Troy Jackson, the Democratic US Senate candidate for Maine, speaks in a photo shared on Facebook by his campaign on August 11, 2026.
(Photo by Troy Jackson/Facebook)
“They’re scared of a movement that demands Medicare for All, prescription drug coverage, and a government that everyday people can be proud of and know works for them.”
Troy Jackson, the Maine Democrat running to unseat Republican US Sen. Susan Collins in November, took aim at Elon Musk and other billionaires Wednesday evening for supporting his GOP opponent directly or through a key super political action committee.
“Look, the billionaires in the country know whose side they’re on, and it’s not ours,” Jackson, a former logger and state Senate president, said in a brief video shared on social media, including Musk’s platform X.
Jackson—chosen as the Democratic nominee via a convention process last month, after primary winner Graham Platner left the race following a rape allegation that he denied—pointed to a $42 million investment in the contest from the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), whose backers include Musk and various other right-wing megadonors.
My response to the billionaires and failed trillionaire Elon Musk and their super PAC that announced today that they're dumping $42 million into this race. pic.twitter.com/dWptsctjK8
“They’re here to prop up Susan Collins because they want her to continue to be a rubber stamp and get their income tax cuts,” Jackson said. “They’re already out with an ad attacking me and my family, to try and make sure that they totally don’t talk about the issues.”
SLF’s 30-second ad, which launched Wednesday, notes his son’s lobbying work and smears Jackson as “another dirty politician.”
According to Jackson: “They’re scared of a movement that goes against the things that they want. They’re scared of a movement that demands Medicare for All, prescription drug coverage, and a government that everyday people can be proud of and know works for them.”
Wednesday isn’t the first time Jackson—who previously ran for governor—has called out billionaires, specifically Musk. After The New York Timesreported last month that through his America PAC, Musk intends to spend up to $120 million on a program to help elect Republicans in at least eight states, including Maine, Jackson released a video stressing that the billionaire “doesn’t care about us. Really doesn’t care about Susan. He cares about him.”
“So I would say to you Elon: Maine and really the whole United States doesn’t want your dirty money in our politics,” Jackson continued. “You don’t get to buy the government that you want. This is about all of us coming together and fighting for the government that we deserve, and you’re not in it.”
Musk became the world’s first trillionaire in June, when his company SpaceX made its public market debut, but his current net worth is estimated at over $860 billion, according to the regularly updated Bloomberg and Forbes lists. His trillionaire status came after the early months of the second Trump administration, when Musk was the de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Reuters reported Thursday that new data from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations shows how Musk’s controversial compensation plans for SpaceX and Tesla are benefiting other chief executives. Fred Redmond, the AFL-CIO’s secretary-treasurer, said that his pay “changes the dynamic when other CEO compensation plans come up, boards use it as a reference.”
The average ratio of CEO to worker pay at S&P 500 companies rose from 285:1 in 2024 to 312:1 last year, excluding Musk’s Tesla compensation. When that is included, the ratio becomes 5,387:1. Redmond told Reuters that “as we talk to our members, they’re pissed off over what’s happening to them, and they feel as though they should be more vocal in terms of calling attention to inequality.”
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People march during a protest after the killing of Renee Nicole Good on January 8, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
One First Amendment advocacy group called the investigation a “disturbing, invasive, and utterly unjustifiable attack on freedom of expression and political dissent.”
“These are the actions of an authoritarian state,” said US Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Thursday regarding new reports of a broad investigation by the Department of Homeland Security into numerous left-wing groups in Minnesota earlier this year, in the wake of Border Patrol agents’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti at a protest against the agency’s anti-immigration crackdown.
As The New York Timesreported, days after Pretti was killed in the street as he tried to help a woman who had been violently pushed by the agents, the DHS office in St. Paul opened an investigation into groups including the climate-focused Sunrise Movement, major labor groups like the AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Democratic Socialists of America, and a collective called Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN).
The Trump administration began the probe under the auspices of investigating whether the groups had provided “help and money,” as the Times reported, to people who had participated in protests across the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, where tens of thousands of residents rallied against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and defended their neighbors from immigration raids last winter.
Newly released government documents, which were uncovered after an attorney filed a motion with the federal District Court in Minnesota demanding information about the DHS investigation, show that the agency characterized the protesters who opposed ICE as “violent opportunists and agitators.”
The investigation included DHS’ use of administrative subpoenas to obtain financial records from Sunrise Movement, Communications Workers of America, and the SEIU, scrutinizing what the agency called “domestic terrorist financing.”
Undercover agents also infiltrated Signal chats and meetings at libraries and churches, recording attendees’ comments criticizing ICE and calling for the agency to be abolished—a view held by roughly 50% of Americans, according to a recent poll by YouGov—as well as their names and license plate numbers. They also scoured the individuals’ social media accounts for images and information.
“None of these individuals did anything other than engage in protected First Amendment speech in a church meeting room,” wrote Kevin Riach, the lawyer who filed the motion. “Yet now their personal information is memorialized in a DHS dossier.”
The investigation “concluded, with no evidence (but obvious political animus), that numerous Twin Cities unions and nonprofit organizations were involved in a widespread conspiracy,” said Riach. “It surveilled and surreptitiously gathered financial records generated by these organizations despite the lack of any connection between those organizations and criminal conduct.”
As the Times reported, the indictment in June of 15 organizers who led direct actions against federal agents, announced by US Attorney Daniel Rosen, came out of the sprawling DHS investigation.
When Rosen announced the indictments, he cited National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), a memo issued last September and mandated a “national strategy to investigate and disrupt networks, entities, and organizations that foment political violence so that law enforcement can intervene in criminal conspiracies before they result in violent political acts”—with an exclusive focus on left-wing groups.
Before the indictment, the Times reported, investigators showed a PowerPoint slide to grand jurors linking 18 groups including the AFL-CIO, Vets for Peace, and a local teachers union to a “conspiracy” against ICE agents.
The news of the indictment, said Paul Blest of the labor rights media organization More Perfect Union, “should be the biggest story in America.”
“Just so everyone clearly understands, the Trump administration’s approach to dissent is to exhaust every avenue to put dissenters in federal prison,” said Blest.
The First Amendment advocacy group Defending Rights and Dissent called the investigation a “disturbing, invasive, and utterly unjustifiable attack on freedom of expression and political dissent.”
“The inquiry comes amid President Trump’s escalating crackdown on freedom of speech across the United States,” Defending Rights and Dissent added. “Last year, Trump issued NSPM-7, a directive which tramples the First Amendment in weaponizing the federal government to root out his political adversaries and cast all activism against the administration as ‘domestic extremism.’”
“Defending Rights and Dissent calls for this investigation to be dropped immediately,” said the group, “and strongly condemns all attempts by the Trump administration to intimidate ordinary Americans exercising their freedom of speech.”
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From left to right, District 8 candidates Gary McCoy, Darshini Patel, Manny Yekutiel and Michael Nguyen on August 12, 2026. Photo by Io Yeh Gilman.
The opening question at the District 8 supervisor debate cut right to the chase: “There has been presscoverage about a sexual assault allegation from six years ago that a political activist reportedly made against Manny Yekutiel, who has denied the charge. What do you think voters should take from this?” asked Patrick Hoge, the San Francisco Examiner reporter moderating the debate hosted by the United Democratic Club.
“These allegations are untrue,” replied Yekutiel, who, prior to the June accusations, was the race’s most prolific fundraiser and the presumed frontrunner. “The police investigated the allegations, they found nothing and decided not to bring charges to the DA.”
At this, candidate Darshini Patel shot back: “I think when we consider the fact that our police department has a 14 percent clearance rate, which is half the national average, it makes it difficult for anyone to even want to come forward.”
Michael Nguyen and Gary McCoy, the other two candidates, kept it simple. “We should always believe and support survivors,” McCoy said.
“We as a community need to demand accountability and also support all survivors,” Nguyen said.
At the Wednesday night debate, a crowd of around 100 people gathered outdoors in the cold at Noe Valley Town Square to hear from the four supervisor candidates, who are vying to represent the Castro, Noe Valley, Twin Peaks and Cole Valley.
After the opening question, the candidates discussed more typical civic issues like housing, transportation and street conditions. Still, a clear division emerged between Yekutiel and his opponents, who quickly piled on to paint many of his ideas as unrealistic.
When asked about where he would direct funds for Muni, McCoy called for “expanding transit later at night and earlier in the morning. San Francisco is a service industry town.”
But Yekutiel offered a grand plan for a fully built-out subway system with new underground stations at 24th and Castro streets, as well as the Fillmore and the Marina. The Central Subway could be extended to North Beach, he added, and Muni could add tunnels under Geary and 19th Avenue.
Yekutiel’s opponents threw cold water on his plan.
Darshini Patel and Manny Yekutiel at the District 8 supervisor debate at Noe Valley Town Square on August 12, 2026. Photo by Io Yeh Gilman.
“We need to refocus on the basic things, which may not be as exciting and sexy, but certainly is what we need,” Patel said. If she were elected, she added, she would make sure estimate Muni arrival times were accurate.
“I believe in a San Francisco where we can take care of the small things while thinking big,” Yekutiel countered. The Central Subway expansion cost about $1 billion a mile, but San Francisco ought to be able to build subways for less, he added.
Elected officials should focus on homelessness, addiction and affordability right now, McCoy said, “not these huge pie in the sky ideas that are wonderful but we’re not going to get there in four or eight years.”
Yekutiel was accused of grandstanding again after he mentioned his plan to build 10,000 new housing units in District 8 in eight years — 1,000 by making it easier for people to add extra units in garages, basements or backyards, 3,000 from “high-opportunity housing sites” in the district, and 6,000 from creating a “housing priority district” on Market between Castro and Octavia where all “barriers” to building new housing, such as fees, taxes, building height limits, as well as many building and planning code requirements, would be removed.
The other candidates agreed that District 8 needs more housing — they all want the Safeway at Church and Market redeveloped, as well as speedier permitting, and McCoy and Patel support San Francisco’s recent upzoning. But, they have not promised 10,000 units.
“I’m a drag queen and I love the fantasy,” Nguyen said. “But I’m not going to promise you unicorns and rainbows just to win your vote. Ten thousand units is really just not grounded in reality.”
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District 8 has only built 17 units so far this year, Patel pointed out.
But Yekutiel defended his plan. “It is not pie in the sky,” he said. “We just need to believe it can be done.”
When the debate shifted to homelessness and drug use, McCoy, Nguyen and Patel once again aligned more with each other than with Yekutiel.
Nguyen called for more city investment in mental health outreach, citing a story from Mission Local about a worker who helped de-escalate a woman in crisis when police were unable to. “This is the kind of humane response that we need,” Nguyen said.
Patel said her focus would be on building out the safety net for preventing homelessness, citing the statistic that for every one person who gets housed, another three people become homeless.
McCoy agreed with them both. “We’re not scaling up the things that we know work,” McCoy said — the street outreach team is, in fact, slated to be cut by the city. “Oftentimes we resort to just pushing people around our neighborhoods in San Francisco,” McCoy continued. “We need to stop that.”
Yekutiel offered a much rosier picture. Mayor Daniel Lurie “is doing an excellent job,” Yekutiel said. “I’m running because I want to keep the positive momentum that many of us are seeing in the city are continuing to move forward.”
After a few more questions, it was time for the candidates to give their closing statements. McCoy, Nguyen and Patel all made sure to mention how unrealistic a certain candidate’s plans seemed.
“I’m tired of seeing people running on promises instead of plans,” Patel said.
“We need leadership in San Francisco that, again, is rooted in reality,” McCoy said.
“What my friend here, Manny, is talking about a lot of times is very extreme,” Nguyen said.
Still, Yekutiel stood his ground. “If you want the same old, same old, there’s options on this stage you can choose from. But if you want someone that’s actually built things,” Yekutiel said, “then I’m your candidate.”
Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026. This race will use ranked-choice voting.
District 8 includes the Castro, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Twin Peaks, Duboce Triangle, Dolores Heights, Parnassus Heights, Ashbury Heights, Corona Heights, and Diamond Heights.
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Most neighborhoods don’t have that. Yours could.
That’s what Mission Local is building. Our reporters don’t parachute in — they write consistently on San Francisco, so you’re never reading about your neighborhood from someone who just looked it up.
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Io is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering city hall and S.F. politics. She is a part of Report for America, which supports journalists in local newsrooms.
Io was born and raised in San Francisco and previously reported on the city while working for her high school newspaper, The Lowell. She studied the history of science at Harvard and wrote for The Harvard Crimson.
2018 was a historic blowout for the Dems. This year, primary turnout is much higher.
It was a mixed bag for the left in Tuesday’s primary elections. In Wisconsin, DSA candidate Francesca Hong, who was far ahead in the polls and expected to win easily, instead lost in a squeaker to David Crowley. But in Minnesota, the state’s lefty lieutenant governor Peggy Flanagan easily whipped the moderate Rep. Angie Craig in the primary for that state’s U.S. Senate seat, by a nearly 20-point margin. While the Wisconsin result was disappointing, if progressives had to pick, it was likely more important for Flanagan to win than Hong. In Wisconsin, what state Democrats can do will depend more on whether they can take control of the state legislature in the upcoming election and win total control of state government for the first time since 2010. Moreover, by all accounts Crowley is a fairly standard-issue liberal who would probably sign most progressive legislation; he has already announced plans to campaign alongside Hong. Craig, by contrast, is a loud centrist who voted for the Laken Riley Act, which granted sweeping powers to ICE—which would, of course, go on to mercilessly gun down two Minnesota residents—as well as for a resolution thanking the agency. Whatever these races say about the state of the left—I would call it a story of gradual building success over time, with some unsurprising setbacks—the polls and turnout numbers have some more reliable lessons. They show that the Democratic base is boiling with energy and champing at the bit to vote against Republicans. The polls for the Wisconsin race were off by roughly 20 points—about the same amount they were off in Minnesota (though in that case, they underestimated the progressive Flanagan), and in the Michigan race last week. Clearly, something is rotten in the state of cellphone autodialers. Polling primaries was tough business even 30 years ago when everyone had a landline and calls from strangers were not 95 percent spam, because one has to gather data and then estimate how many people are actually going to turn out. That can vary wildly depending on the state, the party, whether it is a competitive race, the national environment, and so on.
Incidentally, the vaunted prediction markets also completely flubbed this one. They couldn’t even sort out who was likely to win when votes started coming in and the political pros could guess with increasing accuracy who was likely to win based on where the remaining votes were located. They were quite obviously just swinging wildly back and forth with the headlines. It turns out markets are not some infallible distillers of Truth from the celestial ether. I’d guess that the pollsters are not getting good samples for these races, but they almost certainly missed the turnout. Let’s compare this year to 2018, the last time there was a contested Democratic primary in Wisconsin and an uncontested Republican one, to make it a fairly apples-to-apples comparison. Six years ago, about 539,000 people cast Democratic ballots, as compared to 455,000 Republicans. This year, with a few thousand votes still to count, it was more like 825,000 Democrats and 490,000 Republicans. It’s a similar story in other recent primaries, where 2018 is once again the most recent similar year. In Minnesota in 2018, about 584,000 Democrats and 320,000 Republicans turned out; this year, the numbers were 700,000 and 405,000, respectively. In Michigan in 2018, about 1.1 million Democrats and 990,000 Republicans turned out; this year, the numbers were 1.5 million and 931,000, respectively. The 2018 elections were nearly a clean Democratic sweep in these states. They won the U.S. Senate seats and the governorships in all three, and missed control of the Minnesota Senate by one vote. They would have won the Wisconsin State Assembly too if Republicans hadn’t rigged the district boundaries so egregiously that an eight-point defeat in the popular vote became a nearly two-thirds majority in seats. (Luckily, thanks to Democrats flipping the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the state legislative maps are now reasonably fair.) Primary turnouts are a decent, albeit imperfect, historical proxy for general-election performances. And if there is any major difference between today and 2018, it’s that Donald Trump, with his lunatic tariff obsession and unwinnable war in Iran, is substantially less popular than he was back then. Unless something big changes, Republicans are liable to be looking at a generational wipeout in November.
The media is propping up “centrist” analysts warning voters that the progressive and democratic socialist candidates winning elections are “unelectable.” But they’re not disclosing that those analysts are funded by billionaires and mega-corporations.
Matt Bennett, Jonathan Cowan, and Jim Kessler, three of the five co-founders of Third Way. Photo By Chris Maddaloni/Roll Call/Getty Images.
As progressive, DSA, and DSA-adjacent candidates win primaries throughout the US, corporate media is rushing to prop up their favorite “centrist” and “moderate” critics—who, ostensibly, are just looking out for the wellbeing of the Democratic Party—to explain why these candidates people are voting for are actually dangerous and “unelectable.” What the media is refusing to do, on an institutional level, is disclose the glaring conflicts of interests these groups—backed by billionaires, health insurance giants, pro-Israel lobbying firms, and massive corporations —would have in attacking candidates who undermine their sponsors’ bottom lines and ideological agendas.
As progressive, DSA, and DSA-adjacent candidates win primaries throughout the US, corporate media is rushing to prop up their favorite “centrist” and “moderate” critics—who, ostensibly, are just looking out for the wellbeing of the Democratic Party—to explain why these candidates people are voting for are actually dangerous and “unelectable.”
As I noted in TRNN in June, certain personalities and parties with blatant conflicts of interest are being boosted by US media—presented as mere neutral observers who are Deeply Concerned About Electability—to dump on insurgent candidates such as Claire Valdez, Darializa Avila-Chevalier, Melat Kiro and, most recently, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. El-Sayed’s primary victory in Michigan signaled serious upward momentum for the latest progressive insurgency within the Democratic Party—and triggered a PR crisis for the Democratic establishment. That momentum was stemmed this week, if only for now, as DSA-endorsed candidate for Wisconsin Governor Francesca Hong was narrowly defeated—a defeat that was reportedly due, in part, to voter concerns over “electability.”
But who shapes “electability” perceptions in our media?
Let’s examine a recent article in The New York Times, which broke the news on August 6, in the wake of El-Sayed’s primary victory, about a $15-million effort by “moderate” group Third Way to attack the DSA specifically and socialism more broadly (despite El-Sayed explicitly being neither a socialist nor a DSA member, but he still champions Medicare for All and cutting US support for Israel, so the distinction to these groups is purely academic). In response to socialist and progressive primary wins, Third Way President Jonathan Cowan told the Times he is “preparing for war” against candidates he views as insufficiently “moderate.” Central to Third Way’s argument are supposed concerns over the “electability” of Democratic candidates facing MAGA Republicans in the November midterms—a motive taken at face value by The New York Times.
Third Way does not publish their donors and refuses to answer media inquiries about who keeps their operation financially afloat.
Not once did Times reporter Shane Goldmacher inquire about or address—much less investigate and unearth—who is funding this operation. The money is simply said to come from Third Way. But Third Way does not generate revenue. They are backed by specific interests. “Who are these interests?” seems like a fairly obvious question that a reporter should ask. Alas, it’s not one Shane Goldmacher seems the least bit interested in.
So who is backing Third Way?
Third Way does not publish their donors and refuses to answer media inquiries about who keeps their operation financially afloat. But reporting in The Nation in 2013 revealed the group was being backed then by the US Chamber of Commerce, Deutsche Bank, Intel, the Business Roundtable, and the Pharma lobbying giant PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America). More recent digging by The Sludge revealed major donors now include the Republican-run insurance industry front group Better Solutions for Healthcare, PhRMA, CVS Health, pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, and the Business Roundtable. Other major corporate backers include Entergy, Yum! Brands, Amazon, and Meta––all corporations with much to lose in the event Congress passes measures to impose higher taxes on corporations and the rich, or to provide single-payer healthcare for all.
Additionally, Goldmacher quotes two other “centrist” groups in his Times article—the Center for New Liberalism and Welcome PAC—without noting the patronage they receive from billionaire and corporate interests. The Center for New Liberalism, as I documented in 2023, is a front group for Third Way Foundation (which also goes by the name Progressive Policy Institute) and is funded by ExxonMobil, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, Walmart, and Amazon. (The Third Way Foundation used to be related to the aforementioned Third Way, but is now its own independent corporate front group.)
WelcomePAC, for its part, is funded directly by mega-billionaires: LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman; six different relatives and heirs of Walmart founder Sam Walton (the richest family in America); Bain Capital co-chairman Joshua Bekenstein; Rupert Murdoch’s son James Murdoch; and Mark Heising, the founder of private equity firm Medley Partners, among others.
Shouldn’t these obvious conflicts of interest at least be mentioned? Noted in passing, maybe? Especially in an article specifically about one of these groups spending $15 million to attack “the left,” shouldn’t a reporter be asking where exactly the $15 million came from?
Shouldn’t these obvious conflicts of interest at least be mentioned? Noted in passing, maybe? Especially in an article specifically about one of these groups spending $15 million to attack “the left,” shouldn’t a reporter be asking where exactly the $15 million came from? Or where the money behind these other Deeply Worried Centrist Groups comes from? Isn’t it relevant to note Third Way’s long history of being funded by Wall Street and the health insurance lobby? For a high school reporter, this would obviously be the first line of questions to ask. Presumably, Third Way didn’t just manifest the money out of thin air… So who is footing the bill? And shouldn’t potential voters know who is paying for this campaign, and others like it, to bombard them with falsely “objective” arguments about who is and isn’t “electable” in America?
The Times isn’t alone. Recent softball coverage of, op-eds by, or interviews with Third Way and other “moderate groups” in mainstream media also did not disclose who is bankrolling Third Way, which has quickly emerged as a Sensible Voice opposed to the “radical left.”
Shouldn’t potential voters know who is paying for this campaign, and others like it, to bombard them with falsely “objective” arguments about who is and isn’t “electable” in America?
Last week, CBS News did a five-and-a-half-minute puff interview with Third Day’s Jon Cowan, in which Cowan was given free rein to bash the DSA and El-Sayed without mentioning that Cowan’s salary is paid by private health insurance companies and other corporate America behemoths that would all stand to lose a lot of money and power in the event Medicare For All became a mainstream Democratic position. The Washington Post, likewise, published an op-ed by Cowan and Third Way Executive Vice President Matt Bennett the next day, in which they lambast El-Sayed and other progressives’ supposed lack of “electability” without disclosing who backs their astroturf “think tank.” Earlier that same week, CNN ran an otherwise balanced segment on “The Left Insurgency” that nevertheless featured an interview with Cowan and introduced Third Way as a “Democratic centrist group” without mentioning the corporate funders paying him to go on CNN and lament about “electability concerns.”
Why is discussion of “electability” almost entirely being shaped by astroturfed corporate front groups with obvious conflicts of interest?
It’s not that US media should never report on potential “electability” dynamics—with both the center and left––but why not turn to parties with fewer obvious conflicts of interest? Why not consult independent pollsters or academics? Why not ask Left-aligned experts as well as those on the dole of the Health Insurance lobby? Why is discussion of “electability” almost entirely being shaped by astroturfed corporate front groups with obvious conflicts of interest?
Journalism is supposed to, at least in theory, be about questioning the motives of the powerful, following the money, and connecting the dots. It’s not supposed to be the practice of credulously reprinting the opinions of powerful people presenting themselves as having only the noblest of motivations.
But here’s the rub: these billionaire- and corporate-backed groups, and their media mouthpieces, can’t talk about the forces propping them up, because to do so would give the game away. They can’t openly discuss or defend their attendant ideologies of capitalism, deregulation, imperialism, and Zionism because these are increasingly unpopular among the Democratic voters whose interests they allegedly care about. So what’s left? If they can’t speak openly about their elite patrons and make arguments from first principles, all that’s left is feigned concern over the “electability” of the “other guy.” That’s why it’s all they talk about. They can’t make arguments for “centrism” or against Medicare for All, so all they have is a nonstop posture of Deep Concern Over Electability, which, over time, gets repeated into becoming conventional wisdom despite no empirical basis for the narrative that “moderate” “centrists” are more electable. It apparently doesn’t matter how many times the centrist wing of the party loses Congress or blows it to Trump, they still claim, through sheer assertion and dogma and endless media spots, that they are uniquely positioned to “defeat republicans.” And this is a posture our media pundits echo without an ounce of skepticism.
It apparently doesn’t matter how many times the centrist wing of the party loses Congress or blows it to Trump, they still claim, through sheer assertion and dogma and endless media spots, that they are uniquely positioned to “defeat republicans.”
“Moderate” groups like Third Way are fronts for corporate America and billionaire interests; they’re not just aw-shucks groups of concerned citizens with organic worries about Democrats losing in November. Those claiming to be journalists should ask deeper questions, follow the money, and provide readers essential context that the person being held up as a neutral—if vaguely ideological—expert on winning elections is sponsored by the very health insurance industry that stands to lose a great deal should the progressives they’re bashing ever ascend to positions of power.
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All across the US communities have shut down DATA Centers – This article has info about Bay Area Communities
“Working class communities are pushing back against the rapid expansion of AI data centers, rejecting the premise that they are a necessary cost of innovation and the practice of corporations making decisions about communities, especially while they drain local resources and deliver little benefit to the people who actually live there.,,”
In Daly City/San Francisco – Cow Palace:
· In Daly City, the historic Cow Palace was eyed as a potential “edge” data center by Global Stack LLC, but community organizing led the Cow Palace Board of Directors to suspend any considerations of the concept indefinitely.
See Petition #3
D. Trump-linked oil firm to begin drilling in Greenland without official permission: Report– August 11, 2026
Speak at the August 13 Voting Meeting: Call in by 11 a.m. Each speaker gets 1 minute. English: 1-800-857-1917, Passcode: 9899501# Spanish: 1-800-857-1917, Passcode: 3799627# Press *1 when prompted to be added to the speaker queue
In spite of the sky high rates we are already paying, PG&E is asking the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to jack them up even more! They’re even trying to pass the cost of new data center infrastructure on to us
On August 13th, 2026, the CPUC will vote on Charter Communications (Spectrum) acquiring Cox. We need your voice before that happens!
The Problem:
Research submitted by TURN found that Charter charges some low-income communities $20 more per month for the same broadband service as wealthy neighborhoods. Promotional pricing traps can add up to $45/month in surprise bill increases once the promo period ends.
Two Decisions. One Right Choice.
The Commission has issued two proposed decisions that have major differences.
SUPPORT: ALJ Ormond PD — Ends pricing discrimination. Requires equal pricing for all customers regardless of neighborhood. Protects LifeLine affordable internet access for up to 15 years.
DECLINE: Baker Alternate PD — Relies on flawed settlements that allow most of Charter’s discriminatory pricing practices to continue.
See Petition # 4
Info from Oil& Gas Network
2. Thursday, 4:00pm – 6:00pm, Tell Target to Stand Up To ICE!
Metreon Target 789 Mission Street. Meet on the sidewalk by the Mission Street entrance. SF
Tell Target: We will boycott until they Stand Up To ICE!
Join us to say: Until Target acts to protect its workers and guests from ICE, we will not shop at Target! We will hold signs, hand out flyers, and explain why we must all boycott Target until they Stand Up To ICE. Bring a sign if you have one.
Northwest corner of 14th & Broadway Oakland (Nr. 12th Street BART)
Legalization For All Network Call To Action! Stop Trump’s Attacks on Haitian Immigrants! Defend TPS. Legalization NOT Deportation! Protest For Immigrant Rights.
Wynd Kaufmyn, was sentenced in San Francisco to a 14-day jail sentence (equaling 7 actual days served with time credits) and 128 hours of community service, alongside a stay-away order. Her charges followed a conviction for blockading OpenAI’s headquarters in SF
5. Friday, 7:00pm – 9:00pm, Join Us for a Discussion on: What Should We Do Now to Work for Revolution?
Revolution Books – Berkeley 2444 Durant Ave. Berkeley
We’ll discuss this excerpt from the talk by Bob Avakian: “Something terrible something truly emancipating, Profound Crisis, Deepening Divisions, The Looming Possibility Of Civil War—And The Revolution That Is Urgently Needed A Necessary Foundation, A Basic Roadmap For This Revolution” from 2021.
“The basic way to do this is laid out in the “Declaration and Call.” First of all:
“We need to urgently change the situation where not nearly enough people know about this revolution and are with it. We need to get this revolution, and its leadership, known everywhere. We need to challenge and seriously struggle with people right around us, and all over the country, to do something that, yes, requires real heart and will make a positive difference for real—become part of this revolution, and follow this revolutionary leadership. We need to organize more and more people into the ranks of the revolution.
“So what does it mean to go to work now to organize people into this revolution? As the “Declaration and Call” explains:
“Organizing people into this revolution means reaching out to all sorts of people—not just where there are protests and rebellions against oppression and injustice, but everywhere throughout society—spreading the word about revolution and getting people together (in real life and online) to grapple with why an actual revolution is necessary, what such a revolution involves, and what kind of society this is aiming for. This will enable people who are new to the revolution to themselves become organizers for this revolution and to recruit more and more people to do the same. On this basis, and through the growing ranks of the revolution acting together as an increasingly powerful force, it will be possible to attract and organize the necessary numbers, and build up the necessary strength, to be in the position to do what needs to be done.
“We need to struggle hard with people to take up the orientation and strategy, the values and goals, for this revolution, and dedicate themselves to working for this revolution, while we unite growing numbers to fight the abuse, brutality and destruction perpetrated by this system, and through all this get thousands and then millions of people prepared and steeled to do away with this system that brings so much hell to people. We need to wield this growing revolutionary force to stand up to this system and its murderous enforcers and to change the whole “terrain” (the political, social and cultural situation and “atmosphere”) throughout society, in order to weaken the hold of this system over people, win people away from acting to strengthen and enforce this system, and create the best possible conditions for this revolution to succeed.”
Location: Post and Fillmore (RSVP for exact location) Doors open 10:30AM Program 11AM-3PM
As the AI boom drives up rents and evictions, tenants across San Francisco are coming together to stop displacement. Connect with neighbors from across San Francisco to learn about why the rent is so high, hear from tenants who have successfully organized, and fight for a city we all have a future in!
Modern warfare has come to rely more and more on killer drones, making war increasingly insulated from direct human contact. The technology, while flawed, has made it easier to engage in our forever wars without causing citizen outrage as was seen during the time of the war with Vietnam.
But there has been organized resistance to the use of these killing machines, primarily aimed at the pilots and support personnel who operate them. Protests have centered on the call to refuse to fly killer drones. The deeper goal of protestors goes beyond ending the use of these weapons, to demilitarizing our society from the ground up.
This webinar will focus on drone technology and current concerns about its use in Iran, Ukraine, and elsewhere. In addition, presenters, with many years of experience in protest, education and outreach to the U.S. military and the communities where they live, will share strategies and lessons learned, and the benefits of nonviolent direct action.
Presenters
Nick Mottern is co-coordinator, with Kathy Kelly, of BanKillerDrones.org, which has, since 2011, assisted with education and non-violent direct action at killer drone control centers inside the U.S., particularly at Creech AFB in Nevada, Hancock Air Guard base in Syracuse, NY, and Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, NM.
Toby Blomé has been organizing ongoing and weeklong protests at US drone bases since 2009, that have included Creech AFB in Nevada, Beale AFB in California, and, since 2023, Holloman AFB, in New Mexico, the largest drone training base in the US. She is co-founder and coordinator of ShutDownDroneWarfare.org., and is also a member of BanKillerDrones.org. In 2024, she co-founded the PeoplesArmsEmbargo.org, helping to organize protests at Travis AFB in Fairfield, CA, due to it’s complicity in aiding the genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Mary Anne Grady Flores is a longtime internationalist, a Catholic Worker, a grandmother, and justice and peace activist. Her organizing with Upstate Drone Action has focused on ending MQ-9 Reapers – killer drones -murdering Black and Brown people from the Global South specifically from Hancock Drone Airbase that shares its campus with Syracuse’s civilian international airport. She is keen on connecting issues of environmental destruction propelled by racist industrial-scale, never-ending wars, profiting only the weapons manufacturers. Mary Anne says, “The tension lies in how we hold ourselves to account and those in power. How much are we willing to sacrifice?”
8. Saturday, 1:00pm, SF Rally At Federal Building Stop Trump’s War Mongering In Pacific
SF Federal Building 7th Street & Mission SF
thousands across the US and South Korea will march together to demand an end to Trump’s war mongering in the Pacific. Will you join us?
We’re mobilizing in these cities this Saturday, August 15:
New York: Times Square, 4:00 PM
Bay Area: San Francisco Federal Building, 1:00 PM
Los Angeles: Wilshire/Western, 1:00 PM
Seattle: Fisher Pavilion, 1:00 PM
Minneapolis: Mayday Plaza, 1:00 PM
August 15th marks National Liberation Day in Korea, celebrating the liberation of Korea from Japan 81 years ago. But in those decades, the US has built one of its largest military occupations in the world, hosting over 28,000 soldiers on the peninsula.
This month, the US will flood South Korea with more soldiers and more military funding for Ulchi Freedom Shield, a series of military exercises practicing for war with North Korea, and, as Trump’s administration has recently admitted, war with China.
As people here at home struggle to put food on their table and gas in their cars thanks to the US’s war mongering in West Asia, people in the Pacific are also facing the fallout of the war economy every single day. In April, the US-backed Armed Forces of the Philippines killed 19 peace activists, including two Americans. Last year, 31 Koreans were injured when the US dropped eight 500-lb bombs on the village of Nogok-ri near the DMZ in a war exercise.
Now, Trump wants to weaponize his massive war industry in the Pacific to fight the US’s forever wars for them. But so long as we are in the belly of the beast, we refuse to let our communities be exploited for US imperialist gain.
Will you march with us on August 15 to say no to the US’s relentless war economy? For billions living in the Asia Pacific, the Pacific War is already here. Join us in demanding an end to the war games and an end to the Pacific War!
President Donald Trumpraised eyebrows on Tuesday when he didn’t rule out declaring a “national security emergency for elections” ahead of the 2026 midterms that would let him restrict the use of mail-in ballots and require voters to provide proof of citizenship.
Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA and an expert in election law, told The New Republic in an interview published Wednesday that simply declaring a national emergency related to election security wouldn’t override states’ voting laws.
“The United States Constitution does not give the president power over elections,” Hasen explained. “We have a decentralized election system. Most of our election rules come from states, from state legislatures passing statutes.”
Even though Trump cannot legally seize control of the country’s elections systems, Hasen said, his “national emergency” declaration could be used as a tool to discredit Democratic victories in the midterms and also to more generally intimidate Democratic voters.
“He’s trying to scare people into thinking he has more power than he has,” Hasen said. “That itself makes him powerful, because people are deterred by him. And maybe it deters people from showing up to vote in elections… We should not be complacent at all, even if Trump doesn’t have the power to actually do some of the stuff he’s threatened.”
Hasen also speculated that Trump’s executive order instructing the United States Postal Service to not deliver mail-in ballots to states that have not shared their voter data with the White House was also part of an intimidation operation.
“So everybody’s confidence in the elections goes down,” Hasen said. “And it’s like, ‘Why mail back my ballot if the post office isn’t going to deliver it? Why show up at the polling place if there’s going to be armed security there?’ All of these things are, I think, scare tactics. And we shouldn’t give Trump the power—we shouldn’t give Trump room in our heads to panic over whether or not we’re going to have free and fair elections.”
In an analysis published Wednesday, progressive commentator Thom Hartmann described Trump as a “cornered rat” who will attempt any trick to maintain Republican majorities in Congress.
“It’s going to be up to us and the individual states to make sure our voices are heard and our votes are properly counted,” Hartmann wrote. “We should be thinking of this as an election continuity exercise that may not be necessary but, like wearing a seatbelt, could be essential if Trump tries to repeat 2020 in some way.”
Hartmann also listed a number of recommendations for Democrats to combat Trump’s election subversion attempts, including educating voters on the constitutional limits of the president’s powers, being prepared to arrest any federal immigration enforcement officers who appear at polling locations, and encouraging early voting.
“For over a decade now, close races immediately produce Republican claims of fraud,” Hartmann added. “Lawyers, election officials, and communications systems must be fully prepared to deal with lies and propaganda long before November.”
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Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where the congressional candidates respond to a question in 100 words or less. Answers will be published every Monday.
CA-11, the congressional district that Connie Chan and Scott Wiener are running to represent includes most of San Francisco. Some southern neighborhoods (the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley, and Ingleside) are a part of a neighboring district.
This week’s question: Both of you have described President Donald Trump as a threat to American democracy. As a new member of Congress, what is one concrete action you would personally take to constrain his power? How would you do that if Democrats don’t have a House majority?
Mission Local marks answers where the candidate dodged the question by giving them a yellow background with question marks.
Scott Wiener
Job: San Francisco’s State Senator
Age: 56
Residency: Homeowner, moved to San Francisco in 1997
Transportation: Public transit and walking
Education: Bachelor’s degree from Duke, law degree from Harvard
Languages: English, Spanish
Democrats must use all leverage we have — whether in the majority or minority — to stop Trump’s destructive agenda. That means Democrats unifying to block bad budgets. For example, we must block DHS budgets that send unchecked money to ICE/Border Patrol or fund private prisons.
I’ll push for laws to ban private prisons, abolish ICE, make DOJ more independent of the President (no longer his personal law firm) and authorize lawsuits against ICE/Border Patrol for abuses. Even if Republicans block them, these bills will put every member on record and give Democrats a roadmap for when we retake the majority.
Endorsed by: The California Democratic Party, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sierra Club, San Francisco YIMBY, Grow SF, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, North Coast States Carpenters Union, Dolores Huerta … read more here.
Connie Chan
Job: San Francisco District 1 Supervisor
Age: 47
Residency: Homeowner, has lived in San Francisco since she was 13
Transportation: Driving, public transit, and walking
Education: Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis
Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
I will work with colleagues on the House Oversight Committee and other committees of jurisdiction to investigate abuses of power, subpoena documents and testimony, and hold Donald Trump accountable to the law.
I will also work to pass legislation that strengthens checks and balances, protects voting rights, and uses tools like the Congressional Review Act to overturn harmful executive actions and regulations.
Even in the minority, members can hold hearings, force votes, work with inspectors general, and use every opportunity to expose Administration misconduct. Sunshine is one of Congress’s strongest checks on executive power, and I will use it relentlessly.
Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Congressman Ro Khanna, California Federation of Labor Unions, SEIU California, San Francisco Labor Council,Working Families Party,San Francisco Tenant’s Union … read more here.
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com or yujie@missionlocal.com.
When a San Francisco neighborhood has a Mission Local reporter, it means someone is there. We’re following new housing projects proposed on your block, keeping tabs on what your district supervisor is up to at City Hall, and letting you know when longtime businesses close (and new ones open). When big news breaks, we already know the context.
Most neighborhoods don’t have that. Yours could.
That’s what Mission Local is building. Our reporters don’t parachute in — they write consistently on San Francisco, so you’re never reading about your neighborhood from someone who just looked it up.
So far we are in five of San Francisco’s neighborhoods. But we know all San Franciscans deserve our kind of coverage. Will you join us?
Yujie is a staff reporter covering city hall with a focus on the Asian community. She came on as an intern after graduating from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and became a full-time staff reporter as a Report for America corps member and has stayed on. Before falling in love with San Francisco, Yujie covered New York City, studied politics through the “street clashes” in Hong Kong, and earned a wine-tasting certificate in two days. She’s proud to be a bilingual journalist. Find her on Signal @Yujie_ZZ.01More by Yujie Zhou
You’re invited to stand with people from across the country at the March on Washington: Defend the Vote on Friday, August 28, 2026, at 8 AM ET at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Hosted by Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Action Network, and the Drum Major Institute, and joined by Martin Luther King III and other civil rights leaders, this historic gathering will mark the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Attend in person, watch the virtual livestream, volunteer, or become a partner. We are not gathering simply to remember history—we are gathering to make it.
***Additional Bus information*** If you are interested in riding with a bus to the March on Washington, please complete the March on Washington Bus Interest Formso we can better understand where transportation is needed and help bring people power to Washington, D.C.
Time for Action!
Your Power in Action: What You Can Do Today
The movement for freedom over fascism, progress, and power to the people starts here.
A fearless and urgent chronicle of the tech-authoritarian movement from its early days in San Francisco politics to its current moment on the international stage, exploring the wild and dystopian ambition of the technocrats at its center, and offering a road map to resistance.
When Silicon Valley says it is ‘‘moving fast and breaking things,’’ the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. Gil Durán reveals something far more a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule.
Drawing on insider political experience and new investigations, Durán traces this ideology from its philosophical roots in The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. He introduces its modern apostles—Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and Elon Musk—and shows how the promise of technological liberation has transformed into a global movement for digital feudalism, powered by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and the algorithmic propaganda of social media.
The Nerd Reich explains the origins, strategies, and ambitions of Silicon Valley’s war on democracy for the first time. From San Francisco’s weaponized elections and secret billionaire projects to the White House, Durán exposes how the world’s richest men are building a new political order.
The Nerd Reich is more than a hidden history, it’s an urgent democracy is being dismantled not by coups or tanks, but by code, capital, and the illusion of innovation. Durán insists there is still time to fight back—if we act now.
(Goodreads.com)
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We protest Heritage Foundation EVERY MONDAY (Join us!!!!) By admin | September 2, 2025 | Uncategorized Cliff Cash Comedy Premiered Jul 26, 2025 Every Monday at The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Ave. Washington D.C. 4pm protest 6pm pizza Every Friday at Fox News D.C. 400 N. Capitol St. Washington D.C. 4pm protest 6pm pizza We are... Continue reading →
September PAC Meeting *We will be voting on November Election endorsement recommendations for state propositions!* Date: Tuesday, 8 September, 2026 (second Tuesday of month) Time: 7-9 PM *NEW* In-person Location: Women’s Building (3543 18th St), Audre Lorde Room Remote: Via Zoom Link Here
One Million Rising: Strategic Non-Cooperation to Fight Authoritarianism Virtual Event · Hosted by No Kings Time Wednesdays 8 – 9:30pm EDT Location Virtual event Join from anywhere About this event Across the country, authoritarian forces are getting bolder and more dangerous. Trump and his allies are not hiding their agenda: mass deportations,... Continue reading →
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The San Francisco Democratic Party presents The San Francisco Democratic Party 2026 Gala Thursday, September 10th 6:00 – 10:00 PM Bimbo’s 365 Club 1025 Columbus Ave San Francisco, CA 94133 TICKETS https://www.sfdems.org/gala2026
Public Banking Coalition monthly meetings Next call: Nov 11 Excitement is building for public banking and once a month, PBI hosts an hour-long Public Banking Coalition online meeting to share the excitement and successes. Find out the latest updates on the advances being made all across the country from local advocates themselves... Continue reading →
Trump Regime Takedown: Every Saturday Saturday, March 7, 2026 12:00 PM 2:00 PM Tesla San Francisco999 Van Ness AvenueSan Francisco, CA, 94109United States (map) Google Calendar ICS Keep democracy alive every Saturday by showing up, taking a stand, and sticking together for the long haul. Standing together is better than standing alone. Let’s get together... Continue reading →
This Sunday’s Town Hall: Announcing This Week’s Progressive Town Hall: Every Sunday at 4pm ET/1pm PT RSVP HERE Join PDA activists online from across the country to discuss the importance of progressives reclaiming the American story from the MAGA right, an issue of heightened importance as we’re now within one... Continue reading →
We protest Heritage Foundation EVERY MONDAY (Join us!!!!) By admin | September 2, 2025 | Uncategorized Cliff Cash Comedy Premiered Jul 26, 2025 Every Monday at The Heritage Foundation 214 Massachusetts Ave. Washington D.C. 4pm protest 6pm pizza Every Friday at Fox News D.C. 400 N. Capitol St. Washington D.C. 4pm protest 6pm pizza We are... Continue reading →
There are less than 9 weeks until the critical November election, and what we do between now and then will shape the future of our health care. We started Nurses for Democracy to fight back against fascism and protect our democracy, but also to elect candidates in key races who are committed... Continue reading →
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Ryan Cooper
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