Eliot Sumner
@eliotsumner.bsky.social
"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
-James Baldwin
-James Baldwin
Pinned
The difference between an empire and a neighbor is an accent mark.
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Trump's racist video depicting the Obamas as apes wasn't a mistake—it's part of a pattern. From DHS posting neo-Nazi recruitment material to erasing slavery exhibits, white nationalism has become official government policy.
My latest in @theunpopulist.net
My latest in @theunpopulist.net
Trump's Vile Obama Video Follows the White House's Official White Nationalist Line
DHS and other agencies have been spewing racist goals as government policy
www.theunpopulist.net
February 9, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Trump's racist video depicting the Obamas as apes wasn't a mistake—it's part of a pattern. From DHS posting neo-Nazi recruitment material to erasing slavery exhibits, white nationalism has become official government policy.
My latest in @theunpopulist.net
My latest in @theunpopulist.net
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
As Le Point and Le Monde have both reported, Epstein was running a major project out of his luxurious apartment in Paris' 16th arrondissement to advance the interests of Marine Le Pen and her Pétainiste party, which appears to have been coordinated on several levels with the Kremlin. Here's Bannon.
February 10, 2026 at 3:04 AM
As Le Point and Le Monde have both reported, Epstein was running a major project out of his luxurious apartment in Paris' 16th arrondissement to advance the interests of Marine Le Pen and her Pétainiste party, which appears to have been coordinated on several levels with the Kremlin. Here's Bannon.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
I watched this interview & it’s excellent. @wyden.senate.gov is doing critical work on #Epstein (follow the money) & #DataPrivacy. His warnings on how #DHS is working with #Palantir reinforce that we must call our reps this week & demand data privacy protections.
www.youtube.com/live/FMmhGzZ...
www.youtube.com/live/FMmhGzZ...
February 10, 2026 at 1:09 AM
I watched this interview & it’s excellent. @wyden.senate.gov is doing critical work on #Epstein (follow the money) & #DataPrivacy. His warnings on how #DHS is working with #Palantir reinforce that we must call our reps this week & demand data privacy protections.
www.youtube.com/live/FMmhGzZ...
www.youtube.com/live/FMmhGzZ...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Super Bowl viewers Sunday speculated that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos appeared in the halftime show. In fact, he has been in hiding with his family.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
‘He’s not the same’: Father of Liam Conejo Ramos says 5-year-old continues to suffer
Some people thought they say the 5-year-old during the Super Bowl halftime show. But Liam is still in hiding with his family, after he and his father were detained and then released from a Texas deten...
www.mprnews.org
February 10, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Super Bowl viewers Sunday speculated that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos appeared in the halftime show. In fact, he has been in hiding with his family.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Bad Bunny's remarkable halftime show was highly political and also totally nonpartisan. One of his messages was simply about the word "America." The way it's used around the world doesn't just mean the United States, he says, but the United States can be the very heart of it—if it wants to be.
Super Bowl 2026: Bad Bunnys Halbzeit-Show
Bad Bunny zeigt beim Super Bowl eine eindrucksvolle Performance, die politische Botschaften und kulturelle Identität verbindet.
www.sueddeutsche.de
February 9, 2026 at 11:53 PM
Bad Bunny's remarkable halftime show was highly political and also totally nonpartisan. One of his messages was simply about the word "America." The way it's used around the world doesn't just mean the United States, he says, but the United States can be the very heart of it—if it wants to be.
On the Marquis de Lafayette, Pablo Neruda, and the Accent of América
"While the English text on the ball served as an invitation, the Spanish litany of nations defined the terms."
write.as/eliot-sumner...
"While the English text on the ball served as an invitation, the Spanish litany of nations defined the terms."
write.as/eliot-sumner...
Together We Are América
The current US doctrine treats the Western Hemisphere as a shapeless blur and a containment zone for threats rather than a shared geograp...
write.as
February 9, 2026 at 9:34 PM
On the Marquis de Lafayette, Pablo Neruda, and the Accent of América
"While the English text on the ball served as an invitation, the Spanish litany of nations defined the terms."
write.as/eliot-sumner...
"While the English text on the ball served as an invitation, the Spanish litany of nations defined the terms."
write.as/eliot-sumner...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
I'm going to do a thread of all the references and context behind Bad Bunny's performance and what it means for Puerto Ricans to see this on the biggest stage.
The opening title screen is a street mural in Puerto Rico that comes to life with footballs as coconuts.
Follow along!
The opening title screen is a street mural in Puerto Rico that comes to life with footballs as coconuts.
Follow along!
February 9, 2026 at 5:08 PM
I'm going to do a thread of all the references and context behind Bad Bunny's performance and what it means for Puerto Ricans to see this on the biggest stage.
The opening title screen is a street mural in Puerto Rico that comes to life with footballs as coconuts.
Follow along!
The opening title screen is a street mural in Puerto Rico that comes to life with footballs as coconuts.
Follow along!
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
The difference between an empire and a neighbor is an accent mark.
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
February 9, 2026 at 8:24 AM
The difference between an empire and a neighbor is an accent mark.
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
The difference between an empire and a neighbor is an accent mark.
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
February 9, 2026 at 8:24 AM
The difference between an empire and a neighbor is an accent mark.
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
US strategy treats the hemisphere as a shapeless buffer. Bad Bunny treated it as a confederation of peers.
Greg Grandin's America, América, Pablo Neruda, and the geopolitics of the Super Bowl halftime show: write.as/eliot-sumner...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
I have appreciated Amanda’s efforts here so I’m disappointed she’s wrapping things up by spreading misinformation. I can assure you as someone whose neighborhood has been crawling with ICE in recent days that we are not in the “aftermath” of anything.
February 9, 2026 at 4:28 AM
I have appreciated Amanda’s efforts here so I’m disappointed she’s wrapping things up by spreading misinformation. I can assure you as someone whose neighborhood has been crawling with ICE in recent days that we are not in the “aftermath” of anything.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Françoise Thom highlights close relationship between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and the father of his accomplice Ghislaine, Robert Maxwell, the late British press magnate.
@DeskRussie desk-russie.info/2025/07/30/t...
@DeskRussie desk-russie.info/2025/07/30/t...
The Cesspool and Chaos: the Russian Connection in the Epstein Affair • russian desk
In this explosive article, French historian Françoise Thom highlights the close relationship between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and the father of his
desk-russie.info
February 5, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Françoise Thom highlights close relationship between the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and the father of his accomplice Ghislaine, Robert Maxwell, the late British press magnate.
@DeskRussie desk-russie.info/2025/07/30/t...
@DeskRussie desk-russie.info/2025/07/30/t...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Counterpoint: no serious person in the Twin Cities is worried about any meaningful amount of "destruction" by observers/protestors. Get real.
Friends in Minneapolis are very worried about this development. Both in terms of state police's role in arresting protestors and the worry that this could set off the kind of spiral of distrust and destruction that followed George Floyd's murder.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
At Least 50 Arrested After Protests Escalate Outside Minnesota Federal Building
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Counterpoint: no serious person in the Twin Cities is worried about any meaningful amount of "destruction" by observers/protestors. Get real.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Yes: one of the things that has kept protests peaceful is that the insider/outsider dynamic was so pronounced. The feds were invaders; local and state police were separate and not really against us.
What we’ve seen in the last couple days feels like the sheriff and state patrol switching sides.
What we’ve seen in the last couple days feels like the sheriff and state patrol switching sides.
Friends in Minneapolis are very worried about this development. Both in terms of state police's role in arresting protestors and the worry that this could set off the kind of spiral of distrust and destruction that followed George Floyd's murder.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
At Least 50 Arrested After Protests Escalate Outside Minnesota Federal Building
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Yes: one of the things that has kept protests peaceful is that the insider/outsider dynamic was so pronounced. The feds were invaders; local and state police were separate and not really against us.
What we’ve seen in the last couple days feels like the sheriff and state patrol switching sides.
What we’ve seen in the last couple days feels like the sheriff and state patrol switching sides.
Lutnick is the tariffs guy. Many people have noted the admins use of tariffs resembles extortion or blackmail. Seems like a slam dunk argument on the collapse of meritocracy in favor of fundraising, personal loyalty and gangsterism.
Massie on Howard Lutnick: "He should just resign. Three people in Great Britain resigned for less than what we've seen Howard Lutnick lie about. He clearly went to the island, if we believe what's in these files. He was in business with Jeffrey Epstein."
February 8, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Lutnick is the tariffs guy. Many people have noted the admins use of tariffs resembles extortion or blackmail. Seems like a slam dunk argument on the collapse of meritocracy in favor of fundraising, personal loyalty and gangsterism.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Was Epstein a Russian agent? Was Epstein an Israeli agent? This debate that's is "either/or" is raging in social media right now. It's far off the mark. Epstein ran an operation on the model of Robert Maxwell, who networked with at least 7 intel agencies,
February 7, 2026 at 2:53 AM
Was Epstein a Russian agent? Was Epstein an Israeli agent? This debate that's is "either/or" is raging in social media right now. It's far off the mark. Epstein ran an operation on the model of Robert Maxwell, who networked with at least 7 intel agencies,
This contradicts the mainstream narrative that Maxwell latched onto Epstein after her father left her broke, and validates the @craigunger.bsky.social theory that Maxwell was the senior partner and brought the intelligence connections
Ghislaine Maxwell inherited millions of dollars from secret trusts created by her late father, the disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell, a confidential report reveals.
At last we know where Ghislaine Maxwell got her money from
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
At last we know where Ghislaine Maxwell got her money from
www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...
At last we know where Ghislaine Maxwell got her money from
A confidential bank report in the Epstein files reveals that her fortune came not from him but from secret trusts created by her father
www.thetimes.com
February 8, 2026 at 5:26 AM
This contradicts the mainstream narrative that Maxwell latched onto Epstein after her father left her broke, and validates the @craigunger.bsky.social theory that Maxwell was the senior partner and brought the intelligence connections
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
ICE is not broken. It's agents murdering people, taking trophies of victims, using illegal tactics, breaking laws, spreading terror, exploiting children, and leaving death cards are not isolated events, outliers, or accidents. ICE is operating exactly as intended.
February 7, 2026 at 11:34 PM
ICE is not broken. It's agents murdering people, taking trophies of victims, using illegal tactics, breaking laws, spreading terror, exploiting children, and leaving death cards are not isolated events, outliers, or accidents. ICE is operating exactly as intended.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Ossoff: "You're seeing what I'm seeing, right? The president posting about the Obamas like a Klansman."
February 7, 2026 at 11:38 PM
Ossoff: "You're seeing what I'm seeing, right? The president posting about the Obamas like a Klansman."
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
“Tragically, racism is not a relic of a bygone era when slavery was legal; rather, it is a driving force for the man currently occupying our White House.”
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
Can America Ever Overcome the Scourge of Racism?
A Saturday Prompt
www.americaamerica.news
February 8, 2026 at 12:01 AM
“Tragically, racism is not a relic of a bygone era when slavery was legal; rather, it is a driving force for the man currently occupying our White House.”
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
www.americaamerica.news/p/can-americ...
For now we see through a screen, brightly; but then avatar to avatar. Now I read the headline in part; but then shall I scroll to the comments, where I shall be trolled even as I am also trolling.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, I boolean searched as a child: but when I became a man, I bookmarked thousands of websites intending to read them "someday"
February 7, 2026 at 4:40 AM
For now we see through a screen, brightly; but then avatar to avatar. Now I read the headline in part; but then shall I scroll to the comments, where I shall be trolled even as I am also trolling.
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
Epstein wasn’t lurking on the edges of right-wing conspiracy culture.
He was integral to it.
4chan.
GamerGate.
PizzaGate.
QAnon.
This wasn’t random. This wasn’t grassroots.
The implications are mind-blowing.
Explosive reporting by @mattquiston for @BylineTimes ☢️ bylinetimes.com/2026/02/06/j...
He was integral to it.
4chan.
GamerGate.
PizzaGate.
QAnon.
This wasn’t random. This wasn’t grassroots.
The implications are mind-blowing.
Explosive reporting by @mattquiston for @BylineTimes ☢️ bylinetimes.com/2026/02/06/j...
Jeffrey Epstein's 4chan Plan
The sex-trafficker’s fingerprints are all over the early rise of the alt-right and the far-right conspiracy movements that would follow, new documents reveal
bylinetimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Epstein wasn’t lurking on the edges of right-wing conspiracy culture.
He was integral to it.
4chan.
GamerGate.
PizzaGate.
QAnon.
This wasn’t random. This wasn’t grassroots.
The implications are mind-blowing.
Explosive reporting by @mattquiston for @BylineTimes ☢️ bylinetimes.com/2026/02/06/j...
He was integral to it.
4chan.
GamerGate.
PizzaGate.
QAnon.
This wasn’t random. This wasn’t grassroots.
The implications are mind-blowing.
Explosive reporting by @mattquiston for @BylineTimes ☢️ bylinetimes.com/2026/02/06/j...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
"'The pastors’ group that I’m in, we got together, and we agreed that if violence breaks out in Springfield, we have a duty to go right to the front of it and to call for peace,' he said..."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
Opinion | In Ohio, I Caught a Glimpse of the New Resistance
www.nytimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:31 PM
"'The pastors’ group that I’m in, we got together, and we agreed that if violence breaks out in Springfield, we have a duty to go right to the front of it and to call for peace,' he said..."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/o...
Reposted by Eliot Sumner
We're seeing a lot of divergence in the Twin Cities RR networks. The best ones have stayed relatively open, allow press on the line, and are not screening heavily, and are extremely active as a result. Others have locked down tightly and have shrunk enough to be considerably less effective.
February 6, 2026 at 7:03 PM
We're seeing a lot of divergence in the Twin Cities RR networks. The best ones have stayed relatively open, allow press on the line, and are not screening heavily, and are extremely active as a result. Others have locked down tightly and have shrunk enough to be considerably less effective.