Tremendous WSJ story today about what sounds a lot like an extortion/bribery operation run out of the White House, with Trump shaking down CEOs for money in exchange/as a condition for getting access and favors. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Exclusive | ‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation

Meredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out the president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects.

wsj.com

TODAY! We added more tix--they're going fast: 7:00 PM ET: Virtual screening, Democracy Under Siege (55 min) 7:55 PM ET: Conversation Steven Levitsky ("How Democracies Die") & Maria McFarland, moderated by Eric Umansky (ProPublica) + Q&A Join us! Free tix here: kinema.com/events/Democ...

Democracy Under Siege - RepresentUs Special Screening & Panel Discussion

Get tickets for the virtual screening of Democracy Under Siege

kinema.com

Gobsmacking admission of abuse of power: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

Join us on Thursday, July 30, at 7:00 PM ET for a special free virtual screening of Democracy Under Siege, followed by a live panel discussion featuring @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social, Steven Levitsky, moderated by @ericumansky.bsky.social.

When you see the story about how the world now has its first trillionaire, and when you see the story about how laboratories in Congo have run out of supplies to test for Ebola, it is important to understand that in many ways these are the same story.

New from @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social: we've seen what happens when politicians in other countries sink to this level of blatant corruption. Congress must make a choice to stop this slush fund for good.

The IRS Slush Fund Is a Test. Too Many Republicans Are Failing It.

The coming reckoning that Congress needs to think about.

therenovator.substack.com

Congress needs to act now to block Trump's corrupt IRS slush fund — not wait on rumors he'll scrap it. Republicans enabling this should beware: I've watched corrupt networks in Peru and Colombia look invulnerable right until prosecutors came knocking. open.substack.com/pub/therenov...

The IRS Slush Fund Is a Test. Too Many Republicans Are Failing It.

The coming reckoning that Congress needs to think about.

open.substack.com

Work with me in the fight against corruption! At @RepresentUs we're hiring a Senior Writer & Press Manager. We're a scrappy, friendly team working for a govt accountable to the people, not just the powerful. If you're a strong writer with media experience, apply! represent.us/careers/?/f3...

Careers | RepresentUs

We are the nation’s leading right-left anti-corruption organization. We are hard at work fixing America’s corrupt political system. Join us.

represent.us

Trump's IRS "settlement" may be his most corrupt yet--self-dealing to avoid future audits, using 1.8BN in taxpayer funds to reward allies, likely including Jan. 6 rioters. All congress members should sound more like Sen. Chris Van Hollen grilling Todd Blanche yesterday: youtu.be/v-Lo4wLcQrU?...

Todd Blanche is 'still acting' as Trump's 'personal lawyer,' Van Hollen says after $1.7B fund

YouTube video by Associated Press

youtu.be

Congress promised investigations of DHS abuse. We need to hold them to it. Check out our video collab on what’s at stake and how you can take action now! www.instagram.com/reel/DYP_T8Z...

Eliza Orlins on Instagram: "Republicans in Congress promised investigations into DHS abuses. We’re still waiting. We need the truth, not just about individual agents responsible, but also about who o...

1,732 likes, 69 comments - eorlins on May 12, 2026: "Republicans in Congress promised investigations into DHS abuses. We’re still waiting. We need the truth, not just about individual agents responsi...

instagram.com

We can all influence Congress—not just lobbyists. On May 13, @represent.us will host a training on how to make Congress show courage and hold power to account. Sign up and join our community: represent.us/ccccall26 . Huge thanks to artist & friend Max Carver for spreading the word.

Today's Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais is the latest blow in a system where both parties have raced to gerrymander maps and entrench their own power — and proof that our courts will not stop even the most egregious racial discrimination. Congress needs to act, and we have a plan. 1/2

Sadly, it’s necessary to keep repeating this. I’ve seen the devastating impacts of political violence abroad. Nobody should want or support that for the United States. open.substack.com/pub/mariamcf...

I’ve Lived Through Political Violence--We Don’t Want It Here

We Need to Double Down on Democracy, not Give Up on It

open.substack.com

The US may already be a captured state: one where corruption is systemic and where, despite democratic processes, government serves private interests. Yet I know from personal experience that there are ways out. My latest on Democracy Without Exception: substack.com/home/post/p-... @represent.us

I’ve Seen State Capture Swallow Countries—But It’s Not Inevitable

Clawing Our Way Out Requires Confronting Corruption’s Deep Roots

substack.com

Wannabe autocrats who start to lose popular support often become more repressive. On cue, DOJ's announcement today it indicted SPLC for paying informants (work it did in collaboration with the FBI!) is a brazen effort to intimidate critics & civil rights groups. www.youtube.com/watch?v=25dl...

A Beacon of Hope in the Fight Against Hate and Extremism

YouTube video by Southern Poverty Law Center

youtube.com

1. The central claim in the indictment of SPLC is a lie. The DOJ/FBI accuse SPLC of lying to donors about seeking to “dismantle” extremist groups while secretly funding them. But the funds were used to infiltrate & help law enforcement dismantle these groups. Kash Patel knows this is the truth…

Federal Grand Jury Charges Southern Poverty Law Center for Wire Fraud, False Statements, and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

A Grand Jury in Montgomery, Alabama, today returned an indictment charging the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspi...

justice.gov

“In Hungary, it is not that the oligarchs bought themselves into power; instead, politics captured the state and then found oligarchs to carry out its will.” Sound familiar? But nobody likes corruption, and combined with economic crisis, it builds public opposition. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/10/w...

This Hungarian Town Explains Why Orban Could Lose on Sunday

nytimes.com

A reminder that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are not just international offenses--they are ILLEGAL UNDER US LAW and can and should be prosecuted. Following orders is not an excuse, and conspiracy laws apply. www.justice.gov/criminal/cri...

EXCLUSIVE: With Trump Threatening a Genocide, Military Must Disobey His Orders, Former Pentagon Officials Say “What President Trump is describing as the destruction of ‘a whole civilization’ would be a war crime, plain and simple.” theintercept.com/2026/04/07/t...

With Trump Threatening a Genocide, Military Must Disobey His Orders, Former Pentagon Officials Say

“What President Trump is describing as the destruction of ‘a whole civilization’ would be a war crime, plain and simple.”

theintercept.com

Members of Congress who have failed to act own whatever Trump tries to do tonight. Congress can refuse to authorize wars. It can refuse to fund wars. It can impeach presidents and cabinet members who pursue illegal wars and order war crimes or genocide. Act or you own it. @represent.us

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs@sarajacobs.house.gov · 4mo ago

The President just threatened genocide. The Joint Chiefs of Staff must disregard any such military orders that violate federal and international law. Republicans in Congress can't hide anymore: we must consider all options – including impeachment – to stop Trump.

This is really good as well. So far Ted Lieu, Chris Murphy, and Elissa Slotkin making this point with crystal clarity. More Dems need to do this.

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 4mo ago

This is how to do it. Sen Chris Murphy also tells me: "Everybody in that chain of command has to think hard about whether they want to be part of the execution of that order." He predicts bombing Iran's power plants/bridges will kill thousands at the outset. 2/ newrepublic.com/article/2087...

I was just helping my kid with their high school Gov homework, and was astonished to learn the United States has a Congress.

Thanks to The Renovator for publishing this piece—a key lesson from Noem’s firing is that public pressure matters! substack.com/@mariamcfarl...

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno (@mariamcfarlandsm)

Grateful to The Renovator for publishing this piece I wrote on a really important lesson from Noem’s firing—public pressure really can work!

substack.com

Great to have a hopeful chat with @glennkirschner.bsky.social on Justice Matters today. We can make accountability happen! substack.com/@glennkirsch...

Represent Us: a conversation with Maria McFarland Sanchez-Moreno

A recording from Glenn Kirschner's live video

substack.com

Hey @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social thanks for being on the pod w/ @petedominick.bsky.social. Newsy & clippy bits plus this great guest await on this fabulous Wednesday episode, listeners! Is it Thursday already? Better late than never! 📆 standupwithpete.com/1552-maria-m...

I had a great conversation with @petedominick.bsky.social about corruption, how we make change happen, and hope!

Pete Dominick@petedominick.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I learned a lot from the brilliant CEO of @represent.us @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social on today's show! standupwithpete.libsyn.com/1552-maria-m...

I'm so glad I had time to jump on this live with @petedominick.bsky.social & @mariamcfarlandsm.bsky.social! She is AMAZING! Make sure you watch here or catch the pod tomorrow. #SUPD 🐝 www.youtube.com/live/3UJBK9o...

Maria McFarland Sánchez-Moreno

YouTube video by Stand Up! With Pete

youtube.com

SCHIFF: Are you saying it's just fortuitous that $143m went to a subcontractor that you worked w/ extensively as gov of SD? KRISTI NOEM: I had no choosing of contractors. S: Can you state for record that you or Lewandowski had no communication with any agency involved? N: To best of my knowledge

Congress has the power and duty to demand real answers about Trump's Iran war, and to stop the war if those answers aren't good enough. It needs to own its actions. open.substack.com/pub/mariamcf...

Congress has the power and duty to demand answers about Trump's Iran war, and to stop the war if those answers aren't good enough. If it fails to act, it owns the war too. mariamcfarlandsm.substack.com/p/if-it-fail...

If It Fails to Act, Congress Will Own Trump’s Middle East War

Americans Need Answers and Brave, Responsible Leadership

mariamcfarlandsm.substack.com