mmc9000.bsky.social
@mmc9000.bsky.social
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Censorship Arrives on Campus
In her debut column, “Echoes in the Quad,” higher education policy scholar Dominique J. Baker explores how the political oppression of the McCarthy era reverberates in the stifling of academic freedom...
www.insidehighered.com
January 13, 2026 at 2:24 PM
It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
It will take decades to replace this expertise, and America is all the poorer for losing it.
The Purged
Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.
www.theatlantic.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It will take decades to replace this expertise, and America is all the poorer for losing it.
Another win for the 21st century robber barons
The E.P.A. Will no longer Consider Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives,
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives,
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution
www.nytimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Another win for the 21st century robber barons
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
When Trump purged the civil service, he did away with some of the employees who understood the government best: “What’s been lost isn’t just a sense of purpose,” Franklin Foer argues, “but a body of knowledge—a way of making the machinery of the state function.”
theatln.tc/4DdD6aFE
theatln.tc/4DdD6aFE
January 11, 2026 at 11:20 PM
When Trump purged the civil service, he did away with some of the employees who understood the government best: “What’s been lost isn’t just a sense of purpose,” Franklin Foer argues, “but a body of knowledge—a way of making the machinery of the state function.”
theatln.tc/4DdD6aFE
theatln.tc/4DdD6aFE
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Common Sense, published 250 years ago today.
January 10, 2026 at 9:09 PM
Common Sense, published 250 years ago today.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
This commentary by @natashaloder.bsky.social on the media coverage of the BMJ article on weight gain after patients stop using GLP-1s is a must read for those who communicate scientific information.
The moral panic about GLP-1 rebound
Scientists and journalists are piling on the misery about the weight regain after medication
open.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:09 PM
This commentary by @natashaloder.bsky.social on the media coverage of the BMJ article on weight gain after patients stop using GLP-1s is a must read for those who communicate scientific information.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Literally yesterday's news, but I do think it's worth looking more closely at the White House's Jan. 6 revisionism — both the clumsiness of the revisions and their intent in doing so. www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Opinion | I read the White House "history" of Jan. 6. Here are the untruths.
Philip Bump: The site is an effort to get people to look for wrongdoers everywhere except where the wrong was done: by Donald Trump himself.
www.ms.now
January 7, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Literally yesterday's news, but I do think it's worth looking more closely at the White House's Jan. 6 revisionism — both the clumsiness of the revisions and their intent in doing so. www.ms.now/opinion/trum...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
As always the Quiet Part Out Loud administration proves the point better than we ever could with a bespoke J6 website blaming it all on nancy pelosi www.whitehouse.gov/j6/
January 6: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
Discover the real January 6 story: peaceful protest turned tragedy, Deep State entrapment, media deception, and President Trump's triumphant pardons restoring justice to patriotic Americans.
www.whitehouse.gov
January 6, 2026 at 6:08 PM
As always the Quiet Part Out Loud administration proves the point better than we ever could with a bespoke J6 website blaming it all on nancy pelosi www.whitehouse.gov/j6/
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
a huge victory for universities, worth billions of dollars: Trump can’t cap indirect-cost rates on NIH grants, appeals court rules
www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr... via @andyandy.bsky.social
www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr... via @andyandy.bsky.social
Trump Can’t Cap Overhead Rate on NIH Grants to Research Universities, Appeals Court Rules
The ruling is a victory for higher-education associations who challenged the proposed 15-percent cap, calling it illegal and claiming it would devastate the research enterprise.
www.chronicle.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:29 PM
a huge victory for universities, worth billions of dollars: Trump can’t cap indirect-cost rates on NIH grants, appeals court rules
www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr... via @andyandy.bsky.social
www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-tr... via @andyandy.bsky.social
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!
We're currently accepting applications to hire up to two @cip.uw.edu postdoctoral scholars to join our team in Seattle. The priority deadline to apply is January 15, 2026.
For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901
For the position description, salary range, qualifications and application process, click here: apply.interfolio.com/177901
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Postdoctoral positions: Our team at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is accepting applications for up to two postdoc positions, starting in Fall 2026. Priority deadline is Jan 15. If you know someone who might be interested, let them know!
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
A concise encapsulation of how Trump and his supporters and enablers have rewritten the history of their insurrection attempt.
According to the White House, this is the "true" timeline of January 6th.
January 6, 2026 at 6:58 PM
A concise encapsulation of how Trump and his supporters and enablers have rewritten the history of their insurrection attempt.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
I wrote a bit about this terrible anniversary, and what happens when we fail to hold power to account.
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
The Long Shadow of January 6th
On the failure to hold power to account.
open.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:52 PM
I wrote a bit about this terrible anniversary, and what happens when we fail to hold power to account.
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
open.substack.com/pub/davekarp...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Published on January 7, 2021:
"There is no way to overstate the significance of this moment, no way to ignore the power of the message that these events send to both the friends and the enemies of democracy, everywhere."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"There is no way to overstate the significance of this moment, no way to ignore the power of the message that these events send to both the friends and the enemies of democracy, everywhere."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
What Trump and His Mob Taught the World About America
The allure of democracy was the nation’s best asset abroad, but the president squandered it by inciting political violence.
www.theatlantic.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Published on January 7, 2021:
"There is no way to overstate the significance of this moment, no way to ignore the power of the message that these events send to both the friends and the enemies of democracy, everywhere."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
"There is no way to overstate the significance of this moment, no way to ignore the power of the message that these events send to both the friends and the enemies of democracy, everywhere."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
From a piece earlier this year: Trump wiped away more than 600 years in sentenced prison time for Jan. 6 rioters.
Gift link: wapo.st/4qGmHZY
Gift link: wapo.st/4qGmHZY
January 6, 2026 at 12:42 PM
From a piece earlier this year: Trump wiped away more than 600 years in sentenced prison time for Jan. 6 rioters.
Gift link: wapo.st/4qGmHZY
Gift link: wapo.st/4qGmHZY
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
I heard what everyone has been clamoring for is 6,000 words on what a simple question about the 1990s comedy My Cousin Vinny can teach us about the capabilities and surprising weaknesses of current LLMs. Well, I hate to disappoint people, so I went and wrote it. open.substack.com/pub/mikecaul...
What a simple question about My Cousin Vinny taught me about LLMs
If you want to see an LLM really malfunction, ask it to reconstruct a story from pieces. Also: Should this be a benchmark?
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 1:48 AM
I heard what everyone has been clamoring for is 6,000 words on what a simple question about the 1990s comedy My Cousin Vinny can teach us about the capabilities and surprising weaknesses of current LLMs. Well, I hate to disappoint people, so I went and wrote it. open.substack.com/pub/mikecaul...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
then why eat orange like apple?
Marco Rubio on comparisons between Venezuela and Iraq: "People need to stop describing the apples of the Middle East to the oranges of the Western Hemisphere
January 4, 2026 at 4:43 PM
then why eat orange like apple?
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Look, a Democrat is saying that Trump is operating corruptly and illegally.
Chris Murphy: "Clearly this is wildly illegal. This is a president who has been operating illegally since he was sworn in -- stealing from the American people, seizing spending power, now dragging America into a war overseas ... Donald Trump's entire foreign policy is corrupt."
January 4, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Look, a Democrat is saying that Trump is operating corruptly and illegally.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Since Trump won the FIFA peace prize and rebranded “the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace” a month ago, he has:
• continued lethal strikes in the Caribbean
• bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria
• threatened Iran that U.S. is “locked and loaded”
• struck Venezuela and captured its leader
• continued lethal strikes in the Caribbean
• bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria
• threatened Iran that U.S. is “locked and loaded”
• struck Venezuela and captured its leader
Trump brands himself around peace while threatening war.
The "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace" and his FIFA peace prize arrived as Trump issues new threats and his "Department of War" touts its lethal strikes.
"Orwellian is about the nicest term I can come up with,” @coons.senate.gov told me.
The "Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace" and his FIFA peace prize arrived as Trump issues new threats and his "Department of War" touts its lethal strikes.
"Orwellian is about the nicest term I can come up with,” @coons.senate.gov told me.
Trump wants to be known as a peacemaker while frequently threatening war
The president talks frequently of his desire for more peace. He also likes talking like a warmonger.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Since Trump won the FIFA peace prize and rebranded “the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace” a month ago, he has:
• continued lethal strikes in the Caribbean
• bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria
• threatened Iran that U.S. is “locked and loaded”
• struck Venezuela and captured its leader
• continued lethal strikes in the Caribbean
• bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria
• threatened Iran that U.S. is “locked and loaded”
• struck Venezuela and captured its leader
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Foreign military intervention does not lead to smooth regime transition, even when there’s a detailed plan in place. But here’s Trump telling us there was no plan in place at all.
FOX & FRIENDS: What do you think is next for the Venezuelan people now that you have removed Maduro so he can face American justice?
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
January 3, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Foreign military intervention does not lead to smooth regime transition, even when there’s a detailed plan in place. But here’s Trump telling us there was no plan in place at all.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
As an ordinary citizen with access to the newspaper, the United States seems to have two modes when it comes to Latin America: (1) violent imperial intervention; (2) neglect.
January 3, 2026 at 3:29 PM
As an ordinary citizen with access to the newspaper, the United States seems to have two modes when it comes to Latin America: (1) violent imperial intervention; (2) neglect.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Not only were zero lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this administration thinks they can do LESS (read: no) planning, and it will all be hunky dory
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
Foreign military intervention does not lead to smooth regime transition, even when there’s a detailed plan in place. But here’s Trump telling us there was no plan in place at all.
FOX & FRIENDS: What do you think is next for the Venezuelan people now that you have removed Maduro so he can face American justice?
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
January 3, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Not only were zero lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, but this administration thinks they can do LESS (read: no) planning, and it will all be hunky dory
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
bsky.app/profile/rebe...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
US Institute of Peace renamed for Trump despite legal battle — Renaming ‘adds insult to injury’ says lawyer for staff fired from non-profit thinktank by Trump administration.
On top of being on some kind of Christian crusade in Nigeria, but not with Putin.🤔
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
On top of being on some kind of Christian crusade in Nigeria, but not with Putin.🤔
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
December 29, 2025 at 3:38 PM
US Institute of Peace renamed for Trump despite legal battle — Renaming ‘adds insult to injury’ says lawyer for staff fired from non-profit thinktank by Trump administration.
On top of being on some kind of Christian crusade in Nigeria, but not with Putin.🤔
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
On top of being on some kind of Christian crusade in Nigeria, but not with Putin.🤔
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
Renaming the Institute of Peace after Trump is absurd. Peace isn’t bombing countries, seizing oil, unleashing ICE raids, or ruling through fear. That’s not leadership, it’s authoritarianism. Dictators rename institutions after themselves. Democracies don’t.
December 28, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Renaming the Institute of Peace after Trump is absurd. Peace isn’t bombing countries, seizing oil, unleashing ICE raids, or ruling through fear. That’s not leadership, it’s authoritarianism. Dictators rename institutions after themselves. Democracies don’t.
Reposted by mmc9000.bsky.social
The last newsletter of the year is out and it’s a good one. Some people spent 2025 golfing and hanging with friends at private clubs and one of them is the president.
President Hobbies closes out year five
I am pleased to report that we have reached, as of writing, the 361st day of 2025, a year that includes only 365 days despite feeling as though it has included 36,500. This has been the longest year s...
www.howtoreadthisch.art
December 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
The last newsletter of the year is out and it’s a good one. Some people spent 2025 golfing and hanging with friends at private clubs and one of them is the president.