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How are you feeling? The news cycle feels like a tornado that\u2019s sweeping us all up. But here are two things I\u2019m keeping front of mind about what\u2019s happening in the U.S. right now (and please share your thoughts in the comments)\u2026<\/p>\n
1. Stay steady, stay focused.<\/strong> The Trump administration created a specific plan for kicking off his second term: shock and awe.<\/em> They figured they\u2019d flood the media and overwhelm the public, so that we\u2019d get so muddled we wouldn\u2019t know what to do and then just\u2026freeze.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you overwhelm the media \u2014 if you give it too many places it needs to look, all at once, if you keep it moving from one thing to the next \u2014 no coherent opposition can emerge,\u201d explained Ezra Klein<\/a> on his podcast<\/a> last Sunday.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t believe what Trump says, Klein urges. Trump makes wild, horrifying proclamations, but, as much as he may want to, the President cannot rewrite the Constitution, and many of his proposals are being stopped out of the gate. \u201cWithin days, the birthright citizenship order<\/a> was frozen by a judge,\u201d writes Klein. \u201cA judge froze the spending freeze<\/a> before it was even scheduled to go into effect, and shortly thereafter, the Trump administration rescinded the order, in part to avoid the court case.\u201d<\/p>\n This is not to say that things are not bad \u2014 they are. I don\u2019t want to minimize the wreckage. People are living in immense fear, and many are being harmed, including trans folks, immigrants, federal workers, the list goes on. Even the threats Trump makes and the language he uses make people less safe by promoting racism, sexism and \u201cus vs. them\u201d thinking.<\/p>\n Instead of freezing in shock, however, we can act together. \u201cThe pace and frequency of these offenses is meant to flood the zone with shit, as Steve Bannon put it; to confuse, bamboozle, and immobilize us,\u201d writes Jay Michaelson<\/a>, a rabbi, activist, and former professor, in his newsletter Both\/And<\/a>. \u201cThey promised that they\u2019d do \u2018Shock and Awe\u2019 and that\u2019s what they\u2019ve done. Nothing here should be surprising. Do not lose your composure.\u201d We will stand firm.<\/p>\n 2. Get the 5 Calls app<\/a><\/strong>, which makes it very easy to call your reps. You can make five calls in five minutes; they give you the phone numbers and tell you exactly what to say about major issues (like protecting the Department of Education or fighting against Elon Musk\u2019s government takeover or opposing RFK Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services). It\u2019s simple and straightforward, and these calls make a difference. <\/p>\n Also, consider reading Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink<\/a>,\u00a0which offers crystal clear strategies for fighting back over the next four years. Written by two very smart, funny people, this guide felt bolstering to read.<\/p>\n Please share your thoughts below \u2014 these are extremely difficult times, but we have a lot of good people in this country and a lot of energy and bandwidth. Sending big hugs and solidarity.<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. Poetry<\/a>, if you need some right now.<\/p>\n (Photo by Jess Woodhouse\/Stocksy.)<\/p>\n