Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio—Bad Bunny, nuestro Benito—is headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show in February. For so many of us in the Puerto Rican diaspora, the feeling was just... puro orgullo. Pure, overwhelming pride. This wasn't just about a pop star getting a big gig. This
Yesterday, Trump signed the National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7). If you’ve read the text of it, you’re probably scared. That’s the point. The document is a masterclass in intimidation, dressed up in the language of national security. It talks of "domestic terrorism" and "
In the middle of World War II, the jurist Ernst Fraenkel established a political pathology he termed the "dual state" to describe the legal structure of fascist states. Fraenkel argued that within the same national borders, two distinct legal and political orders could operate simultaneously. The first, the
Thanks to advances in AI, we are no longer allowed to truly die. The peace of the grave and the finality that defines the human condition are all being sacrificed on the altar of artificial intelligence. We are normalizing digital necromancy, a grotesque spectacle where the dead are reanimated as
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the spectacular and predictable implosion of Elon Musk’s “anti-woke” AI, Grok.[1] When prompted to be “politically incorrect,” Grok did not become a witty contrarian; it became “MechaHitler,” spouting antisemitic bile at a rapid pace. I argued then that this was not
The American information space is not merely changing; it is undergoing a hostile takeover. It is a deliberate, coordinated campaign by a new class of oligarchs out of Silicon Valley that includes Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, and Mark Zuckerberg acting in concert with a Trump-led authoritarian political project.
The uprising of 2020 didn't just challenge the systemic racism of American policing; they terrified the oligarchs of Silicon Valley. For Marc Andreessen, the billionaire venture capitalist, the sight of organized resistance, both in the streets and within the cubicles of his own industry, was an existential threat.
An Independent publication countering the current authoritarian moment
The moment Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, began praising Adolf Hitler was not a bug or a glitch. It was a moment of perfect, unadulterated clarity. When Grok declared itself “MechaHitler” and spouted antisemitic tropes, it was not malfunctioning; it was executing its core directive with chilling efficiency.[1] The
Seemingly not content with the US v. Skrmetti decision issued by the court siding with Tennessee to ban gender affirming care for trans youth, the New York Times was ready to pour salt on the fresh wound of the trans community and kick them in the teeth for good measure.
There are nights you wake from a nightmare and the relief is a physical thing, a gasp of air in a silent room. But what do you do when the nightmare is the room? When the country you live in has become the locked door, the distorted face leaning over
In the wake of the brazen murder of a Minnesote State Representative and her husband, the surge in political violence is hitting a fever pitch. The bullet that killed Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman arrived at her door disguised in the uniform of the state. On June 14, 2025, a
The sweeping immigration raids, opening of a "Remigration" office, and broader online propaganda point to an intentional effort to ethnically cleanse the United States of non-white people. President Trump’s latest anti-immigrant offensive has crossed from hardline policy into openly white nationalist territory. Under the guidance of Stephen
The New York Times has systematically weaponized its coverage to undermine the trans community and its access to healthcare. Over the past few years, The New York Times, especially their science reporter Azeen Ghorayshi, have repeatedly amplified talking points from fringe anti-transgender organizations and sources. The paper’s Science desk
This is an alarming escalation by the Trump administration and it's campaign of eradication of trans people. Today, the FBI tweeted a call for the public to report hospitals or clinics performing gender-affirming surgeries on minors. Framing these treatments as "mutilation," the Bureau directed tips to
Trump’s double standard in justice isn’t hypocrisy—it’s strategy, drawn from America’s authoritarian past. While the Trump Administration loudly condemns antisemitism on an Ivy League campus, even threatening to pull federal funds in the name of protecting Jewish students, it is simultaneously importing antisemitic Afrikaners as
How Reactionary Centrists Enabled Authoritarianism and Helped Sell Liberal Democracy Down the River. Hannah Arendt, in The Origins of Totalitarianism, observed a startling partnership at the dawn of authoritarian movements: a “temporary alliance between the mob and the elite,” one fueled by the elite’s genuine delight in watching the
In the months after the 2024 election, America still felt fundamentally stable and familiar. I remember walking into class after the election and seeing my queer history professor with the look of having just seen a ghost. I too carried that same pallor in the weeks that followed. For far
Ken Paxton and other Republican officials can access your prescription records without a warrant and use it to target you and your healthcare as he's done with gender affirming care. Early last fall, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Dallas pediatrician, Dr. May Lau for providing gender-affirming medical
Many in the international community are not ready for the US to abuse its hegemonic power in ways that directly destroy the ability for international NGO's and even liberal democratic governments to function. The little known ability for President Trump to issue economic sanctions has been and can