Michael Springer
@michaelspringer.bsky.social
Human; History professor focusing on early modern Europe, immigration history, library history; pronouns are he/him; 🏳️🌈🇺🇸🇩🇪
Merry Christmas Eve. I hope you are doing something that brings you joy.
December 24, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Merry Christmas Eve. I hope you are doing something that brings you joy.
Reposted by Michael Springer
Flying from Texas to Germany today I was reminded that Texans do, in fact, use gender neutral bathrooms.
December 17, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Flying from Texas to Germany today I was reminded that Texans do, in fact, use gender neutral bathrooms.
Foreign tourist could be required to provide last five years of social media before entering the U.S. If you want to see this, and other proposed changes, click the link. Public comment period runs through February 9th, 2026.
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Agency Information Collection Activities; Revision; Arrival and Departure Record (Form I-94) and Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review an...
www.federalregister.gov
December 11, 2025 at 8:58 PM
Foreign tourist could be required to provide last five years of social media before entering the U.S. If you want to see this, and other proposed changes, click the link. Public comment period runs through February 9th, 2026.
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Reposted by Michael Springer
This is Trump's America -- where an American walking down the street doing nothing wrong can be chased, assaulted, and detained by armed thugs who refuse to even look at his proof of citizenship.
Trump has repeatedly said Somali Americans are "garbage," so now DHS is treating them that way.
Trump has repeatedly said Somali Americans are "garbage," so now DHS is treating them that way.
U.S. citizen offered to show I.D. but was arrested by immigration officers in Cedar-Riverside
A Somali U.S. citizen, Mubashir, was arrested by federal immigration officers in Cedar-Riverside Tuesday during a mass enforcement.
sahanjournal.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:28 AM
This is Trump's America -- where an American walking down the street doing nothing wrong can be chased, assaulted, and detained by armed thugs who refuse to even look at his proof of citizenship.
Trump has repeatedly said Somali Americans are "garbage," so now DHS is treating them that way.
Trump has repeatedly said Somali Americans are "garbage," so now DHS is treating them that way.
Reposted by Michael Springer
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
Reposted by Michael Springer
That is patently false: not only do immigrants score better than native-born Americans in tests, the mere presence of immigrants improve test scores for all students, when factoring in white flight
sesp.northwestern.edu/news-events/...
sesp.northwestern.edu/news-events/...
December 9, 2025 at 9:21 PM
That is patently false: not only do immigrants score better than native-born Americans in tests, the mere presence of immigrants improve test scores for all students, when factoring in white flight
sesp.northwestern.edu/news-events/...
sesp.northwestern.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Michael Springer
If your origins are Southern Italian, Irish, Polish etc. some version of this claim - the immigrant is a criminal underclass incompatible with the true Americans - has been around forever. They hate that the idea of America is more important than any group.
Stephen Miller: "If Somalia keeps failing, if these societies all over the world continue to fail, you have to ask yourself if you bring those societies into our country & then give them unlimited free welfare, what do we think is going to happen? You're going to replicate the conditions they left"
December 9, 2025 at 9:30 PM
If your origins are Southern Italian, Irish, Polish etc. some version of this claim - the immigrant is a criminal underclass incompatible with the true Americans - has been around forever. They hate that the idea of America is more important than any group.
Unbelievable. I guess the $12.5 billion drop in foreign traveler spending in the U.S. this year wasn‘t enough?
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
Foreign tourists could be required to disclose 5 years of social media histories under Trump administration plan
The Customs and Border Protection proposal would apply even to countries that don't require visas to enter.
www.nbcnews.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Unbelievable. I guess the $12.5 billion drop in foreign traveler spending in the U.S. this year wasn‘t enough?
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
Reposted by Michael Springer
Trump hung up on a ProPublica reporter after being asked whether his Florida mortgages were similar to those of others he had accused of fraud. 🤔
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing ...
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Trump hung up on a ProPublica reporter after being asked whether his Florida mortgages were similar to those of others he had accused of fraud. 🤔
*41 programs to be deleted
*21 programs to be suspended
*193 programs will be retained with action plans in place to boost enrollment and productivity
This sounds bad.
okhighered.org/2025/12/okla...
*21 programs to be suspended
*193 programs will be retained with action plans in place to boost enrollment and productivity
This sounds bad.
okhighered.org/2025/12/okla...
Oklahoma Public Higher Education System Completes Review of Low-Producing Degree Programs to Strengthen Workforce Alignment - Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
To ensure Oklahoma’s college graduates are prepared for jobs today and tomorrow, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education have completed a comprehensive review of degree programs across all pub...
okhighered.org
December 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
*41 programs to be deleted
*21 programs to be suspended
*193 programs will be retained with action plans in place to boost enrollment and productivity
This sounds bad.
okhighered.org/2025/12/okla...
*21 programs to be suspended
*193 programs will be retained with action plans in place to boost enrollment and productivity
This sounds bad.
okhighered.org/2025/12/okla...
Reposted by Michael Springer
I can't unsee this. The exact same face.
December 6, 2025 at 2:44 AM
I can't unsee this. The exact same face.
„X's use of the ‘blue checkmark' for ‘verified accounts' deceives users. This violates the DSA obligation for online platforms to prohibit deceptive design practices on their services.“
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Commission fines X €120 million under the Digital Services Act
Today, the Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ec.europa.eu
December 6, 2025 at 3:17 AM
„X's use of the ‘blue checkmark' for ‘verified accounts' deceives users. This violates the DSA obligation for online platforms to prohibit deceptive design practices on their services.“
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
Reposted by Michael Springer
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
December 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
NEWS: The Institute of Museum & Library Services has restored ALL previously canceled federal grants to libraries, following a ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island last month.
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
This is a massive win for libraries & communities in every state & territory!
Learn more: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
So am I understanding his argument correctly. The cause of traveled stress is people are dressed too comfortably? It has nothing to do with flight delays, crowded planes, shrinking leg room, higher fees, etc.?
Duffy on his demand that air travelers not wear slippers or pajamas: "It honors our country ... don't take your shoes off and put your feet on the chair ahead of you"
November 24, 2025 at 8:58 PM
So am I understanding his argument correctly. The cause of traveled stress is people are dressed too comfortably? It has nothing to do with flight delays, crowded planes, shrinking leg room, higher fees, etc.?
“Always be yourself and stop copying others – those people already exist. Instead, show your true character…In the end, it doesn't matter what others think of you; what matters is what you think of yourself. You can't please everyone anyway, and you don't have to.”
schwulissimo.de/community/de...
schwulissimo.de/community/de...
Der Spinnenflüsterer Marv - Vom Spinnenfan zum Influencer
Marv aus Niedersachsen hat eine Mission: Der schwule Schornsteinfeger will Menschen die Angst vor Spinnen nehmen. Das gelingt ihm sehr gut!
schwulissimo.de
November 21, 2025 at 4:29 PM
“Always be yourself and stop copying others – those people already exist. Instead, show your true character…In the end, it doesn't matter what others think of you; what matters is what you think of yourself. You can't please everyone anyway, and you don't have to.”
schwulissimo.de/community/de...
schwulissimo.de/community/de...
Reposted by Michael Springer
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Sounds about right for 2025.
November 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Sounds about right for 2025.
Reposted by Michael Springer
The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.
(Published May)
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.
(Published May)
Why Hospital Policies Matter in States That Ban Abortion
Our first-of-its-kind data analysis found that a seismic split emerged in how medical institutions in Texas' two largest metro areas, Houston and Dallas, treated miscarrying patients — and in their ou...
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:00 AM
The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.
(Published May)
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose 29%.
(Published May)
Reposted by Michael Springer
As someone who lived through the ACA’s passage, all I have to say is bahahahahshahaha *drives car directly into river*
Bessent on tariffs: "This is one of President Trump's signature policies, and traditionally the Supreme Court does not interfere with a president's signature policy."
November 16, 2025 at 3:36 PM
As someone who lived through the ACA’s passage, all I have to say is bahahahahshahaha *drives car directly into river*
“Venezuela plans to deploy 200,000 troops for military exercises, including members of paramilitary militias. The defense minister speaks of an ‘imperialist threat’ from the United States.”
www.spiegel.de/ausland/vene...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/vene...
Venezuela beginnt Großmanöver wegen Spannungen mit den USA
200.000 Einsatzkräfte will Venezuela zu Militärübungen heranziehen. Darunter sind auch Mitglieder paramilitärischer Milizen. Der Verteidigungsminister spricht von einer »imperialistischen Bedrohung« d...
www.spiegel.de
November 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
“Venezuela plans to deploy 200,000 troops for military exercises, including members of paramilitary militias. The defense minister speaks of an ‘imperialist threat’ from the United States.”
www.spiegel.de/ausland/vene...
www.spiegel.de/ausland/vene...
I drove from Houston to Oklahoma City today and learned there are self-identified Christian Nationalist radio stations. WTF? Who listens to these shitty stations (besides this guy who forgot to make a playlist for the trip)?
November 12, 2025 at 3:10 AM
I drove from Houston to Oklahoma City today and learned there are self-identified Christian Nationalist radio stations. WTF? Who listens to these shitty stations (besides this guy who forgot to make a playlist for the trip)?
