Courage. Journalistic Malpractice, Again?! Truthful News You can Use. Dems Over Performing? + Honeymooner's Cabin?
Courage:
This is one of several photos at the end of Robert Hubbel’s newsletter: This moment calls for personal courage. This moment in time definitely calls for courage. Remember: Courage is contagious.
Choose to be brave. Choose to be a shining example for others. Choose to never surrender, no matter what.
If enough of us do so, we will hold the bulwarks of democracy long enough for this wave of cowardice to recede, as it always does.
Stay strong, and do not doubt that we will prevail—so long as we refuse to surrender!
Journalistic Malpractice, Again!
Back in the middle of August, when I published an article on how the New York Times reported on Trump’s Military occupation of Washington D.C. and some other important news : The New York Times Got This One Right. Don't be Distracted. Show up on Saturday! + They Act as if They Own the Place! I was thinking that corporate news was starting to do a better job of reporting the news. That optimism was short lived.
In Corporate News Gave Us All the Middle Finger…. Ben Meiselas of the MeidasTouch Network had a few things to say.
It’s been betrayal after betrayal with corporate news. Just when it seems they might show a shred of fight, they quickly capitulate and do the bidding of the regime. They sanewashed and promoted Trump during the campaign. They rushed to Mar-A-Lago to kiss the ring after the election. They had a first wave of terminations where they got rid of hosts who were critical of Trump. They suppress coverage of the protests, of shadow hearings, of Gaza, of Ukraine, of Bernie rallies, of Trump’s deteriorating health. Now, corporate news is firing people who are critical of Charlie Kirk. Reporters who have said Charlie Kirk was a bad guy or who provided direct quotes that Charlie Kirk made have been quickly fired.
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Let me be clear. MeidasTouch condemns in the strongest terms the use of violence. I personally think it’s inappropriate to celebrate the death of anyone. That does not mean that I will pretend Charlie Kirk was a good guy. On the contrary, the MeidasTouch Network has been unwavering in calling out Charlie Kirk’s divisive and hateful rhetoric when he was alive. We will never infringe on the First Amendment rights of our reporters for criticism of Charlie Kirk. This is what separates us from our competition. Sure, the MeidasTouch Network is independent news, but our presence and views and engagement are larger than cable or corporate news. This is because we call out what’s happening and don’t mince words.
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As corporate news continues to become more dangerous and less relevant, the MeidasTouch Network must continue to grow. We value our place as both the people’s network and the most-watched network in the United States. I hope we can continue to develop talent and be a place where news anchors who are mistreated by corporate news for standing up to the Trump regime will want to join what we are building here.
If you aren’t already a subscriber, I highly recommend that you get a free or paid subscription to MeidasTouch Network today.
Truthful News You Can Use!
One of my favorite “magazines” is The Atlantic (theatlantic.com). Established in 1857, they have been doing this for a long time. A digital subscription gets you unlimited access on all your devices including a PDF of the print edition. This is the best option for many people.
Another favorite of mine is The New Yorker (newyorker.com). Even if you are a good reader, from time to time, you might have the need to look up the meaning of a word or two in this independent source of news, fiction, wit, art and criticism. They celebrated their 100th anniversary earlier this year.
The Guardian (theguardian.com/us) is a good source of news from the British perspective. I’m a subscriber. I get their daily newsletter in my inbox every day. You can get that for free.
Courier News currently has Newsrooms strategically located in 14 different states including Wisconsin’s: Up North News (upnorthnewswi.com) Wisconsin News You Can Use.
COURIER is a pro-democracy news network that builds a more informed, engaged, and representative America by reaching audiences where they are online with factual, values-driven news and analysis.
COURIER’s local newsrooms provide Americans with news centered on the people and policies affecting their lives. Our reporting is primarily produced for the social media platforms and online channels our audiences spend their time on, with an emphasis on video, graphics, and skimmable newsletters to inform and engage our audiences in the ways they consume information today.
One way to keep an eye on the legal news is to subscribe to Mark Elias’s Democracy Docket (democracydocket.com). Elias is an American hero for all the leadership and hard work he has done to fight the MAGA threat to our democracy.
Dems Over Performing?
To say that Democrats are Over Performing 2024 election results could be an understatement. Ron Filipkowski and Troy Matthews of Meidas+ had lots of good news to share in Dems Outperformed 2024 in 38 out of 40 Races in 2025. I’ll highlight, quote and summarize from the article. You might want to read the whole thing. There are lots of numbers, but it’s inspirational.
Democrats continue to outperform Republicans by substantial margins even in deep red states. In one of those over performances, Amanda Clinton won the race for Oklahoma House District 71 by 50 points!
The over performances did not always result in wins. Even though the Democrat candidates in two Florida congressional districts overperformed Harris by 16% & 22% it wasn’t enough for them to win the elections. Even though they didn’t win, the tide is shifting, so we cannot give up.
We need to challenge every Republican running for office in “safe districts.” Run for Something’s mission is to do just that even in deep red MAGA country. Are you thinking about running for office? Do you know someone who should run for office? They have the tools, trainings, and real-world support to help you run — and win.
Underperformance by a Democrat in a district where Harris did well does not necessarily mean defeat. In the race to fill Melissa Hortman’s MN House seat, Democrat Xp Lee won the race by 22% in a district Harris won by 27%. If Lee had gotten only 227 more votes he would have had a margin of 27%, just like Harris, so this was a small underperformance and an important win that kept Republicans from becoming the majority party in the Minnesota House.
Why is this happening? Trump’s approval ratings are in the toilet, prices are up, unemployment is up, economic growth has flattened, tariffs are creating havoc for businesses, and the Republican budget is deeply unpopular. Democrats also continue to run superior candidates who have been focused on these kitchen table issues while Republicans rant about culture wars and pledge total fealty to an unpopular president.
The polling looks good for the upcoming elections this year with Democrats expected to outperform in them by substantial numbers as well. Remember one thing: Polls don’t win elections.
We still need to do the work! We need to get the attention of the largest block of voters in America — The people who sat out the election in 2024. We also need to convince independents and disaffected Republicans to join our ranks and vote for Democrats.
Please like, restack and share this article to spread the word!
If you aren’t already a paid subscriber to Reflections by Tom, please consider becoming one. All subscription funds minus expenses are donated to progressive organizations like Courier Newsroom, Field Team 6 & Run For Something.
The Old Timer’s Cabin in Itasca State Park way up north in Minnesota is also known as the Honeymooner’s Cabin. They didn’t cut down any trees to build it. It was constructed with huge windfall virgin timber by the CCC “boys.”
