"Taiwan’s vibrant and competitive democratic system has allowed for regular peaceful transfers of power since 2000, and protections for civil liberties are generally robust. Ongoing concerns include inadequate safeguards against the exploitation of migrant workers and the Chinese government’s efforts to influence policymaking, media, and the democratic infrastructure."
democracy
Senior #State Department official sought internal communications with #journalists, #European officials, & Trump #critics
#Trump appointee Darren Beattie requested records regarding a large list of high-profile names, organizations, & #RightWing buzzwords for a “#TwitterFiles” style document dump about alleged conservative censorship.
#law #FirstAmendment #FreeSpeech #FreePress #privacy #InfoSec #democracy #RevengePolitics
https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/01/1115988/senior-state-department-official-sought-internal-communications-with-journalists-european-officials-and-trump-critics/
"Groups like CPJ have historically focused on the dangerous climate for journalists in dictatorships and repressive regimes abroad. But Trump’s political rise has imported those same threats to the US.
CPJ said it has noticed “a significant increase in the number of newsrooms seeking safety advice, concerned that the changing national political environment could threaten their ability to report without fear of retribution from authorities.”
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/03/media/analysis-trump-world-press-freedom-day-chill-journalism
Exit, stage left: X, formerly Twitter.
10th January 2025: https://www.uni-weimar.de/en/university/news/bauhausjournal-online/titel/universities-and-research-institutions-leave-platform-x-formerly-twitter-united-for-diversity-fr/
"Universities and research institutions leave Platform X (formerly Twitter): United for diversity, freedom and science
"Over 60 German-speaking universities and research institutions have decided to take a stand and collectively announce their decision to cease activities on Platform X (formerly Twitter). This withdrawal comes in response to the platform's current direction, which is incompatible with the core values of the participating institutions: openness to the world, scientific integrity, transparency, and democratic discourse. …"
"Leeds becomes first Russell Group university to quit X … Elon Musk’s social media site “no longer aligns with our university values” …"
"University of Brighton, University of Sussex, and other like-minded institutions should – now – be at the UK forefront of what began in Germany. … Now. Do the right thing. Please."
#diversity #freedom #science #integrity #transparency #democracy #discourse #openness #universities #research #UK #Leeds #German #Germany #Deutschland #ElonMusk #X #Twitter
“When citizens must think twice about criticizing or opposing the government because they could credibly face govt #retribution, they no longer live in a full #democracy.
“By that measure, #America has crossed the line into competitive #authoritarianism. The #Trump administration’s #WeaponizationOfGovernment agencies & flurry of punitive actions against critics has raised the cost of opposition for a wide range of Americans.”
#law #USpol #AmericanAutocracy
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/opinion/trump-authoritarianism-democracy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Fk8.FdrP.pvuxCrXOS6Fj&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Every time I hear the tangerine dictator speak I’m reminded of what grandma always said: ‘The empty can makes the most noise’.
It didn’t really make sense to me until Trump ran for office in 2015.
Secy of State #MarcoRubio outlined plans to drastically reorganize the #State dept, saying it was “beholden to radical political ideology.” The overhaul at the nation’s diplomatic agency will include the elimination of the office of the under secretary for #civilian #security, #democracy & #HumanRights.
#State #NationalSecurity #law #ConspiracyTheories
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/us/politics/state-department-cuts-rubio.html?smid=url-share
#Trump’s Newest Crackdown on #Dissent
[BS] Assault charges against a #Democratic member of #Congress look more like #intimidation than #law enforcement.
#Trump #authoritarianism #autocracy #tyranny #law #democracy #UnitedStates #Constitution #SlouchingTowardsBethlehem
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/05/lamonica-mciver-charged-justice-department/682864/?gift=guxsrl_dAdXUP9zqbQPWxX9kdA2YiTSgORe70HZMPrU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
“Palestinian Liberation has always shown us that everything is interconnected.”
Out today in Deceleration: San Marcos' city council wouldn't acknowledge the genocide in #Gaza, so Amanda Rodriguez ran for city council and won. My interview with her and others from Palestine Solidarity SMTX. https://deceleration.news/gaza-ceasefire-vote-a-first-in-texas-san-marcos/
#Texas #politics #USpol #news #GregAbbott #Palestine #democracy #solidarity #activism
#AUTOCRACY NOW!
#CurtisYarvin’s calls for an American king once seemed like a joke. Today, the right is ready to bend the knee.
#USpol #law #democracy #Constitution #authoritarianism #tyranny #FarRight #Trump #AmericanAutocracy
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/06/09/curtis-yarvin-profile?utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=tny
…after the US #military announced that 700 #Marines would join the now 5,000 #NationalGuard #troops in #LosAngeles on Wednesday, escalat[ing] the [admin’s unlawful] military response — an exceedingly rare use of active-duty #troops on #domestic soil — #Trump suggested on Tues that the #LAprotests were petering out, & gave himself credit. “By doing what I did, I stopped the violence in LA.”
#law #immigration #ICE #PosseComitatusAct #democracy #Constitution #RightToProtest
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/11/us/los-angeles-protests-trump-ice/heres-the-latest?smid=url-share
Freedom House awarded its 2025 Beacon Award to the government and civil society of Taiwan for their "steadfast efforts to protect their own vibrant democracy, and to support the global struggle for freedom, in the face of escalating pressure from the Chinese Communist Party."
https://freedomhouse.org/article/freedom-house-announces-2025-award-recipients
Well, the #PosseComitatusAct has officially been violated.
#NationalGuard troops have detained #civilians in #LAprotests, commander says
National Guard troops already have temporarily detained civilians in the #LosAngeles #protests over #immigration raids, the commander in charge said Wednesday, but they quickly turned them over to *#LawEnforcement* [the 30 second rule is only for food fools].
#Trump #law #democracy #RightToProtest #authoritarianism #tyranny #Gestapo
https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-immigration-raids-los-angeles-c9957a0d4ded48e40ce78efb0b7a8fbf
CNN:
Newsom's blistering speech on Trump:
“He's declared a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally, are vanishing. He's delegitimizing news organization and he's assaulting the First Amendment… He's dictating what universities themselves can teach, he's targeting law firms and the judicial branches that are the foundations of an orderly and civil society."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=linJzM49ldI
Latest comic on "solving" the problem of fascism by insulting the very people trying to fight it.
To those who are participating in a #NoKings #protest tomorrow, thank you for standing up for #democracy. 💙 Please stay nonviolent, know your exits, and know your rights. Above all, please stay safe, my friends. ❤️
No Kings: https://www.nokings.org
Know Your Rights: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights
Safe Protesting: https://www.hrc.org/resources/tips-for-preparedness-peaceful-protesting-and-safety
#ResistFascism #SaveDemocracy #ACLU #KnowYourRights #HumanRightsCampaign
It’s understandable that some feel uneasy or frightened ahead of tomorrow’s nationwide NO KINGS protests.
Some will stay home, not knowing whether they can exercise their civil liberties safely.
But, honestly, the FEAR some are feeling is THE REASON these protests are necessary.
#Trump to Send #NationalGuard to #LA to *Quell* #Immigration #Protests
Federal immigration officials squared off with protesters in #LosAngeles County on Saturday using #TearGas & #FlashBang #grenades. The unrest comes just a day after #ICE #raids were conducted through the city of Los Angeles.
#law #democracy #RightToProtest #FreedomOfAssembly #authoritarianism #tyranny #Gestapo #AmericanAutocracy
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/07/us/la-immigration-raid-protests?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
#Republican *lawmakers* & #Trump admin ofcls lined up on Sun morning to support Trump’s decision to activate 2k members of the #California #NationalGuard to #LosAngeles as part of a crackdown on #protests over #immigration enforcement.
Trump’s decision to deploy #troops came in direct opposition to the wishes of Gov #GavinNewsom & #LA Mayor #KarenBass, both #Democrats, who said that local authorities have it under control.
#law #Title10 #democracy #RightToProtest
https://www.notus.org/us-news/republicans-line-up-to-back-trumps-l-a-national-guard-deployment
‘Wildly underprepared’: #NationalGuard troops sleeping on floors
The #troops — whose makeshift quarters are shown in photographs exclusively obtained by the Chronicle — arrived WITHOUT federal funding for #food, #water, #fuel, #equipment or #lodging, said the source, who was granted confidentiality under SF Chronicle policies. This person said #state ofcls & the #California National Guard were not to blame.
#Trump #law #democracy #RightToProtest #LosAngeles #immigration
https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/national-guard-california-photos-20368334.php
#Trump is currently [live now] repeating #ConspiracyTheories from the Oval Office
about the protesters in #LosAngeles, saying they are “paid” by #Democrats. Total #disinformation.
#FactCheck #TrumpLies #propaganda #law #democracy #RightToProtest
US #protests against #Trump & his tyrannical #immigration raids — photos from the AP
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#law #Title10 #PosseComitatusAct #democracy #RightToProtest #FreedomOfAssembly #authoritarianism #tyranny #Gestapo #AmericanAutocracy #LosAngeles #ICE #NationalGuard #Marines #USTroops