Tootfinder

At a time when the Trump administration seeks to expand the definition of terrorism to encompass a wide range of dissenting views,
Americans’ fears of abuse of government surveillance of their communications are more justified than ever;
15 activists in Minneapolis were recently indicted based largely on Signal chats, for example.

Public records show FBI secretly extracted data from ICE protesters’ phones
Previously unreported documents reveal “extractions” from at least 13 devices after a Washington state protest last June.

It's interesting to know about some of the historical strategies for preventing revolution. There were basically two strategies to protect the institution of monarchy.
Metternich believed that brutal repression was the only answer: censor the press, monitor communication, create a coalition of kings and persecute revolutionaries wherever they could be found. Giving even an inch, he believed, would open the door to revolution.
But there was another approach: concession. By giving a little bit - create a constitution (even if it's meaningless), allow people to vote (even if the people they vote for have no power), etc - could offer a release and prevent revolution. There are still monarchies in Europe. They're no longer absolute, but they still hold a lot of power (even if people *think* of them as being decorative). They held that power by giving up a little bit at a time to slow down progress.
The fact is, they were both right.
The US has kept their regressive oligarchy stable by oscillating between the two. We are in the brutal repression phase, where concessions are stripped away and radicals are suppressed. This phase breaks up the progress made and pushes back the clock. The next phase, if the US makes it that far, if the fascists are smart enough to let go, will be concession. They will give a few inches to keep everything from collapsing. They'll give just enough room to get people back to brunch.
While they're at brunch, the next phase will be planned.
This is not really conscious, but an emergent behavior of the two party system. It's just kind of how the dichotomy of liberalism and conservatism works. Government is a fundamentally oppressive entity. The question is really, how long will we let the pendulum swing? How small of a concession will we accept, or will we demand everything now?

President Trump signs an executive order requiring federal government agencies to refer to AI as "Super Intelligence" or "SI" in all official communications (Michael Shepard/Bloomberg)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/20

Common Cause condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the federal government to continue using the flawed SAVE system to reject registered voters.
Statement from Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón:   
“The Supreme Court’s decision to allow DHS and states to use an error-ridden system
is completely unacceptable
and didn’t need to happen this close to the election.
This DHS system, which the federal government itself admits is flawed,

Following SCOTUS Ruling, Common Cause Vows Immediate Legal Action Against Any Attempts to Disenfranchise Voters Using Flawed System
The flawed DHS system has always been part of the Trump administration's campaign to interfere in our elections.

Alan Cumming Urges UK Industry To Help Bring Down Paramount-Warner Merger, As Government Poised To Make Intervention (Deadline)
https://deadline.com/2026/07/alan-cumming-paramount-warner-boycott-block-the-merger-1236982775/

Alan Cumming Urges UK Industry To Help Bring Down Paramount-Warner Merger, As Government Poised To Make Intervention
Alan Cumming is leading a Paramount-Warner boycott via a Block The Merger UK coalition as the government prepares to make an announcement.

Television advertisements with a pro-Trump message
— and paid for by the U.S. government
— are expanding their reach ahead of November’s midterm elections, 
prompting bipartisan scrutiny over whether the campaign complies with federal restrictions on taxpayer-funded publicity and propaganda.
One of the ads
— backed by music that repeats the words “love me”
— prominently features images of Donald Trump while he says,
“America will never be a communist…

Taxpayer-funded Trump ads draw bipartisan scrutiny ahead of midterms
TV ads featuring Trump are expanding nationally, prompting bipartisan questions over whether they comply with restrictions on taxpayer-funded publicity.

India orders GitHub to remove Bitchat, the offline messaging app built by Jack Dorsey that is used by anti-government protesters amid internet blackouts (Shaurya Malwa/CoinDesk)
https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/07/24/indi…

India orders takedown of Jack Dorsey’s bitcoin-linked messaging app Bitchat
The order targets Bitchat, an offline Bluetooth mesh app built to relay encrypted messages and bitcoin transactions, as 'Cockroach Janta Party' protesters in Delhi use mesh tools to communicate through internet shutdowns.

The White House is being accused of violating federal law after it aired an ad glorifying Presidential nominee Donald Trump, which it explicitly said was “paid for by the US government.”
The ad was first reported by CBS News Miami investigative reporter Jim DeFede,
who saw it airing on Fox News Wednesday night.
The 30-second spot features numerous videos and images of Trump, set to the song “Love Me” by JMSN. It includes voiceovers by the president railing against “communis…

White House Airs 'Illegal' Trump Propaganda Ad ‘Paid For By the US Government’ | Common Dreams
​"Weirdest way to violate the Hatch Act, ever."

Republicans are all abuzz about socialism because the party’s political prospects look dire this fall.
Donald Trump’s approval ratings are in the thirties,
Americans are experiencing surging energy prices,
and Trump and other Republicans are engaged in open corruption while cutting vital government programs.
They need something, and in a pinch, socialism has always been the go-to emergency button for the right to push.

Why the GOP loves to use ‘communism’ as an attack
Explaining the Right this week explores why Republicans keep trying to scare people into thinking Democrats want communism.

David Lammy has announced he is also leaving government, having been the deputy prime minister for the past two years.
He too posted details of his departure on social media.
Writing on X, Lammy said:
It has been the greatest privilege of my life, coming from humble beginnings in Tottenham, to serve in government as @Keir_Starmer’s Foreign Secretary, Justice Secretary and Britain’s first Black Deputy Prime Minister.
I am immensely proud of what we achieved, in Opposition …

Reeves and Lammy exit cabinet as Andy Burnham reshuffles top team – UK politics live
Earlier the new PM said he wants to put ‘the right values and the right standards at the heart of government’