This past month, the Trump Administration has been on a warpath against just about every form of media that has said a bad (but true) word against him. Trump rolled back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which cuts all federal support for NPR, PBS and local member stations. He celebrated the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and has demanded that fellow late night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon be cancelled too. His White House has attacked “the Left” for the offensiveness of the season premiere of South Park where he was depicted literally sleeping with Satan and ended with a Deepfaked PSA where Trump roams the desert in the nude.

The Deepfake in question. I’m sorry. / “Sermon on the ‘Mount.” South Park, season 27, episode 1.

Now why would Donald Trump, whose name was just confirmed to appear in the Epstein Files, who currently sits at his second lowest approval rating (37%), and who is fighting accusations of failing health spend all of his time going after Big Bird, comedians, and Tiny Desk Concerts?

Because of viewers like you.

You, the audience, have so much power when it comes to shaping the national conversation and creating the kinder America that we want. You’re the reason Trump can’t escape the Epstein story, you’re the reason Colbert is #1 in late night (despite his cancellation being a “financial decision”), and you’re the reason why we had happy trees, reading rainbows, and hilarious memes.

“I told you not to touch it!” - Arthur Read, in response to PBS’ funding, probably. / “Arthur’s Big Hit.” Arthur, season 4, episode 1.

Viewers like you keep us folks in the media going. You make us fearless. We want to make you laugh, compel you to action, give you the information you need despite those in power that lie to you to keep you unaware and uninformed. And believe me, there are people who spend billions of dollars to try and keep you and your children uninformed. 

But we’re here. Independent media stations and orgs across the nation have organized, budgeted, fundraised and created new formats and presentations to fight the overfunded disinformation machine. A modern David and Goliath. Except in this instance Goliath is four billionaires in a trench coat and David is seven Texans putting out daily podcasts, videos, and news presented in a way to help make sense of the cacophony that is Texas politics right now.

Now more than ever is the time to help David. We’re running out of slinging stones and Goliath keeps getting back up.

Sorry, I think the metaphor has gone too far. Let me try that again:

No AI use here! For better or for worse. / Artist? - Sam González

Now more than ever is the time to help Progress Texas. We’re running out of the funding needed to fight back while billionaires and the Trump Administration are trying to silence dissent. A great man once called what we’re trying to do here “good trouble.”

At this moment, we are three months away from going away forever. Texas’ premiere progressive messaging organization would be gone. Viewers like you would be less equipped to fight against rising Christian Nationalism in Texas, against voter suppression, and against the total abortion ban.

If you’re mad about NPR, PBS, or Colbert, be mad about us, too. Viewers like you have kept us going the last 15 years and we’re hitting a crisis point in terms of how billionaires are trying to vilify our work.

Turn a $10 a month donation into millions of eyes on progressive content, hundreds of thousands of views on progressive video messages, and tens of thousands of listens on our daily podcasts.

On behalf of Progress Texas, I’d like to remind you that this article, our podcasts, and our videos were created thanks to contributions to Progress Texas from viewers like you. 

Thank you. We hope you consider donating monthly to keep us going.

Progress Texas is 501(c)(4) organization, along with our sister organization the Progress Texas Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization. If you prefer to donate to our 501(c)(3) Progress Texas Institute, please use this link.

If you would prefer to donate via check, please mail it to Progress Texas, PO Box 132162, Dallas, TX 75313.