Pinned
Reposted by Hayes Brown
4/So what is going on? @segoddard.bsky.social and I argue the confusion is people using old models of global politics. This is not balancing or spheres of influence. It is international politics based on elite cliques rather than national interest i.e. neo-royalism.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System | International Organization | Cambridge Core
Further Back to the Future: Neo-Royalism, the Trump Administration, and the Emerging International System - Volume 79 Issue S1
www.cambridge.org
January 5, 2026 at 1:30 PM
4/So what is going on? @segoddard.bsky.social and I argue the confusion is people using old models of global politics. This is not balancing or spheres of influence. It is international politics based on elite cliques rather than national interest i.e. neo-royalism.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by Hayes Brown
I mean given that he is constitutionally barred from re-election what exactly can you call this other than legalized bribery?
NEW w/ @kenvogel.bsky.social: Trump’s team raised more than $100 million for MAGA Inc. in the second half of 2025, with much of the money coming from wealthy people and corporations with issues before the administration. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/02/u...
Trump Super PAC Raised More Than $100 Million in Recent Months
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 3:48 AM
I mean given that he is constitutionally barred from re-election what exactly can you call this other than legalized bribery?
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Named after, of course, late 19th c secretary of the navy Thomas R. Yoink
January 3, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Named after, of course, late 19th c secretary of the navy Thomas R. Yoink
the president has invoked the “yoink” doctrine in international law
January 3, 2026 at 3:34 PM
the president has invoked the “yoink” doctrine in international law
Reposted by Hayes Brown
This all seems pretty unbecoming of a FIFA Peace Prize winner
January 3, 2026 at 2:42 PM
This all seems pretty unbecoming of a FIFA Peace Prize winner
Reposted by Hayes Brown
I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point
Nonconsensual deepfakes on X are nothing new, but now it's built into the platform.
spitfirenews.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:47 PM
I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
Reposted by Hayes Brown
There seems to be a lot of confusion between “lots of professors who lack merit are being hired” (false) and “lots of people with merit are unable to find jobs as professors” (true).
This article advocates for the “Faculty Merit Act” that would — get this — require all faculty applicants to submit their *SAT* scores. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Holy shirts that’s hilarious.
January 2, 2026 at 5:50 PM
There seems to be a lot of confusion between “lots of professors who lack merit are being hired” (false) and “lots of people with merit are unable to find jobs as professors” (true).
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Stolen image (of course)!
January 2, 2026 at 12:03 PM
Stolen image (of course)!
Reposted by Hayes Brown
You know what this means lads: less than 50 years until American King Arthur [eagle screech]
lately I have been living my life as if it's around 400 AD: the hegemonic empire that dominated my possibility space for most of my life is in an unarrestable and active decline, and I'm not gonna bother factoring its potential recovery and ability to find and hurt me at a distance into my anxieties
January 2, 2026 at 1:05 PM
You know what this means lads: less than 50 years until American King Arthur [eagle screech]
Reposted by Hayes Brown
i do expect the sparke of madness to hit mamdani, but it will hit differently, because he is the first mayor to be constitutionally ineligible to suffer from The Delusion
January 1, 2026 at 10:12 PM
i do expect the sparke of madness to hit mamdani, but it will hit differently, because he is the first mayor to be constitutionally ineligible to suffer from The Delusion
Reposted by Hayes Brown
We need far more immigrants in municipal and state offices and way fewer guys who want to be president
i do expect the sparke of madness to hit mamdani, but it will hit differently, because he is the first mayor to be constitutionally ineligible to suffer from The Delusion
January 1, 2026 at 11:37 PM
We need far more immigrants in municipal and state offices and way fewer guys who want to be president
Reposted by Hayes Brown
I hope history remembers Jack Smith's succinct answer about what caused the attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6.
January 1, 2026 at 4:42 PM
I hope history remembers Jack Smith's succinct answer about what caused the attack on the US Capitol on Jan 6.
Reposted by Hayes Brown
“When I reached out to Brex to try to understand what its ad meant, no one answered.”
The Year of Subway Slop
AI and nonsense ads trolled us on our commutes.
www.curbed.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:50 PM
“When I reached out to Brex to try to understand what its ad meant, no one answered.”
I wrote about the “Patriot Games” that Trump announced for later this year. IMO they’re more likely to be akin to Roman spectacle than the either the Pan-Hellenic games with their artistic and religious components, or the Hunger Games with their, you know, death
Opinion | Why Trump's 'Patriot Games' are drawing such skepticism
The fall 2026 Patriot Games between two high school athletes are more Hunger Games than a unifying moment for the country's 250th birthday.
www.ms.now
January 1, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I wrote about the “Patriot Games” that Trump announced for later this year. IMO they’re more likely to be akin to Roman spectacle than the either the Pan-Hellenic games with their artistic and religious components, or the Hunger Games with their, you know, death
Sometimes metaphors just write themselves: "His skin is so delicate that Pam Bondi, now his attorney general, caused his hand to bleed when she nicked him with her ring while giving him a high-five at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee."
Exclusive | As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance
In an interview, President Trump—the oldest man to assume the office—said he has eschewed some advice from his doctors and regrets getting advanced imaging.
www.wsj.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Sometimes metaphors just write themselves: "His skin is so delicate that Pam Bondi, now his attorney general, caused his hand to bleed when she nicked him with her ring while giving him a high-five at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee."
Reposted by Hayes Brown
“We’ve re-invented the oracle, except THIS time, you can buy ad space in her esoteric prophecies.”
what are we doing here guys
what are we doing here guys
“This could look like a user asking how much ibuprofen to take for a headache receiving a promoted ad for Advil in the chatbot’s response. Meanwhile, actual results on correct dosage may be brushed to the side, or buried under a mountain of ad text…”
OpenAI Reportedly Planning to Make ChatGPT "Prioritize" Advertisers in Conversation
OpenAI employees working on ChatGPT report plans to unleash sponsored advertisements above organic results.
futurism.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:38 AM
“We’ve re-invented the oracle, except THIS time, you can buy ad space in her esoteric prophecies.”
what are we doing here guys
what are we doing here guys
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Stop calling propaganda films documentaries just bc they use bts footage and have interviews in them. If the subjects of the “documentary” are producing it, it’s not a documentary
The documentary is “not intended to endorse, defend, or vindicate Diddy,” Lemuel Plummer, CEO of the Zeus Network, said in a statement.
Diddy’s Sons Announce Their Own Documentary About Their Father—After 50 Cent’s Netflix Series
The documentary is “not intended to endorse, defend, or vindicate Diddy,” Lemuel Plummer, CEO of the Zeus Network, said in a statement.
www.forbes.com
December 30, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Stop calling propaganda films documentaries just bc they use bts footage and have interviews in them. If the subjects of the “documentary” are producing it, it’s not a documentary
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Reposted by Hayes Brown
OPINION by @hayesbrown.bsky.social:
"It’s impressive how little the GOP managed to get done legislatively despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress."
READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/cong...
"It’s impressive how little the GOP managed to get done legislatively despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress."
READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/cong...
Opinion | Congress has gotten bad at being Congress
Mike Johnson and John Thune have presided over an unproductive trifecta, despite Republicans running Congress and Trump in the White House.
www.ms.now
December 29, 2025 at 1:16 PM
OPINION by @hayesbrown.bsky.social:
"It’s impressive how little the GOP managed to get done legislatively despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress."
READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/cong...
"It’s impressive how little the GOP managed to get done legislatively despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress."
READ MORE: www.ms.now/opinion/cong...
this feels like a crime against New York summers
December 29, 2025 at 6:07 AM
this feels like a crime against New York summers
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Also, news is less and less linear. All content is — look at engagement baiters ripping off stuff that worked for someone else three months previous. But influencers can discover a story they missed, ask why No One is Talking About It… politicians who already dealt w it aren’t ready to respond again
As Dave gets at, Dems content to operate in an info environment dominated by the right surrender the initiative to their political foes.
The right can propagate damaging narratives at will — as Dems wait in vain for a chance to “get the facts out” so they can “let the voters decide.”
The right can propagate damaging narratives at will — as Dems wait in vain for a chance to “get the facts out” so they can “let the voters decide.”
But step back and look at the machinery and you see how sturdy this media/WH infrastructure is. If they want to make a humiliating Democratic scandal the biggest story in the country, they can do it. Dems who think it'll go away if they "win" with local media are going to lose.
December 29, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Also, news is less and less linear. All content is — look at engagement baiters ripping off stuff that worked for someone else three months previous. But influencers can discover a story they missed, ask why No One is Talking About It… politicians who already dealt w it aren’t ready to respond again
Reposted by Hayes Brown
Famously Sauron is known for never allowing his home to he penetrated by intruders.
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for "super premium" customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos | TechCrunch
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
techcrunch.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Famously Sauron is known for never allowing his home to he penetrated by intruders.
i love the idea of ancient greek fanboys sitting around debating which stories about Heracles were canon
December 29, 2025 at 5:55 AM
i love the idea of ancient greek fanboys sitting around debating which stories about Heracles were canon
Reposted by Hayes Brown
You love to see it
SAG-AFTRA National Board Unanimously Ratifies First Intimacy Coordinator Union Contract
The deal inducts these workers into the union’s health and pension plans and establishes minimum wage rates and overtime rules.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
December 26, 2025 at 2:26 PM
You love to see it