Mark Byrnes
@byrnesms.bsky.social
Professor of History at Wofford College.
Author, _Radio and the Great Debate over US Involvement in World War II_ (2022)
Author, _Radio and the Great Debate over US Involvement in World War II_ (2022)
Reposted by Mark Byrnes
I don't even know where to start with the illegal...The Executive does not have the constitutional power to raise revenue. The Executive does not have the constitutional power to make decisions about expenditures. The Executive does not have the power to privatize the functions of the US Treasury...
Marco Rubio: "The oil proceeds are being deposited into an account that ultimately will become a US Treasury blocked account here in the US. We will say 'this is what this money can be spent on.' They will submit to us a budget request -- 'we want to use the money on these things.'"
January 28, 2026 at 6:57 PM
I don't even know where to start with the illegal...The Executive does not have the constitutional power to raise revenue. The Executive does not have the constitutional power to make decisions about expenditures. The Executive does not have the power to privatize the functions of the US Treasury...
Reposted by Mark Byrnes
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Someone tell Brady he has now exceeded the maximum allowable uses of “twitchy” for one broadcast.
January 26, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Someone tell Brady he has now exceeded the maximum allowable uses of “twitchy” for one broadcast.
His fear of being booed is the most likely reason, but his stated reason may suggest that time zone travel is increasingly taxing for him physically. Or perhaps the timing isn’t good for whatever treatment he’s getting that causes those hand bruises.
President Donald Trump will not be attending Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif., he said in an interview with the New York Post.
“It’s just too far away,” he said.
“It’s just too far away,” he said.
January 26, 2026 at 2:13 AM
His fear of being booed is the most likely reason, but his stated reason may suggest that time zone travel is increasingly taxing for him physically. Or perhaps the timing isn’t good for whatever treatment he’s getting that causes those hand bruises.
It is just like dating—when the woman you want to date is not even remotely interested, is happily married, and your “argument” for why she needs to be with you is that you have more guns than her husband and you’ll die without her. Just your standard feel-good rom-com.
These people are idiots.
These people are idiots.
Rep. Mike Turner: "If we're talking about Greenland, this is not art of the deal, this is more of a dating. game. We need to be more on how we would be a partner, not more how we could be compulsory."
January 18, 2026 at 5:42 PM
It is just like dating—when the woman you want to date is not even remotely interested, is happily married, and your “argument” for why she needs to be with you is that you have more guns than her husband and you’ll die without her. Just your standard feel-good rom-com.
These people are idiots.
These people are idiots.
Trump‘s pre-World War II foreign policy notions take for granted that the US is playing “Uncle Sucker“ if it spends a dime defending territory over which it is not sovereign. Small-minded, and ultimately self-defeating and stupid. But that’s Trump in a nutshell.
This map exposes the Greenland lie.
The US used to have a massive military footprint here.
Today, they operate just ONE base.
If Trump were actually worried about Russian vessels, he would simply open more bases, which Denmark allows
The US used to have a massive military footprint here.
Today, they operate just ONE base.
If Trump were actually worried about Russian vessels, he would simply open more bases, which Denmark allows
January 17, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Trump‘s pre-World War II foreign policy notions take for granted that the US is playing “Uncle Sucker“ if it spends a dime defending territory over which it is not sovereign. Small-minded, and ultimately self-defeating and stupid. But that’s Trump in a nutshell.
The evidence is really piling up that Trump has made an explicit spheres of influence deal with Putin and Xi.
January 9, 2026 at 1:57 AM
The evidence is really piling up that Trump has made an explicit spheres of influence deal with Putin and Xi.
Trump is turning Venezuela into a US protectorate. This is Theodore Roosevelt foreign policy.
January 7, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Trump is turning Venezuela into a US protectorate. This is Theodore Roosevelt foreign policy.
A reminder that James K. Polk also offered to “buy” California from Mexico, and when Mexico refused to even meet his envoy, sent troops into disputed territory, provoked a war, took the territory, and then paid Mexico $15 million for the territory he stole so that he could say he bought it.
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that recent administration threats against Greenland didn’t signal an imminent invasion and that the goal is to buy the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussions."
Exclusive | Rubio Tells Lawmakers Trump Aims to Buy Greenland, Downplays Military Action
The secretary of state said the White House is using rhetoric to pressure Denmark into negotiations.
www.wsj.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:55 AM
A reminder that James K. Polk also offered to “buy” California from Mexico, and when Mexico refused to even meet his envoy, sent troops into disputed territory, provoked a war, took the territory, and then paid Mexico $15 million for the territory he stole so that he could say he bought it.
Denmark has made clear that it will not voluntarily cede Greenland. Therefore, the only way the US takes possession of it is by the threat of military force. He may be right that there would not be a military response to such a US action. But it would destroy NATO, Putin‘s greatest strategic goal.
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 6, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Denmark has made clear that it will not voluntarily cede Greenland. Therefore, the only way the US takes possession of it is by the threat of military force. He may be right that there would not be a military response to such a US action. But it would destroy NATO, Putin‘s greatest strategic goal.
I think what Trump did in Venezuela was reckless and portends, an even more reckless larger foreign policy, but all of these people suggesting it is at odds with “America first” foreign policy simply don’t understand what “America first” has always meant.
January 6, 2026 at 1:24 AM
I think what Trump did in Venezuela was reckless and portends, an even more reckless larger foreign policy, but all of these people suggesting it is at odds with “America first” foreign policy simply don’t understand what “America first” has always meant.
US foreign policy is now an episode of The Apprentice.
January 5, 2026 at 9:12 PM
US foreign policy is now an episode of The Apprentice.
I think that’s right. This is at least as much about Putin envy and wanting to make a statement about hemispheric dominance.
"There is this persistent idea that the U.S. invades countries for oil. And I think it was really not the case in Iraq ....Oil, there's too much of it right now for global demand. ...It doesn't strike me that it's enough to drive this," says @profsaunders.bsky.social.
January 4, 2026 at 1:40 AM
I think that’s right. This is at least as much about Putin envy and wanting to make a statement about hemispheric dominance.
What Trump did today is much bigger than Venezuela. It shows he has really turned to a pre-World War II, spheres of influence version of America First foreign policy. byrnesms.blogspot.com/2026/01/trum...
Trump and the end of the American Century
After World War II, the US faced an arguably unprecedented situation. With the world in chaos and only the US in a position to lead it, the ...
byrnesms.blogspot.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:21 PM
What Trump did today is much bigger than Venezuela. It shows he has really turned to a pre-World War II, spheres of influence version of America First foreign policy. byrnesms.blogspot.com/2026/01/trum...
Whenever I teach about US foreign policy in Latin America, I always note the US tendency to refer to the western hemisphere as “our backyard.“ Your backyard is your property. Treating a foreign leader like a criminal in your country is asserting American sovereignty over the entire hemisphere.
Tom Cotton: "Congress isn't notified when the FBI is going to arrest a drug trafficker or cyber criminal here in the US, nor should Congress be notified when the executive branch is executing arrests on indicted persons. And that's really what you can make the analogy to here."
January 3, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Whenever I teach about US foreign policy in Latin America, I always note the US tendency to refer to the western hemisphere as “our backyard.“ Your backyard is your property. Treating a foreign leader like a criminal in your country is asserting American sovereignty over the entire hemisphere.
Maybe he’ll bring all of the possible candidates to the cabinet room and see which one kisses his ass best.
FOX & FRIENDS: What do you think is next for the Venezuelan people now that you have removed Maduro so he can face American justice?
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
TRUMP: Well, we're making that decision now. We can't take a chance on letting somebody else run it, just take over where he left off. So we're making that decision
January 3, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Maybe he’ll bring all of the possible candidates to the cabinet room and see which one kisses his ass best.
It's like someone said "what would have happened if the filibusterers of the 1850s had a 21st century military and a president?"
January 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM
It's like someone said "what would have happened if the filibusterers of the 1850s had a 21st century military and a president?"
It is becoming increasingly clear that Putin and Trump have a private spheres of influence agreement. The only principle underlying it is that great powers get to do whatever they want in their sphere. Putin likely told Trump to take Greenland in return for Russia being allowed to take Ukraine.
This dramatically enhanced pressure on Europe/Denmark and the new outrageous sanctions on info researchers coming at a time when Putin is escalating his physical attacks on Ukraine suggests that the US is now *coordinating* with Russia to weaken Europe and Ukraine.
bsky.app/profile/donm...
bsky.app/profile/donm...
Denmark lost more troops per capita in the post 9/11 war on Afghanistan. Saying they “are not a good ally” because they won’t surrender their territories to the US is lunacy. We are betraying our allies to satisfy the whims of a would-be Emperor for whom the US is not enough.
December 27, 2025 at 7:00 PM
It is becoming increasingly clear that Putin and Trump have a private spheres of influence agreement. The only principle underlying it is that great powers get to do whatever they want in their sphere. Putin likely told Trump to take Greenland in return for Russia being allowed to take Ukraine.
Reposted by Mark Byrnes
“We can’t build the vision of higher ed that we all want without first standing up to fascism.”
— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
December 24, 2025 at 11:52 PM
“We can’t build the vision of higher ed that we all want without first standing up to fascism.”
— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
— Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
My favorite part is at the end, where he says that it’d be a mess to clean up so SC wouldn’t do it. So the argument is “you have to allow us to do unconstitutional shit b/c it’s too big a pain in the ass to undo unconstitutional shit.”
No, dumbass, that’s why you don’t do unconstitutional shit .
No, dumbass, that’s why you don’t do unconstitutional shit .
HASSETT: If the Supreme Court doesn't find with us, refunds would go to whoever cut the check for the tariff
BRENNAN: Doesn't the administration claim it was the country that paid that?
HASSETT: Uhh --
BRENNAN: Doesn't the administration claim it was the country that paid that?
HASSETT: Uhh --
December 21, 2025 at 8:55 PM
My favorite part is at the end, where he says that it’d be a mess to clean up so SC wouldn’t do it. So the argument is “you have to allow us to do unconstitutional shit b/c it’s too big a pain in the ass to undo unconstitutional shit.”
No, dumbass, that’s why you don’t do unconstitutional shit .
No, dumbass, that’s why you don’t do unconstitutional shit .
This is, of course, nonsense. What this does is establish a bogus casus belli for the 19th-century style wars Trump’s unprecedented western hemisphere military buildup has been leading to. He can’t wait to imitate his hero, Putin.
On Dec. 15, the White House announced an executive order designating fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. The order claims that fentanyl is closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic and warns about its potential use by adversaries in a terror attack. Read the order, from @pwbeck.bsky.social.
Executive Order Designates Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction
The White House says fentanyl is “closer to a chemical weapon than a narcotic,” warning about the opioid's possible use in a terror attack.
www.lawfaremedia.org
December 16, 2025 at 12:41 AM
This is, of course, nonsense. What this does is establish a bogus casus belli for the 19th-century style wars Trump’s unprecedented western hemisphere military buildup has been leading to. He can’t wait to imitate his hero, Putin.
“Guilty people claim to be innocent, so we have no choice but to randomly arrest innocent people.”
In the era of slavery, free black people had to carry their "free papers" with them so they could prove to the authorities that they were free, or else they would be thrown in jail and sold.
BASH: If ICE says it doesn't arrest US citizens, why do we keep seeing incidents of them aggressively pursuing citizens?
HOMAN: I can't tell you how many times an illegal alien claims to be a US citizen. It happens all the time.
HOMAN: I can't tell you how many times an illegal alien claims to be a US citizen. It happens all the time.
December 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
“Guilty people claim to be innocent, so we have no choice but to randomly arrest innocent people.”
This is undeniably true, and has been for decades. More than 25 years ago, someone at one of the elite liberal arts colleges in the country told me that without affirmative action for men, their students would be 2/3 women.
Ending DEI practices in college admissions will expose an uncomfortable truth. Women now outperform men academically.
If universities stop trying to gender balance incoming classes but instead admit based on merit, they’ll reject men at higher rates than they do today.
If universities stop trying to gender balance incoming classes but instead admit based on merit, they’ll reject men at higher rates than they do today.
Trump’s attack on DEI may hurt college men, particularly White men
The Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion also targets gender. The ban may impact gender balancing practices that often benefit college men.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 7, 2025 at 7:33 PM
This is undeniably true, and has been for decades. More than 25 years ago, someone at one of the elite liberal arts colleges in the country told me that without affirmative action for men, their students would be 2/3 women.
And if you do it for Donald Trump, you get a pardon.
Patel on J6 arrest: "When you attack American citizens, when you attack our institutions of legislation, when you attack our nation's Capitol, you attack the very being of our way of life."
December 4, 2025 at 7:52 PM
And if you do it for Donald Trump, you get a pardon.