Astra Taylor
@astra.bsky.social
Author of a growing pile of books (Solidarity; The Age of Insecurity; Remake the World; Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss it When It's Gone; The People's Platform), maker of documentaries, schemer with the Debt Collective, editing at Hammer & Hope.
Pinned
Astra Taylor
@astra.bsky.social
· Nov 14
When I titled my book "Democracy May Not Exist, but We'll Miss It When It's Gone" I really did not anticipate how hard that phrase would eventually hit.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.
The exit economy is here. Black Women are paying the highest price | Fortune
This isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. And it's not a recovery, it's a redistribution of opportunity.
fortune.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Since February, according to my latest analysis, almost 600,000 Black women have been economically sidelined. The November 20, 2025, Jobs Report makes clear this isn’t a blip. It’s a structural crisis. That is not a recovery. It is a redistribution of opportunity.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
This is a story about how America’s world-leading cancer and dementia research system was destroyed by frauds and naifs who broke the law.
There must be consequences.
There must be consequences.
Some incredible details in this piece
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
November 22, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is a story about how America’s world-leading cancer and dementia research system was destroyed by frauds and naifs who broke the law.
There must be consequences.
There must be consequences.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
redid my personal site post-layoff :)
my contact form is open! if you're looking to talk to or commission someone with expertise in covering and analyzing social movements, prison and police abolition, trans politics, climate organizing, cultural criticism... reach out! (my DMs are cursed rn, lol)
my contact form is open! if you're looking to talk to or commission someone with expertise in covering and analyzing social movements, prison and police abolition, trans politics, climate organizing, cultural criticism... reach out! (my DMs are cursed rn, lol)
Lex McMenamin
Lex McMenamin is a writer, editor, and organizer from Philadelphia, based in New York.
lexmcmenamin.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:43 PM
redid my personal site post-layoff :)
my contact form is open! if you're looking to talk to or commission someone with expertise in covering and analyzing social movements, prison and police abolition, trans politics, climate organizing, cultural criticism... reach out! (my DMs are cursed rn, lol)
my contact form is open! if you're looking to talk to or commission someone with expertise in covering and analyzing social movements, prison and police abolition, trans politics, climate organizing, cultural criticism... reach out! (my DMs are cursed rn, lol)
I checked out Trump's glowing post about meeting Mamdani on Truth Social and the response from his followers there is overwhelmingly negative and confused. Loomer had a meltdown. Vance made a sad attempt at a joke. Is anyone on the right happy about how it went yesterday?
November 22, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I checked out Trump's glowing post about meeting Mamdani on Truth Social and the response from his followers there is overwhelmingly negative and confused. Loomer had a meltdown. Vance made a sad attempt at a joke. Is anyone on the right happy about how it went yesterday?
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Laughing at Donald Trump saying he'd definitely feel comfortable living in Zohran Mamdani's New York on the same day that half the consultant brain-poisoned Democratic party voted to condemn socialism
November 21, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Laughing at Donald Trump saying he'd definitely feel comfortable living in Zohran Mamdani's New York on the same day that half the consultant brain-poisoned Democratic party voted to condemn socialism
Reposted by Astra Taylor
A Charlotte pastor said Border Patrol came into his church and made an arrest in front of children. They cried “a lot,” he said.
“We are trying to clean the property. We didn’t know this is gonna happen.”
#borderpatrol #charlotte #nc
“We are trying to clean the property. We didn’t know this is gonna happen.”
#borderpatrol #charlotte #nc
November 15, 2025 at 9:56 PM
A Charlotte pastor said Border Patrol came into his church and made an arrest in front of children. They cried “a lot,” he said.
“We are trying to clean the property. We didn’t know this is gonna happen.”
#borderpatrol #charlotte #nc
“We are trying to clean the property. We didn’t know this is gonna happen.”
#borderpatrol #charlotte #nc
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Students at Olympic high school in charlotte, NC walkout to protest ICE defying the principal.
Young people are waking up to the injustices of this administration, they won’t tolerate being lied to for much longer. ICE isn’t here to protect. Young people need to realize how much power they hold!
Young people are waking up to the injustices of this administration, they won’t tolerate being lied to for much longer. ICE isn’t here to protect. Young people need to realize how much power they hold!
November 18, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Students at Olympic high school in charlotte, NC walkout to protest ICE defying the principal.
Young people are waking up to the injustices of this administration, they won’t tolerate being lied to for much longer. ICE isn’t here to protect. Young people need to realize how much power they hold!
Young people are waking up to the injustices of this administration, they won’t tolerate being lied to for much longer. ICE isn’t here to protect. Young people need to realize how much power they hold!
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Baristas are locking arms in front of lines of trucks.
This distribution center is Starbucks’ largest on the East Coast, which is why we’re showing up to send a message. We're ready to continue escalating our ULP strike until Starbucks does the right thing.
#NoContractNoCoffee
This distribution center is Starbucks’ largest on the East Coast, which is why we’re showing up to send a message. We're ready to continue escalating our ULP strike until Starbucks does the right thing.
#NoContractNoCoffee
November 19, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Baristas are locking arms in front of lines of trucks.
This distribution center is Starbucks’ largest on the East Coast, which is why we’re showing up to send a message. We're ready to continue escalating our ULP strike until Starbucks does the right thing.
#NoContractNoCoffee
This distribution center is Starbucks’ largest on the East Coast, which is why we’re showing up to send a message. We're ready to continue escalating our ULP strike until Starbucks does the right thing.
#NoContractNoCoffee
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Free shovel to dig your own grave.
OpenAI made a free version of ChatGPT for teachers
OpenAI's ChatGPT for Teachers is a secure version of the AI assistant designed for school employees.
www.engadget.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Free shovel to dig your own grave.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Tonight, as the sun set in Durham, while hundreds more joined patrols in Charlotte, courageous local officials, people of faith, and community leaders gathered to say: Enough is enough.
November 19, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Tonight, as the sun set in Durham, while hundreds more joined patrols in Charlotte, courageous local officials, people of faith, and community leaders gathered to say: Enough is enough.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Loser throws up a white power symbol while talking to the Vice President, who chuckles and responds, "I like this guy!"
Share far and wide, since the media refuse to call out the reality of what this administration represents.
Share far and wide, since the media refuse to call out the reality of what this administration represents.
I got the video. We shouldn't get acclimated to this racist, edgelord shit.
November 17, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Loser throws up a white power symbol while talking to the Vice President, who chuckles and responds, "I like this guy!"
Share far and wide, since the media refuse to call out the reality of what this administration represents.
Share far and wide, since the media refuse to call out the reality of what this administration represents.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
We Used to Read Things in This Country | Noah McCormack
Technology changes us—and it is currently changing us for the worse.
thebaffler.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“The elites are ecstatic about imagining a vast, uneducated, and unproductive population forced to pay companies like OpenAI to access the written word and to approximate thought.”
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
Must read piece by Noah McCormack with too many quotaboe lines to select one! thebaffler.com/salvos/we-us...
I got the video. We shouldn't get acclimated to this racist, edgelord shit.
November 17, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I got the video. We shouldn't get acclimated to this racist, edgelord shit.
We need more honest language:
Theft Tech (AI)
Grift Tech (crypto)
Death Tech (automated weapons and military surveillance)
Theft Tech (AI)
Grift Tech (crypto)
Death Tech (automated weapons and military surveillance)
"theft tech" is a term my pal @astra.bsky.social thought of just today when we were working on our book about these End Times Fascists.
We were thinking about what should happen when this this bubble busts, as we all know it will.
Remember: they have bunkers. We don't. 2/3
We were thinking about what should happen when this this bubble busts, as we all know it will.
Remember: they have bunkers. We don't. 2/3
November 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
We need more honest language:
Theft Tech (AI)
Grift Tech (crypto)
Death Tech (automated weapons and military surveillance)
Theft Tech (AI)
Grift Tech (crypto)
Death Tech (automated weapons and military surveillance)
Reposted by Astra Taylor
The AI bubble may be about to bust.
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
November 17, 2025 at 6:37 AM
The AI bubble may be about to bust.
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
Reposted by Astra Taylor
“New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible.” --Zohran Mamdani
For @hammerandhope.bsky.social I wrote about what comes next.
hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
For @hammerandhope.bsky.social I wrote about what comes next.
hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
Zohran Got New Yorkers to Hope. What’s the Plan to Deliver?
Organizers who brought him to the verge of victory are looking ahead to the challenges of democratic governance.
hammerandhope.org
November 16, 2025 at 1:28 PM
“New Yorkers allowed themselves to hope that the impossible could be made possible.” --Zohran Mamdani
For @hammerandhope.bsky.social I wrote about what comes next.
hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
For @hammerandhope.bsky.social I wrote about what comes next.
hammerandhope.org/article/mamd...
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Absolute must read on the AI bailout-in-progress: apparently it's not enough that lifetimes of human ingenuity and creativity have been stolen and enclosed to create generative AI and balloon billionaire wealth - much more public looting is in store...
This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
www.wsj.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Absolute must read on the AI bailout-in-progress: apparently it's not enough that lifetimes of human ingenuity and creativity have been stolen and enclosed to create generative AI and balloon billionaire wealth - much more public looting is in store...
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Youth turnout, 2021 to 2025 (and 2025 as pct of 2021):
NJ Gov 20% to 29% (+145%)
VA Gov 27% to 34% (+126%)
NYC Mayor 11.1% to 41.3% (+372%)
Sources: CIRCLE circle.tufts.edu/latest-resea... and DDHQ
NJ Gov 20% to 29% (+145%)
VA Gov 27% to 34% (+126%)
NYC Mayor 11.1% to 41.3% (+372%)
Sources: CIRCLE circle.tufts.edu/latest-resea... and DDHQ
November 10, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Youth turnout, 2021 to 2025 (and 2025 as pct of 2021):
NJ Gov 20% to 29% (+145%)
VA Gov 27% to 34% (+126%)
NYC Mayor 11.1% to 41.3% (+372%)
Sources: CIRCLE circle.tufts.edu/latest-resea... and DDHQ
NJ Gov 20% to 29% (+145%)
VA Gov 27% to 34% (+126%)
NYC Mayor 11.1% to 41.3% (+372%)
Sources: CIRCLE circle.tufts.edu/latest-resea... and DDHQ
Torturing myself by watching Vance's Ole Miss q&a. Everyone got riled up about the hug, but look at this kid flashing a white power symbol and Vance guffawing.
November 10, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Torturing myself by watching Vance's Ole Miss q&a. Everyone got riled up about the hug, but look at this kid flashing a white power symbol and Vance guffawing.
Reposted by Astra Taylor
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
AI Is Supercharging the War on Libraries, Education, and Human Knowledge
"Fascism and AI, whether or not they have the same goals, they sure are working to accelerate one another."
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The long-running ideological war on libraries, education, and government workers is not separate from AI boosterism. It is the same ideological war on human knowledge and expertise. In some cases AI is being used to directly supercharge this effort:
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
www.404media.co/ai-is-superc...
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Trump, Musk, Rubio, and the DOGE boys should always be inseparable from these hundreds of thousands of kids they killed
By this time next week, the estimated deaths due to the illegal destruction of USAID and the shuttering of its aid efforts will breach 400,000.
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
Tracking Anticipated Deaths from USAID Funding Cuts
Brooke Nichols has launched online tracking tools that capture estimated increases in mortality and disease spread for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases as a result of the near-total...
www.bu.edu
November 6, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Trump, Musk, Rubio, and the DOGE boys should always be inseparable from these hundreds of thousands of kids they killed
Reposted by Astra Taylor
this great article by @debtcollective.bsky.social lays out really clearly what's been on my mind all day: everybody better get real familiar with municipal finance real quick
www.inthered.org/p/zohran-won...
www.inthered.org/p/zohran-won...
Zohran Won Main Street—Now He Must Face Wall Street
Mamdani will face a looming threat to his progressive agenda: debt
www.inthered.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:24 PM
this great article by @debtcollective.bsky.social lays out really clearly what's been on my mind all day: everybody better get real familiar with municipal finance real quick
www.inthered.org/p/zohran-won...
www.inthered.org/p/zohran-won...
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Reposted by Astra Taylor
Larry Krasner has won his third term tonight against D->R former judge Pat Dugan by a larger percentage (50% > 44%), and by far a larger vote margin (168K > 95K), than he won four years ago against the criminal defense lawyer who had a section on his campaign website titled "The Girl In My Bathtub."
November 5, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Larry Krasner has won his third term tonight against D->R former judge Pat Dugan by a larger percentage (50% > 44%), and by far a larger vote margin (168K > 95K), than he won four years ago against the criminal defense lawyer who had a section on his campaign website titled "The Girl In My Bathtub."