February 11, 2017

Week 13

Given that we’re 13 weeks into this tracking exercise, starting this week I’ll be adding a section at the bottom of the list: “Some Things We’ve Already Normalized.” The goal is to remind us of items in the early lists, that at the time were unprecedented and shocking, but have long since been accepted and forgotten. We must remember what normal used to be in order to resist, and find our way back — and so we begin!

February 04, 2017

Week 12

An observation on Week 12: several of the most important items in this very long list are the ones not getting coverage: including Ukraine, and the many abuses of power to silence dissent and stomp on ethics. Conflicts of interest abound, unfettered.

January 28, 2017

Week 11

This week was chaos. Journalist Dan Rather described it as “the Twilight Zone,” and author Stephen King, “The ugliest first week of a presidency in the history of the American republic.” This week, there were numerous articles about Trump transforming America into an authoritarian state.

January 21, 2017

Week 10

An observation: this week’s list includes two articles, one by McClatchy and one by the NYT, with breaking news on Russian interference in our election, including possible Trump team complicity. Both articles are shocking and disturbing, yet garnered little attention. It’s as if the American people are losing faith and trust in our institutions, and giving up that there will be accountability and consequences.

January 14, 2017

Week 9

This was not a good week for our country: this is the longest, and most troubling list. I want to note that the purpose of the authoritarian list is to highlight subtle changes, and so business as usual, as upsetting as it may be — like the GOP’s attempt to repeal the ACA — are not covered.