Elizabeth N. Saunders
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profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders
@profsaunders.bsky.social
21K followers 3.3K following 2.7K posts

Professor of Political Science & Director of the Saltzman Institute of War & Peace Studies, Columbia. New Book: The Insiders' Game: How Elites Make War and Peace https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691215808/the-insiders-game .. more

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profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · Feb 5
Hard to think through problems when we are in a mode where the current problem gets eaten by a bigger problem within hours.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Elizabeth Saunders , and 5 more

annakornbluh.bsky.social
Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social · 9h
"In every society fallen to authoritarianism, the state goes after the press first+ closes in on universities next.
All of us who live, work,+learn within the university should think of our institution as part of the larger constitutional structure of the nation."
www.chronicle.com/article/univ...
Universities Need a New Defense
The authoritarian threat is growing. The old playbook won’t work.
www.chronicle.com

Reposted by Mary L. Dudziak

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Brought to you by the party of family values and national security.
nicholasbednar.bsky.social Nick Bednar @nicholasbednar.bsky.social · 1d
I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.
chadbourn.bsky.social Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 1d
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders

mcopelov.bsky.social
Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 1d
Yes. So much untapped goodwill & affinity & support. The largest alumni networks in the country. Total own goal to ignore activating those networks.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders

bcfinucane.bsky.social
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 1d
Not the coverage I generally associate with the magazine.

people.com/pete-hegseth...
Pete Hegseth Posts Image of Franklin the Turtle Firing a Bazooka Gun at a Boat as He ‘Targets Narco Terrorists’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image of Franklin the Turtle firing a bazooka at "narco terrorists" in boats amid ongoing criticism of the Pentagon's targeting of suspected drug traffickers i...
people.com

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Whoa! Missed that, where?

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Will never understand why we rightly consider passive voice a writing sin but major publications use it in their headlines routinely (and presumably edit it out of their articles).

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Elizabeth Saunders, Nandita Sharma , and 15 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Rep. Angie Craig: "We were told because this facility is being funding by the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' not the congressional appropriations act, that we would not be allowed to enter the facility. That's complete nonsense ... I informed them they were violating the law. They said they didn't care."

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Yes. A long-term trend @sdhyde.bsky.social & I discuss in this @iojournal.bsky.social piece is the decline of broadcast news in the cable era, which meant a lot of people didn't encounter news incidentally anymore (see Markus Prior's "Post-Broadcast Democracy"). www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
The Unconstrained Future of World Order: The Assault on Democratic Constraint and Implications for US Global Leadership | International Organization | Cambridge Core
The Unconstrained Future of World Order: The Assault on Democratic Constraint and Implications for US Global Leadership - Volume 79 Issue S1
www.cambridge.org

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
And reaches a lot of people (I am guessing).

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
No. See thread linked here. bsky.app/profile/did:...
profsaunders.bsky.social Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Extremely valuable thread from @kenwhite.bsky.social that also shows why there must be multiple responses to this, including legal ones, but also political responses like impeachment of the relevant officials like Noem. Even if not convicted, it imposes costs and keeps it in the political spotlight.
kenwhite.bsky.social Fucking Bitch Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 2d
/13 That is why it is utterly foolish to be mad they haven’t charged Jonathan Ross already. Any chance of winning demands meticulous planning. That’s what I hope they do.

Reposted by David Darmofal

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
And if you haven't seen the response by former MN Gov Jesse Ventura, a Roosevelt High School grad who went to the campus to show support the day after ICE attacked students and staff, you can read all about it in People Magazine, which grasps the gravity of the situation. people.com/jesse-ventur...

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Brendan Nyhan , and 5 more

nicholasbednar.bsky.social
Nick Bednar @nicholasbednar.bsky.social · 1d
I can't describe how bad Minneapolis feels right now. My neighbors are pulling kids out of school. The public schools are offering remote learning until 2/12. We are having conversations in our alleys about how to protect ourselves. It feels like a military occupation with a blockade.
chadbourn.bsky.social Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 1d
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.
January 9, 2026 THE HONORABLE TIM WALZ Governor of Minesota 130 State Capitol 75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bivd. St. Paul, MN 55155 THE HONORABLE JACOB FREY Mayor of the City of Minneapolis City Hail 350S. Fifth St., Room 330 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Dear Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, It is my responsibility as Secretary of Agriculture to ensure sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars by climinating fraud, waste and abuse in all programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The widespread and systemic fraud associated with federal benefit programs in the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis demonstrate an inability to handle federal resources without additional oversight and accountability measures in place. During your tenures as Governor of Minnesota and Mayor of Minneapolis, numerous non-profits and businesses have defrauded the federal government in what a federal prosecutor in Minnesota called "a staggering, industrial-scale fraud".! Most notably, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit— Feeding Our Future defrauded U.S. taxpayers of nearly $250 million in federal funds given to them by the Minnesota Department of Education.? This fraud scheme involved USDA funding provided to the State of Minnesota to feed hungry children under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). As of late November, 78 defendants had been charged in what the Department of Justice characterized as the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country? Other recent examples of'alleged fraud in Minnesota include exploitation of the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program", a scheme to defraud the Housing Stabilization 1-Whut te know about Minnesoca' "industrial-scale fraad" scandal, as more charges are fled and Trump weighs in, "CES Nows (Dic. 19, 3025) available at ht:/www.cbsnews.com/news/atas-do-know-alonesota-frawf-candal were-changes-fled- tump-water. /Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Masternind and Co-D… Services Program", and alleged fraud in daycare centers*, Your Administrations have refused additional accountability and oversight, claiming that criticism of rampant fraud and abuse is "racist." While the full extent of fraud in Minnesota is not yet known, it is clear that, under your leadership- or lack thereof fraudsters can take advantage of federal funds and the American taxpayer with impunity. This necessitates federal action to protect taxpayer dollars until adequate safeguards can be established. Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense mcasures to stop fraud. In fact, rather than conlin your SNAP rolls are accurate to prevent continuing fraud, you asked the courts to block USDA's directive to recertify the State's SNAP recipients. Recent news reports also emerged that the Minnesota Department of Human Services repeatedly reported incorrect information about SNAP to the federal government.? The Trump administration refuses to allow such fraud to continuc. Therefore, because of your failed Icadership and abysmal financial management oversight, 1 am notifying you that, effective immediately, I am suspending payments on all active awards and any future awards from USDA to the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis, currently totaling over $129.18 million. Within 30 days, you shall provide USDA with payment justifications for all federal dollar expenditures from January 20, 2025, to the present. Going forward, all transactions on awards to the State of Minnesota or the City of Minneapolis will require such payment justification. If those payment justifications are not received, awards will remain suspended. While your Administrations have turned a blind eye to documented fraud, the Trump Administration has made clear that fraud, waste, and abuse are unacceptable. The American people deserve to know that their taxpayer dollars are helping those in need-not criminals. …

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders

katrinekoenig.bsky.social
Katrine Koenig @katrinekoenig.bsky.social · 1d
students hiding not from a mass shooter but from the government that's out to injure them

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Brought to you by the party of family values and national security.
nkalamb.bsky.social Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 1d
Kind of wild there has been almost no coverage of the fact that the federal government unleashed chemical weapons against literal kids *at school*.

workdaymagazine.org/minneapolis-...
Only a few hours after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Minneapolis resident and mother Renee Good on January 7, federal immigration enforcement agents descended onto Roosevelt High School property during school dismissal as students were exiting the building. MFE members say that ICE agents tackled and detained a school staff member and union member who was working at the time. The MFE member was since released, according to a union spokesperson. The agents also deployed a chemical irritant against students and staff on school grounds, MFE says. A school official, speaking to MPR News on condition of anonymity, said many students sheltered in a nearby library.

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
This is so far beyond normal and the political and media response must also be far beyond whatever those elites think is normal.
chadbourn.bsky.social Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 1d
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.
January 9, 2026 THE HONORABLE TIM WALZ Governor of Minesota 130 State Capitol 75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bivd. St. Paul, MN 55155 THE HONORABLE JACOB FREY Mayor of the City of Minneapolis City Hail 350S. Fifth St., Room 330 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Dear Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, It is my responsibility as Secretary of Agriculture to ensure sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars by climinating fraud, waste and abuse in all programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The widespread and systemic fraud associated with federal benefit programs in the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis demonstrate an inability to handle federal resources without additional oversight and accountability measures in place. During your tenures as Governor of Minnesota and Mayor of Minneapolis, numerous non-profits and businesses have defrauded the federal government in what a federal prosecutor in Minnesota called "a staggering, industrial-scale fraud".! Most notably, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit— Feeding Our Future defrauded U.S. taxpayers of nearly $250 million in federal funds given to them by the Minnesota Department of Education.? This fraud scheme involved USDA funding provided to the State of Minnesota to feed hungry children under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). As of late November, 78 defendants had been charged in what the Department of Justice characterized as the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country? Other recent examples of'alleged fraud in Minnesota include exploitation of the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program", a scheme to defraud the Housing Stabilization 1-Whut te know about Minnesoca' "industrial-scale fraad" scandal, as more charges are fled and Trump weighs in, "CES Nows (Dic. 19, 3025) available at ht:/www.cbsnews.com/news/atas-do-know-alonesota-frawf-candal were-changes-fled- tump-water. /Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Masternind and Co-D… Services Program", and alleged fraud in daycare centers*, Your Administrations have refused additional accountability and oversight, claiming that criticism of rampant fraud and abuse is "racist." While the full extent of fraud in Minnesota is not yet known, it is clear that, under your leadership- or lack thereof fraudsters can take advantage of federal funds and the American taxpayer with impunity. This necessitates federal action to protect taxpayer dollars until adequate safeguards can be established. Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense mcasures to stop fraud. In fact, rather than conlin your SNAP rolls are accurate to prevent continuing fraud, you asked the courts to block USDA's directive to recertify the State's SNAP recipients. Recent news reports also emerged that the Minnesota Department of Human Services repeatedly reported incorrect information about SNAP to the federal government.? The Trump administration refuses to allow such fraud to continuc. Therefore, because of your failed Icadership and abysmal financial management oversight, 1 am notifying you that, effective immediately, I am suspending payments on all active awards and any future awards from USDA to the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis, currently totaling over $129.18 million. Within 30 days, you shall provide USDA with payment justifications for all federal dollar expenditures from January 20, 2025, to the present. Going forward, all transactions on awards to the State of Minnesota or the City of Minneapolis will require such payment justification. If those payment justifications are not received, awards will remain suspended. While your Administrations have turned a blind eye to documented fraud, the Trump Administration has made clear that fraud, waste, and abuse are unacceptable. The American people deserve to know that their taxpayer dollars are helping those in need-not criminals. …

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Extremely valuable thread from @kenwhite.bsky.social that also shows why there must be multiple responses to this, including legal ones, but also political responses like impeachment of the relevant officials like Noem. Even if not convicted, it imposes costs and keeps it in the political spotlight.
kenwhite.bsky.social Fucking Bitch Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 2d
/13 That is why it is utterly foolish to be mad they haven’t charged Jonathan Ross already. Any chance of winning demands meticulous planning. That’s what I hope they do.

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Brought to you by the party of family values and national security.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.

Reposted by David Darmofal

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 1d
Yes. It's as completely insane and unacceptable as ICE actions leading to the closure of school in Minneapolis. Impeach both Kennedy and Noem now. Get Congress talking in real life about this.
warnock.senate.gov Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @warnock.senate.gov · 1d
We need to talk about this.

Sec Kennedy took action this week to make it harder for children to get vaccinated for the flu.

I think that’s completely insane and unacceptable.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Nathan P. Kalmoe

warnock.senate.gov
Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @warnock.senate.gov · 1d
We need to talk about this.

Sec Kennedy took action this week to make it harder for children to get vaccinated for the flu.

I think that’s completely insane and unacceptable.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Michael Kevane, Claire L. Adida

anthonymkreis.bsky.social
Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 1d
Taunting is not a justification for arbitrary executions. Collective guilt is contrary to the rule of the law. Resisting the state— even if unlawful and prosecutable—doesn’t justify a death sentence. Our colonial ancestors rejected that agents of the state are absolutely immune for their wrongdoing.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Alan Richardson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

anthonymkreis.bsky.social
Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 1d
The thing about the Boston Massacre— the fruits of arbitrary power— was not that the colonists were universally in the right. Things were thrown at the soldiers. But, the presence of a standing army escalated conditions. The use of force that night was not proportional. Citizens died needlessly.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Nathan P. Kalmoe

mkirschenbaum.bsky.social
Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 1d
I would submit that a big part of the problem is that the public still gets to have things like football championships, even as the academic core is being gutted. It preserves the simulacrum of a real university at precisely the wrong time.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Nandita Sharma, Will Jennings , and 10 more

nkalamb.bsky.social
Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 1d
Kind of wild there has been almost no coverage of the fact that the federal government unleashed chemical weapons against literal kids *at school*.

workdaymagazine.org/minneapolis-...
Only a few hours after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Minneapolis resident and mother Renee Good on January 7, federal immigration enforcement agents descended onto Roosevelt High School property during school dismissal as students were exiting the building. MFE members say that ICE agents tackled and detained a school staff member and union member who was working at the time. The MFE member was since released, according to a union spokesperson. The agents also deployed a chemical irritant against students and staff on school grounds, MFE says. A school official, speaking to MPR News on condition of anonymity, said many students sheltered in a nearby library.

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings , and 39 more

anneapplebaum.bsky.social
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d
The Norwegian Nobel Prize committee has been forced to make a statement, declaring that the prize cannot be transferred.
It's hard even to comprehend how stupid this has become

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Caroline Krafft, Smith

mikespangenberg.bsky.social
Mike Spangenberg @mikespangenberg.bsky.social · 1d
It’s hard to know if people outside MN understand how much of life is grinding to a halt here because of Trump’s occupation. Schools have shut down, businesses are scaling back hours or closing because their employees aren’t safe. The whole city is weighted down.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Sharrow , and 23 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit , and 16 more

chadbourn.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 1d
The US Department of Agriculture suspends all federal funding to Minnesota, effective immediately.
January 9, 2026 THE HONORABLE TIM WALZ Governor of Minesota 130 State Capitol 75 Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bivd. St. Paul, MN 55155 THE HONORABLE JACOB FREY Mayor of the City of Minneapolis City Hail 350S. Fifth St., Room 330 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Dear Governor Walz and Mayor Frey, It is my responsibility as Secretary of Agriculture to ensure sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars by climinating fraud, waste and abuse in all programs funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The widespread and systemic fraud associated with federal benefit programs in the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis demonstrate an inability to handle federal resources without additional oversight and accountability measures in place. During your tenures as Governor of Minnesota and Mayor of Minneapolis, numerous non-profits and businesses have defrauded the federal government in what a federal prosecutor in Minnesota called "a staggering, industrial-scale fraud".! Most notably, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit— Feeding Our Future defrauded U.S. taxpayers of nearly $250 million in federal funds given to them by the Minnesota Department of Education.? This fraud scheme involved USDA funding provided to the State of Minnesota to feed hungry children under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). As of late November, 78 defendants had been charged in what the Department of Justice characterized as the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country? Other recent examples of'alleged fraud in Minnesota include exploitation of the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program", a scheme to defraud the Housing Stabilization 1-Whut te know about Minnesoca' "industrial-scale fraad" scandal, as more charges are fled and Trump weighs in, "CES Nows (Dic. 19, 3025) available at ht:/www.cbsnews.com/news/atas-do-know-alonesota-frawf-candal were-changes-fled- tump-water. /Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Masternind and Co-D… Services Program", and alleged fraud in daycare centers*, Your Administrations have refused additional accountability and oversight, claiming that criticism of rampant fraud and abuse is "racist." While the full extent of fraud in Minnesota is not yet known, it is clear that, under your leadership- or lack thereof fraudsters can take advantage of federal funds and the American taxpayer with impunity. This necessitates federal action to protect taxpayer dollars until adequate safeguards can be established. Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations refuse to provide basic information or take common sense mcasures to stop fraud. In fact, rather than conlin your SNAP rolls are accurate to prevent continuing fraud, you asked the courts to block USDA's directive to recertify the State's SNAP recipients. Recent news reports also emerged that the Minnesota Department of Human Services repeatedly reported incorrect information about SNAP to the federal government.? The Trump administration refuses to allow such fraud to continuc. Therefore, because of your failed Icadership and abysmal financial management oversight, 1 am notifying you that, effective immediately, I am suspending payments on all active awards and any future awards from USDA to the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis, currently totaling over $129.18 million. Within 30 days, you shall provide USDA with payment justifications for all federal dollar expenditures from January 20, 2025, to the present. Going forward, all transactions on awards to the State of Minnesota or the City of Minneapolis will require such payment justification. If those payment justifications are not received, awards will remain suspended. While your Administrations have turned a blind eye to documented fraud, the Trump Administration has made clear that fraud, waste, and abuse are unacceptable. The American people deserve to know that their taxpayer dollars are helping those in need-not criminals. …

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Daniel Kim

maggieastor.bsky.social
Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 2d
We have completed 1/52 weeks of 2026

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d
As someone here said yesterday (maybe @prisonculture.bsky.social?), it's a political solution for a political problem. Debate it in Congress. It's in addition to, not instead of, all the other things that can and should be done.

(apologies if someone else made this point)

Reposted by David R. Miller

profsaunders.bsky.social
Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d
DO IT
andrewsolender.bsky.social Andrew Solender @andrewsolender.bsky.social · 2d
Growing list of House Democrats saying they support Kristi Noem's impeachment:

Kelly (Ill.)
Ramirez
Ansari
Randall
McBride
Casten
McCollum
Tokuda
Kamlager-Dove
McGarvey

Schneider, AOC and others say they're open to it.

@axios.com www.axios.com/2026/01/09/k...
Democrats warm to impeaching Kristi Noem after Minneapolis, Portland shootings
"There's a rising clamor for oversight and potentially impeachment of Secretary Noem," said Rep. Jamie Raskin.
www.axios.com