Engaged Defenders for Democracy - ED4D

06/04/2026

Today I want to talk about the two industries that threaten our economy the most and that is AI and cryptocurrency. Robert Reich has been writing about this for a while because he’s very concerned as both can seriously affect our economy. I’m not a finance person, but the pattern looks scary and unstable. Yet people are getting very rich, including of course, the president and his friends. Even though people like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk would like AI to replace humans because they don’t have empathy for humans or think that humans at value, we know the human touch is really important in certain areas. I am doing research on how patients perceive their physicians using AI, and it’s definitely a mixed review. But regardless, AI is here to stay. It’s bad for the environment, but it’s making a certain class of people very rich and eliminating jobs for others. This bubble likely will not last and we need to prepare.
And a few people are becoming billionaires due to AI. We don’t need any more billionaires!!
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/technology/new-billionaires-ai-boom.html

And Meta is really investing in AI. Again, this is an oligarch pushing it.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/technology/meta-65-million-election-ai.html

And stocks are rising due to investments in AI. Most people do not own stocks. Just lining the pockets of the wealthy. No thanks!
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/business/stock-market-2025-artificial-intelligence-bubble.html

And even MAGA are not happy about data centers in their neighborhoods.
https://www.ft.com/content/0c9ec7b1-f9a6-41db-9493-3ff09f6943ef

Please watch Robert Reich’s short video explaining how the bubble likely will burst. We cannot bail out these oligarchs when that happens.
https://youtu.be/0wxBHxpMFXA?si=65YJ4LGg-apARL3p

Please remember that when we personally use AI, we are contributing to some of these issues.
https://engageddefendersfordemocracy.substack.com/p/ai-and-cryptocurrency-pose-the-biggest?

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

06/04/2026

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

Linda and Becky had 8 their Woke Wednesday: Durham. Again, all folks were in their green again on the crisp morning! https://mobilize.us/s/5K1ilg

Shelly and Kim had 8 at their Visibility Bridge Brigade over I-40 and ATT. Two women with Carolina to Cuba were there at the beginning. https://mobilize.us/s/HAPeqF

Ray had 13 exuberant defenders at his Woke Wednesday: Chapel Hill. Hundreds of positive responses and only 1 negative. Perfect weather to be out advocating for change, then again, when isn’t it. Welcome back, Ray! https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/930289/

Jim and Lloyd had 13 at their Woke Wednesday: Chatham. Lots of honks and waves. Wide variety of folks: rich cars, average cars, work men, trucks, etc. https://mobilize.us/s/60ziLO

Upcoming Events! Plan to attend!

JUNE 14 - There is not a big No Kings rally on June 14th. Instead, there will be a watch party of a Bette Midler concert as the antidote to Trump’s 250th celebration (on his 80th birthday). Location details to follow but the Durham Resistance Singers will lead folks in song from 6-7pm, then the live streaming of the concert starts at 7pm.

JUNE 19 - We will promote Juneteenth at our 9 Freedom Fridays on June 19.

JULY 4 - We will celebrate July 4 at our regularly scheduled 5 Defend Democracy demonstrations. There will not be a separate rally. If you do not normally demonstrate on Saturdays, please consider attending one of these events on this special day.

JULY 18 - The next big event is Good Trouble Lives On to celebrate John Lewis and voting rights. This is not a big rally (like No Kings). Instead, we will have an indoor activity to motivate and mobilize folks to do voter education, voter registration, and voter mobilization. Think of this as more of a conference. We’re looking at indoor spaces and plan to have breakout rooms where we can have discussions of skill building and goal setting so that we can create an engaged group who’s ready to talk to voters, protect voters at the polls, and prepare us for a huge turnout for the midterms. More details to come.

06/03/2026

Today I want to talk about the resistance that is coming from scientists. This is to counter the attacks on science we posted about yesterday (and please make a public comment if you have not done so. The link is in yesterday’s post). Thanks, Joel for sending this post.

As a scientist, I have been appalled by the way that this regime has decimated our science based on political views. I was equally saddened by the initial response by the scientific community who was so afraid of losing funding that they changed things so dramatically. Scientists would have stood up had their institution supported them, but many cowered in fear trying to stay under the radar to not be targeted.

But here we are more than a year after they’ve threatened science with a resistance movement growing among scientists. I urge you to please read the Substack that talks about the different ways that scientists are fighting back. Scientists are forming coalitions both within the federal government and outside of the federal government. I mentioned back in April 2025, that I was at a scientific conference and stood up in front of all my colleagues and said that we all need to stand together because when there are many people standing together. I said it is easy to target one or two and take them down. But when many stand up, they cannot easily target them. I had never spoken at a scientific conference in that way before.

In science, we’ve been the most worried about our young scientists. With funding cuts that has affected PhD programs and training programs, there will be a gap that we will need to repair once this regime is gone. But again, there’s a collaboration of the young scientists working together. This article also talks about how healthcare workers in Minnesota were so important when ICE was terrorizing their streets. And then there are ways that you can find out more and plug-in to support scientists. We must continue to stand up for science. Science makes us stronger and keeps us healthy and safe.

https://open.substack.com/pub/protectdemocracy/p/a-scientific-method-of-resisting
https://engageddefendersfordemocracy.substack.com/p/scientists-are-fighting-back-to-save?

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

06/03/2026

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

We had 10 at our Visibility Bridge Brigade over I47 and Anderson. Chilly and breezy but good. https://mobilize.us/s/cFtu4h

Jenny and Jack had 6 at their Take a Stand Tuesdays: South Cary including a newcomer! Quite an enthusiastic response from commuters. https://mobilize.us/s/jEMjHf

Beth hosted Pam and Melissa’s Take a Stand Tuesdays: Raleigh and had 2. Lots of energy most of it positive😄 https://mobilize.us/s/KSE53G

Lisa had 8 at her Break for Peace demonstration in Morrisville. Engagement was little lower but still they felt support ❤️ https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/892152/

Gabriel and Joel had 17 rocking at their Protect Democracy at East Club and Roxboro on a beautiful day! Joel is great about handing out treats and water!! https://mobilize.us/s/7wyylI

Maureen had 18 revelers at her No Tyranny Tuesdays. Someone was not happy about her sign. Maureen was not intimidated. Go Maureen! https://mobilize.us/s/FqH8Ew

Cynthia had 17 on her bridge near NCMA. Sad the Canes lost last night though.

06/02/2026

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

Here are McCabe and Karen presenting me with a check for ED4D from their pottery sale at the Farmer’s Market. Thanks so much!!

We are getting attention in Creedmoor. This is from the man who stood across the street from us on Sunday. You know you have made it when you get trolled. https://mobilize.us/s/Emextd

The new ED4D shirts are in! If you want one, please fill out this form. https://tinyurl.com/New-ED4D-TShirt-Order-Form Joe will follow up with payment and delivery options. Thanks!

Mike had 3 at his Visibility Bridge Brigade over 540 and Carpenter Fire Station and lots of engagement! https://mobilize.us/s/1VKMi9

Zoe had 5 at her Start your week with Pride in Sanford. It was surprisingly and overwhelmingly positive! We only got two yellers. Truly incredible amount of waves and smiles. Really not how she thought it would go! Great job Zoe!

Mitch hosted for Wendy and had 12 in the am, and 22 in the pm at her double duty Mobilization Mondays: Chapel. Lower than peak but quite a lot given peoples’ summer schedules. Lots of positive engagement from the automotive community. One less enthusiastic driver said, “How about ‘All Lives Matter?’” in response to our ‘Black Lives Matter’ flag. He didn’t sound mean. Maybe a new sign ... After the PM demonstration, 7 of us went to The Casual Pint, just down Elliott past Whole Foods, for snacks and drinks. Nice to have some time like that together. https://mobilize.us/s/GA5663 / https://mobilize.us/s/Czpoos

Robbie and Joanne had 23 plus a dog at their Mobilization Mondays: Durham (Dacian Nation). So great that Duke Street is closed as the traffic on Washington is much busier now. The honks were amazing. Next week, the group is moving to Trinity and Foster. This will be better as there is shade. It also is an intersection which means more traffic! https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/881585/

Margaret had 6 and her Prison Vigil at Central Prison.

06/02/2026

Today I want to talk about the continued attacks on science and ask that you provide comment by July 14! Let's do this - YOU can make a difference!

This even reached the level where I got an email from my Department Chair about this yesterday. This hits home as many of these proposed changes could affect me and many of us. Please read the Substack that describes some of the steps. Thanks, Joel for sending.

One of the biggest strikes against science is to not have peer review be the determining factor in who gets funded. This is a huge deal because political appointees will want their agenda represented and most people who are doing peer review do not agree with this administration.

They also are:
- considering the ability to terminate any grant any time for any reason.
- banning any grant that DEI or gender research or any topics related to that.
- rejecting international collaborations because of course we are isolationist.
- deny grants to applicants based on organizational “affiliations.” This is particularly chilling.
- micromanaging conference attendance and professional membership in societies.
- requiring us to provide open access to our articles immediately when our manuscripts get accepted by a journal, which costs a lot. But now they’re saying that grants can’t pay for that publication fee. So, I’m not sure how we publish under those new rules.
They also have a lot of rules about the different institutes and how they can create funding announcements.

The main take away is that the regime wants to control the science that we do, and this is unacceptable. This is particularly challenging because they don’t believe in vaccine research, don’t believe that disparities exist due to structural racism, or that gender affirming care or even studying folks who are transgender is important. We must call about this and stand up for science!

And here are the ways we can fight back. We need to make public comments about these rules by July 13th. Please tailor your comment as identical ones are not considered the same as ones that look like they are written by an individual.
DIRECT LINK: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/OMB-2026-0034
Or go to www.regulations.gov and search for: OMB-2026-0034

Click on the substack link below for detailed instructions on submitting your comment.

Please all do this as our science depends on it. We cannot let non-scientists determine what science we do. Our vaccines research has already been hurt. We must make our voices heard. Science makes us stronger. Scientists need to be the ones to determine what science should be funded.

https://engageddefendersfordemocracy.substack.com/p/biggest-threat-to-science-in-the?

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

06/01/2026

Today I want to talk about the fact that justice finally might be served. I hope you all will read Robert Reich’s short post about this (below). Trump has crossed a line that most people will not tolerate with the slush fund and the wild dream that he and his sons can’t be audited by the IRS. The fact that the judge is reopening the case about his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS is a big deal. Like I put in the post before, it was the “door in the face” technique. “Can I have $10 billion?” “Heck no!” “Oh well, then can I have $1.766 billion?” It’s the same thing as asking your parent for $20 knowing they’ll say no but knowing it that makes them more likely to give you $5.

But what this judge is saying is that if they purposefully filed a frivolous suit just to get that other amount, this act could get Todd Blanche disbarred. The judge is also considering whether they lied to her. And the fact that the slush fund was signed only by Blanche and not vetted in courts or through Congress could also make Blanche go to prison. You know that Trump could care less if Blanche serves prison time. Ask Michael Cohen about that. Trump will throw anyone under the bus to save himself.

The fact that 35 judges from both parties pushed to have all of this investigated shows you that the time has come when people are uniting together, and that the checks and balances are still operating. Even though Congress is relatively impotent in stopping this dictator, our judges continue to stand up. Trump got greedy, and his greed will be his downfall. No one is above the law.

The tides are turning folks! The level of corruption is too much for many to take. We must stay the course, keep up the fight, and win in November!!

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/a-truly-amazing-exercise-of-justice
https://engageddefendersfordemocracy.substack.com/p/the-tides-have-turned-justice-will

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

06/01/2026

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

Shawna had 2 at her Southern Sundays for Peace: Rocky Mount. https://mobilize.us/s/38d0Cl

Cheryl had 5 at her Southern Sundays for Peace: Garner. Nice consistency!! https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/921667/

Liz and Lyndsay had 9 defenders at their Southern Sundays for Peace: Oxford, with 3 new, including one woman who walked up to join. They didn’t count honks, but there were plenty. Only three vocal disagreers. Yahoo! https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/949454/

We had 5 at Tara’s Southern Sundays for Peace: Creedmoor while Tara was out of town. Love that Claudia and Stephanie who live in Creedmoor came!! Claudia might help Tara as a Leader when Tara is out of town. Still exploring. We had 426 honks!! We also had a man holding a Trump flag on the other side of the street but did not approach us. Just stood there. Is his right to do that. https://www.mobilize.us/engagedefendersfordemocracy/event/954023/

Cynthia had a whopping 27 on her bridge near NCMA!

And the Raleigh Bridge Brigade got love on Reddit! Thanks, Zoe for sending.

05/31/2026

Today, I want to highlight another Demonstration Leader, Mary, who hosts Freedom Fridays in Durham (S. Roxboro and MLK Blvd.) She works best when she is multi-tasking and networking. With ED4D, she is also a Captain of the Blue Light Pedestrian Bridge Brigade (3rd Saturdays). Thanks, Linda for providing this report.

From the Midwest, and with a Masters in Science/Biology, Mary found herself after graduation teaching chemistry and other sciences at the high school level. While enjoyable, she then moved on to the Environmental Protection Agency for five years. She then obtained her PhD in Public Health and returned to the EPA for another 27 years. While environmental protection was a priority for Mary, throughout the years she advocated for sexual assault and domestic violence victims, and the unhoused.

Retirement in 2024 was a way to free up even more time to participate in several groups and campaigns. She most recently circulated an interfaith sign-on statement among North Carolina religious groups relating to ICE detention. For Mary, it is not possible to sit back and remain passive. And while every Freedom Friday she might have other things on her mind, showing up with signs is always an opportunity to engage with new people as well as the stalwarts.

Thank you Mary for all you have been doing your whole life to make this a better world!!

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

05/31/2026

Good morning Engaged Defenders for Democracy!

Lib and Diane had 16 beautiful people show up on a bright sunny morning at their Defend Democracy: Apex. Lots of honks and thumbs up. Also, a good many middle fingers and thumbs down. Two very kind young women showed up at the end to bring us a case of water bottles. https://mobilize.us/s/qkXpuk

Lisa and Karen had 11 at their Defend Democracy: Morrisville. They had over 800 engagements!! Tremendous!! https://mobilize.us/s/00IlrQ

Diane had 15 at her Defend Democracy: Durham. A woman from the toy show at the Carolina Theater, Jenna, joined us for a bit. Diane registered 2 people to vote! Demonstration Leaders who have foot traffic will start bringing voter registration forms to their demonstrations. https://mobilize.us/s/gcoi3h

Bob and Robbie had 58 and two dogs at their Defend Democracy: Hillsborough!! https://mobilize.us/s/vlvFnF

Anne and Keith had 32 good people around the circle at their Defend Democracy: Pittsboro. As the first three of us had barely arrived the first dissenting passerby thanked us, “Thanks a lot for ruining Pittsboro!” So, I’ll add my thanks to those good folks doing their best to “ruin” Pittsboro every Saturday. The amount of support we got was great and growing! https://mobilize.us/s/xBHikx

Diane held the voter registration event. Mike, Mark, Joan, and Diane came, and we registered 8 voters! Mark helped 3 of those do it online (he stayed and waited until they did it!). At the end, we met 4 young people, 2 of whom (Tim and Sydney) just moved right by Common Market who said they might come and do voter registration with us! Let’s gooooo!! Please join us next Saturday 3-5pm. It was lovely to run into Cathy who is a powerhouse in Oxford and getting folks organized up there (and lovely to meet her son!). And registering voters is just part of the task. We are educating folks about Anita Earl’s race for Supreme Court. It’s also a great way to start to engage people and let them know about the election coming up and that every vote matters. It’s a good chance to practice deep canvassing skills to learn what’s important to people and help them feel empowered to vote.

Ann and Cathy had 21 at their Freedom Friday: Croasdaile, including 2 new. 1036 cars. https://mobilize.us/s/btzoaW

Ellen and Kathy had 29 at their Freedom Friday: Cary. https://mobilize.us/s/PpTIeC

Love these 2 quotes from Sam about the importance of our demonstrations.
“More minds are changed through observation than by argument” – Will Rogers
“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” - Martin Luther King