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Autocratic forces are ascendant.

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Autocratic forces are ascendant in America. But truth-telling independent media is one remaining bulwark against the unrestrained exercise of power. At a time when billionaire owners of corporate media are making accommodations to political leaders, our nonprofit newsroom cannot be bought or broken. Please stand with us.

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This is a giant swallowtail butterfly flittering around a bush near our house on a sunny day a couple of months ago. But today you get two photos. The first is a beauty shot. The second is an action shot.