It's been a week of shocking violence and at the same time, inspiration and bravery, as more than 5 million people across the US got into the streets on June 14th and denounced the current US administration’s authoritarianism, cruelty, and frankly, stupidity.

Violence is escalating in the US and across the world, from targeted assassinations of Minnesota legislators and their family members to violence against peaceful protesters (including violence perpetrated by law enforcement groups), to escalation of war in the Middle East, Sudan, and Ukraine. It is tempting to look away, but we need to remember that turning away is a privilege and many do not have that option.

Frank O’Hara wrote in Meditations on an Emergency “In times of crisis, we must all decide again and again whom we love.” Today, we are in a moment of crisis that is likely to get much worse, especially for the most vulnerable among us. In just over 150 days, the US administration’s actions have already cost thousands of lives, fueled violence in the US and across the world, and will take decades to generations to recover from.

Rebecca Solnit writes in her Meditations in an Emergency newsletter: “Even if we prevail, the harm is real and repairing the profound damage to the nation and society will be the work of years if not generations, to say nothing of the repair to psyches. But I am not giving up. I'm hopeful because I believe in civil society, I believe in our power, and I believe in our idealism. I don't know what is going to happen, because we make the future in the present, but in the present I see solidarity, commitment, principle, and courage.”

In solidarity, lets get into it.

take action

Check out this Chain of Hearts effort at UCLA and start one at your institution
Keep speaking up - check out and contribute to the McClintock Letters effort.
Sign up for Mobilization 101: Standing Up for Immigrant Communities & Resisting Authoritarianism put on by “Showing up for Racial Justice”
FYI more funding cuts expected, targeting NSF, EPA, National Parks Service, and other agencies - keep calling your representatives, use 5 Calls, resources linked in Action Lab like this Advocacy Toolkit.
Keep showing up and pushing back against authoritarianism big and small.

pods in action

CA Bay Area pods and folks, check out this opportunity to get involved in a rally and teach-in.
Remember to log into Orca and update your pod membership information.

weekly win

More than five million people turned out for 2100+ No Kings rallies across the US
CDC is rehiring 400+ laid off employees
NIH grant terminations ruled void and illegal (Judge Young’s comments are well worth reading 🎉)

check it out

Early to mid-career STEM folks are getting a much-needed boost
Teen Vogue continues to shine in their political coverage. Check out this op-ed on who the administration is targeting with its anti-immigration actions and how to fight back
Scientists are speaking out, locally and enmasse (NYT paywall)
CDC staff demand RFK Jr resignation

perennial reads

Rebecca Solnit’s Meditations on an Emergency continues to be exactly the right thing for this moment, especially this post on the nature of violence and what is going on in LA

book nook

Hot off the presses, “Human Nature” by Dr. Kate Marvel explores human emotions as a lens to better understand climate change.

all ears

We are big Drilled podcast fans around here and the new season focuses on the Standing Rock protests, walking listeners from the protests to the lawsuit that slapped Greenpeace with $666 million in damages.

watch this

Dance it out with Sandra Oh and don’t forget to read the comments section
Sunny the Big Bear baby eagle taking flight (and read the fun daily log of the eagle baby activities)

🙃

We are the boiled frog. Keep up the great work McSweeney’s