Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I give you my thoughts on the week’s biggest news as I consume my caffeine with you. I don’t actually drink coffee, so special shoutout to you energy drink and tea-lovers out there.

I’d like to take a moment to say thank you again to our paying subscribers. Your support has allowed AlterNet America to remain as one of Substack’s top 20 publications in our first few months, and it’s what will allow us to expand our coverage in the months to come.

For those of you who aren’t yet paid subscribers, I’m asking you to consider joining us today. We’re able to cover these stories honestly because we don’t answer to a MAGA billionaire, but that can only continue if enough of our readers chip in. An AlterNet America subscription costs just 22 cents a day. That’s less than a cup of coffee. Please upgrade yours today.

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Most of the time, the way mainstream media covers certain issues makes me want to tear my hair out. But there’s a few stories from this week that were especially bad. Let’s talk about them.

Republicans Want Women to Have More Babies, Just Not on Their Terms

For nearly 10 years now, Republicans have warned Americans that women are not having enough children. If they were capable of self-reflection, their reactions to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez freezing her eggs might give them a hint as to why women are so reluctant.

On Saturday, the New York Rep. posted a video of herself getting a fertility shot in preparation of having her eggs frozen. It’s the kind of thing you’d think would get a thumbs-up from the pro-baby people. Any woman in her mid-thirties willing to undergo a costly and uncomfortable medical procedure to secure her chances of becoming a mom later on in life should be a victory.

Instead, she was widely mocked by the conservative press, with some going so far as to accuse her of being selfish for waiting to have children, or insinuating that women without kids shouldn’t be weighing in on family policy.

While pundits like Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro laughed, the White House grew nervous. A senior official told Axios the criticism of AOC was “not helpful,” noting many Republican women choose the same path. One MAGA consultant said that she has many conservative friends who froze their eggs so they could have families later in life, and that the decision should be celebrated.

We live in an age where even men are having to choose between a career and a family. If Republicans actually cared about birth rates, they’d expand IVF access, fund paid family leave, and pass universal childcare.

But they don’t, because the only version of motherhood their movement actually supports is the one where women don’t get to choose when or how it happens.

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Oregon Is on Fire and the Media Still Won’t Say “Climate Change”

If your state breaks its wildfire record twice in three years, the problem isn’t the weather.

It’s only August, but Oregon already burned more acreage in a single wildfire season than ever before. In fact, 2.3 million acres have burned in Oregon this year, which blows away the previous record of 2.08 million set in 2024. There are currently 48 wildfires burning in Oregon, and 63% of all firefighting resources in the U.S. are fighting fires in the Northwest.

Just one of those fires, the Rowe Creek Complex, has burned more than 370,000 acres and isn’t fully contained yet.

The fires were started by a lightning storm, and because the area was so dry, plants acted almost like tinder. Firefighters say that they’ve never seen conditions like this in their entire lives, and while it’s a line we’re hearing more and more often each year, we can’t keep acting like Oregon setting a new record for acres burned twice in three years is normal.

The fire season is starting sooner and ending later because the Earth is getting hotter.

The media portrays the wildfires as isolated incidents, and while they may mention abnormally dry conditions, there’s no discussion that connects them to climate change. But linking the fires to climate change would mean linking climate change to the fossil fuel industry, and the fossil fuel companies that pay for commercials aren’t very keen on that.

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Trump Has Attacked the Press Over 100 Times Since Taking Office

The White House has now attacked more journalists than it has passed bills.

There are now over 100 examples of the Trump administration taking action against journalists since Inauguration Day, according to Poynter’s Press Freedom Watch. That’s bans on access to the White House, raids on the homes of reporters, the arrest of Don Lemon at a protest in Minnesota, the requirement that members of the Pentagon press pool sign a loyalty oath, and beyond.

Nearly 20 percent of those acts were by Trump. He signed an order ending funding to sources he dislikes, then personally took over the press pool at the White House so he could decide which journalists get to enter.

His administration also created a database, the so-called “Bias Tracker,” which identifies journalists who have reported on the White House in an “unfriendly” way. In April, Trump told a roomful of reporters that covered a rescue mission in Iran to reveal their sources or face jail time.

While the NYT and Washington Post can push back against unconstitutional orders because they have billionaire owners and institutional power, the news outlets who are doing the most critical work right now can’t.

We don’t have any of that at AlterNet America. We don’t accept money from billionaires or advertisers because we don’t want them controlling our content. We’d rather ask you for five dollars than owe a favor to someone with five billion.

If you’ve been reading for free, please consider upgrading your subscription to paid. If you’re already a paid subscriber, forward this to someone who needs to see it, or a conservative relative you’d like to ruin dinner for.

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We’ll be here, which is apparently enough to get you on a watchlist these days.

—Ryan Rose, Co-Founder & Managing Editor, AlterNet America

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again to our paying subscribers. Your support has allowed us to expand our social media coverage to reach a wider audience and combat the conservative disinformation running wild. We’ll have more on that in the coming weeks, so be on the lookout.

If you’re not yet a paying member, I’m asking you to join us today. Independent media has never mattered more. Support our people-powered movement and upgrade your subscription today.

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If you’re drinking tap water right now, I recommend swapping it for something else before you read our first story.

Iran Is Poisoning the Well. No, Literally.

The Pentagon budget could’ve bought every American a Brita filter, and it might’ve been more useful.

On July 26, somebody logged into 30 Minnesota water systems, changed all the passwords, and locked every operator out of their own equipment. By the time the FBI got around to issuing a warning, the same thing had already happened in 12 states.

Michigan confirmed attacks on nine of its systems shortly after. Then Georgia. Then South Dakota. By Thursday, the warning came out that “malicious cyber actors” were actively targeting water infrastructure across the country.

The FBI and CISA have been warning about Iranian actors targeting water systems for years. The difference is that now we’re in an active military conflict with them, and the Trump administration didn’t secure our drinking water before picking the fight.

The attacks haven’t contaminated any water supplies yet, though the key word there is “yet.” The FBI’s own bulletin acknowledged that the operational disruptions “could potentially allow untreated ground water to seep into pipes.”

Meanwhile, CISA says it is “observing a significant increase in cyber threat actors” going after water infrastructure. The affected facilities are mostly small, underfunded municipal operations running on outdated equipment that was not designed for internet connection.

The next attack might not just mess with water pressure, and the people in charge will be exactly as prepared as they are right now.

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Congress Can’t Find Epstein’s Clients, But It Found Anthony Fauci

Congress can’t find a single person to subpoena over the Epstein files, but they can hold Anthony Fauci in contempt for telling people to stand six feet apart.

The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted Thursday to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress for invoking the Fifth Amendment at last week’s hearing. In other words, a private citizen was hauled before a committee and punished for refusing to answer questions that were designed to produce a perjury charge.

Now ask yourself who hasn’t been held in contempt — not a single person connected to the Epstein files. Jeffrey Epstein’s operation implicated some of the most powerful people in the country, and Congress has shown zero interest in dragging any of them before a committee and demanding answers under oath.

This also sets a precedent that Republicans are going to regret. If a preemptive presidential pardon doesn’t protect you from a contempt charge, then Pam Bondi can be held in contempt the moment Democrats retake a chamber. So can every Trump official who has stonewalled a subpoena or ignored a document request.

But they don’t care about that right now, because this was never about accountability.

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Trump Lost 6-3 and Came Back for Round Two

Trump has always believed “no means yes,” why would the Supreme Court be any different?

Six weeks ago, the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s executive order targeting birthright citizenship. It was not a close call. It was 6-3, with Chief Justice Roberts writing that the 14th Amendment extends citizenship to “every free-born person in this land.”

On Thursday, Trump signed two more executive orders doing the same thing, just narrower. Stephen Miller stood next to him in the Oval Office and explained, with a straight face, that the ruling which explicitly rejected them actually gave them the authority to try again.

The new orders target children born to “alien enemies,” members of foreign terrorist organizations, and foreign government employees. There’s also one banning “birth tourism,” which is already illegal under existing visa law and accounts for 0.0074% of births in the U.S. each year.

On the same day Trump signed the orders, a federal judge certified a nationwide class action protecting every baby born on U.S. soil. That has to be some kind of record.

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AIPAC Just Blew Millions in Michigan

Sixty million dollars buys you a lot of things in Michigan, but a Senate seat isn’t one of them.

In Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary this week, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed defeated Haley Stevens in what’s being called one of the most significant progressive victories of the cycle. You’ve heard a lot of people say it “wasn’t a blowout” because he won by just under a single percentage.

They’re lying to you.

Over $60 million was spent to back Stevens and oppose El-Sayed. AIPAC alone poured in more than $30 million through its affiliated super PAC, setting a record for the group in a single race. El-Sayed was outspent 11 to 1, and still managed to come out on top. That is a blowout, even if not in the traditional sense.

El-Sayed ran on universal healthcare, workers’ rights, and an end to unconditional military aid to Israel.

AIPAC has been buying Democratic primaries for years and getting away with it because most voters had no idea it was happening. Now that they’re paying attention, it turns out most people don’t appreciate a lobbying group spending $60 million to pick their lawmaker for them.

AlterNet America covers these races because we don’t take money from the groups trying to influence them. We’re not funded by AIPAC, billionaires, or advertisers. We’re proof that AIPAC can’t buy elections when voters have access to real information.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, forward this to someone who needs to hear it. If you’ve been reading for free, please consider upgrading your subscription to paid.

Sixty million dollars couldn’t beat one candidate in one state. Imagine what they can’t do to a newsroom full of people who don’t owe them anything.

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—Ryan Rose, Co-Founder & Managing Editor, AlterNet America

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again to our paying subscribers. Your support has allowed us to expand our social media coverage to reach a wider audience and combat the conservative disinformation running wild. We’ll have more on th…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again to our paying subscribers. Your support has allowed us to expand our social media coverage to reach a wider audience and combat the conservative disinformation running wild. We’ll have more on th…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again for helping us reach 1,000 paid subscribers. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first three months. It’s also allowed us to hold Substack Lives with ot…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again for helping us reach 1,000 paid subscribers. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first three months. It’s also allowed us to hold Substack Lives with ot…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family, and happy Independence Day.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again for helping us reach 1,000 paid subscribers. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first three months. It’s also allowed us to…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

Thank you again for helping us reach 1,000 paid subscribers last week. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first two months. It’s also allowed us to hold our first Subs…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

We hit a milestone this week and reached over 1,000 paid subscribers. To those of you in that group: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first two months. It…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first two months. It’s also allowed us to hold our first Substack Lives with independent journ…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first two months. It’s also allowed us to hold our first Substack Lives with independent journ…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first month. It’s also allowed us to hold our first Substack Live with independent journalist …

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first month. It’s also allowed us to hold our first Substack Live with independent journalist …

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning coffee with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first few weeks. It’s also allowed us to begin lining up exciting, exclusive live interviews in …

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first three weeks. It’s also allowed us to begin lining up exciting, exclusive live interviews…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family. Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to remain at #2 in Rising News on Substack for our first two weeks. You make this possible. That means everything.

If you’re not yet a paying mem…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family.

Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you. I don’t actually drink coffee, so special shoutout to those of you having energy drinks or tea with me.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to become #2 in Rising News on Substack w…

Read more

Good morning, AlterNet America family. Welcome to the Saturday Wrapup, where I get you the week’s news as I consume my morning caffeine with you.

To our paying subscribers: thank you. Your support has allowed us to launch this newsroom free of billionaire influence. We showed up because you make it possible. That means everything.

If you’re not yet a payi…

Read more