Holly Brewer
@earlymodjustice.bsky.social
Pinned
Holly Brewer
@earlymodjustice.bsky.social
· Mar 20
In The New Republic, historian Holly Brewer compares the Court's decision to Godden v. Hales, a 1686 case affirming that James II was above the law – which was only repudiated when James II was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. newrepublic.com/article/1833...
The issue at stake in 1686 was whether the king was bound by the law.
How are we back here again?
How are we back here again?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 2:47 PM
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Net favorability of how Americans view
Trump: -18
Hegseth: -15
Vance: -14
Rubio: -10
RFK Jr: -4
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Trump: -18
Hegseth: -15
Vance: -14
Rubio: -10
RFK Jr: -4
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
How Americans view key members of the Trump administration
A 58% majority say they have an unfavorable view of President Donald Trump, and 40% have a favorable view.
www.pewresearch.org
February 14, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Net favorability of how Americans view
Trump: -18
Hegseth: -15
Vance: -14
Rubio: -10
RFK Jr: -4
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Trump: -18
Hegseth: -15
Vance: -14
Rubio: -10
RFK Jr: -4
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
"documents related to American financier and convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein and his former lover, Ghislaine Maxwell, reveal that at the age of 18, Korshunova was flown to Epstein’s Little Saint James island on his infamous private Boeing 727 aircraft, known as the Lolita Express”."
Kazakh model committed suicide two years after visiting Jeffrey Epstein’s notorious island - The Times Of Central Asia
Born and raised in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Ruslana Korshunova was discovered by a modelling scout at the age of 15 and quickly moved abroad to pursue her career.
timesca.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:31 PM
"documents related to American financier and convicted sex offender, the late Jeffrey Epstein and his former lover, Ghislaine Maxwell, reveal that at the age of 18, Korshunova was flown to Epstein’s Little Saint James island on his infamous private Boeing 727 aircraft, known as the Lolita Express”."
Reposted by Holly Brewer
NEW: Read this terrific piece @virginiaheffernan.bsky.social for @thenerve.news in which she unpicks Edge.org, the hugely influential 'salon' funded by Epstein & threaded through with race science & eugenics.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
The billionaires' eugenics project: how Epstein infiltrated Harvard, muzzled the humanities and preached master-race science
Edge - Jeffrey Epstein's favourite intellectual salon - was sold to me as a gathering of the world's finest minds, writes Virginia Heffernan. The files reveal it was something far darker: a decades-lo...
www.thenerve.news
February 15, 2026 at 11:18 AM
NEW: Read this terrific piece @virginiaheffernan.bsky.social for @thenerve.news in which she unpicks Edge.org, the hugely influential 'salon' funded by Epstein & threaded through with race science & eugenics.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/epstein-bi...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Noting in this NEH grants filing from the Author's Guild that Michael McDonald wasn't the only NEH staffer collaborating: Adam Wolfson also helped triage which chat-GPT flagged grants might actually be related to the garden of heroes or America 250. www.neh.gov/staff/adam-w...
February 15, 2026 at 12:43 PM
Noting in this NEH grants filing from the Author's Guild that Michael McDonald wasn't the only NEH staffer collaborating: Adam Wolfson also helped triage which chat-GPT flagged grants might actually be related to the garden of heroes or America 250. www.neh.gov/staff/adam-w...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
NEW: "This was not a decision to reject the Moderna vaccine. It was a refusal even to think about approving it."
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-wh...
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-wh...
This Is What Destroying the Vaccine Market Looks Like
A shocking move by RFK Jr.’s team has the industry spooked—for good reason.
www.thebulwark.com
February 15, 2026 at 1:30 PM
NEW: "This was not a decision to reject the Moderna vaccine. It was a refusal even to think about approving it."
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-wh...
www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-wh...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
February 15, 2026 at 3:57 AM
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I've been shouting this from the rooftops (and a podcast, and a book) since 2019.
One extremely frustrating iteration is the people who say "Yeah, that was true of the 2021 models, but not today's models".
>>
One extremely frustrating iteration is the people who say "Yeah, that was true of the 2021 models, but not today's models".
>>
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
February 15, 2026 at 4:10 AM
I've been shouting this from the rooftops (and a podcast, and a book) since 2019.
One extremely frustrating iteration is the people who say "Yeah, that was true of the 2021 models, but not today's models".
>>
One extremely frustrating iteration is the people who say "Yeah, that was true of the 2021 models, but not today's models".
>>
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Some striking arguments here from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to Pam Bondi
"You replaced real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the President's bidding"
"Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza.. and you deliver every time"
"You replaced real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the President's bidding"
"Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza.. and you deliver every time"
February 11, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Some striking arguments here from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to Pam Bondi
"You replaced real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the President's bidding"
"Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza.. and you deliver every time"
"You replaced real prosecutors with counterfeit stooges who robotically do the President's bidding"
"Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza.. and you deliver every time"
Reposted by Holly Brewer
My Trump-supporting cousin-in-law just texted my husband to say he encountered this Mother Jones on social media, read it, realized I wrote it, and told him to tell me I’m doing good work and to keep going.
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
ICE deportation flights are getting longer and crueler
A private equity–owned airline profits off Trump’s migrant crackdown.
www.motherjones.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:54 PM
My Trump-supporting cousin-in-law just texted my husband to say he encountered this Mother Jones on social media, read it, realized I wrote it, and told him to tell me I’m doing good work and to keep going.
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Of course if it’s not Anthropic it’ll be just another AI company who will gladly acquiesce, but it’ll be interesting to see how firm Anthropic’s red lines will be now. The bar is already quite low www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
February 15, 2026 at 7:49 AM
Of course if it’s not Anthropic it’ll be just another AI company who will gladly acquiesce, but it’ll be interesting to see how firm Anthropic’s red lines will be now. The bar is already quite low www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
ICE using the same ruse that Ted Bundy used to kidnap people should tell you something.
CCTV footage appears to show DHS agents posing as people having car trouble in order to lure a target out of his house before arresting them. The target comes out and starts helping them before 3 vehicles surround the scene. The car "experiencing" trouble then drives off with them.
February 15, 2026 at 1:51 AM
ICE using the same ruse that Ted Bundy used to kidnap people should tell you something.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
SCOTUS effectively OK’ed third-country removals as the Trump admin is using them on the shadow docket, staying lower court orders reining them in. Further, the specific questions raised here — about refoulement — have come up before, like in this case: www.lawdork.com/p/ghana-refo...
NYT: Trump secretly deported 9 migrants despite court orders to not remove them to their home nations. So, he sent them to prison in Cameroon: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/14/w...
U.S. Deports Nine Migrants in Secret, Ignoring Legal Protections
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 4:04 AM
SCOTUS effectively OK’ed third-country removals as the Trump admin is using them on the shadow docket, staying lower court orders reining them in. Further, the specific questions raised here — about refoulement — have come up before, like in this case: www.lawdork.com/p/ghana-refo...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Reading Marco Rubio’s speech about how “western civilization” is about embracing God, rejecting the foolish ideal of cosmopolitanism, and celebrating the genius of bands like The Beatles who were founded by the guy who wrote that song about a world with no countries or the concept of heaven & hell.
February 15, 2026 at 4:03 AM
Reading Marco Rubio’s speech about how “western civilization” is about embracing God, rejecting the foolish ideal of cosmopolitanism, and celebrating the genius of bands like The Beatles who were founded by the guy who wrote that song about a world with no countries or the concept of heaven & hell.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Even older than the Republic…
Calling the requirement for a judicial warrant before entering a person’s home one of the Democrats’ “new restrictions on federal immigration agents” crosses the line into outright falsehood. It’s in the Bill of Rights! A rule as old as the republic.
February 14, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Even older than the Republic…
Reposted by Holly Brewer
3/ Here’s a link to the Brennan Center’s July 2025 report warning about the problems with both the SAVE System and the Social Security Number database when used to purge voters from the voter rolls, as would occur under the “Save America Act”. Everyone should read it.
Homeland Security’s “SAVE” Program Exacerbates Risks to Voters
Bad data and a politicized overhaul could spread election fraud lies and disenfranchise voters.
www.brennancenter.org
February 12, 2026 at 11:08 PM
3/ Here’s a link to the Brennan Center’s July 2025 report warning about the problems with both the SAVE System and the Social Security Number database when used to purge voters from the voter rolls, as would occur under the “Save America Act”. Everyone should read it.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Very proud to have contributed a paper "What Does Fascism Look Like In The 21st Century?" to this swell collection
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
Fascist Legacies - Nebraska Press
The world has changed since the 1930s, but human nature has not. What can we learn when comparing far-right populism in the United States to far-right populi...
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu
February 14, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Very proud to have contributed a paper "What Does Fascism Look Like In The 21st Century?" to this swell collection
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
What’s troubling about Rubio’s speech is how he sees history framing current alliances but in a racialized way. He misrepresents history (e.g. pioneers brought “civilization” to “empty plains”) when they were not empty—& denies American responsibility for the past but emphasizes European heritage
Whole speech here: youtu.be/6R-fVYQIGrk?... - sent a chill down my spine.
Full Exchange: Marco Rubio on Ukraine, China, and West’s Future at Munich Security Conference | AC1G
YouTube video by DRM News
youtu.be
February 14, 2026 at 2:55 PM
What’s troubling about Rubio’s speech is how he sees history framing current alliances but in a racialized way. He misrepresents history (e.g. pioneers brought “civilization” to “empty plains”) when they were not empty—& denies American responsibility for the past but emphasizes European heritage
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Of all the speeches at Europe by American arseholes: Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Bessent - Rubio’s speech to the Munich Security Conference this morning was perhaps the most chilling. Unambiguously the language of fascism. They sound like they’re preparing to form a new world empire.
February 14, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Of all the speeches at Europe by American arseholes: Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Bessent - Rubio’s speech to the Munich Security Conference this morning was perhaps the most chilling. Unambiguously the language of fascism. They sound like they’re preparing to form a new world empire.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Models we know were trained on pirated books (a non-exhaustive list):
GPT-3 (OpenAI)
GPT-3.5 (OpenAI)
Claude 1 (Anthropic)
Claude 2 (Anthropic)
Llama 1 (Meta)
Llama 2 (Meta)
Llama 3 (Meta)
OpenELM (Apple)
BloombergGPT (Bloomberg)
Megatron-Turing NLG 530B (Microsoft & Nvidia)
🧵 1/2
GPT-3 (OpenAI)
GPT-3.5 (OpenAI)
Claude 1 (Anthropic)
Claude 2 (Anthropic)
Llama 1 (Meta)
Llama 2 (Meta)
Llama 3 (Meta)
OpenELM (Apple)
BloombergGPT (Bloomberg)
Megatron-Turing NLG 530B (Microsoft & Nvidia)
🧵 1/2
February 14, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Models we know were trained on pirated books (a non-exhaustive list):
GPT-3 (OpenAI)
GPT-3.5 (OpenAI)
Claude 1 (Anthropic)
Claude 2 (Anthropic)
Llama 1 (Meta)
Llama 2 (Meta)
Llama 3 (Meta)
OpenELM (Apple)
BloombergGPT (Bloomberg)
Megatron-Turing NLG 530B (Microsoft & Nvidia)
🧵 1/2
GPT-3 (OpenAI)
GPT-3.5 (OpenAI)
Claude 1 (Anthropic)
Claude 2 (Anthropic)
Llama 1 (Meta)
Llama 2 (Meta)
Llama 3 (Meta)
OpenELM (Apple)
BloombergGPT (Bloomberg)
Megatron-Turing NLG 530B (Microsoft & Nvidia)
🧵 1/2
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Call for Chapters: Evident Tongues, Evident Bodies
Deadline to submit: 12th April 2026
We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume examining how encounters through language and the senses shaped the production of evidence in the early modern period (c.1492–1700).
www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...
Deadline to submit: 12th April 2026
We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume examining how encounters through language and the senses shaped the production of evidence in the early modern period (c.1492–1700).
www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...
Call for Chapters: Evident Tongues, Evident Bodies
Language, Sense, and Proof in the Early Modern World. Deadline for submissions: 12th April 2026.
www.ucl.ac.uk
February 13, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Call for Chapters: Evident Tongues, Evident Bodies
Deadline to submit: 12th April 2026
We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume examining how encounters through language and the senses shaped the production of evidence in the early modern period (c.1492–1700).
www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...
Deadline to submit: 12th April 2026
We invite chapter proposals for an edited volume examining how encounters through language and the senses shaped the production of evidence in the early modern period (c.1492–1700).
www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
2/5 Parallèlement, on apprend que l’administration met la pression aux grandes firmes de la tech pour obtenir l’identité des personnes qui animent les comptes hostiles à l’ICE sur les réseaux sociaux (€)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:29 AM
2/5 Parallèlement, on apprend que l’administration met la pression aux grandes firmes de la tech pour obtenir l’identité des personnes qui animent les comptes hostiles à l’ICE sur les réseaux sociaux (€)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
On Trump's failed attempt to indict six members of Congress
At @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
And further points on the 1642/2026 comparison at my own blog:
emptycity.substack.com/p/1642s-five... /
davidallengreen.com/2026/02/1642...
>
At @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
And further points on the 1642/2026 comparison at my own blog:
emptycity.substack.com/p/1642s-five... /
davidallengreen.com/2026/02/1642...
>
Trump failed to indict six members of Congress. This is why it matters
Grand juries are preventing some of the grossest abuses of federal power
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
February 14, 2026 at 8:24 AM
On Trump's failed attempt to indict six members of Congress
At @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
And further points on the 1642/2026 comparison at my own blog:
emptycity.substack.com/p/1642s-five... /
davidallengreen.com/2026/02/1642...
>
At @prospectmagazine.co.uk
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
And further points on the 1642/2026 comparison at my own blog:
emptycity.substack.com/p/1642s-five... /
davidallengreen.com/2026/02/1642...
>