Paul Renfro
@renfro.bsky.social
Historian at Florida State University. Wrote STRANGER DANGER (@oxunipress.bsky.social) and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF RYAN WHITE (@uncpress.bsky.social). Writing THOSE FEARFUL DAYS and THE PASSION OF MATTHEW SHEPARD for @liveright.bsky.social / @wwnorton.com.
Pinned
This shit sucks, man.
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Whether it’s masked agents in Minneapolis or militants in the Middle East, we are seeing what happens when leaders prioritize “fire, ready, aim” over the rule of law, our columnist Tom Friedman writes.
Whether it’s masked agents in Minneapolis or militants in the Middle East, we are seeing what happens when leaders prioritize “fire, ready, aim” over the rule of law, our columnist Tom Friedman writes.
Opinion | Minneapolis and Gaza Now Share the Same Violent Language
When ICE and Hamas start looking the same, we are all in trouble.
nyti.ms
January 25, 2026 at 10:34 PM
This shit sucks, man.
A sharp, beautifully written piece by @oliviapaschal.com on Walmart’s “nostalgic capitalism” and the anarcho-capitalist conjuncture. www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
The Beast of Bentonville | Olivia Paschal
In retrospect, the week of Donald Trump’s inauguration was an inopportune time for Walmart to hold the grand opening of its new corporate campus.
www.nplusonemag.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:47 PM
A sharp, beautifully written piece by @oliviapaschal.com on Walmart’s “nostalgic capitalism” and the anarcho-capitalist conjuncture. www.nplusonemag.com/online-only/...
Tallahassee, Florida
January 22, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Tallahassee, Florida
I’m thinking today of Laura Briggs’s incredible book Taking Children, which I had the great honor of reviewing for @bostonreview.bsky.social back in 2020. www.bostonreview.net/articles/pau...
January 22, 2026 at 1:59 AM
I’m thinking today of Laura Briggs’s incredible book Taking Children, which I had the great honor of reviewing for @bostonreview.bsky.social back in 2020. www.bostonreview.net/articles/pau...
Big dog, little dog.
January 21, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Big dog, little dog.
This stinker likes to chew on cardboard.
January 21, 2026 at 1:19 AM
This stinker likes to chew on cardboard.
The Rubio curse is born.
January 20, 2026 at 11:22 AM
The Rubio curse is born.
Can’t spell “The Hague” without “The U.”
January 20, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Can’t spell “The Hague” without “The U.”
2016: My first postdoctoral appointment (at SMU).
January 19, 2026 at 11:28 PM
2016: My first postdoctoral appointment (at SMU).
Frederick Jackson Turner: “I worked on this thesis for years, and he just blurted it out.”
Cruz: "When it comes to Greenland, I want to commend President Trump for being single-mindedly focused on America first... I believe it is overwhelmingly in America's national interest to acquire Greenland... the whole history of America has been a history of acquiring new lands and new territories"
January 18, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Frederick Jackson Turner: “I worked on this thesis for years, and he just blurted it out.”
Reposted by Paul Renfro
Trump is clearly not the isolationist many believed he was. From the wreckage of bipartisan imperialist consensus, Trump's creating a new MAGA model empire. New Dig episode analyzing MAGA Empire and the history that made it with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin www.thedigradio.com/podcast/maga...
MAGA Empire w/ Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin
Featuring Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin on the MAGA model of US imperialism.
www.thedigradio.com
January 16, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Trump is clearly not the isolationist many believed he was. From the wreckage of bipartisan imperialist consensus, Trump's creating a new MAGA model empire. New Dig episode analyzing MAGA Empire and the history that made it with Aslı Bâli and Greg Grandin www.thedigradio.com/podcast/maga...
“Maps show why the Sudetenland is so important for Lebensraum.”
January 16, 2026 at 12:15 PM
“Maps show why the Sudetenland is so important for Lebensraum.”
Had a great conversation about the Iran hostage crisis in my America in the 1980s class today. The students really seemed to enjoy the assigned chapters from David Farber’s book Taken Hostage, and they drew some wonderful linkages between the 1979–81 crisis and the current situation in Iran. 🗃️
January 15, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Had a great conversation about the Iran hostage crisis in my America in the 1980s class today. The students really seemed to enjoy the assigned chapters from David Farber’s book Taken Hostage, and they drew some wonderful linkages between the 1979–81 crisis and the current situation in Iran. 🗃️
Matthew D. Lassiter, “Political History beyond the Red-Blue Divide,” Journal of American History 98, no. 3 (December 2011): 760–64.
The House voted 341 to 79 to fund Trump's war-mongering foreign policy agenda.
Only 57 Democrats voted NO.
clerk.house.gov/evs/2026/rol...
Only 57 Democrats voted NO.
clerk.house.gov/evs/2026/rol...
January 15, 2026 at 12:48 AM
Matthew D. Lassiter, “Political History beyond the Red-Blue Divide,” Journal of American History 98, no. 3 (December 2011): 760–64.
Successfully avoided someone I despise at the Whole Foods.
January 15, 2026 at 12:08 AM
Successfully avoided someone I despise at the Whole Foods.
Deportations are bad, actually.
January 14, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Deportations are bad, actually.
Check out my AI-looking-ass dog.
January 12, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Check out my AI-looking-ass dog.
Good news coming out of the business meeting at #AHA26. Apparently the alternative slate performed quite well, which means we’ll see major changes on the Council. Further, the Resolution in Solidarity with Gaza passed overwhelmingly. 🗃️
January 11, 2026 at 2:29 AM
Good news coming out of the business meeting at #AHA26. Apparently the alternative slate performed quite well, which means we’ll see major changes on the Council. Further, the Resolution in Solidarity with Gaza passed overwhelmingly. 🗃️
Oregon going for two just now.
January 10, 2026 at 3:01 AM
Oregon going for two just now.
Wild that the Trump administration has chosen to defend Jonathan Ross to the hilt instead of throwing him under the bus, despite all the incriminating evidence. Seems to be part of a larger project to make “mass deportation,” ICE, and law enforcement in general unassailable, which is terrifying.
January 10, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Wild that the Trump administration has chosen to defend Jonathan Ross to the hilt instead of throwing him under the bus, despite all the incriminating evidence. Seems to be part of a larger project to make “mass deportation,” ICE, and law enforcement in general unassailable, which is terrifying.