Mark Harris
@markharris.bsky.social
Writer, husband, etc. Books: Pictures at a Revolution (2008), Five Came Back (2014), Mike Nichols: A Life (2021), Untitled gay cultural history (2026). Freelance: T, New York, etc. A long time ago: EW, Grantland, younger.
I cannot tell you how many people, including me, have been seriously screwed by this. Both sides deserve to be locked in a room without food, water, heat, or mercy until a deal can be reached.
Mount Sinai — the largest hospital system in New York — no longer takes my insurance due to a dispute with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Got to love the healthcare industry.
So glad I have so much freedom and choice!
Got to love the healthcare industry.
So glad I have so much freedom and choice!
January 26, 2026 at 9:36 PM
I cannot tell you how many people, including me, have been seriously screwed by this. Both sides deserve to be locked in a room without food, water, heat, or mercy until a deal can be reached.
This is from the NYT masthead editorial about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The highlighted line invalidates not just the editorial, but the very idea of newspaper editorials crafted by the consensus of a board. Better to publish nothing at all than to publish a line like this.
!["The temperature in Minneapolis is dangerously high. There is an urgent need for the federal agents deployed to the city to step back and take a breath before more Americans are hurt or killed. [Highlighted]: Those protesting the Trump administration have an equal obligation to avoid violence.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:zknk3rjsatent75sdbbopown/bafkreid6g5bmlf3gyxj2egzcy33hkwiaqgrzuoh3yhbpenmvdmvyyobfq4@jpeg)
January 25, 2026 at 8:08 PM
This is from the NYT masthead editorial about the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The highlighted line invalidates not just the editorial, but the very idea of newspaper editorials crafted by the consensus of a board. Better to publish nothing at all than to publish a line like this.
This administration is never more dangerous than when it knows it's losing a public-relations war, because the only two responses it ever makes are 1) pretend it won but quickly pivot or 2) double down. It's hard to know which way these bottomlessly evil people will go. We're in for a fateful week.>
January 25, 2026 at 5:50 PM
This administration is never more dangerous than when it knows it's losing a public-relations war, because the only two responses it ever makes are 1) pretend it won but quickly pivot or 2) double down. It's hard to know which way these bottomlessly evil people will go. We're in for a fateful week.>
These monsters have worked for decades to create an America in which it's perfectly okay for civilians to walk around with a loaded weapon, and now they're saying if you have a gun at a protest, the state can murder you.
BARTIROMO: There is outrage across the country that there is another killing. Someone is dead at the hands of Border Patrol. What can you tell us?
KASH PATEL: You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions. We not messing around.
KASH PATEL: You do not get to attack law enforcement officials in this country without any repercussions. We not messing around.
January 25, 2026 at 3:50 PM
These monsters have worked for decades to create an America in which it's perfectly okay for civilians to walk around with a loaded weapon, and now they're saying if you have a gun at a protest, the state can murder you.
For anyone out there who wishes I would stay in my lane: I would LOVE a world in which I can just post about old Columbo episodes and Ross Macdonald novels and the history of best supporting actress and my next book. I just need several conditions to be met first. Let us work toward them together!
January 25, 2026 at 4:50 AM
For anyone out there who wishes I would stay in my lane: I would LOVE a world in which I can just post about old Columbo episodes and Ross Macdonald novels and the history of best supporting actress and my next book. I just need several conditions to be met first. Let us work toward them together!
Reposted by Mark Harris
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.
"Please get the truth out about our son."
"Please get the truth out about our son."
January 25, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.
"Please get the truth out about our son."
"Please get the truth out about our son."
I hope Democratic senators and congressmen understand, out of pure lizard-brain self-interest if moral decency happens to be unavailable, what is at stake for them if they don't handle this the right way. This is a true "If not now, when?" moment.
January 24, 2026 at 10:00 PM
I hope Democratic senators and congressmen understand, out of pure lizard-brain self-interest if moral decency happens to be unavailable, what is at stake for them if they don't handle this the right way. This is a true "If not now, when?" moment.
No. They do not "appear to" contradict it. They contradict it.
January 24, 2026 at 9:39 PM
No. They do not "appear to" contradict it. They contradict it.
Reposted by Mark Harris
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
January 24, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Alex Pretti, the man killed by federal agents today in Minneapolis, appears to have been a registered nurse, an athlete, a son and a brother, with ties to Colorado and Wisconsin.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
Here is a photo he used for several accounts.
I'm seeing a lot of "This is exactly what Trump wants" about Minneapolis. I don't believe that's the case. He and Vance and Miller had the racist daydream that video of black Somalis being snatched off the streets of nice white Minneapolis would play well. He got this instead. >
January 24, 2026 at 6:40 PM
I'm seeing a lot of "This is exactly what Trump wants" about Minneapolis. I don't believe that's the case. He and Vance and Miller had the racist daydream that video of black Somalis being snatched off the streets of nice white Minneapolis would play well. He got this instead. >
"Just stay cool and don't make trouble until the midterms" is not going to cut it as an opposition response to a murderous regime whose masked thugs are killing people in the streets and then attempting to round up witnesses and destroy evidence.
January 24, 2026 at 5:10 PM
"Just stay cool and don't make trouble until the midterms" is not going to cut it as an opposition response to a murderous regime whose masked thugs are killing people in the streets and then attempting to round up witnesses and destroy evidence.
BRB, getting my Time Machine out of storage.
Mike Johnson: "I was the product of an unplanned teen pregnancy exactly one year before Roe. A lot of people tried to convince my very young parents that they should just take care of that problem. But I am eternally grateful that they allowed me the chance at life."
January 24, 2026 at 3:26 AM
BRB, getting my Time Machine out of storage.
The entire range of my interests in a single photograph.
On a downtown street in Minneapolis, as people stream out from the massive march, Mary Tyler Moore says “fuck ice.”
January 24, 2026 at 12:31 AM
The entire range of my interests in a single photograph.
This is a stirring rebuke to the part of the American government and the American electorate that has chosen to scorn and reject basic human decency. Never forget, never forgive.
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
January 23, 2026 at 9:23 PM
This is a stirring rebuke to the part of the American government and the American electorate that has chosen to scorn and reject basic human decency. Never forget, never forgive.
It would be a good thing for all of us to stop insisting that culture of interest to queer people is only truly worthy of attention if it is "universal" or "relatable" enough to win the attention of straight commentators.
This is not 1995.
This is not 1995.
feels both depressing and inevitable, and the thing i find most fascinating about it is the decision and then commitment to performing wild enthusiasm anyhow. you hate this, and yet you understand the very real monetary benefit of championing it
www.outsports.com/2026/1/22/24...
www.outsports.com/2026/1/22/24...
Empty Netters host called Heated Rivalry 'trash,' producers 'losers' - Outsports
As he publicly praised 'Heated Rivalry,' one 'Empty Netters' host privately trashed the show. Outsports has seen the texts.
www.outsports.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:39 PM
It would be a good thing for all of us to stop insisting that culture of interest to queer people is only truly worthy of attention if it is "universal" or "relatable" enough to win the attention of straight commentators.
This is not 1995.
This is not 1995.
I'm getting a certain amount of "Don't run him down, he's our nominee" about this, and all I can say is, feel free to bring this up after the 2028 convention, and also feel free not to bother me until then.
Ah, the old trap: If gay people point out that equating oral sex with degradation is homophobic, we're scolds and language police, and that distracts from the real issue, which is that Newsom lacks any internal compass and says whatever he thinks will win him applause or agreement in the moment. >
Newsom: "He's an invasive species, Donald Trump. He took over the Republican Party. Lindsey Graham -- I mean, speaking of the kneepads. I'm sorry. This is tough stuff. I don't recognize these people any longer. You think what I'm saying about Trump is tough? How about what Graham said about Trump."
January 23, 2026 at 3:18 PM
I'm getting a certain amount of "Don't run him down, he's our nominee" about this, and all I can say is, feel free to bring this up after the 2028 convention, and also feel free not to bother me until then.
Ah, the old trap: If gay people point out that equating oral sex with degradation is homophobic, we're scolds and language police, and that distracts from the real issue, which is that Newsom lacks any internal compass and says whatever he thinks will win him applause or agreement in the moment. >
Newsom: "He's an invasive species, Donald Trump. He took over the Republican Party. Lindsey Graham -- I mean, speaking of the kneepads. I'm sorry. This is tough stuff. I don't recognize these people any longer. You think what I'm saying about Trump is tough? How about what Graham said about Trump."
January 22, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Ah, the old trap: If gay people point out that equating oral sex with degradation is homophobic, we're scolds and language police, and that distracts from the real issue, which is that Newsom lacks any internal compass and says whatever he thinks will win him applause or agreement in the moment. >
I genuinely (tediously, stridently) do not believe in awards "snubs." But I will say that the complete omission of Wicked: For Good feels like a...let's say "stern refutation" of the argument that Wicked was two movies rather than one movie strategically divided in two. No double dipping.
January 22, 2026 at 4:17 PM
I genuinely (tediously, stridently) do not believe in awards "snubs." But I will say that the complete omission of Wicked: For Good feels like a...let's say "stern refutation" of the argument that Wicked was two movies rather than one movie strategically divided in two. No double dipping.
I cannot "Amen" this loudly enough. Congratulations to Will Tracy (Bugonia) and Robert Kaplow (Blue Moon) for bucking the trend.
SIGH: 8 out of 10 screenplay noms went to the directors of those films.
This trend sucks. Period.
Writing FOR a director is a very different skillset than writing AS the director. Night & day.
I will continue to argue these are more interesting categories than the fakakta definition of "adapted."
This trend sucks. Period.
Writing FOR a director is a very different skillset than writing AS the director. Night & day.
I will continue to argue these are more interesting categories than the fakakta definition of "adapted."
January 22, 2026 at 4:15 PM
I cannot "Amen" this loudly enough. Congratulations to Will Tracy (Bugonia) and Robert Kaplow (Blue Moon) for bucking the trend.
Still on the Oscars: I'd love to see a year in which the casting branch didn't pick only films that also get Best Picture nominations. (The Plague would have been a great choice.) But their excellent and deserving inclusion of The Secret Agent shows that they didn't do this on autopilot. Good start!
January 22, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Still on the Oscars: I'd love to see a year in which the casting branch didn't pick only films that also get Best Picture nominations. (The Plague would have been a great choice.) But their excellent and deserving inclusion of The Secret Agent shows that they didn't do this on autopilot. Good start!
This lineup is exactly what the Academy votership overhaul several years ago was going for: More room for genre. A year when the huge, popular movie with the black cast ISN'T the surprise "Oops" omission. And a more international look--nineteen nominations for foreign films this year.
January 22, 2026 at 2:08 PM
This lineup is exactly what the Academy votership overhaul several years ago was going for: More room for genre. A year when the huge, popular movie with the black cast ISN'T the surprise "Oops" omission. And a more international look--nineteen nominations for foreign films this year.
I'm seeing anger at Hudson for "stealing" Chase Infiniti's nomination. Which means it's time for my annual Oscar-nomination day reminder: Don't be creepy and weird. Infiniti was always a long shot--it's very hard for an actress that new/young to get in unless she carries an entire movie. Next time.
January 22, 2026 at 2:04 PM
I'm seeing anger at Hudson for "stealing" Chase Infiniti's nomination. Which means it's time for my annual Oscar-nomination day reminder: Don't be creepy and weird. Infiniti was always a long shot--it's very hard for an actress that new/young to get in unless she carries an entire movie. Next time.
AS I WAS SAYING:
I would not be shocked if Kate Hudson snuck into Best Actress for Song Sung Blue.
This place needs some Innocuous Discourse pronto. Quote this with a take that’s not political or aggressive
January 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM
AS I WAS SAYING:
There are always a handful of disappointing/surprising Oscar omissions, and I'm sad that Paul Mescal got squeezed out for a superb performance in Hamnet. But: Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku! Four for The Secret Agent, including casting! Amy Madigan! Yeah, this list is fine.
January 22, 2026 at 1:58 PM
There are always a handful of disappointing/surprising Oscar omissions, and I'm sad that Paul Mescal got squeezed out for a superb performance in Hamnet. But: Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku! Four for The Secret Agent, including casting! Amy Madigan! Yeah, this list is fine.
To the justifiable discourse about how the repertory cinema experience is degraded by the smirky laughter of filmgoers who don't know how to process their own discomfort, all I can add is that if you're in a theater with a group of college kids who have been ASSIGNED to see a movie, brace yourself.>
January 21, 2026 at 9:09 PM
To the justifiable discourse about how the repertory cinema experience is degraded by the smirky laughter of filmgoers who don't know how to process their own discomfort, all I can add is that if you're in a theater with a group of college kids who have been ASSIGNED to see a movie, brace yourself.>