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 Wise Democracy Project: A rebirth of “We the People”

With Jim Rough, Center for Wise Democracy & Zachary Weaver, Democracy in a Box

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/HledF4ykB4EU9uZl4vM4uqtOHK-YOpHLrTmyDpS_C5wkbnEombLO81D1SkCoIKot1gVI2L-JJYtFJDfy.v72oOjGoX15qi_9_
• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tPyRSDM-vRyXXhwJhA_AQhfY1pSgI9w7v5obxcoTjNQeuBeJnLsGqcwPBM1B6aFmaIo_BwLlxAWYn7Zv.wXoRevUEeDAvxWI1
• Chat file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/Tsqwt5pn-SboW46_rhsK8M7AEDmm3rs6UT5ur3-b8XGJJ3GfvHUiVFDX-tjvDN8itDNfg4BG6I0QEQ_I.dWYyh1YDzxZ39wjp
• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer): https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/rWW8ShtCsWWFpzk9QCJRs02ECA6Od2Ombk5d2CNqD5QT_nSMZ-iTKF8DHQUILG-heVnf3cYOqy8cT4ah.MBUTmRtC2PTXdiOi

Meeting resources

You can reach out to Jim & Zahary directly at jim@wisedemocracy.org and zacharyweaver0@gmail.com.

Also, visit Center for Wise Democracy and Democracy in a Box.

• From Nazi Ruins Blossoms Hope - Wise Democracy methods used in Mauthausen Austria - https://www.wisedemocracy.org/mauthausen-example.html
• The National Wise Democracy Project - https://www.wisedemocracy.org/the-wise-democracy-project.html

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

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Oct 8 – NO Democracy Happy Hour this week (Cindy has jury duty.)
• Oct 15 – The New Strategy That Will Undo Citizens United with Tom Moore, Senior Fellow for Democracy Policy, Center for American Progress
• Oct 22 – Patriotic Millionaires with Chair, Morris Pearl
• Oct 29 – Media Literacy Week Panel Discussion with moderator, Di Zhang
• Nov 5 – Film & Discussion - Majority Rules 101: Introduction to Electoral Reform
• 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

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
• NO KINGS National Day of Action, Saturday, October 18^th - https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=fixdemocracyfirst
• Stand Up for Justice! Petition - https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stand-up-for-justice/

Events

• NO KINGS National Day of Action, Saturday, October 18th - https://www.nokings.org/?SQF_SOURCE=fixdemocracyfirst
• 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

Democracy in the News

Resources

• 2025-2026 SCOTUS Term - https://www.oyez.org/cases/2025
• 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: 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

September 2025

September 16

• Mississippi AG asks U.S. Supreme Court to limit central part of Voting Rights Act - https://mississippitoday.org/2025/09/16/mississippi-voting-rights-fitch-ag-discrimination-supreme-court/

September 17

• Blue states get green light on suit over Trump’s election changes - https://courthousenews.com/blue-states-get-green-light-on-suit-over-trumps-election-changes/

September 24

• DOJ Urges SCOTUS to End Key VRA Protection for Minority Voters - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/doj-urges-scotus-to-end-key-vra-protection-for-minority-voters/
• Growing number of independent voters poses challenges for both parties - https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5517986-independent-voters-rise-us/
• Over 1 Million People Sign Petition Calling for Impeachment Proceedings Against President Trump - https://freespeechforpeople.org/over-1-million-people-sign-petition-calling-for-impeachment-proceedings-against-president-trump/

September 25

• Appeals court blocks Republicans' attempt to purge Michigan voter rolls - https://www.courthousenews.com/appeals-court-blocks-republicans-attempt-to-purge-michigan-voter-rolls/
• Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/countering-domestic-terrorism-and-organized-political-violence/
• Ex-FBI Director James Comey indicted after Trump pushes for prosecution of longtime foe - https://apnews.com/article/james-comey-charged-lying-congress-a2c72e1a5bb73d588f3af7fdb56caa82
• Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/25/hegseth-generals-quantico-meeting/
• Justice Dept. Official Pushes Prosecutors to Investigate George Soros’s Foundation - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/us/politics/justice-trump-george-soros-foundation.html
• Tensions are high in a Utah redistricting fight that didn't start with Trump - https://www.npr.org/2025/09/25/nx-s1-5552779/utah-redistricting-trump-texas-congress
• Trump orders crackdown on ‘domestic terrorists’ in escalation of a campaign against political rivals - https://apnews.com/article/trump-executive-order-domestic-networks-democrats-9dfc1257ee12cbd376fd53c3ad084327
• Trump signs memo ordering the enforcement of the death penalty in D.C. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/09/25/trump-death-penalty-dc
• Trump urges Supreme Court to decide whether to end birthright citizenship - https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/09/trump-urges-supreme-court-to-decide-whether-to-end-birthright-citizenship/
• US Justice Department sues 6 more states, including NY and California, in its quest for voter data - https://apnews.com/article/justice-department-voter-rolls-lawsuit-fa2f01412e71f693a33357f608b931d2

September 26

• Local TV Giants End Jimmy Kimmel Boycott - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/business/media/sinclair-jimmy-kimmel-boycott.html
• Redistricting North Carolina could give Republicans an extra seat in the U.S. House - https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2025/09/26/north-carolina-redistricting-congress
• Supreme Court Allows Trump to Slash Foreign Aid - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-foreign-aid.html
• Trump says he expects charges for other adversaries after Comey indictment - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/26/trump-comey-charges-indictment

September 27

• ‘Hell on earth’: immigrants held in new California detention facility beg for help - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/immigrants-california-detention-facility
• Trump calls for troops in Portland, escalating use of military inside U.S. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/27/trump-military-portland-ice
• Unlimited Political Spending Could Soon Be Legal - https://jacobin.com/2025/09/campaign-finance-supreme-court-roberts-kavanaugh

September 28

• Clarence Thomas says precedent might not determine cases on upcoming supreme court docket - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/28/clarance-thomas-precedence-supreme-court-docket
• Millions Pour Into California Fight Over Newsom’s Redistricting Ballot Measure - https://www.kqed.org/news/12057425/millions-pour-into-california-fight-over-newsoms-redistricting-ballot-measure
• Missouri Gov. Signs Extreme Gerrymander, Ballot Initiative Crackdown Into Law - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/missouri-gov-signs-extreme-gerrymander-ballot-initiative-crackdown-into-law/
• Missouri governor signs Trump-backed plan aimed at helping Republicans win another US House seat - https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymander-trump-missouri-936e8daecadb32556fcfbd2eb9f7457b
• Oregon sues Trump administration over order to deploy troops in Portland - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/28/trump-portland-national-guard
• Redistricting fight over Texas congressional maps moves to courtroom this week to determine if they're constitutional - https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/redistricting-fight-texas-congressional-maps-courtroom-determine-constitutional/
• Trump to attend gathering of top generals, upending last-minute plans - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/28/trump-hegseth-speech-generals-quantico-security

September 29

• New lawsuit argues Missouri violated constitution by splitting up Kansas City in redrawn map - https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2025-09-29/missouri-redistricting-lawsuit-kansas-city-congressional-map-constitution-eric-holder
• YouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle Trump lawsuit over post-Jan. 6 suspension - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/09/29/youtube-trump-settlement-24-million

September 30

• Gov. Stein sounds off on ‘ridiculous’ mid-decade redistricting push - https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/gov-stein-sounds-ridiculous-mid-decade-redistricting-push
• Judge orders Trump administration to preserve $233M in FEMA grants it attempted to pull from blue states - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/judge-orders-trump-administration-to-preserve-233m-in-fema-grants-it-attempted-to-pull-from-blue-states-00588438
• Judge rejects claims of racial gerrymandering in North Carolina state Senate districts - https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-redistricting-senate-gerrymandering-lawsuit-maps-973e3935391494babae5c57d618c75d2
• Judge Rules Trump Unlawfully Targeted Noncitizens Over Pro-Palestinian Speech - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/us/politics/student-speech-palestinians-ruling.html
• New Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri faces possible referendum obstacle - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/new-republican-drawn-congressional-map-missouri-faces-possible-referen-rcna234255
• ‘There could very well be consequences’: Trump’s team pressures wary GOP lawmakers to draw new maps - https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/redistricting-republican-loyalty-test-trump-00584932
• Trump Administration Sued Over Massive ‘Interagency Database’ of Americans’ Private Information - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-administration-sued-over-massive-interagency-database-of-americans-private-information/
• Trump calls for using US cities as a ‘training ground’ for military in unusual speech to generals - https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-generals-meeting-military-pentagon-0ecdcbb8877e24329cfa0fc1e851ebd2
• Trump, Hegseth lecture military leaders in rare, politically charged summit - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/30/hegseth-military-meeting-trump-generals

October 2025

October 01

• Government Shutdown Live Updates: Senators Again Vote Down Plans to End Impasse - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10/01/us/government-shutdown-trump-news
• Ohio lawmakers miss first congressional redistricting deadline with no negotiations and no GOP map - https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/10/01/ohio-lawmakers-miss-first-congressional-redistricting-deadline-with-no-negotiations-and-no-gop-map/
• Supreme Court Allows Lisa Cook to Remain at Fed, for Now - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/us/politics/supreme-court-lisa-cook-fed.html
• What happens now that a government shutdown is underway - https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-chuck-schumer-20e54a0f5e4fee909d0f9ea2c07c15e1

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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