12 Stories You Missed In the News Echo Chamber This Week

To help wade through the morass of articles online about what is and isn’t happening in the Trump administration, we’ll be doing a weekly roundup of the most useful articles we’ve read this week. Our aim is to find ones that point out some of the alarming trends being pushed forward, the lesser heard arguments being made, and arm everyone with the information they need more than ever right now.

How To Build An Autocracy

The Atlantic

A long but extremely thought-provoking article that encourages readers to look past the daily shock and distractions of the Trump administration, and to focus on the the largest issues and bigger picture.

 

Marco Rubio Just Gave An Important Speech — And No One Paid Attention

The Washington Post

In the aftermath of the now infamous silencing of Elizabeth Warren, Marco Rubio took to the Senate floor and gave an eight-minute speech that reeked of common sense, and echoed what American families are saying around their dinner tables: Why can’t we have open discourse and civil debates?

 

The Mysterious Disappearance of the Biggest Scandal in Washington

Mother Jones

An interesting article that begs the question: Why did we suddenly stop talking about Russia?

Rogue POTUS Twitter

When well intended patriots disagree, that's democracy. When POTUS says it's not fact until he approves it, that's tyranny.

— Rogue POTUS Staff (@RoguePOTUSStaff) January 26, 2017

Initially skeptical that this was real, they’ve been giving insider information on executive orders and appointments well before they’re public. While we believe in not taking anything at face value, this an extremely valuable Twitter feed to follow to see just what’s going on in the White House.

Preliminary Impeachment Inquiry Filed Against President Trump

Countable

A great resource in and of itself, the Countable app lets you track what’s being voted on in Congress, how your representatives and senators have voted in the past, and gives you the ability to contact them directly about these issues. But even better, they give you a “nothing but the facts” accounting of the bills and issues. There will be sure to be plenty of articles on attempting to impeach Trump, but this tells you exactly what has happened so far, without the spin.

What Internment Camps Should Have Taught Us Regarding Trump’s Muslim Ban

Teen Vogue

If you’ve been under a rock lately, you may not be aware that Teen Vogue is putting out a damn scrapbook of receipts on Trump. This piece looks at the Japanese internment camps during WWII and how we should hardly be surprised to see these tactics coming around again.

What Populism Is, and How It Relates to Donald Trump

Teen Vogue

If you’re looking for a substantial but easy to understand breakdown of populism’s history in the last century, Teen Vogue saves the day again.

About That Bill Abolishing the Department of Education

NPR

While there were plenty of articles saying a bill had been introduced to abolish the Department of Education, very few mentioned it was one line long and clearly not be taken seriously. NPR lays out why we’re all panicking for nothing…this time.

FBI to lift restrictions on online FOIA system after reports it would ditch email, switch to fax

The Daily Dot

After reports that FOIA requests were going to be severely limited and reduced to faxed requests only, the FBI has adapted those restrictions. The Daily Dot breaks down what the old policy was, what their changes were, and how it’s been revised and protected.

Despite his lies, Donald Trump is a potent truth-teller

The Guardian

A cunning comparison to Donald Trump as a Shakespearean fool, saying what no one else will, and written off as something too farcical to be true. If we are to resist him, we must first understand his role.

I’m A Refugee From A Banned Country— This Is My American Story

The Establishment

If you want to put the Muslim ban into perspective, Ari Honarvar tells her story of what it’s like being a refugee and the very real impact it has on her and her family.

What Effective Protest Could Look Like

The Atlantic

A former Bush administration member talks about how to keep a movement from going fringe and fracturing into disarray. His most salient point is that if you want to make Trump & Co care, you have to go mainstream, simplify your demands, organize, and eliminate the divisions they’re creating. The piece will likely piss off many people, but it’s still something to keep in mind.