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Listed below, in no particular order, are some great resources some of us Knox Dems use so that we can stay up-to-date on current events and recommendations on ways to respond. If you are not already familiar with them, check them out and evaluate them through your own critical lens. If you have additional recommendations, we want to know about them! So please let us know by leaving a reply at the bottom of this list.
The Borowitz Report
We all need humor. Andy Borowitz is a writer and comedian (mostly satire), and he’s from Ohio! Every once in a while, he has a serious post, but most often they are so funny I need to read them aloud to whoever happens to be around me. A typical headline: “Trump Threatens To Deport Chickens Unless They Lower Price of Eggs.”
- Substack: https://www.borowitzreport.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andyborowitz
- Bluesky: @borowitzreport.bsky.social
Letters from an American, by Heather Cox Richardson
Heather Cox Richardson is a Boston College political historian who uses facts and history to put the news in context. She has an unmatched ability to take complex subjects, describe the historical context, and thereby make them easier to understand. A daily must read.
- Substack: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
The Bulwark
This organization is run by former Republicans who have a mission to save democracy. They have been anti-Trump from the minute he appeared on the scene, and they provide extremely insightful (and often amusing) analysis of current events, in both written and podcast formats. A plus is that the publisher, Sarah Longwell, is a Kenyon alumna.
- Substack: https://www.thebulwark.com/
5 Calls
Set your location, select an issue that concerns you, and then you’ll see a list of the elected officials (and their phone numbers) you should call. PLUS a script to use as a suggestion of what you might say to the person answering the phone, or on the voice mail. An extremely handy way to make your opinions known to the people who are supposed to represent us.
- https://5calls.org
- Download for your iPhone at the Apple app store
- Download for your Android phone at Google Play
Daily Calls & Signs on the Square
Joan Slonczewski is local grass-roots activist who manages a Daily Calls email to inform us of current hot issues, whom to call about them, and what others are learning from their calls. Also: Signs on the Square every Saturday, Mount Vernon Public Square, 1:00 – 1:30 pm. Bring your own sign or select from the batch always available.
- Sign up for Daily Calls: Email Joan at slonczewski@kenyon.edu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gibbswatch/
Mobilize.us
Find out about protests other than Signs on the Square. This site collects and provides information on events, petitions, and volunteer opportunities from a number of different sources. Set your location so that you can learn about protests and other events in Ohio.
Knox County Ohio Indivisible
New Indivisible group in Knox County, Ohio, established March 2025. Welcomes all progressives and partnerships with progressive organizations working to reclaim democracy, vote by vote.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/672826165099618
- Don’t do social media? Email indivisibleknoxcooh@gmail.com
Ohio Progressive Action Leaders
Not originally on this list, but since Senator Moreno has recently complained about their activism, we know this group is making a difference. From their website: “Ohio Progressive Action Leaders (OPAL) is a coalition of grassroots group leaders from across Ohio, a Swing Left Super State! We help groups maximize their power and effectiveness by facilitating the sharing of resources and organizing coordinated actions.”
- https://swingleft.org/group/ohio-progressive-action-leaders
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OHLeaders
How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse
Want to understand Ohio government? Want to have an impact in this state laws? Ohio activist Rachel Coyle provides statehouse advocacy tips, news articles, and regular calls to action to help you make a difference at the state level.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howthingsworkoh/
- Sign up for emails: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-how-things-work-at-the-ohio-statehouse
David Pepper, “Pepperspectives”
Author and former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, David Pepper clearly explains current issues, focused especially on Ohio. His “whiteboard” explanations are to the point and help to clarify come of the craziness in Columbus as well as in Washington, D.C.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidpepperOH
- Substack: https://davidpepper.substack.com/
Jessica Craven’s Chop Wood, Carry Water
Jessica Craven is an activist and organizer from California. She publishes a daily newsletter online, which typically breaks down some of the complexities in the news, and she always provides concrete action ideas, including suggested scripts when the actions involve calling an elected official.
The Contrarian
Jen Rubin resigned her position as an opinion columnist with the Washington Post in January 2025 and started this substack. Her stated goal is to provide an alternative to the “corporate and billionaire media owners who have shied away from confrontation, engaged in false equivalence, and sought to curry favor with Donald Trump.”
- Substack: https://contrarian.substack.com/
Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
Joyce Vance served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She keeps us updated, from a legal perspective, and clearly explains the judicial processes that are sometimes confusing to us.
- Substack: https://joycevance.substack.com/
Robert Reich
A professor of public policy and former Secretary of Labor (in the Clinton Administration), Robert Reich posts videos and commentary, usually about economic issues. He is a strong opponent of wealth inequality and explains why and how he believes this should be corrected, often with helpful and entertaining visual support.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/
- Substack: https://robertreich.substack.com/
BOOKS
- Autocracy, Inc., by Anne Applebaum
- Hitler’s First 100 Days, by Peter Fritzsche
- Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net, by Jessica Calarco
- How Democracies Die, by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
- If We Can Keep It: How the Republic Collapsed and How it Might Be Saved, by
- Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies Into Reality, by Renee Diresta
- Justice By Means of Democracy, by Danielle Allen
- On Freedom, by Timothy Snyder
- Ours Was the Shining Future, by David Leonhardt
- Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, by
- Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America, by Will Sommer
- Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point, by Steven Litsky and Daniel Ziblatt