Today I had the opportunity to speak with Gay Valimont, the Democratic nominee running in the Florida special election to fill Matt Gaetz’s former House seat.

In this extremely crucial race, Democrats have the fundraising advantage seven times over, and hope it’s enough to swing this extremely red district. A win for Valimont would eliminate the GOP’s already-slim majority, and potentially make for a colossal shift of power in Congress.

Gay told me her very touching personal story, gave an update on the state of the race, and shared some inspiring words for everyone fighting back against Trump that you won’t want to miss.

In case you missed, check out the video from my first ever live good-news-briefing—where I highlight great stories that prove we’re not alone in this fight against tyranny.

I thought it would be a good way for everyone to refresh after another long week of dealing with Musk and Trump’s nonsense.

Recently, I had the privilege of doing a live chat here on Substack with Anne Applebaum, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic. We discussed the alarming tyranny of the Trump Administration, as well as the glaring parallels with autocratic regimes throughout history.

Applebaum warned: “Democracies often fail not with coups, but when elected leaders manipulate state institutions.” Applebaum also explained that Trump’s determination to politicize and weaponize the federal government is “how most democracies fail. Elected leaders unlevel the playing field, not with coups—but through manipulation.”

We talked about Ukraine, Russian propaganda, and heard Anne’s unique perspective on today’s political upheaval. Applebaum also urged us to stay vigilant and proactive, saying: “Stay engaged. Call your Congressman, call your Senators … and make a plan to be involved in local politics.”

I hope you enjoy it!

All of our funding comes from our paid subscribers, right here on Substack. We don’t have outside investors, and we remain ad-free. So if you’re able, please join us as one today:

Onward,

Scott

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On Monday I had the great pleasure of speaking with legendary activist Jessica Craven. It was beyond inspiring. Everyone should take the time to watch this, and get fired up about the fight ahead of us.

One of my favorite moments was when Craven said: “Right, I'm a lib, you want to hate me, fine. For one second, take a break from the hate, which is just poisoning you, by the way. It's not hurting me. And look up at the people who have both of their shoes on our necks. And if we can join together in that fight…we can win. Because the many, is more powerful than the money.”

We talked about Republican attempts to cut Medicaid, DOGE’s tyranny, and about the importance of fighting back in every way we can.

Craven told me: “watching people find ways to fight back is incredibly inspiring. I believe in my people…We might have been a little slow to rouse ourselves, I think, because mostly we were just in shock. But I like what I'm seeing. And I expect to see a lot more of it.”

And we aim to do just that. Each and every day we are taking on Trump, Musk, and DOGE. We’re running one of the largest contact Congress campaigns out there, and cutting through the noise to give you the the truth—with our daily positive news brief.

All of our funding comes from our paid subscribers, right here on Substack. So if you haven’t yet, and you’re able, please join us as one today:

Onward!

Scott

Last week I spoke with former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, who recently left MSNBC to join Substack. Glenn shared how he’s still fighting back against Trump, and gave me his take on Pam Bondi, the Eric Adams case, and all of the ongoing maga madness.

He told me: “Call all of your elected officials, write them, text them, email them. Do it early and often. Do it repeatedly. Everybody from your local city council to your US Senator, because pressure bursts pipes.”

Yesterday I spoke with former US Rep. Beto O'Rourke, to get his take on everything that’s happening right now with the Trump and Musk madness.

Beto gave me an update on his latest efforts, told me what he plans to do next, and urged our listeners to continue standing up, and making their voices heard.

“Just put yourself in the mind of the generations to come,” Beto said. “Your great, great grandkids who are gonna be looking back at us, the people of 2025. And they're gonna say…‘what did you do? Did you just step back and let it happen...Did you wait for some cavalry to ride to our rescue? Or did you get up and get after it, and do whatever you could with what you had, where you were?’”

I hope you enjoy! Also, all of our funding comes from our paid subscribers, right here on Substack. So if you haven’t yet, and you’re able, please join us as one today:

Onward!

Scott

Don’t forget to like, re-stack, share this post, and leave a comment!

Today I spoke with former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, to get his take on all of the latest madness with his old boss.

Cohen talks about who he thinks is really in control between Trump, Elon, and Project 2025. He also shares his thoughts on what’s going to happen next, and why he decided to join Substack. You won’t want to miss this live conversation.

Just before the 2020 election, I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Martin Luther King, III. Though the nation was in a very different place then, it’s still pertinent today.

You can listen to the full interview at the top of this page.

Here are some highlights:

About the importance of voting as a path to equality:

“Again, I can't say enough why it's important for us to cast our votes. Why it's important for us to change those who are in the majority in the United States Senate. When more of us vote, then we elect different people to office, who understand and will represent and make sure that everyone is included, and no one is excluded.”

“We have to work for change. We have to pray for change. We have to be the change. And if love is not yet won, then the victory is not yet won.”

On the damage done to America by Trump:

“(Trump) stokes. It's almost like a fire exists, and instead of putting water on it to suppress the fire, you put lighter fluid on it to make it even more. And that's his rhetoric does that. And it creates that climate all over.”

“(Trump’s) not talking about peace at all. And so it's no wonder everyone is acting crazy because you have leadership at the top that is not exhibiting strong, stable, unifying leadership.”

“(Trump) has done everything he can to divide our nation. To segregate our nation. President Obama was a bridge builder. (The Trump) Administration is basically not a bridge builder, but they are building walls to separate and segregate people.”

On the American Spirit:

“What we find in the American spirit is people come wanting to help. They don't ask you if you're a Democrat, if you're Republican, or if you're independent, they don’t ask you if you're gay or straight. They don't ask you if you're Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Buddhist or Jewish. They just want to help you get out of that tragic condition and help you move to another level…

That's the heart that exists within the human spirit of Americans. And that's what we have to constantly figure out, how do we elevate that all the time? So that humankind treats humankind with humanity, with justice, with dignity, with respect.

That's what my father would want. That's what my mother would want. That's what I want for our country and my daughter and generations yet unborn.”

Like I said—inspirational.

Onward,

Scott

All of our work is funded by our paid subscribers, so if you haven’t yet, please join us as one today:

What are your thoughts and hopes for our future?

This podcast episode was produced by the legendary Grant Stern.

Thanks so much to everyone who joined my live video chat with Allison Gill aka MuellerSheWrote earlier this week.

We talked about the new post-election reality, and what we’re doing to fight back against Trump and corporate media. We also answered some questions from the live comments.

Allison is a powerhouse, and I’m proud she’s a part of our Watchdog Coalition.

After the election would a Trump loss make Project 2025 disappear? How will Project 2025 impact you personally? And what key dangers should we be on the lookout for?

Author Andra Watkins joins me in this live chat to answer those questions and more.