Chad Levinson
@chadlevinson.com
Academic in DC (Virginia Tech SPIA) nee CHI, NYC, omnivore, decent cook, novice gardener, puppy papa, he/him
The President’s Echo System: How Foreign Policy is Sold to Americans (book forthcoming 2026). https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674302518
The President’s Echo System: How Foreign Policy is Sold to Americans (book forthcoming 2026). https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674302518
Chicago (north branch) -> Hudson -> East R. -> Chicago (south) -> Charles -> Chicago (south) -> Hoosic -> Potomac
My favorite Twitter prompt was "RT this with your home river," so reskeet this with your home river.
Mine is the Patuxent.
Mine is the Patuxent.
January 12, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Chicago (north branch) -> Hudson -> East R. -> Chicago (south) -> Charles -> Chicago (south) -> Hoosic -> Potomac
The clear implication of the threat she identifies, and the action required to counter that threat, is that Donald Trump cannot be trusted to honor US security commitments to NATO allies.
Leavitt: "The president was very clear last night. He said he wants to the US acquire Greenland because he feels that if we do not, then it will eventually be acquired or perhaps even hostilely taken over by China or Russia. Perhaps it would be in the best interest of Greenland to be part of the US"
January 12, 2026 at 6:56 PM
The clear implication of the threat she identifies, and the action required to counter that threat, is that Donald Trump cannot be trusted to honor US security commitments to NATO allies.
Criminal legal practice is interesting in that it seems to transform traumatic experiences into a puzzle to be solved by the lawyers involved. This comment is not meant to be derogatory, but to speculate about how lawyers cope with these cases without developing a trauma response.
Question for MN lawyers: do fed LEOs count as "peace officers" under MN Stat 609.066 ("Deadly force by peace officers")?
OT1H, MN Stat 626.84(c) defines "peace officer" as distinctly an MN officer.
OTOH, MN Stat 626.77 analogizes Fed LEOs to "PEACE OFFICERS from adjoining states."
OT1H, MN Stat 626.84(c) defines "peace officer" as distinctly an MN officer.
OTOH, MN Stat 626.77 analogizes Fed LEOs to "PEACE OFFICERS from adjoining states."
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Criminal legal practice is interesting in that it seems to transform traumatic experiences into a puzzle to be solved by the lawyers involved. This comment is not meant to be derogatory, but to speculate about how lawyers cope with these cases without developing a trauma response.
If you're still on Xitter, you're posting in the Stormfront comment section. Find another way to promote your newsletter.
checking in on elon musk, the guy who absolutely did not give a nazi salute last year
January 8, 2026 at 3:39 PM
If you're still on Xitter, you're posting in the Stormfront comment section. Find another way to promote your newsletter.
Agencies aren’t empty vessels populated by people, virtuous or evil. They comprise legal authorities, budget lines, real estate, equipment, personnel with employment protections, cultures, and public reputations. They enable evil people to do harm, often without allowing virtuous people to do good.
definitely not opposed to doing both, but to lay it out: ICE is just an agency populated by people, and in theory it could be populated by anyone to serve any purpose, whereas murderers and kidnappers should be in prison, plain and simple
January 8, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Agencies aren’t empty vessels populated by people, virtuous or evil. They comprise legal authorities, budget lines, real estate, equipment, personnel with employment protections, cultures, and public reputations. They enable evil people to do harm, often without allowing virtuous people to do good.
There are simply no virtuous Republican office-holders. Every single one of them is abetting a coup.
Switch parties. Today is a good day for it.
Switch parties. Today is a good day for it.
January 6, 2026 at 7:23 PM
There are simply no virtuous Republican office-holders. Every single one of them is abetting a coup.
Switch parties. Today is a good day for it.
Switch parties. Today is a good day for it.
Hive mind: last week I cooked something with ground turkey and it released an unpleasant metallic smell that was too much for me, but my wife couldn't really smell it so we stored it in plastic in the fridge. Now the vessel has the smell and I can't get rid of it. What gives? Any remedies?
January 4, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Hive mind: last week I cooked something with ground turkey and it released an unpleasant metallic smell that was too much for me, but my wife couldn't really smell it so we stored it in plastic in the fridge. Now the vessel has the smell and I can't get rid of it. What gives? Any remedies?
My feed is full of people demanding Democratic office holders do things and Democratic office holders doing those things. It’s kinda weird.
January 3, 2026 at 9:31 PM
My feed is full of people demanding Democratic office holders do things and Democratic office holders doing those things. It’s kinda weird.
Reposted by Chad Levinson
Not sure why this dross, dated Dec 1, seems to be circulating now (and why it didn't cross my feed a month ago), but wow what a terrible essay.
A few comments, in a short 🧵>>
bigthink.com/the-present/...
A few comments, in a short 🧵>>
bigthink.com/the-present/...
The rise of AI denialism
Computer scientist Louis Rosenberg argues that dismissing AI as a “bubble” or mere “slop” ignores the tectonic technological shift now unfolding.
bigthink.com
January 3, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Not sure why this dross, dated Dec 1, seems to be circulating now (and why it didn't cross my feed a month ago), but wow what a terrible essay.
A few comments, in a short 🧵>>
bigthink.com/the-present/...
A few comments, in a short 🧵>>
bigthink.com/the-present/...
The search for Artificial General Intelligence is going to be just as racist as the search for biological general intelligence (see Arthur Jensen's "g")
January 2, 2026 at 6:17 PM
The search for Artificial General Intelligence is going to be just as racist as the search for biological general intelligence (see Arthur Jensen's "g")
It really couldn't be simpler: teaching your students to generate essays using chat bots is teaching your students not to write.
December 31, 2025 at 5:58 PM
It really couldn't be simpler: teaching your students to generate essays using chat bots is teaching your students not to write.
Chinese restaurants in DC can be a madhouse on Christmas, so we bring a Jewish tradition home. Red braised pork belly, lions head meatballs, and a quick chicken dry fry plus soup dumplings from Bob’s 66. Sichuan peppercorn ice cream for dessert (not pictured)
December 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Chinese restaurants in DC can be a madhouse on Christmas, so we bring a Jewish tradition home. Red braised pork belly, lions head meatballs, and a quick chicken dry fry plus soup dumplings from Bob’s 66. Sichuan peppercorn ice cream for dessert (not pictured)
Reposted by Chad Levinson
See, when you’ve grown up relying on LLMs to write your school papers and do your work, you don’t actually develop the skills to function as a working adult.
If you’re pushing AI in schools, you’re failing kids. Sorry. There’s not a lot of grey area here.
If you’re pushing AI in schools, you’re failing kids. Sorry. There’s not a lot of grey area here.
December 22, 2025 at 7:24 PM
See, when you’ve grown up relying on LLMs to write your school papers and do your work, you don’t actually develop the skills to function as a working adult.
If you’re pushing AI in schools, you’re failing kids. Sorry. There’s not a lot of grey area here.
If you’re pushing AI in schools, you’re failing kids. Sorry. There’s not a lot of grey area here.
Academic research has a lot of problems. "People aren't producing papers fast enough" (the problem GenAI proposes to solve) isn't one of them.
December 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Academic research has a lot of problems. "People aren't producing papers fast enough" (the problem GenAI proposes to solve) isn't one of them.
Reposted by Chad Levinson
Not a historian but like to research. The AI might summarize what I'm looking for, but it doesn't find what I'm *not* looking for. The book on the shelf next to the one I wanted. The insight in chapter 6 based on the quote I needed from chapter 4.
December 21, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Not a historian but like to research. The AI might summarize what I'm looking for, but it doesn't find what I'm *not* looking for. The book on the shelf next to the one I wanted. The insight in chapter 6 based on the quote I needed from chapter 4.
Willing to make a deal with "heritage Americans."
You can take credit for the good things your ancestors did if you also take the responsibility for the band things.
You can take credit for the good things your ancestors did if you also take the responsibility for the band things.
December 21, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Willing to make a deal with "heritage Americans."
You can take credit for the good things your ancestors did if you also take the responsibility for the band things.
You can take credit for the good things your ancestors did if you also take the responsibility for the band things.
Donald Trump, the next time the Kennedy Center manages to book a decent musical act.
December 19, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Donald Trump, the next time the Kennedy Center manages to book a decent musical act.
The name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is established by law, not a matter of determination delegated to the Board of Directors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
His is the neediest ego ever observed in the wild.
His is the neediest ego ever observed in the wild.
December 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
The name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is established by law, not a matter of determination delegated to the Board of Directors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
His is the neediest ego ever observed in the wild.
His is the neediest ego ever observed in the wild.
Why does every entree recipe the NYT pushes at me start with like a half a cup of brown sugar?
December 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Why does every entree recipe the NYT pushes at me start with like a half a cup of brown sugar?
I'm sure the fed's decision not to release the October jobs report on schedule had nothing to do with the fact that the US economy shed 105k jobs that month.
December 16, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I'm sure the fed's decision not to release the October jobs report on schedule had nothing to do with the fact that the US economy shed 105k jobs that month.
Imagine having the capacity to make a story about someone killing their parents both worse and about you.
December 16, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Imagine having the capacity to make a story about someone killing their parents both worse and about you.
AI boosters are busy finding marginally valuable use-cases for LLMs, even when they admit the core functionality is destructive. Ya know what, I'm happy to forego the ability to auto-generate section headings. If it's that hard to figure out, it's poorly written in the first place.
December 10, 2025 at 4:47 PM
AI boosters are busy finding marginally valuable use-cases for LLMs, even when they admit the core functionality is destructive. Ya know what, I'm happy to forego the ability to auto-generate section headings. If it's that hard to figure out, it's poorly written in the first place.
Folks, the assignment where you have students use AI and then identify all of its mistakes will only teach them how to improve their use of AI and hide it better
December 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Folks, the assignment where you have students use AI and then identify all of its mistakes will only teach them how to improve their use of AI and hide it better
This man is an idiot
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 9, 2025 at 6:12 PM
This man is an idiot
If you wrote a satirical novel about a writer whose defining characteristic was insipid self-absorption, their fictional memoir would be indistinguishable from Nuzzi's
I’m over 30 pages in, and the tone of the book has the feel of Chapter 2. We’re done with the introduction, the telling-everyone-what-she-plans-to-tell-them.
I’d describe the thesis of chapter 2 as “isn’t it interesting being me.”
And, speaking as a reader, no. Not really.
I’d describe the thesis of chapter 2 as “isn’t it interesting being me.”
And, speaking as a reader, no. Not really.
December 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
If you wrote a satirical novel about a writer whose defining characteristic was insipid self-absorption, their fictional memoir would be indistinguishable from Nuzzi's