David Smilde
@dsmilde.bsky.social
Check out my Substack "Venezuela and the United States" https://davidsmilde.substack.com/ Opinions expressed are my own.
Good Riddance
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Greg Bovino Loses His Job
The Border Patrol chief has been ousted from his role as “commander at large,” and will return to El Centro.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Good Riddance
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Investigations and a Billion-Dollar ‘Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
Investigations and a Billion-Dollar ‘Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education
www.nytimes.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Investigations and a Billion-Dollar ‘Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...
Reposted by David Smilde
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by David Smilde
The paradox of Violence: Revolution, Crime, and Policing During Chavismo, edited by
@dsmilde.bsky.social
@beccahanson.bsky.social
and Verónica Zubillaga.
upittpress.org/books/978082...
@dsmilde.bsky.social
@beccahanson.bsky.social
and Verónica Zubillaga.
upittpress.org/books/978082...
January 17, 2026 at 10:50 PM
The paradox of Violence: Revolution, Crime, and Policing During Chavismo, edited by
@dsmilde.bsky.social
@beccahanson.bsky.social
and Verónica Zubillaga.
upittpress.org/books/978082...
@dsmilde.bsky.social
@beccahanson.bsky.social
and Verónica Zubillaga.
upittpress.org/books/978082...
Reposted by David Smilde
I wanted to make a thread about the useful analyses coming out about the situation in Venezuela, but there is a lot, and everyday new things come out.
It may be more useful to share some of the existing analysis of how we got here. Books in no particular order and on various themes/issues...
🧵
It may be more useful to share some of the existing analysis of how we got here. Books in no particular order and on various themes/issues...
🧵
January 17, 2026 at 10:37 PM
I wanted to make a thread about the useful analyses coming out about the situation in Venezuela, but there is a lot, and everyday new things come out.
It may be more useful to share some of the existing analysis of how we got here. Books in no particular order and on various themes/issues...
🧵
It may be more useful to share some of the existing analysis of how we got here. Books in no particular order and on various themes/issues...
🧵
January 15, 2026 at 4:12 PM
No, I don’t think VE is cursed by oil. It’s a challenge that can be managed with good government. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/m...
‘The Devil’s Excrement’: Is Venezuela Cursed by Its Oil?
www.nytimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:25 PM
No, I don’t think VE is cursed by oil. It’s a challenge that can be managed with good government. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/m...
On Thursday, 4 pm Eastern, 3 pm Central, Verónica Zubillaga, Francisco Rodriguez, Alla Rosca and I will discuss Venezuela with Tony Pereira, director of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane. Scan QR code for connection information.
January 13, 2026 at 9:45 PM
On Thursday, 4 pm Eastern, 3 pm Central, Verónica Zubillaga, Francisco Rodriguez, Alla Rosca and I will discuss Venezuela with Tony Pereira, director of the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane. Scan QR code for connection information.
Reposted by David Smilde
All republicans voted down a subpoena of all records and footage related to the murder of Renee Good by ICE agent
January 8, 2026 at 6:19 AM
All republicans voted down a subpoena of all records and footage related to the murder of Renee Good by ICE agent
Federal Agents Shoot 2 in Portland, Ore., Police Say www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...
Federal Agents Shoot 2 in Portland, Ore., Police Say
www.nytimes.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Federal Agents Shoot 2 in Portland, Ore., Police Say www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...
Reposted by David Smilde
On only hours notice, hundreds of New Yorkers are gathering in Foley Square to protest the murder of Renee Nicole Good
January 7, 2026 at 11:06 PM
On only hours notice, hundreds of New Yorkers are gathering in Foley Square to protest the murder of Renee Nicole Good
Reposted by David Smilde
Is Trump’s capture of Maduro really about drug charges? Joining us to discuss Venezuelan oil and the capture of Maduro is David Smilde @dsmilde.bsky.social. on.soundcloud.com/AaNldF3WzqdH...
January 5, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Is Trump’s capture of Maduro really about drug charges? Joining us to discuss Venezuelan oil and the capture of Maduro is David Smilde @dsmilde.bsky.social. on.soundcloud.com/AaNldF3WzqdH...
January 5, 2026 at 2:14 PM
If @cbsnews.com is looking for amateur data analysts, perhaps they could talk to Trump administration officials:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Trump says the job market is booming for U.S.-born. The data doesn’t show it.
The idea that employment is surging for U.S.-born workers is routinely trumpeted by Trump officials. But economists say otherwise.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:10 PM
If @cbsnews.com is looking for amateur data analysts, perhaps they could talk to Trump administration officials:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
“What has allowed us to thrive, physically and culturally, is not our rootedness but our mobility. Without it, we would already be extinct.”
Globalisation didn’t begin in the 1990s, or even in the past millennia. The tale of globalisation is written across human history. So why do we keep getting the story so wrong? This Essay was one of our most read by you in 2025. Revisit it here:
There are no pure cultures – we have always been global | Aeon Essays
All of our religions, stories, languages and norms were muddled and mixed through mobility and exchange throughout history
buff.ly
December 30, 2025 at 11:36 PM
“What has allowed us to thrive, physically and culturally, is not our rootedness but our mobility. Without it, we would already be extinct.”
