Don Haider-Markel
@dhmarkel.bsky.social
social scientist studying political groups, civil rights, and political extremism/violence (he/his)
Even if the Iran war ends tomorrow, don’t expect relief in gas prices any time soon, James Surowiecki argues:
Get Used to High Gas Prices
Even if the Iran war ends tomorrow, don’t expect relief at the pump any time soon.
bit.ly
Cornyn lost his primary. Tillis is walking. Neither has a donor, a term, or a future to protect. Both caved before lunch Monday. www.JackHopkinsNow.com
Seems that cruelty is the point...Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops’ Fate. The Pentagon is relying on closed-door hearings to kick out transgender service members. An Army Reserve lawyer is one of the few who have seen how they really work. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops’ Fate
The Pentagon is relying on closed-door hearings to kick out transgender service members. An Army Reserve lawyer is one of the few who have seen how they really work.
nytimes.com
Attack on Pakistani Police Station Fuels Fear of Terrorism Surge. The authorities said the suicide bombing, which killed at least 14 people in the Swat Valley. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/w...
Pakistan Police Station Bombing Kills at Least 14
The authorities said the suicide bombing, which killed at least 14 people in the Swat Valley. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility.
nytimes.com
Can't think of a thing that will radicalize a generation faster than "you've gotta let that old man in the corner over there see what's inside those pants before you play Kindergarten volleyball."
Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 2d agoAn initiative on the ballot in Washington state in November would require all athletes seeking to play girl's sports from kindergarten to high school to undergo "genetic screening, a testosterone-levels test, or an examination of their reproductive anatomy" before they can play
BREAKING: Todd Blanche has released what he calls a rescission of the slush fund (left). The last lawsuit he mentions is mine (Gill v DOJ). This doesn't change the fact that the "settlement" setting up the fund is still in effect. On the right, Blanche is LEAVING IN PLACE Trump's tax immunity.
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c...
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts
The president decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.
nytimes.com
"A president without a moral compass and advisers whose true north is the extreme right, helming a government with unparalleled legal, technological and financial resources, can implement...political repression that Joe McCarthy...could not have dreamt of," writes @judith-levine.bsky.social.
McCarthyism has returned to the United States – and this time it’s even more dangerous | Judith Levine
Trump’s campaign of repression echoes the red scare. But now the government has bigger ambitions and more powerful tools
theguardian.com
G.O.P. Kills Bid to Expand I.V.F. Access in the Military. In a notable shift, Republican senators voted unanimously against a proposal to expand the military’s coverage of fertility treatments www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
G.O.P. Kills Bid to Expand I.V.F. Access in the Military
In a notable shift, Republican senators voted unanimously against a proposal to expand the military’s coverage of fertility treatments.
nytimes.com
🚨 BREAKING: The DOJ is moving to dismiss the indictment against David Hearn in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool case and is admitting the damage was the result of a flawed, botched installation job, not vandalism.
DOJ Seeks to Dismiss Charges Against Olympian It Indicted for "Vandalizing" the Lincoln Memorial.
meidasnews.com
Also 5-7 million people have lost health care…. USAID getting dodged killed kids… our bombs are dropping on kids in Gaza and Iran and Lebanon… and on and on… the worst kind of gaslighting
@whitehouse-47.bsky.social The United States of America is NOT supposed to engage in this. A RECKONING WILL HAPPEN IN NOVEMBER.
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a state department presentation at a global conference www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
A ‘Zombie Court’ for Terror Cases Awakens. Dormant for 30 years, a little-known tribunal is hearing its first case. Part of the 1996 Anti-terrorism and Death Penalty Act following the 1995 OKC bombing www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...
A ‘Zombie Court’ for Terror Cases Awakens
Dormant for 30 years, a little-known tribunal is hearing its first case.
nytimes.com
Christian nationalism isn't just a worldview — it's an emerging identity. In POQ, Walker et al. find that various definitions of Christian nationalism can influence respondents' self-categorization. Read now: doi.org/10.1093/poq/...
ProPublica obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing. From the archives:
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
propublica.org
MY LATEST: After a string of humiliating defeats in court, the DOJ asked the Supreme Court in an emergency appeal to let it seize control of mail voting ahead of the midterms. This case will be considered on the so-called shadow docket. newsletters.democracydocket.com/democracy-is...
Democracy is on the Supreme Court's shadow docket
newsletters.democracydocket.com
Beyond voter ID or even trying to reduce the number of people who vote, the SAVE ACT is "part of the administration’s larger drive to make government interactions as frustrating, time-consuming, and clunky as possible." NEW from @jilldlawrence.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4wuZpJP
NEW: ProPublica reviewed hundreds of cases in which judges criticized the actions of Justice Department lawyers. We found judges nominated by both parties who are frustrated that they can no longer take the government at its word.
Federal Judges Chastise Trump’s Justice Department for “Unlawful,” “Unethical” and “Unseemly” Conduct
ProPublica reviewed hundreds of cases in which judges criticized the actions of federal prosecutors. In many, judges expressed frustration that they can no longer take the government at its word.
propublica.org
🚨BREAKING: In a voting rights victory, the Kansas Court of Appeals Monday rejected Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s (R) emergency bid to reinstate a rule that could have thrown out lawfully cast mail ballots. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Kansas court rejects last-minute GOP bid to toss late-arriving mail ballots
The ruling keeps Kansas’ mail ballot grace period in place for the August primary. That means voters’ ballots can still count if they are postmarked by Election Day but received up to three days after...
democracydocket.com