Howard French
@hofrench.bsky.social
Author of the newly released, The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide, and previously of Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World. See: https://about.me/howardwfrench.com
The Inherited Platform (Nepotus lecturus) HABITAT: Fourth-generation family-owned newspaper editorial board. CALL: “I once met [NAME OF A SCOTUS NOMINEE] at a fancy cocktail party, and he is perfectly lovely and rational. No need to be hysterical about your rights, ladies.”
A Field Guide to Legacy Media Pundits in the United States
The Family Values Pundit (Divorcio moralisticus) HABITAT: New York Times bestseller list and a weekly column. DISTINCTIVE CALL: “As a man with a deeply unhap...
buff.ly
They're truly going the supermarket checkout line route over at the Post. More from their unbeatably urgent front page:
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 2d agoAnd here's today's yield of probing front page journalism by the Washington Post.
I hiked here in June. What a lie. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/c...
Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Bears Ears National Monument
President Trump said recreation in Bears Ears National Monument was virtually impossible. Documents reviewed by The New York Times show officials knew otherwise.
nytimes.com
And here's today's yield of probing front page journalism by the Washington Post.
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 3d agoThe Washington Post's front page today, and if you're wondering, it's like this every day now.
The Washington Post's front page today, and if you're wondering, it's like this every day now.
This is grotesque. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee
Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transform...
nytimes.com
Ceuta, whatever you might be led to think, is in Africa and is part of Morocco. www.wsj.com/opinion/ceut...
Opinion | The Moroccans Invade Spain
Scenes of chaos in Ceuta won’t open the door to more migration.
wsj.com
They throw around the term Third World like an epithet, but this sort of behavior would make Ferdinand Marcos and Mobutu Sese Seko blush.
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 4d agoIt starts with a "C". My column. foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/31/t...
For sale: early access to Trump's Truth Social posts
The president's media company is offering investors early access to his Truth Social feed for up to $100,000 a month. Experts say the service may violate insider trading laws.
npr.org
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 4d agoIt starts with a "C". My column. foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/31/t...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump says he will ‘push hard’ for payout fund, keep Blanche as acting AG
The president blamed two GOP senators for resisting Todd Blanche, his pick to run the Justice Department, suggesting he would resurrect his controversial “anti-weaponization” fund in response.
washingtonpost.com
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 4d agoIt starts with a "C". My column. foreignpolicy.com/2026/07/31/t...
Went to hear the Cyrus Chestnut trio last night, and all I can tell you is go see live jazz in small settings wherever and wherever you can. There is nothing like it.
Feasting on crow. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
Charges to Be Dropped Against Ex-Olympian David Hearn Accused of Damaging Reflecting Pool
President Trump had repeatedly accused vandals of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. On Friday, federal prosecutors acknowledged it was “the result of flawed installation.”
nytimes.com
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Airports, nursing homes and schools brace for disruption without Haitian workers
The Trump administration and courts are at odds over whether 350,000 Haitians have officially lost humanitarian protections, but employers are already letting workers go.
washingtonpost.com
I was interested earlier this year to learn about Evanston's reparations program, which seems like an interesting example and potential model. www.rsfjournal.org/content/10/3...
The Politics of Expedience: Evanston, Illinois, and the Fight for Reparations | RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
rsfjournal.org
Howard French@hofrench.bsky.social · 6d agoBorn in Blackness. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/n...
Born in Blackness. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/n...
Mamdani Leaves Door Open to Paying Reparations to Black New Yorkers
The mayor said in recent interviews that it was important to acknowledge the city’s role in slavery but that he could not commit to payouts before his racial equity commission completes its report.
nytimes.com
Don't search too hard, but there's a powerful metaphor buried in here somewhere. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
State department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Brazil
theguardian.com
Proud and delighted to have my latest book, The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide amid so many strong titles here: quillandquire.com/omni/15-book...
15 books longlisted for 2026 Cundill History Prize - Quill and Quire
University of Toronto professor Eric T. Jennings is among the 15 authors on the longlist.
quillandquire.com
Very excited to see "The Party's Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping" longlisted for the Cundhill Prize. Congrats to @hofrench.bsky.social Jonathan Cheng and all the others! quillandquire.com/omni/15-book...
15 books longlisted for 2026 Cundill History Prize - Quill and Quire
University of Toronto professor Eric T. Jennings is among the 15 authors on the longlist.
quillandquire.com