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As fellow St. Louisan T.S. Eliot said, “April is the cruelest month.” But April is also the coolest month: The Last American Road Trip is a national bestseller!

This happened for one reason: you! Thanks to word-of-mouth praise, my new book gained traction. I now have written a bestseller in the worst economy since 1932, topping my prior feat of writing a bestseller in the opening salvo of a global plague.

These are strange times. Nothing lasts, but nothing ends either.

It is surreal to be on tour. There is a stark dichotomy between the wonderful people I meet on the road and the dread I feel when I read the news. Over nine days, I did events in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, and Tulsa — and stopped at many places in between. I remain awed by the beauty of our country and inspired by the resilience of its people, but my soul aches at a fate so undeserved.

I have a lot to say about recent events. But I can’t write and tour at once. That is why I am offering you this Exhausted Guilt-Ridden Discount:

Pro-GOP media and supporters have long committed themselves to a view of politics as a zero-sum battle between the fantasy of an “Us” and a hobgoblin of “Them.” This rhetorical strategy goes at least as far back as McCarthyism, but Limbaugh was relentlessly attached to it, as is Fox News. They aren’t alone in this (I first became familiar with this way of thinking about politics when arguing with Stalinists, Libertarians, and pro-PETA folks many, many years ago). It’s working better for the GOP than it is for critics of the GOP, or Dems, or various groups for various reasons.

The extensive “Notes on the Crises Investigative Journalism Source Wish List” can be found here. All listed items are important to me. As always, Sources can contact me over email or over signal (a secure and encrypted text messaging app) — linked here. My Signal username is “NathanTankus.01” and you can find me by searching for my username. I will speak to sources on whatever terms they require (i.e. off the record, Deep Background, on Background etc.)

Introduction

Shifting mindsets for social change is a long game, but short-term policy change must be a part of that calculus, as it can make or break the long-term potential of any culture change effort.

Here’s how we can think about the short and long term in advocacy playbooks.

The Long and the Short of It

Mindset shifts are long games that require short-term wins along the way. Mindset shifts both enable and result from changes in behavior, policy, institutions, and structures.

That means enduring, sustainable social change requires attention to short-term policy wins while always keeping a steady eye on long-term goals. It’s not a question of short-term wins or long-term gains; the short term and the long game must be mutually reinforcing.

It’s tempting to focus on the short-term policy-change layup—a win is a win—and early victories can certainly help catalyze mindset shifts and policy change.

Short-term policy gains without a mindset shift strategy risk backsliding and may not be sustainable. Without a long-term focus, we run the risk of decisive, even dangerous, defeat.

The research into the operations of Japanese gas exporter INPEX comes as both Labor and Coalition representatives have stated that Australia’s gas supply issues are caused by gas exports and the lack of restrictions placed on them.

The new research focuses on INPEX, which operates a large gas export terminal in Darwin.

INPEX:

• Exports more gas each year than is used in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia combined.
• Sells no gas to Australians, outside of emergencies
• Pays no royalties, effectively getting the gas for free
• Pays no Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT)
• Has paid no corporate tax on $21 billion in gas exports since 2015

“INPEX is emblematic of Australia’s gas export problem,” said Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor at The Australia Institute.

“The Australian government is giving vast amounts of Australia’s gas to INPEX for free.

“To add insult to injury, INPEX has paid no company tax on billions of dollars’ worth of gas exports.

“While INPEX exports huge volumes of free gas, the Northern Territory Government is subsidising risky fracking projects to supply Territorians.

“With all sides of politics finally recognising Australia’s gas export problems, the next parliament will be in a good position to do something about it.”

But in recent years more and more Australians have abandoned voting on polling day, missing out on sausage sandwiches and – more importantly – the final days of the election campaign.

There are six categories of voting in Australian elections:

Introduction

Work for justice and liberation requires the inclusion of arts and culture. The Haas Institute’s Notes on A Cultural Strategy report outlines a cultural strategy for belonging that centers the leadership, voices, storytelling, practices, and knowledge of people and communities who are marginalized in our society.

It offers resources, evidence, case studies, and a workshop module for cultural strategies that are rooted in the Haas Institute’s Othering & Belonging framework as well as in many successful models of activism and organizing.

Aimed at storytellers, artists, organizers, cultural strategists, funders, and other collaborators who are working to develop cultural strategies alone or as part of organizations and movements, this report offers notes and ideas on how cultural strategies can be developed for the greatest impact.

Like many cultural strategy practices, Notes on a Cultural Strategy for Belonging doesn’t fit well into one box–it is a bit theory, a bit case study, a bit recommendation, and a bit workshop. It outlines a what, how, and why of a cultural strategy for belonging, while also looking to next steps.

Foreword

Foreword from director John a. Powell

As early voting for the federal election opens today, rival claims of misleading advertising from both sides of politics are the inevitable consequence of the absence of Truth in Political Advertising laws – because, in this election, it is still perfectly legal to lie in a political ad at a federal level.

Key Points:

• Nine in 10 Australians (89%) support Truth in Political Advertising laws, including two in three who strongly support such laws (64%).
• There is overwhelming and consistent support for Truth in Political Advertising laws from Labor (93%), Coalition (88%), Greens (87%), One Nation (92%) and Independent/Other voters (79%).
• Truth in political advertising laws have operated successfully in South Australia for 40 years.
• At the end of 2024, the Albanese Government introduced legislation to Parliament to implement Truth in Political Advertising laws federally – but this legislation was not passed.
• Independent MP Zali Steggall introduced a private member’s bill for truth in political advertising laws.
• South Australia has had truth in political advertising laws since the 1980s; the ACT Legislative Assembly passed similar laws prior to the 2020 ACT election with tri-partisan support.

“At a federal level, it is perfectly legal to lie in a political ad, and it shouldn’t be,” said Bill Browne, Director of The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program.

The Barossa offshore gas project, operated by gas giant Santos, was today given the green light by Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

Barossa is one of the most polluting new gas projects under development in Australia and will pay no royalties on the gas it extracts.

However, its approval during the election campaign provides an opportunity for Peter Dutton to strengthen the Coalition’s gas policy.

“Barossa should not go ahead because of its impact on the climate,” said Mark Ogge, Principal Advisor at The Australia Institute.

“But today’s approval is an opportunity for Peter Dutton to demonstrate his policy of Australian gas for Australians first.

“If a small amount of Barossa’s gas was reserved for use in Australia, there would be absolutely no need to frack for gas in the Northern Territory.

“Fracking in the Territory is deeply unpopular because of the risks to groundwater that almost all Territorians rely on.

“Securing the NT’s gas supply without fracking could find significant support in the two NT seats, Solomon and Lingiari.

“More votes still could be delivered by committing to make Santos and other gas companies pay for the gas they extract.

“Most gas exporters pay zero royalties, and none have ever paid Petroleum Resource Rent Tax.

“Big gas is taking the piss and now is the time to do something about it.”

If Elon Musk didn’t have other priorities at the moment, he might want to consider adding Reddit to his free speech portfolio. Such a feat would take away one of the largest and most powerful social media platforms the Left uses to spread propaganda and organize at the local, state, and national levels. This would give conservatives a new, massive platform to drive politics and change culture, especially among younger Americans.

Conservatives missed the opportunity to dominate on Tumblr, which counts Gen Z and Millennials as a substantial portion of its active users—to the tune of 135 million per month. Given TikTok’s relationship with its Beijing-based ownership, conservatives have largely avoided the app in good conscience. But the opportunity with Reddit is different.

A lot of gas is exported from Australia. To demonstrate this, the chart above compares the amount of gas that is used in all of NSW, Victoria and South Australia with the gas that is exported by just one company, the Japanese giant INPEX.

INPEX’s gas terminal in Darwin exports around 9 million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) each year, which in energy terms is approximately 441 petajoules (PJ).

The Australian Energy Statistics estimate the gas consumption of each state – Victoria 215 PJ, NSW 134 PJ and South Australia 75 PJ, a total of 424 in 2022-23.

INPEX is just one of many multinational companies that export Australian gas. The fact that INPEX alone exports more gas than is used by all households and businesses (including electricity generators) in three states demonstrates that there is no gas shortage in Australia. Instead, Australia has a gas export problem.

Pablo D. Azar, Adrian G. Casillas, and Maryam Farboodi

About a week ago, a friend drove me across town to my neurologist’s office. She dropped me at the front door, then went on her way; she couldn’t stay for the appointment. I’d Uber home. I have a car, but since I got sick, I can’t drive anymore. Too much sitting, too vertically, for too long.

Inside, I told the receptionist where I was going. The building has a strange mix of security measures; the front desk has to call the elevator for you and send it up. Visitors who sneak into the elevator without speaking to the front desk will find themselves in an impotent box; no buttons. I discovered this the hard way on my first visit. Now, I do it all by the book.

The place has begun to feel familiar to me the way, in the beforetimes, a local coffee shop might have. I no longer feel uncomfortable and lost in the hallways. I’m becoming a fixture at my specialists’ offices the way I’d once been at my favorite bars. I know the hours. I know where the bathrooms are.

“Neurology,” I say. And the security guard calls the elevator in their modern way.

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