We're Paying Big Oil to Kill the Earth Combine political corruption with climate-change denial and what do you get? Trump's love affair with Big Oil Robert Reich Sep 9 Friends, Which is the worst industry in America? If you’re thinking Crypto or Big Finance, you’re getting close. But the winner for the most disreputable industry is Big Oil. Bad enough it’s despoiling our planet — making life miserable for hundreds of millions of people and literally threatening human life as we know it. It’s also corrupting our democracy — using its profits to bribe people in high places, such as you-know-who. It’s at the center of an ecological and political doom loop. Every time you go to the gas pump or heat your home, you’re effectively being charged twice. First, you pay for the actual cost of the fuel itself — a cost that has risen 46 percent since 2019. Second, as a taxpayer you’re also footing the bill for the billions of dollars Big Oil gets through special subsidies and tax breaks — which are ballooning under Trump. These handouts don’t go towards lowering prices for us. They help boost oil and gas companies' profits — at the expense of your wallet and our planet. All told, Big Oil already extracts about $35 billion dollars a year from the federal budget in direct industry specific tax breaks and subsidies. Trump promised Big Oil even more in return for supporting his 2024 election bid. In their big ugly tax bill, Trump and Republicans handed Big Oil an additional $18 billion in giveaways over the next 10 years. That includes the ability of oil and gas corporations to escape or limit the 15 percent minimum tax all corporations are required to pay. Big Oil also gets to drill on more public lands and pay less in royalties to the U.S. for doing so. Fossil fuel giants also gain from the roll-back of clean energy tax credits and investments. These had been lowering your energy costs, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, reducing our dependence on oil and gas, and limiting climate change. But, hey, Big Oil wanted them gone, and — presto — they’re gone. And what does Big Oil do with its big profits? It spends billions juicing its own stock prices with stock buybacks to further enrich its major shareholders and top executives. And spends millions more paying off politicians in Congress to do its bidding. In the last election cycle, Big Oil spent $445 million. That flood of money — including contributions to Trump’s campaign — is responsible for the latest round of Big Oil’s special tax breaks and subsidies, despite voters overwhelmingly wanting to end them. While we continue to pay through the nose at the pump and on our home energy bills, the climate crisis is accelerating and our planet is being polluted — with natural disasters costing the U.S. over $180 billion in 2024 alone. It doesn’t have to be this way. Big Oil’s agenda is not popular. It’s also not inevitable. We can fight back. The first step is spreading the truth about our giveaways to Big Oil. That’s why I and my talented young associates made the video at the top of this page — to give you a powerful visual version of what I’m writing about, which you can share widely. We need to keep fighting to get big money out of politics so we can reduce Big Oil’s influence on our democracy. And we need to advocate for our taxpayer dollars to be spent on programs that actually deliver for people — like investing in clean energy that reduces our energy bills and protects the environment. This is the future we deserve. When (and if) we’re back in power, Big Oil will pay the price.

Markers for Democracy What are you doing tonight? Joyce Vance Sep 9 Tonight, around 8:15 ET, I’ll be joining Markers For Democracy for a conversation about their work and my book, due out October 21, Giving Up Is Unforgivable. Markers For Democracy is the amazing group that uses lots of colorful markers to write the postcards they motivate voters with. Markers For Democracy was born in the aftermath of the 2016 election, when two friends, who had been writing Postcards To Voters on their own, decided to meet at a local coffee shop to write postcards together. I know many of you have been writing with them in past elections, and others will want to join them, which you can do here. What started in September 2018 with two friends soon became five, ten, twenty-five, fifty, and more. Today, Markers For Democracy is a community of over 6,000 grassroots activists from most states, dedicated to electing Democrats up and down the ballot nationwide, protecting democracy, and educating our members and the public about voting and democracy. They write postcards to boost Democratic voter turnout, phonebank and textbank, and work to educate voters and communities. I’m excited to join them tonight and hope you will too! Register/Join at this link. We’ll be starting soon! We’re in this together, Joyce

FOCUS: Mark Joseph Stern | The Supreme Court Just Let ICE Detain Americans Based on Race

 

09 September 25

THE 11TH HOUR ON FUNDING FOR RSN — We must cover costs this week. We’ve been losing money every month this year and we are out of money now. The time has come to make a stand. I know we can do this.
Marc Ash • Founder, Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

FOCUS: Mark Joseph Stern | The Supreme Court Just Let ICE Detain Americans Based on Race
Mark Joseph Stern, Slate
Stern writes: "On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use racial profiling in its militarized immigration raids across Los Angeles, halting an injunction that had barred officers from targeting Latinos based on ethnicity."

 

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The Epstein Scandal Got Much Worse for Trump and Republicans with Lev Parnas and Zev Shalev

A recording from Lev Parnas and THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali's live video

Lev Parnas, THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali, and Zev Shalev Sep 9

Join me live with Wajahat Ali and Zev Shalev as we go deep into the explosive Epstein Birthday Book—the very pages that tie Donald Trump straight into Epstein’s world. We’re breaking down what the media is not reporting, exposing the signatures, the letters, the checks, and the cover-up they’re all scrambling to deny. This is Trump’s playbook—the same one he learned from Roy Cohn—deny, deflect, and lie. But we’re here to put the truth in front of you, unfiltered.

Remember this movement doesn’t survive without you. Stand with me and keep our voices strong. Subscribe, spread this message far and wide, and if you can, please become a paid subscriber and contribute. Every share, every restack, every single person you bring into this fight helps us push back against the lies and keep the truth alive.

This movement doesn’t survive without you. Stand with me and keep our voices strong. And if you can, become a paid subscriber and contribute:

• Venmo: @Lev-Parnas

• PayPal: @LevParnas

• Zelle: therealLevParnas@gmail.com

I don’t have billionaires or corporate media sponsors behind me. But I have you. Together we are the ones speaking truth to power, carrying the voices of those who can’t speak for themselves, and refusing to let the truth be buried. This movement is about more than politics—it’s about justice, survival, and giving a megaphone to the silenced.

And if you haven’t picked up a copy of my book Shadow Diplomacy yet, you can get it at LevRemembers.com. It’s the story Trump never wanted you to know—his playbook exposed.

-Lev Parnas

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A guest post by THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali The Left Hook is a thoroughly opinionated and biased intellectual playground for people who enjoy political, cultural, and religious hot takes without corporate censorship and nonsense centrism.

A guest post by Zev Shalev Daily dispatches from the frontlines of the war on democracy from ex-CBS News EP. 'Rarely wrong, often ahead, and effective in ways history may yet fully credit.'

 

Watch now

Watch: Texas Has a Fighter. His Name Is James Talarico.

Texas State Rep. Joins the Race for US Senate

Scott Dworkin and James Talarico Sep 9

Texas State Rep. James Talarico just announced today that he’s running for the US Senate, and he came on our show to spread the word.

I hope you enjoy the interview!

If you haven’t already—be sure to sign up as a paid subscriber today. It helps me keep delivering the great news daily, and rallying the resistance for the fight against Trump:

Onward!

Scott

P.S. Help this news break through the noise—like this post by hitting the heart, and re-stack using the ♻️ button below!

A guest post by James Talarico Texas State Representative, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian running for the U.S. Senate to take power back for working people.

Thanks for your support! Another way to help us out is by gifting subscriptions to friends and family! You can get yours by clicking the link or button below:

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For all contact Congress links, or to volunteer, you can go here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-watchdog-coalition

You can visit Talarico's website here: https://jamestalarico.com/

NEW: Tell Congress: Pass the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act: https://tinyurl.com/3yfw2m7a

NEW: Tell Congress: Demand Kennedy Resign: https://tinyurl.com/2324bmrh

Tell Congress: Demand answers about Trump’s visibly deteriorating health: https://tinyurl.com/sk9xm38v

Tell Congress: Protect our use of voting by mail: https://tinyurl.com/bde676xm

Tell Congress to push back on Trump’s DC takeover: https://tinyurl.com/2jpp94yk

Tell Congress to support law to unmask ICE: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82

Tell Congress save the National Weather Service: https://tinyurl.com/bdbur8df

Tell Congress to investigate the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking case: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f

Links to everything we are doing: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/how-were-fighting-trump

Hello and As-Salaam-Alaikum to each of you. We are now the #2 trending news platform on all of Substack, but we are ranked 13th in paid members. To continue our work, please consider chipping in and becoming a monthly or annual member, OK? 🙏🏽 Home from surgery, healing, thankful for you Family, I’m back home after surgery on my hand and arm. Recovery won’t be easy, but I will not stop this work. Shaun King Sep 9 🙏🏽 Home, Healing, and Thankful for You 🚨 Family, I just got home from surgery to repair severe nerve damage in my right hand and arm. The pain has been brutal, and typing has been nearly impossible, but the doctors say this procedure was necessary to give me a chance at healing. This work — my writing, our community, the fight for truth — only survives if we keep building it together. Please, right now, become a monthly, annual, or founding member today. The North Star with Shaun King is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Recovery and Resolve Family, I won’t sugarcoat it: surgery is tough. I’ve already had two major surgeries this year and have one more scheduled for next month. My body is tired, and recovery will take time. But my mind is sharp, and my commitment to this work has never been stronger. For months, the nerve damage in my arm and hand has made it nearly impossible to type. Every word you’ve read from me lately has been written in pain, with voice-to-text, or in short bursts. This surgery was my best chance to restore function and relieve the pain. And now, as I begin healing, I want you to know that I will not stop. The truth about Gaza, about Epstein, about power and injustice — it will keep coming. I promise to not overdo it, but I will work the most I can while still focusing on recovery. Gratitude I am soooooooooo grateful for every prayer, every message, every act of solidarity. I feel them. They help sustain me. I am grateful for this community — not corporate, not billionaire-funded, but built by people who care about justice, who care about truth, who care about each other. Together, we are proving that independent, fearless journalism can survive. Why Membership Matters Family, as I heal, I need you with me. The stories I write — exposing genocide, corruption, hypocrisy — they are free for all, but they are not free to create. If you believe this work must survive, if you believe we cannot let silence win, then I’m asking you — please become a monthly, annual, or founding member. Together, we will keep pushing truth into the light. Love and appreciate each of you. Your friend and brother, Shaun FYI: Please read, learn, comment, share, and subscribe. Here are three recent free pieces I wrote: 💔 Israel and America Killed All of These Kids Today. And I'm Going to Make You See Them. Shaun King · Sep 7 💔 Family, today’s piece will break your heart. Israel and America killed so many children in Gaza over the past 24 hours and I refuse to let their deaths be erased or hidden. This work only survives if we face this truth together — please become a monthly Read full story 🚨 BREAKING: Trump’s Snuff Film May Have Killed Migrants, Not Traffickers. Trump administration keeps changing their story. Shaun King · Sep 5 Read full story 🔥 Israel’s History of False Flags: Assassinations, Massacres, and Blame Shifted to Arabs and Muslims Shaun King · Sep 2 Family, if you value fearless journalism that exposes what the powerful want buried, I need you standing with me. Please become a member today — monthly, annual, or founding — so we can keep telling the truth together.The North Star with Shaun King is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or p… Read full story