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
Fascinating history of strongmen: The dopamine hit from power and impunity is intoxicating, but, craving a bigger hit, you go nuts -- and you lose the public. That's "autocratic backfire." With @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @janemayer.bsky.social www.newyorker.com/podcast/poli...
What Happens When a Megalomaniac Begins to Fail
The historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Donald Trump and “autocratic backfire.”
www.newyorker.com
February 15, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Fascinating history of strongmen: The dopamine hit from power and impunity is intoxicating, but, craving a bigger hit, you go nuts -- and you lose the public. That's "autocratic backfire." With @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social @sbg1.bsky.social @janemayer.bsky.social www.newyorker.com/podcast/poli...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
As we dig into this scandal, can we revisit the question about why the president's son-in-law, who has no formal role in this administration, keeps showing up at high-level negotiations with actual world leaders?
Breaking WSJ:
The highly classified whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is related to a conversation intercepted last spring in which two foreign nationals discussed Jared Kushner, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The highly classified whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is related to a conversation intercepted last spring in which two foreign nationals discussed Jared Kushner, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
Gabbard Whistleblower Complaint Based on Intercepted Conversation About Jared Kushner
The substance of the conversation, which covered in part issues related to Iran, isn’t known.
www.wsj.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:23 PM
As we dig into this scandal, can we revisit the question about why the president's son-in-law, who has no formal role in this administration, keeps showing up at high-level negotiations with actual world leaders?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Yeah, this went quickly from happening to me seeing it to “I should write about this” to me being unable to do anything else until I got this out.
Here it is: www.lawdork.com/p/tom-homan-...
Here it is: www.lawdork.com/p/tom-homan-...
The Trump admin argument that masks "are for officer safety reasons" is actually an admission
Tom Homan highlights how secrecy aims to block accountability, the immoral lawlessness at the core of the Trump administration. And, for paid subscribers: Closing my tabs.
www.lawdork.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:07 AM
Yeah, this went quickly from happening to me seeing it to “I should write about this” to me being unable to do anything else until I got this out.
Here it is: www.lawdork.com/p/tom-homan-...
Here it is: www.lawdork.com/p/tom-homan-...
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Leon Botstein, president of @bardcollege.bsky.social, has repeatedly made public statements about his relationship with the pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that have turned out to be misleading, incomplete, or untrue. I'm going to make a thread to compile them all here.
February 15, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Leon Botstein, president of @bardcollege.bsky.social, has repeatedly made public statements about his relationship with the pedophile sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein that have turned out to be misleading, incomplete, or untrue. I'm going to make a thread to compile them all here.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I note that the White House originally said it was the White House Historical Association that preserved items from the East Wing. Now it says the General Service Administration and the National Park Service did. Did they? Did anyone?
February 16, 2026 at 4:23 AM
I note that the White House originally said it was the White House Historical Association that preserved items from the East Wing. Now it says the General Service Administration and the National Park Service did. Did they? Did anyone?
Reposted by Holly Brewer
There’s also a progressive candidate running who HASN’T taken money from Palantir partners @mikesacks.bsky.social :
www.mikesacksforcongress.com
www.mikesacksforcongress.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:25 AM
There’s also a progressive candidate running who HASN’T taken money from Palantir partners @mikesacks.bsky.social :
www.mikesacksforcongress.com
www.mikesacksforcongress.com
Reposted by Holly Brewer
France has confirmed that a special prosecutorial team will review the Epstein files.
More countries should be doing the same. 👏
More countries should be doing the same. 👏
February 15, 2026 at 10:14 PM
France has confirmed that a special prosecutorial team will review the Epstein files.
More countries should be doing the same. 👏
More countries should be doing the same. 👏
Reposted by Holly Brewer
This Valentine's Day, we are loving this little 15th c. collection of scientific, alchemical, and medical works from Germany, mostly unattributed. It includes many marginal notes, symbols, corrections and comments in various later hands (UPenn Ms. Codex 69) #medievalsky
🔗: https://bit.ly/40s1U2a
🔗: https://bit.ly/40s1U2a
February 14, 2026 at 8:10 PM
This Valentine's Day, we are loving this little 15th c. collection of scientific, alchemical, and medical works from Germany, mostly unattributed. It includes many marginal notes, symbols, corrections and comments in various later hands (UPenn Ms. Codex 69) #medievalsky
🔗: https://bit.ly/40s1U2a
🔗: https://bit.ly/40s1U2a
Reposted by Holly Brewer
I didn’t think I’d have another one these stories again for you so soon: a 21-year-old in Ohio has been arrested for her pregnancy loss.
February 15, 2026 at 11:23 PM
I didn’t think I’d have another one these stories again for you so soon: a 21-year-old in Ohio has been arrested for her pregnancy loss.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Losing our words is a writer’s worst nightmare. Don’t forget to backup your work.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #5amWritersClub
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #5amWritersClub
February 15, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Losing our words is a writer’s worst nightmare. Don’t forget to backup your work.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #5amWritersClub
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #5amWritersClub
Reposted by Holly Brewer
A story about an AI-generated article contained fabricated, AI-generated quotes.
Ars Technica Pulls Article With AI Fabricated Quotes About AI Generated Article
A story about an AI-generated article contained fabricated, AI-generated quotes.
www.404media.co
February 15, 2026 at 8:30 PM
A story about an AI-generated article contained fabricated, AI-generated quotes.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
It is absolute and utter neglect to let this come this close to the wire just as the US has let most of its overseas broadcasting shutter.
And another bites the dust?
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks. Its funding arrangement with the Foreign Office finishes at the end of March. There is no plan for what happens next.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial
Editorial: With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported
www.theguardian.com
February 15, 2026 at 8:32 PM
It is absolute and utter neglect to let this come this close to the wire just as the US has let most of its overseas broadcasting shutter.
Reposted by Holly Brewer
The Ladybird Adventures in History books by Lawrence Du Garde Peach. For many of us they sparked a love of history
February 15, 2026 at 8:31 PM
The Ladybird Adventures in History books by Lawrence Du Garde Peach. For many of us they sparked a love of history
Reposted by Holly Brewer
Excited to see Maurits den Hollander’s Court, Credit, and Capital in print with Studies in Legal History at CUP. Court, Credit, and Capital uncovers how Amsterdam’s 17th-century insolvency court transformed insolvency law—from punishment to rehabilitation 1/3
October 16, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Excited to see Maurits den Hollander’s Court, Credit, and Capital in print with Studies in Legal History at CUP. Court, Credit, and Capital uncovers how Amsterdam’s 17th-century insolvency court transformed insolvency law—from punishment to rehabilitation 1/3
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".
>>