Guiding Lights, Part V: Ahmed Baba Doesn’t Even Have a Wikipedia Page…Yet

Posted on August 30, 2026 by gretchenwing

I know. I looked! But this guys is young and fresh and new. And so are his takes. And that’s why I follow him.

from Ahmed Baba’s popular Substack, *Ahmed Baba News*

I first ran into Ahmed through my favorite hands-on political org, Common Power. Not only was he canvassing with CP, as I was, in battleground states leading up to the 2024 ~~debacle~~ election, he was breaking through as an independent journalist in a place I (and so many of us) have turned to since 11/2024: Substack. (See also: The Contrarian, Joyce Vance, Marc Elias…)

I still love watching Ahmed compare political notes with Common Power’s Executive Director Charles Douglas:

Ahmed was one of my first “follows” on this new platform. Not only did he follow me back, but whenever I’d write a personal note about some major milestone in his young life–his marriage, the birth of his first child–Ahmed would respond. Somehow, though this guy seems to be everywhere! he has time to interact with the folks who rely on him for his un-bought perspective.

That “everywhere” thing? Here’s Ahmed on MSNOW:

Here he is with Don Lemon, on Don’s own channel, Lemon Drop:

Ahmed’s special sauce is connecting with folks whose perspectives you might not have considered…like citizens of the UK. A regular guest is his Scottish buddy James Matthews, in a segment they call “Across the Pond” (note, in this clip, James has had very poor sleep–he’s not usually THAT pale! Or maybe he is):

While Ahmed’s mind is sharp and his soul deep, it’s his authenticity I most value as a guide, these choppy days. He has to wear a suit for his TV appearances, but otherwise there he is in his polo shirt, cussing where necessary but never showing off. “Say it with your chest” is one of his frequent comments.

More of that, please. PLEASE. I highly recommend you check out Ahmed Baba News if you haven’t already, and pass it on to someone else who’s feeling let down by legacy media.

You’re welcome. 🙂

A North Star for Navigating Tough Times: Historian Heather Cox Richardson

Posted on August 6, 2026 by gretchenwing

Heather Cox Richardson—HCR to her devotees—is a Mainer who lives by the ocean. Her husband is a lobsterman. She knows “the chop”; she was speaking and writing about it long before I borrowed the phrase.

And in navigating this current turbulence—both national, and, more recently in my case, personal—she’s also my North Star. (Here I confess I don’t actually know if Polaris forms part of what mariners look to…but I know the North Star led folks out of slavery, and that’s the choppiest chop there is. So: let’s roll with it.)

(image by Andres Nieto Porras, courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Reading and listening to HCR (especially listening; her voice is so calm) has been keeping my keel evened since the 2024 ~~debacle~~ election. If you’re reading this, you’re probably in the HCR choir so I should quit preaching. But just in case you’re not…

Through her Letters From an American series, HCR puts the daily outrages of the current regime into perspective. Yes, this is horrible…but it also looks a lot like the 1850s. The 1890s. The 1920s. Etc.

1850s attempted murder in the Senate, anyone? (courtesy Wikimedia)

Through her Politics Chats, (on YouTube, Substack and Facebook) HCR draws a line through the chaos, connecting dots, allowing us to see patterns, to understand. What do all these awful news stories have in common? Grift. Corruption. White supremacy. Etc.

(Plus she has an adorable habit of reading aloud all the towns and countries people beam in from to listen to her livestream.)

Through her current 250 to 250 series—which should seriously win some kind of media prize—HCR reminds us what it means to have pride and joy in our own country, its government, lands, history. Want to celebrate America’s 250^th more meaningfully than watching a cage fight? Here are 250 1-minute snippets on everything that makes us US.

(Most of the 250 are narrated by other people, some famous, some just appropriate. Heather herself only narrates two…but it’s telling which two she chose.)

HCR is also fun and funny. My favorite podcasts are her weekly(ish) chats with fellow American historian Joanne Freeman, “What the Heck Just Happened.” There, serious unpacking of the week’s stuff comes with healthy discussion of M ‘n’ Ms, cleaning your bathroom, and Gary the Apple Guy, and they end each session telling each other “I love you.” Can’t begin to express what a balm this is.

If you’ve clicked on some of the above links, you’ve now found your way into HCR World, but just to be clear: look for Heather Cox Richardson on YouTube, on Substack, or just Google her and see what pops up.

I guarantee you will feel heartened, bolstered, and…guided. Sail on!

Working On Our Core: the Search for America’s Hidden Abdominals

Posted on December 15, 2020 by gretchenwing

As a woman who’s included “runner” as part of her identity since 1967 (true story), I’ve only recently joined the ranks of those smarter humans who treat their body as an entire vehicle, paying attention to all the parts–not just the ones that make me run faster.

Oh, 2013, I miss you so much. Those days are NOT coming back. (photo by Barb Mondloch)

I’m talking core. As in, that middle part of me that is apparently my secret weapon against the back pain that’s been messing with my routine. That part the rest of y’all have probably all been working on all this time, rolling your eyes at me for taking my body for granted. (Oh, sorry–that’s the Mate who does that, not you. Probably.)

Trying to remember the name of the muscles I’m engaging here.

Anyway, all this lying-on-the-floor-trying-to-get-in-touch-with-muscles-I’ve-never-heard-of stuff has me thinking about our country. Because, like “runner,” another identity I’ve taken for granted my entire life is “American.” And lately that identity, like the disc in my lower back, has started to fray, sending shocks of pain throughout my spirit.

Is this who we are? A nation of separate realities, separate truths? Is this 2020, or 1860?

You don’t need me to say more. You know what I mean. And you have probably been doing the same kind of wondering: where is that secret, hidden muscle we need to work, the one that binds us, keeps our body politic from falling apart?

Am I heading in the right direction? Reaching for the right solution?

I want to say that muscle is simply compassion–but how simple is compassion? In these days when each tribe thinks the other wants to destroy it? Can I make myself wish the best for, oh, I don’t know, a Michael Flynn, who urges a do-over of our entire election, or a Kelly Loeffler, who refuses even to acknowledge that’s what her leadership wants? Can I wish compassion for Trump or for people who scream his name without masks?

As I write this, I can hear John Lewis’s voice in my head:

“You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light … Release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won.” (from Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America)

I know, Congressman. I know. But it’s so HARD.

What “exercises” are you trying to strengthen your commitment to a “more perfect Union” in these fraught months? I would love to add them to my new routine.