Gray Norton
@graynorton.bsky.social
Web guy, working on Spectrum at Adobe; Lit core team member. Formerly: Google, webOS, Toyota Research Institute. Also: democracy defender, Proportional Representation advocate, progressive, humanist, singer. Opinions mine.
Reposted by Gray Norton
“Largest single-day protest in American history.” Roughly 2% of the population rose up to demand the restoration of democracy. So powerful.
From @gelliottmorris.com
open.substack.com/pub/gelliott...
From @gelliottmorris.com
open.substack.com/pub/gelliott...
Second "No Kings Day" protests the largest single-day political protest ever*, with 5.2-8.2 million participants
Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates
open.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
“Largest single-day protest in American history.” Roughly 2% of the population rose up to demand the restoration of democracy. So powerful.
From @gelliottmorris.com
open.substack.com/pub/gelliott...
From @gelliottmorris.com
open.substack.com/pub/gelliott...
Reposted by Gray Norton
Yesterday, millions marched against fascism. Now our elected leaders need to take action to confront Trump’s assault on Democratic cities and states.
In The Guardian today, I outline a strategy: “fiscal disobedience” as one part of an “anti-fascist federalism.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
In The Guardian today, I outline a strategy: “fiscal disobedience” as one part of an “anti-fascist federalism.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
How can blue states fight back against Trump? With fiscal disobedience | Eric Reinhart
By holding back federal tax revenues, Democratic governors can turn a one-sided assault into a constitutional showdown
www.theguardian.com
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Yesterday, millions marched against fascism. Now our elected leaders need to take action to confront Trump’s assault on Democratic cities and states.
In The Guardian today, I outline a strategy: “fiscal disobedience” as one part of an “anti-fascist federalism.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
In The Guardian today, I outline a strategy: “fiscal disobedience” as one part of an “anti-fascist federalism.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Gray Norton
'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
October 10, 2025 at 9:31 AM
'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Reposted by Gray Norton
Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
October 10, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...
Reposted by Gray Norton
Every crisis is an opportunity. This is the moment for Dems on Capitol Hill to call a news conference and make clear: Not one dime to fund the federal government until Trump withdraws his unlawful orders and agrees not to send troops to occupy Democratic-run cities
The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.
October 6, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Every crisis is an opportunity. This is the moment for Dems on Capitol Hill to call a news conference and make clear: Not one dime to fund the federal government until Trump withdraws his unlawful orders and agrees not to send troops to occupy Democratic-run cities
Reposted by Gray Norton
THURSDAY: Join the No Kings mass kickoff call! Jump online with thousands of activists across the country to learn everything you need to know about October 18 and hear from some of the smartest activists working to oppose the Trump regime’s authoritarian takeover: www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
September 15, 2025 at 12:43 PM
THURSDAY: Join the No Kings mass kickoff call! Jump online with thousands of activists across the country to learn everything you need to know about October 18 and hear from some of the smartest activists working to oppose the Trump regime’s authoritarian takeover: www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...
Reposted by Gray Norton
Washington Post’s commitment to personal liberties does not extend to employing people who criticize gun violence or accurately quote, without comment, Charlie Kirk’s words
Some personal news:
I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.
Thread incoming.
substack.com/@karenattiah...
I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.
Thread incoming.
substack.com/@karenattiah...
The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.
I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.
substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Washington Post’s commitment to personal liberties does not extend to employing people who criticize gun violence or accurately quote, without comment, Charlie Kirk’s words
Reposted by Gray Norton
i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation
Harvard Ends Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program as Trump Targets Race in Admissions | News | The Harvard Crimson
By ending the minority recruitment program in May, Harvard shuttered a more than 50-year-old initiative to encourage minority high school students to apply.
www.thecrimson.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation
Reposted by Gray Norton
These firings, with zero due process, are violations of widely accepted principles of academic freedom & are completely unacceptable. College & university administrators MUST NOT exploit these shocking events to censor protected speech & concentrate their own power.
www.wsmv.com/2025/09/12/t...
www.wsmv.com/2025/09/12/t...
September 14, 2025 at 7:01 PM
These firings, with zero due process, are violations of widely accepted principles of academic freedom & are completely unacceptable. College & university administrators MUST NOT exploit these shocking events to censor protected speech & concentrate their own power.
www.wsmv.com/2025/09/12/t...
www.wsmv.com/2025/09/12/t...
Reposted by Gray Norton
In the crush of days' news, this -- and red-flashing-light alarm over it -- has been lost. Listen up: The Ellisons, the miniMurdochs, want to turn CNN into FoxNews Jr. alongside their terminally tained (C)BS (the B stands for Bari). Let's hear some shocked shouting, people!
This is terrible! It would put CNN in the hands of the miniMurdochs, the Ellisons, and likely awful Bari Weiss. If anyone could still spell antitrust, it should be blocked, but it won't be. Mass media are dead! They're picking at the carcasses
www.wsj.com/business/med...
www.wsj.com/business/med...
Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
The bid will be for the entire company, including its cable networks and movie studio, according to people familiar with the situation.
www.wsj.com
September 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
In the crush of days' news, this -- and red-flashing-light alarm over it -- has been lost. Listen up: The Ellisons, the miniMurdochs, want to turn CNN into FoxNews Jr. alongside their terminally tained (C)BS (the B stands for Bari). Let's hear some shocked shouting, people!
Reposted by Gray Norton
Journalists need to retire “unprecedented.” What Trump’s doing isn’t—it’s a fascist consolidation of power, by the books. & everyone else needs to give up “wannabe,” as in dictator. Face facts: he is. Let’s contend with that.
August 26, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Journalists need to retire “unprecedented.” What Trump’s doing isn’t—it’s a fascist consolidation of power, by the books. & everyone else needs to give up “wannabe,” as in dictator. Face facts: he is. Let’s contend with that.
Reposted by Gray Norton
NEW PIECE IS UP.
I don’t enjoy facing the truth about this court, but it must be done.
Yesterday’s decision in McMahon has me convinced.
Hope you’ll sign up for the September webinars. We need the people - not just lawyers - to understand what’s at stake. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
I don’t enjoy facing the truth about this court, but it must be done.
Yesterday’s decision in McMahon has me convinced.
Hope you’ll sign up for the September webinars. We need the people - not just lawyers - to understand what’s at stake. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
Facing this Court
A Sober Look at What to Expect in Trump v. Casa And What We Do About It
open.substack.com
July 15, 2025 at 9:50 PM
NEW PIECE IS UP.
I don’t enjoy facing the truth about this court, but it must be done.
Yesterday’s decision in McMahon has me convinced.
Hope you’ll sign up for the September webinars. We need the people - not just lawyers - to understand what’s at stake. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
I don’t enjoy facing the truth about this court, but it must be done.
Yesterday’s decision in McMahon has me convinced.
Hope you’ll sign up for the September webinars. We need the people - not just lawyers - to understand what’s at stake. open.substack.com/pub/sherrily...
Reposted by Gray Norton
Why do Trump and some of his most fervent tech billionaire backers want to take land and create privately-controlled zones? Gil Duran says we’re watching the rise of a new anti-democratic extremism—networked, crypto-financed, and cloaked in the language of freedom.
Trump’s Gaza Fantasy and the Network State: The Tech-Fueled Future of Privatized Sovereignty | TechPolicy.Press
We’re watching the rise of a new anti-democratic extremism—networked, crypto-financed, and cloaked in the language of freedom, writes Gil Duran.
www.techpolicy.press
June 6, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Why do Trump and some of his most fervent tech billionaire backers want to take land and create privately-controlled zones? Gil Duran says we’re watching the rise of a new anti-democratic extremism—networked, crypto-financed, and cloaked in the language of freedom.
Reposted by Gray Norton
The president could really stick it to Elon Musk by reinstating all of the research grants he canceled, bringing back USAID, and taking away DOGE’s access to all of our private information.
June 6, 2025 at 3:00 AM
The president could really stick it to Elon Musk by reinstating all of the research grants he canceled, bringing back USAID, and taking away DOGE’s access to all of our private information.
Reposted by Gray Norton
A plurality of the country is regularly exposed to this drip feed & it is destroying the Republic
Mentions on this morning's Fox & Friends
Medicaid: 1
Biden: 39
Medicaid: 1
Biden: 39
June 2, 2025 at 1:17 PM
A plurality of the country is regularly exposed to this drip feed & it is destroying the Republic
Reposted by Gray Norton
"A one sentence explanation of the Federalist Society vs. Trump might be this. An ideology welded to a spoils machine is in a fight to the death against a spoils machine welded to a spoils machine." www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-federa...
The Federalist Society claims it's just a debating club
Now it risks becoming one.
www.programmablemutter.com
May 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"A one sentence explanation of the Federalist Society vs. Trump might be this. An ideology welded to a spoils machine is in a fight to the death against a spoils machine welded to a spoils machine." www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-federa...
Reposted by Gray Norton
I would hope that, by this point, university leaders who are still "negotiating" with the administration have their eyes wide open about the fact that these negotiations are all in bad faith.
May 31, 2025 at 2:57 PM
I would hope that, by this point, university leaders who are still "negotiating" with the administration have their eyes wide open about the fact that these negotiations are all in bad faith.
Reposted by Gray Norton
Absolutely the greatest piece of writing ever to come out of @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social (I say this as a former Indy editor). www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Come At Me, Bro | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
I propose an alternate strategy: I shall fight Secretary of Education Linda E. McMahon in a televised cage match, the winner of which gets $2.7 billion in federal grants and the power to uphold or des...
www.thecrimson.com
May 29, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Absolutely the greatest piece of writing ever to come out of @theharvardcrimson.bsky.social (I say this as a former Indy editor). www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Gray Norton
Stop the @bsky.app bashing. We’re all under a tremendous strain. We’re not perfect. I block when I need to, but ignore most foolishness.
Don’t become goaded into leaving a platform that’s doing almost all the right things.
To organize for 2026, we need to stay in communication w/each other.
Don’t become goaded into leaving a platform that’s doing almost all the right things.
To organize for 2026, we need to stay in communication w/each other.
May 27, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Stop the @bsky.app bashing. We’re all under a tremendous strain. We’re not perfect. I block when I need to, but ignore most foolishness.
Don’t become goaded into leaving a platform that’s doing almost all the right things.
To organize for 2026, we need to stay in communication w/each other.
Don’t become goaded into leaving a platform that’s doing almost all the right things.
To organize for 2026, we need to stay in communication w/each other.
Reposted by Gray Norton
🧵 When authoritarian leaders attack judges as "enemies," history shows us exactly where this leads. Trump's assault on "USA HATING JUDGES" isn't just inflammatory rhetoric—it's following a script written by strongmen worldwide. But other countries show us how to fight back.
May 26, 2025 at 9:47 PM
🧵 When authoritarian leaders attack judges as "enemies," history shows us exactly where this leads. Trump's assault on "USA HATING JUDGES" isn't just inflammatory rhetoric—it's following a script written by strongmen worldwide. But other countries show us how to fight back.
Reposted by Gray Norton
We will not win the battle for democracy if those in the pro-democracy movement prize caution over taking risks. We cannot permit ourselves to be deterred by the defeats and public criticism that are inevitable along the long path of restoring democracy. Now is the time for fearless leadership.
The Survival of Democracy Depends on Our Willingness to Fight
Justice Riggs is right. We should not have to fight for democracy. But the reality is that we must.
www.democracydocket.com
May 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
We will not win the battle for democracy if those in the pro-democracy movement prize caution over taking risks. We cannot permit ourselves to be deterred by the defeats and public criticism that are inevitable along the long path of restoring democracy. Now is the time for fearless leadership.
Reposted by Gray Norton
Vital point here. The frames of political discourse — which are shaped by the structure of the info environment and by both strategic & organic communication — shape how people interpret their own experiences. We're not dealing with a problem of bad "facts" ... but one of corrupted sensemaking.
What many of us warned, & what is unavoidably clear now, is that there is no privileged sphere of "real life" that is sheltered, separate from the information environment. It's narratives all the way down -- even to the point that they shape *how people experience their own material circumstances*.
May 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Vital point here. The frames of political discourse — which are shaped by the structure of the info environment and by both strategic & organic communication — shape how people interpret their own experiences. We're not dealing with a problem of bad "facts" ... but one of corrupted sensemaking.
Reposted by Gray Norton
The ongoing battle between the person minding their own business walking down the street and the mugger who just pistol-whipped them. The conflict escalated when the victim tried to call the police.
I really can't stand this framing: "The administration action, and Harvard’s response, signified a dramatic escalation of the battle between the administration and Harvard." The Trump administration is engaged in an unprovoked war on Harvard and higher education.
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/u...
Harvard Sues Trump Administration Over Move to Bar International Students
www.nytimes.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:19 PM
The ongoing battle between the person minding their own business walking down the street and the mugger who just pistol-whipped them. The conflict escalated when the victim tried to call the police.
Reposted by Gray Norton
Richard Nixon's presidency-ending crimes were harmless high school pranks by comparison. We are so far past the "this should have immediately led to impeachment & removal" that we can't even see the exit/signs anymore. Barack Obama would have been ousted in days if he tried this authoritarian BS.
Major escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Harvard University to fall in line with the president’s agenda: It halted the elite school’s ability to enroll international students.
Trump Administration Halts Harvard’s Ability to Enroll International Students
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Richard Nixon's presidency-ending crimes were harmless high school pranks by comparison. We are so far past the "this should have immediately led to impeachment & removal" that we can't even see the exit/signs anymore. Barack Obama would have been ousted in days if he tried this authoritarian BS.