IMO, when it comes to "who is a liberal," rather than judging people by what they say or intend, we should be looking at the real, knowable effects and functions of their actions. Through that lens it is hard to argue that certain SC justices or policymakers are continuing the liberal tradition.

HOLY SHIT GO BIRDS 🦅 🏈

As I argued earlier this year, businesses have become increasingly incapable of working collectively towards their economic and political interests. Their silence and willingness to cave to the administration will hurt the economy, the rule of law, and democracy. www.promarket.org/2025/05/09/t...

Calling political sociologists and political scientists! Submissions are open for the 2nd People-ing Politics Mini-Conference at ESS! This year's theme is "Bringing the People Back In." To submit a paper, please use the ESS conference portal and be sure to choose our mini-conference. www.essnet.org

Calling political sociologists and political scientists! Submissions are open for the 2nd People-ing Politics Mini-Conference at ESS! This year's theme is "Bringing the People Back In." To submit a paper, please use the ESS conference portal and be sure to choose our mini-conference. www.essnet.org

Texas A&M’s President just removed a dean and department head from their positions after they supported a professor whose lesson on gender was challenged by a student. www.kbtx.com/2025/09/09/a...

Very excited to share my new paper in Socius, "Unicorns and Hacks": Revolving Door Lobbyists and the Cultivation of Political Credibility ! And it's open access!! Many thanks to my respondents, research assistants, and colleagues for making this paper possible. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

TIL that a sentence like "I'm done the book" is not actually standard English. My husband insisted it sounds wrong and no one says that, but I've said it all my life and it sounds correct to me. Being a nerd, I looked into it, and alas, it is a Philly-ism: ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/do...

It’s mega-fucked that SEPTA has to be bailed out by a betting app: defector.com/its-mega-fuc...

NFL ads: YOU HUNGRY. You order. We make food. You eat food. YUM. US Open ads: You deserve the finest in life. Here is our AI-powered wealth management system for you and your beneficiaries to have peace of mind as you enjoy our exclusive lounges and concierge services on sinking tropical islands

🦄 Who gets heard in Washington? Dr. @wendyyli.bsky.social (from @jhu.edu)'s #Socius study unpacks how revolving-door #Lobbyists cultivate #PoliticalCredibility through claims to #Expertise & #InsiderKnowledge. Read: doi.org/10.1177/2378...

Very excited to share my new paper in Socius, "Unicorns and Hacks": Revolving Door Lobbyists and the Cultivation of Political Credibility ! And it's open access!! Many thanks to my respondents, research assistants, and colleagues for making this paper possible. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

"Smith’s free trade is not freedom from tariffs; it’s freedom from monopolists." Highly recommend this piece by Beth Baltzan on re-visiting Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations.

any historians (legal or otherwise) in the DC area want to be a special guest in one of my sessions for this? politics.georgetown.edu/2025/08/21/m...

Very ironic that despite billions of dollars flowing from this name at my university, our library does not provide access to Bloomberg News.

We try to clarify what happened in D.C. this week, what we can expect in the future, and what this all means for the residents who call D.C. home. There's a lot we don't know, but we'll continue following this story in the days and weeks to come. 51st.news/trump-dc-mpd...

So much fun at the political soc “People-ing Politics” riverboat reception last night along the Chicago River! Thanks to @blackcapitol.bsky.social @daniellaurison.bsky.social & @wendyyli.bsky.social for organizing! #ASA2025 #Sociology #AcademicSky @fisherdanar.bsky.social @michaelrosino.bsky.social

BREAKING: After the Jan. 6 insurrection, nearly 250 companies pledged to no longer donate to lawmakers who voted against certifying the 2020 election. But over 2,000 corporate and industry group PACs have donated over $174 million since then.

Very excited to share that my article, "Unicorns and Hacks": Revolving Door Lobbyists and the Cultivation of Political Credibility, was just accepted at Socius! Will share when it gets published, but for now, a bit of BTS:

We're hiring! Please share with your networks! The Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor in the field of demography of health and aging beginning in August 2026 jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/assista...

NPR's Gaza producer faced Israeli military fire, private U.S. contractors pointing laser beams at his forehead and masked thieves as he tried to get food from a U.S.-supported group. By Anas Baba

Heading to SASE in Montreal later this week. Excited to be a part of the mini-conference on elites once again. Please reach out if you'll be there and want to meet up!

One of the most honest things a super PAC donor has ever said

I was quoted in this Nikkei article on lobbying in the Trump Admin. Some reflections to Shun Akagi in English: After elections, lobbyists with connections to the winners tend to cash in. If this trend [skyrocketing revenues from Trump-connected firms] persists... www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZ...

We feed you. They hunt us.

This interview with the founder of DC pride warmed my heart this morning and really put things into historical perspective for me. 50 years of joy, solidarity, and celebration. megaphone.link/CC7460002004

Absolutely cruel and idiotic.

US Court of International Trade just issued decision in case against Trump tariffs filed by Liberty Justice Center and me. All "Liberation Day"/IEEPA tariffs ruled illegal, and blocked by injunction! See link for opinion. I will have much more to say soon: www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/fi...

Around D.C., the new going rate is well-known: $5 million for a one-on-one dinner with Trump, but gov-affairs execs have “no clue where the money is eventually going,” one said. Another told me it’s “outer-borough Mafia sh*t.” My new piece is out @newyorker.com www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

US business interests have been conspicuously silent in the face of threats to democracy and the rule of law. In this piece, I discuss how business has politically fractured over time, pursuing narrow, particular policy wins over long term collective interests. www.promarket.org/2025/05/09/t...

saving this as a prompt for a future seminar on theories of political power

“It is time for the business community to return to their civic roots and join the broad-based movement of workers, civil society organizations, universities, scientists, and law firms in defense of the rule of law”

US business interests have been conspicuously silent in the face of threats to democracy and the rule of law. In this piece, I discuss how business has politically fractured over time, pursuing narrow, particular policy wins over long term collective interests. www.promarket.org/2025/05/09/t...

The trope that universities are "dependent" on the federal government fundamentally misunderstands how vital this partnership has been for the US. The private sector can't replace it. If we kill it, we're all worse off. From @donmoyn.bsky.social and me: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/are-univer...

The total gutting of the IRS will have one main consequence: a surge in tax evasion by the wealthy Working-class and middle-class individuals don't evade a lot, because they can't High-income individuals do, because they can & because an industry helps them do it

Spending a few days in London in May. Have done most of the main attractions, mostly looking for fun places to eat/drink and spend some time with history and art. Please share recs!

SCOOP: Elon Musk's DOGE is getting audited. The General Accountability Office's audit examines DOGE’s handling of data at a number of federal agencies, according to sources and records reviewed by WIRED. from me and @timmarchman.bsky.social:

So weird to see colleges promoting their USNWR grad school rankings today like grad students aren’t being disappeared by their government.

I'd like to talk to graduate students whose trajectories have been affected by the Trump administration's research cuts, doctoral admissions being paused, or offers rescinded. If that's you, send me a DM or Signal! Same goes for scholars overseeing affected programs. #PhDSky #AcademicSky #HigherEd

‘Approximately a dozen’ Johns Hopkins students have visas revoked by federal government

Trump just departed his golf club, per pool reports. He arrived around 9:45 am and left around 3:30 pm. The Dow plunged about 715 points while he was there.

There are a lot of (baffling) reasons why the Trump Admin is doing this, but in part I do think some of it is that Trump likes it when corporations and lobbyists feel like they have to beg for mercy.

I'm glad Tufts is in court but the fact that this is 'some of the strongest public pushback' speaks volumes about how little universities are doing to defend and protect their students. This should be the minimum!

Your tariff rate is your star sign divided by the number of boys you've kissed, multiplied by one

Hopefully, with a little distance, we will be writing about this moment and how it expands our understandings of collective action (problems).

I'm glad that Princeton is standing up. Of all of the "top" US universities, Princeton relies the most on its endowment and less on federal funding. It can weather these threats and pave the way for other institutions. www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2025...

NEW: The entire CDC #FOIA office — nearly two dozen people — received RIF notices. FOIA personnel at FDA and NIH were also dismissed. The CDC has seen a massive uptick in FOIA requests this year. It’s the second busiest year since Covid. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Hearing from all corners of HHS this morning about a total bloodletting — firings of scientists, analysts and many more as delayed RIFs take effect. Many folks didn’t see early AM email and showed up, only to be turned away when badges didn’t work. Was sent this photo of long lines at one HHS site.