Remember: Viktor Orban has built a corrupt, stagnant Hungary that is much poorer than it should be www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

NSF Update Funding curve overall. A little bit of progress in the past week, but only a little bit. Now by Directorate... 1/11

Once again, a reminder that the "free speech" crusaders were always cynics operating in bad faith

Vaguely recall how Biden admin emails to Twitter were the biggest attack on free speech ever. There was a whole twitter files thing about that. Curious where are Elon, Taibbi, Bari and crew on this?

Rubio just made a speech to the European defense community in Munich that did not mention Ukraine. Or democracy. Or US business deals with Russia. Or the administration's plans to support the European far right. But there were lots of nice words about our common civilization.

On resisting authoritarianism. With Blue City Blues podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...

Instead, Kari Lake has badly damaged America's international broadcasters and wasted millions of dollars of taxpayers money www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

During her 11 months as the de facto leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake has wasted millions of dollars and done profound damage to America’s foreign broadcasters, and to America’s ability to communicate with the world www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

We did a live recording of the Blue City Blues podcast at Seattle Town Hall last night - thanks to all who came! www.youtube.com/live/_kNjIBE...

During her 11 months as the de facto leader of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Kari Lake has wasted millions of dollars and done profound damage to America’s foreign broadcasters, and to America’s ability to communicate with the world www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

This is the single best assessment of Trump’s regime I have heard: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a... @anneapplebaum.bsky.social

"While his father Steve Witkoff acts as President Trump’s all-purpose special envoy, 32-year-old Zach Witkoff now heads up World Liberty, which has doled out at least $1.4 billion to both families" extraordinary reporting from @wsj.com www.wsj.com/finance/curr...

"I don’t back down when I get bullied. I fight harder. Everyone I see out here is like, What do you think—we’re gonna quit? We live here." www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

Kerryman who is married, living and working legally in the United States for >20 years has been incarcerated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) since September 2025. Profoundly disturbing report by Karlin Lillington @klillington.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...

Just now catching up to this episode. Really excellent interview between @anneapplebaum.bsky.social and @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social. As a scientist who knew someone purged during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the parallels in intent if not (yet) in scope here/now are deeply unsettling.

"Zelensky said that Russia and the United States were discussing bilateral economic agreements worth some $12 trillion, including deals that would affect Ukraine" (Note: there are not $12 trillion worth of deals to be done in Russia) www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

also, when you undermine the rule of law, it's much easier to steal

"I don’t know how other people react when they get bullied, but I don’t back down when I get bullied. I fight harder. Everyone I see out here is like, What do you think—we’re gonna quit? We live here." AUTOCRACY IN AMERICA bonus episode, from Minneapolis www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

"Voter suppression is one of the core tools of authoritarianism. It is how you shift from democracy to autocracy. And for millions of Americans, it’s about to become the norm" www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

"I don’t know how other people react when they get bullied, but I don’t back down when I get bullied. I fight harder. Everyone I see out here is like, What do you think—we’re gonna quit? We live here." AUTOCRACY IN AMERICA bonus episode, from Minneapolis www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

Meanwhile in Russia 👇

The historian and Gulag archivist, Yuri Dmitriev, remains in prison in Russia www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

"Voter suppression is one of the core tools of authoritarianism. It is how you shift from democracy to autocracy. And for millions of Americans, it’s about to become the norm" www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

EU tech law EU Commission preliminary finding that TikTok has breached Digital Services Act re 'addictive design' ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

infanticidal practices on the rise among South Carolina parents

I grew up with the Washington Post, wrote editorials for the Washington Post and published a column there for more than 15 years. To watch its owners destroy it, seemingly deliberately, in just a year and a half is devastating.

“You’re damn right we’re gonna have ICE surround the polls come November,” Steve Bannon said on his War Room podcast. trib.al/0lWZSnj

“This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.” www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

I usually hesitate to post obituaries but this one, of my literary agent, Georges Borchardt, born in 1928, is so unusual that it deserves to be widely shared. An incredible 20th century life www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/o...

« Désormais, à Washington, tout a un prix, même la politique étrangère est à vendre » www.lemonde.fr/idees/articl...

👀 "Homeland Security is trying to force tech companies to hand over data about Trump critics" techcrunch.com/2026/02/03/h...

This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.

Extraordinary US government surveillance of ordinary people is beginning www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

They're literally running out of lawyers in a state where the district judges are practically at war with the administration.

I was a White House ethics lawyer. I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules. I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.

I usually hesitate to post obituaries but this one, of my literary agent, Georges Borchardt, born in 1928, is so unusual that it deserves to be widely shared. An incredible 20th century life www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/o...

Donald Trump threatens to sue Trevor Noah for telling jokes at the Grammy Awards. I'm sure the self-declared free speech absolutists will be rushing to Noah's defence at any moment.

It's good to be the President. You can sell out America's national security to enrich your family. The White House under Trump is an ATM and America is for sale to the highest bidder.

Horrifying. ICE confirms measles outbreak at Dilley family detention center. www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-dil...

it has been clear for months

I gave a campus talk last night on Trump's first 100 days for the WUD Society & Politics group. A student asked me if I thought that, at some point, we might start to describe the US as a competitive authoritarian regime. I said that we were already there, it's just that most folks haven't noticed:

I testified Friday before Gov. Pritzker's commission studying abuses of ICE and CBP and tried to explain how the agencies went so far off track. It's actually way worse than I ever realized. Please read and share my testimony as Congress considers reform: www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...

Paging William of Ockham…

„Putin has promised Trump many things. But the people of Ukraine see no benefit from them. On the contrary, they are forced to freeze in darkness because the consequences of the Russian attacks are devastating. Journalism should focus on facts, not announcements.“ Vassili Golod

I talked to @anneapplebaum.bsky.social about the role that politicizing the public sector and civil service plays: “It’s a red flag when you see so many people saying, My god. This is so illegal that we cannot, in good conscience, stick around any longer.” www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/202...

So… a bribe? Trump got $500 Million and U.A.E. got “tightly guarded” A.I. chips. How is this not a bribe, exactly? www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

This is just insane. It’s only a matter of time before DHS kills another innocent person here. (clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)

New from me: It is not just that the US is experiencing democratic backsliding. Authoritarianism has emerged more quickly than in other benchmark countries. This graph from John Burn-Murdoch sums it up. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/autocracy-...