Christopher Martell

What We Talk About When We Talk About ‘Normalizing’ Donald Trump A political science professor weighs in. By Jared Keller (Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr) Ever since Donald Trump eked out…

Voters who returned Trump to office were always actually motivated by racism, xenophobia, queerphobia, and misogyny. When hate is normalized (as it was 2016), it becomes invisible to many. "Economy" became the new convenient code word for why people supported him in 2024. psmag.com/news/what-we...

Trump again presses Congress on voter bill, says he will not sign other legislation U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to withhold his signature from ​any other legislation until Congress passes a Republican-backed voting bill, the latest escalation in his push to ‌impo...

The SAVE America Act is a voter suppression scam that would make it harder for working people to vote.

The Senate must protect our democracy and our voting rights and reject this bill so we can make our voices heard at the ballot box.

VIDEO REMOVED BY NPS: History of the Lowell Mills Industrial Revolution YouTube video by Senator Markey

I encourage everyone to watch and spread the censored videos (this is what the Trump administration doesn't want you to see-a historically accurate and frankly a bit mundane video on the history of immigration and labor rights in Lowell). youtu.be/PhfN-c_Qv3o?...

History is being erased in Lowell - The Boston Globe Videos about exploited 19th-century mill workers have been removed from Lowell National Historical Park following President Trump’s executive order.

History lives in all of us. No government can erase that. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/06/o...

The Wall Street Journal has this excellent investigative report on the Trump administration's war on peaceful protesters. Important read (reminder that WSJ is the U.S.'s conservative newspaper of record). Gift link to full article in @tj-stiles.bsky.social's post.

... working in uneasy but effective collaboration with traditional elites, abandons democratic liberties and pursues with redemptive violence and without ethical or legal restraints goals of internal cleansing and external expansion.

Fascism from historian Robert Paxton: A form of political behavior marked by obsessive preoccupation with community decline, humiliation, or victimhood and by compensatory cults of unity, energy, and purity, in which a mass-based party of committed nationalist militants ...

‘A very dangerous person’: alarm as Pete Hegseth revels in carnage of Iran war Critics say brash, bombastic Fox News host out of his depth to guide US military through murky new Middle East conflict

If this is not fascism, I am not sure what is. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Graphic: How grocery prices have changed since Trump took office NBC News is tracking changes in the prices of eggs, bread, ground beef, chicken and other grocery items to monitor the impact on consumers’ food bills.

And more on this... www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

Trump Doesn’t Understand Inflation Having promised to lower living costs, the president seems keen to make American life more expensive.

More on this... www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Column | How to war-proof your budget before regular gas hits $4 a gallon As the Iran conflict leads to rising gas prices, these tips can help you save money and maintain some budget predictability.

Remember when all those people voted for Trump in 2024 because they thought he was better for the economy (inflation, grocery affordability, gas prices, etc.). Of course, it was never really about that and most of us knew it. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

$3.7 Billion: Estimated Cost of Epic Fury’s First 100 Hours Operation Epic Fury costs nearly $900 million per day, driven by the large expenditure of munitions. Because most of this is not in the budget, the Pentagon will soon need to ask for more money.

Never forget that the U.S. can always find money for war, but not for education, health care, or to help those in need. This is 100% a choice. And it is 100% the wrong one. www.csis.org/analysis/37-...

Aug. 19, 1953: U.S. and Britain Topple Democratically Elected Government of Iran Democratically elected Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadegh was removed from power in a coup.

History teachers: How are you contextualizing the U.S. war on Iran with your students? Consider covering the 1953 CIA coup overthrowing the democratically-elected Mossadegh government? Here is a good summary (with sources) from @zinnedproject.bsky.social. www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ir...

Boston marks 256th anniversary of the Boston Massacre with Crispus Attucks Day YouTube video by WCVB Channel 5 Boston

Today, the city of Boston honored Crispus Attucks and this local news story made a nice connection between his life and death with events in our current era. youtu.be/ekxPICYAq9w?...

How immigration enforcement is affecting a Framingham kindergarten classroom The Framingham school district enrolled 719 fewer students compared to last school year, a "significant drop," said superintendent Bob Tremblay. While there are other factors driving the decline, the ...

This story is about the city where I was a high school teacher. Everyone should read it to understand how the Trump administration's use of ICE is harming children, families, and communities. It is just wrong and needs to stop. www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

We are looking for middle and high school History, Social Studies, and Ethnic Studies teachers throughout the country to participate in a collaborative local history project for the 2026-27 school year. Curriculum, instruction, and professional development will be supported throughout this program with funding from the Library of Congress. Stipend for completing the program: $2,500 INTERESTED? APPLY HERE(link is external) by April 17, 2026 TEACHER OPPORTUNITY - LEARN MORE Program Components - Teachers will: Participate in a 3-Day summer institute June 29-July 1, 2026. Participate in 3 Saturday planning workshops: 2026-2027 school year (dates tbd). Develop and teach an approximately two-week long collaborative local history unit or lesson set. Participate in planning sessions with your partner teacher as needed. Participate in 2 coaching sessions during the 2026-27 school year. Participate in one follow-up session to debrief and reflect upon work and plan for possible future collaboration. Overall estimated time commitment beyond classroom teaching: approximately 35-40 hours.

Social studies teachers (anywhere in the U.S.)! Want to participate in a Library of Congress workshop where you will create units on local history and get paid $2,500? APPLY HERE: iacp.berkeley.edu/node/67 #sschat #edusky

N.H. House advances bill targeting 'indoctrination' in public schools The "CHARLIE Act" would bar classroom instruction about critical race theory, LGBTQ+ issues and history, and Marxist analyses.

I am very confused. Wasn't Charlie Kirk the world's greatest supporter of free speech? Oh right, they have always meant free speech for them and not for others (because they are fascists). www.boston.com/news/educati...

Trump has put Christian nationalists in key roles – say a prayer for free speech Experts warn that a specific brand of Christianity will be prioritized and lead to a ‘further dismantling’ of institutions

More on this... www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The Iran War Is God’s Plan, Say U.S. Military Leaders (Who Believe Trump Was Anointed by Jesus) Didn’t the Bible tell us to beware false prophets?

This is what a white Christian nationalist government looks like. Military leaders fighting wars and hoping for a return of Jesus (If you have read the Bible, I'm pretty sure Jesus opposes all wars). www.esquire.com/news-politic...

The Iran War Is God’s Plan, Say U.S. Military Leaders (Who Believe Trump Was Anointed by Jesus) Didn’t the Bible tell us to beware false prophets?

This is what a white Christian nationalist government looks like. Military leaders fighting wars and hoping for a return of Jesus (If you have read the Bible, I'm pretty sure Jesus opposes all wars). www.esquire.com/news-politic...

US-Israeli strike on girls' school kills at least 85 students, Iran's judiciary says At least 85 students have been killed in US-Israeli strikes that hit an Iranian girls' school in Hormozgan province, Iran's judiciary said on Saturday. Washington has not commented on the reported str...

“The greatest purveyor of violence in the world, my own government.” -Martin Luther King www.france24.com/en/asia-paci...

A world on edge as Trump bombs Iran and triggers war in the Middle East. There was no need for this | Simon Tisdall We cannot know where this foolish, reckless attack will end – but new hatreds will be seeded, terrorist vendettas sown and, ultimately, little will be achieved, says Guardian foreign affairs commentat...

This guy said he should get a Nobel Peace Prize (and that Iran's nuclear capabilities were "obliterated" in June)?

"Trump poses an exponentially greater danger to Americans and the world." -Former Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes #NoWarWithIran

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency Activists who say they are in coordination with the White House are circulating a draft executive order that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.

This should terrify everyone who believes in free and fair elections, and frankly U.S. democracy. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Social studies teachers: How are you approaching U.S. authoritarianism in your classrooms? Are there discussions about ways to save democracy? What are the reactions of your students? Here is an article with some recent international examples that may be helpful for your students. #sschat #edusky

How to stop a dictator I spent months studying how authoritarians like Trump lose. The answer is shockingly simple.

A good read on how Brazil, South Korea, and Poland stopped their authoritarians and lessons it may teach the resistance to Trump here in the United States. Spoiler: opposition parties, courts, and especially protesters are important. www.vox.com/politics/479...

Businesses Push for Tariff Refunds as Trump Aides Hint at Fight to Come

Trump's tariffs are basically stealing from the people and giving to corporations. You are paying the cost of his poorly conceived and unconstitutional tariff scheme. If corporations receive these refunds, they will most definitely not pass it on to you. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/b...

Analyzing the Messages of the State of the Union Address

Teachers: Will you be showing the #SOTU to your students? How will you approach it? If not, why not? In these dangerous times for democracy, important to help students be analytical. I wrote this about it years ago with my friend Mark Kissling. #edusky #sschat www.socialstudies.org/social-educa...

Why I’m not watching the State of the Union – and you shouldn’t either | Robert Reich Trump doesn’t deserve our attention. And we already know the state of the union – it sucks

Appreciate this opinion piece from Robert Reich. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

What you need to know about tonight's State of the Union address The prime-time address is a chance for the president to tout his record ahead of this year's midterm elections. But it comes at a moment when Trump has seen his agenda complicated on multiple fronts.

I won't be watching a fascist give an unnecessarily long rambling speech tonight (especially since this reality star only cares about ratings and self-enrichment). I encourage you to do the same. #SOTUBoycott www.npr.org/2026/02/24/n...

Out of the Ashes: Building a New American Democracy Out of this moment of fear and uncertainty comes the chance to imagine a democracy that has never fully existed.

This is the moment where we must reimagine the United States. Important read from Hasan Kwame Jeffries. We should have hope for a different possible future in these dark times here. www.splcenter.org/resources/st...