My undergrads are so damn good. Not in their taste in music so much, but in their dedication to social science and moral commitments. Really tired of how they get unfairly maligned by the punditry.

Brand new book by my W&M colleague, Kelly Zvobgo. Will have a major impact on scholarship about comparative politics, human rights, and international relations. And accessible to nonspecialists too.

"A tour de force-a strikingly original and ambitious account of the partisan evolution of the U.S." Steering the Senate: The Emergence of Party Organization and Leadership, 1789–2024 by Gerald Gamm & @profstevensmith.bsky.social | Out Now #BookSky #PoliSci 🗺️ 🗃️ https://cup.org/3VARhGK

Remarkable stats from @ronbrownstein.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

William & Mary is conducting a search for a tenure track assistant professor in comparative politics, with a focus on Europe. Deadline for applications is early October, although there's some flexibility. Reposts appreciated. williammary.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WM/det... .

STAGGERING: This new study of 133 countries is the first to estimate the impact of all USAID’s work. In 2 decades, it has saved *92M* lives. Current cuts, if not reversed, are forecast to cost up to *14M* lives thru 2030. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

This is one of the best tributes to Justice Souter I've read, in part because it quotes at length from Justice Souter's own account of the processes of judging.

On the Librarian: Pub. L. 114–86, §2, Nov. 5, 2015, 129 Stat. 675 (a) The President shall appoint the Librarian of Congress, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (b) The Librarian of Congress shall be appointed for a term of 10 years. Now Congress should go to court.

From our new issue: "Senate Countermajoritarianism" by C. Lawrence Evans. #APSRNewIssue www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

The use of evidence-based language in congressional speeches has been declining since the mid-1970s for both parties www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thank you for this plug, Matt! 🙏

My thoughts on the IAF and ADF cases. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/can-...

Tomorrow there will be a summit in London where Starmer, Macron, and Zelenskyy will have to face the reality that flattery and deals will not get Ukraine security guarantees. This piece for @goodauth.bsky.social explains why it was worth a try, but likely doomed. goodauthority.org/news/trump-a...

Variation in poverty by cong. districts-- between and within parties. Swing district GOP wary of slashing Medicaid/SNAP, but poverty rates are higher in GOP-held safe red districts. Still, poverty rates vary markedly across the 20 most competitive GOP-held districts-- from <4% to >15% of families

Brilliant but devastating editorial in the Financial Times. “In the past 10 days, he [Trump] has all but incinerated 80 years of postwar American leadership. If you are not at the table, you are on the menu. America has turned.”

Surprising how well Harris support within a House district predicts the percent of the vote for the Democratic House candidate within that district. Much tighter fit around the 45 degree line than was the case a decade or more ago.

William and Mary, 1989, a great writer and political analyst. www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...

Grateful for the opportunity to contribute a chapter on "Congress, the President, and the Constitutional Order" to the 13th edition of 'Congress Reconsidered.' collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/con...

New paper with Ryan Mundy on the advantage of *candidate* wealth in US elections. Our rich Congress comes from rich candidates: they raise far more early money and especially more large-dollar donations, scare off competitors, and are more likely to be elected. Link below. @ryanmundy.bsky.social

Bob Bauer and Jack Goldsmith have started a new free substack called Executive Functions, "devoted to coverage of presidential and broader executive power issues." executivefunctions.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

Published earlier this year on APSR First View: "Senate Countermajoritarianism" by C. Lawrence Evans @govwatch.bsky.social. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/senate-countermajoritarianism/4636218A359407B4E9ED9E42A7AF65AA

Senate Countermajoritarianism by Larry Evan’s is excellent work. Maybe Senate Democrats should read it today and get rid of the legislative filibuster tomorrow. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

How does the media report on Senate procedure, and how does this reporting affect public opinion? I look at these two questions in a new piece in PRQ 🧵 journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

With the D’s taking the lead in CA 13, looks like 220-215 in the House going into January. Since 1985, vacancies have ranged from 6-22 per congress, with an average of 11.6. See the bar chart.

Systematic recess appointments raise separation of powers issues, but the potential implications of the DOGE plan, especially relating to the impoundment prerogative, are way more significant.