Three Wins Today: Nov 13, 2025
The more attention we can bring, the better!
Let’s talk about Epstein.
Wait, don’t go, it’s not that kind of conversation, promise.
I avoid talking about Epstein because I have really bad OCD and conversations of that nature make it worse. If you’re in the same boat, just know you are not alone and you are not required to look at anything that will traumatize you and make it harder to be alive.
This is not that. This is a logistic discussion that needs to be had cause I’m already seeing the spread of disinformation.
First, what the Oversight Committee Dems are releasing now is not the “Epstein Files.” So anyone who says that the discharge petition doesn’t matter, something that Johnson has been saying, is purposefully misleading you.
These documents are from the Epstein estate itself, you can refer to them however you want, but, don’t use “files” it’s confusing, and we need things as simple as possible right now.
What the Justice Department has, those are the “Epstein Files,” and they include everything that isn’t in the estate’s hands. That is what the discharge petition is about. We’re continuing to see what the estate has, the DoJ has even more.
And an important note about the discharge petition, it’s like a bill. That means it goes through the House (it should pass next week) and to the Senate and then to the president’s desk.
It’s not a given that it will even come to the floor of the Senate, but it will probably get to the Senate around when the next shutdown fight starts, which could be an interesting split screen.
If it does pass the Senate then it heads to Trump’s desk who will probably veto it, making the final question, can we get 2/3rds to override the veto in both chambers. I would be more than shocked if the answer is yes.
So, this begs the question, why the fuck did Johnson make such a big stink about it if it’s not going to go anywhere anyway?
Well, the answer is simple: Epstein sends the Republicans into disarray, which is why you see so many Dems talking about it so often even though there is a pretty slim chance of the files being released.
The more we can divide them the better off we all will be. And this is, by far, our best tactic in doing so.
And, remember, they were the ones who made this a THING when Biden was still president. We’re just making them follow through on something they claimed to care a while lot about.
So, if you can’t talk about it, that’s fine, I can’t either, but if you can find an angle that doesn’t send you into a spiral, use it. Trump’s goal this week is going to be burying this, we can’t let him.
Now, let’s talk about some less traumatizing wins, shall we?
Washington DC
Tue, Nov 4 - When Trump got rid of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity at the White House back in January, that included ASL interpreters for briefings. In May the National Association of the Deaf sued, and this past Tuesday, Biden appointee, Judge Amir Ali ruled that because ASL is an entirely separate language, and many people who are deaf aren’t fluent in English, captions alone do not suffice:
The Executive Office of the President, White House Office, White House Chief of Staff, and White House Press Secretary shall immediately begin providing a simultaneous and publicly accessible feed with visible American Sign Language interpretation by a qualified interpreter for all publicly announced White House press briefings conducted by the President or White House Press Secretary that are captured by White House communication channels.
Bobbie Beth Scoggins, Ed.D., Interim Chief Executive Officer of the NAD celebrated the ruling, saying:
The National Association of the Deaf is pleased with the court’s decision and that deaf and hard of hearing Americans will soon regain access to the same information their government provides to everyone else. American Sign Language and accurate captioning are both essential to ensuring full and equal access to information. ASL is the primary language for many in our community, and access through sign language cannot be replaced by text alone. The court’s ruling affirms what we have long known: equal access to information from the White House is not optional. We deserve the same timely, direct access to White House briefings as everyone else.
What an important win. At a time when the federal government is doing everything to make things less equitable, they can’t legally get away with this. And there’s real hope in that.
This is why we always fight. And an important reminder that we do still have the courts.
Chicago, Illinois
Thu, Nov 6 - While so many Republican states are digging up their rainbow crosswalks, Chicago is doing the opposite. The Northalsted crosswalks were removed this summer for routine street maintenance. The first crosswalk has been repainted, and it’s no longer just rainbow, now it’s the progress flag.
Kevin Barbeau, executive director of the Northalsted Business Alliance, told Windy City Times:
This time around we were able to refresh the design slightly by identifying a vibrant color scheme that closely matches the official color codes of the various Pride flags.
I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like it won’t just be the progress flag either. Maybe there will be a lesbian and bi crosswalk, who knows, maybe even asexual or intersex. There are 14 crosswalks to replace, imagine if every one represented a different identity?
He continued:
We are fortunate to have a local government so committed to protecting and respecting our community, especially as we’re seeing other areas of the country dismantling and paving over these physical representations of LGBTQ+ pride, love and strength.
This is yet again the importance of local elected officials. If you ever question why voting for local office matters, maybe remembering this story will help.
California
Mon, Nov 10 - California Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kim Johnson, announced that California has sent two members from the California Department of Social Services to Alaska to help with the damage from the catastrophic flooding last month.
She said:
We are committed to serving communities most in need in times of crisis. Our teams are ready to step up to help those impacted by these storms, so they receive the care and access to essential services they need during their recovery.
There’s just something really beautiful about the fact that while Trump is deploying the national guard to invade cities he doesn’t like and completely ignoring natural disasters in red and blue states alike, California is sending a team to help with a disaster in a state that is under Republican control. Which is exactly how it should be, but that type of care for others seems so rare these days.
So those are some of today’s wins. I apologize for this being so late, the day kinda got away from me!
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!