Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
Also Shanah Tovah to those who celebrate Rosh Hashanah!
Folks? I’m just really, really proud of you.
We notched a HUGE win yesterday. Disney announced they were putting Jimmy Kimmel back on the air less than a week after they first announced his suspension. It’s a really big deal. Not only did we bring one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world to its knees—according to the Handbasket more than a million Americans cancelled their Disney+ subscriptions in those first four days—but we clapped back at Trump and other MAGA censorship cheerleaders hard. We proved, in what was an incredibly important moment of uncertainty, that in the end companies will yield to whomever threatens their bottom line more. And that’s us, not MAGA. Other companies, believe me, are taking note of what just happened here.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to watch Kimmel tonight.
Look. I know that Sinclair and Nexstar are still saying they won’t air Kimmel, (I’ve got many actions for you on that below). I know there will be many more attacks on our freedoms in the days and months ahead. I agree that it would have been better if Disney had changed course not because they were losing money, but because they realized democracy is important. But it’s still a win, and if we don’t stop and celebrate victories when we get them—especially when they’re 100% caused by our actions!—then what are we even doing here?
So please. Stop what you’re doing and pat yourself on the back. This was an important battle. We won it. The next corporation who considers caving to Trump will think much harder about it after seeing what just happened.
Moving on. A government shutdown approaches, and I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Trump cancelled the meeting with Democratic leaders to which he’d just agreed yesterday. Why? My guess is he’s angry about Kimmel. But he won’t admit that; instead he accused Democrats of “threatening to shut down the government of the United States unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending.”
So let’s be very clear on what Democrats are actually asking for. Per Punchbowl:
[Democrats have put forth a] proposal that includes a permanent extension of Obamacare premium tax credits; reversal of the GOP One Big Beautiful Bill’s Medicaid cuts; an end to billions of dollars in unilateral spending rescissions by the White House; and restoration of public-broadcasting funds that Republicans have eliminated. The price tag of this Democratic package is $1 trillion-plus.
That’s the “new” spending Trump is talking about: restoring Medicaid funding, continuing the ACA premium tax cuts, protecting things like kids cancer research and public education funding that Trump and Vought are cutting using rescissions, and restoring public broadcasting funds. These are mostly not NEW funds. They are funds Americans rely on that Republicans have cut, sometimes legally, often not, using so-called pocket rescissions, in order to give rich people more tax cuts.
I can’t express how important it is that you communicate all of this to friends and family. Republicans are already out there saying Democrats “want a trillion dollars in new spending.” Now you know what that really means. Spread the word! Tell everyone you know that Democrats don’t want to shut the government down, and they don’t want a trillion dollars in “new spending.” They want funding restored for healthcare, kids cancer research, PBS, and more, and this is the only bargaining chip they have.
OK, all. I’ve gone long again. Let’s get to work!
P.S.—Today at 1:30PM PT / 4:30PM ET I’ll join Wajahat Ali for a live discussion. Our conversation will stream live on THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali . Click here to watch or just open your app at that time and you’ll get an invite.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to urge the Senator to oppose any Continuing Resolution that gives yet another blank check to Trump’s authoritarian administration. Instead focus on getting us back what Trump has taken from us! Congress needs to require the executive branch to end its illegal budget rescissions, give us back our Medicaid funding, extend ACA premium tax cuts permanently, and restore funding to things the public wants, like kids cancer research and public broadcasting. Also, no more invasions of our cities! I’ve had it with this tyrannical and dysfunctional administration. Use this funding negotiation to fight it tooth and nail. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to urge the Congressmember to oppose any Continuing Resolution that gives yet another blank check to Trump’s authoritarian administration. Instead focus on getting us back what Trump has taken from us! Congress needs to require the executive branch to end its illegal budget rescissions, give us back our Medicaid funding, extend ACA premium tax cuts permanently, and restore funding to things the public wants, like kids cancer research and public broadcasting. Also, no more invasions of our cities! I’ve had it with this tyrannical and dysfunctional administration. Use this funding negotiation to fight it tooth and nail. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
SINCLAIR and NEXTSTAR are saying they still won’t air Jimmy Kimmel. It’s time to get very, very loud. Here’s a whole toolkit with easy ways to do that, including…
Keep up economic pressure— We Have Friends Everywhere..
Do not watch your local Sinclair or Nexstar Stations.
Hit the money pipeline—demand advertisers pull dollars from Sinclair until censorship ends!
CONTACT SINCLAIR AND NEXSTAR
📞📲☎️ Contact SINCLAIR AFFILIATES using the Free Press Call Tool and tell them you stand against censorship and for Free SPEECH! I did this! It was easy and fun!
Submit a comment to Sinclair Broadcast Group. (I did this too.)
Contact Nexstar Media: communications@nexstar.tv, (972) 373-8800 (I also did this.)
This is what I wrote:
I’m appalled that ______ is refusing to air Jimmy Kimmel. You are attacking free speech—shame on you. I know you don’t give a damn about things like Constitutionally protected rights, but you do care about your bottom line, so I wanted to let you know that I will be boycotting your advertisers—I have a list of who they are right in front of me—and contacting them to tell them that. I will boycott them until they stop advertising on your programs, or until you stop censoring free speech.
We are absolutely not messing around. Look at Target and Tesla if you want to see where this goes.
Have a good day.
There’s a whole other toolkit here, by the way. Love to see so much organzing around pushing back on this!
Give 💰!
Y’all, Randy Villegas is out with his new campaign ad! I really love this candidate—he is running against David Valadeo here in CA-22 (and also against a super corporate Dem funded by the DCCC, grrrrr…). Can we please show him some love? If you can’t get enough of a sense of him from this video please watch my Substack Live with him from July. You’ll fall in love!
You can also attend an in-person fundraiser with Randy if you’re in the Northeast Los Angeles area. It’s on Saturday, Sept 27 from 2 to 4:30PM in Silver Lake (RSVP here for address).
Win Races! 🗳
Make Calls for Abigail Spanberger of VA and state legislative candidate Lily Franklin on Monday, September 29 from 6:30-8 pm EDT. Franklin is running for House of Delegates District 41 in the Blacksburg region. She ran a very competitive race in 2023, losing by less than 1 percent, and is a strong candidate this year in what is widely seen as a toss-up race that can flip a seat from Republican to Democrat.
Sign up here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Coleman Rogers] [Text SIGN PEIBFB to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
I write today out of deep concern for the integrity and stability of our government. This is not about partisanship—it is about whether the President and his top advisors are fit to lead with honesty and sound judgment.
The President recently signed an executive order declaring “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organization. But Antifa is not an organization at all. Security experts across the political spectrum agree it is a loose set of individuals with no leadership or structure. To call it a “terrorist organization” is not just inaccurate, it is legally impossible. When the highest office in the land bases policy on falsehoods, Americans of every political stripe should be alarmed.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
If you cancelled a subscription, please don’t resubscribe. Disney didn’t change its mind because it cares about democracy or free speech, only that it cares about $$.
Thank you for all that you're doing, and for HOW you're doing it! I hope you've been patting yourself on the back. Your posts and podcasts are energizing when I'm feeling drained, and inspiring when I'm feeling useless.