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Rob Shum

@robshum.bsky.social

2.8K followers 1.1K following 4K posts

Public policy ( #climate / energy policy, more specifically ) & IR prof (but also ex-🇨🇦 trade diplomat). PoliSciSky 🗺️, EnergySky 🔌💡, & GreenSky 🌱. Cf. same handles on birdsite & mastodon.social/@robshum

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · Oct 28

How many “Republics” have the USA had? As many as France?

1 possible way to count:

1. Articles of Confederation
2. Current (unamended) Constitution
3. Post-Civil-War
4. Post-Civil-Rights

And we’re currently witnessing an Algerian-type crisis, and waiting for a Fifth Republic.

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · Oct 28

You don't have to ask <if> or <when> 🇺🇸 democracy will backslide. It it hadn't already, we would not be speculating about where the loyalty of the generals lies & whether that might matter in a matter of days/weeks.

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · Oct 28

I think it is safe to say that after this week, Trump does not have the loyalty of the generals. That means something

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Henry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 3h

"It wanted to signal strength. Instead, it’s revealing its weakness. The administration’s need to break the academy is forcing it to make a desperately risky gamble." www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.

www.nytimes.com

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 2h

New demands for concessions? I’m shocked. (13/n)

Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 6h

EU officials see new US demands for trade concessions as well as other measures as potentially undercutting a recent trade agreement that brought the allies back from the brink of a trade war

EU Sees New US Trade Demands Hollowing Out Deal Struck by Trump

European Union officials see new US demands for trade concessions as well as other measures as potentially undercutting a recent trade agreement that brought the allies back from the brink of a trade war.

bloom.bg

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 2h

How about asymmetry AND further unpredictability? (12/n)

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · 5h

The US is demanding the EU water down its landmark supply chain law and parts of its green legislation just months after agreeing a tariff pact to avoid an all-out transatlantic trade war

on.ft.com/3VX93nT

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Mike Rogers @headcrash.bsky.social · 3h

One of these things is not like the other

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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 12h

"It is going to be disastrous if this continues"

Nobel Prize physics laureate John Clarke says Trump cuts will 'cripple' US scientific research

u.afp.com/SmAy

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I'm Margaret! I'm the best! Blah Blah Blah! @vt-vagabond.bsky.social · 12h

There’s a lot in here that deserves a pull quote, but this is the most egregious. I need people to recognize the gravity of the situation here in Chicago;

SOUTH SIDE WEEKLY
Donate

"The ones that are getting out are coming home to no home," Watson said.
According to her, after the raid occurred, building management stole or threw out residents belongings, including visas and important documents.

ICIRR is still trying to determine the identities of all the people detained in the raid. Castro said that the organization usually can do that by following up with family members or loved ones. "In this instance, there was nobody left to work with," she said. The only detainee name they're sure of is that of a person who passed their Venezuelan passport to a neighbor as they were being taken away.

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John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 13h

Imagine going on $1T infrastructure spending spree, causing irreparable damage to the climate and water supplies, before you know if your product is profitable. Equity investors are now anxious, so here comes private credit & "creative partnerships" to meet the insatiable demand for cash infusions.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 16h

NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 17h

This strikes me as pretty bad

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 13h

The government is shooting priests in the head with pepper balls. I feel like this is a kitchen table issue.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 15h

Here’s video of the incident

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 18h

Muchly constitutional order.

George Pearkes @peark.es · 19h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 18h

👇 was a possibility that the 🇬🇧 government should probably have considered *before* heading to the front of the line to bend the knee to Trump, and setting the benchmark for appeasement. (10/n)

Graham Lanktree @glanktree.bsky.social · 2d

‘Worse than Trump’s tariffs’: EU steel protections are poised to pummel British industry

www.politico.eu/article/dona...

‘Worse than Trump’s tariffs’: EU steel protections are poised to pummel British industry

The EU is preparing to reduce foreign steel quotas by almost half as part of new measures set to be proposed next week.

www.politico.eu

Reposted by Rob Shum

Simon Lester @simonlester.com · 23h

I'm not a fan of tariffs, but if you are going to do them, this is an appropriate way under WTO rules.

Kirsten Ostermann @kirstenostermann.bsky.social · 23h

The proposed measure is fully WTO compliant. Upon receipt of a mandate from the Council, the EU will swiftly engage with affected EU trading partners under the Article XXVIII GATT procedure regarding this change to the EU's WTO tariffs, with a view to offering them country specific allocations.

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

If steel, aluminum, and parts are all tariffed to be more expensive in 🇺🇸 than elsewhere, why would anyone build them here?

So that then leads to tariffs on the trucks themselves.

And on it goes, as the downward spiral into a high-cost economy continues. (17/n)

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 1d

It had been hours since the President had announced a tariff change, and all of this stability was killing the economy. He had to act to provide the American people with the uncertainty they deserve.

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 1d

TikTok is still illegal. Whatever, man.

Tariffs violate dozens of treaties. Who cares?

Impoundment? What are laws & contracts, anyway?

Hatch Act? Feh. Own the libs.

You don’t have to ask <if> or <when> the democratic backsliding will begin. You (& I) already don’t live under the rule of law.

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Etienne Höra @etiennehoera.d-64.social · 1d

Tariffs on steel are good for steel makers, but bad for anyone making things from steel - also in 🇪🇺. Evidence from Trump I: steel tariffs created an estimated 1000 jobs in steel making and cost 75000 downstream (carmaking, machinery…) - with much more added value. econofact.org/steel-tariff...

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

So you’re saying we should root for Michigan, UNC, and Yale for all college sports from now on?

David Darmofal @daviddarmofal.bsky.social · 1d

JD Vance was a political science major at Ohio State University.
Stephen Miller was a political science major at Duke University.
Pete Hegseth was a politics major (the equivalent of political science) at Princeton University.
Discuss.

Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

🇨🇳 added renewables > RoW combined -> 2% drop in fossil fuel use in the 1st 1/2 2025 compared ‘24.

🇮🇳 renewable energy grew by more 3x ⚡️ demand – causing “coal & gas use to fall by 3.1% & 34% respectively”.

But demand for ⚡️ in 🇺🇸 outpaced renewables, “leading to a 17% increase in coal generation” 🔌💡

Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time

Record solar expansion and steady wind growth driving world’s shift away from fossil fuels in 2025, report finds

www.theguardian.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

Not happening somewhere else. Here. In America. Right now.

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 1d

CHICAGO (AP) — Storming an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept. Deploying chemical agents near a public school. Handcuffing a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.

apnews.com/article/chic...

Using helicopters and chemical agents, immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

apnews.com

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Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם) @bestonetx.bsky.social · 1d

Spot-on framing, excellent headline.

Houston Chronicle @houstonchronicle.com · 1d

Texas once feared a phantom federal occupation. Now Gov. Abbott’s troops are helping carry it out under Trump. And Houston may be next, writes the Houston Chronicle editorial board. bit.ly/48Q3D5C

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

“Let us hope that America’s domestic political degradations have not rendered it incapable of embarrassment, which is a prerequisite for recuperation.” -George F. Will

Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 1d

It's a pretty big deal that the NYC Bar Association--one of the most prominent and respected bar associations in the country--is accusing the President of ordering the "unlawful summary execution," i.e. murder--of civilians in violation of US and international law. www.nycbar.org/press-releas...

Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

Cats were the original AI-bubble.

Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 1d

So why do dogs canonically chase cats? Luddism. An obsolecent food production technology tries to prevent the adoption of a more sophisticated one.

Dogs vs cats isn't a primal species rivalry: it's a 10,000-year old job demarcation dispute.

If this isn't worthy of a Nobel I don't know what is. 2/2

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

The scorecard is looking as ugly for the Yankees in #greentech as it does in ⚾️. (9/n) 🔌💡

Eric Roston @eroston.bsky.social · 1d

Oh:
- The US sold $80 billion in oil and gas abroad through July.
- China exported $120 billion in green technology over the same period.
By @akshatrathi.bsky.social
🎁🔗 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

China Is Beating the US in the Battle for Energy Export Dominance

China’s exports of clean energy technology hit a record in August, with $20 billion shipped globally.

www.bloomberg.com

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

Vent Fury. Nick’s unsung younger brother, who never sold out to become an NCO, ‘cos his heart with always with the enlisted GIs.

Nick Fleisher @nickfleisher.bsky.social · 2d

NYT headline somehow makes Oregon officials sound like the out of control aggressors

NYT: Oregon officials vent fury as California national guard heads to Portland

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

‘… Israeli authorities called the Flotilla a “PR stunt” and denied allegations that activists were mistreated during their detention, calling them “fake news,” per the BBC. …’ 🗺️

Lex McMenamin (they/them) @leximcmenamin.com · 1d

Greta Thunberg, deported to Greece, says the targeting of the Sumud Flotilla is "not the story" @teenvogue.com — instead, she says:

"Israel once again violated international humanitarian law by preventing aid from getting into Gaza while people are being starved.”

Greta Thunberg On Her Detention: I'm "Not The Story" — It's Israel Violating International Humanitarian Law

“I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment. Trust me. But that is not the story.”

www.teenvogue.com

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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 1d

The latest sequel in the Finding Nemo franchise, as directed by David Fincher.

That’s the timeline we live in. 🌱

Heatwave wipes out clownfish in what was supposed to be a safe haven — National Geographic

The Red Sea was thought to host ecosystems resilient to warming waters, but a 2023 heatwave proves otherwise.

apple.news

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