Jenna Bednar
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jennabednar.bsky.social
Jenna Bednar
@jennabednar.bsky.social
Umich prof, polisci & public policy, Director of UMICH Votes &
Democratic Engagement, & Santa Fe Institute. Institutions, federalism, robustness, sustainability. New work on democratic norms, coming soon.
From interim President Mahoney's letter: "We seek no special treatment.... the integrity of science ... depends on merit-based assessment." Yay UVa.
The University of Virginia said it would not sign the Trump administration’s proposed offer of priority access for federal funding, the fifth university to turn down the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.”
University of Virginia turns down Trump deal for priority federal funding
The rejection comes after a tumultuous summer at the University of Virginia during which President James E. Ryan resigned amid DOJ pressure over DEI investigations.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 17, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
My department is hiring an assistant professor of environmental behavioral sciences. The research area is open but we are particularly interested in people with research on collective action or computational social sciences.

Happy to answer questions about the Doerr School or the department.
Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Social Sciences (Environmental Behavioral Sciences)
facultypositions.stanford.edu
September 7, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
If you think the attack on the Fed's Lisa Cook has nothing to do with you, you're wrong — any one of us may be next paulkrugman.substack.com/p/we-are-all...
We Are All Lisa Cook
Nobody is safe from weaponized government
paulkrugman.substack.com
August 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
⭐ Book rec to understand Trump's Epstein August: www.harpercollins.com/products/the.... There's no better guide to the evangelicals’ embrace of Trump. This is no outsider’s ethnography; he is a pastor’s son trying to understand how the church he loves has chosen earthly power over the Gospel.
The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory
Instant New York Times Bestseller One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year An Economist and Air Mail Best Book of the Year \"Brave and abso...
www.harpercollins.com
July 24, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
The launch of an important new public resource.

The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability
www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-...

The Tracker is a living document that will be continually updated.

A screenshot below gives you a sense of the Chart and its data.
July 23, 2025 at 2:37 PM
"Fear is the tool of a tyrant."
Maurene Comey's goodbye note to SDNY colleagues:
July 17, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Cutting the CPB devastates rural public radio. On a recent roadtrip w @scottepage.bsky.social we listened only to public radio. It was incredibly...local: hog sales, new biz, swaps, & in western KS, a book club of Verghese's Covenant of Water. We lose more than emergency alerts. We lose community.
July 17, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Over 1K rejected kings in Brighton, MI, a red town of 8k in the midst of a deep red county. The vibe: highly patriotic, pro people power, pro freedom. A rousing collective pledge of allegiance. Pro constitution signs on fishing poles and marshmallow sticks.
June 14, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated last night, was the Speaker of the Minnesota House in the 2023-2024 session, when Democrats ran the state government.

That means she had a leading role in shepherding the many landmark reforms that Dems adopted in that period—an important legacy. Brief 🧵.
June 14, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Can federalism hold? Here's a decent review of recent federalization of national guard troops. Last time done over a gov's wishes was 60 years ago, to protect protesters. BTW the president's order can include all states, not just CA. Where are the R governors? D govs? Pritzker? wapo.st/3ZXocaZ
When have presidents called in the National Guard to quell domestic unrest?
The National Guard was also called during the 1992 L.A. riots and the unrest that followed Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968. Trump’s order was unlike any other.
wapo.st
June 9, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
this @adambonica.bsky.social piece deserves to be read beside the yeoman work that @donmoyn.bsky.social and @pamherd.bsky.social have been doing. The dismantling of administrative expertise is one of those stories that is so big that pro journalists with beats find it hard to focus on or explain .
How to Dismantle a Democracy, One Job Posting at a Time
OPM’s new hiring memo imports the authoritarian playbook—quietly, bureaucratically, and by design.
data4democracy.substack.com
June 1, 2025 at 1:36 PM
DeVos family creates a 501c4, headed by Ronna McDaniel, to promote R candidates in Michigan. Open seats in 2026 for gov, AG, SOS, and US Senate.
Billionaire DeVos family backs new effort to make Michigan a Republican stronghold
The political organization will be led by former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
www.mlive.com
June 2, 2025 at 10:24 PM
On the flight to Amsterdam a rowdy group of septuagenarian women from New Orleans kept saying 86 this trash, 86 this movie, 86 this wine, it’s terrible. It’s true, they killed me.
May 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
A lot has changed in the world, so my colleagues and I at the @fordschool are opening up a special emergency admissions cycle for folks who want to start a Masters of Public Policy this fall.

Deets are here: fordschool.umich.edu/masters-prog...

I hope to see you in class in September!
Master's programs
Become the leader you've always wanted to be and work to create meaningful change in public policy and affairs that impact our communities and the world.
fordschool.umich.edu
April 24, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
Is it just me, or is military.com significantly more clear-eyed about this than most news sources? www.military.com/daily-news/2...
April 16, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
HAPPENING NOW: Following the Supreme Court's decision requiring the government to "facilitate" the release of Abrego Garcia, a hearing before Judge Paula Xinis is about to begin.

I'm in Greenbelt, Maryland for @lawfare.bsky.social

Follow along for updates
April 11, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Consumer confidence is in free fall, across all segments of the population. www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/featur...
April 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
Oh man

*UMICH PRELIM APRIL CONSUMER SENTIMENT FALLS TO 50.8; EST 53.8
*MICHIGAN 5-10 YR INFLATION EXPECTATIONS RISE TO 4.4% VS 4.1%
*UMICH YR-AHEAD EXPECTED INFLATION AT 6.7%, HIGHEST SINCE 1981
April 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Problem solving by cognitively diverse teams is such a dangerous idea that the Navy has pulled @scottepage.bsky.social ‘s book The Difference from their shelves. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...
The Difference
press.princeton.edu
April 5, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
A coalition of 21 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the federal agency charged with supporting the nation’s libraries.
States Challenge Trump’s Effort to Dismantle Library Agency
In a lawsuit, 21 state attorneys general argued that the steep cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services violate the Constitution and other federal laws related to spending.
www.nytimes.com
April 4, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Tune in now to catch Cory Booker finish his filibuster. He is speaking lovingly of John Lewis now. The past hour has been on the rule of law, the spirit of liberty, and asking: is the Constitution in your heart? He reminds us that our country is worth loving, and it’s because of our Constitution.
April 1, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Reposted by Jenna Bednar
Elbows up, Canada!
March 22, 2025 at 10:27 PM
"Democracy dies in darkness, so we're shining our spotlight on free markets."
Massive encroachment by Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section - makes clear dissenting views will not be published

I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know
February 26, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Over 400 showed up in the midst of a snowstorm last night to learn about executive orders, the rule of law, and democratic norms. They stayed for 3 1/2 hours. Go Blue! Go Team Democracy!
Teach-in on the condition of our government about to begin at the University of Michigan

@umich
@umichlaw
#RuleOfLaw
#GoBlue
February 14, 2025 at 1:07 AM