Jim Ludes
@jimludes.bsky.social
VP at Salve Regina University; Exec. Dir. at Pell Center, Host and Executive Producer: “Story in the Public Square" on public television and SiriusXM POTUS. Host and Producer: Active Measures Newsletter & Podcast. Pro-Democracy. He/Him. Opinions my own.
A big thank you to @jimludes.bsky.social and Mark Jacobson for having us on The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast to discuss our research! omny.fm/shows/active...
What Really Scares Authoritarians with Scott Fisher and Graig Klein - The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast
Authoritarian regimes from Moscow to Beijing fear losing control of their own information eco-systems—more than military exercises, more than economic sanctions, and more than diplomatic isolation. T...
omny.fm
My theory: there is always latent probability of accountability for speech acts. The danger is that it may default to vigilantism. I discuss this with @jimludes.bsky.social in a recent podcast, citing a recent event that followed a Nick Fuentes tweet: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_cG...
Prof Jagolinzer theorizes that speech is never costless. There's always latent accountability.
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
youtube.com
Speech is not costless. There's always some latent probability of accountability. One risk is the potential for vigilantism. My discussion with @jimludes.bsky.social on the Active Measures Newsletter podcast. youtu.be/B_cGfpApKTI
Prof Jagolinzer theorizes that speech is never costless. There's always latent accountability.
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
youtu.be
The "Free Speech" debate is too often a "red herring" and an intentionally wrong cognitive framing of the problem, to deflect attention away from corruption. Me: “I'm not here to violate your rights. I'm here to stop your corruption." @jimludes.bsky.social podcast. youtu.be/1p5r1VLEDvg?...
Prof Jagolinzer: "Free Speech" is an intentionally wrong cognitive framework for disinformation
YouTube video by Cambridge Disinformation Summit
youtu.be
However appalled you are by this, it’s not enough. It’s a frank statement that Trump and Trumpists are above the law and need not even plausible excuses to loot your tax dollars. It’s a total failure of our civic institutions.
Scott MacFarlane@macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 5mo agoAnd then there's this: The settlement gets sweeter for Team Trump In a newly-posted, one-page document, the Justice Dept details that it is now prohibited from pursuing tax claims against Trump or his family in the future Signed by Todd Blanche
What holds us together? I joined @jimludes.bsky.social on @oceanstatemedia.bsky.social's "Story in the Public Square" to discuss our findings at Nationhood Lab and the 250 battle over the U.S.'s story. On PBS stations nationwide and here on the interwebs: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7Nr...
April 13, 2026: Colin Woodard
YouTube video by The Pell Center
youtube.com
The criminals confess, and moments later they’re right back on the street. Very weak policing.
Jen Taub@jentaub.bsky.social · 6mo agoWhat an embarrassing loser
Pro-Tip: Be skeptical of apparently "Democrat" controlled accounts that are sharing Iranian propaganda videos. First, it's foreign malign influence. Second, this is a transparent effort to undermine the credibility of Democrats overall. Just stop.
If Trump does give an order to attack civilian targets that have no military value as a means of collectively punishing the Iranian people - and make good his threat to begin a genocide - Marco Rubio should resign and the military must refuse the order. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Did Trump Just Threaten to Use Nuclear Weapons in Iran?
If such an order comes to pass, the military can and must refuse.
theatlantic.com
An American president should not threaten genocide. Ever. It is not a signal of strength, it is a sign of his weakness. I shouldn’t have to say it. You shouldn’t have to read it. And our children should never have to fear it. My latest on Substack:
The President Threatened Genocide. That is Not Okay.
American presidents aren’t supposed to threaten genocide.
open.substack.com
So strange that the White House thought a COVID style press conference would help . . . .
This week on the Active Measures Newsletter Podcast, AP News Verification Reporter @melissagoldin.bsky.social joins @drmarkjacobson.bsky.social and me to talk about the work she does, the methodology she employs, & a bit about the #disinformation coming out of the Iran War. omny.fm/shows/active...
"Well, Actually. . . ." News Verification with the AP's Melissa Goldin - The Active Measures Newsletter Podcast
Malinformation is a feature of modern life we all deal with, whether it’s a claim by an American politician, something we confront on social media, or a covert campaign waged by a foreign government. ...
omny.fm
I was privileged to meet this humble and gentle giant. May he rest in peace. apnews.com/article/bern...
Bernard LaFayette, Selma voting rights organizer, dies at 85
Voting rights organizer Bernard LaFayette has died. LaFayette's son says his father died Thursday morning of a heart attack. He was 85.
apnews.com
#WATCH: After the United States and Israel launched strikes in Iran over the weekend, many are asking: Why Iran, and why now? @jimludes.bsky.social, executive director of Salve Regina's @pellcenter.bsky.social, joined 12 News at 4 to discuss the ongoing war.
Community Focus: Salve Regina Pell Center’s Jim Ludes on war in Iran
Jim Ludes, executive director of the Pell Center at Salve Regina University, joined 12 News at 4 Tuesday to discuss the ongoing war in Iran.
wpri.com
When did the #corruption become so publicly normalized? This mention shows that the business community understands that in order to do business with the U.S. Government, now, you need to have investment that benefits the Trump family. Source: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Can we all just agree that a real diplomat—hell, anyone not an idiot—doesn’t ask publicly why your negotiating partner hasn’t “capitulated” when you’re in the middle of a negotiation?
Grateful to @fitzprov.bsky.social for having me on the Boston Globe's Rhode Island Podcast. We had a great conversation about the changes President Trump is making in American foreign policy. Read the article and listen to the podcast at this gift link: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/19/m...
Trump is undercutting world order launched after WWII, history professor says - The Boston Globe
On the Rhode Island Report podcast, Salve Regina University professor Jim Ludes talks about US foreign policy on Greenland, Venezuela, and Canada.
bostonglobe.com
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
🎙️ Jyri and I joined @jimludes.bsky.social and Mark R. Jacobson on their excellent Active Measures Newsletter Podcast to discuss our recent article on Russia's strategic use of migrants. I also recommend their newsletter, where you can find links to our article and our Moscow Times opinion piece.
Migrant Warfare with Karen-Anna Eggen & Jyri Lavikainen
open.spotify.com
Putin will forever trade lives in Ukraine for time as long as the strategic direction from Washington remains as it is right now. Time is on Putin’s side.
Why do the American people have to pay more for stuff because the rest of the world rejects Trump’s demands that we redraw sovereign borders? www.nytimes.com/2026/01/17/u...
Trump Announces New European Tariffs in Greenland Standoff; Allies Outraged
nytimes.com
I’m not okay with seizing oil from Venezuela. I’m not okay with threats to annex Greenland. I’m not okay with a president who thinks he is—and acts like—a king. I’m not okay.
So to sum up: After 20 years of failed nation building, a 34x convicted felon who tried to overturn an election to stay in power, seizes another country’s president and declares on his own imperial authority that we are going to run a country and take its oil.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10mo agoTrump on Venezuela: "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition"
When the Trump administration cut off food aid to one of the world’s largest refugee camps, it left hundreds of thousands of people to starve. This is the story of one mother’s daily battle to keep her three young sons alive. By Brett Murphy and @annamaria.bsky.social, photos by Brian Otieno
The Summer of Starvation: Amid Trump’s Foreign Aid Cuts, a Mother Struggles to Keep Her Sons Alive
After the Trump administration cut off food from the third-largest refugee camp in the world, thousands of families faced impossible choices as their children starved.
propublica.org
