Nicholas Grossman
@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social
International Relations prof at U. Illinois. Editor of Arc Digital. Author “Drones and Terrorism.” Politics, national security, and occasional nerdery.
It’s great Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free, after so much US govt effort to violate his rights.
And it’s good the regime has bogged down, tying up some of its limited resources in this failing effort.
And good few listened to the “popularists” who said don’t talk about Abrego, immigration, or rights.
And it’s good the regime has bogged down, tying up some of its limited resources in this failing effort.
And good few listened to the “popularists” who said don’t talk about Abrego, immigration, or rights.
December 12, 2025 at 2:44 PM
It’s great Kilmar Abrego Garcia is free, after so much US govt effort to violate his rights.
And it’s good the regime has bogged down, tying up some of its limited resources in this failing effort.
And good few listened to the “popularists” who said don’t talk about Abrego, immigration, or rights.
And it’s good the regime has bogged down, tying up some of its limited resources in this failing effort.
And good few listened to the “popularists” who said don’t talk about Abrego, immigration, or rights.
So the president was like “hey Indiana, help me cheat in the next election,” and Indiana was all “no thanks,” but then the president went “you better disenfranchise a bunch of your citizens or I’ll illegally withhold money to hurt you,” and the Indiana Senate went “in that case, an even bigger no.”
December 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM
So the president was like “hey Indiana, help me cheat in the next election,” and Indiana was all “no thanks,” but then the president went “you better disenfranchise a bunch of your citizens or I’ll illegally withhold money to hurt you,” and the Indiana Senate went “in that case, an even bigger no.”
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
"Trump will just defy court orders, what's even the point of litigating"
This, this a point
This, this a point
PHILIPSBURG, Pa. (AP) - Kilmar Abrego Garcia leaves immigration detention after federal judge's order Thursday, his attorney's office says.
December 12, 2025 at 1:03 AM
"Trump will just defy court orders, what's even the point of litigating"
This, this a point
This, this a point
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
A media mogel with important merger business before the FCC says he has "great conversations" about it with Trump, while Trump for his part speaks openly about the kind of ownership he wants to see at CNN, a news network he detests.
And it's just another day in our Orbanization. Via @status.news
And it's just another day in our Orbanization. Via @status.news
December 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
A media mogel with important merger business before the FCC says he has "great conversations" about it with Trump, while Trump for his part speaks openly about the kind of ownership he wants to see at CNN, a news network he detests.
And it's just another day in our Orbanization. Via @status.news
And it's just another day in our Orbanization. Via @status.news
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
When the winner of the Nobel peace prize smuggled herself over the water and out of Venezuela to attend the ceremony in Oslo this week, her allies called the Pentagon to ask them not to arbitrarily murder her. www.wsj.com/world/americ...
December 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
When the winner of the Nobel peace prize smuggled herself over the water and out of Venezuela to attend the ceremony in Oslo this week, her allies called the Pentagon to ask them not to arbitrarily murder her. www.wsj.com/world/americ...
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
Stop printing lies in the newspaper. There need to be consequences for printing lies in the newspaper. He literally says and believes exactly this, several times per day and on camera.
December 11, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Stop printing lies in the newspaper. There need to be consequences for printing lies in the newspaper. He literally says and believes exactly this, several times per day and on camera.
Russia has taken around a million casualties trying (and failing) to get through these defenses, and the Trump “peace” plan is for Ukraine to let Russia have it while claiming it’s not a big deal and Ukraine is wrong to say no and that the US won’t provide real security guarantees if they say yes.
Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ that Donald Trump wants to trade for peace
Known as the Donbas, the region has become the fulcrum of fraught US-led diplomacy to end Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A bit of history, the recent past & present in my
@financialtimes.com piece today
www.ft.com/content/ec49...
Known as the Donbas, the region has become the fulcrum of fraught US-led diplomacy to end Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A bit of history, the recent past & present in my
@financialtimes.com piece today
www.ft.com/content/ec49...
Ukraine’s ‘fortress belt’ that Donald Trump wants to trade for peace
Known as the Donbas, the region has become the fulcrum of fraught US-led diplomacy to end Russia’s full-scale invasion
www.ft.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Russia has taken around a million casualties trying (and failing) to get through these defenses, and the Trump “peace” plan is for Ukraine to let Russia have it while claiming it’s not a big deal and Ukraine is wrong to say no and that the US won’t provide real security guarantees if they say yes.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
the thing is there really is a epochal tech revolution happening, it’s called renewables and green industry
Really refuse to let the worst people have ownership of techno-optimism
December 11, 2025 at 12:01 PM
the thing is there really is a epochal tech revolution happening, it’s called renewables and green industry
I thought the new US national security strategy was a white nationalist document opposing Europe and the Western democratic alliance, but the NYT challenged my assumptions, explaining that the NSS is a white nationalist document opposing Europe and the Western democratic alliance and that’s good.
December 11, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I thought the new US national security strategy was a white nationalist document opposing Europe and the Western democratic alliance, but the NYT challenged my assumptions, explaining that the NSS is a white nationalist document opposing Europe and the Western democratic alliance and that’s good.
Dear the media,
When the US president claims he brokered a peace deal in a place with active combat—eg Rwanda and Congo—the story is (1) fighting rages on, and (2) US president lies.
The story is not “president touts historic peace deal.” A peace deal involves peace.
Sincerely,
Factual reality
When the US president claims he brokered a peace deal in a place with active combat—eg Rwanda and Congo—the story is (1) fighting rages on, and (2) US president lies.
The story is not “president touts historic peace deal.” A peace deal involves peace.
Sincerely,
Factual reality
December 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Dear the media,
When the US president claims he brokered a peace deal in a place with active combat—eg Rwanda and Congo—the story is (1) fighting rages on, and (2) US president lies.
The story is not “president touts historic peace deal.” A peace deal involves peace.
Sincerely,
Factual reality
When the US president claims he brokered a peace deal in a place with active combat—eg Rwanda and Congo—the story is (1) fighting rages on, and (2) US president lies.
The story is not “president touts historic peace deal.” A peace deal involves peace.
Sincerely,
Factual reality
Farmers sell product on “market”? Comrade Trump say no! Good Patriotic Farmers let crop rot in silo, get check from taxpayer covering 1/3 of cost.
Glory to Patriotic Farmers! Glory to Great and Powerful Tariff! Glory to Trump!
Glory to Patriotic Farmers! Glory to Great and Powerful Tariff! Glory to Trump!
$12 billion doesn't even come close to covering the catastrophic farm losses this year, which range from $35 billion to $44 billion. www.reuters.com/business/us-...
US farmers say Trump's $12 billion aid package won't cover losses
U.S. farmers facing steep losses this year welcomed President Donald Trump's aid package, but said they would need more than that to fully offset low crop prices and lost export opportunities from his...
www.reuters.com
December 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Farmers sell product on “market”? Comrade Trump say no! Good Patriotic Farmers let crop rot in silo, get check from taxpayer covering 1/3 of cost.
Glory to Patriotic Farmers! Glory to Great and Powerful Tariff! Glory to Trump!
Glory to Patriotic Farmers! Glory to Great and Powerful Tariff! Glory to Trump!
Stuff with the US and Venezuela is bad and likely to get worse, but this seized tanker is reportedly owned by a Russian oligarch, and was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 due to suspected involvement in illegal oil smuggling with Iran. Plus breaking maritime law re: flags.
Not piracy. Not war.
Not piracy. Not war.
December 11, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Stuff with the US and Venezuela is bad and likely to get worse, but this seized tanker is reportedly owned by a Russian oligarch, and was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 due to suspected involvement in illegal oil smuggling with Iran. Plus breaking maritime law re: flags.
Not piracy. Not war.
Not piracy. Not war.
No one can control a movement built on lies and conspiracy theories, at least not for long. The leaders might be cynical liars willing to say anything for power, and therefore readily stop pushing a given piece of nonsense when it’s no longer useful, a bunch of their marks actually believe it.
December 11, 2025 at 1:59 AM
No one can control a movement built on lies and conspiracy theories, at least not for long. The leaders might be cynical liars willing to say anything for power, and therefore readily stop pushing a given piece of nonsense when it’s no longer useful, a bunch of their marks actually believe it.
Here at Head Start, we offer a divers— um, a wide array of lessons from dedicated men and wom— dedicated male and fe— er, from guys and gals devoted to education, able to help all students, including any with learning disabil— uh challenges.
According to a new court filing, the Trump administration has a six-page list of banned words that Head Start locations are forbidden from using when describing their programs.
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
December 11, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Here at Head Start, we offer a divers— um, a wide array of lessons from dedicated men and wom— dedicated male and fe— er, from guys and gals devoted to education, able to help all students, including any with learning disabil— uh challenges.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
An incredible admission at how top down the right is and how the oligarchs propagandists view their followers as lemmings to manipulate through social media rage bait. Now they're upset that they have lost control of the manipulation machine.
December 11, 2025 at 1:22 AM
An incredible admission at how top down the right is and how the oligarchs propagandists view their followers as lemmings to manipulate through social media rage bait. Now they're upset that they have lost control of the manipulation machine.
It’s good that more of Wall Street has realized a rule-of-law market economy is better than corrupt personalist authoritarianism.
Would’ve been nice if they got that last year, rather than thinking they’d gain from the corruption, or that the priority was getting to say slurs with less pushback.
Would’ve been nice if they got that last year, rather than thinking they’d gain from the corruption, or that the priority was getting to say slurs with less pushback.
“.. Much of the analysis from Wall Street .. comes down to ‘Who does Trump like best? It’s an almost unfathomable way of doing business.’”
@theatlantic.com $WBD
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
@theatlantic.com $WBD
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
December 11, 2025 at 1:14 AM
It’s good that more of Wall Street has realized a rule-of-law market economy is better than corrupt personalist authoritarianism.
Would’ve been nice if they got that last year, rather than thinking they’d gain from the corruption, or that the priority was getting to say slurs with less pushback.
Would’ve been nice if they got that last year, rather than thinking they’d gain from the corruption, or that the priority was getting to say slurs with less pushback.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
I asked Google Gemini whether the Hegseth AI memo is real.
December 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I asked Google Gemini whether the Hegseth AI memo is real.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
"Use AI."
"To do what?"
"Everything."
"How?"
"Effectively."
"To do what?"
"Everything."
"How?"
"Effectively."
Pete Hegseth: "The future of American warfare is here, and it's spelled AI."
He says the military has launched a new platform that "puts the world's most powerful frontier AI models, starting with Google Gemini, directly into the hands of every American warrior."
He says the military has launched a new platform that "puts the world's most powerful frontier AI models, starting with Google Gemini, directly into the hands of every American warrior."
December 9, 2025 at 8:20 PM
"Use AI."
"To do what?"
"Everything."
"How?"
"Effectively."
"To do what?"
"Everything."
"How?"
"Effectively."
Defense technology procurement and adoption is usually about solving problems. Accomplishing tasks. Meeting current and anticipated future challenges.
Hegseth's AI order is to just use this new tech, without identifying any challenge it helps address, nor how any personnel should actually use it.
Hegseth's AI order is to just use this new tech, without identifying any challenge it helps address, nor how any personnel should actually use it.
December 10, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Defense technology procurement and adoption is usually about solving problems. Accomplishing tasks. Meeting current and anticipated future challenges.
Hegseth's AI order is to just use this new tech, without identifying any challenge it helps address, nor how any personnel should actually use it.
Hegseth's AI order is to just use this new tech, without identifying any challenge it helps address, nor how any personnel should actually use it.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
For the afternoon crowd: got a new piece up with @liberalcurrents.com that explores the new Trump National Security Strategy, especially how culture war obsessions now define the Trump administration' conception of global politics.
www.liberalcurrents.com/sovereignty-...
www.liberalcurrents.com/sovereignty-...
Sovereignty For Me, None For Thee
Donald Trump's 2025 National Security Strategy reveals a radical blood-and-soil conception of national strategy based on maintaining white patriarchal Christian domination at home and abroad.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:57 PM
For the afternoon crowd: got a new piece up with @liberalcurrents.com that explores the new Trump National Security Strategy, especially how culture war obsessions now define the Trump administration' conception of global politics.
www.liberalcurrents.com/sovereignty-...
www.liberalcurrents.com/sovereignty-...
To people telling me tons of AI attack drones with no connection to anything are easily possible:
You're sorely underestimating how much power it'd take a system to gather all the info, process it for situational awareness, select what to target, and attack that person/object, entirely on its own.
You're sorely underestimating how much power it'd take a system to gather all the info, process it for situational awareness, select what to target, and attack that person/object, entirely on its own.
What people currently call “AI” takes massive data centers that use tons of electricity. That’s not fitting on a small flying robot that runs on a battery, and any remote connection to an AI data center can be jammed.
It’s like AGI hype. Take what exists, imagine it becomes sci fi, and voila.
It’s like AGI hype. Take what exists, imagine it becomes sci fi, and voila.
December 9, 2025 at 4:37 PM
To people telling me tons of AI attack drones with no connection to anything are easily possible:
You're sorely underestimating how much power it'd take a system to gather all the info, process it for situational awareness, select what to target, and attack that person/object, entirely on its own.
You're sorely underestimating how much power it'd take a system to gather all the info, process it for situational awareness, select what to target, and attack that person/object, entirely on its own.
Reposted by Nicholas Grossman
begging writers who get published at fancy publications to actually research new tech instead of just puking up yet another Anduril press release
I read this future of war / we’re not ready piece with interest and it’s strikingly shallow.
Surveillance and targeting have advanced, yes. That’s in my 2018 book. Much of the rest reads like tech company hype marketing.
AI will make bio weapons that target one person! Well, it sure can’t now.
Surveillance and targeting have advanced, yes. That’s in my 2018 book. Much of the rest reads like tech company hype marketing.
AI will make bio weapons that target one person! Well, it sure can’t now.
Opinion | This Is the 21st-Century Arms Race. Can America Keep Up?
Innovations in A.I., synthetic biology and quantum computing are set to change war.
www.nytimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:19 PM
begging writers who get published at fancy publications to actually research new tech instead of just puking up yet another Anduril press release
The boat bombings are illegal under the laws of war AND there's no war.
The strike on shipwrecked men was an egregiously illegal order AND the whole campaign is illegal, lie-based, and wrong.
Very good on both details and big picture, from @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and @gregsargent.bsky.social.
The strike on shipwrecked men was an egregiously illegal order AND the whole campaign is illegal, lie-based, and wrong.
Very good on both details and big picture, from @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and @gregsargent.bsky.social.
Trump's bombings are "murder" and "summary executions," says @tessbridgeman.bsky.social, and Hegeth should watch "where he travels when he’s no longer in office" due to potential prosecution by "international tribunals."
On the pod Tess powerfully lays out this case:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
On the pod Tess powerfully lays out this case:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
Hegseth Defense Collapsing as Fresh Leaks on Strikes Grow More Damning
As new info makes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s illegal killings look even worse, an expert in national security law explains why his case is imploding—and what must happen now to secure accountabi...
newrepublic.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
The boat bombings are illegal under the laws of war AND there's no war.
The strike on shipwrecked men was an egregiously illegal order AND the whole campaign is illegal, lie-based, and wrong.
Very good on both details and big picture, from @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and @gregsargent.bsky.social.
The strike on shipwrecked men was an egregiously illegal order AND the whole campaign is illegal, lie-based, and wrong.
Very good on both details and big picture, from @tessbridgeman.bsky.social and @gregsargent.bsky.social.
The idea that the US Constitution vests nearly absolute power in one person, in part because presidential elections are the main way govt is accountable to the people, is so crazy, illogical, ahistorical it shouldn’t need rebutting.
But here we are, and @donmoyn.bsky.social explains why it’s wrong.
But here we are, and @donmoyn.bsky.social explains why it’s wrong.
At will? Whose will?
Removing independent agency heads is part of a broader assault on a nonpartisan government
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:19 PM
The idea that the US Constitution vests nearly absolute power in one person, in part because presidential elections are the main way govt is accountable to the people, is so crazy, illogical, ahistorical it shouldn’t need rebutting.
But here we are, and @donmoyn.bsky.social explains why it’s wrong.
But here we are, and @donmoyn.bsky.social explains why it’s wrong.