In normal times, it would be a major scandal for the President to direct his AG to criminally investigate his political opponents to deflect from his own involvement in a major scandal — and for the AG to immediately announce she is doing it. The Epstein scandal and cover up just got even bigger.

Glad to see some Shakespeare here on a Friday night.

Lots of valid concerns about any possible WB sale, but my main concern is that this Chuck Jones cartoon might go back in the vault.

Watch to the end

Nov. is such a busy month…so I’m posting this to spur myself (& friends?) to get over to the MFA for this soon!

The blacklist is back just as Hollywood is contracting and right-wing billionaires are capturing every broadcaster and studio. At this rate, mainstream entertainment as we’ve known it will be exclusively state media before these four years are up.

Remember, remember…loved writing a bit about “his” mask in Shakespeare Jahrbuch a decade ago. A good bonfire night to those who celebrate (& those who don’t).

It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween here on the Hill….this years theme visible, including just some of my neighbors’ dedicated work for the past month. Community spirit lives!

BREAKING: Democrats just tried to pass a standalone bill to fund WIC & SNAP to make sure families don't go hungry during the Republican shutdown. Republicans BLOCKED it. So Trump won't use emergency funds to keep SNAP running, and Republicans won't let any bills pass. Shameful.

If you and your children are not ready for a particular book, that is okay. It is not okay to limit the access to books, stories, and experiences for other families. Every book is not for everyone, but every book is for someone. bookriot.com/the-day-the-books-disappeared-school-visit-cancelation/

Welch: "This has nothing to do with the shutdown. The law requires and the funds are available to continue SNAP right now without any interruption. So that is a decision the president is making on his own to allow people to go hungry."

So nice to have MIT’s Provost send me this pic of the Prez at our Global Shakespeares display yesterday, during the 1st UROP mentor mixer—great to be talking with both MIT & Wellesley students about joining our team! #UROPs, #Lit@MIT, #shakespeare, #GlobalShakespeares

Corrupt and tainted with a thousand vices

It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.

Entire government is an extortion racket.

the symbolism of “Trump destroying the White House for a overpriced luxury vanity project, during a government shut down, days after a historically-large mass demonstration against his regime called “No Kings”’ would be rightly viewed as laying it on a little thick if it was in a work of fiction

No Kings protests were one of the few times Trump, MAGA, and right-wing media were reacting to something the opposition did, rather than the opposition reacting to whatever they do. Adopt a principle from war strategy: generally better to be taking action and forcing opponents to react. Good point.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has sued the House because Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) has declined to swear in the state’s newest member of Congress.

The White House is asking people not to share pictures of the East Wing because it’s even worse today.

It is true every day, but days like today just are huge reminders that for all it's many and varied faults this country was always great and it deserves better than what it's political branches give it in return

#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al. A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator" 3 cops on a 53 yo woman.

The Trump administration is offering $60K in student loan forgiveness as a recruitment tool for ICE, which just proves fighting Biden on student loan relief was never about the loans or “paying your own debt.” It was about who was offering it and who it would’ve helped.

Pritzker: Throughout history we've learned that tyranny doesn't arrive with dramatic proclamations. Most times it comes quietly wrapped in the language of law and order, with fingers pointed at someone who doesn't look like you, promising safety while demanding that we sacrifice our neighbors.

Purdue to the rescue of IU student newspaper, whose institution was attempting censorship. Details in alt!

It looks like America just had the biggest protest in history and nobody got hurt. A major headline of the day has to be the safety of the protest and the lack of police overreaction

World War 2 veterans, the original antifa, took part in the nationwide protests against the fascist Trump regime. #3E #NoKings #50501Movement #indivisible #wearetheflood

Boston. Wow.

That be my mayor:)

Fun to show up among these sites—

I protest, in the sincerity of love and honest kindness.

I love #Boston #NoKings

It was! Really fun, creative signs & more!

Trying to post from the Common, but somehow Internet blocking my images. Trust me, some great posters, dinosaurs cats & more!

Take note of all these people turning out for protests in small towns in red states. Remember them the next time you’re inclined to write an area off because “they voted for this.”

Sad to see BlueSky succumbing to stupid targeted (supposedly) algorithms that currently are feeding junk about quitting smoking to me (ffs, my dad & sister died from it, at ages 61 & 60: do you really think I ever went near?). I’d like to get messages from my actual friends again. Hello, real pals!

Just posting this. Everyone knows why.

I saw the Misanthrope on tour in the US (back when we had a real Kennedy Center) w/McCowen & Rigg, still memorable across the decades….glad to read this tribute!

An Olympian athlete, inspiring educational official, community leader & child of immigrants: that’s who was targeted today. Heaven help this country.

AN #EARLYMODERN POST!! They still exist! And a lovely one at that, for five years and with the brilliant people at KCL who have turned that place in quite the hub of exciting early modern research. Run, don’t walk.

CBS parent company Paramount canceled Colbert to win approval from Trump's FCC to merge with Skydance. Now ABC parent company Disney suspends Kimmel as it seeks DOJ approval to buy Fubo — and its affiliate Nexstar seeks FCC approval to buy Tegna. See how this works?

What we are witnessing is an outright abuse of power. This administration is attacking critics and using fear as a weapon to silence anyone who would speak out. Media corporations — from television networks to newspapers — are capitulating to these threats.

ALERTE GENERALE ! Une pétition a été lancée sur le site de l'Assemblée nationale demandant que le gouvernement arrête d'utiliser X pour ses communications officielles. On signe toutes et tous pour lui donner le maximum de visibilité. C'est ici : petitions.assemblee-nationale.fr/initiatives/...

New poll finds that, by almost a three-to-one margin, American Jews believe Trump uses allegations of antisemitism as an "excuse" to cut university funding, rather than "truly cares about protecting Jewish students." (drive.google.com/file/d/1sjIV...)

"Outlets like FOX News have essentially pulled the entire media landscape to the right, telling these incredibly skewed stories so fast and so furiously." -- Robert Redford in *2003*

This appears to be the post that got Karen Attiah--the Washington Post's last full-time Black opinion writer--fired from the paper.

Statement from @postguild.bsky.social on the firing of Karen Attiah:

GIBRALTAR EXITS BREXIT The British enclave, which voted 96 percent Remain in 2016, establishes a customs union with the EU and visa-free travel in the Schengen area. “This is actually going to be an improvement over where Gibraltar was pre-Brexit” First Minister Fabian Picardo says wapo.st/4gjzu0g

The landscape in higher ed is bleak right now, but here's a bright light at my institution: there's a new tenure track position at @davidsoncollege.bsky.social in Gender & Sexuality Studies. Please share widely!

www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele... Great news to end the day!