Philip Nel

@philnel.bsky.social

870 followers 650 following 930 posts

👨🏼‍🏫 Prof. he/him.
📚 Books on children's books & comics: https://philnel.com/writing/books/
📷 IG: thephilnel
🐘 Mastodon: @[email protected]
🎵 Spotify: thephilnel
🐦 ex-Twitter (deleted in 2022): @philnel

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Philip W. Nel is an American scholar of children's literature and University Distinguished Professor of English at Kansas State University. He is best known for his work on Dr. Seuss and Harry Potter, which has led to him being a guest on such media programs as CBS Sunday Morning, NPR's Morning Edition, Talk of the Nation, and CNN's Don Lemon Tonight. .. more

Art 33%

Communication & Media Studies 22%

Posts Replies Media Videos

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Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · Mar 23

Without quite realizing that's what I was doing, I started a hope thread—I've been posting one quotation per day. Since horrors persist, what are your favorite hope quotations? #HopeScrolling

Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · Mar 20

“Never give up. Making our nation and world fit for our children and grandchildren is a task for marathoners — not sprinters. It is a complex and long-term struggle that must be pursued with both urgency and persistence”
— Marian Wright Edelman

Reposted by Philip Nel

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 4h

MS NOW reporter and WABJ member Akayla Gardner was denied entry into the White House grounds and asked to hand over her badge.

Reposted by Philip Nel

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 6h

Peaceful protest is patriotic. Our country's long history of dissent is part of how we demand a government that listens.

@rachelegoodman.bsky.social and Katie Schwartzmann cover how civil society should talk about protest in the face of attempts to suppress it.
NEW for @npquarterly.bsky.social ⬇️

Flipping the Script: How Civil Society Organizations Can Support Protest in the Face of Suppression | Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.

In our democracy, US civil society plays a critical role in protecting civic space for robust debate and opposition to government policies.

nonprofitquarterly.org

Reposted by Will Jennings, Leigh Sparks, Philip Nel , and 4 more Will Jennings, Leigh Sparks, Philip Nel, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Dean Eckles, David Darmofal

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 6h

Trump misstating and touting a meaningless deal over Greenland, while the entire Middle East security architecture falls apart due to his own actions, is emblematic of this administration’s foreign policy.

Reposted by Philip Nel

GenXJamerican🇯🇲🇺🇸 @genxjamerican.com · 7h

In light of this news, perhaps moratoriums on data center building should be tied to whether or not these companies license or otherwise pay for all the content they stole.

Reposted by Philip Nel, Henry Jones

Ann Telnaes @anntelnaes.bsky.social · 7h

"Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

(cartoon from the archives)

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Philip Nel

🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 8h

The sickness of locking thousands of five-year-olds in a concentration camp while screaming about the danger of a 10th-grade trans boy playing lacrosse is an evil that needs to be yeeted into a million burning suns.

Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children

Exclusive: key White House loyalist orchestrating multi-agency effort condemned by critics as cruel and racist

www.theguardian.com

Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 16h

They are destroying everything. And all of it is important. National Parks, affordable groceries, endangered wildlife, and the Kennedy Center — we won’t be able to save it all, but all of it is worth saving.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Philip Nel

Caroleeena @caroleeena.bsky.social · 1d

As a long, long, long, long, long time Converse buyer, I will never buy a Converse product ever again. I am sick of the virtue signalling to racists. I see this and I see a man hanged, a white robe that could be a klansman's robe and light shaped like a KKK hat. What the actual hell!?!

Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 1d

🫂 ❤️‍🩹

Philip Nel @philnel.bsky.social · 1d

The Donald J. Trump Iran War has killed 22-23 US troops, but the Donald J. Trump Deparement of Defense only acknowledges 18 US troops killed.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

WASH POST: "More U.S. Troops Have Died Amid (Trump's Pointless) Iran War Than Pentagon Has Disclosed"

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Reposted by Philip Nel

Sam Litzinger @samlitzinger.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you to everyone attending...

"Vigil at the Kennedy Center expected to draw about 1,000 supporters The event, scheduled weeks ago by an advocacy organization called Hands Off the Arts, intends to start with a 6:30 p.m. rally."

www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

Vigil at the Kennedy Center expected to draw about 1,000 supporters

The event, scheduled weeks ago by an advocacy organization called Hands Off the Arts, intends to start with a 6:30 p.m. rally.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Philip Nel, Bessma Momani

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Q: You posted that you intend to ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House. Every president takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, which includes the First Amendment. How do you justify this?

TRUMP: Because they're fake news. There may be others to join them.

Reposted by Philip Nel

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

WASH POST: "More U.S. Troops Have Died Amid (Trump's Pointless) Iran War Than Pentagon Has Disclosed"

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Reposted by Philip Nel

ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 1d

Democrats *cannot* support the Protection College Sports Act. It’s the most anti-labor coming out of this Congress. We cannot cap the mobility of black athletes, but not white coaches.

My newsletter is up.

www.thenation.com/article/poli...

We Need to Protect College Sports from Ted Cruz

In this week’s Elie v. U.S., our justice correspondent looks at the many ways Ted Cruz’s college-sports bill threatens athletes’ labor rights. Plus: why our mail-in voting nightmare isn’t over.

www.thenation.com

Reposted by Philip Nel

Ernie Smith @ernie.tedium.co · 1d

May this be the spark that leads a bunch of anonymous sources to shake out

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trump says he’s banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House

The president has a history of feuding with news organizations and has at times tried to ban them and their journalists.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Philip Nel, Rebecca Tushnet , and 2 more Nandita Sharma, Philip Nel, Rebecca Tushnet, Brian Keegan, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Kevin Collins @kwcollins.bsky.social · 1d

Who will show more commitment to, and solidarity in support of, First Amendment values: members of the White House Correspondents Association, or opening acts for Ed Sheeran?

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1d

President Donald Trump, in a clear violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, says he is banning MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House.

A post from Trump saying "I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW (who recently changed their name from MSNBC due to lack of viewership and credibility!), and Politico (The recipients of an illegal and ridiculous $8 Million Dollar subscription, an All Time Record, directly from the United States Government, under Crooked Joe Biden, in order to keep them “alive.” Seems like corruption to me!), from the White House as a result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS! Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Reposted by Philip Nel, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner , and 2 more Philip Nel, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Anthony Burke, Seth Masket

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1d

President Donald Trump, in a clear violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, says he is banning MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House.

Reposted by Philip Nel

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 1d

This was the image posted by DHS:

Reposted by Philip Nel

The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 1d

Dementia Donnie: Featuring the current Donald Trump, but in the universe in which his father bequeathed his estate to the Ku Klux Klan instead of his son.

By: Ruben Bolling

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Steve Peers, Philip Nel , and 4 more Anna O. Law, Steve Peers, Philip Nel, Gerald Friedman, Daxton R. Stewart, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 1d

i'm not over Alito saying we shouldn't count ballots that are mailed on or before Election Day but arrive shortly afterwards bc they can “radically flip” the “apparent outcome”

cannot stress enough that, until all ballots are counted, there's no outcome to flip!

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/alito...

A Brief History of Sam Alito’s Delusional Obsession With Voter Fraud

His conduct in several recent cases suggests that Alito is deep in the right-wing conspiracy theory weeds.

ballsandstrikes.org

Reposted by Philip Nel

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

Brent Hecht, Microsoft’s director of applied science, called the training of AI models the “largest theft of labor in human history,” according to a legal brief.

Microsoft exec called AI the ‘largest theft of labor’ in history, court records show

The quote headlined an unsealed document in the New York Times’s copyright case against Microsoft and OpenAI.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Amir Attaran, Philip Nel, David R. Miller , and 3 more Amir Attaran, Philip Nel, David R. Miller, Anne Norton, Paul Fisher, Steven S. Taylor

Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 1d

The US already got a do over. A mulligan. A second chance.

Much of the world, especially US allies, were ready to write off Trump’s first term as a fluke.

The American people’s choice to put him back in power—as a convicted felon, after an openly bigoted, anti-democracy campaign—showed it was not.

Max Fawcett @maxfawcett.bsky.social · 2d

This is the part many Americans -- including the Bezosites at the Washington Post -- don't understand. Canadians don't see this just as a Trump thing. It's that America elected him twice, and the second time with an even bigger mandate.

The problem we're addressing is America, not Trump.

Edward Luce @edwardluce.bsky.social · 2d

"Out of spite for President Donald Trump, Carney is accelerating the decoupling of a trade bloc that has generated enormous prosperity for North America." Seriously, Wapo editorial - you're going with Canadian spite? www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Reposted by Philip Nel, Anne Norton

Brian Beutler @brianbeutler.bsky.social · 1d

Fail. (Big piece on this tomorrow.) www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

Democratic advisers are warning their candidates not to go too hard at AI

Democratic consultants are warning their candidates in some key races not to lean into AI regulations out of fear that powerful tech groups could spend heavily against them.

www.politico.com

Reposted by Du Toit, Philip Nel, David R. Miller , and 1 more Du Toit, Philip Nel, David R. Miller, Steven H. Seggie

Max Fawcett @maxfawcett.bsky.social · 2d

Edward Luce @edwardluce.bsky.social · 2d

Opinion | Canada’s great European misadventure

Donald Trump is for now. A Brussels bureaucrat is forever.

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Philip Nel

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 2d

Tomorrow at 6:30 pm

Hands Off the Arts to form ‘human chain’ around Kennedy Center

Drag performer Tara Hoot among event organizers

www.washingtonblade.com

Reposted by Philip Nel

McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 2d

The miraculous Shit-Raining Machine, from which there will be NO HOPE OF RELIEF, promises to unlock PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINABLE AND CURRENTLY VAGUE BENEFITS FOR HUMANKIND, such as:

- business things
- other stuff
- WE MUST CREATE IT.
buff.ly/K5t1rGh

We Must Create the Shit Machine

“For as long as humans have created SHIT with our BODIES AND BUTTS, we have been asking this FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: What if there was a COMPUTER that could AL...

www.mcsweeneys.net

Reposted by Philip Nel

Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 2d

If the US were a grocery store and it stopped buying from suppliers and selling to customers, it wouldn't make more money. It would lose its customers, lose its suppliers, and run out of stuff. A deficit isn't a fancy word for loss. It's a receipt. Get him out of here.

Reposted by Philip Nel

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 2d

Good.

"The starting wage represents a nearly 57% increase from the previous standard rate of $19.14 an hour. Hours worked beyond 40 in a week will be paid at $45, up from $28.71, City Hall announced Tuesday."

www.amny.com/news/mamdani...

FIRST ON amNY: Mamdani sets standard NYC snow shoveler pay at $30 an hour this winter | amNewYork

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making the $30-an-hour rate temporarily offered to New York City’s emergency snow shovelers during February’s blizzard the standard starting pay this season.

www.amny.com

Reposted by Philip Nel, Henry Jones

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 2d

Pete Hegseth is the most incompetent person in the Trump regime — with the exception of Trump himself — and a clear and present danger to the entire world

If Trump won’t fire him, Democrats should impeach him when (hopefully) they take over the House and Senate next January.

Hegseth Must Go

If Trump won’t fire him, Congress must impeach him

robertreich.substack.com

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