A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty: My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media. Huh? When did I say that?!

While my pierogi dough rests, reflecting on how it’s not democracies that loudly celebrate banning activists the way the Trump administration has done here. As I told the EU Parliament in April, the US is now in league with autocracies like Russia.

trump admin sanctions are outrageous and purposeful: 1. ensure europe doesn't regulate their political allies on the right, enabling space for incitement, disinfo, propaganda. 2. promote muskian/big tech lawlessness 3. distract from its unprecedented domestic repression of speech

“They’re not doing this because they have any evidence of censorship — they lost a Supreme Court case that made those claims. They’re doing this because the group of researchers and advocates have stood up to liars like Donald Trump and the platforms that enable them.” ~ @ninajankowicz.com

Quick explainer I did last night for the other apps. Please watch and share- the Trump administration is trying to bury this arbitrary and cruel restriction of our colleagues’ rights during the holidays. Don’t let them.

Coverage in NYT (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/t...

The State Department has just banned five Europeans from entering the U.S., falsely alleging they are involved in censorship of American citizens. The only censorship here is coming from the Trump administration. My statement is below. www.state.gov/releases/off...

“If the truth of the operation does not match the narrative of the ‘worst of the worst,’ it’s going to be killed," said a DHS official.

This is an extremely strange story about the acting head of CISA failing a poly to be “read into” compartmented intelligence (probably NSA, but pure conjecture on my part), and then essentially firing all the people within CISA who organized the poly. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

Almost every story Weiss greenlit at the Free Press lacked sufficient context. It's kinda their entire schtick.

U.S intelligence report. So correct, so obvious, and still beyond the comprehension of the U.S. own government.

Yes, it’s illegal. Like changing it to Department of War, like ten thousand other things. Part of the Trump strategy is to break the law and convey “the rule of law is weak and feminine and laughable and should be overridden by Our Guy.” Trump is fundamentally anti-law. /1

this is illegal

"If you wanna post disinformation memes with no verification, it's free. If you wanna post actual links to news that people can verify, it'll cost ya."

My friends, we're 13 days away from the end of the year. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to @americansunlight.org so we can continue to increase the cost of lies that harm democracy in 2026. Every dollar you give helps us keep the sunlight shining a little longer.

CBS News staffers might want to check into how things are going at their boss’s anti-woke “university” in Austin. Via @ngluckman.bsky.social www.chronicle.com/article/at-t...

When I lived in Eastern Europe I became obsessed with tvorog/twaróg/farmer's cheese, and I recently found a brand that is just like what I used to eat over there. I was mainlining that stuff with jam for breakfast...and now it's out of stock. Small in the scheme of things, but I WANT IT 😭😭😭

The president is using this apparent family tragedy, which as far as we know had absolutely nothing to do with him, to convey the message that if his fans brutally murder his critics, they will receive his support and approval.

Australians and their government aren’t sick. They recognize that any loss of human life is a tragedy, not a worthy sacrifice to the gun rights gods

A little year-end reflection. All of this was made possible by small donors like you who support @americansunlight.org and our mission to call out liars on their own turf. Support our year-end fundraising campaign today: givebutter.com/ASP-GT-2025

congressional republicans are disappointed that the monster they elevated is behaving like a monster

MAGA: trump is a loser

Republican congressman 👇🏽

The impacts of the Trump Administration's "let them eat cake" foreign policy outlined in grim detail www.propublica.org/article/usai...

🫵🏻 Are you a data visualization specialist who wants to make a difference in the current US political environment? @americansunlight.org needs you!

Today @americansunlight.org published a report we've been working on all fall, detailing the worrisome connections and quack science in the MAHA movement, the Bolsonaro health ministry's failed COVID policies and President Trump's "gold standard" HHS: americansunlight.substack.com/p/how-maga-u...

Delighted this piece is now live on @theverge.com: I've spent months investigating how a supposed war against the "censorship-industrial complex" has been used by the US right to wage war against misinformation research – and free speech itself – across the world. Please do give it a read.

This article explains why the right's "censorship industrial complex" myth has been so successful: "The government wasn’t defending her, she was banned from defending herself, and even potential allies were staying quiet, having sensed which way the wind was blowing."

More seriously, Benz is going to attempt to "Twitter Files" USAID. We can assume he is coordinating with his white supremacist colleague and armpit stain in human form, Darren Beattie, overseeing the effort at State. Be forewarned: wiczipedia.substack.com/p/the-extrem...

After MTG lied about me for weeks, she said that she felt bad for my unborn child because he'd have me as a mother. Her rhetoric led to threats against my family. No one, even her, should receive threats like those, but I'd like to see her own up to the role she played in creating them for others.

More seriously, Benz is going to attempt to "Twitter Files" USAID. We can assume he is coordinating with his white supremacist colleague and armpit stain in human form, Darren Beattie, overseeing the effort at State. Be forewarned: wiczipedia.substack.com/p/the-extrem...

Mike Benz, who does not know which finger is his pinky, is now a "special government employee" at USAID, where he is attempting to investigate its "pernicious influence." You'd think this guy would be too dumb even for the Trump regime. Nope!!! Gift link: www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

Right now @benmshultz.com of @americansunlight.org is kicking off a geolocation workshop with a fun holiday theme- join us now to learn about this open source investigation method; no previous knowledge required! substack.com/live-stream/...

A lil explainer on why the EU fining Musk has nothing to do with censorship 👇🏻

Don't let anyone tell you that the Commission's DSA enforcement against X is about speech or censorship. That would, indeed, be interesting. But this is just the EU enforcing some normal, boring laws that would get bipartisan support in the U.S. (I bet similar bills *have* had that support.) 1/

TikTok, however, was not fined, because they came to the table and worked with regulators on their ad transparency compliance issues. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

There will be many who claim this is about "free speech," but it's not—it's about X and Musk's shady business practices: -meaningless blue checks w no real verification -a lack of ad transparency -not providing data access for researchers ...all req'd under DSA. www.euractiv.com/news/eu-slap...

The censorship lie is a major part of US foreign policy: -Rubio instructed diplomats to “lobby” against online safety regulations in EU & UK -tech companies are passing what is said in private meetings btwn CSOs & regulators to Trump admin -US lawmakers harassing foreign regulators -and now this:

This is what government censorship actually looks like: defunding entire fields, deporting researchers, and quite effectively chilling speech that helps people understand how our information systems are being exploited and calls out powerful people and platforms for their bullshit.

I think the media should be making a far bigger deal about this than they are. bsky.app/profile/nina...

cool, cool cool cool. apropos of nothing: wiczipedia.substack.com/p/the-bangif...

As I explain in the video below, the Disinformation Governance Board never would have had a media bias list, and it certainly would have never had an "offender tip line." It was a *policy coordination body.* This latest effort is nothing more than coordinated harassment against journalists.

Perhaps Senator Marshall should get an eye exam

Happy to chat with Aberyswyth students (albeit remotely)- great questions and lots of interest in what’s going on this side of the pond.

One of the most important causes you can support. Not fighting for truth, not pushing against propaganda—that’s how we got here. Get at the root of it all with American Sunlight.

Do you want to support an organization that doesn't pull punches, doesn't take shit, and confronts the liars on their turf this #GivingTuesday? Consider @americansunlight.org ☀️ givebutter.com/ASP-GT-2025 🧵 Despite a really difficult funding environment, in 2025, we:

Sen. Eric Schmitt has apparently been mainlining extremist outlets like Revolver, founded by State Department official and open white supremacist Darren Beattie. More on Beattie and what he's been up to at State here: wiczipedia.substack.com/p/the-extrem...

We have a Hatch light for our 3yo to let him know what time it is; it's green when it's time to get out of bed in the morning. This morning, via the monitor: 3yo: Mommy, it's green. Me: Ok, honey, you can start your day. 3yo: I can't!!! [collapses into bed] 😅 ...I feel you, little dude.

Lemme see if I can remember from the Biden years what we're supposed to say. Oh yeah: "Watching him sundowning like this, it's clear it's time for him to lay down his burden and get the rest he deserves. How cruel of the people around him to force him to stay in office—it's inhumane." How'd I do?

I’m old enough to remember… oh never mind. These hypocrites don’t give a damn about their hypocrisy. They spend years falsely accusing various members of “the left” of doing what they have absolutely no problem and no shame doing themselves. The “censorship industrial complex” scam.