Seth D. Michaels
@sethdmichaels.bsky.social
Bert of the Intellect, Ernie of the Will
DC based, comms at @ucs.org (all opinions mine), ambivalently Online, generally polite, still People Magazine's Seth D-est Man Alive. please don't argue in my notifications
DC based, comms at @ucs.org (all opinions mine), ambivalently Online, generally polite, still People Magazine's Seth D-est Man Alive. please don't argue in my notifications
Pinned
It’s bad that Trump thinks he got elected Boss of America and the whole government is just his staff, but it’s much worse that a majority of the Supreme Court and the leaders of both chambers of Congress agree
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Yesterday, Minneapolis gave us hope. That’s what they’re trying to kill: the will of a people who are willing to fight them.
January 24, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Yesterday, Minneapolis gave us hope. That’s what they’re trying to kill: the will of a people who are willing to fight them.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Hard to pick just one devastating stat from this survey but holy shit
January 29, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Hard to pick just one devastating stat from this survey but holy shit
“ Transportation policy can be a powerful force for economic mobility, and offers the potential to make places healthier, safer, and greener. A Department of Transportation focused on persecuting foes is one that is failing to improve lives.”
January 29, 2026 at 9:31 PM
“ Transportation policy can be a powerful force for economic mobility, and offers the potential to make places healthier, safer, and greener. A Department of Transportation focused on persecuting foes is one that is failing to improve lives.”
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Changes in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory methods prioritize the interests of polluting industries at the expense of public health. Read more from CEO @gretchentg.bsky.social, Economist Rachel Cleetus and Fellow Kristie Ellickson.
Ignoring deaths, benefiting polluters: EPA discards science on pollution harms
Changes in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory methods prioritise the interests of polluting industries at the expense of public health, say Gretchen Goldman and colleagues
This mont...
www.bmj.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Changes in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory methods prioritize the interests of polluting industries at the expense of public health. Read more from CEO @gretchentg.bsky.social, Economist Rachel Cleetus and Fellow Kristie Ellickson.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
we do, in fact, owe each other things. one of those things is accountability for the results of our actions.
January 29, 2026 at 5:11 PM
we do, in fact, owe each other things. one of those things is accountability for the results of our actions.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Protect, bind yada yada
January 29, 2026 at 4:32 PM
Protect, bind yada yada
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
maybe rejecting the 14th and 15th amendments is why we are in this pickle right now?
it’s not populism that took over the movement, it’s movement that removed its mask
it’s not populism that took over the movement, it’s movement that removed its mask
why is buckley considered brilliant when most if not all his thinking is just a repackage/reiteration of the ideas of the slave power/confederacy?
like states’ rights meaning what? are you actually concerned about the 10th amendment or it’s really the 14th and 15th that you have an issue with
like states’ rights meaning what? are you actually concerned about the 10th amendment or it’s really the 14th and 15th that you have an issue with
January 29, 2026 at 5:01 PM
maybe rejecting the 14th and 15th amendments is why we are in this pickle right now?
it’s not populism that took over the movement, it’s movement that removed its mask
it’s not populism that took over the movement, it’s movement that removed its mask
the same people who support this, of course, are cheering that Renee Good was executed for driving *near* (not at) an ICE officer
multiple states have passed post-BLM laws immunizing drivers from punishment if they drive into protests! www.nytimes.com/2021/04/21/u...
G.O.P. Bills Target Protesters (and Absolve Motorists Who Hit Them) (Published 2021)
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:56 PM
the same people who support this, of course, are cheering that Renee Good was executed for driving *near* (not at) an ICE officer
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
The right's been headed towards this stance for ~20 years
Being disagreed with was unbearable. Being canceled was the greatest calamity that could befall a white man or conservative. Feeling afraid justified lying in wait to murder people. Being rejected by women justified killing them
Being disagreed with was unbearable. Being canceled was the greatest calamity that could befall a white man or conservative. Feeling afraid justified lying in wait to murder people. Being rejected by women justified killing them
They really want people to believe being publicly shamed is justification for state sanctioned murder.
January 29, 2026 at 3:49 PM
The right's been headed towards this stance for ~20 years
Being disagreed with was unbearable. Being canceled was the greatest calamity that could befall a white man or conservative. Feeling afraid justified lying in wait to murder people. Being rejected by women justified killing them
Being disagreed with was unbearable. Being canceled was the greatest calamity that could befall a white man or conservative. Feeling afraid justified lying in wait to murder people. Being rejected by women justified killing them
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
I usually don't release discarded draft versions but this feels like it might be useful today
January 29, 2026 at 2:50 PM
I usually don't release discarded draft versions but this feels like it might be useful today
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Bezos bought a fancy bakery & is like, why do I need all these pastry chefs when I could just sell packages of Hydrox at a steep markup
New: The Washington Post’s White House team, which is not considered at risk amid upcoming cuts at the paper, sent a letter to owner Jeff Bezos seeking to protect other sections of the paper including Metro, Arts, and Sports (letter was shared in WaPo union slack)
January 29, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Bezos bought a fancy bakery & is like, why do I need all these pastry chefs when I could just sell packages of Hydrox at a steep markup
Marty Supreme, The Mastermind, and Roofman are a sort of "this guy is clever and has a big plan but can't stay out of his own way" trilogy
January 29, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Marty Supreme, The Mastermind, and Roofman are a sort of "this guy is clever and has a big plan but can't stay out of his own way" trilogy
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
It's all so "she made me do it" blaming the victim, and this iteration closely echoes a previous admin. one. Rhetoric justifies bloodshed in this frame, and his rhetoric uses the passive tense/vagueness to avoid saying 'we will shed blood.'
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 2:39 PM
It's all so "she made me do it" blaming the victim, and this iteration closely echoes a previous admin. one. Rhetoric justifies bloodshed in this frame, and his rhetoric uses the passive tense/vagueness to avoid saying 'we will shed blood.'
board game hot take: the "depot" mechanic in Ticket to Ride: Europe is a sufficient improvement over classic Ticket to Ride that it's practically a different game
I know I need to be the change and everything but we need more board game discourse on here. It could mostly be the same cast!
January 29, 2026 at 2:37 PM
board game hot take: the "depot" mechanic in Ticket to Ride: Europe is a sufficient improvement over classic Ticket to Ride that it's practically a different game
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
straight up, organizing that does this very thing is something that has been lacking in labor movement spaces for -generations- and we are far weaker and far less capable of mass mobilization because of it.
Something that sticks with me from this training: if you’re forming a group/organization, it’s important to spend time together outside of “the work”. Share meals together, grab coffee, etc.
You’re going to go through some shit together. This work is hard. Strong bonds help you navigate tough times
You’re going to go through some shit together. This work is hard. Strong bonds help you navigate tough times
This ICE Rapid Response seminar has 5000 people in it. People are activated.
January 29, 2026 at 2:26 PM
straight up, organizing that does this very thing is something that has been lacking in labor movement spaces for -generations- and we are far weaker and far less capable of mass mobilization because of it.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
"in theater" what utter ghouls and war criminals, to turn a city into a war zone where there's a "theater." The Hague is too good for them.
Q: Can you be specific about how many ICE and CBP agents are currently operating in the state?
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
January 29, 2026 at 2:12 PM
"in theater" what utter ghouls and war criminals, to turn a city into a war zone where there's a "theater." The Hague is too good for them.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
#1 question has to be: Why should the American people trust a person who accepted a $50,000 bribe about ANYTHING????
January 29, 2026 at 2:17 PM
#1 question has to be: Why should the American people trust a person who accepted a $50,000 bribe about ANYTHING????
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
This is sort of a throughline in cases of excessive force used by law enforcement. The civilian is supposed to perfectly adhere to some unwritten code of conduct; the armed professional supposedly trained for such situations is only human & must be given lattitude if they succumb to fear and rage.
The administration is insisting that its masked goons are so emotionally stunted that words can launch them into a murderous rage.
"Our professionals are just ordinary people so ordinary people better act professionally around them, or else."
"Our professionals are just ordinary people so ordinary people better act professionally around them, or else."
January 29, 2026 at 2:18 PM
This is sort of a throughline in cases of excessive force used by law enforcement. The civilian is supposed to perfectly adhere to some unwritten code of conduct; the armed professional supposedly trained for such situations is only human & must be given lattitude if they succumb to fear and rage.
gives the same feeling as it would to bite in to a burger and realize the patty is made of shredded newspaper
Amen. If I see one of those obvious AI illustrations on a piece I now reflexively recoil and often decide not to read it. Can't wholly explain my own reaction, but it's genuine.
I kind of miss the generic stock photos that people were using before everybody switched to diffusion model pap.
January 29, 2026 at 2:19 PM
gives the same feeling as it would to bite in to a burger and realize the patty is made of shredded newspaper
"NIH funding contributed to every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the FDA in 2010-2016...more than 90% of the $100 billion in relevant NIH funding was basic research related to the biological targets for drug actions."
The Trump administration seems to think all innovation should happen in the private sector and political appointees should decide what good science looks like. My latest for @ucs.org uses examples from drug development to show why those assumptions are so dangerous.
blog.ucs.org/liz-borkowsk...
blog.ucs.org/liz-borkowsk...
Science, Innovation, and the National Institutes of Health
Failing to support independent agency science imperils the uptake of innovative drugs.
blog.ucs.org
January 29, 2026 at 2:17 PM
"NIH funding contributed to every one of the 210 new drugs approved by the FDA in 2010-2016...more than 90% of the $100 billion in relevant NIH funding was basic research related to the biological targets for drug actions."
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Note the passive voice here. They kept saying their agents would be endangered. But no protestor has taken a shot at an agent. They also told those agents that they would be supported no matter what they did, had absolute immunity. The Trump admin is responsible for the bloodshed that followed.
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Note the passive voice here. They kept saying their agents would be endangered. But no protestor has taken a shot at an agent. They also told those agents that they would be supported no matter what they did, had absolute immunity. The Trump admin is responsible for the bloodshed that followed.
"utilities cut deals for data centers which increase everyone else’s bills...In addition to this are environmental costs of data centers and the huge health impact costs that come as a result of gas plant pollution." blog.ucs.org/maria-chavez...
January 29, 2026 at 2:09 PM
"utilities cut deals for data centers which increase everyone else’s bills...In addition to this are environmental costs of data centers and the huge health impact costs that come as a result of gas plant pollution." blog.ucs.org/maria-chavez...
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Why is the scaredest and most innocent teen in the entire world flanked by not one but two HSI people too embarrassed to show their faces?
January 29, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Why is the scaredest and most innocent teen in the entire world flanked by not one but two HSI people too embarrassed to show their faces?
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Administration processes sales and uses the $$$ as it likes without involving Congress was basically Iran-Contra, one of the largest presidential scandals of the 20th century.
Marco Rubio: "The oil proceeds are being deposited into an account that ultimately will become a US Treasury blocked account here in the US. We will say 'this is what this money can be spent on.' They will submit to us a budget request -- 'we want to use the money on these things.'"
January 28, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Administration processes sales and uses the $$$ as it likes without involving Congress was basically Iran-Contra, one of the largest presidential scandals of the 20th century.
Reposted by Seth D. Michaels
Related, "polarization" as a problem is one of the most destructive ideas US political science has ever helped popularize.
This is why I have real fucking problem with blithe criticisms of "polarization" or "congressional dysfunction." We have a Republican member blaming his colleague for being attacked.
The problem isn't polarization or dysfunction. It's the Republican Party.
The problem isn't polarization or dysfunction. It's the Republican Party.
Rep. Randy Fine on Ilhan Omar getting attacked: "I blame Ilhan Omar for what happened"
January 28, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Related, "polarization" as a problem is one of the most destructive ideas US political science has ever helped popularize.