Havdalah #41: Senate Hearing, Mutual Aid, & Cassius

Eid Mubarak everyone,

Spring has officially sprung, which means I spent last Saturday taking my car to get cleaned and finally using OxyClean to get the coffee stains off of my passenger seat (I do not recommend, for the record).

March has felt like a bit of a spring cleaning of its own, just one of a more emotional nature. I quit YouTube for Lent, with a few practical exceptions, and I deleted my news app, so my only news consumption has been on other people’s TVs or on my work computer (don’t tell my boss). After the first few weeks of the “Trusk” (“Mump?”) Presidency, I was overwhelmed by the barrage of destruction that greeted me every time I opened my phone, and watching leftist content, as helpful as those resources can be, left me filled with bitterness and rage.

Ultimately, fuming about Vance’s haranguing of President Zelenskyy or angsting about the future of my student loans is not productive. Stewing in anger and anxiety is like eating potato chips: it feels good in the moment, but you feel hungry again a few minutes later. I’m trying to fill my stomach with nutritious food: doing more art, singing and playing my piano, and helping with this newsletter.

Speaking of nutritious activities — in this issue, we have a few events happening around Providence in the next few weeks, and we have a wonderful Sidebar from James about Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: Caesar’s Assassination, Part 2: Cassius Boogaloo.

I will admit I have spent perhaps an unhealthy amount of time this month lying on my bed staring at the ceiling, wallowing in melancholy — is this what people did in the ‘90s? (mid 30’s ed: …hey)

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu…

Jackie (she / her)

PS: We’d like to hear from you! Let us know how we’re doing!

Workers and Renters: Providence General Assembly

• When: Saturday, March 29, 12:00pm and every other Saturday

• Where: 134 Mathewson Street, Providence, RI 02903

• From their Instagram:

  • Worried about Trump?

  • Want to defend our communities?

  • Want a world that works for everyone?

  • Come to the Providence General Assembly!

• Spanish, ASL interpretation and childcare available upon email request

• Masking requested and masks will be provided

• Direct questions to [email protected]

• Providence General Assembly Instagram post

• Workers and Renters Website

Prisoner Letter Writing Event

• When: Monday, March 31, 6:00pm-7:30pm

• Where: Rochambeau Library, 708 Hope St, Providence, RI 02906

• Come join BDS Providence for a prisoner letter writing session with a focus on people doing time for solidarity actions with Palestine.

• Featuring introductory prisoner letter writing talk at 6:15pm, feel free to drop in and out at any time.

• There will also be an art fundraiser for Palestinian families.

• Pens, paper, mailing supplies provided.

PSL Bus to National March on Washington: Stop the Genocide! Ceasefire Now!

• When: Bus leaves Friday, April 4, 11:30pm, rally and march April 5, 1:00pm

• Where: Bus leaves from 39 Haskins Street, Providence, RI 02903, march is in DC

• On April 5th, there are plans for a National March on Washington to stand up to Trump and his ethnic cleansing plan for Gaza, to stand up to repression, to stand up to the US’s continued facilitation of the genocide in Gaza, and to demand a permanent ceasefire and an arms embargo immediately.

• If you are interested in joining this march, you can buy a ticket for the bus to get you there and back.

• Timeline of travel:

  • Start from 39 Haskins St, Providence: 11:30pm, April 4th

  • Arrives DC: Morning, April 5th

  • Rally and March: 1:00pm, April 5th

  • Leave DC: 8:00pm, April 5th

  • Arrives back in Providence: 2:00am, April 6th

• Each seat will cost about $120, but no one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

• March on Washington Info and Ticket Link

• PSL Event Instagram Link

Protest: Hands Off! Rhode Island Fights Back!

• When: Saturday, April 5, 12:00pm-1:30pm

• Where: Hope High School, 324 Hope Street, Providence, RI 02906

• From the post: 

  • “Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. Rhode Island is fighting back! They're taking everything they can get their hands on — our health care, our data, our jobs, our services — and daring the world to stop them. This is a crisis, and the time to act is now.

  • This mass mobilization day is our message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies. Alongside Americans across the country, we are marching, rallying, and protesting to demand a stop to the chaos and to build an opposition movement against the looting of our country.”

• A core principle behind all Hands Off! events is a commitment to nonviolent action. They expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with their values.

• This event is being organized by Indivisible RI and several other RI based organizations. Check out handsoff2025.com for more information and contact [email protected] with questions.

• Hands Off! Post

• Note: there is a option to register your attendance at this event; we do not recommend this, for op sec purposes.

Passport Workshop with Seth Magaziner’s Office

• When: Saturday, April 5, 10:00am-1:00pm

• Where: 935 Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 3003, Warwick, RI 02886

• Seth Magaziner’s office, in partnership with the Boston Passport Agency, is hosting a Passport Fair to assist people. State Department Passport employees will be available to provide guidance, answer questions, and help with applications. Their staff will also be present to assist with any other issues related to federal agencies that you may have. 

• If you are applying for a new passport or renewing an existing passport, please bring the following:

  • Application: If you are applying for a new passport, complete the DS-11 application form. It must be printed, unsigned, and submitted in-person during the event.

    • If you are renewing an existing passport, complete the DS-82 application form.

    • If you are unable to print or fill out application form prior to event, experts can help on site.

  • Citizenship evidence and photocopy of citizenship evidence

    • (Ex: Birth certificate, consular report of birth abroad, naturalization certificate, previous passport)

  • Government-issued photo ID and photocopy of government-issued photo ID

    • (Ex: driver’s license, state-issued ID)

  • A 2” x 2” Approved Passport Photo: If you do not have a passport photo, the Warwick Library will be present on-site to take photos for $13.00 each.

  • Check or money order as payment, addressed to U.S. State Department:

    • Only these forms of payment will be accepted. See travel.state.gov for fees.

• If you have any questions about this event or Rep. Magaziner’s work in Congress or if you or a loved one needs assistance with a federal agency, you can reach out to his Warwick Office at (401) 244-1201 or submit a casework request on his website https://magaziner.house.gov/.

• Passport Fair RSVP and Information

Decarbonizing Housing: From Legislation to Your House

• When: Tuesday, April 8, 7:00pm

• Where: Hamilton House, 276 Angell Street, Providence, RI 02906

• Join CARI for their April Community Meeting and a presentation by Dave Caldwell about the economics and process of decarbonizing housing.  They'll discuss the implications for both state policy and legislation as well as personal choices home owners have.

• Decarbonizing Housing RSVP Link

Target Fast: Boycott over Retreat from DEI Initiatives

• When: now through April 17 (end of Lent)

• Where: everywhere

• There is a call to boycott Target, which pledged to spend over $2 billion with Black-owned businesses by the end of 2025, only to then stop the program at the start of the year. Black people spend over $12 million a day at Target.

• The four demands of Target

  1. Honor the 2 billion dollar pledge to the black business community through products, services, and black media buys

  2. Deposit 250 million dollars amongst any of the 23 black banks

  3. Complete restoring the franchise commitment to DEI

  4. Pipeline community centers at 10 HBCU to teach retail business at every level

• Boycott Target Explanation Page

ACLU Rights Explainers

• When: Up now

• Where: Online

• The ACLU just released two updated versions of their explainers about your rights when interacting with immigration agents (ICE) or the police. They have them available in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, French, Swahili, Dari, Pashto, and Khmer.

• Read and save this material – regardless of your own immigration status – and send to friends and family! Click the link below and scroll to the bottom of the page to download PDFs that you can print, plus the ACLU posted on all their social media platforms (@riaclu) if you want to save and share online.

• If you have a specific way to distribute larger numbers of the paper copies, please email the RI ACLU at [email protected] or call them at 401-831-7171. They have a limited supply printed, but will provide as many as they are able.

• ACLU Rights Explainers

Trump Administration Play-by-Play Tool for Public Education

• When: Up now

• Where: Online

• The Partnership for the Future of Learning is making an online tool available which aims to demystify the Administration’s plans for the coming months. During his presidential campaign, Trump was open about his plans for dismantling public schools. Even as the campaign backed away from Project 2025, he embraced its proposals to roll back civil rights protections and defund and privatize public schools. Following the election, organizations across the progressive education policy space developed important resources on what these plans will mean for schools and communities. The Play-by-Play includes and complements many of these resources with information on how Administration policies are likely to be enacted, and the steps state and local organizations can take in response.

• Trump Admin Play-by-Play Tool

• Partnership for the Future of Learning website

The Womxn Project’s Bodily Freedom Forever Index

• When: Up now, updated every Tuesday

• Where: Online

• The Womxn Project has put together an index of politicians in RI, showing how candidates did in the 2024 election compared to their stance on bodily freedom. TWP will post weekly reports on Tuesdays, highlighting some of their findings from the BFFI.

• Bodily Freedom Forever Index General Page

• Bodily Freedom Forever Index for the 2024 Election

• They’re also welcoming people to come join them as they organize in each district, creating small hubs. With volunteers, they will keep building a more transparent political landscape with data-informed action and strategy. Check them out if you want to get involved!

• BFFI Involvement Signup

• The Women Project Volunteer Signup

Weekly Kaddish

• When: Every Sunday, 1:00pm-1:30pm

• Where: Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge, Providence, RI 02903

• Jewish Voice for Peace RI and allies will be hosting a weekly gathering on Sundays to recite the Mourners Kaddish and communally grieve the Palestinians murdered by the Israeli military. You need not be Jewish to attend; all are welcome to participate.

JVP Course: Study & Action for Palestine 2025

• When: Sundays, March 30, April 6, 20, 27, and May 4, 4:30pm-6:30pm

• Where: Online (sessions will also be recorded)

• Study & Action for Palestine (Spring 2025) is an online course and a learning community for anyone who is committed to a Free Palestine and the well-being of all people, everywhere.

• It consists of extensive study materials, six live sessions (recorded and available to anyone who registers) and an ongoing focus on action — both what participants are doing or can be doing right now, as well as how we can deepen our engagement in specific, strategic struggles and for long haul, systemic change.

• Designed to be a community of support for study and taking meaningful action, course content includes:

  • Campaigning and organizing skills that can apply to anything you are working on, brought directly to the group from Palestinian, Jewish, Christian and labor organizing for a Free Palestine right now

  • Camaraderie and support for your involvement in solidarity struggle whether you are new to activism or a seasoned community leader

  • A material analysis of U.S. imperialism, settler colonialism, and the struggle for a free Palestine that strengthens all of the work that you do

  • Sustainable ways to contribute to the solidarity movement for Palestine and the broader struggle for collective liberation (at home and abroad) for the long haul

• Study & Action for Palestine Course Link

• Study & Action for Palestine Registration Link

• Suggested registration fee is $175-$325, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Author Talk and Genocide Conversations

• When: Thursday, April 10, and Thursday, April 24, 4:00pm

• Where: Willett Free Library, 45 Ferry Road, Saunderstown, RI 02874

• Join the Willett Free Library for two discussions in honor of April’s Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month.

• April 10, Author Talk with Victoria Waterman:

  • Who She Left Behind is a generational story of survival, love, and motherhood in the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide by Victoria Waterman. Based on the author’s own family history, this historical fiction novel explores the deeply emotional lives of its characters, spanning multiple time periods—from the waning days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 to the Armenian neighborhoods of Rhode Island and Massachusetts in the 1990s. This conversation will shed light on the often-overlooked stories of the brave and resilient women who became the foundation of rebuilt communities after the Armenian Genocide.

• April 24, Bearing Witness

  • As the son of Holocaust Survivors, Len Newman feels a keen responsibility to bear witness to the lives of the six million Jewish men, women and children who were killed in the Holocaust. For the past 25 years, he has been telling his parents’ stories in schools and libraries throughout the United States and abroad. He tells their stories to encourage people to stand for social justice. Len has been a Commissioner on the Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission since its inception. His work on the Commission has been keenly focused on developing ways to support educators in teaching this area of study. He will discuss the work of the Commission and its history as part of his presentation.

• Registration is requested:

  • Author Talk with Victoria Waterman Registration Link

  • Bearing Witness Registration Link

AMOR: Community Support Needed

AMOR is fundraising for a Central Falls family whose father was detained by ICE while dropping off his children at school. They are raising $8,000 to cover the cost of legal representation and fees to bring him home to his family.

Gofundme Link for Central Falls Family

• Be aware that written testimony submitted to any committee is considered public and will be posted to and accessible on the General Assembly website.

• All times and locations given below are accurate as of the writing of this newsletter, but the RI Legislature is prone to changing time and locations of hearings with little notice. If you want to give in-person testimony for a bill, go to this Bill Lookup Page to double check the bill status and meeting information before you go. Put the bill number (no H, no S) in the Bills input field and hit Enter for the most up to date information.

• Rise of the House or the Senate is when the full House or Senate finishes meeting together and breaks into separate committee meetings.

• For in-person testimony, when you arrive and/or during the meeting, you will receive instructions on when and how you can give testimony. Don’t be afraid to poke someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and ask.

End ICE Detention in Rhode Island

Bill Number: S0295

Summary: S0295 would prohibit state and municipal officials or municipal bodies from entering into and renewing any agreements that will be used to detain individuals for federal civil immigration violations.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status: Scheduled for hearing / consideration on Thursday, April 3, 2025

How to Submit Written Testimony:

• Due: Thursday, April 3, 3:00pm

• Write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you support the bill.

  • Include your name, the bill number (S0295), and your viewpoint (FOR).

• Email written testimony to:

  • [email protected]

How to Give In-Person Testimony:

• Attend one of the committee meetings:

  • The Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting, Thursday, April 3, at 4:00pm in Room 313 at the State House

• Be prepared to share a brief statement about why you support this bill. Include your name, the bill number (S0295), and your viewpoint (FOR).

Helpful Links:

• AMOR’s testimony writing kit

• AMOR Report on ICE Detention at Wyatt Detention Facility

Employee Rights Bill

Bill Number: S0162

Summary: S0162 protects employees’ free speech regarding matters of politics, assembly and religion, as well as attendance at employer-sponsored meetings regarding political or religious matters. Employees so aggrieved by discipline or discharge by the employer would have the right to bring a civil action against the employer seeking equitable relief and / or compensatory damages including attorneys' fees and costs.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status: Scheduled for consideration on Wednesday, April 2, 2025

How to Submit Written Testimony:Due: Wednesday, April 2, 3:00pm

• Write a short statement, 1-3 paragraphs, explaining why you support the bill.

  • Include your name, the bill number (S0162), and your viewpoint (FOR).

• Email written testimony to:

  • [email protected] 

How to Give In-Person Testimony:

• Attend one of the committee meetings:

• The Senate Labor and Gaming Committee Meeting, Wednesday, April 2, at 4:00pm in Room 212 at the State House

• Be prepared to share a brief statement about why you support this bill. Include your name, the bill number (S0162), and your viewpoint (FOR).

Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Bill Number: S0063 

Summary: S0063 further delineates the definitions of felony, misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor. The bill would define a felony as any criminal offense which at any given time may be punished by imprisonment for a term of more than one year, a misdemeanor as any criminal offense which may be punishable by imprisonment for a term of more than six months and not exceeding three hundred sixty-four (364) days, or solely by a fine of more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both, and a petty misdemeanor as any criminal offense which may be punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding six (6) months or solely by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500), or both.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status: Referred to House Judiciary Committee

Education/Privacy Rights Bill

Bill Number: H5176 Sub A

Summary: H5176 Sub A prohibits an educational institution or school district from accessing or using location data for tracking a student's institutional or personal device, except in limited circumstances.

Our Position: FOR / IN SUPPORT OF

Current Status: Referred to Senate Education Committee

I’ve been working on a theory.

The theory is, admittedly, secondary to my main thesis. But it’s also the reason why this undertaking spans five Sidebars instead of one. It’s my tendency to caulk and re-caulk the same points I’ve already sealed over, convinced that it’s the only way to make the argument watertight.

My supplemental theory centers on the characters of Cassius and Brutus, and their respective roles within both the conspiracy and the fall of the Republic. Familiarity with The Tragedy of Julius Caesar will be ideal for following much of this, but I will also be making a few comparisons to our contemporaries in order to illustrate why their differences are so important.

In Julius Caesar, we see two kinds of ineffectual conspirator: the Cynical and the Naive.

The Cynical senator is most typically (but not always) embodied by the figure of Cassius. This politician argues for the necessity of assassination to prevent autocracy, but unlike the Naive senator, he either doesn’t believe in or doesn’t worry himself over the danger to democracy. The Cynical doesn’t care about the Republic, he cares about himself. Cassius takes bribes well after Caesar has been toppled (as well as offense when confronted about it). The Cynical senator is as likely to stab a dictator as he is to jockey for a position in the dictator’s cabinet; it all depends upon which arrangement he will derive the most benefit from. If an authoritarian’s ascent decreases the Cynical’s power, the authoritarian is a threat and must be opposed. If the Cynical stands to gain more power if he stands by the authoritarian, then that is where you will find him. It all comes down to business, and the Cynical politician’s power is the mechanism by which he profits.

The Naive senator, most typically embodied in the character of Brutus, both sees the danger and underestimates it. The Naive, even while trumpeting resistance, may still be in denial about the desperation of the situation. The Naive will accurately articulate the threat, but he will fail to respond appropriately. He will not adapt, instead clinging to the old faiths of the institution or “benign” patriotism or common decency. But the Naive senator too will not cede his power, because while he believes in his own belief in democracy, he is in actuality a patrician who does not truly see the masses as capable of self-governance. The Naive senator thinks himself the sane man in the room, the only one wise enough or responsible enough to do the hard things for the good of all. His resistance will always be half-hearted because he is still invested in his own authority. Salvation lies in procedure; we will dissent politely, softly, with our big sticks and our ping-pong paddle signs. We will let Marc Antony speak, so long as he demonstrates gratitude for our magnanimity and benevolence, so long as he doesn’t call Caesar a tyrant, because it’s a divisive label and we need to move on to the hard work of unity. So it is the Naive politician, still as enamored with power as the Cynical, who refuses to publicly commit to his private convictions, who lets the wolves continue to bay, who allows democracy to fall at last after, it turns out, not very much of a fight at all.

Act II of this series of essays will focus on the first figure, the Cassius.

Cassius, The Adaptable

I don't adhere to a singular methodology as an actor. However, one of the concepts I've found useful both in my art and in my own life has been Stanslavski’s work on Objectives. This was the first pedagogy (along with Uta Hagen) I was taught as a child, and thus, the most intuitive to me. To simplify for readers who are not theatre practitioners:

Objective: what you want.

Motivation: why you want it.

Obstacle: what’s in your way.

The Obstacle, typically, is your scene partner, because in acting, a playable and compelling Objective is also rooted in your scene partner. For example:

 Objective: I want the cookie.

 Obstacle: My friend Nate has the cookie.

An Objective that is specific and keeps you connected to the other actor makes for a better scene to play and to watch. Like so:

 Objective: I want Nate to give me the cookie.

 Obstacle: Nate intends to eat the cookie and is therefore unlikely to surrender it.

Motivation is also important. Consider the difference these Motivations would make to how a scene might be played:

 Motivation: I want to eat the cookie.

Or:

 Motivation: I want to make sure Nate doesn’t spoil his appetite for supper.

Different Motivations and Objectives will necessitate different Tactics.

 Tactics: how you get what you want.

The important takeaway: obtaining an Objective requires adaptability, which itself requires clarity of purpose.

An actor in the course of a scene or play will change Tactics multiple times in pursuit of their Objective. Otherwise, the scene will be one-note and unengaging for the audience, and (more saliently within the world of the narrative) the actor will not achieve their Objective. It’s a simple heuristic to trace onto the real world: if you cannot adapt your approach, and you keep trying the same failed strategies to reach your goal, you will continue to fail.

In the realm of politics, the Cynical has no illusions about what he wants, even if he obfuscates his Motivations to others. This makes him more adaptable than the Naive, whose true Motivations and Objectives are always a bit less sure, a bit less certain. This murkiness clouds the Naive’s judgement, and his Tactics suffer. Cassius adapts while Brutus is inflexible. Unfortunately, what the Cynical politician has in decisiveness, he lacks in principles.

The Cynical’s chief Objective is power. Why does he want power? To profit by and from it. This is not necessarily monetary, though it may be; power is an end in itself. If he uses this power to help us, it is because helping us incidentally helps him. But helping us can vary from a tertiary consideration to a total non-priority. Everything comes down to his own interests.

I know what you may be thinking; Cassius is the GOP, Brutus the Democrats. If only it were that simple. But as I said previously, the difference in motivations behind reaching for the gun has little to do with party allegiance — which itself is more of a Tactic than a declaration of Objective.

Certainly, there are plenty of Republican examples of Cynical politicians: Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham come immediately to my mind. Cruz in particular famously suffered a parade of indignities from Trump, including misogynistic insults to his wife. And yet, power was of such tantamount importance that he still phone banked for Trump in 2016. But if Trump is Caesar, the Republicans are not Cassius; they’re Antony.

Marc Antony, The Foil

Antony and Cassius are sycophants on opposite sides of the aisle. Both embody the Cynical; they simply choose to bet on different horses. Had Antony not known on what side his bread was buttered, or had Cassius calculated an autocracy to be more suited to his desires than a republic, then they might have exchanged roles in the narrative. When you cut down to the marrow, they’re the same man. Cassius might very well have placed a crown on the head of Brutus as Antony had Caesar — in fact, he does:

What Antony does with gesture and prop, Cassius does with his words. Both are testing their audiences, both evaluating how far they can push past the bounds of mere empty audacity into action and then, reality.

And, like these two politicians on opposing sides of a brewing civil war, there are Democrats and Republicans with little separating them but their respective parties.

Two weeks ago, Rhode Island’s Dr. Rasha Alawieh was deported illegally. Senators Whitehouse and Reed, having joined the rest of the Senate in unanimously confirming Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, allowed this to happen. This is collaboration. Enthusiastic collaboration; not one senator abstained or dissented during that vote, including darlings of the left, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. The deportations, kidnappings, and blackbaggings that will continue as more and more people are disappeared by the regime can and will be traced back to that moment, to that choice made by every single Democratic senator.

Gavin Newsom, California’s Governor, has pivoted hard to the right, platforming Nazis Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast in a bid to appeal to a dark populist groundswell. He has also adopted a full-throated embrace of transmisogyny, yet another Democrat who has reversed course on trans issues. This is naked opportunism, but this, too, is adaptation.

One of the most flagrant examples of the Cynical Democrat is Senator Chuck Schumer, whose recent actions have been characterized by Mia Wong and James Stout as collaboration on par with that of the Vichy Government. This is not even getting into his recent statements regarding the blackbaggings of pro-Palestine protesters (he likes those, very much, if he can justify them by so much as a measly misdemeanor).

I must stress this point: these people are aware of what they want. This is why they are not Brutus. I have referred to them as the Cynical for a reason: every argument they make, every platform they endorse, every position they take is a decision cynically made. They are very conscious of their own ambitions and their own relationships to power. Do not mistake them for the Naive, for the well-meaning but misguided, for the pragmatic but internally conflicted. As Mia Wong points out (emphasis mine):

Cassius and Antony are adept at adaptation. They will dispense with Tactics that do not serve them because they have complete and utter clarity of their Objective: they want the gun.

The gun is just as dangerous in the hands of the Cynical as it is in those of the Autocrat. James Stout identifies the threat thusly:

This is the gun: the State. The collaborators hope that the tyrant will share it with them. But no matter who has it, the gun is always pointed at someone.

The Cynical understands this… and on some level, so does the Naive, even if he will not, or cannot, acknowledge it to himself. On a key issue, Cassius and Brutus agree: the people cannot be permitted to self-govern. So it is with the GOP and establishment Democrats, as Mia Wong asserts:

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar isn’t about a dictatorship — it’s about civil unrest that, left unaddressed, ferments into civil war. It’s about how the only solidarity the upper classes know is class solidarity. It’s about how the Republic will be sacrificed at the altar of power.

Needle Drop: “It’s All Gone Tomorrow”, Susanne Sundfør

Note: Our readers may have noticed that the list of links has grown tremendously since Trump took office, for obvious reasons. Please do not regard these articles and podcasts as required reading / listening, but rather as supplemental recommendations to keep abreast of current events. Peruse at your leisure, but do not feel obligated to engage with every piece. Unless otherwise stated, none of this is homework — and frankly, I’m not your mom, so even then you’re at liberty to disregard any and all of this. TL;DR: these links are meant to help, not overwhelm; if they’re not helpful, please ignore them.

News Round-Up: Local

Rhode Islanders rally outside ICE facility in Warwick in defense of Mahmoud Khalil and others detained and deported (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 17, 2025)

Rhode Islanders protest outside the Tesla Showroom and Service Center in Providence (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 17, 2025)

The attorney for Fabian Schmidt speaks outside the Wyatt Detention Center (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 18, 2025)

The deportation of Dr. Rasha Alawieh leaves a big hole in Rhode Island medical care (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 19, 2025)

Rhode Island family sues Town of Johnston for abusing eminent domain to block affordable housing (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 19, 2025)

Ahlquist v. Woonsocket Police Department (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 20, 2025)

The RI Interscholastic League refuses to answer basic questions about changes to its transgender student-athlete policy (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 25, 2025)

Christians Against Christian Nationalism: Expert Amanda Tyler addresses the RI Council of Churches (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 26, 2025)

Tufts PhD student detained by masked immigration authorities on Somerville street sent to detention facility in Louisiana (Guilia McDonnell Nieto del Rio & Mike Damiano for The Boston Globe, March 26, 2025)

Foster School District redefines “sex” in possible violation of state and federal law (Steve Ahlquist in RIFuture.news, March 29, 2025)

News Round-Up: Inter/National

‘Segregated facilities’ are no longer explicitly banned in federal contracts (Selena Simmons-Duffin for NPR, March 18, 2025)

Louisiana puts man to death in state’s first nitrogen gas execution (CBS News via The Associated Press, March 18, 2025)

Columbia Student Hunted by ICE Sues to Prevent Deportation (Jonah E. Bromwich & Hamed Aleaziz for The New York Times, March 24, 2025)

Greenlanders unite to fend off the US as Trump seeks control of the Arctic island (Danica Kirka for The Associated Press, March 25, 2025)

Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration Plan to Share Tax Data With ICE (Mike Ludwig for Truthout, March 26, 2025)

Deep Dives & Op-Eds

Borders Are Drawn to Protect Stolen Wealth. They Are a Process, Not a Place (Sarah Jaffe for Truthout, September 10, 2024)

An ICE Contractor Is Worth Billions. It’s Still Fighting to Pay Detainees as Little as $1 a Day to Work. (McKenzie Funk for ProPublica, March 19, 2025)

An Unwilling Soldier in the Culture War (Margaret Killjoy in Birds Before the Storm, March 19, 2025)

How to Avoid US-Based Digital Services — and Why You Might Want To (Violet Blue for Wired, March 21, 2025)

Your children are next: An open letter to the elders of the American Jewish community (Empty Brain, March 24, 2025)

Overthinking History (Margaret Killjoy in Birds Before the Storm, March 26, 2025)

Pod Recs: Behind the Bastards, It Could Happen Here, & I Don’t Speak German

Part Three: How The Zizians Went Full On Death Cult (Behind the Bastards, March 18, 2025)

Chuck Schumer and the Collaborators (It Could Happen Here, March 19, 2025)

Part Four: The Zizian Murder Spree (or Exactly How Harry Potter Fanfic Killed A Border Patrol Agent) (Behind the Bastards, March 20, 2025)

Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #8 (It Could Happen Here, March 21, 2025)

128: How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism, with Craig A. Johnson (I Don’t Speak German, March 23, 2025)

Rendition to El Salvador: How the Trump Administration Is Sending Asylum Seekers to Labor Camps… (It Could Happen Here, March 24, 2025)

Miniature Ethnic Cleansing: Encampment Sweeps in Oakland (It Could Happen Here, March 25, 2025)

Should You Flee the United States? (It Could Happen Here, March 26, 2025)

Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #9 (It Could Happen Here, March 28, 2025)