Lindsay P Cohn
@lindsaypcohn.bsky.social
Political Scientist (all views are own, not employers’). Visiting Prof @ Columbia SIPA; civ-mil relations, military orgs/manpower, public opinion, foreign policy, militarized policing, democratic theory, intl/natsec law, pol econ
Pinned
I’m excited that my first book is available for pre-order and will come out at the end of the month!
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Epic take-down of Roger Pielke Jr's appallingly shoddy academic "work", which he's used--as an attack dog of the Koch Brothers-funded think tank AEI--to discredit the case for climate action:
In a 2024 paper criticizing the 'billion-dollar-disasters' database, Roger Pielke Jr. published analysis that is best described as a Russian-doll of errors.
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Here's my in-depth take down of his appallingly bad work.
economicsfromthetopdown.com/2025/10/26/r...
Roger Pielke Jr.’s Appallingly Bad Analysis of Billion Dollar Disasters – Economics from the Top Down
In a recent paper called Scientific integrity and U.S. “Billion Dollar Disasters”, Roger Pielke Jr. published a chart that's so bad I've devoted a whole essay to debunking it.
economicsfromthetopdown.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Epic take-down of Roger Pielke Jr's appallingly shoddy academic "work", which he's used--as an attack dog of the Koch Brothers-funded think tank AEI--to discredit the case for climate action:
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Lots of contemporary commentators lament the lack of a draft bc they think a draft would “bridge the gap” between the military and the general public. But we note that the classical American expectation is NOT a draft, but that state militia and later reserve and guard would serve this function.
November 25, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Lots of contemporary commentators lament the lack of a draft bc they think a draft would “bridge the gap” between the military and the general public. But we note that the classical American expectation is NOT a draft, but that state militia and later reserve and guard would serve this function.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
South Korea intends to abolish provisions obligating soldiers and civil servants to follow superiors’ commands even when they may be improper or unlawful.
S. Korea pushes for soldiers, civil servants to have right to refuse unlawful orders
The South Korean government is moving to remove long-standing obedience requirements for civil servants and soldiers, on the heels of former President Yoon Suk
www.koreaherald.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
South Korea intends to abolish provisions obligating soldiers and civil servants to follow superiors’ commands even when they may be improper or unlawful.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
A roundtrip LAX-JFK flight in the late 60s was around $3K in today’s dollars. The people who wore suits on those flights were the people who regularly wore suits. Complaining about informally-dressed fliers is complaining that the wrong sorts of people are flying today.
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
A roundtrip LAX-JFK flight in the late 60s was around $3K in today’s dollars. The people who wore suits on those flights were the people who regularly wore suits. Complaining about informally-dressed fliers is complaining that the wrong sorts of people are flying today.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
November 25, 2025 at 4:40 PM
ICE deported a woman who owned a home in the US for 30 years. A judge banned ICE from deporting her to Sierra Leone where she had been tortured, so it deported her to Ghana, which kidnapped her and sent her back Sierra Leone anyway. ICE is part of this illegal conspiracy.
I know this isn’t the main point but why spell it wrong in the most annoying way possible??
1. EXCLUSIVE
Musk’s xAI has secretly built its AI supercomputer, Collusus, using Chinese-made transformers, a security risk that leaves it vulnerable to espionage or sabotage
The use of Chinese components was previously unreported
Collusus performs sensitive work for the U.S. military
Musk’s xAI has secretly built its AI supercomputer, Collusus, using Chinese-made transformers, a security risk that leaves it vulnerable to espionage or sabotage
The use of Chinese components was previously unreported
Collusus performs sensitive work for the U.S. military
Musk’s AI supercomputer, used by U.S. military, secretly relies on Chinese hardware
Records obtained by Oligarch Watch reveal that the facility relies on Chinese transformers, creating a major security vulnerability.
oligarchwatch.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I know this isn’t the main point but why spell it wrong in the most annoying way possible??
The ch that @profjessblankshain.bsky.social and I wrote focuses on how the Total Force Policy affected the reserves: “Combined with the post–Cold War security environment, it fundamentally changed the way the reserve component is employed, increasing its operational use and professionalization.”
Featuring all your favorite civ-mil people, incl me and @profjessblankshain.bsky.social on “The Future of the Total Force: What Will It Mean to Be a Citizen-Soldier?”
@robertralston.bsky.social and Ron Krebs on polarization; @kschake.bsky.social and @bishopgarrison.com on non-partisanship …
@robertralston.bsky.social and Ron Krebs on polarization; @kschake.bsky.social and @bishopgarrison.com on non-partisanship …
November 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
The ch that @profjessblankshain.bsky.social and I wrote focuses on how the Total Force Policy affected the reserves: “Combined with the post–Cold War security environment, it fundamentally changed the way the reserve component is employed, increasing its operational use and professionalization.”
Super excited that a new edited volume, Bend But Do Not Break, is coming out, edited by Jaron Wharton, @klkuzminski.bsky.social @jkdemp.bsky.social @mzmargulies.bsky.social Keith Carter, and @carriealee.bsky.social
And it’s apparently doing well on the amazons
And it’s apparently doing well on the amazons
November 25, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Super excited that a new edited volume, Bend But Do Not Break, is coming out, edited by Jaron Wharton, @klkuzminski.bsky.social @jkdemp.bsky.social @mzmargulies.bsky.social Keith Carter, and @carriealee.bsky.social
And it’s apparently doing well on the amazons
And it’s apparently doing well on the amazons
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
A task force ordered by Trump to combat crime in Memphis, Tennessee, has made thousands of arrests, compounding strains on the busy local court system and an already overcrowded jail in ways that concerned officials say will last months or even years as cases play out.
Thousands of arrests by Trump's crime-fighting task force in Memphis strain crowded jail and courts
A task force ordered by President Donald Trump to combat crime in Memphis, Tennessee, has made thousands of arrests.
apnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:28 AM
A task force ordered by Trump to combat crime in Memphis, Tennessee, has made thousands of arrests, compounding strains on the busy local court system and an already overcrowded jail in ways that concerned officials say will last months or even years as cases play out.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
November 24, 2025 at 12:47 AM
As we all wait for Callais to come down, our piece showing that Shelby County increased the racial turnout gap in most of the covered parts of the country has cleared the replication check and is incoming at JOP.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Gutting the VRA was bad, actually.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
“Once, after the group bought out a tamale vendor’s cart, that man found them days later to say immigration agents were spotted on his block just hours after. ‘You saved my life,’ Rosales said the man told them.” apnews.com/article/chic...
Chicagoans buy out street vendors amid a federal immigration crackdown
Across Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods, fear of a federal immigration crackdown has emptied the streets.
apnews.com
November 23, 2025 at 10:16 PM
“Once, after the group bought out a tamale vendor’s cart, that man found them days later to say immigration agents were spotted on his block just hours after. ‘You saved my life,’ Rosales said the man told them.” apnews.com/article/chic...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Turning Point leader, former GOP Rep pleads guilty to attempted election fraud | Arizona Mirror
Austin Smith election fraud guilty plea: Former GOP Rep admits forging 100+ signatures on ballot petitions in Arizona
azmirror.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
In the last ten years, the number of billionaires in the US has nearly doubled and their collective wealth has nearly tripled. Their political contributions makeup an increasing share of campaign funding. Great reporting from @washingtonpost.com with data from @opensecrets.org
wapo.st/49wZtQF
wapo.st/49wZtQF
How billionaires took over American politics
The current concentration of wealth is unlike anything in history. So is billionaires’ involvement in politics.
wapo.st
November 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM
In the last ten years, the number of billionaires in the US has nearly doubled and their collective wealth has nearly tripled. Their political contributions makeup an increasing share of campaign funding. Great reporting from @washingtonpost.com with data from @opensecrets.org
wapo.st/49wZtQF
wapo.st/49wZtQF
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
New GLOBALCIT study compares the conditions of the citizenship acquisition processes for first-generation immigrants and their descendants in 11 countries 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇩🇰🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇱🇻🇳🇱🇵🇹🇸🇪🇬🇧
📰 Summary and Key Findings: tinyurl.com/56sknbxw
📖 Full Report: tinyurl.com/yc6cdszx
📰 Summary and Key Findings: tinyurl.com/56sknbxw
📖 Full Report: tinyurl.com/yc6cdszx
November 17, 2025 at 9:23 AM
New GLOBALCIT study compares the conditions of the citizenship acquisition processes for first-generation immigrants and their descendants in 11 countries 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇩🇰🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇱🇻🇳🇱🇵🇹🇸🇪🇬🇧
📰 Summary and Key Findings: tinyurl.com/56sknbxw
📖 Full Report: tinyurl.com/yc6cdszx
📰 Summary and Key Findings: tinyurl.com/56sknbxw
📖 Full Report: tinyurl.com/yc6cdszx
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
November 23, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Anyone want some good news? The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is nearly done and it’s pretty awesome
apple.news/A7yad9o6US72...
apple.news/A7yad9o6US72...
Officials celebrate construction of revolutionary structure over major US freeway: 'This was an impossible dream' — The Cool Down
A team of engineers, biologists, scientists, and mycologists all contributed. Nov 22, 2025 The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is one step closer to its completion with its first official native pl...
apple.news
November 23, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Anyone want some good news? The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is nearly done and it’s pretty awesome
apple.news/A7yad9o6US72...
apple.news/A7yad9o6US72...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
The **chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court** called to expand virtual hearings —citing this incident where ICE threatened to smash the window of a judge’s car — because people who work at the courthouses are no longer safe
November 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
The **chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court** called to expand virtual hearings —citing this incident where ICE threatened to smash the window of a judge’s car — because people who work at the courthouses are no longer safe
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
“All five judges fired from San Francisco on Friday had relatively high rates of granting asylum cases, although San Francisco immigration judges as a whole have far higher rates of granting asylum compared to others nationwide.”
5 immigration judges were summarily fired in San Francisco today, the largest such firing in the city all year.
It continues a trend of the Trump admin. targeting immigration judges nationwide. In San Francisco, at least 12 have been sacked this year.
missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-i...
It continues a trend of the Trump admin. targeting immigration judges nationwide. In San Francisco, at least 12 have been sacked this year.
missionlocal.org/2025/11/sf-i...
Friday night massacre: 5 judges fired from S.F. immigration court today
The Department of Justice fired at least five San Francisco immigration court judges on Friday in the largest cut of immigration judges in the city so far
missionlocal.org
November 22, 2025 at 4:21 PM
“All five judges fired from San Francisco on Friday had relatively high rates of granting asylum cases, although San Francisco immigration judges as a whole have far higher rates of granting asylum compared to others nationwide.”
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Pretty well established finding that immigration raids of workplaces reduce student test performance for nearby schools, including for non-vulnerable students. The general DHS surge appears to be doing the same for student performance. www.nber.org/papers/w34452
November 22, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Pretty well established finding that immigration raids of workplaces reduce student test performance for nearby schools, including for non-vulnerable students. The general DHS surge appears to be doing the same for student performance. www.nber.org/papers/w34452
“Once limited to policing the nation’s boundaries, the Border Patrol has built a surveillance system stretching into the country’s interior that can monitor ordinary Americans’ daily actions and connections for anomalies instead of simply targeting wanted suspects, The Associated Press found.”
“Suddenly, drivers find themselves pulled over — often for reasons cited such as speeding, failure to signal, the wrong window tint or even a dangling air freshener blocking the view. They are then questioned & searched, with no inkling that the roads they drove put them on law enforcement’s radar.“
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious
www.independent.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:02 PM
“Once limited to policing the nation’s boundaries, the Border Patrol has built a surveillance system stretching into the country’s interior that can monitor ordinary Americans’ daily actions and connections for anomalies instead of simply targeting wanted suspects, The Associated Press found.”
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is crowing about Robert Kennedy Jr.’s CDC pushing debunked vaccine misinformation.
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
November 21, 2025 at 2:05 AM
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is crowing about Robert Kennedy Jr.’s CDC pushing debunked vaccine misinformation.
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
“Time to apologize to Dr. Andrew Wakefield and all the others who were maligned and vilified for simply asking the right questions,” he says.
Wakefield’s paper was *fraudulent.*
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
THREAD: Judge Ellis is the first federal judge to review extensive body cam video of DHS's actions in Chicago. She finds that DHS *repeatedly* misled the public and made claims that were disproven by agents' own videos.
I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here.
I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here.
![II. Credibility
The Court next addresses the credibility of the parties’ evidence and witnesses. After reviewing all the evidence submitted to the Court and listening to the testimony elicited at the preliminary injunction hearing, during depositions, and in other court proceedings, the Court finds Defendants’ evidence simply not credible. [FN 6]
Plaintiffs submitted a mountain of evidence, providing the Court with over eighty declarations, numerous videos and articles, and other evidence. Defendants did not rebut anything that Plaintiffs set forth in their declarations or testimony, even with BWC footage.
[FN 6] In another case considering some of the same evidence presented to this Court, another court in this district also found that the perceptions of certain of Defendants’ declarants, such as Hott and Parra, were not reliable. See Illinois v. Trump, No. 25-cv-12174, 2025 WL 2886645, at *5 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 10, 2025) (noting a “troubling trend of Defendants’ declarants equating protests with riots and a lack of appreciation for the wide spectrum that exists between citizens who are observing, questioning, and criticizing their government, and those who are obstructing, assaulting, or doing violence”), motion to stay denied in part, 155 F.4th 929 (7th Cir. 2025).](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreifpyry2il5toxbr3iejgrsxs6kmnwve75qwnhebfp44ieyjrfpsdu@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 11:04 PM
THREAD: Judge Ellis is the first federal judge to review extensive body cam video of DHS's actions in Chicago. She finds that DHS *repeatedly* misled the public and made claims that were disproven by agents' own videos.
I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here.
I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
I asked grok who was the better role model for humanity, Jesus Christ or Elon Musk. GUESS WHAT.
November 20, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I asked grok who was the better role model for humanity, Jesus Christ or Elon Musk. GUESS WHAT.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵
November 20, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NEW: Sean Duffy frequently calls safety his “top priority” as transportation secretary. But I spent months wading through regulatory notices and found something far different: that USDOT has been delaying, weakening and killing dozens of safety rules, many opposed by the transportation industry.🧵