David Avrom Bell
@davidavrombell.bsky.social
1.9K followers 280 following 220 posts

Historian, writer, New Yorker

David Avrom Bell is an American historian specializing in French history. In 2025, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.

Source: Wikipedia
History 34%
Engineering 17%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

Reposted by Fabián Muniesa

davidavrombell.bsky.social
France will be in the headlines this week, with a no-confidence vote Monday and a national day of action (“Bloquons tout”) Wednesday. Here’s my take on why President Macron’s leadership led to this. And please consider subscribing to my free newsletter.

open.substack.com/pub/davidabe...
Macron's Fatal Misreading of History
Next Monday, the French government is almost certain to fall, pushing France into a renewed political crisis.
open.substack.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
“A profoundly unpopular government is at war with its own people. It is corrupt, immoral, and taking Israel to a place of extremes, where there is might at the expense of morals; messianism at the expense of humanity and hope.” Extraordinary piece by @jo-ann.bsky.social in @newrepublic.com.

Reposted by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
We have another contender for Nuttiest Republican Office-Holder, and, folks, I think this one may be a winner.
x.com/shadowofezra...
x.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
A cover letter plus a research statement, a teaching statement, a diversity statement and a writing sample? Talk about overkill. I have run a lot of faculty searches and can say from experience that you don’t need all this.

davidavrombell.bsky.social
My newest piece for the @nytimes, on the similarities and differences between the AI revolution and the Enlightenment, and what the latter shows about the dangers of the former: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/02/o...
Opinion | A.I. Is Not a 21st-Century Enlightenment
www.nytimes.com

davidavrombell.bsky.social
She is the close-minded one, of course. And simple-minded, as well.

Reposted by David A. Bell

ericweinberger.bsky.social
From @davidavrombell.bsky.social substack. There's a price not just Columbia, or Harvard, pays for buckling - all Americans do when illegal means of enforcement are by them legitimized

donmoyn.bsky.social
New, from an anonymous NIH insider: Trump is being pushed to spend more NIH money. The White House is ordering NIH to do multi-year budgets for awards. This budget trick means fewer awards, fewer labs funded, and lower paylines for researchers. 🧵
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/alert-the-...
Alert: The Trump administration is quietly slashing new NIH grant awards, and it's not via the budget
NIH’s sudden move to multiyear grant funding is forcing shocking cuts in the number of grants funded. This is an effective budget cut. It's bad, folks.
donmoynihan.substack.com

Reposted by David A. Bell

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The ignorance shown by Vought here is breathtaking m, if not surprising.

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Belgian engineers have discovered a powerful, transformative technology for transportation over short distances. Revolutionary.

youtu.be/EAkm773d7RQ?...
Les Pieds
YouTube video by Bruxelles Mobilité - Brussel Mobiliteit
youtu.be

davidavrombell.bsky.social
The problem is it’s a lot more than $400m. They have billions more in federal funding frozen, and if they can’t get that back the university will collapse. They are really between a rock and a hard place.

davidavrombell.bsky.social
Rank in order of importance:
* Trump bombing Iran
* Continuing horror in Gaza
* Gutting of US welfare state
* Destruction of American science
* Uncontrolled global warming
* Mamdani's college application
* Massively exploding federal deficits
* Massively expanding inequality
yasharali.bsky.social
BREAKING

The University of Pennsylvania has come to an agreement with the Trump administration on what the Department of Education said was its Title IX violations.

This will include stripping trans athlete Lia Thomas of her records, titles, and recognitions.
• UPenn will restore to female athletes all individual UPenn Division I swimming records, titles, or similar recognitions which were misappropriated by male athletes allowed to compete in female categories;
• UPenn will issue a public statement to the University community stating that it will comply with Title IX, specifying that UPenn will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs or occupy
Penn Athletics female intimate facilities;
• The statement will specify that UPenn will adopt biology-based definitions for the words 'male' and 'female' pursuant to Title IX and consistent with President Trump's Executive Orders "Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism" and "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports";
• UPenn will post the statement in a prominent location on its main website and on each of its websites for women's athletics;
• UPenn will rescind any guidance which violated Title IX, remove or revise any internal and public-facing statements or documents that are inconsistent with Title IX, and notify all staff and women's athletics of all such rescissions; and
• UPenn will send a personalized letter of apology to each impacted female swimmer.
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
In the past 24 hours, Trump’s threatened Elon Musk, Thomas Massie, Japan, a judge in Israel, the CEO of AT&T, Jerome Powell, Canada, Thom Tillis, a Forbes reporter, Harvard, & migrants with being eaten by Burmese pythons in the Everglades, while releasing a new line of colognes.