John W. Farrell
@johnwfarrell.bsky.social
Journalist. Author of The Day Without Yesterday (Basic Books) and The Clock and the Camshaft (Rowman & Littlefield). Forthcoming, my novel: An Uncommon Descent (Serving House Books).
Website: www.farrellmedia.com
Website: www.farrellmedia.com
"On Valentine’s Day in 1884, Theodore Roosevelt lost both his wife and his mother." February 14, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 14, 2026
On Valentine’s Day in 1884, Theodore Roosevelt lost both his wife and his mother.
open.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:55 PM
"On Valentine’s Day in 1884, Theodore Roosevelt lost both his wife and his mother." February 14, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
Voter fraud is not a real problem.
Our problem isn’t non-citizens illegally voting in our elections. The real problem is American citizens not voting in our elections.
And our even bigger problem is voter suppression.
Our problem isn’t non-citizens illegally voting in our elections. The real problem is American citizens not voting in our elections.
And our even bigger problem is voter suppression.
February 14, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Voter fraud is not a real problem.
Our problem isn’t non-citizens illegally voting in our elections. The real problem is American citizens not voting in our elections.
And our even bigger problem is voter suppression.
Our problem isn’t non-citizens illegally voting in our elections. The real problem is American citizens not voting in our elections.
And our even bigger problem is voter suppression.
Reposted by John W. Farrell
I don’t want to believe the things I’ve just written. I want to believe that most people are basically good and would never do something like that.
But this is the world we live in, and this is how I’ve learned it works.
www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...
But this is the world we live in, and this is how I’ve learned it works.
www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...
On Abusive Priests, Idolatry, And The Epstein Files
There is something I've learned, after writing so much about the Catholic priest abuse crisis, and after witnessing...
www.patheos.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:44 PM
I don’t want to believe the things I’ve just written. I want to believe that most people are basically good and would never do something like that.
But this is the world we live in, and this is how I’ve learned it works.
www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...
But this is the world we live in, and this is how I’ve learned it works.
www.patheos.com/blogs/steelm...
"At midnight tonight, most of the agencies and services in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will run out of funding..." February 13, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 13, 2026
At midnight tonight, most of the agencies and services in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will run out of funding, as popular fury over the violence and lawlessness of federal agents from Im...
open.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:52 PM
"At midnight tonight, most of the agencies and services in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will run out of funding..." February 13, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
"Today, the Environmental Protection Agency revoked the scientific finding that has been the basis for regulating emissions from cars and power plants since 2009." February 12, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 12, 2026
In a ceremony at the White House yesterday, surrounded by coal industry leaders, lawmakers, and miners, President Donald J.
open.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:56 PM
"Today, the Environmental Protection Agency revoked the scientific finding that has been the basis for regulating emissions from cars and power plants since 2009." February 12, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
🚨BREAKING: An election-denying former Donald Trump campaign staffer who was subpoenaed by the FBI over his role in the attempt to steal the 2020 election is now taking credit for writing the sweeping voter suppression bill passed by the House Wednesday that could disenfranchise millions.
Election denier involved in fake electors plot wrote much of SAVE America Act, Trump-aligned think tank claims
“I’m here to do everything I can to make this work,” Thomas Lane wrote in a December 2020 email to other organizers of the Trump campaign’s fake electoral plot in Arizona.
www.democracydocket.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:30 PM
🚨BREAKING: An election-denying former Donald Trump campaign staffer who was subpoenaed by the FBI over his role in the attempt to steal the 2020 election is now taking credit for writing the sweeping voter suppression bill passed by the House Wednesday that could disenfranchise millions.
"Lincoln saw clearly that if we give up the principle of equality before the law, we have given up the whole game." February 11, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 11, 2026
On February 12, 1809, Nancy Hanks Lincoln gave birth to her second child, a son: Abraham.
open.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:08 PM
"Lincoln saw clearly that if we give up the principle of equality before the law, we have given up the whole game." February 11, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Gary Marcus: The literal enshittification of The United States open.substack.com/pub/garymarc...
The literal enshittification of The United States
I wish I could say this was satire.
open.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Gary Marcus: The literal enshittification of The United States open.substack.com/pub/garymarc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
"“He said, ‘Mom, they’re kidnapping kids. Why would anybody do that? Why would people treat each other like that?’”
Alex Pretti's parents rip the White House's "sickening lies" about him and recall how his care for others showed when he was in Catholic grade school.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Alex Pretti's parents rip the White House's "sickening lies" about him and recall how his care for others showed when he was in Catholic grade school.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
February 11, 2026 at 2:23 AM
"“He said, ‘Mom, they’re kidnapping kids. Why would anybody do that? Why would people treat each other like that?’”
Alex Pretti's parents rip the White House's "sickening lies" about him and recall how his care for others showed when he was in Catholic grade school.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
Alex Pretti's parents rip the White House's "sickening lies" about him and recall how his care for others showed when he was in Catholic grade school.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/u...
"As of yesterday, members of Congress who sit on the House or Senate Judiciary Committees can see unredacted versions of the Epstein files the Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released." February 10, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 10, 2026
As of yesterday, members of Congress who sit on the House or Senate Judiciary Committees can see unredacted versions of the Epstein files the Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released.
open.substack.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:58 PM
"As of yesterday, members of Congress who sit on the House or Senate Judiciary Committees can see unredacted versions of the Epstein files the Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released." February 10, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Owned!!!
Watters: I was walking in my street, a car drives by and I give him a wave. He rolls down the window and says, “F U fascist.” He doesn’t know I’m a fascist!
Jessica: Yes, he does. You’re on TV.
Jessica: Yes, he does. You’re on TV.
February 10, 2026 at 11:06 PM
Owned!!!
Reposted by John W. Farrell
(🚨) MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: Trump Personal Lawyers Bondi, Blanche, and Patel Hid From American Voters a *Minimum* of *95%* of All References to Donald Trump in the Epstein Files (950,000 of 1M+), Establishing the Largest Political Coverup in American History
Trump is in the unredacted Epstein files "more than a million times," Raskin alleges
One document recounts that Trump said he "never" asked Epstein to leave Mar-a-Lago.
www.axios.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:32 PM
(🚨) MAJOR BREAKING NEWS: Trump Personal Lawyers Bondi, Blanche, and Patel Hid From American Voters a *Minimum* of *95%* of All References to Donald Trump in the Epstein Files (950,000 of 1M+), Establishing the Largest Political Coverup in American History
"Last night’s thirteen-minute Super Bowl half-time show featuring Bad Bunny had more watchers than any other halftime show in history..." February 9, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 9, 2026
Last night’s thirteen-minute Super Bowl half-time show featuring Bad Bunny had more watchers than any other halftime show in history: an estimated 135 million watched live, while millions more have st...
open.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:35 PM
"Last night’s thirteen-minute Super Bowl half-time show featuring Bad Bunny had more watchers than any other halftime show in history..." February 9, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
Jack Duffy attaches a respirator to his bagpipes to play through tear gas. “I always play it whenever the police retreat because it's like, ‘You fucking ran while we stayed,’” he says.
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
February 10, 2026 at 12:51 AM
Jack Duffy attaches a respirator to his bagpipes to play through tear gas. “I always play it whenever the police retreat because it's like, ‘You fucking ran while we stayed,’” he says.
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
The full story: lataco.com/protest-bagp...
By Julianne Le
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
We live in the stupidest timeline #56789: After Republican complaints, judicial body pulls climate advice. Meant to help judges handle scientific issues, document is now climate-free. Because if you just pretend a problem doesn't exist, it will go away. 🙄 arstechnica.com/science/2026...
After Republican complaints, judicial body pulls climate advice
Meant to help judges handle scientific issues, document is now climate-free.
arstechnica.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:11 PM
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Reposted by John W. Farrell
President Mandela said, "there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
“I Have Been Here Too Long”: Read Letters from the Children Detained at ICE’s Dilley Facility
Hundreds of children are currently being held with their parents at an immigration detention center in Dilley, Texas. In letters and drawings, eight kids convey the pain of feeling trapped with no end...
www.propublica.org
February 9, 2026 at 11:36 PM
President Mandela said, "there can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children."
Reposted by John W. Farrell
By platforming Dr. Mark Hyman under Bari Weiss, CBS News confers trust on health claims outside scientific consensus, despite evidence linking medical misinformation to preventable deaths, illness, and public confusion.
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/under-bari...
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/under-bari...
February 10, 2026 at 2:00 AM
By platforming Dr. Mark Hyman under Bari Weiss, CBS News confers trust on health claims outside scientific consensus, despite evidence linking medical misinformation to preventable deaths, illness, and public confusion.
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/under-bari...
theintellectualistofficial.substack.com/p/under-bari...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
Since the early days of the space program, astronauts have quarantined before missions because any illness could be disastrous. It’s eminently logical — not “extreme” — for athletes who’ve trained their WHOLE LIVES for one event to take similar precautions in order to stay in peak physical condition
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy. n.pr/4akK70l
Olympic Covid restrictions are gone, but some athletes still self-quarantining
For most people, the pandemic days of masking are behind us. In certain corners of the Winter Olympics, though, things still look a lot like they did in Covid times. Some athletes are taking extreme measures to stay healthy.
n.pr
February 9, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Since the early days of the space program, astronauts have quarantined before missions because any illness could be disastrous. It’s eminently logical — not “extreme” — for athletes who’ve trained their WHOLE LIVES for one event to take similar precautions in order to stay in peak physical condition
"McCarthy was an undistinguished junior senator running for reelection and needed an issue." February 8, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 8, 2026
On February 9, 1950, Senator Joe McCarthy (R-WI) stood up in front of the Republican Women’s Club of Wheeling, West Virginia, at a gathering to celebrate President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
open.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:36 AM
"McCarthy was an undistinguished junior senator running for reelection and needed an issue." February 8, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
Excellent piece. Read 👇🏼
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trump Rages at Bad Bunny—and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness
MAGA’s hatred of the Super Bowl halftime performer reflects a hubris about what parts of the culture are “theirs.” But those assumptions are proving more wrong every day.
newrepublic.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Excellent piece. Read 👇🏼
Reposted by John W. Farrell
In the unlikely event that you follow me and have never read this, fix that right away.
My Hugo and Nebula award winning novel Among Others about a science fiction reading girl with fantasy problems is on sale as an ebook for $2.99 www.amazon.com/Among-Others...
Among Others: A Novel (Hugo Award Winner - Best Novel)
Among Others: A Novel (Hugo Award Winner - Best Novel)
www.amazon.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:01 AM
In the unlikely event that you follow me and have never read this, fix that right away.
"Yesterday two right-wing circuit judges signed off on the Trump administration’s new mass detention policy..." February 7, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
February 7, 2026
Yesterday two right-wing circuit judges signed off on the Trump administration’s new mass detention policy: the extraordinary assertion that vast numbers of noncitizens throughout the country can be a...
open.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:56 PM
"Yesterday two right-wing circuit judges signed off on the Trump administration’s new mass detention policy..." February 7, 2026 open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by John W. Farrell
It doesn’t get any more disgusting than this.
February 7, 2026 at 8:41 PM
It doesn’t get any more disgusting than this.
Thread of the Week.
Almost nobody knows this stuff. Everyone talks about the current circumstances of publishing and bookselling as if they were created ten minutes ago according to some central plan, instead of being the residue of decades and centuries of prior improvisation amidst overwhelming difficulty.
February 7, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Thread of the Week.
WaPo headline this morning.
February 7, 2026 at 1:02 PM
WaPo headline this morning.