New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."

The "peacemaker" has been blowing up boats, claiming we're in a war with drug dealers.

"I am not pro-vampire and I am not anti-vampire. I am just trying to have an objective discussion here without using loaded words like 'kill.'"

Why does a corporation decide what amount of chocolate is fun for me.

Muslims are also 1% of the population. So are Hindus and Buddhists. Jews are 2%. Shall we also compromise about equal rights for each of them? How big must a minority be to deserve truly equal rights, versus a "nuanced" form of second-class citizenship?

Cornell is cancelling a distinguished professor's classes on Gaza and suspending him because of the complaints of a student who previously served in Israel's military surveillance agency and was literally recording the comments of other students in class and deliberately derailing discussion.

One of the things we <actually> teach students at universities is that you need to support your arguments with data & evidence. When you don’t, or when you lie, your “arguments” are not taken seriously. Maybe that’s what these folks don’t like about universities. The marketplace of ideas is tough 🤷‍♂️

If I could get non-autistic people to understand one thing, it wouldn't be that I have support needs. It would be that YOU have support needs.

What's the word for someone who's anti- antifascism. We need something pithy. IDK

Today in intellectual diversity.

We're about to see who is really committed to freedom of expression, regardless of whether they agree. We're about to see whether constitutionalism is a stronger ethos than partisan preference. Even a year ago, I wouldn't have been so uncertain what we'd learn. 1/

In this Ohio diner, ABC are the grades on a valedictorian’s report card. But they do know this: Canceling Kimmel was a good start, and next Disney has to pull any movies where women work outside of the home.

Folks, I don’t know what end is up right now.

David Frum on Jimmy Kimmel: "This is not cancel culture because it's not culture. It's state repression. It's an order from the government. Here is the script, you must read, if you do not read it, you will be taken off the air."

I'm old enough to remember a three-month news cycle about Stanford students being inadequately deferential to Kyle Duncan.

A friend of mine was on Charlie Kirk's "watch list" of Black professors. She received so many death and rape threats that her university offered her a security detail for the walk to class. This is Kirk's legacy. You would never know it from reading all of these legacy newspaper op-eds about him.

Walsh wants to act like such a brave man but he's a giant coward. He picked a community he knows has no institutional power, political power, or money to build his entire career on demonizing and inciting violence against. He's made millions off of doing so. He's a fucking sociopath.

I am advocating for you to be killed but I am using my inside voice you must debate me this is called democracy

Today, in intellectual diversity.

The number one rule of civility club is I meant well Number two is I'm a good guy Number three is You're being aggressive Considering the material impact of posting irresponsibly about race, gender, and trans people etc does not make top 5

This, this, this. The reactionary Dialogue Industrial Complex wants us to be so busy engaging in a performance of discussion that we lose sight of the things political engagement is supposed to achieve.

Today in freeze peach.

So: a) none of political assassins were students, or even shared a coherent ideology - shameful to blame universities b) Trump is already engaged in the attack on campus speech the Free Press wants c) I worry a lot more about the animosity to campus The Free Press is fueling than any of my students

The Free Press was founded by someone who tried to get a college professor fired, bangs on about free speech but has been completely silent or encouraging of Trump's crackdown on campus speech, and now will be at the helm of CBS.

Good news- no civil war this week. Further updates as developments warrant.

NEW: No, Charlie Kirk was not practicing politics the right way. That's what Ezra Klein said. We can condemn this heinous assassination but also recognize that with his 2020 election denialism and extremist rhetoric, Kirk built his movement with falsehoods and in a wrong and divisive manner.

thank god we’re all against political violence

Professors: here are some resources in the event someone "practices politics the right way " at you. (thread)

Laura Loomer in July: attacks Charlie Kirk Loomer today: lets use Kirk's death to shut down dissent

Gavin Newsome is not going to save this country from fascism. When your dwelling is being bulldozed, when the people who want you dead are being lionized, when your rights are casually tossed away, it doesn't matter to you that the guy who did all that is less tacky and has nicer hair.

Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA created the "Professor Watchlist" -- a list used to harass, intimidate, threaten, dox and mock professors who do race or gender work. I'm on the watchlist. Serious question: Is THIS the "work" you think we should continue?

Busted: I do indoctrinate my students, but only about music. Discussion prompt: What does Me and Mia mean? What would a textualist say? How would an originalist decide? How would you decide? Is @tedleo.bsky.social 's intent dispositive?

Twitter is owned by a neo-Nazi, the LA Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal are owned by pro-Trump billionaires, and CBS News will soon be run by a far-right Likud extremist. American media still has a liberal bias problem.

Today, in intellectual diversity. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...

Today, in intellectual diversity.

Oh, yeah, I totally get that. They think losing my vote is fine because they'll pick up more votes elsewhere. I just want everyone to be clear, that if I don't vote for them and they lose, that's bc their plan failed due to how dumb and bad it was, and not because I should have voted for them.

"Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, a large law firm that earlier this year agreed to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services to the Trump administration, advised Intel on its agreement with the Commerce Department…" news.bloomberglaw.com/in-house-cou...

People need to understand just how openly genocidal the rhetoric on the far right is getting towards transgender people. They're openly talking about eradicating us and forcefully mass institutionalizing all trans people. These are people with direct ties to the Trump administration.

Anyone who looks at America in 2025 and thinks, "maybe we can fix this by throwing trans people under the bus" 1) doesn't have the brains to understand what's going on or how we got here 2) doesn't have the stomach for any of the fights ahead and 3) is vice signaling to their MAGA friends.

New Interview: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...

Today, in intellectual diversity.

"Look what you made me do."

THIS. AND: the fact that crime, antisemitism, sexism, and censoriousness actually exist in the wild does NOT mean that that the fascists are trying to do the right thing, or doing the right thing wrong, or simply too extreme. They are just grabbing power and destroying institutions and lives.

Reskeet with a tweet you still think about

The Trump administration effectively created a de facto bathroom ban at Brown University and none of the major media is covering it, and if they do, they character it as about sports. This is how the trans visa ban was enacted and characterized. www.advocate.com/news/transge...