What a pickle we all find ourselves in!

I must've missed the part where Trump & RFK Jr. promised to tie Tylenol use to rising autism rates..... but that's just because ....THE EVIDENCE DOESNT SHOW THAT! www.scientificamerican.com/article/does...

I've just been told that SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE is officially a @nytimes.com bestseller. Thurs 9/25 we're live-streaming the big launch event at NYC's 92st Y, moderated by the hilarious @cristela.bsky.social Get tix for in-person or streaming, before we're banned! 92ny.org/event/john-f...

We’re taught the 3 branches of gov’t are “coequal.” But in the 1790s, was one actually more powerful than the others? Spoiler: The answer might surprise you. 🎧 Dive in: www.benfranklinsworld.com/420

Australian media reporting Jimmy Kimmel going back on the air - citing a celebrity-signed open letter = star power. Nothing about the recent plummet in Disney stock price - due to the Cancel Disney movement = people power. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09...

Corruption. Corruption beyond belief. That everyone can see. That's it. That's the post.

President Johnson, in a November 9, 1968 letter to the Smothers Brothers: “It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists . . . May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”

"Shut your trap, shut your trap... "And don't point out that his neck is mostly flap!" 😅🤣🤣

LOL! Unintended ... what the opposite of consequences? 🙂

"There is nothing new under the sun. But there are new suns." - Octavia Butler 🧪

Being a federal employee in the 1790s wasn’t glamorous; it was a steady day job. Some early Americans worked into their 80s! What did the daily grind of early federal workers look like? 🎧 Listen here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/420

🎯!!!

Today at 10am on Radio 4, our series finale of YOU’RE DEAD TO ME about Jane Austen for her 250th anniversary! With our wonderful guests Lucy Worsley and Sally Phillips. This is the much shorter radio edit — You can hear the 58 minute podcast on BBC SOUNDS

Oh hi. Quickest trip back to a place I love and miss!

Looking forward to talking #Heiresses at #Bristol @bookhaus.bsky.social with @paulclammer.bsky.social next week - Wednesday 17th September, 6pm. See you there? www.bookhausbristol.com/events/#e134...

At least we have Fat Bear Week to look forward to. Remember Chunk? I liked him.

A bit of good news to start your day. www.cbc.ca/radio/asitha...

📊 In 1790, the U.S. federal government had about 1,000 employees. By 1829? Nearly 30,000. How did a government that small manage diplomacy, law, and westward expansion? 🎧 Find out in Ep. 420 with Peter Kastor: www.benfranklinsworld.com/420

I’m really excited about this episode because it explains a LOT about the origins of the U.S. Federal Government and its operations. Also, I love good histories about bureaucracies because they explain how things work.

The most INSANE Bohemian Rhapsody Flashmob you will ever see!! With 30 musicians and singers in the streets of Paris

Have you heard our recent BBC You’re Dead To Me episode about Renaissance Era Beauty Trends? It’s very funny, and I got a historical makeover! My guests are fab comedian Tatty Macleod and brilliant expert historian @jillburke.bsky.social Available on all podcast apps worldwide

Massachusetts made COVID vaccines available to all yesterday, so naturally Tim and I got ours today.

To be clear: vaccinations are scientifically-proven, evidence-based, life-saving measures. And slavery, that is enslaving others in order to serve you, is slavery.

Just watched the SNL movie Saturday Night — pleased to say it really works! It does that rare thing of showcasing backstage chaos with charm and impressive efficiency. The cast impersonations of SNL stars are good. And, unlike Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip, the ‘funny’ bits are actually funny

This book is out today!!

I’ve played this one before but it’s so good, I’ll play it again - Garbage and ‘Only Happy When It Rains’! #paws4music youtu.be/GpBFOJ3R0M4?...

A day late to bluesky, but yesterday was the official pub day for 'Roads to Power, Roads to Crisis' with @pennpress.bsky.social Interested in infrastructure, war, revolution and the rise (and fall) of the British Empire in North America? Get your own copy from www.pennpress.org/978151282828...

In 2008, I made a super-low budget historical drama about 1066 for Channel 4. It was fun, we had our characters speaking Old English, Old Norse, and Norman in the first scene, then they suddenly dropped into English I’ve been surprised it’s taken this long for another 1066 drama to come along

The fascist billionaire Republicans want you to believe resistance is useless. They want you to think nothing can change. But Kilmar’s freedom is proof that awareness matters, solidarity matters, and fighting back works.

When I was a kid and visiting people’s homes, I was taught to never comment on the state of the host’s house. Clearly #47 never learned the lesson, as evidenced by his recent “windmill” comments (amongst other criticisms), right after getting off the plane in Scotland. They’re wind *turbines* btw

🧬 Genealogy was more than memory—it was a tool for survival. In Episode 416, Karin Wulf shows how families used lineage to fight for freedom and claim identity. 🎧 benfranklinsworld.com/416 #HistPod #VastEarlyAmerica #Genealogy #History #Podcasts

I wanted two things for this book: for people to think differently about genealogy-- this profoundly important practice-- and early America. I really admire people who do serious, principled, public service genealogy, and I've admired Megan for a long time. Her generous 🎯 comments just have me 🥹.

📚 Looking for meaningful ways to keep kids learning this summer? “Teaching and Learning About American Slavery” is a free resource designed by our education team for learners of all ages. 🔗 Download it now at the link in bio. #TeachingSlavery #WhitneyPlantation #Louisiana

Congratulations to Worlds Turned Upside Down contributors @frankcogliano.bsky.social and @michaelhattem.bsky.social on their nominations for the George Washington Prize! You’ll hear from both soon in Episode 19: The Gambit www.mountvernon.org/about/news/n...

YOU’RE DEAD TO ME is at 10am on Radio 4! Or listen to the longer, cheekier podcast version on BBC SOUNDS

I am thrilled to share that “The Memory of ‘76” is a finalist for the 2025 George Washington Book Prize! This is especially rewarding because I worked on that book for six years, three as a contingent faculty member and three with a non-faculty job. www.mountvernon.org/about/news/n...

Why did a Boston Son of Liberty name his kids Catherine Macaulay and John Wilkes? 🧬 Because lineage was political. Karin Wulf explores family, power & identity. 🎧 benfranklinsworld.com/416 #America250 #Revolution250 #AmericanRevolution #AmRev #USHistory #History

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND HATE: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, & Flock-Fleecing Frauds. It's for any believer, atheist or agnostic who will ever have to deal with Christian Nationalists; and it’s on sale now. www.simonandschuster.com/books/Separa...

Presidents don’t own the country. It doesn’t belong to them. It’s ours. Never forget this basic fact. It’s ours. Never normalize dictatorial power grabs. They’re NOT normal.

BIG NEWS!!! BBC You’re Dead To Me is back for series 10! 🎉🥳🎊 And we launch with a very funny July 4th special, with the amazing @pattonoswalt.bsky.social and expert historian @frankcogliano.bsky.social, to discuss the American War of Independence 🇺🇸🇬🇧 Get it on your fave podcast app!

This isn’t just a bill. It’s a fundamental restructuring of American society in which the poor are abandoned, and “immigration jails” outrank healthcare. Billions taken from one and given to the other.

This is awful.

I’m editing a new episode for July with @kawulf.bsky.social about her forthcoming—you can buy it next Wednesday or pre-order now—book, Lineage. You are in for a real treat!* * Yes, this is a BFW affiliate link that also supports local bookstores.

For those asking, Yale recorded a lot of their popular lecture courses and put them online for free. Just faculty doing our thing in a classroom. In front of students. You can find them here: oyc.yale.edu/courses

Watching the Pentagon Comedy Hour. Needs work. And a laugh track. Any sane person in the room should ensure they are wearing a respirator.

It’s journalistic malpractice not to remind America that Trump also brought us to the brink of catastrophe with Iran in 2020 by assassinating—in a plot he drafted with Netanyahu—the second-most popular Iranian as he was on his way to a PEACE SUMMIT Trump’s Saudi business associates had lured him to.

Join @therickwilson.bsky.social live right now: open.substack.com/live-stream/...