Stand up for Democracy! Courage is contagious!

July 19, 2025

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Standing up to Trump.

The only effective way to neutralize a bully is to stand up to them, calling their bluff by refusing to “obey in advance.” When one person stands up to a bully, they inspire others to do so. True, there can be personal consequences for the person who challenges a bully, but only in the short term. Eventually, the spell is broken, and the bully is revealed to be the insecure coward that hides beneath the false bravado of every bully.

On Friday, the news cycle was filled with stories of Americans standing up to Trump—a sure sign that his thuggish grip over the American people is slipping. To be sure, many leaders in the media, business, and political worlds still cower before Trump, motivated by fear, greed, and vanity. But when the history of this period is written, those who capitulated to Trump will be marked with a badge of shame. Those who stood up to Trump will be remembered as heroes of democracy.

I continue to receive emails from readers who participated in the Make Good Trouble rallies on Thursday. Two emails stood out.

Reader Sally C. wrote,

There were no Good Trouble events in [my city] yesterday, much to my surprise.

Wanting to take part somehow, I made a “Be like John Lewis” sign saying “Stand Up for Democracy” and went to a busy corner near my local library with the sign and an American flag.

I received thumbs up, peace signs, waves, beeping car horns, and ‘thank you’s.’

While it was a little weird to stand out there alone, it also felt good.

I am certain that Sally’s decision to stand alone on a street corner with a sign urging people to 'Stand up for Democracy' inspired many commuters as they drove home. Bless you, Sally, for serving as an inspiration to others!

Reader Curt D. sent the following note with the photo below:

Although I was disappointed with yesterday's turnout in Boston, when I took the subway home and got off at my stop, I found myself walking behind an elderly couple (both of whom were using canes), who had obviously been at the march.

More than any other photo I snapped during the rally (there were so many great signs), this one meant the most to me. It speaks to your frequent refrain to not to give up . . . .

Here is Curt’s photo¹ (note the sign in the woman’s left hand, which reads, “Stand up! Courage is contagious!”

The couple in the photo had no idea that they were serving as an inspiration to Curt—and many others. Like the couple in the picture, we may never know when our example of courage will inspire others who are discouraged or anxious. No act of resistance is wasted effort! Our actions ripple through the ether, touching others in unseen ways. Be the resistance! Manifest courage! Provide the shoulders on which others will stand!

The emails from Sally and Curt-and many other readers—provided context for how I processed the news on Friday. The emails and posts focused my attention on how the actions of individuals and companies are shaping the battlefield for democracy. Read on!

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CBS cancels Stephen Colbert to please Trump

The termination of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show by CBS should both inspire and outrage us. Stephen Colbert was a sharp and effective critic of Trump. When CBS’s parent company (Paramount) needed the FCC’s permission to be acquired by Skydance, Trump saw an opportunity to silence Colbert.

In a shameful episode of inappropriate interference with government oversight, Skydance’s CEO reportedly entered into a “wink-and-a-nod” agreement with the administration to terminate Colbert’s program as part of a condition of the FCC’s approval of the acquisition. See Slate, Stephen Colbert: The real reason why Paramount canceled The Late Show.

Skydance is controlled by the conservative Ellison family, which apparently intends to remake CBS in the image of Fox. Per Slate,

Larry Ellison’s son, David, met with the FCC’s [Chairman] Carr earlier this week to get the merger ironed out, promising that CBS would embrace “varied ideological perspectives” under his watch.

Such perspectives are likely to be influenced by the right-wingers Ellison wishes to add to the CBS operation, including . . . .Free Press editor Bari Weiss.

(According to Belloni, Skydance is reportedly in talks to acquire Weiss’ increasingly Trumpy publication; if both the Paramount and Free Press deals go through, Rhodes and Weiss would serve as the “ideological guide” for CBS News.)

For those of you unfamiliar with Bari Weiss, her publication, The Free Press, is ranked #1 on Substack (ahead of both The Bulwark and Heather Cox Richardson). Per Slate, the “increasingly Trumpy” Bari Weiss will be the “ideological guide” for CBS!

But do not despair! Stephen Colbert is already receiving offers to join progressive news outlets, including the juggernaut “The Meidas Touch News Network,” which is the most-watched YouTube channel in America—beating Netflix and Fox News.

Stephen Colbert will land on his feet—and will be a bigger and sharper critic from his new perch. Colbert may be paying a short-term price for standing up to Trump, but he will outlast Trump and be remembered as a faithful defender of democracy. Wherever Colbert lands, we should all follow and support him in any way we can.

While Colbert will be remembered as a hero, Skydance, Paramount, and CBS will be remembered as media organizations that capitulated to Trump or sought to curry favor with the only president to attempt a coup, incite an insurrection, have a jury conclude he engaged in sexual abuse, and be convicted of criminal fraud.

Sadly, those media companies are in good (bad?) company with other major media outlets tiptoeing around an out-of-control president. So far as I can tell (after a diligent search), the world’s largest independent news organization—The New York Times—did not publish a single word or photo of the Make Good Trouble protests across America. Why??

Federal judge pushes back against administration despite Supreme Court reversal

In unexpected corners, we saw examples of individuals and institutions standing up against Trump. One such person is US District Judge Susan Illston of the Northern District of California. In May, Judge Illston issued an order enjoining mass firings by the Trump administration, ruling that mass reductions in force violated the separation of powers between Congress and the executive. Judge Illston wrote,

The President has the authority to seek changes to executive branch agencies, but he must do so in lawful ways and, in the case of large-scale reorganizations, with the cooperation of the legislative branch.

The US Supreme Court lifted Judge Illston’s stay in a terse “shadow docket” ruling. On remand to Judge Illston, the administration argued that the Supreme Court’s order “effectively terminated the case.” Undeterred, Judge Illston is proceeding to try the case with the greatest degree of latitude permissible under the Supreme Court’s order lifting the stay.

In exercising her judicial discretion, Judge Illston has indicated that she is no longer giving the government the usual judicial deference because the government has engaged in shifting factual contentions (a.k.a. “lies”) in hearings before Judge Illston and the Supreme Court.

Judge Illston writes,

The government’s shifting positions degrade the Executive’s credibility and further underscore the need for an examination of the documents themselves.

For a superb explication of Judge Illston’s efforts to stand up to the administration’s deceptive litigation tactics despite a Supreme Court reversal, see Chris Geidner on Substack, District judge presses forward with mass-firings challenge following SCOTUS's order.

I highly recommend Geidner’s analysis for any judge (or judicial clerk) as a template for dealing with a “terse” Supreme Court order that does little more than lift a stay.

Here’s my point about Judge Illston: Some judges would have viewed a “reversal” by the Supreme Court as a stinging setback and turned tail in retreat. Not Judge Illston. She takes her oath to protect the Constitution seriously and is fearless in standing up for democracy!

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Trump sues Wall Street Journal

Which brings us to the Wall Street Journal. I can't believe I am writing these words, but the Wall Street Journal provided a valuable lesson in standing up to Trump. After receiving threats of a lawsuit from Trump, the Journal proceeded with a story that highlighted Trump's close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Unlike CBS, Paramount, Skydance and other media companies that have capitulated to Trump, the Wall Street Journal stood its ground.

On Friday, Trump followed through on his threat, filing a suit in Florida for defamation. The complaint is here: Trump v Wall Street Journal.

Trump will regret the allegations in the complaint. He alleges that the lewd birthday greeting sent to Epstein by Trump is “non-existent.” Trump has just created an enormous incentive for the Journal—and every other news organization in America—to publish a copy of the disputed birthday card.

Rupert Murdoch has already lost $780 million for shoddy reporting by Fox News. He is not going to make the same mistake with the Wall Street Journal.

The Journal issued a statement saying,

We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.

But it gets worse (for Trump). Senator Dick Durbin, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to AG Pam Bondi demanding information located during a massive search of Epstein’s files by the FBI. See The New Republic, Bondi Reportedly Ordered FBI to Flag Mentions of Trump in Epstein Docs

Per Senator Durbin’s letter:

According to information my office received, you then pressured the FBI to put approximately 1,000 personnel . . . on 24-hour shifts to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records . . . .

My office was told that these personnel were instructed to ‘flag’ any records in which President Trump was mentioned.

This is terrible news for Trump. The massive FBI search obviously identified responsive documents that describe Trump’s interactions with Epstein. The conspiracy theory wing of MAGA will not rest until the results of the FBI search are produced—which will never happen. Trump will go down with the ship rather than allowing the world to see the extent of his involvement with Epstein.

While the Epstein scandal is not part of Democrats’ path to electoral success, it is a significant impediment to Republicans' future electoral prospects.

For example, neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes viciously attacked Trump, saying in part,

When we look back on the history of populism in America, we are going to look back on the MAGA movement as the biggest scam in history," Fuentes said. "And the liberals were right. The MAGA supporters were had. They were."

See Newsweek, Far-Right Influencer Denounces Trump Over Epstein: 'Liberals Were Right'

The “MAGA conspiracy caucus” has been like a dog with a bone regarding Epstein for nearly a decade. Odds seem good that they will not let go of the emerging “cover-up” by the DOJ of the Epstein scandal. The results of the FBI search through hundreds of thousands of documents will become the functional equivalent of the “Hunter Biden laptop.”

While Democrats in Congress must do their best to keep the pressure on all Republicans to vote for full disclosure, we must not be distracted. Informed, yes. Distracted, no.

We should use the Epstein scandal as the basis for protest signs and social media posts, but we must remember the lesson of 2024: Americans want to hear how we will make life better, easier, and safer for them—no matter how far Trump drives the nation toward totalitarianism. That is a disappointing truth, but it is the truth.

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Concluding Thoughts

We have regained the momentum after a difficult month. Trump and MAGA are on the defensive in a scandal of their own making. We must use this moment of opportunity to forge ahead with organizing, messaging, and rallying to the defense of democracy.

Congress will soon take its annual summer recess. We should be planning visits to congressional offices and “empty-chair” town halls to highlight the betrayal of the American people by the Republican Party.

Yes, it is exhausting, but we aren’t going to get a pass for summer vacation. To the contrary, now is a moment of opportunity for pro-democracy forces that we cannot let slip away.

Stay strong, everyone! I will talk to you tomorrow!

Daily Dose of Perspective

1. I modified Curt D.’s photo by removing a stray person in the background who distracted attention from the couple. I used Photoshop's Generative AI to remove the third person and added a vignette. Otherwise, the photo is Curt D.’s.