I’m pretty excited to jump into this brand new book.

I wrote a couple threads here on Bluesky about this weekend's headlines, how they tie to corruption and what we must do to deal with the threat. I revisit and expand upon what I wrote here in my latest Substack. davidrothkopf.substack.com/p/its-the-co...

It’s the Corruption, Stupid

Toward a Unified Theory of Political Division and Healing in America

davidrothkopf.substack.com

BREAKING: META settles a $17B lawsuit admitting that it harms kids intentionally for profit. New rules will limit use of apps during the day and halt notifications for kids overnight. My heart breaks for the generation of teenagers who endured Covid disruptions and endless social media.

But “defund the police” was bad messaging 🙄

Bruce Wilson@brucewilson.bsky.social · last wk.

The Indiana State Police thought it worthwhile to spend taxpayer $ on this garbage? ["The production utilized heavy law enforcement resources, including ISP cruisers, SWAT vehicles, and other specialized tactical equipment.']

universities are not run by leftist profs they are run by corporate profiteer board members siphoning public $$ to tech partnerships "An Inside Higher Ed analysis of SEC filings turned up dozens of presidents paid handsomely for sitting on corporate boards." www.insidehighered.com/news/governa...

Sure, you might think your town is cool. But does it have a tram stop called Besses o’ th’ Barn? Didn’t think so.

Genocide was coined in the 20th century but it did not begin in nor is it limited to the 20th century. Or the modern era, for that matter. It's origin point is probably as old as human warfare. Additionally, it is more far complex yet has a lower threshold of requirements than you thank it does.

Riley Bruce@rileybruce.bsky.social · 3w ago

What’s a thing from your area of expertise (or special interest) that you think it would behoove everyone else to know?

At the Rylands Library in Manchester looking at a document labelled "Autobiography of a cavalryman in the Scots Greys" that they estimate a date for around 1825. Did not expect this memoir (the title on the first page reads "Memoirs for a Winter's Evening") to be such a banger. It's first paragraph:

We achieved a major milestone in the fight for free and fair elections this week. You wouldn't know it from reading the legacy media, but it may prove as important as anything else in preventing Donald Trump from subverting the midterm elections. newsletters.democracydocket.com/a-major-win-...

the dark clouds are brewing. A lot of Germans don't seem to realize that fascism didn't work out so well for them the last time. www.dw.com/en/germany-f...

Germany: Far-right AfD extends its lead in nationwide polls

In the latest Sunday poll, the AfD continues to pull ahead. And more and more people are against excluding the right-wing populists from decision-making, at least on a case-by-case basis.

dw.com

🚨 NEWS: In a new court filing, Capital One says Donald Trump’s accounts were closed in 2021 after months of analysis by its anti-money laundering (AML) professionals, not because of politics, as Trump has long claimed. 1/

Absolutely a must watch. I had no idea this was coming but I’m so glad it’s here.

Rob Delaney@robdelaney.bsky.social · last mo.

🐳 You’re God damned right @hesterblum.bsky.social & I made a TWENTY-FIVE EPISODE PODCAST just about 𝐌𝐎𝐁𝐘-𝐃𝐈𝐂𝐊. Subscribe now at exploringthegreats.com/moby-dick & enjoy our thrilling trailer:

Rooftop solar panels saved New England residents $130 million in electricity during a recent heat wave.

New England invested in solar. It saved residents millions in electricity costs during a heat wave this month

A new report found that solar arrays saved $39 million to $54 million in a single day of a recent heat wave.

goodgoodgood.co

Related to my last post, my entry for volume 25 of the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception on "Bible in Print in Modern America" was just published. I am grateful to the editors of the encyclopedia for reaching out and inviting me to consider writing on

Some publication news. I have five essays coming out in Dan McClellan's edited volume, Mormonism in Five Minutes (Equinox) that will be out in September. The paperback is affordable and it's a nice textbook for undergrads. I respond to questions about whether Joseph Smith copied other texts to

the degree to which they want to destroy one of the jewels of the American republic—our exceptional research universities—is just gobsmacking

Ben Allen@evodynamics.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Congrats we just made it impossible to come here for a PhD www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/16/m...

Absolutely deranged understanding of American government and the current times. The number of Justices isn't even in the Constitution, it's a statute from 1869! It is, in fact, not essential our Republic has a hyper-partisan GOP SCOTUS that makes sure its favored candidates and policies always win.

Adam Gurri@adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com · 2mo ago

I just listened to a panel with David French and someone from the Brennan Center vociferously argue against expanding the Court. French said it would lead to “the dissolution of the republic.” About a third of the audience applauded. We need to get a policy culture that’s willing to do what it takes

Trump wants you to believe his false claims that there were vulnerabilities with ballots and voter registration in 2020. The most dangerous part about his lies? He’s using them to set the groundwork to contest the 2026 election results when Republicans ultimately lose. https://demdock.com/4wLW7S3

All the salad apocalypse chatter reminds us that the normal work of government to maintain the commons—good roads, regulations, food inspections, public health etc—is what allows economies to prosper and businesses to plan and compete and make money

It’s always hilarious when Trump’s representatives claim (they don’t argue, they just assert) that Trump is a unifying president. The dude doesn’t even know how to unify republicans, let alone the rest of the country.

Democracy Docket@democracydocket.com · 2mo ago

NEW: Republicans are reviving their effort to push the SAVE America Act through the Senate by tying it to yet another budget reconciliation process. But some GOP lawmakers are threatening to vote against Trump's so-called "No. 1 priority," making its passage far from guaranteed.

What the hell is wrong with Republicans that they want to destroy food safety in this country!!!

CBS News@cbsnews.com · last yr.

The FDA is drawing up plans that would end most of its routine food safety inspections work, multiple federal health officials tell CBS News, and effectively outsource this oversight to state and local authorities. https://cbsn.ws/3Y5MkHF

"an encounter" Orwell would vomit.

Miami Herald@miamiherald.com · 2mo ago

NEW: A 28-year-old man died Tuesday morning following an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents in St. Augustine, marking the third death involving ICE in a week.

@yabraham.bsky.social Good morning Savin Hill

‘Misuse’ of crowd control weapons on ICE protesters led to blindings and traumatic brain injuries, report finds www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

‘Misuse’ of crowd control weapons on ICE protesters led to blindings and traumatic brain injuries, report finds

Doctors and human rights experts documented hundreds of incidents from June 2025 through May 2026 and estimate true number is ‘far greater’

theguardian.com

Friends! This is what I most want to say. The Declaration did not invent the idea of equality. The nation is ours, we cannot afford not to improve it. Make this anniversary mean something, for the future.

Since Trump wants the big issue in the midterms to be "communism," I'm reupping this thread about how Trump and the Republicans want to rule like Stalin and the Soviets.

Mark Jacob@markjacob.bsky.social · last yr.

How Trumpism is like Stalinism. A thread. 🧵🧵🧵 Many people make valid comparisons of Trumpism to Nazism. But I think MAGA authoritarianism bears more similarities to Joseph Stalin's Soviet Union – ruthless, paranoid, dishonest and determined to climb into every aspect of the lives of his people.

👇🎯 Don’t. Print. Lies. In. The. Newspapers. Flagrant violations of the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause are not something that “defies long-held tradition.” They are flagrant violations of the Constitution. What is journalism, anyway?

Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis@jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 2mo ago

"Unrivaled moneymaking run." No, #BrokenTimes, it is unprecedented CORRUPTION. Use the word. If you can't say this, you can't report what is actually happening.