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Hello friends,
No matter where you stand politically, last week was a tough one for the nation. And it was starkly revealing too, because it became crystal clear who the uniters—and the dividers—are. Here at the Social Contract, we are clear-eyed about the threat of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, but we welcome any and all Americans who are willing to engage respectfully. Obviously, not everyone feels the same way.
While some politicos [ [link removed] ] did call for unity and calm in the aftermath of the tragic killing of Charlie Kirk, others made the situation 1,000 times worse. Some of the biggest voices on the right, from the President [ [link removed] ] and Vice President [ [link removed] ] to the media [ [link removed] ] and Members of Congress [ [link removed] ], have been broadly blaming “the left” for last week’s killing. “They” did it. Some of these voices have gone as far as to declare a “war on the left.” Even Charlie’s widow, Erika, in a fundraising appeal [ [link removed] ], referred to shadowy “evildoers” who killed her husband. This is divisive, dangerous stuff.
It’s also plain false: One 22-year-old white man from Utah, raised in a conservative home, is accused of this terrible crime. We don’t even know why yet.
Let’s be clear about something. Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s death is horrific. But using his death to call the other side “evil” or to declare “war on the left” is worse, because it’s only inciting more hate and violence. It’s a call for civil or holy war.
That’s why we honor the uniters this week. Senators Chris Coons and James Lankford were particularly good on Face the Nation [ [link removed] ]. In another interview [ [link removed] ], Lankford, a Republican, specifically condemned right-wing political violence and white nationalism [ [link removed] ], too—something you rarely hear GOP lawmakers do anymore.
We need more like them.
Joe
In Today's Issue
The Social Briefing: Heroes of the Week
Good Reads for This Week
The Social Share
The Social Soundboard
Last Week
SUBSTACK LIVE: Open to all subscribers, unless noted. Don’t miss it!
Monday with Miles Taylor [ [link removed] ] (click if you missed it!)
Friday with Mike Nellis [ [link removed] ] (click if you missed it!)
Friday with Edwin Eisendrath [ [link removed] ] (click if you missed it!)
Sunday with Royce [ [link removed] ] (click if you missed it!)
Amid all the bad [ [link removed] ], awful [ [link removed] ], dumb [ [link removed] ], stupid [ [link removed] ], absurd [ [link removed] ], insane [ [link removed] ], sickening [ [link removed] ], despicable [ [link removed] ], cruel [ [link removed] ], sad [ [link removed] ], pathetic [ [link removed] ], embarrassing [ [link removed] ], irresponsible [ [link removed] ], demoralizing [ [link removed] ], deplorable [ [link removed] ], infuriating [ [link removed] ], outrageous [ [link removed] ], terrible [ [link removed] ], horrible [ [link removed] ], Constitution-defying [ [link removed] ], fascist [ [link removed] ] news of the past week, we have to acknowledge the TOP FIVE HEROES among us. The list is growing, as more and more of us are standing up to the tyrant. Courage is infectious. Be brave!
DAVID ROSE. DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose [ [link removed] ] died in the line of duty while protecting the CDC, a federal building, during the shooting there last month. As Keith Boykin [ [link removed] ] points out, “he didn’t get a presidential medal, a congressional moment of silence, or a lowered flag at the White House.” Rest well, Officer Rose.
JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVORS. The courageous young women [ [link removed] ] victimized by notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are continuing to speak out, urging the Republican Women's Caucus to "stand up against abuse of power" and take action to "end the silence and speculation" surrounding the Epstein files.
THE JUDICIARY. More good rulings from the judiciary, blocking Donald Trump’s ending of legal protections for Venezuelan and Haitian refugees [ [link removed] ] as well as Guatemalan and Honduran children [ [link removed] ]. And an appeals court has allowed Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook [ [link removed] ] to keep her job after being fired by Trump.
FIGHTERS EVERYWHERE. From Illinois National Guardsmen [ [link removed] ] speaking out, to the D.C. attorney general [ [link removed] ] filing suit to halt Trump’s National Guard deployment, to fired FBI agents [ [link removed] ] and former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey [ [link removed] ] contesting their dismissals, kudos to everyone who is fighting back.
BRAZIL’S SUPREME COURT. Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, known as the “Trump of the Tropics,” was sentenced to over 27 years in prison for a coup plot in Brazil. The Brazilian Supreme Court [ [link removed] ] defied Trump, who placed a 50% tariff on Brazil in an attempt to protect his political ally, ruling that Bolsonaro tried to reverse his 2022 election loss with a plot that included plans to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Good call.
HONORABLE MENTION: When Republicans in Congress speak out against Trump, they aren’t heroes—they’re doing the job they’re supposed to do. However, since so few are willing to take a stand, those who do deserve our praise. So thank you, Rep. Thomas Massie [ [link removed] ], for defending and supporting the Epstein survivors in their quest for accountability, as Trump called the case a hoax [ [link removed] ].
Did we miss anyone? Send your heroes our way [ mailto:[email protected] ]!
Good Reads for This Week
Deep Freeze [ [link removed] ] —The Dispatch
America Enters a New Age of Political Violence [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Why MAGA’s Canonization of Charlie Kirk is Truly Monstrous [ [link removed] ] —The Daily Beast
Charlie Kirk and the Value of Empathy [ [link removed] ] —The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz
The Gaslighting Spectacular: Trump's War on Reality [ [link removed] ] —Notes from the Circus
A Time to See With New Eyes [ [link removed] ] —Lighthouse Sentinel
Authoritarianism Feels Surprisingly Normal—Until It Doesn't [ [link removed] ] —The Atlantic
How to Fight Back (In Three Easy Steps) [ [link removed] ] —Treason with Miles Taylor
If Epstein Shocked You, The Names Behind His Money Will Floor You. I'm Telling You More About Them...Right Here [ [link removed] ] —Jack Hopkins Now
Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud [ [link removed] ] —The Dispatch
I continue to believe the cruelty of the Trump Administration will ultimately help defeat MAGA. Most Americans are not cruel. Keep spreading the word. And share [ mailto:[email protected] ] the stories and videos you find with us.
This is a nurse that’s not even an immigrant that ICE grabbed and threw to the ground and then put their knee onto her head! She was taken to a detention Center in California! These guys are just brutal to everyone! —Suzie Rizzio [ [link removed] ]
This isn’t Moscow or Beijing. It’s Chicago. Masked federal agents grabbed U.S. citizens protesting ICE and threw them into an unmarked van. “Who are you? Where are you taking them?” people shouted. “You are kidnapping them!” What has America become? —Republicans Against Trump [ [link removed] ]
ICE detain 4 car wash employees—all legal residents of U.S. “It's not legal to take him because he’s a resident,” manager told agent. “We’re going to take him and check—if he’s good, we’ll bring him back,” agent said. Handcuffed and taken away in white vans to unknown location. —LongTimeHistory [ [link removed] ]
Man Fatally Shot by ICE Officer in Chicago After Allegedly Resisting Arrest [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Stanford Doctor Says Housekeeper Arrested by ICE was ‘Catatonic’ the Day She was Discharged [ [link removed] ] —The Mercury News
Fearing ICE Arrests, DC’s Migrant Delivery Drivers are Changing Tactics — or Leaving the City [ [link removed] ] —CNN
ICE Crackdown in Massachusetts Leaves Immigrants Living in Fear: ‘The Community is Really Paranoid’ [ [link removed] ] —Boston Globe
Boyfriend of Adams Administration Official Detained by ICE Under Mysterious Circumstances [ [link removed] ] —New York Daily News
National Guard Documents Say Public Finds D.C. Mission Wasteful and Some Veterans Feel ‘Shame’ [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
At an ICE Career Expo, a Marine Veteran and a Former MMA Fighter are Among Thousands Vying to Carry Out Trump’s Deportation Agenda [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Riots and Abuse Troubled These Former Prisons. ICE Plans to Reopen Them. [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
Supreme Court Says Trump Can Resume Immigration Raids in L.A. Area for Now, Overturning a Ruling That Found Race-Based Targeting [ [link removed] ] —The Washington Post
FIGHTING BACK
Incredible scene in Rochester, NY, where a crowd of almost 100 people surrounded ICE and CBP officers there to arrest someone at a construction site. —Aaron Reichlin-Melnick [ [link removed] ]
California Passes ICE Mask Ban in Closing Days of Legislative Session [ [link removed] ] —Cal Matters
ICE Karen Sparks Major Backlash After Saying She Tipped Off Feds in Hyundai Raid [ [link removed] ] —The Daily Beast
Here’s what some of you are thinking about this week…
Joe,
I’m so very sorry you lost Charlie.
I was on with you, Lev, and Michael just now.
You said he was like a son.
Wishing you comfort and healing during this challenging time.
My heart is with you. —Sue G.
My condolences, Joe, to you and our nation in a tragic moment. We can disagree on policy but not decency. For Trump to say this was the radical left is not shocking but sick. Trump is literally a danger to our nation. I am not clear on how Congress and MAGA do not see that we have a President that is an adjudicated sex offender, a serial criminal, incited an insurrection that endangered the lives of every Member of Congress in the Capitol on Jan. 6, yet there has been no accountability.
I’m a Democrat, but if the country elected a Republican of decency, I think the tone, the hate would dissipate somewhat, and we could argue policy, not the indecency of our leadership. I did some research—there is not a single President that did not act to bring unity in our most upsetting moments as a nation. Although Charlie Kirk was focused on the right, and I disagreed with certain of his beliefs, he was a hero to millions and worth listening to his ideas, even if we disagreed.
Thank you for all you do EVERY DAY to push the message of decency and how our leadership has poisoned the blood of our nation. We must do better—all of us together need to see it! —Jeff
Hey, I want to hear from you! Want to send us a 600-word op-ed or video clip on how we can mend our frayed social contract and rebuild an America that works? Want to appear with Joe on Substack Live? Just need to vent? Send it our way!
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