"What is even worse than biblical illiteracy and historical ignorance from this product of Princeton and Harvard Universities is a project about which he seems to be deadly serious: the cultural isolation of the military."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
Hegseth’s One Percent
A cult of military superiority over civilians is not only unwarranted, but actively dangerous.
www.theatlantic.com
October 6, 2026 at 1:50 PM
"What is even worse than biblical illiteracy and historical ignorance from this product of Princeton and Harvard Universities is a project about which he seems to be deadly serious: the cultural isolation of the military."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
MAGA with yet another own-goal. Genuine meritocracy it turns out is not compatible with white Christian nationalism.
"Indian culture, they maintained, places too much value on studying and academic excellence, and these values are a threat to American culture."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
"Indian culture, they maintained, places too much value on studying and academic excellence, and these values are a threat to American culture."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
The Mainstreaming of Anti-Indian Bigotry
A Republican schism over a social-media post by a Texas politician revealed that the party’s defense of a color-blind meritocracy has its limits.
www.theatlantic.com
October 3, 2026 at 12:44 PM
MAGA with yet another own-goal. Genuine meritocracy it turns out is not compatible with white Christian nationalism.
"Indian culture, they maintained, places too much value on studying and academic excellence, and these values are a threat to American culture."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
"Indian culture, they maintained, places too much value on studying and academic excellence, and these values are a threat to American culture."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...
"But Pecknold is not exactly an outlier: the current crop of postliberal Catholic authoritarians are notably impatient with episcopal authority. . . Will no one rid them of these meddlesome bishops who won’t shut up about mercy and hospitality?"
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-im...
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-im...
The Bishops vs. the Nativists
The USCCB has largely risen to the occasion in condemning MAGA nativism. We hope voters will remove it from power with all due haste.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
October 2, 2026 at 1:48 AM
"But Pecknold is not exactly an outlier: the current crop of postliberal Catholic authoritarians are notably impatient with episcopal authority. . . Will no one rid them of these meddlesome bishops who won’t shut up about mercy and hospitality?"
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-im...
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-im...
From the Editor | Horizons | Cambridge Core
From the Editor - Volume 53 Issue 1
www.cambridge.org
October 1, 2026 at 6:30 AM
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"People love to complain about media outlets being overly hostile to certain politicians, but that adversarial mode is far preferable to the hermetically sealed MAGA universe."
"People love to complain about media outlets being overly hostile to certain politicians, but that adversarial mode is far preferable to the hermetically sealed MAGA universe."
Eric Schmitt’s Very Bad Day at Work
For MAGA politicians, there’s no such thing as a gaffe.
www.theatlantic.com
October 1, 2026 at 12:24 AM
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"People love to complain about media outlets being overly hostile to certain politicians, but that adversarial mode is far preferable to the hermetically sealed MAGA universe."
"People love to complain about media outlets being overly hostile to certain politicians, but that adversarial mode is far preferable to the hermetically sealed MAGA universe."
Reposted by Chris Denny
Sobering but good thread about those of you who think it will be allover after election day.
What do authoritarians do when they are about to lose an election?
I survey the big picture before the midterms - and investigate the struggle between authoritarian escalation and democratic resilience since the Trumpists took power.
My new piece, for @blaetter.bsky.social:
I survey the big picture before the midterms - and investigate the struggle between authoritarian escalation and democratic resilience since the Trumpists took power.
My new piece, for @blaetter.bsky.social:
Autoritäre Eskalation oder demokratische Erneuerung: Die USA vor den Midterms
Die bevorstehenden Zwischenwahlen in den USA am 3. November sind ein wichtiger Stresstest für die US-Demokratie. Vieles hängt davon ab, inwieweit die Amerikaner für ihre Republik und deren Regeln eins...
www.blaetter.de
September 30, 2026 at 3:16 PM
Sobering but good thread about those of you who think it will be allover after election day.
"Tenured prof at elite college thinks oral assessments can substitute for writing. No clue how this scales to gen-ed course at a community college."
Legacy media: higher-ed = 25 selective schools.
I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
Legacy media: higher-ed = 25 selective schools.
I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
Opinion | I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think.
If I do not treat writing as essential for achieving thought, it is not clear why I should force my students to.
www.nytimes.com
September 30, 2026 at 1:43 PM
"Tenured prof at elite college thinks oral assessments can substitute for writing. No clue how this scales to gen-ed course at a community college."
Legacy media: higher-ed = 25 selective schools.
I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
Legacy media: higher-ed = 25 selective schools.
I’m a College Professor. Writing Isn’t as Important as We Think. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/o...
Missouri senator Eric Schmitt rambles idiotically and confuses the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Here’s the latest. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
Here’s the latest. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
Jack Smith, Former Special Counsel, Defends His Charges Against Trump: Live Updates
Mr. Smith’s testimony will be the latest public clash over the use of prosecutorial power in American politics.
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Missouri senator Eric Schmitt rambles idiotically and confuses the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Here’s the latest. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
Here’s the latest. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
Reposted by Chris Denny
🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡
Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong.
Here's the whole sequence:
Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong.
Here's the whole sequence:
September 29, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Pot, gentrifying small town, and . . . Mike Tyson. Netflix miniseries coming in 3, 2, 1.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
When the Weed Wars Came to Warren Street (Gift Article)
New money and age-old injustice in an American river town.
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Pot, gentrifying small town, and . . . Mike Tyson. Netflix miniseries coming in 3, 2, 1.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Bishop Robert Barron has attacked empathy because he follows right-wing billionaires instead of Catholic social teaching.
"Barron calmly explained that love, far from mandating kindness, can and often should be harsh. This is a classic right-wing talking point.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"Barron calmly explained that love, far from mandating kindness, can and often should be harsh. This is a classic right-wing talking point.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Why Empathy Is Now ‘Toxic,’ ‘Suicidal,’ and a ‘Sin’
According to Gad Saad and his powerful acolytes, compassion is a recipe for “the collective suicide of the West.”
www.theatlantic.com
September 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Bishop Robert Barron has attacked empathy because he follows right-wing billionaires instead of Catholic social teaching.
"Barron calmly explained that love, far from mandating kindness, can and often should be harsh. This is a classic right-wing talking point.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
"Barron calmly explained that love, far from mandating kindness, can and often should be harsh. This is a classic right-wing talking point.”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
AI is not making academic writing better. Instead it is making it easier for mediocre slop to overwhelm journal and magazine editors' inboxes.
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
Can we preserve the connection between personal writing and human experience in the Slop Age?
jonmalesic.substack.com
September 26, 2026 at 1:39 PM
AI is not making academic writing better. Instead it is making it easier for mediocre slop to overwhelm journal and magazine editors' inboxes.
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
How I uncovered a prolific AI author in religious magazines
jonmalesic.substack.com/p/how-i-unco...
This is basically a summary of NY Post headlines.
A Day in the Life of a New Yorker, According to My Fox News-Watching Florida Family Members
"7 a.m. I wake up and get stabbed" . . .
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-d...
A Day in the Life of a New Yorker, According to My Fox News-Watching Florida Family Members
"7 a.m. I wake up and get stabbed" . . .
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-d...
McSweeney’s Books: A Day in the Life of a New Yorker, According to My Fox News-Watching Florida Family Members
7 a.m. I wake up and get stabbed.
www.mcsweeneys.net
September 25, 2026 at 9:14 PM
This is basically a summary of NY Post headlines.
A Day in the Life of a New Yorker, According to My Fox News-Watching Florida Family Members
"7 a.m. I wake up and get stabbed" . . .
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-d...
A Day in the Life of a New Yorker, According to My Fox News-Watching Florida Family Members
"7 a.m. I wake up and get stabbed" . . .
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-d...
Yours truly was on the radio again today talking about the labor situation at St. John's University. My segment starts at 36:40.
wbai.org/archive/prog...
wbai.org/archive/prog...
WBAI Radio Archives
wbai.org
September 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Yours truly was on the radio again today talking about the labor situation at St. John's University. My segment starts at 36:40.
wbai.org/archive/prog...
wbai.org/archive/prog...
1/2 "The kind of religion that says you can treat people however you want as long as you have a personal relationship with Jesus is an abomination. It is a cancer on the body of Christ. Scripture tells us that you can't love God and hate other people." - James Talarico
September 24, 2026 at 10:51 PM
1/2 "The kind of religion that says you can treat people however you want as long as you have a personal relationship with Jesus is an abomination. It is a cancer on the body of Christ. Scripture tells us that you can't love God and hate other people." - James Talarico
More slouching towards Ft. Sumter 2.0.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
From 15,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle (Gift Article)
It was the Trump administration’s latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2026 at 6:13 PM
More slouching towards Ft. Sumter 2.0.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Slouching towards Ft. Sumter 2.0.
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules
The California Supreme Court ordered Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County to return ballots to election officials after he confiscated them for an investigation.
www.nytimes.com
September 24, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Slouching towards Ft. Sumter 2.0.
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
"Your lack of planning does not constitute the faculty's emergency." I'm not referring to students. I'm referring to administrators.
September 24, 2026 at 1:08 PM
"Your lack of planning does not constitute the faculty's emergency." I'm not referring to students. I'm referring to administrators.
And yet pundits are speculating on the 2028 election now. Such speculation at this point is a luxury belief. These supporters of martial law will get more face time with Trump in the weeks ahead. What will Americans who support democracy do in response?
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Supporters Urging Trump to Declare Martial Law for the Midterms
Trump’s advisers have been working for months to move his focus away from baseless theories of election fraud. A group of outsiders is making that difficult.
www.theatlantic.com
September 23, 2026 at 4:35 PM
And yet pundits are speculating on the 2028 election now. Such speculation at this point is a luxury belief. These supporters of martial law will get more face time with Trump in the weeks ahead. What will Americans who support democracy do in response?
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
(1/2) Our university is having trouble paying faculty in a timely manner, especially adjunct faculty who in some cases are struggling to pay bills. After laying off scores of staff this summer and having security escort them off campus, it turns out the HR office is severely understaffed.
September 22, 2026 at 10:48 PM
(1/2) Our university is having trouble paying faculty in a timely manner, especially adjunct faculty who in some cases are struggling to pay bills. After laying off scores of staff this summer and having security escort them off campus, it turns out the HR office is severely understaffed.
Reposted by Chris Denny
You do understand that everything he's doing to Washington DC is about fortifying the city when he decides he's not leaving office
September 20, 2026 at 1:13 PM
You do understand that everything he's doing to Washington DC is about fortifying the city when he decides he's not leaving office
Trump is militiarizing DC with fortresses as he prepares for his coup in November.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Trump Says His D.C. Arch Would Be a ‘Military Complex’ Housing Drones and Snipers (Gift Article)
The president’s announcement on Sunday echoed his justification for the White House ballroom: that the project was necessary for national security.
www.nytimes.com
September 20, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Trump is militiarizing DC with fortresses as he prepares for his coup in November.
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
At St. John's University in NYC, the provost is pushing AI into as many classes as he can . . .
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
An M.I.T. Report Warns A.I. Is Causing ‘Cognitive Surrender.’ Universities Are in a Bind. (Gift Article)
As A.I. upends education, university leaders have been all over the map about how to respond. It can be very confusing for students.
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2026 at 2:10 PM
At St. John's University in NYC, the provost is pushing AI into as many classes as he can . . .
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
"Social media accounts for the Department of Homeland Security show a steady stream of memes and images drawn from neo-Nazi and white supremacist agitprop."
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/o...
Opinion | The G.O.P. Has Gone Off the Deep End (Gift Article)
The Republican fringe is becoming the Republican mainstream.
www.nytimes.com
September 16, 2026 at 4:37 PM
"Social media accounts for the Department of Homeland Security show a steady stream of memes and images drawn from neo-Nazi and white supremacist agitprop."
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/o...