DAGR Weekly Reader W3-SEP
“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ...” ~ US Constitution
What is Protected Speech?
As the White House and friends seem bent on limiting speech they don’t like, First Amendment rights get muddled. TV networks having been extorted to silence certain late-nite TV hosts, universities have been bullied, NGO’s are under threat by administration officials. And the rest of us wonder if our social media platform really is end-to-end encrypted. Need help? FindLaw has a solid, if long and slightly wonky, explanation of what’s protected speech and what’s not.
Andy Beshear Podcasts: #19 Kevin Nolan, President & CEO of GE Appliances
The Kentucky governor started these weekly pods about 6 months back. Down to earth, straight talking, worthwhile. In this one, they talk about bringing manufacturing back to the US. Sensibly. Worth the 47 minutes you’ll spend listening. Get the full list with synopsis of each and pick a few to enjoy at https://www.andybeshearpodcast.com/episodes
The Fight Over Data Centers
They’re unsightly and power hungry. The White House wants to build a whole lot more. People want their stuff ‘on the cloud,’ i.e. in a data center. But they crowd the space and raise local electricity bills. Is there a happy medium?
Alexander Nazaryan, Sierra Club Magazine, Sep 14, 2025
The Campaign to Undermine the Midterms
Connecting the dots between the unprecedented, and in some cases illegal, moves by the federal executive, Michael Waldman leads a deep-dive discussion voting experts about the threat to voting that will likely gather momentum as the 2026 midterms approach.
Brennan Center for Justice, NYU Law, Sep 18, 2025
Red States Gain and Blues Lose if Trump Strikes Non-citizens from Census
Not counting non-citizens sounds like Trump feeding red meat to his base again. In fact, the census was designed to predict read needs for services and support, state by state, for everyone living there. But under the surface, losing those migrant workers and H1B tech workers, who are mainly in blue states, would change the balance in Congress … in Trump-co’s favor. Surprised?
Sabrina Eaton, Cleveland Com, Sep 18, 2025
Farage’s Refom Party Could Win: What Can We Learn from the UK?
Economist Gary Stevenson is a former highly successful stock trader, who comments on money and how we get it (politics). For lean, put him on the page with Bernie and the progressive wing of Dems. But he’s analytical … and fun. Talking in the British context, he lays out valuable understanding of US parallels.
Garys Economics, Video 44 mins. Sep 21, 2025
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