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Brendan Nyhan

@brendannyhan.bsky.social

100K followers 4.2K following 8.8K posts

Dartmouth political scientist and Bright Line Watch co-director. Previously Upshot NYT / CJR contributor, Spinsanity co-founder, All the President's Spin co-author. https://sites.dartmouth.edu/nyhan/ http://brightlinewatch.org .. more

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Brendan Nyhan is an American political scientist and professor at Dartmouth College. He is also a liberal to moderate political blogger, author, and political columnist. He was born in Mountain View, California and now lives in Hanover, New Hampshire. .. more

Political science 39%

Sociology 22%

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 3d

My new op-ed with @lkfazio.bsky.social:

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

Joe Cohen @cohenhouse.bsky.social · 1h

WE DID IT!!!

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Reposted by David R. Miller, David Darmofal

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2h

Literally millions of people turned out at the last No Kings protest. Does he seriously think they were all paid by Soros? If your family member said this, you would think they had lost it.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 2h

Today in life under competitive authoritarianism

Again, textbook stuff:

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio, David R. Miller , and 1 more Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio, David R. Miller, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2h

Every targeted institution (my own very much included) should cut and paste this letter onto their letterhead.

Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 3h

A master class from MIT in responding to authoritarian overreach:

Your “premise … is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
… America’s leadership in science & innovation depends on independent thinking & open competition for excellence.

Dear Madam Secretary,
I write in response to your letter of October 1, inviting MIT to review a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." I acknowledge the vital importance of these matters.
I appreciated the chance to meet with you earlier this year to discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.
As we discussed, the Institute's mission of service to the nation directs us to advance knowledge, educate students and bring knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges.
We do that in line with a clear set of values, with excellence above all. Some practical examples:
• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit. Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute was the first to reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.
• MIT opens its doors to the most talented students regardless of their family's finances. Admissions are need-blind. Incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 a year pay no tuition. Nearly 88% of our last graduating class left MIT with no debt for their education. We make a wealth of free courses and low-cost certificates available to any American with an internet connection. Of the undergraduate degrees we award, 94% are in STEM fields. And in service to the nation, we cap enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly 10%.

source:
https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/regarding-compact

• We value free expression, as clearly described in the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom. We must hear facts and opinions we don't like - and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree.
These values and other MIT practices meet or exceed many standards outlined in the document you sent. We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission - work of immense value to the prosperity, competitiveness, health and security of the United States. And of course, MIT abides by the law.
The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.
As you know, MIT's record of service to the nation is long and enduring. Eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped invent a scientific partnership between America's research universities and the U.S. government that has delivered extraordinary benefits for the American people. We continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the nation.
Sincerely,
Sally Kornbluth

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Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Brendan Nyhan, Michael Kevane

Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 3h

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 3h

By contrast, JB Pritzker told me that people should flood the No Kings protests precisely in order to let the American people know that something is deeply amiss.

More Dems should be doing this, to send the message widely that we are in real trouble right now.

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, Jon Green , and 6 more Brendan Nyhan, Michael A. Clemens, Jon Green, Eric Goldman, Ben Tonra, Scott A. Imberman, Claire L. Adida, Manisha Sinha, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3h

Marc Rowan's argument for the Trump extortion scheme in universities is the biggest mass of Orwellian Doublespeak I have seen in the pages of NYT in years. His central argument is that it means the "restoration of free speech" on campus. It means exactly the opposite.

Opinion | Academia Is Broken. Trump’s University ‘Compact’ Can Help Fix It.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David S. Cohen, Stephen D. Murphy , and 3 more Brendan Nyhan, David S. Cohen, Stephen D. Murphy, James Goodwin, Nathan Richardson, David Darmofal

dr. caitlin m. green @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social · 14h

there are SO many more inflatable costumes tonight. clearly we have settled on a motif

Wide shot of many people in inflatable costumes

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

Reposted by David Darmofal

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 15h

Unprecedented grift

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump Watches commercials are now running regularly on Newsmax

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 15h

No money flowing to USAID and hardly any to PEPFAR despite their duly enacted funding; well north of twenty billion dollars being deployed for other weird hair autocrats. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

The U.S. just bailed out Argentina, treasury secretary confirms

The U.S. Treasury has finalized a financial rescue of Argentina, including a currency swap arrangement with the country’s central bank.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Michael Evans

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 16h

To his great credit

Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · 1d

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Richard M. Carpiano

Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 16h

Ingrassia seemed like such a winner before this new allegation, I guess you never can tell

In May, Trump nominated Ingrassia, who received his law degree in 2022, to head the Office of Special Counsel. After he drew publicity for ties to white supremacist Nick Fuentes and Andrew Tate — an influencer who has been
charged in Britain with rape and human trafficking, which he denies - Ingrassia's July nomination hearing was indefinitely delayed.
It was a rare instance of Senate Republicans pushing back on a Trump nominee.
Ingrassia has shared conspiracy theories about 9/11 and praised far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. A podcast that he co-hosted called for martial law and secession after the 2020 election if legal efforts to overturn the election didn't succeed. He has advocated for some people who rioted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
On his Substack, Ingrassia, who interned for the first Trump White House, dubs himself
"President Trump's favorite writer" because
Trump shared his comments almost 100 times last year on social media.

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Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings , and 7 more Jan W. Mueller, Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Aaron Sojourner, Lisa Diedrich, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Peter Bergman

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 16h

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Smith , and 5 more Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Smith, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Ann Bartow, Rebecca Zorach, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 16h

"30-year-old conservative lawyer and activist who is Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, which deals with federal employee whistleblower complaints and discrimination" cancelled his colleague's hotel room so she would be forced to stay with him.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

In late July, Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security, arrived at a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando with a lower-ranking female colleague and others from their department. When the group reached the front desk, the woman learned she didn’t have a hotel room.

Ingrassia then informed her that she would be staying with him, according to five administration officials familiar with the episode. Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him, three of those officials said.

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Reposted by David R. Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 19h

It's almost as if this is another bogus case cooked up by an unqualified insurance lawyer appointed to do the president's bidding...

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 19h

Brown M&Ms. Mirrors the screwups in the Comey filing. They can't even get basic information right. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Jan W. Mueller, Susan Hyde

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 19h

Regrettably relevant research today

Disguised Repression: Targeting Opponents with Nonpolitical Crimes to Undermine Dissent
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan, Sanford F. Schram , and 8 more Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan, Sanford F. Schram, Bonnie Honig, Devon Greyson, Scott A. Imberman, Nelson Flores, Richard M. Carpiano, Daxton R. Stewart, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19h

This is the genius of the Portland protests - they make the claims of lawlessness look not just wrong, but comical

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 21h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Reposted by David R. Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 19h

Brown M&Ms. Mirrors the screwups in the Comey filing. They can't even get basic information right. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller, Michael J. Hicks , and 2 more Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller, Michael J. Hicks, Greg Linden, Colin Woodard

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 19h

This is good, from Hakeem Jeffries. More of this please, in every conceivable forum:

"Sycophants who aid and abet the President’s vengeful schemes will not be able to hide from the serious legal consequences of their behavior. They will be held accountable."

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 19h

Another terrible day for the rule of law in America

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20h

Breaking News: Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, is said to have been indicted after President Trump pushed the Justice Department to seek charges against her. James, who is accused of committing mortgage fraud, brought a civil case against Trump in 2022. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

Attorney General Letitia James of New York is in front of a microphone. A headline reads: "New York Attorney General Letitia James Indicted After Pressure From Trump."

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram , and 3 more Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Sanford F. Schram, Kevin Carey, Daniel W. Drezner, Scott A. Imberman

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 20h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Reposted by Elizabeth Warren, Brendan Nyhan

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20h

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Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan , and 40 more Anne Applebaum, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan, Jesse H. Kroll, Patrick A. Jansen, Daniel L. Millimet, David Feldman, Eric Goldman, Fabián Muniesa, Jacob Montgomery, Bruce D. Baker, Juan Cole, Erwin Dekker, Sanford F. Schram, John Foot, Devon Greyson, W. Andy Knight, Nazita Lajevardi, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Caroline Fohlin, Florian Keller, Michael D. McDonald, Jason Lyall, Kate Starbird, Victor Pickard, Nils Zurawski, Nelson Flores, Arlene Stein, Federica Genovese, Richard M. Carpiano, Olivier Jourdan, Klaus Oschema, Meredith Farkas, Brandon Whitcher, Daxton R. Stewart, Albin Wagener, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Aviel Roshwald, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Bruce Buchan, Southern Africa

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 21h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Aaron Sojourner, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Jon Steinman @jonsteinman.bsky.social · 23h

The authoritarian coalition continues cracking. Trump is weak and his party knows it.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 23h

Why we need to invest in basic science. Sometimes discoveries like these lead to important benefits for society!

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 1d

Why does the naked mole rat have the longest lifespan of any rodent, nearly 40 years?
A 30-year long mystery unraveled @ScienceMagazine today!
Its cGAS enzyme in cells has 4 missense mutations that upends its function, promoting DNA repair and suppressing inflammation
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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