Phil Mandelbaum
@philmandelbaum.bsky.social
Nonprofit x Political x Digital Strategy + Activation | Design | Journalism | Work: AP, NWU, Stand Up For Science, National Writers Union, Unicorn Riot, Counterpunch, Melina Abdullah, Cat Brooks, Noelle Cook • philmandelbaum.com • aka @awkword.bsky.social
Pinned
NEW: Data Centers, the Climate Crisis, and Community Defense
How Local Activists are Interrupting Big Tech AI Investments
unicornriot.ninja/2025/data-ce...
How Local Activists are Interrupting Big Tech AI Investments
unicornriot.ninja/2025/data-ce...
Data Centers, the Climate Crisis, and Community Defense - UNICORN RIOT
As Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright claims you should “build data centers” if “you want low electricity prices,” more than 200 environmental organizations have joined to “demand a halt to the bui...
unicornriot.ninja
“The same systems that made sure Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color were last in line for clean air, safe housing, and political power are the same ones making sure we’re also first in line to drown, burn, or be displaced.” - @merirei.com
My first for @unicornriot.bsky.social
My first for @unicornriot.bsky.social
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Thinking of leaving? Here’s another reason:
Living in the United States will shorten your life span, by EIGHT YEARS
mightypursuit.com
Living in the United States will shorten your life span, by EIGHT YEARS
mightypursuit.com
February 18, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Thinking of leaving? Here’s another reason:
Living in the United States will shorten your life span, by EIGHT YEARS
mightypursuit.com
Living in the United States will shorten your life span, by EIGHT YEARS
mightypursuit.com
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Wealthy individuals paid large sums to hunt civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, targeting primarily women and children, in what has become known as the Sarajevo Safari. At least one suspect has been identified as of February 2026. #OpDeathEaters
Clip from Miss Sarajevo (1995)
Clip from Miss Sarajevo (1995)
February 9, 2026 at 5:18 AM
Wealthy individuals paid large sums to hunt civilians during the siege of Sarajevo, targeting primarily women and children, in what has become known as the Sarajevo Safari. At least one suspect has been identified as of February 2026. #OpDeathEaters
Clip from Miss Sarajevo (1995)
Clip from Miss Sarajevo (1995)
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
At today’s high school writing club, the kids did one of my favorite writing exercises, in which they start a story, then pass it to another student to continue from there. I enjoy it not only for the unhinged narratives, but because it reflects so much of life. (1/3)
February 18, 2026 at 2:58 AM
At today’s high school writing club, the kids did one of my favorite writing exercises, in which they start a story, then pass it to another student to continue from there. I enjoy it not only for the unhinged narratives, but because it reflects so much of life. (1/3)
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
"Only three years ago, I walked out of Louisiana State Prison after forty-seven years."
"Today, [.] I stand free in Minnesota. I am fighting a different struggle altogether: the ongoing struggle for democracy."
#Minnesota #USA #Vietnam #Incarceration #Protest #Military #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
"Today, [.] I stand free in Minnesota. I am fighting a different struggle altogether: the ongoing struggle for democracy."
#Minnesota #USA #Vietnam #Incarceration #Protest #Military #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
Iron Bars to Iron Will
People ask me now, three years since my release, what freedom feels like. It feels like the protests in Minneapolis.
inquest.org
February 18, 2026 at 1:25 PM
"Only three years ago, I walked out of Louisiana State Prison after forty-seven years."
"Today, [.] I stand free in Minnesota. I am fighting a different struggle altogether: the ongoing struggle for democracy."
#Minnesota #USA #Vietnam #Incarceration #Protest #Military #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
"Today, [.] I stand free in Minnesota. I am fighting a different struggle altogether: the ongoing struggle for democracy."
#Minnesota #USA #Vietnam #Incarceration #Protest #Military #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
30% of US citizens are pro-Christian Nationalism. Among the GOP it's over 50%
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
Mapping Christian Nationalism Across the 50 States: Insights from PRRI’s 2025 American Values Atlas
One year into the second Trump administration, a new national survey examines support for Christian nationalism across all 50 states and examines connections between support for Christian nationalism ...
prri.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:36 PM
30% of US citizens are pro-Christian Nationalism. Among the GOP it's over 50%
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
mostly concentrated in the South and Midwest, which is where the Klan was from, so that tracks
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 7:31 PM
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
February 17, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
🚨 Messages between Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein, reveal how Bannon worked with Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage to “overthrow” UK PM Theresa May at the height of the 2018 Brexit crisis.
@peterjukes.bsky.social @adambienkov.bsky.social for
@bylinetimes.bsky.social
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
@peterjukes.bsky.social @adambienkov.bsky.social for
@bylinetimes.bsky.social
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
Bannon, Epstein, Farage and Johnson and the Plot to 'Topple' Theresa May
The far-right former Trump adviser told Jeffrey Epstein that "we are overthrowing May right now" as he worked with Boris Johnson to remove the then Conservative Prime Minister from office
bylinetimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:50 AM
🚨 Messages between Steve Bannon and Jeffrey Epstein, reveal how Bannon worked with Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage to “overthrow” UK PM Theresa May at the height of the 2018 Brexit crisis.
@peterjukes.bsky.social @adambienkov.bsky.social for
@bylinetimes.bsky.social
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
@peterjukes.bsky.social @adambienkov.bsky.social for
@bylinetimes.bsky.social
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
A reckless & dangerous ICE apprehension chase led to the death of another US citizen.
Linda Davis, a special education teacher, was killed because of #ICELawlessness.
Call Congress at 202-224-3121 & demand accountability!
It's okay if you've called before. Call every day until they call back.
Linda Davis, a special education teacher, was killed because of #ICELawlessness.
Call Congress at 202-224-3121 & demand accountability!
It's okay if you've called before. Call every day until they call back.
February 17, 2026 at 10:22 PM
A reckless & dangerous ICE apprehension chase led to the death of another US citizen.
Linda Davis, a special education teacher, was killed because of #ICELawlessness.
Call Congress at 202-224-3121 & demand accountability!
It's okay if you've called before. Call every day until they call back.
Linda Davis, a special education teacher, was killed because of #ICELawlessness.
Call Congress at 202-224-3121 & demand accountability!
It's okay if you've called before. Call every day until they call back.
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Once again, Republicans could stop all this right fucking now, but choose not to.
![We are watching one of the wildest things a nation-state has ever done," journalist Garrett Graff wrote: "A superpower is [dying by] suicide because the [Republican] Congress is too cowardly to stand up to the Mad King. This is one of the wildest moments in all of geopolitics ever.
~ Heather Cox Richardson ~](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:a5yaa2ip5zbp7rppkuumtzro/bafkreiaqmrh3mo4mu3g2szfnmtujfzpf7kfmae4kgdlld7y27fupnqpfdi@jpeg)
February 18, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Once again, Republicans could stop all this right fucking now, but choose not to.
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
BREAKING: Epstein Files appear to include emails discussing “elite role-play or themed gatherings” at which Black people are “released into an arena maze to be hunted”
[source: Wall Media]
[source: Wall Media]
February 16, 2026 at 8:17 PM
BREAKING: Epstein Files appear to include emails discussing “elite role-play or themed gatherings” at which Black people are “released into an arena maze to be hunted”
[source: Wall Media]
[source: Wall Media]
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Data Center Boom Is Fueling an Expansion of Natural Gas Projects
truthout.org
Data Center Boom Is Fueling an Expansion of Natural Gas Projects
twp.ai
February 16, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Data Center Boom Is Fueling an Expansion of Natural Gas Projects
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
"[A] cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality: widespread networked surveillance by a company [Ring] that has cozy relationships with law enforcement and other equally invasive surveillance companies."
#USA #Media #Animals #Surveillance #Technology #Policing #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
#USA #Media #Animals #Surveillance #Technology #Policing #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co
February 15, 2026 at 12:10 PM
"[A] cuddly face on a rather dystopian reality: widespread networked surveillance by a company [Ring] that has cozy relationships with law enforcement and other equally invasive surveillance companies."
#USA #Media #Animals #Surveillance #Technology #Policing #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
#USA #Media #Animals #Surveillance #Technology #Policing #Deportation #EthnicCleansing
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
HELLO I WAS A QUEER TEEN IN THE 1990s AND THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SOCIAL TRANSITION NOW ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST "LETTING" US BE (at the time, for me) GAY OR LESBIAN THEN.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
Hilary Cass here arguing for children to be prevented from being known by a preferred name or getting a haircut in case it encourages them to continue later in life to transition.
Hilary Cass acts like gender variant children should have the transness hazed out of them.
Hilary Cass acts like gender variant children should have the transness hazed out of them.
February 16, 2026 at 6:32 PM
HELLO I WAS A QUEER TEEN IN THE 1990s AND THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SOCIAL TRANSITION NOW ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST "LETTING" US BE (at the time, for me) GAY OR LESBIAN THEN.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
They all rest on the belief that it's inherently better to be straight (then)/cis (now) and that's BS.
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Come to Charlottesville this May for a weekend about liberalism, ethics, civic virtue, and public religion.
Feat @jamellebouie.net, @hollybfletcher.bsky.social, @sarahposner.bsky.social, @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com, @shortle.bsky.social and more!
www.pulaskiinstitution.org/events/for-g...
Feat @jamellebouie.net, @hollybfletcher.bsky.social, @sarahposner.bsky.social, @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com, @shortle.bsky.social and more!
www.pulaskiinstitution.org/events/for-g...
For Good Conference — The Pulaski Institution
The For Good Conference is a weekend dedicated to the intersection of liberalism and what it means to live a good life. Speakers and panelists will discuss questions around public ethics, religion, c...
www.pulaskiinstitution.org
February 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Come to Charlottesville this May for a weekend about liberalism, ethics, civic virtue, and public religion.
Feat @jamellebouie.net, @hollybfletcher.bsky.social, @sarahposner.bsky.social, @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com, @shortle.bsky.social and more!
www.pulaskiinstitution.org/events/for-g...
Feat @jamellebouie.net, @hollybfletcher.bsky.social, @sarahposner.bsky.social, @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com, @shortle.bsky.social and more!
www.pulaskiinstitution.org/events/for-g...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Indigenous activists erected multiple tipis at Coldwater Spring outside Fort Snelling and near the Whipple Federal Building--headquarters of ICE's Operation Metro Surge--establishing an occupation demanding #LandBack in the form of “returning Fort Snelling” to the Dakota people. [Vid from Day 1 & 2]
The Original Oceti Sakowin 7 Council Fires at Mini Owe Sni - Ft. Snelling #LandBack Occupation
Indigenous activists erected multiple tipis at Coldwater Spring outside Fort Snelling and near the Whipple Federal Building -- headquarters of ICE's Operation…
vimeo.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Indigenous activists erected multiple tipis at Coldwater Spring outside Fort Snelling and near the Whipple Federal Building--headquarters of ICE's Operation Metro Surge--establishing an occupation demanding #LandBack in the form of “returning Fort Snelling” to the Dakota people. [Vid from Day 1 & 2]
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
👀 'This is an especially big issue among young men. Researchers from Third Way, the moderate Democratic think-tank, have found particularly notable disagreement among young Republican men with how Trump is handling the issue.'
archive.ph/2026.02.16-1...
www.vox.com/politics/479...
archive.ph/2026.02.16-1...
www.vox.com/politics/479...
Anti-system voters are turning on Trump over Epstein
And young Republicans are particularly enraged.
www.vox.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:29 PM
👀 'This is an especially big issue among young men. Researchers from Third Way, the moderate Democratic think-tank, have found particularly notable disagreement among young Republican men with how Trump is handling the issue.'
archive.ph/2026.02.16-1...
www.vox.com/politics/479...
archive.ph/2026.02.16-1...
www.vox.com/politics/479...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Ask your MAGA family & neighbors if they heard about this sick 2 month-old baby named Juan Nicolás & his mother, Mireya López Sánchez, who've been held by ICE in Dilley, Texas with hundreds of other children, where the water is foul, the food has mold & they're denied medical care.🧵
#ICELawlessness
#ICELawlessness
February 16, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Ask your MAGA family & neighbors if they heard about this sick 2 month-old baby named Juan Nicolás & his mother, Mireya López Sánchez, who've been held by ICE in Dilley, Texas with hundreds of other children, where the water is foul, the food has mold & they're denied medical care.🧵
#ICELawlessness
#ICELawlessness
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
This keeps getting deeper and deeper, as the Trump administration has proven itself to be mired in corruption time after time.
#ResistanceReborn
#EpsteinFiles
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
#ResistanceReborn
#EpsteinFiles
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files
The degree to which each person was connected to Epstein varies significantly, from a single email to years of communications.
www.nbcnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:35 PM
This keeps getting deeper and deeper, as the Trump administration has proven itself to be mired in corruption time after time.
#ResistanceReborn
#EpsteinFiles
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
#ResistanceReborn
#EpsteinFiles
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
This tracked with my understanding of this as a non-problem.
ICYMI: In 24 years, only 77 “illegals” have voted — representing 0.00000764% of total votes…
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
February 16, 2026 at 3:32 AM
This tracked with my understanding of this as a non-problem.
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
ICYMI: In 24 years, only 77 “illegals” have voted — representing 0.00000764% of total votes…
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
February 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
ICYMI: In 24 years, only 77 “illegals” have voted — representing 0.00000764% of total votes…
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
And the research comes from the far-right Heritage Foundation
electionfraud.heritage.org/search?combi...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz
Trump officials condemned Don Lemon. He’s bigger than ever after arrest.
The administration’s attacks on Lemon and independent journalists have boosted their online attention and revenue.
wapo.st
February 14, 2026 at 12:48 PM
New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
There's a few likely consequences of having free buses...and they will probably surprise you! Really happy to be able to share this perspective today in the New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...
Opinion | Something Surprising Happens When Bus Rides Are Free
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:02 PM
There's a few likely consequences of having free buses...and they will probably surprise you! Really happy to be able to share this perspective today in the New York Times.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/o...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
I read through the texts, emails, and iMessages between Steve Bannon and his good friend, and self described “cornerman,” convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. My dispatch from the files:
www.ms.now/news/steve-b...
www.ms.now/news/steve-b...
Steve Bannon had a plan to rehabilitate Jeffrey Epstein, files reveal. Will MAGA care?
Trump’s former adviser maintained a relationship with Epstein long after his conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
www.ms.now
February 10, 2026 at 10:03 PM
I read through the texts, emails, and iMessages between Steve Bannon and his good friend, and self described “cornerman,” convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. My dispatch from the files:
www.ms.now/news/steve-b...
www.ms.now/news/steve-b...
Reposted by Phil Mandelbaum
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
academic.oup.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."
"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."