Day June 14th. Sam Clemens would be there. So would Mark Twain.

Also - read this really good piece from @frannydink.bsky.social about why it really matters.
"Two young men from DOGE, one who dropped out of college, commandeered the offices of the NEH in early April and unilaterally decided, without consulting any of the experts inside the agency, to cancel 1,500 grants"
Trump’s tactic to ‘flood the zone’ is now threatening Mark Twain’s legacy
OPINION: What is one more cut to another revered institution? President Trump is trying to create a sense of paralysis. We don’t have to comply, Frances Dinkelspiel writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
June 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law...And remember that we are not descended from fearful men." - Famous Murrow speech just got cheers on Bway
June 7, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Watching “Good Night and Good Luck” about Ed Murrow and CBS news on CNN makes me hope that CBS stands firm in Trump’s lawsuit vs @60minutes.bsky.social There is a tradition to uphold!
June 7, 2025 at 11:56 PM
The #Trump Administration canceled a large grant to the amazing Mark Twain Project@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social. In this opinion piece for @sfchronicle.com, I argue we can't be exhausted by the pace and breadth of the cuts, but must fight back. www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
Trump’s tactic to ‘flood the zone’ is now threatening Mark Twain’s legacy
OPINION: What is one more cut to another revered institution? President Trump is trying to create a sense of paralysis. We don’t have to comply, Frances Dinkelspiel writes.
www.sfchronicle.com
June 7, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
It's sad to know US scientists invented the most sophisticated weather forecasting models in the world, the satellites and instruments to measure atmospheric conditions, and an advanced alert system to warn the public of coming disasters, and the Trump administration is destroying it all.
May 17, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Today, our client Rümeysa Öztürk was released on bail from ICE detention in Louisiana, and she will return to New England to continue her studies.

📸 Giancarlo D’Agostaro
May 9, 2025 at 11:32 PM
He has a short attention span: "Trump announced #Alcatraz reopening just hours after ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ aired on a South Florida PBS station"
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Trump announced Alcatraz reopening hours after ‘Escape from Alcatraz’ aired on PBS
The 1979 film starring Clint Eastwood about the daring 1962 escape attempt aired on the local PBS channel just six hours before the president made his demand that the prison be reopened
www.independent.co.uk
May 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Not a single international cargo ship at the Port of Seattle. The port is dead. The last ship from China will dock at a West coast port on the 29th, and the last Chinese ship will dock on the East coast around May 10th. After that, there will be no more shipments arriving from China. We’re screwed.
April 27, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
I work on #alameda next to the #portofoakland in #oakland #ca. Normally, 10-15 container ships are at port, with a staggering array of containers. Right now, there is ONE. Sure, would be great IF we made things here, but now most imports are of #inexpensive #parts and etc. Stuff is gonna be $$$ soon
April 18, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Why has construction in downtown Berkeley stalled?

Berkeleyside lists at least four factors:

- interest rates
- tariffs and materials costs
- falling rents
- supply competition from the university’s new dorms

www.berkeleyside.org/2025/04/04/b...
Downtown Berkeley housing construction has stalled, creating empty, blighted lots
There are no housing projects under construction in downtown Berkeley, while prime spaces cleared out for new development sit vacant.
www.berkeleyside.org
April 4, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
Why aren’t you wearing a suit?

Have you said “Thank you” to Greenland and Denmark for allowing you to have a base on Greenland?
March 29, 2025 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
This is a real tweet posted by the official White House government account. Yes, really.
March 28, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I interviewed a woman who defaces Teslas. She uses Elmer's glue to affix stickers of Elon Musk doing the Nazi salute. “We are under Nazi attack now,” she said.“It’s as if planes are flying overhead. Civil disobedience is appropriate at this time.” #Teslatakedown www.berkeleyside.org/2025/03/27/b...
How Tesla's Berkeley showroom became a ground zero for anti-Trump protests
Growing protests in front of the Fourth Street Tesla shop in West Berkeley aim to hit Elon Musk in the pocketbook. What’s the impact?
www.berkeleyside.org
March 28, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Reposted by Frances Dinkelspiel
So fun to see my high school put together an Alumni Authors page! Lots of fun names here including @frannydink.bsky.social @erikalenkert.bsky.social Maggie Nelson, @johnmuirlaws.com and Shira Gill.

Some I knew, others I've never met... but still a great list www.urbanschool.org/alumni/authors
Alumni Authors - Urban School of San Francisco
Alumni Authors - Urban School of San Francisco
www.urbanschool.org
March 27, 2025 at 4:57 PM
MoveOn, Indivisible, and Working Families Power have created a new Substack, How We Fight Back, to offer shape and ideas for the #Trumpresistance. #Trump
howwefightback.substack.com
How We Fight Back | Working Families Power | Substack
“They want you to be alone. Nobody is going to fix this alone. That’s not how this works.” - Timothy Snyder. Click to read How We Fight Back, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.
howwefightback.substack.com
March 24, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I covered a #TeslaTakedown protest in #Berkeley on 3/22 that was peaceful until a Trump supporter tried to disrupt it. A few demonstrators surrounded his e-bike. He pulled out a stun gun to scare them away. Police arrested him.
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/03/22/b...
Berkeley Trump supporter arrested after firing stun gun at crowd of Tesla protesters
The man, who’s attempted to disrupt multiple Berkeley protests, said he pulled out the stun gun in self-defense after his hair was pulled.
www.berkeleyside.org
March 22, 2025 at 11:28 PM