Sriram (ஸ்ரீராம்)
@drkhe.bsky.social
A former electrical engineer; former urban planner; former geography professor; … what’s he now?
More at: https://substack.com/@ksriram
More at: https://substack.com/@ksriram
Pinned
Sriram (ஸ்ரீராம்)
@drkhe.bsky.social
· Apr 13
We Might Have to “Shut Down the Country”
Anthony Romero, the A.C.L.U.’s executive director, talks about what he thinks could happen if the Trump Administration defies the authority of the courts.
www.newyorker.com
"it’s really quite another matter when there’s a final order, from the highest court of the land, and the President just says, Doesn’t bother me. I don’t have to heed you or hear you."
@aclu.org Ex. Dir. Anthony #Romero:
www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-...
#tRump #SCOTUS #RuleOfLaw
@aclu.org Ex. Dir. Anthony #Romero:
www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-...
#tRump #SCOTUS #RuleOfLaw
Massive Russian strikes on the capital Friday killed at least four people and left half the city’s residential buildings without heat, at a time when temperatures are around -10C and expected to drop further.
www.kyivpost.com/post/67860
www.kyivpost.com/post/67860
Kyiv Shivers Without Heat, but Battles on
Sunday marked the 1,418th day of Russia’s war on Ukraine, matching the length of when the Soviet Union fought off Nazi Germany’s World War II onslaught, from 1941 to 1945.
www.kyivpost.com
January 11, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Massive Russian strikes on the capital Friday killed at least four people and left half the city’s residential buildings without heat, at a time when temperatures are around -10C and expected to drop further.
www.kyivpost.com/post/67860
www.kyivpost.com/post/67860
I'm shocked, shocked, shocked that Trump would do anything illegal
If he did, I am confident that the Republican-controlled Congress and Supreme Court will hold him accountable.
If he did, I am confident that the Republican-controlled Congress and Supreme Court will hold him accountable.
Holy cow: TRUMP LEAKED THIS MORNING'S PAYROLL NUMBERS.
At 8:20pm last night he posted a photo of a briefing he received from his CEA. It reveals market-moving numbers that were officially released at 8:30am this morning.
(Note: CEA receives the data—confidentially—on Thursday evening.)
At 8:20pm last night he posted a photo of a briefing he received from his CEA. It reveals market-moving numbers that were officially released at 8:30am this morning.
(Note: CEA receives the data—confidentially—on Thursday evening.)
January 9, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I'm shocked, shocked, shocked that Trump would do anything illegal
If he did, I am confident that the Republican-controlled Congress and Supreme Court will hold him accountable.
If he did, I am confident that the Republican-controlled Congress and Supreme Court will hold him accountable.
Yes!
Thanks, @wyden.senate.gov
Thanks, @wyden.senate.gov
A woman was shot dead on camera and Trump’s ICE is launching a full scale coverup. Nobody is above the law. Federal agents who break the law in Minnesota, Oregon or anywhere else, must be prosecuted.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota investigators say they can't access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won't work jointly on probe.
@reuters.com
@reuters.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Yes!
Thanks, @wyden.senate.gov
Thanks, @wyden.senate.gov
I had no idea that Plato was way woke!
How do you say "woke" in ancient Greek?
"According to the syllabus, Dr. Peterson’s planned Plato readings included passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ myth involving split humans."
Gift 🎁Link🔗
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
How do you say "woke" in ancient Greek?
"According to the syllabus, Dr. Peterson’s planned Plato readings included passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ myth involving split humans."
Gift 🎁Link🔗
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Texas A&M, Under New Curriculum Limits, Warns Professor Not to Teach Plato
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:08 PM
I had no idea that Plato was way woke!
How do you say "woke" in ancient Greek?
"According to the syllabus, Dr. Peterson’s planned Plato readings included passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ myth involving split humans."
Gift 🎁Link🔗
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
How do you say "woke" in ancient Greek?
"According to the syllabus, Dr. Peterson’s planned Plato readings included passages about Diotima’s Ladder of Love and Aristophanes’ myth involving split humans."
Gift 🎁Link🔗
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Yancey is the latest of many high-profile evangelical men in recent years to either confess to or be accused of infidelity and other behaviors that Christians categorize as sexual sins, and that in some cases rise to the level of crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Philip Yancey, Prominent Christian Author, Admits to Extramarital Affair
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Yancey is the latest of many high-profile evangelical men in recent years to either confess to or be accused of infidelity and other behaviors that Christians categorize as sexual sins, and that in some cases rise to the level of crimes.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/07/u...
Another brown immigrant steals a prized job that should have gone to a MAGA maniac!
"Jayawardhana’s own pathway from Sri Lanka to the helm of a major American university represents how welcoming American universities have historically been to immigrants."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/u...
"Jayawardhana’s own pathway from Sri Lanka to the helm of a major American university represents how welcoming American universities have historically been to immigrants."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/u...
Caltech, a Science Powerhouse, Hires a Communicator as Its New President
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Another brown immigrant steals a prized job that should have gone to a MAGA maniac!
"Jayawardhana’s own pathway from Sri Lanka to the helm of a major American university represents how welcoming American universities have historically been to immigrants."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/u...
"Jayawardhana’s own pathway from Sri Lanka to the helm of a major American university represents how welcoming American universities have historically been to immigrants."
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/u...
!!!
An advance look at Barry Blitt’s “Guzzler,” the cover for next week’s issue. #NewYorkerCovers
January 8, 2026 at 2:40 PM
!!!
"compel weaker states without resorting to full-scale war. ... warships offshore created asymmetric bargaining where refusal carried immediate costs, and control over outcomes was sufficient without formal annexation."
www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/the-trump-co...
www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/the-trump-co...
The Trump Corollary: How Gunboat Diplomacy Returned to the Americas
The Maduro operation was coercive diplomacy enforced by overwhelming military action, rather than regime change framed as democratization. In other words, it is gunboat diplomacy adapted to the twenty...
www.geopoliticalmonitor.com
January 8, 2026 at 2:29 PM
"compel weaker states without resorting to full-scale war. ... warships offshore created asymmetric bargaining where refusal carried immediate costs, and control over outcomes was sufficient without formal annexation."
www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/the-trump-co...
www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/the-trump-co...
"people who have always refused to believe what for many of us has been very obvious for many years now—that [Trump] really is a President who only cares about acquisition, acquisition, acquisition for himself, dressed up as patriotism."
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Maduro Regime Without Maduro
A political scientist explains how the Venezuelan President ran the country, why he was so unpopular, and, after his seizure by the Trump Administration, who might take over.
www.newyorker.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:22 PM
"people who have always refused to believe what for many of us has been very obvious for many years now—that [Trump] really is a President who only cares about acquisition, acquisition, acquisition for himself, dressed up as patriotism."
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Sriram (ஸ்ரீராம்)
137 More Oil Wells Liberated For Democracy https://theonion.com/137-more-oil-wells-liberated-for-democracy-1819566812/
January 7, 2026 at 4:00 PM
137 More Oil Wells Liberated For Democracy https://theonion.com/137-more-oil-wells-liberated-for-democracy-1819566812/
During the first Trump administration, Russia offered U.S. control of Venezuela in exchange for free rein in Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/w...
January 7, 2026 at 4:12 PM
During the first Trump administration, Russia offered U.S. control of Venezuela in exchange for free rein in Ukraine
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/06/w...
Methinks that Hugh Jackman looks like @captmarkkelly.bsky.social and could play him in a biopic that will certainly be produced after the authoritarian and his toadies are removed from power in January 2029
Four generations of my family have served our country. Service is in my blood. The President wouldn’t know anything about that.
January 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Methinks that Hugh Jackman looks like @captmarkkelly.bsky.social and could play him in a biopic that will certainly be produced after the authoritarian and his toadies are removed from power in January 2029
So ... in this context, the Indian Rupee's slide against the US dollar speaks volumes about India's economy!
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...
January 5, 2026 at 6:13 PM
So ... in this context, the Indian Rupee's slide against the US dollar speaks volumes about India's economy!
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...
timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...
Backpfeifengesicht, which is a German word that is defined as “a face that deserves to be slapped or punched.”
Ah, yes, the word that I have always wanted to use but did not know since the spring of 2016
Ah, yes, the word that I have always wanted to use but did not know since the spring of 2016
January 5, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Backpfeifengesicht, which is a German word that is defined as “a face that deserves to be slapped or punched.”
Ah, yes, the word that I have always wanted to use but did not know since the spring of 2016
Ah, yes, the word that I have always wanted to use but did not know since the spring of 2016
He lives in his own manufactured reality, @shikhadalmia.bsky.social
Republicans stopped worrying about facts back in the summer of 2016!
Republicans stopped worrying about facts back in the summer of 2016!
Maria Corina Machedo's opposition party is widely believed to have won the Venezuelan election by approximately 37% points. Trump's margin of victory was 1.5% points. Yet he calls his victory a landslide and says she's not respected enough to lead her country!
January 5, 2026 at 12:12 AM
He lives in his own manufactured reality, @shikhadalmia.bsky.social
Republicans stopped worrying about facts back in the summer of 2016!
Republicans stopped worrying about facts back in the summer of 2016!
Venezuela "needs to rebuild its infrastructure, reduce its onerous foreign-debt load, and reassimilate millions of people who have left. ...
But is there any chance of Donald Trump recognizing this and acting upon it?"
www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...
But is there any chance of Donald Trump recognizing this and acting upon it?"
www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...
The Folly of Trump’s Oil Imperialism
The President has made clear he wants to exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves; history suggests that it won’t be easy.
www.newyorker.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Venezuela "needs to rebuild its infrastructure, reduce its onerous foreign-debt load, and reassimilate millions of people who have left. ...
But is there any chance of Donald Trump recognizing this and acting upon it?"
www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...
But is there any chance of Donald Trump recognizing this and acting upon it?"
www.newyorker.com/news/the-fin...
Make Imperialism Great Again!
“One might have thought that this era of naked imperialism – of the US getting the political outcomes it wants in Latin America through sheer military force – would be over in the 21st century, but clearly it is not”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
“One might have thought that this era of naked imperialism – of the US getting the political outcomes it wants in Latin America through sheer military force – would be over in the 21st century, but clearly it is not”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘Naked imperialism’: how Trump intervention in Venezuela is a return to form for the US
Most of the Americas have suffered from interference from their powerful northern neighbour – and are usually the worse off for it
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Make Imperialism Great Again!
“One might have thought that this era of naked imperialism – of the US getting the political outcomes it wants in Latin America through sheer military force – would be over in the 21st century, but clearly it is not”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
“One might have thought that this era of naked imperialism – of the US getting the political outcomes it wants in Latin America through sheer military force – would be over in the 21st century, but clearly it is not”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
"it is clear that Trump was baiting Maduro, trying to draw him into war. He never took the bait. But that didn’t stop Trump. We now “run the country”—and seem poised to control its oil."
@davidcole-gtown.bsky.social in @nybooks.com:
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
@davidcole-gtown.bsky.social in @nybooks.com:
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
Trump’s War | David Cole
“It was a brilliant operation, actually.” So claimed Donald Trump early this morning in a phone call with The New York Times about the US military’s
www.nybooks.com
January 4, 2026 at 7:08 PM
"it is clear that Trump was baiting Maduro, trying to draw him into war. He never took the bait. But that didn’t stop Trump. We now “run the country”—and seem poised to control its oil."
@davidcole-gtown.bsky.social in @nybooks.com:
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
@davidcole-gtown.bsky.social in @nybooks.com:
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
"The dangerous thing here is the idea that a President can just decide that a leader is not legitimate and then invade the country and presumably put someone in power who is favored by the Administration."
@oonahathaway.bsky.social in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
@oonahathaway.bsky.social in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
The Brazen Illegality of Trump’s Venezuela Operation
A scholar of international law on the implications of the U.S. arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
www.newyorker.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:09 AM
"The dangerous thing here is the idea that a President can just decide that a leader is not legitimate and then invade the country and presumably put someone in power who is favored by the Administration."
@oonahathaway.bsky.social in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
@oonahathaway.bsky.social in @newyorker.com
www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
👇🏽
Colombian President Petro commenting on the US;
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
January 4, 2026 at 5:06 AM
👇🏽
"The Hollywood burger-and-fries shop seems like a shell of the bustling eatery it was when it opened in late July.
On a balmy Friday afternoon in December, the parking lot for Tesla car charging was, at best, half full."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
On a balmy Friday afternoon in December, the parking lot for Tesla car charging was, at best, half full."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
What happened after Tesla opened a diner in Los Angeles?
The novelty of eating at a diner owned by the richest person in the world seems to have worn off in just a few months
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 4:49 AM
"The Hollywood burger-and-fries shop seems like a shell of the bustling eatery it was when it opened in late July.
On a balmy Friday afternoon in December, the parking lot for Tesla car charging was, at best, half full."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
On a balmy Friday afternoon in December, the parking lot for Tesla car charging was, at best, half full."
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said: “It seems, from what I’m seeing so far, that this was an operation to remove Maduro from power – but it’s not regime change. The regime remains in power.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Airstrikes, helicopters and a snatch squad with a blowtorch: how the US raid on Caracas unfolded
Some suspected the attacks on Venezuela were coming, but the shock was still real and no one knows what will happen next
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said: “It seems, from what I’m seeing so far, that this was an operation to remove Maduro from power – but it’s not regime change. The regime remains in power.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Jon Lee Anderson in @newyorker.com:
When I met with Maduro in 2017, he spoke bluffly about the limits of the effort to remove him from office. “They want me out, but, if I leave this chair, whom shall we put in it?” he said. “Who can be the President?”
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
When I met with Maduro in 2017, he spoke bluffly about the limits of the effort to remove him from office. “They want me out, but, if I leave this chair, whom shall we put in it?” he said. “Who can be the President?”
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
Regime Change in America’s Back Yard
What comes after Nicolás Maduro’s ouster in Venezuela?
www.newyorker.com
January 3, 2026 at 9:46 PM
Jon Lee Anderson in @newyorker.com:
When I met with Maduro in 2017, he spoke bluffly about the limits of the effort to remove him from office. “They want me out, but, if I leave this chair, whom shall we put in it?” he said. “Who can be the President?”
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
When I met with Maduro in 2017, he spoke bluffly about the limits of the effort to remove him from office. “They want me out, but, if I leave this chair, whom shall we put in it?” he said. “Who can be the President?”
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
A television show for a former television show host!
January 3, 2026 at 4:02 PM
A television show for a former television show host!
"Russian commentators have frequently suggested that Latin America lies in America’s domain just as Ukraine was under the Russian shadow. Vladimir Putin thinks the same of much of eastern Europe. Xi Jinping will draw his own conclusions."
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
The ‘Putinization’ of US foreign policy has arrived in Venezuela
Trump is no longer bending the rules – he is demolishing them, with consequences far beyond Caracas
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:19 PM
"Russian commentators have frequently suggested that Latin America lies in America’s domain just as Ukraine was under the Russian shadow. Vladimir Putin thinks the same of much of eastern Europe. Xi Jinping will draw his own conclusions."
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...