Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

This is a recurring event. You only have to register once. Register here.

The Medium is the Mirror: The Reformation of Truth Reshaping Our Politics, Relationships and Sacred Beliefs

With author Tim Love and special guest Richard Gephardt

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/B6j_JDOhKs2tjRWd0spqSwQQOw3E_rHZDHt5jfa_FjUx5FyjCM5DwK7K4t2mH0GM_ltJLFYGuF4ar-1W.0Ymg1hNe-tV0ir_K
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/1rt_EYH6eiQ_RPEKet_jCMZzA1SDA47VGE3JKed3ocd9nQ5Laz47HYmj1ZjipdIdFkk7lfwBGpvUczN9.aldC4S9Dphvem_uV
• Chat file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/3syecN902r8EAXxx4vcOAs_CvEl1pYizqZ5R5jWfIiQUqUb1iaXo2rxZu4VQKvyOGk4rK5YPrLJSodoa.jRzWtHM0S2Hh2C_c
• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/AWnULGYFQ-mNfHsOTUUQO_Kq6vLCLUgAmvdpGTFiEit96l0evlVVSxGymW793RzoQ-GS39zkeRSpeGHC.tdM1kR8MOKYiB9uJ

Meeting resources

• Purchase The Medium is the Mirror, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVJF3796
• Tim Love’s World - https://timlovesworld.com/
• Tim’s recent work also available on Substack@timloveideas.com
• Tim Love’s Discovering Truth Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tim-loves-discovering-truth/id1492218780
• Discovering Truth: How to Navigate between Fact & Fiction in an Overwhelming Social Media World - https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Truth-Navigate-between-Overwhelming/dp/B0BNHTP652
• Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement - https://gephardtinstitute.wustl.edu/people/the-honorable-richard-a-gephardt/
• Issue One’s Council for Responsible Social Media - https://issueone.org/projects/council-for-responsible-social-media/

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Join Fix Democracy First Boards

• Fix Democracy First Education Fund (501c3) Board Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXiaGJJ0bVqV5eqW2irfLHWrU0n8iwVIsDwDjtrTP36mEj5g/viewform
• Fix Democracy First (501c4) Board Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtDKKTBsOo7X_nk-7POVUTpJ-K1vfP-U_zHQrW1Ke7JNfvug/viewform

Stand Up for Democracy! Fix Democracy First Awards Dinner & Celebration

• Seattle – Oct 25^th@ 5 pm – Get your tickets here: https://fixdemocracyfirst.salsalabs.org/awards-dinner-2025
• Enter to win TWO FREE Tickets to Awards Dinner 2025 here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/fix-democracy-first-raffle-for-free-tickets-to-awards-dinner--2025

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Nov 12 – Why Democracy is Either Expanding or Shrinking: Examples of the Ongoing Changes to Sustain our Republic with Rob Richie, Expand Democracy President & Founder & Eveline Dowling, Senior Fellow and Research Analyst
• Nov 19 – Respect Missouri Voters with Benjamin Singer, Co-Founder & Campaign Director
• Nov 26 – NO Democracy Happy Hour – Happy Thanksgiving!
• Dec 03 –  Majority Rules 101: Introduction to Electoral Reform, Film & Discussion

Actions and events

Actions

• Decline to Sign Initiative Measure IL26-126 – This would require all voters to have an enhanced drivers’ license or provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person. Voters who fail to do so would see their registration canceled. - https://lwvwa.org/IL26-126
• Impeach Trump. Again. https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/.  Sign the Petition: https://www.impeachtrumpagain.org/#action
• Petition, Stand Up for Justice!  https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-up-for-justice/

Events

Democracy in the News

Resources

• The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability - https://www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-corruption-tracker/
• Democracy 2025 – Democracy 2025 is the strategic hub to protect people and their rights should the Trump-Vance administration seek to unlawfully strip away freedoms and prosperity. -  https://www.democracy2025.org/
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• State of Emergency - Democracy, Civil Rights & Progress Under Attack  - https://stateofblackamerica.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/NUL-SOBA-Executive%20Summary-2025-web%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• Timeline of the Trump Administration’s Efforts to Undermine Elections - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/timeline-trump-administrations-efforts-undermine-elections
• Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift - https://www.democracydocket.com/timeline-tracking-the-trump-justice-departments-anti-voting-shift/
• Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-administration-lawsuits.html
• Trump’s Take - https://www.americanprogress.org/feature/trumps-take/

October 2025

October 22

• Trump’s ‘election integrity’ chief claimed president has future powers to declare voting emergency - https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-election-emergency-heather-honey-b2850270.html

October 23

• House Democrats launch probe into Trump’s potential $230M payment from his own Justice Department - https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/house-democrats-probe-trump-230-million-doj-payment
• Trump Calls Off Federal Operation in San Francisco - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/us/san-francisco-trump-federal-deployment.html
• Virginia Democrats Plan to Redraw House Maps in Redistricting Push - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/us/politics/virginia-democrats-redistrict.html

October 24

• GOP redistricting effort in New Hampshire is frozen - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/gop-redistricting-newhampshire-frozen-00621714
• Justice Department Will Monitor Elections in California and New Jersey - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/politics/doj-election-monitors-california-new-jersey.html
• Supreme Court to decide if it will revisit landmark same-sex marriage ruling in November - https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/supreme-court-to-decide-if-it-will-revisit-landmark-same-sex-marriage-ruling-in-november
• Trump Is Putting Election Deniers in Charge of Elections - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/politics/election-deniers-trump-administration.html
• Why Future Federal Reports on Election Security May Be Unreliable - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/why-future-federal-reports-election-security-may-be-unreliable

October 25

• What donors to Trump's White House ballroom stand to gain from the federal government - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-ballroom-donors-white-house-stand-to-gain/

October 27

• California to Monitor Trump’s DOJ Poll Watchers Amid Concerns of Voter Intimidation, Election Interference - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/california-to-monitor-trumps-doj-poll-watchers-amid-concerns-of-voter-intimidation-and-election-interference/
• Democrats get aggressive on remapping congressional lines - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/27/democrats-get-aggressive-on-remapping-congressional-lines-00624231
• How Politics Is Changing the Way History Is Taught - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/us/history-lessons-ethnic-studies-retreat.html
• Lawsuit Plunges New York Into the National Gerrymandering Fight - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/nyregion/new-york-state-redistricting-lawsuit.html
• The Supreme Court Owes the Country an Explanation for Its Big Decisions - https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000010479597/the-supreme-court-owes-the-country-an-explanation-for-its-big-decisions.html

October 28

• Red states are preparing for an end to the Voting Rights Act - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/28/republican-states-voting-rights-act-redistricting-00623775
• Most Americans see unlimited election spending as a threat to democracy: poll - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/10/most-americans-see-unlimited-election-spending-as-a-threat-to-democracy-poll
• New polling illuminates how the Supreme Court got Citizens United wrong and shows bipartisan momentum for money-in-politics reforms, including proposed Montana ballot measure - https://issueone.org/press/new-polling-citizens-united-money-in-politics-reforms/
• Trump Says He Is Prepared to Send ‘More Than the National Guard’ Into U.S. Cities - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/us/politics/trump-japan-national-guard-us-cities.html
• US Supreme Court voting rights case could undermine Native American rights, advocates warn - https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/us-supreme-court-voting-rights-case-could-undermine-native-american-rights-advocates-warn/

October 29

• Louisiana Republicans move election dates with hopes of redistricting for 2026 midterms - https://lailluminator.com/2025/10/29/louisiana-election-dates/
• Supreme Court requests further information in case concerning Trump’s deployment of National Guard - https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/supreme-court-requests-further-information-in-case-concerning-trumps-deployment-of-national-guard/
• Trump directs Pentagon to test nuclear weapons for first time since 1992 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/29/trump-nuclear-test-plans/

October 30

• Louisiana GOP Delays Elections as It Looks Set to Wipe Out Black-Majority Districts - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/louisiana-gop-delays-elections-as-it-looks-set-to-wipe-out-black-majority-districts/
• National Guard in each state is ordered to create ‘quick reaction forces’ trained in civil unrest - https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-quick-reaction-force-deployment-5d4b55c1007e72d528770a511fdd5ac5
• Pentagon readying thousands of Guard ‘reaction forces’ as U.S. mission widens - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/10/30/pentagon-national-guard-quick-reaction-force/
• Trump says Senate should scrap the filibuster to end the government shutdown - https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-effects-trump-update-democrats-95b986b83b9802fe7a8374572fcd86f0
• Trump’s Voter Citizenship Database Is ‘Flawed’ and Could Lead to Disenfranchisement, Election Administrator Warns - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trumps-voter-citizenship-database-is-flawed-and-could-lead-to-disenfranchisement-election-administrator-warns/

October 31

• Judge Permanently Bars Trump From Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/us/politics/trump-proof-citizenship-voter-registration.html
• National Guard deployment in D.C. extended through February - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/31/national-guard-dc-trump/
• Ohio approves new House map giving Republicans a leg up in two more seats - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/31/ohio-redistricting-trump-elections
• The Appellate Void: Trump Could Defy Judges Without Confronting the Supreme Court - https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-appellate-void--trump-could-defy-judges-without-confronting-the-supreme-court
• Virginia Senate approves mid-decade redistricting amendment in party-line vote - https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/31/virginia-senate-approves-mid-decade-redistricting-amendment-in-party-line-vote/

November

November 01

• Who’s Pulling Trump’s Strings? Inside Project 2025 and the 7 Think Tanks Reshaping America - https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/whos-pulling-trumps-strings-project-2025-think-tanks-reshaping-america

November 02

• Judge again bars Trump administration from deploying troops to Portland - https://apnews.com/article/oregon-national-guard-deployment-trump-judge-61aa5de05e761af70868842cdcb25609
• Rigging the map? How power in US Congress could shift if both parties win their redistricting fights - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/nov/02/us-redistrcting-congressional-map
• Trump escalates demands for 2020 election investigations and prosecutions - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/02/trump-escalates-demands-2020-election-probe-prosecutions

November 03

• Indiana lawmakers set mid-cycle redistricting work for December - https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/indiana-lawmakers-set-mid-cycle-redistricting-work-december
• Report: Donors to Trump’s White House ballroom have $279B in federal contracts - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/11/03/trump-ballroom-donors-contracts-enforcement
• Top 10 US billionaires’ collective wealth grew by $698bn in past year – report - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/03/wealth-billionaires-increase-trump

November 04

• Election Races to Watch - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/11/04/us/elections/results-races-to-watch.html

November 05

• California voters approve new US House map to boost Democrats in 2026 - https://apnews.com/article/california-redistricting-prop-50-gavin-newsom-839193bfc2a817086acca7365315f26f
• Key Justices Cast a Skeptical Eye on Trump’s Tariffs - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-tariffs.html
• On Day 36, the government shutdown is the longest ever as Trump pressures GOP senators to end it - https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-longest-trump-republican-senators-democrats-9712df6c11ef19c5df8f18c8a4f7b341
• Republicans Swiftly File Lawsuit in Bid to Block California’s New House Maps - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/republicans-lawsuit-california-redistricting-maps.html
• The Backlash Has Arrived: 6 Takeaways From a Good Night for Democrats - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/05/us/politics/election-takeaways-democrats.html

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Democracy's Good News - https://www.democracygroup.org/topics/democracys-good-news
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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