Robert Richards
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rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards
@rrichard09.bsky.social
3K followers 8.4K following 490 posts

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions.
https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Videos
Political science 19%
Environmental science 17%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Robert C. Richards

pollsandvotes.bsky.social
Charles Franklin @pollsandvotes.bsky.social · 1h
Attention to news in 2025. What we noticed and what we ignored.

open.substack.com/pub/charlesa...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

bobbyallyn.bsky.social
Bobby Allyn @bobbyallyn.bsky.social · 1h
The Trump administration is rolling out the red carpet for once-besieged prediction apps like Polymarket and Kalshi, with millions pouring into bets on the midterms. The companies wave away concerns about foreign influence and partisan meddling www.npr.org/2025/12/23/n...
Election betting on prediction markets apps is set to boom ahead of midterms
Online prediction markets, like Polymarket and Kalshi, were under intense scrutiny in the Biden administration. But Trump officials are embracing the controversial apps, raising new fears about electi...
www.npr.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

andykimnj.bsky.social
andykimnj.bsky.social @andykimnj.bsky.social · 1h
Our last Next Generation Training brought together 100 people from across the state to start building a new era of politics in New Jersey. Hear from some of them about what they learned and why they're choosing to step up. Sign up for our next training in South Jersey: www.andykim.com/nextgenleaders

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

governorferguson.bsky.social
Gov. Bob Ferguson @governorferguson.bsky.social · 3h
Grateful for the work of National Guard service members to patrol the stressed levee system in King County through the holidays.

We have eyes on the levees 24/7 to keep our communities safe.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

maris.bsky.social
Maris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 5h
I wrote about the publishing industry’s complicity in spreading misinformation in an essay in my book. It was excerpted here. lithub.com/a-series-of-...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5h
President Trump promised radical change this term. Here’s how his first year back in office compared with his campaign pledges.
Trump’s Second-Term Promises: What He’s Done So Far on Immigration, Trade, DEI and More
President Trump has driven illegal crossings at the border to record lows, helped bring about an uneasy cease-fire in Gaza and upended the global trading system.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert C. Richards, Clark Gray

valmuellerasu.bsky.social
Valerie Mueller @valmuellerasu.bsky.social · 5h
Our new paper projects the costs of sea level rise from increased U.S. mortality risk among the elderly w/ and w/out adaptation: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Projections of future mortality risk in older adults from high-tide flooding in coastal areas of the USA: an economic modelling study
The cost of premature mortality in older adults is greater in magnitude than other modelled effects of climate-induced high-tide flooding (eg, value of lost time due to traffic delays). Results sugges...
www.thelancet.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

democracymichelle.bsky.social
Michelle likes democracy. @democracymichelle.bsky.social · 5h
Born here.
Maryland woman moved to ICE detention facility in Texas as lawyer seeks to prove U.S. citizenship
A 22-year-old woman is now being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Texas, after initially being held in Louisiana.
www.cbsnews.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Kate Starbird, David Darmofal

taniel.bsky.social
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 6h
Until Trump began conspiracies about mail voting, Republicans were fully on board with GRACE PERIODS for ballots to arrive as long as postmarked by Election Day. They passed it overwhelmingly in KS, OH, & elsewhere.

But now Trump hates it.

So 4 red states—KS, OH, ND, UT—all banned it this year.
Ohio Bans Grace Periods for Mail Ballots, Fulfilling Trump’s Wishes - Bolts
Ohio is the fourth GOP-run state this year to ban ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive after. A Supreme Court case could force that policy nationwide next year.
boltsmag.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

laurenunderwood.bsky.social
Lauren Underwood @laurenunderwood.bsky.social · 6h
Joining millions of Americans from across the country in protesting the Trump Administration’s abuse of power was so affirming -- we CAN protect our democracy. Together, our voices are impossible to ignore.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

unlawfulentries.bsky.social
Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 7h
Still in my pajamas and reading these two cookbooks like novels.
Cover of two cookbooks: Gullah Geechee Home Cooking by Emily Meggett and Between Harlem and Heaven by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

memeorandum.com
memeorandum @memeorandum.com · 8h
Justice Department Says Filming Immigration Raids Is 'Domestic Terrorism' (Autumn Billings/Reason)

Main Link | memeorandum Permalink

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Robert C. Richards, Scott A. Imberman , and 2 more

crampell.bsky.social
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 8h
Actual 2025 tariff rates are, to date, far less than statutory rates, but the costs of the tariffs are mostly borne by the US – estimated tariff pass-through to US prices in 2025 is 94%. Tariffs on imports act like a 1 to 2pp tax on US manufacturing. brentneiman.com/research/GN2...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

kidadaewilliams.com
KEW @kidadaewilliams.com · 9h
The African American Museum in Dallas will open a new exhibition, “Sunday Call to Church,” celebrating the work of self-taught Louisiana painter Clementine Hunter, who depicted worship, work, and community on a former plantation in her work. www.keranews.org/arts-culture...
Experience memories of plantation-born painter in new African American Museum exhibition
The African American Museum Dallas is opening “Sunday Call to Church”, an exhibition featuring 22 works by self-taught painter Clementine Hunter. Her colorful scenes of church life, fieldwork and comm...
www.keranews.org

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 10h
Lawfare Public Service Fellow Ariane Tabatabai reflects on what occurred in U.S. foreign policy in 2025 in Lawfare's The Year that Was.

youtu.be/e_kgbelGiMI

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

tkovach.bsky.social
PM2.5 Kills ~9 Million People Worldwide Annually @tkovach.bsky.social · 10h
'Cleveland, through its Home For Every Neighbor program, has housed 188 people since the initiative kicked off in 2024, rapidly housing those on the street by clearing hurdles to traditional housing. Thirty have “graduated” from the program...including five who’ve secured permanent housing vouchers'
HUD Policy Shift Presents Obstacles for Cleveland's Housing-First Program, Likely Cuts to County's EDEN Network - Cleveland Scene
Local leaders have prioritized permanent housing for the region's homeless. But new HUD policy emphasizes transitional housing, with significant funding cuts likely coming to EDEN and Home for Every N...
www.clevescene.com

Reposted by Mark Bray, Robert C. Richards, James M. Thomas

mskellymhayes.bsky.social
Puff the Magic Hater @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 15h
What gave you courage in 2025?

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green , and 1 more

cnn.com
CNN @cnn.com · 19h
A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the villagers of Jabo in northwest Nigeria are in a state of shock and confusion.
Fear and confusion in Nigerian village hit in US strike, as locals say no history of ISIS in area | CNN
A day after part of a missile fired by the United States hit their village, landing just meters from its only medical facility, the villagers of Jabo in northwest Nigeria are in a state of shock and c...
www.cnn.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, David Darmofal

bachynski.bsky.social
Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 19h
"I don't have an additional $900 lying around…”

Millions of middle-class Americans who have ACA health plans are facing soaring premiums in 2026 — and tough coverage choices after the new rates kick in Jan. 1. And it often falls to women to figure out a family's insurance puzzle.”
As insurance prices rise, women puzzle through coverage options for their families
Figuring out the insurance options for families often falls to women. Some say they're delaying marriage, taking side jobs, and putting their kids on Medicaid as premium prices shoot up in 2026.
www.npr.org

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Robert C. Richards

georgetakei.bsky.social
George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 20h
My family and I, and the entire Japanese American community on the West Coast, were denied due process during our internment in WWII. It is a cherished, critical right for all people within the U.S.’s borders.
Screenshot of a tweet by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick criticizing a government official’s claim that due process should be ignored in immigration enforcement. The tweet argues that due process applies to everyone and is enshrined twice in the U.S. Constitution. Below it is a quoted tweet referencing a statement attributed to Stephen Miller about deportations, alongside a video still of a man speaking at a podium outdoors.

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Gordon Pennycook, Brendan Nyhan , and 1 more

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 21h
Good article, but I think we could add that many of the current government officials & influencers spreading political point-scoring falsehoods during crisis events HAVE BECOME gov officials & influencers BECAUSE of their bullshit-spreading talents. System effects of rotten attention dynamics.
Government Officials Once Stopped False Accusations After Violence. Now, Some Join In.
www.nytimes.com

rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 22h
This is what I see now on frontpage of Web version in the U.S.:
Front page of FT

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

replamonica.bsky.social
Rep. LaMonica McIver @replamonica.bsky.social · 1d
In 2025, my team and I held more than 50 mobile office hours across our district to bring the services you need most directly to you.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Bessma Momani

busbyj2.bsky.social
Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 1d
Delighted to have consulted on this story. The Trump administration recognizes importance of batteries for drones & AI but is biased against EVs which is biggest source of demand for batteries. Can the US have a vibrant battery sector w/o robust production of EVs? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/c...
The Pentagon and A.I. Giants Have a Weakness. Both Need China’s Batteries, Badly.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

areidross.bsky.social
Chiliagon Imaginer @areidross.bsky.social · 1d
truly harrowing stuff
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The US military said in its initial assessment that "multiple" Isis members had been killed in the strikes on extremist "camps". However, residents of Jabo professed surprise at the strikes, saying the bombs had landed in empty fields, causing no casualties, and that Jabo had been relatively shielded from violence. The last attack by militants had occurred two years ago, they said. Video footage on Nigerian television showed pieces of burnt metal in what looked like farmland. One man told Arise News, a local television station: "Glory be to God, there was no loss of life."

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Robert C. Richards

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d
This appears to be part of a broader effort to import arguments about who was draftable into questions of citizenship, loyalty, and allegiance, such as this piece a few weeks ago from Amy Swearer at Heritage. jlcgtamu.com/wp-content/u...
jlcgtamu.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

maris.bsky.social
Maris Kreizman @maris.bsky.social · 1d
This is the apotheosis of masculinity, actually.
Josh walking our 17 year-old pug Bizzy (RIP) in a stroller.

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

lawfaremedia.org
Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 1d
The first lecture in @lkatfield.bsky.social's Lawfare Lecture series "The Making of the MAGA New Right" is now available to watch.

Dr. Field discussed her new book, explained the intellectual movement that has emerged around Trumpism, and took audience questions.

youtu.be/tW7TOt3Yw2E
Lawfare Lecture: The Making of the MAGA New Right with Dr. Laura Field, Lecture 1
YouTube video by Lawfare
youtu.be

Reposted by Trevon D. Logan, Robert C. Richards

weedenkim.bsky.social
Kim Weeden @weedenkim.bsky.social · 1d
More generally, the right favors competition, but only if (a) the pool of competitors is restricted to the favored group; and (b) the favored group gets to define the criteria for "merit."

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rosemary A. Joyce, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d
I see this on the right - the idea that the existence of foreign academic staff and faculty are evidence of discrimination against natives. It's not discrimination, its selection: academia is a global marketplace, the US is the biggest center of that market. So yes, some foreign talent will win.
mclem.org Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
Striking nativist editorializing by the federal judge who just upheld the $100,000 tax on high-skill immigrants.

She opines that it’s “troubling” that universities hire talent from abroad at all, instead of only native grads.

Then admits (!) that opinion is irrelevant (So why write it? Venting?)
“For instance, nine of AAU’s members submitted declarations on behalf of their universities disclosing that they employed, in total, approximately 4,500 H-1B employees, including as faculty and in research positions, see ECF Nos. 18-8 to 18-16—raising puzzling questions about why these same academic institutions are not producing sufficient numbers of adequately skilled American faculty and researchers—or whether other factors are at play—but those questions range far beyond the purview of the current case to answer.”