Dael Norwood
@dael.bsky.social
Historian of America's old, weird political economy. Unincorporated but proudly unionized citizen of Delaware. Adding “levity to discussions of financing and high politics” since 2022. Wrote Trading Freedom: How Trade with China Defined Early America.
Pinned
Dael Norwood
@dael.bsky.social
· Jul 14
The Best Thing to Ever Happen to the State of … Delaware?
This post argues that the forces pushing DExit – and thus the death of the corporate franchise –cannot be appeased by Delaware, so we must consider the future without the franchise ourselves,…
daelnorwood.com
A moderate-length but immodest proposal: it's time for Delawareans to start planning for a future beyond the corporate franchise – and we need to do it before angry billionaires force it on us first.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
reported ICE activities in the Twin Cities this morning
-- terrorizing a daycare
-- drawing weapons outside a bank
-- terrorizing a daycare
-- drawing weapons outside a bank
January 26, 2026 at 5:44 PM
reported ICE activities in the Twin Cities this morning
-- terrorizing a daycare
-- drawing weapons outside a bank
-- terrorizing a daycare
-- drawing weapons outside a bank
Of course there's a kaiju off Delmarva
a not insignificant number of people on Threads seem to believe the snow storm was The Government's attempt to refreeze the Leviathan, the world-eating serpent, which was getting loose (to eat the world, I assume)
January 26, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Of course there's a kaiju off Delmarva
In the bad old days, the Cossacks worked for the Tsar.
In the new American empire, however
In the new American empire, however
Trump sends border tsar to Minnesota after second fatal ICE shooting
President tasks Tom Homan with overseeing operations as outcry grows over the death of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
www.scmp.com
January 26, 2026 at 4:34 PM
In the bad old days, the Cossacks worked for the Tsar.
In the new American empire, however
In the new American empire, however
First the website, then the lectures, next the classrooms - the logic of this era’s censorship tracks backwards from what materials are most easily algorithmically discoverable and aggregateable by the regime’s AI bots and bureaucrats
arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
January 26, 2026 at 4:13 PM
First the website, then the lectures, next the classrooms - the logic of this era’s censorship tracks backwards from what materials are most easily algorithmically discoverable and aggregateable by the regime’s AI bots and bureaucrats
arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
Reposted by Dael Norwood
Censorship comes to the University of Arkansas Little Rock: arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
UPDATE: Lectures on race and history canceled in latest assault on academic freedom in Arkansas - Arkansas Times
Two planned lectures on race and history have been canceled at UALR after campus leadership was apparently concerned conservative lawmakers might take offense and withhold future funding.
arktimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Censorship comes to the University of Arkansas Little Rock: arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...
Reposted by Dael Norwood
One problem with advocating for censoring unwanted political content on TikTok is that you might get your way
January 26, 2026 at 2:30 AM
One problem with advocating for censoring unwanted political content on TikTok is that you might get your way
Reposted by Dael Norwood
This is one of the things that I find is most shocking to people outside Minnesota who don’t realize it yet—the scale at which everyone who isn’t white has been forced into a spectrum of hiding.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
January 26, 2026 at 4:01 AM
This is one of the things that I find is most shocking to people outside Minnesota who don’t realize it yet—the scale at which everyone who isn’t white has been forced into a spectrum of hiding.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.
For any other poor fool, so that you may not suffer in the darkness of ignorance as I have
www.census.gov/programs-sur...
www.census.gov/programs-sur...
January 26, 2026 at 2:18 AM
For any other poor fool, so that you may not suffer in the darkness of ignorance as I have
www.census.gov/programs-sur...
www.census.gov/programs-sur...
I'm simultaneously overjoyed to find that the US Census Bureau does an "Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections" – that breaks down each state by source, including personal income vs corporate license fees - and also ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS that it took me so long to find it
January 26, 2026 at 2:15 AM
I'm simultaneously overjoyed to find that the US Census Bureau does an "Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections" – that breaks down each state by source, including personal income vs corporate license fees - and also ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS that it took me so long to find it
Bondi’s request for voter rolls confuses me. Surely the real ask is for *ongoing control* of the voter rolls, not simply the list as it is today?
Surely the list as-is, or something close to it, is something they could easily buy or steal (if the spam texts I get are any indication).
Surely the list as-is, or something close to it, is something they could easily buy or steal (if the spam texts I get are any indication).
January 26, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Bondi’s request for voter rolls confuses me. Surely the real ask is for *ongoing control* of the voter rolls, not simply the list as it is today?
Surely the list as-is, or something close to it, is something they could easily buy or steal (if the spam texts I get are any indication).
Surely the list as-is, or something close to it, is something they could easily buy or steal (if the spam texts I get are any indication).
Reposted by Dael Norwood
This was just me making this comparison yesterday, but today the Korean news is calling Minnesota "America's Gwangju" and have human rights lawyers explaining how America is now living through the dictatorship Korea once had.
The Chun regime that my wife fought against in the 80s did the exact same thing. They needed a "crisis" that "only they could solve" to hoard more ill-gotten power, so they chose one city (Gwangju), declared its inhabitants enemies, sent trucks full of soldiers to violently attack and kill them.
January 25, 2026 at 11:37 PM
This was just me making this comparison yesterday, but today the Korean news is calling Minnesota "America's Gwangju" and have human rights lawyers explaining how America is now living through the dictatorship Korea once had.
I know I shouldn't hold law review articles to my standards for historiography, but this article about the 20th-c caselaw on local voting that relies on cites to early Americanist scholarship about state-level voter qualifications is making me shake my head hard enough I'm going to pull something
January 25, 2026 at 10:15 PM
I know I shouldn't hold law review articles to my standards for historiography, but this article about the 20th-c caselaw on local voting that relies on cites to early Americanist scholarship about state-level voter qualifications is making me shake my head hard enough I'm going to pull something
Reposted by Dael Norwood
when writers and artists warned of intellectual theft, when women warned of the threats of deepfake revenge porn, when child safety advocates begged us to take the dangers of inevitable abuse into account: these were portents of what this administration will do.
January 25, 2026 at 9:44 PM
when writers and artists warned of intellectual theft, when women warned of the threats of deepfake revenge porn, when child safety advocates begged us to take the dangers of inevitable abuse into account: these were portents of what this administration will do.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
talking with someone about this today, and their whole expression sharpened suddenly as they asked "is that why ICE is angry people have video from multiple angles?"
AI is the enemy of documentation--which is a way of saying, it's the enemy of accountability.
AI is the enemy of documentation--which is a way of saying, it's the enemy of accountability.
a reminder that AI isn't just cringe; it's part of this administration's toolkit.
January 25, 2026 at 9:36 PM
talking with someone about this today, and their whole expression sharpened suddenly as they asked "is that why ICE is angry people have video from multiple angles?"
AI is the enemy of documentation--which is a way of saying, it's the enemy of accountability.
AI is the enemy of documentation--which is a way of saying, it's the enemy of accountability.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (NBPA) AND ITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE FATAL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS BY ICE
January 25, 2026 at 8:52 PM
STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYERS ASSOCIATION (NBPA) AND ITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE FATAL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS BY ICE
Also, the wikipedia page for Minnesota-based but Trump-friendly financial firm Securian Financial Group is afflicted with some kind of payola accusations?
January 25, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Also, the wikipedia page for Minnesota-based but Trump-friendly financial firm Securian Financial Group is afflicted with some kind of payola accusations?
Reposted by Dael Norwood
More profiles in cowardice:
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill and roughly four dozen other large MN companies issued a public letter calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state. Stops short of condemning the killings or who is responsible for them.
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill and roughly four dozen other large MN companies issued a public letter calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state. Stops short of condemning the killings or who is responsible for them.
Minnesota’s Biggest Companies Call for ‘De-escalation’ of Tensions
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:20 PM
More profiles in cowardice:
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill and roughly four dozen other large MN companies issued a public letter calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state. Stops short of condemning the killings or who is responsible for them.
Target, Best Buy, General Mills, Cargill and roughly four dozen other large MN companies issued a public letter calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state. Stops short of condemning the killings or who is responsible for them.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
Palantir’s role in enabling ICE raids is an undercovered story. A month ago, CEO Alex Karp - who wrote his college thesis on fascism - was asked whether Trump was a fascist and replied: “Of course not. I think that’s stupid, honestly”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/b...
Palantir’s Chief Defends His Company’s Work With ICE
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Palantir’s role in enabling ICE raids is an undercovered story. A month ago, CEO Alex Karp - who wrote his college thesis on fascism - was asked whether Trump was a fascist and replied: “Of course not. I think that’s stupid, honestly”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/b...
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce organized an abject and embarrassingly vague “open letter” from 60 CEOs, which (in effect) begs the Trump regime to stop.
Notable in that it represents the business community acting politically, in the open.
But also reveals how powerless & late biz elites are rn.
Notable in that it represents the business community acting politically, in the open.
But also reveals how powerless & late biz elites are rn.
Open letter from more than 60 CEOs of Minnesota-based companies | Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
www.mnchamber.com
January 25, 2026 at 8:12 PM
Minnesota Chamber of Commerce organized an abject and embarrassingly vague “open letter” from 60 CEOs, which (in effect) begs the Trump regime to stop.
Notable in that it represents the business community acting politically, in the open.
But also reveals how powerless & late biz elites are rn.
Notable in that it represents the business community acting politically, in the open.
But also reveals how powerless & late biz elites are rn.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
404 Media is watching ICE grow from an already horrifying organization into a deportation force that is better funded than most militaries. It's why we made a zine about the surveillance technologies used by ICE.
To support our continued work: www.404media.co/membership/
To support our continued work: www.404media.co/membership/
404 Media Is Making a Zine
We are publishing a risograph-printed zine about the surveillance technologies used by ICE.
www.404media.co
January 25, 2026 at 5:22 PM
404 Media is watching ICE grow from an already horrifying organization into a deportation force that is better funded than most militaries. It's why we made a zine about the surveillance technologies used by ICE.
To support our continued work: www.404media.co/membership/
To support our continued work: www.404media.co/membership/
Great thread on the companies and tech ICE is using to facilitate the repression and murder – tools which must be destroyed and dismantled if democracy is to return and flourish.
THREAD: 404 Media has been covering ICE and the technology they've been using to surveil and raid "targets", detain people based on a flawed facial recognition app, and lie about violence on the streets.
They have established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
They have established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
DHS Is Lying To You About ICE Shooting a Woman
At least four videos show what really happened when ICE shot a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday. DHS has established itself as an agency that cannot be trusted to live in or present reality.
www.404media.co
January 25, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Great thread on the companies and tech ICE is using to facilitate the repression and murder – tools which must be destroyed and dismantled if democracy is to return and flourish.
Reposted by Dael Norwood
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
January 25, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Remember the other day when I was saluting my friend Greg Ketter, owner of Minneapolis’ DreamHaven Books? This is him the following day. Greg will never say this, so I will — now is a great time to buy books from DreamHaven. Support Americans who stand up vs. 🧊. dreamhavenbooks.com
Reposted by Dael Norwood
it's boring as hell but data governance and regulation needs to be a central plank of Reconstruction 2
So which politician is calling for the dismantling of the probably illegal database that ice & this government is collecting biometric data of protesters?
January 25, 2026 at 6:13 PM
it's boring as hell but data governance and regulation needs to be a central plank of Reconstruction 2
It’s a small grace that in these troubled times, no one is using events to advance a pro-Bob Dylan agenda
January 25, 2026 at 4:10 PM
It’s a small grace that in these troubled times, no one is using events to advance a pro-Bob Dylan agenda
Reposted by Dael Norwood
Glen Taylor owns the Star-Tribune and just made $1.1 billion selling the Timberwolves but the paper refuses to regularly fund his own beat writer's travel to cover that team. He also recently shut down the strib's printing plant, it's now printed in Iowa. Funny how quote tweets are disabled for this
January 25, 2026 at 5:36 AM
Glen Taylor owns the Star-Tribune and just made $1.1 billion selling the Timberwolves but the paper refuses to regularly fund his own beat writer's travel to cover that team. He also recently shut down the strib's printing plant, it's now printed in Iowa. Funny how quote tweets are disabled for this