Rachel Strohm
@rachelstrohm.bsky.social
📝 Poverty & social protection research at Oxford Policy Management
📍London / Chicago / Nairobi
🌐 http://rachelstrohm.com
📍London / Chicago / Nairobi
🌐 http://rachelstrohm.com
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Recall the majority opinion in Plyler the justices pointedly said they wanted to avoid creating and underclass of people who wouldn't have a public education due to a legal status beyond their control. And now HF wants to go back to that. Fog horning racism.
The Heritage Foundation is now calling for the overturn of Plyler vs. Doe, the Supreme Court ruling that banned states from denying an education to the children of undocumented immigrants.
February 18, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Recall the majority opinion in Plyler the justices pointedly said they wanted to avoid creating and underclass of people who wouldn't have a public education due to a legal status beyond their control. And now HF wants to go back to that. Fog horning racism.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Crude cancer deaths have risen, as the chart shows. But that mainly reflects how we now live long enough to get cancer. That's partly due to vaccines--another RFKJr target. Kudos to the NY Times for following the largely unseen state-level anti-vaxx campaign.
Kennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren
www.nytimes.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Crude cancer deaths have risen, as the chart shows. But that mainly reflects how we now live long enough to get cancer. That's partly due to vaccines--another RFKJr target. Kudos to the NY Times for following the largely unseen state-level anti-vaxx campaign.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
The most infuriating part of RFKJr's demolition of the US biomedical research complex is that it is slowly whittling down our most critical health problems, cancer being the most important example. The US age-standardized cancer mortality rate has fallen by ~40% since 1990.
February 18, 2026 at 2:49 PM
The most infuriating part of RFKJr's demolition of the US biomedical research complex is that it is slowly whittling down our most critical health problems, cancer being the most important example. The US age-standardized cancer mortality rate has fallen by ~40% since 1990.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
The horror stories rolling in from Minnesota are just the tip of the iceberg. This 20-year-old, who's lawfully present in the country, was arrested for being Latino, then jailed in a filthy cell where he couldn't even sit down. 18 days of illegal detention. democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...
February 17, 2026 at 8:06 PM
The horror stories rolling in from Minnesota are just the tip of the iceberg. This 20-year-old, who's lawfully present in the country, was arrested for being Latino, then jailed in a filthy cell where he couldn't even sit down. 18 days of illegal detention. democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can’t be re-detained by immigration authorities
Federal judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can’t be re-detained by immigration authorities
A federal judge has ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement cannot re-detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia because a 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporti...
apnews.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Judge rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia can’t be re-detained by immigration authorities
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
New from me.
1/2 A glimpse into Burundi’s silent decline
Overshadowed by war in its neighbourhood, economic depression, and continuing authoritarianism, Bujumbura feels threadbare.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...
Overshadowed by war in its neighbourhood, economic depression, and continuing authoritarianism, Bujumbura feels threadbare.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/continen...
February 17, 2026 at 8:09 AM
New from me.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Wrote for @theglobeandmail.com:
I spent months hearing from African survivors of Myanmar scam camps, where trafficking victims are forced to run scams targeting westerners. Chinese criminals & at least one pro-junta militia cooperate to dish out horrific abuse against migrants to ensure compliance.
I spent months hearing from African survivors of Myanmar scam camps, where trafficking victims are forced to run scams targeting westerners. Chinese criminals & at least one pro-junta militia cooperate to dish out horrific abuse against migrants to ensure compliance.
Africans are being confined and beaten in scam camps in Myanmar
Migrants toil for long hours on social-media platforms, targeting people with crypto and romance scams
www.theglobeandmail.com
February 17, 2026 at 6:10 AM
Wrote for @theglobeandmail.com:
I spent months hearing from African survivors of Myanmar scam camps, where trafficking victims are forced to run scams targeting westerners. Chinese criminals & at least one pro-junta militia cooperate to dish out horrific abuse against migrants to ensure compliance.
I spent months hearing from African survivors of Myanmar scam camps, where trafficking victims are forced to run scams targeting westerners. Chinese criminals & at least one pro-junta militia cooperate to dish out horrific abuse against migrants to ensure compliance.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
A two month old-detained in the ICE concentration camp at Dilley-was rushed to the hospital this weekend
The boy’s extreme youth made him particularly vulnerable in a prison setting
Worse, they knew he was sick-and couldn’t care for him-because the facility didn’t even have a doctor
ABOLISH
ICE
The boy’s extreme youth made him particularly vulnerable in a prison setting
Worse, they knew he was sick-and couldn’t care for him-because the facility didn’t even have a doctor
ABOLISH
ICE
February 17, 2026 at 3:32 AM
A two month old-detained in the ICE concentration camp at Dilley-was rushed to the hospital this weekend
The boy’s extreme youth made him particularly vulnerable in a prison setting
Worse, they knew he was sick-and couldn’t care for him-because the facility didn’t even have a doctor
ABOLISH
ICE
The boy’s extreme youth made him particularly vulnerable in a prison setting
Worse, they knew he was sick-and couldn’t care for him-because the facility didn’t even have a doctor
ABOLISH
ICE
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." –Justice Louis Brandeis
Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.
We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.
Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.
We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.
February 16, 2026 at 11:01 PM
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." –Justice Louis Brandeis
Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.
We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.
Words spoken many years ago that are just as relevant today.
We must continue the fight to get big money out of politics.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
You can listen to me talk about this story with @chenjerai.bsky.social here: www.patreon.com/posts/shackl...
Shackled at 30,000 Feet: What You Don’t Know About ICE Flights—and Who’s Paying for Them | Unruly Subjects
Get more from Unruly Subjects on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:50 PM
You can listen to me talk about this story with @chenjerai.bsky.social here: www.patreon.com/posts/shackl...
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
As a direct result of the obscene actions of Russell Vought and Elon Musk in destroying USAID, we can expect “at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, if the current funding trend continues.
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
One year on from dismantling of USAID, study projects that global aid cuts could lead to 9.4 million deaths by 2030 | CNN
It’s been one year since the Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), with aid cuts leading to the closure of HIV clinics in South Africa, the termination o...
www.cnn.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 PM
As a direct result of the obscene actions of Russell Vought and Elon Musk in destroying USAID, we can expect “at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, if the current funding trend continues.
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
About 2.5 million of those deaths are projected to be children under the age of 5.”
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
This is an absolute must-read by Ornella Moderan | Virility politics in the Sahel
Virility politics in the Sahel | ISPI
Gender is not just about women’s participation. It’s key to understanding political authority and authoritarian tendencies in the Sahel.
www.ispionline.it
February 16, 2026 at 10:35 AM
This is an absolute must-read by Ornella Moderan | Virility politics in the Sahel
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
‘The goal has been to demystify’: how a colonial Nairobi library was restored and given back to the people www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘The goal has been to demystify’: how a colonial Nairobi library was restored and given back to the people
Once a whites-only enclave, the grand McMillan Memorial library is one of three in the Kenyan capital that have been transformed for the community
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:45 AM
‘The goal has been to demystify’: how a colonial Nairobi library was restored and given back to the people www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Kenyan born artist Magdalene Odundo, considered one of the premier ceramicists working today #womensart
February 16, 2026 at 5:43 AM
Kenyan born artist Magdalene Odundo, considered one of the premier ceramicists working today #womensart
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
The Trump administration's detention policy has produced an absolute avalanche of lawsuits from immigrants saying they were jailed illegally.
There have been more than 20,000 habeas suits since he took office, double the number that were filed in decade before.
There have been more than 20,000 habeas suits since he took office, double the number that were filed in decade before.
February 14, 2026 at 1:01 PM
The Trump administration's detention policy has produced an absolute avalanche of lawsuits from immigrants saying they were jailed illegally.
There have been more than 20,000 habeas suits since he took office, double the number that were filed in decade before.
There have been more than 20,000 habeas suits since he took office, double the number that were filed in decade before.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
David Graeber gets a lot of shit for a variety of things, and I don't think he was perfect by any means. But this really was his chief value and why I always feel the urge to come to his defense when supposedly more "empirical" scholars make it their business to continually rag on him
“Since one cannot know a radically better world
is not possible, are we not betraying everyone by
insisting on continuing to justify, and reproduce,
the mess we have today? And anyway, even if
we’re wrong, we might well get a lot closer.”
- David Graeber
is not possible, are we not betraying everyone by
insisting on continuing to justify, and reproduce,
the mess we have today? And anyway, even if
we’re wrong, we might well get a lot closer.”
- David Graeber
February 14, 2026 at 3:42 PM
David Graeber gets a lot of shit for a variety of things, and I don't think he was perfect by any means. But this really was his chief value and why I always feel the urge to come to his defense when supposedly more "empirical" scholars make it their business to continually rag on him
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Israel crammed 2 million Palestinians into displacement camps where 50 people share one bathroom per hour & sewage runs between tents. Now bacterial meningitis is spreading through Gaza's children. An 11-year-old got sick & died within a week. mondoweiss.net/2026/02/a-de...
A deadly meningitis outbreak is threatening Gaza’s children
Bacterial meningitis is spreading among children in Gaza, including those who are vaccinated. Officials say conditions in Gaza’s displacement camps, widespread malnutrition, and Israeli bans on the…
mondoweiss.net
February 14, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Israel crammed 2 million Palestinians into displacement camps where 50 people share one bathroom per hour & sewage runs between tents. Now bacterial meningitis is spreading through Gaza's children. An 11-year-old got sick & died within a week. mondoweiss.net/2026/02/a-de...
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Anyone currently involved in federal immigration enforcement, every officer, every bureaucrat, every lawyer, every judge, is a member of the most evil group of people this country has seen since Reconstruction. Darkness personified, every one. Doing this to children is beyond depraved.
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Anyone currently involved in federal immigration enforcement, every officer, every bureaucrat, every lawyer, every judge, is a member of the most evil group of people this country has seen since Reconstruction. Darkness personified, every one. Doing this to children is beyond depraved.
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
time to rejoin the EU
In incredible news, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women."
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
European Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly For "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women"
The resolution, though nonbinding, is a significant shot at those who seek to erode transgender rights on the continent.
www.erininthemorning.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:07 PM
time to rejoin the EU
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Fantastic opportunities here for anyone looking to pursue a PhD in Nigerian history!
Two more PhD scholarships at @kingshistory.bsky.social: focussing on different aspects of Nigerian history, and working with my excellent colleague @bixhiribarren.bsky.social :
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQM397/p...
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQM397/p...
PhD Studentships at King's College London
At jobs.ac.uk, you can apply for a PhD Studentships. Explore our diverse range of PhD opportunities today.
www.jobs.ac.uk
February 13, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Fantastic opportunities here for anyone looking to pursue a PhD in Nigerian history!
Reposted by Rachel Strohm
Wow!
Palestine Action win judicial review - Guardian report.
This is a *big* legal win.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Palestine Action win judicial review - Guardian report.
This is a *big* legal win.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
UK ban on Palestine Action unlawful, high court judges rule
Protest group’s co-founder wins legal challenge against decision to proscribe it under anti-terrorism laws
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:11 AM
Wow!
Palestine Action win judicial review - Guardian report.
This is a *big* legal win.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Palestine Action win judicial review - Guardian report.
This is a *big* legal win.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...