Nicholas Grossman
International Relations prof at U. Illinois. Editor of Arc Digital. Author “Drones and Terrorism.” Politics, national security, and occasional nerdery.
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- "except in extraordinary and unusual circumstances" is a big enough loophole for a family of elephants to walk through. www.huffpost.com/entry/democr...
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- After a lengthy appeals process and productive discussion with the Blue Sky safety team I will no loinger be sending George Thorogood lyrics to beautiful women on here via DM. Thank you all
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- The latest on Gabbard as fringe conspiracy drives her voting investigation: “The sources said the goal was to work with the FBI to investigate claims that Venezuela had hacked voting machines in Puerto Rico.”
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- Since people are worried about this: I analyze the use of small drone tech in both peace and conflict for a living. I believe there is simply very little strategic reason for US law enforcement to use kamikaze FPV drones (like those in Ukraine or Gaza) for internal purposes at this time.
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- After Trump tells NBC News he could maybe use a "softer touch" on immigration, we immediately get the "different tone" narrative from CNN. Brianna Keilar: "A change of tone for the president. Softer touch." David Chalian: "He acknowledged learning something that this requires a softer touch."
- This is how Sen. Ron Wyden clues the public into activity that he finds extremely alarming. He does a press release about a letter he sent to the director of the CIA that basically says, 'I want to make sure you saw the classified letter I sent early today.' www.wyden.senate.gov/imo/media/do...
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- I think some people may have thought i was exaggerating the extremely gendered maga perceptions of liberal weakness. I offer this as a rebuttal. bsky.app/profile/radl...
- These vulgar gestures of power invite defiance. No one wants to be your fucking slaves. All you are doing is hardening your opposition.
- Let’s think through how ICE/BP thugs doing voter intimidation could possibly swing the midterms. Have to pick close races, pick the right precincts, not inspire backlash, and do all that in enough places to overcome a likely national wave. They’ll try, it’s wrong, but I second the anti-doomerism.
- I’ve been getting tired of the drumbeat of warnings without any analysis to what is feasible and what are our countermeasures. All it does is scare the shit out of me and a lot of other pro-democracy folks. Yes, we should be concerned but what are our real vulnerabilities and what do we do?
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- Why? What would sending ICE into Black neighborhoods that vote +90 Dem already do? Do you mean Hispanic neighborhoods? Perhaps--but that only works if there are vulnerable seats there. How many at-risk seats are in urban Hispanic-majority neighborhoods?
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- My point here is that knee-jerk doomerism rests on not doing the actual analysis that needs to be done. Might there be vulnerable-R seats with heavy Hispanic representation where targeted polling station patrols are likely to suppress D more than R? Maybe! But can't just assert the doom.
- "We are now in a system of competitive authoritarianism. And it’s just about whether we manage to take our democracy back from that." On the pod, @ryanenos.bsky.social is so good on Harvard pulling back from surrender to Trump, and on need for institutions to fight: newrepublic.com/article/2061...
- Seeing reports that US-Iran talks are collapsing before they’ve started. Lots of focus on format but core issue is lack of clarity about what talks are about. Just like lack of clarity about goal of military strikes. And the stakes are much higher after the mass killing of protesters.
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- not saying he's necessarily in the organization, but this skull face mask was popular among members of the Proud Boys a few years ago
- they don't have enough guys, and if the response in Minnesota shows anything it is that trying something like this is going to drive a much larger backlash than anything they hope to gain out of it "oh well I guess we'll just stay home" is not how this is going to go
- 🚨BREAKING: Steve Bannon said Tuesday that the federal government is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to patrol polling stations during this year’s midterm elections. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
- there's a lot of people who mock liberals with "what are you going to do, vote harder" and yes actually that is exactly what will happen if you try to intimidate people outside voting places like this! that's how you drive presidential-level turnout from normie libs in a midterm
- yes this is exactly what's going to happen, they're going to yell WE'RE SENDING ICE and then there's going to be high profile video of them pulling someone out of line at an early voting location and half the country is going to go fuck YOU you can't tell ME I can't vote
- Most of the footage you see from ICE observers in Minnesota comes from the core cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I talked to observers in the northern suburbs, who say they're taking on the same mission in very different conditions. (1) share.google/ei9giIFLsuEJ...
- Suburban observers say ICE has only been more aggressive since Homan: “I think they’re getting angry that we’re winning and the country is rallying around us. We’re so organized and we act with such integrity. They don’t want to admit they feel threatened by us.” share.google/ei9giIFLsuEJ...
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- ICE watch has been life-changing: “I feel like our whole lives as Minnesotans...it’s always kind of like, ‘Don’t even start that kind of thing because you have to live around these people. I feel that’s gone in me personally — I don’t even care if I ruffle feathers.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
- The suburban observers, heavily women, say they share a personality type. “Many of us have encountered bullies our entire lives...I think that turns you into somebody that, even if that bully is wearing full tactical gear, I'm not interested in laying down for you.” www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
