I’M BACK BABY

Trump deported Iranian Christians with open asylum claims for religious persecution four weeks ago. He expelled other Iranian Christians, including children, to Panama in February.

I’m so excited and grateful to my friend the brilliant historian Leslie Harris for coming to Providence for this conversation about the sharp politics of family history. 11.11 and there’s a zoom link coming…

Zohran Mamdani caught lying that he understood Plato’s allegory of the cave, yet when asked to explain it, he seemed to instead explain Baudrillard’s theory of Simulacra and Simulation where reality has been replaced by symbols and signs, which seems similar to Plato’s theory but is not the same

It’s officially pub day for Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America‘s First Opioid Crisis! Available at a bookshop near you. Thanks to everyone who made it possible to bring this research to life! 🗃️ @uncpress.bsky.social uncpress.org/978146968953...

Do you have a history podcast idea? We want to hear it for the #AHA2026 Sinclair Workshop on Historical Podcasting. Submit an application before November 15th!

One of the things that Chairman Tahdooahnippah and I both wanted to talk about was how to do ethical scholarship with Tribes. So if you’re interested in those thoughts or feel that your students could hear them, check out the current episode of Reckoning with Jason Herbert below.

New essay in the Atlantic today: How Native Nations Shaped the Revolution by Ned Blackhawk (with many lessons on how we ended up where we are as a nation, and a gift link) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

A Texas megachurch pastor and GOP leader has been arrested for crimes against children. Not Robert Morris, a different one. Not Josiah Anthony, a different one. Not Luke Cunningham, a different one. Not Tony Evans, a different one. Not Scott Crenshaw, a different one. Not Steve Lawson, a different o

The reason we have rules of engagement isn’t to keep warfighters from killing our enemies. It’s to keep them from killing a farmer with a shovel bc they thought it was a rifle and didn’t bother to wait to check. Or a family in a car bc the driver looked nervous. Or a boat full of fishermen.

Only an administration intent on committing war crimes in the present and future would stoop to calling Wounded Knee a "battle" rather than what it truly was: a massacre of over 250 Lakotas, mainly women, children, and the elderly. 1/

Michael Jackson — specially Bad

👇🏽 🎯

Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer scratched bullets with a Helldivers combo and a furry sex meme

Citing concerns about DEI, the Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. “How low can you go?” one advocate asked. “How can you do this to children?” By @jodiscohen.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

“But are there not many Fascists in your country?" "There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.” - Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

It really is so striking how much The Discourse operates untethered from…what we actually know. The killer is still at large! We have no idea who did it! Seems pretty important to get that sorted.

My coworker and I watched plainclothes people grab two community members and put them into unmarked cars this morning. One was yelling for help. And all we could do was film. They're disappearing people.

Today, Knight Foundation is committing $10M to the Public Media Bridge Fund — part of a nearly $37M effort to support public media. We’re calling on others to join us in ensuring public media remains a pillar of civic life. Read more in @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/b...

This sounds going viral here’s the original Sinéad O’Connor performance

“And that Douglass would have hated Black Lives Matter.” The man sent his own two sons off to war to fight against slavery and for equal rights.

The United States would not exist if George Washington hadn’t ordered his troops to be vaccinated. We have spiraled back 250 years.

1. This week, the FBI released its comprehensive crime report for 2024, which revealed that both VIOLENT CRIME and PROPERTY CRIME reached their LOWEST LEVELS SINCE THE 1960s This a massive story. But you might not have heard about it, even if you follow the news closely. Here's why.

Low key one of the worst anbuses of power ever? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

RFK Jr. backs down all the time when he gets push back, so if anyone wants to call, here's the HHS number 1-877-696-6775. I'd also call your senators/reps as well.

this work saved millions of lives in 2021, won the Nobel Prize in 2023, and is cancelled in 2025

FFS: RFK Jr. announced "that $500 million worth of vaccine development projects, all using mRNA technology, will be halted." In his statement, RFK Jr. said "we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions." Antivaxxers continue to despise and lie about mRNA tech.

I believe one of the new mRNA vaccines was expected to treat colon cancer, and another had the potential to keep pancreatic cancer from recurring. That’s what they’re taking away.

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

License to I..L.L.* … … *(Inter-Library Loan)

Team: I’m thrilled to report that Worlds Turned Upside Down has surpassed 100,000 downloads on the strength of 17 episodes. I’ll have a full slate of thanks once I return from the Emerald Isle next week, but for now, thanks for listening!

what is the most unique museum u have visited for me possibly the ramen museum

Some exciting news. So excited to write about JQA with Basic Books, with JQDA by my side, naturally.

I wrote about Grok going "MechaHitler" over at X, and the need to view LLMs correctly: as remarkably powerful plausibility engines. Their AGI marketing and the strong inclination to project human qualities to anything that can speak is misleading us. NYT gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/o...

One of the podcasts I produce is up for TWO People's Choice Podcast Awards! Worlds Turned Upside Down has been nominated for the People's Choice Award and Best History Podcast. I would really appreciate it if you would vote for Worlds Turned Upside Down! www.podcastawards.com

The foundation of our society cannot be the generosity of the ultra wealthy

“Independence day is canceled because of fear of secret police raids” is really a level of on the nose political symbolism you just can’t make up.

Mamdani must explain his tweet from 1740 BC claiming that Ea-nāṣir had "high quality copper"

If Mamdani wins, prepare for the NYPD to throw everything at him. Even if he doesn't touch NYPD budgets at all, just his political positioning will cause rank and file to try to manufacture "city in chaos" stories with work slowdowns, ignoring calls, etc. We've seen it before in NYC and elsewhere.

Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York

what federal agents did to a father of three Marines while he was cutting grass in Orange County on Sunday has happened in some form daily — and deliberately — all over Los Angeles for 18 days.

An MSNBC anchor just definitively claimed Padilla didn't identify himself when video clearly shows he did. So fucking irresponsible. This is how lies spread.

Not true. I see you're a luxury watch dealer. I'm also interested in watches. Let me show you how free and easy migration has allowed you to earn a living. 🧵

We feed you. They hunt us.

Step away from the dumpster fire that is the Earth for a moment and learn about the fascinating world of eels with @greenleejw.bsky.social! You won't regret it. #2complicated4history