Bob
@bobherc.bsky.social
War Studies at KCL alum.
Cyber, Maritime, CNI Defense.
Journalism, Film, Music.
I know a lot about cocktails.
ILoF.
Cyber, Maritime, CNI Defense.
Journalism, Film, Music.
I know a lot about cocktails.
ILoF.
Reposted by Bob
After 9/11, the US invoked Article 5 of the NATO treaty and every NATO member helped to combat terrorism.
Some of our closest allies, like Denmark, went even further, voluntarily sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of US-led wars there.
Today, Trump is threatening to attack Denmark.
Some of our closest allies, like Denmark, went even further, voluntarily sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of US-led wars there.
Today, Trump is threatening to attack Denmark.
January 4, 2026 at 10:46 PM
After 9/11, the US invoked Article 5 of the NATO treaty and every NATO member helped to combat terrorism.
Some of our closest allies, like Denmark, went even further, voluntarily sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of US-led wars there.
Today, Trump is threatening to attack Denmark.
Some of our closest allies, like Denmark, went even further, voluntarily sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq in support of US-led wars there.
Today, Trump is threatening to attack Denmark.
Reposted by Bob
Marvellous column by @edwardluce.bsky.social on Trump’s new world order: “no obvious rules, does not respect allies, celebrates the jungle and is almost always about money”:
Trump now owns Venezuela
The US president has a growing appetite for military adventure
www.ft.com
January 4, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Marvellous column by @edwardluce.bsky.social on Trump’s new world order: “no obvious rules, does not respect allies, celebrates the jungle and is almost always about money”:
Reposted by Bob
They're not in a SCIF but it doesn't matter because they're just looking at Twitter
They’ve got Twitter up on the big screens in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago makeshift “situation room.”
Photos from Trump’s Truth Social account.
Photos from Trump’s Truth Social account.
January 3, 2026 at 8:29 PM
They're not in a SCIF but it doesn't matter because they're just looking at Twitter
Reposted by Bob
It's our fourth anniversary at Comment is Freed today and we have a special offer to celebrate.
25% off for your first year.
We don't do these often so if you've been thinking of signing up now is the time
samf.substack.com/p/fourth-ann...
25% off for your first year.
We don't do these often so if you've been thinking of signing up now is the time
samf.substack.com/p/fourth-ann...
Fourth Anniversary Offer: get 25% off for your first year
Plus what we'll be writing about in 2026
samf.substack.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:51 AM
It's our fourth anniversary at Comment is Freed today and we have a special offer to celebrate.
25% off for your first year.
We don't do these often so if you've been thinking of signing up now is the time
samf.substack.com/p/fourth-ann...
25% off for your first year.
We don't do these often so if you've been thinking of signing up now is the time
samf.substack.com/p/fourth-ann...
Reposted by Bob
fwiw it’s been about six weeks since Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras who had been convicted of trafficking drugs into the US
January 3, 2026 at 10:47 AM
fwiw it’s been about six weeks since Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras who had been convicted of trafficking drugs into the US
Reposted by Bob
A military takeover in Guinea-Bissau and an attempted coup in Benin are the latest tests for ECOWAS. But the Sahel security crisis remains the greater challenge.
www.chathamhouse.org
January 3, 2026 at 11:00 AM
A military takeover in Guinea-Bissau and an attempted coup in Benin are the latest tests for ECOWAS. But the Sahel security crisis remains the greater challenge.
Reposted by Bob
Kinda like what we did to the Iraqi National Library when we liberated the country, except this time it's our own National Libraries.
I’ve been wondering for the last year when we’d get to the library destruction phase and here we are. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/c...
NASA’s Largest Library Is Closing Amid Staff and Lab Cuts
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Kinda like what we did to the Iraqi National Library when we liberated the country, except this time it's our own National Libraries.
Reposted by Bob
Guy convicted of felonies for falsifying his business records and then who pardoned many white collar criminals in return for millions of donations says he's sincerely concerned about what now?
This is Trump’s long game.
We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue - but this has been his plan all along.
He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/hhs...
We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue - but this has been his plan all along.
He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/hhs...
HHS freezes all child care payments to Minnesota after viral fraud allegations
The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday it has frozen federal child care funding for the state of Minnesota, citing viral fraud allegations.
www.cbsnews.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Guy convicted of felonies for falsifying his business records and then who pardoned many white collar criminals in return for millions of donations says he's sincerely concerned about what now?
Free to Read article:
“There’s a rising tide of inchoate rage. The idea that Keir Starmer is worse than Boris Johnson or Liz Truss is nuts. Something is going on with the electorate.”
as.ft.com/r/2a631a8e-a...
as.ft.com/r/2a631a8e-a...
‘There’s a real dislike, even loathing’: why voters hate Starmer and Reeves
[FREE TO READ] Allies concede the prime minister and chancellor have made mistakes yet the level of disdain towards them is still striking
as.ft.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Free to Read article:
Reposted by Bob
On the last day of the year, another cable damaged in the Gulf of Finland.
The Finnish Border Guard reports that a ship has been taken into custody.
The incident is not good news. The Finnish response is.
We've not seen the last of these suspicious cable cuts.
The Finnish Border Guard reports that a ship has been taken into custody.
The incident is not good news. The Finnish response is.
We've not seen the last of these suspicious cable cuts.
December 31, 2025 at 11:56 AM
On the last day of the year, another cable damaged in the Gulf of Finland.
The Finnish Border Guard reports that a ship has been taken into custody.
The incident is not good news. The Finnish response is.
We've not seen the last of these suspicious cable cuts.
The Finnish Border Guard reports that a ship has been taken into custody.
The incident is not good news. The Finnish response is.
We've not seen the last of these suspicious cable cuts.
Reposted by Bob
Most read on Tech Policy Press in 2025: "The costs of this brash expansion of data centers for AI are reflected first and foremost in the energy bills of everyday consumers." — Sasha Luccioni and Yacine Jernite.
How Your Utility Bills Are Subsidizing Power-Hungry AI | TechPolicy.Press
The next few years will be pivotal for determining the future of AI and its impact on energy grids worldwide, write Sasha Luccioni and Yacine Jernite.
buff.ly
December 30, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Most read on Tech Policy Press in 2025: "The costs of this brash expansion of data centers for AI are reflected first and foremost in the energy bills of everyday consumers." — Sasha Luccioni and Yacine Jernite.
Reposted by Bob
CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast
www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/p...
Exclusive: CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast | CNN Politics
The CIA carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, marking the first known US attack on a target inside that...
www.cnn.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:53 AM
CIA carried out drone strike on port facility on Venezuelan coast
www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/p...
www.cnn.com/2025/12/29/p...
Reposted by Bob
China is using shell companies and inexperienced crews to import gas from Russia, helping fund Putin’s war in Ukraine. Read more: bloom.bg/4jgC7RX
📷: Satellite images from European Space Agency and Planet Labs
📷: Satellite images from European Space Agency and Planet Labs
December 30, 2025 at 10:25 AM
China is using shell companies and inexperienced crews to import gas from Russia, helping fund Putin’s war in Ukraine. Read more: bloom.bg/4jgC7RX
📷: Satellite images from European Space Agency and Planet Labs
📷: Satellite images from European Space Agency and Planet Labs
Reposted by Bob
Most underrated Biden admin mistake was bailing out Silicon Valley Bank.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
David Sacks, presumably, on the push by some in the tech and VC world to fund a primary challenge to Congressman Khanna.
December 29, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Most underrated Biden admin mistake was bailing out Silicon Valley Bank.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
SVB bet big on low interest rates and lost. Rich tech VCs who put too many eggs in that basket generated a bank run, then called for govt money.
Got their bailout, helped elect Trump, and now reaping rewards from corruption.
Reposted by Bob
China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
China stages record drills designed to encircle Taiwan
China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself an...
www.reuters.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
China launched its most extensive war games around Taiwan on Monday to showcase Beijing's ability to cut off the island from outside support in a conflict, testing Taipei's resolve to defend itself and its arsenal of U.S.-made weapons.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Reposted by Bob
Remember this. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m...
December 29, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Remember this. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m...
Reposted by Bob
"When a nation no longer agrees that rules matter, it becomes very easy to bulldoze right over them. In the absence of rules and process, democracy deteriorates to raw power struggles where winners take all, and the very idea of a shared system begins to fray."
~ Melissa Murray, law professor-MSNOW
~ Melissa Murray, law professor-MSNOW
December 28, 2025 at 9:06 PM
"When a nation no longer agrees that rules matter, it becomes very easy to bulldoze right over them. In the absence of rules and process, democracy deteriorates to raw power struggles where winners take all, and the very idea of a shared system begins to fray."
~ Melissa Murray, law professor-MSNOW
~ Melissa Murray, law professor-MSNOW
Reposted by Bob
So if over 2026 it looks increasingly certain that Democrats take control of the House or Senate than watch out for language from Trump, Vance, Miller et al claiming that mid-terms will be "fixed" and Congress "illegitimate".
That's a path to armed ICE or CBP goons storming Congress.
That's a path to armed ICE or CBP goons storming Congress.
December 29, 2025 at 1:18 PM
So if over 2026 it looks increasingly certain that Democrats take control of the House or Senate than watch out for language from Trump, Vance, Miller et al claiming that mid-terms will be "fixed" and Congress "illegitimate".
That's a path to armed ICE or CBP goons storming Congress.
That's a path to armed ICE or CBP goons storming Congress.
Reposted by Bob
The revocation of citizenship is a fundamental and brutal discretionary power of the state.
One of the more depressing themes in recent judgments is how the courts nod-along and shrug when faced with this brute exercise of fundamental power, rather than subjecting this power to anxious scrutiny.
One of the more depressing themes in recent judgments is how the courts nod-along and shrug when faced with this brute exercise of fundamental power, rather than subjecting this power to anxious scrutiny.
December 29, 2025 at 11:38 AM
The revocation of citizenship is a fundamental and brutal discretionary power of the state.
One of the more depressing themes in recent judgments is how the courts nod-along and shrug when faced with this brute exercise of fundamental power, rather than subjecting this power to anxious scrutiny.
One of the more depressing themes in recent judgments is how the courts nod-along and shrug when faced with this brute exercise of fundamental power, rather than subjecting this power to anxious scrutiny.
Reposted by Bob
Have time at home over the winter period? Listen to the @RISjnl podcast full collection! 🎧
Inc episodes w/ Dahlia Simangan, Thomas Gregory and more fostering conversations about some of the most pressing issues in IR of our time! 🌟
All episodes here 👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2395572/episodes
Inc episodes w/ Dahlia Simangan, Thomas Gregory and more fostering conversations about some of the most pressing issues in IR of our time! 🌟
All episodes here 👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2395572/episodes
December 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Have time at home over the winter period? Listen to the @RISjnl podcast full collection! 🎧
Inc episodes w/ Dahlia Simangan, Thomas Gregory and more fostering conversations about some of the most pressing issues in IR of our time! 🌟
All episodes here 👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2395572/episodes
Inc episodes w/ Dahlia Simangan, Thomas Gregory and more fostering conversations about some of the most pressing issues in IR of our time! 🌟
All episodes here 👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2395572/episodes
Reposted by Bob
we’ve definitely gained things from the digital transition, but we’ve lost so much in the process
Our photographer Alex Kormann captured the exact moment the presses stopped for the last time in Minneapolis, ending a 158 history of locally printed newspapers.
December 28, 2025 at 4:34 PM
we’ve definitely gained things from the digital transition, but we’ve lost so much in the process
Reposted by Bob
The GOP has really leaned in to singling out Somalis for very explicit racism. Ron Johnson and the rest of the party are just loathsome, un-American people.
Ron Johnson: "Understand, Somalis have just been in this country a few years. They're amateurs when it comes to fleecing the federal government."
December 28, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The GOP has really leaned in to singling out Somalis for very explicit racism. Ron Johnson and the rest of the party are just loathsome, un-American people.
Reposted by Bob
This is the world Justice Kavanaugh sanctioned in his foolish & unnecessary concurring opinion to the Court’s order in Noem v Vasquez Perdomo. His hopes of cleaning up that blunder with a plaintive footnote in last week’s concurring opinion in Trump v. Illinois, demonstrates his staggering naïveté.
"'I have my ID!' Mubashir shouted repeatedly, as heard on the video. The agents do not respond."
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...
ICE agents tackle, arrest American citizen in Minneapolis
Federal immigration agents tackled and arrested a Somali American man in Minneapolis on Tuesday and detained him for about two hours for no apparent reason other than his ethnicity.
www.mprnews.org
December 28, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This is the world Justice Kavanaugh sanctioned in his foolish & unnecessary concurring opinion to the Court’s order in Noem v Vasquez Perdomo. His hopes of cleaning up that blunder with a plaintive footnote in last week’s concurring opinion in Trump v. Illinois, demonstrates his staggering naïveté.
Reposted by Bob
It’s crazy to me there’s not been *one* decent intervention by a senior politician on AI, what it’s for, should be about and our society. Unless I missed it? It’s just people saying ‘productivity’ and ‘jobs’ with literally no thought, thinking or ideas. But then I suppose same on everything.
December 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
It’s crazy to me there’s not been *one* decent intervention by a senior politician on AI, what it’s for, should be about and our society. Unless I missed it? It’s just people saying ‘productivity’ and ‘jobs’ with literally no thought, thinking or ideas. But then I suppose same on everything.
Reposted by Bob
Sometimes I recall that my great grandpa was an egg-candler. Held eggs in front of candles to check yolks
Brought double yolks to his family
And I’m a college professor
And I think: the US, land of immigrants, land of hope
It takes a nanosecond to see how out of step this regime is w/that truth
Brought double yolks to his family
And I’m a college professor
And I think: the US, land of immigrants, land of hope
It takes a nanosecond to see how out of step this regime is w/that truth
December 27, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Sometimes I recall that my great grandpa was an egg-candler. Held eggs in front of candles to check yolks
Brought double yolks to his family
And I’m a college professor
And I think: the US, land of immigrants, land of hope
It takes a nanosecond to see how out of step this regime is w/that truth
Brought double yolks to his family
And I’m a college professor
And I think: the US, land of immigrants, land of hope
It takes a nanosecond to see how out of step this regime is w/that truth