Exciting news! The second @propublica.org metro ad on @wmata.com has been spotted in the wild on a metro car! There are thousands of federal staffers with stories to tell. Share yours. propublica.org/tips

Van Hollen: "Those who cave in -- those like ABC who cave in -- what they do is give the bully an even bigger appetite. When they appease they bully, they put all of us at risk."

The last political column I was allowed to write in the @washingtonpost.com was a criticism of Obama. His people took issue with my piece, but we were respectful. Now he is tweeting in support of me. This is how free political speech and respect for debate *actually works*. Or used to work.

Stefani Germanotta will *always* be famous. Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Ball at Madison Square Garden was one of the best concerts I’ve ever experienced.

Literacy, folks. It’s so important.

I appreciate @democracydocket.com for resharing this. For those who keep dinging the usage of the term “constitutional crisis” in May, please know that I wrote this in February a couple weeks after the inauguration.

The difference, of course, being that @rollingstone.com has and values integrity.

I'm excited to give my upcoming talk, “Reinventing Public Administration Doctoral Education,” @au-spa.bsky.social. Many thanks to @dei-au-spa.bsky.social for the invitation.

I’ve reached that stage of life where I’m excited to get glucosamine chondroitin gummies.

You don’t say.

Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club was amazing! A bravura performance by a practically flawless cast. And Orville Peck as the emcee? Just. Wow. If you’re familiar with the story, you can imagine how sobering it was to watch at this moment in time. A stunned silence in August Wilson Theatre more than once.

Thank goodness. There is relief with this photo. Proud to claim @vanhollen.senate.gov as one of my senators. Thank you, Senator, for taking action on this.

Major kudos to @cullenmerritt.bsky.social for his vision and execution of such a great event! A huge thanks to all those who attended and helped make it a success. We hope to continue this and welcome more visitors in the future!

Kilmar Abrego Garcia was illegally abducted and is being held in a notorious prison in El Salvador — barred from contacting his family or lawyers. I’m speaking to the press now after we were denied access to the prison to check on his condition. Tune in:

Excellent experience from the beginning to the end! I enjoyed my time this weekend attending the Inaugural Public Leadership Research Summit at UMD's School of Public Policy. Thank you @cullenmerritt.bsky.social, @johnron.bsky.social, and the IPL team for the invitation and the opportunity!!!

Feeling grateful to be at UMD listening to @cullenmerritt.bsky.social kick off the IPL summit! Scholars from across the country are here to support and learn from early-career scholars in public + non-profit management.

@cullenmerritt.bsky.social welcomes participants and attendees to the inaugural Public Leadership Research Summit at the Institute for Public Leadership at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. We’re so thrilled to have you!

No. No we don’t.

there were multiple reporters outside of the institute of museum and library services today as DOGE invaded their headquarters, but not a single elected official. something to consider when thinking about who’s actually defending democracy.

People who are signing have a lot of smart things to say about why this is important. This will be a thread with some of them. Please sign & share with your networks. bit.ly/DemocracyAndHigherEd "Because I am appalled by the current regime’s attack of education, academic freedom and free speech."

The opportunism of cisgendered hetero white scholars to speak on issues that they’ve never spoken on or written about until now isn’t at all surprising. A textbook example of not what you know, but who you know.

Of the 10 Dems, this includes Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Gary Peters (MI), neither of whom are running again. Seriously, what did they have to lose? Major props to my senator @vanhollen.senate.gov for adding an amendment to eliminate DOGE. It will fail, but I'm grateful for his voice on the issue.

This was on February 2. Seems like the tracks were uncomfortable today.

Finally got around to reading Defectors by @paoramos.bsky.social. It is intrepidly reported and very well written. It is an urgent and timely read, and as a multiracial (Latino/Indigenous/white) individual, it was illuminating for me and how I view myself, as well. Highly recommend.

Y’all. Gavin Newsom was once married to Kimberly “The Best is Yet to Come” Guilfoyle, most recently tied to DJT Jr. Some of us have eyed him suspiciously for years, not just since he’s been buddying up with Savage, Kirk, and Bannon.

A lot of people (self included!) have been deeply trained to not "cause a fuss," to not "act out." To avoid speaking up or taking action. But you can unlearn this. Every time you take action, it strengthens your resistance muscles. Make a call. Send an email. Put up a flyer. Keep standing up.

Very interesting to see who’s pulling alarms on a wealthy institution losing money versus one of their students being held captive. But, priorities.

For those curious about the ten Dems who voted to censure @algreen.house.gov, per the @nytimes.com:

Would love to see @libradunn1.bsky.social’s reaction to all of this police talk coming from the President. 👀

Decades of work — recruitment, training, fundraising, staffing — went into filling the chamber with 200 Democrats who not only would not plan to do what Al Green did, but could, when it happened, sit there stone-faced watching it and not feel compelled to do anything more.

I would have walked out by now.

I just read a plot summary of Mad Max: Fury Road, and I feel certain it was more useful and enjoyable than if I had watched the SOTU.

Don’t tell me democracy is at risk and a constitutional crisis is unfolding and the best you got is a modified ping pong paddle.

NEW SCOOP: Some staffers at Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing robust taxpayer-funded salaries from the federal agencies they are slashing and burning, WIRED has learned. ⬇️ Here's how much they're making:

“Trump take egg” is this era’s “Thanks Obama.” And he deserves that and worse.

They laughed at the notion that no one had ever heard of Lesotho.

I literally had a discussion with my students tonight about misinformation and disinformation bringing in salient work by @brendannyhan.bsky.social. How timely for tonight’s address to Congress.

What hypocrisy we’re watching about maintaining “decorum.”

“Those are not real jobs producing federal revenue, by the way. They’re consuming taxpayer dollars. Those jobs are paid for by the American tax people, who work real jobs, earn real income, pay federal taxes and then pay these federal employees,” Greene said... MTG really doesn’t know, does she?

@marisakabas.bsky.social is probably going to save us sooner than Congress or anyone else, so you should definitely follow and subscribe.

Welp.

If you thought it was bad, this is how it gets worse.

Yep. 'Cause that'll do it for sure. 🙄

Speaking of unique lexicon, “sweeping?”

New from me on @democracydocket.com. Happy Presidents’ Day.

When a white student asked me why Black graduations exist, I told them that just because something isn’t made for you, meant for you, or about you doesn’t mean you’re being harmed/discriminated against. Rather than thinking of why you aren’t in a space, think of why others want a space of their own.

Important read. Don’t let this get buried in everything else happening.

I am really outdone. The Maryland National Guard cannot celebrate Frederick Douglass, the state’s native son and perhaps the greatest American this nation ever produced, because he’s Black and his chosen birthday happened to fall during Black History Month. (Ask me why he had to choose is b-day)

I’m in desperate need of variation on my timeline. It can’t be all…those guys. Anyone have any recommended follows for literature, music, or arts? Anything you find fascinating. You know, things that might spark joy in this clusterf…fun times?