Professa Murray
@kalimurray.bsky.social
I am a law professor. The Only Patent Habermasian. Dedicated to bringing a knife to a knife fight, and her enduring porpoise. 🐬 Running her own neighborhood on BlueSky.
As I said, the real test is to find Caracas on a map (although as @drconstance.bsky.social notes Season Two Jack Ryan do have an advantage).
In that batshit insane interview?
Stephen Miller repeatedly (after 4:15) calls Venezuela an island.
I don't rule out that Miller doesn't know the difference between Venezuela and Greenland.
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/05/p...
Stephen Miller repeatedly (after 4:15) calls Venezuela an island.
I don't rule out that Miller doesn't know the difference between Venezuela and Greenland.
edition.cnn.com/2026/01/05/p...
Stephen Miller says US is using military threat to maintain control of Venezuela | CNN Politics
Senior White House aide Stephen Miller said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper that the US is “in charge” of Venezuela because of the threat posed by the military forces that remain stationed just...
edition.cnn.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:28 PM
As I said, the real test is to find Caracas on a map (although as @drconstance.bsky.social notes Season Two Jack Ryan do have an advantage).
I am slowly becoming a fan of democratic messiness. I understand in the 1960s and 1970s, we broke the power of the committee chairs to push the civil rights bill through Congress, but we have swung to hard to party discipline at all costs.
January 6, 2026 at 5:05 AM
I am slowly becoming a fan of democratic messiness. I understand in the 1960s and 1970s, we broke the power of the committee chairs to push the civil rights bill through Congress, but we have swung to hard to party discipline at all costs.
Reposted by Professa Murray
Way down the list on how insane and evil this is, but... just a point of con law trivia, I guess: the president doesn't have the power to annex territory. Like, even assuming we militarily occupied it. Just on the domestic law angle, it still wouldn't be "part of the US" w/o Congress saying so.
TAPPER: Can you rule out the US is going to take Greenland by force?
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
MILLER: Greenland should be part of the US. By what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? The US is the power of NATO
T: So force is on the table?
M: Nobody is gonna fight the US militarily over future of Greenland
January 6, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Way down the list on how insane and evil this is, but... just a point of con law trivia, I guess: the president doesn't have the power to annex territory. Like, even assuming we militarily occupied it. Just on the domestic law angle, it still wouldn't be "part of the US" w/o Congress saying so.
In the last three days, Delcy Rodriguez’s brother was re-installed as Speaker of the House, and she is sending roving gangs around Caracas to enforce her rule. Meanwhile the Trump Adminstration is fully confident they have her under control: www.politico.com/news/2026/01....
January 6, 2026 at 2:00 AM
In the last three days, Delcy Rodriguez’s brother was re-installed as Speaker of the House, and she is sending roving gangs around Caracas to enforce her rule. Meanwhile the Trump Adminstration is fully confident they have her under control: www.politico.com/news/2026/01....
Quite a bit of reporting now suggests VP Delcy Rodiriguez used our military to coup Maduro. We are not powerful; we were chumps. The best military coup is when you don’t have to use the your military.
remarkable amount of talk abt how Trump is going to administer Venezuela when he pretty clearly hasn't overthrown the current govt yet
Venezuela Regime Change and the Theater of the Absurd talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/venez...
January 5, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Quite a bit of reporting now suggests VP Delcy Rodiriguez used our military to coup Maduro. We are not powerful; we were chumps. The best military coup is when you don’t have to use the your military.
Reposted by Professa Murray
A reminder that the US killed 80 people in Venezuela, and it would be nice if the US media cared enough to think that the life of a grandmother in Caracas whose building is destroyed by a US bomb matters as much as the life of a person in the US.
January 5, 2026 at 5:54 PM
A reminder that the US killed 80 people in Venezuela, and it would be nice if the US media cared enough to think that the life of a grandmother in Caracas whose building is destroyed by a US bomb matters as much as the life of a person in the US.
I will continue my fine tradition of paying no attention to either the Free Press or CBS News. I declared boycott during the pandemic where a member of my household made us watch some version of NCIS every night. The terror of six months of NCIS haunts me to this day.
Bari Weiss announces Rod Dreher is joining The Free Press.
Bari Weiss: Our Expanding Newsroom
Two million Free Pressers. New columnists and editors. And a special sale to celebrate.
www.thefp.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:42 PM
I will continue my fine tradition of paying no attention to either the Free Press or CBS News. I declared boycott during the pandemic where a member of my household made us watch some version of NCIS every night. The terror of six months of NCIS haunts me to this day.
Reposted by Professa Murray
Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
I’m proud of the work we did on the House January 6th Committee.
January 6th should’ve been the end of a political movement based on a cult of personality, conspiracism, extremism & lies. Instead, it is now in power.
I’m proud of the work we did on the House January 6th Committee.
January 6th should’ve been the end of a political movement based on a cult of personality, conspiracism, extremism & lies. Instead, it is now in power.
January 5, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Tomorrow is the 5th anniversary of the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.
I’m proud of the work we did on the House January 6th Committee.
January 6th should’ve been the end of a political movement based on a cult of personality, conspiracism, extremism & lies. Instead, it is now in power.
I’m proud of the work we did on the House January 6th Committee.
January 6th should’ve been the end of a political movement based on a cult of personality, conspiracism, extremism & lies. Instead, it is now in power.
And here again is what I mean that the Democrats need to design a strategy and implement a tactic. We know in 2026 and 2028, the Republican Party will act in anti-democratic manner, and so, the Party needs to design a strategy that emphasizes democratic localism.
👇🎯 Once again, I ask, in good faith & without trying to be overly alarmist, what anyone has seen in the last year to make them believe that the 2026/28 elections will be free, fair, & democratic by any traditional meaning of the words?
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Trump sees dollar signs with Venezuelan oil, has designs on other countries, and clearly sees himself as some kind of emperor of the world. I don’t think he has plans to leave in 2028. And he’s showing he’ll use the military however he wants
January 5, 2026 at 12:38 PM
And here again is what I mean that the Democrats need to design a strategy and implement a tactic. We know in 2026 and 2028, the Republican Party will act in anti-democratic manner, and so, the Party needs to design a strategy that emphasizes democratic localism.
Reposted by Professa Murray
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
Right.
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
If you want a good explanation of why the American system of government worked well enough for 200 years and then suddenly stopped, it's because Republicans in Congress suddenly started letting their partisan interests COMPLETELY override their institutional interests
a lot of problems wouldn't exist if we had a congress with even an ounce of self interest
January 4, 2026 at 11:52 PM
yep. i can identify any number of structural issues but at the end of the day the basic problem is the republican party. this has been apparent for at least 20 years. it is also an incredibly unpopular observation to make among “serious” people.
How many Americans could point to Venezuela on a map? Can President Trump find Venezuela on a map? We ought to test him, LOL? The problem with deciding our foreign policy based on how this plays in South Florida, it reads kind of niche.
This whole business about how Venezuela “stole our oil” (???!?!?!) is going to read as absolute gibberish to normal people
The problem with skipping the whole “manufacturing consent” part it was that without even a vague sense of what this is about, the little spike in support will disappear in about 48 hours. By the middle of the week people will just assume it’s over and get mad if it isn’t.
January 4, 2026 at 11:01 PM
How many Americans could point to Venezuela on a map? Can President Trump find Venezuela on a map? We ought to test him, LOL? The problem with deciding our foreign policy based on how this plays in South Florida, it reads kind of niche.
This is all very crazy to me because the reason we have Temporary Protected Status for most of Central America is because we meddled waaaaay too much in the internal politics of Central America in the 1980s.
It's hilarious to me that people think removing one guy is suddenly going to fix the problem of the utter failure of governance in Venezuela that predates Maduro.
BASH: There's no question that Maduro was a destabilizing force in the region. People are celebrating in the streets all over. Is it fair to say there's some benefit in him not being in power?
CHRIS MURPHY: What changes? You just heard Sen. Cotton not be able to explain who's running the country
CHRIS MURPHY: What changes? You just heard Sen. Cotton not be able to explain who's running the country
January 4, 2026 at 9:20 PM
This is all very crazy to me because the reason we have Temporary Protected Status for most of Central America is because we meddled waaaaay too much in the internal politics of Central America in the 1980s.
I think that Jeffries (not Schumer) is doing a fairly good job of responding tactically to President Trump, but both lack a coherent long-term strategy to break the Unitary Executive. Everyone hates on Newt Gingrich but he had a long term strategy about Congressional power.
January 4, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I think that Jeffries (not Schumer) is doing a fairly good job of responding tactically to President Trump, but both lack a coherent long-term strategy to break the Unitary Executive. Everyone hates on Newt Gingrich but he had a long term strategy about Congressional power.
And the thing is in making Article I Article I, you must accept failure and you must include the Republicans. It is why you have to point out that when Hegseth and Rubio lied to Congress, they lied to Mike Rogers, and then had him go out and assure everyone it was ok.
January 4, 2026 at 2:29 PM
And the thing is in making Article I Article I, you must accept failure and you must include the Republicans. It is why you have to point out that when Hegseth and Rubio lied to Congress, they lied to Mike Rogers, and then had him go out and assure everyone it was ok.
Last night, I saw some frustration with Schumer and Jeffries. I have two thoughts. First, we truly always underestimated Nancy Pelosi. One of the dumber things Hegseth keeps saying is the first is not always the best. Of course, the first is usually the best. That is why they win, dummy.
January 4, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Last night, I saw some frustration with Schumer and Jeffries. I have two thoughts. First, we truly always underestimated Nancy Pelosi. One of the dumber things Hegseth keeps saying is the first is not always the best. Of course, the first is usually the best. That is why they win, dummy.
We should probably stop comparing the Maduro action to Noriega: library..com/cqalmanac/do.... For instance, before we arrested Noriega, both the House and Senate entered a joint statement.
January 4, 2026 at 5:29 AM
We should probably stop comparing the Maduro action to Noriega: library..com/cqalmanac/do.... For instance, before we arrested Noriega, both the House and Senate entered a joint statement.
I am sorry to go off about Mar-A-Lago this late in the game but the whole time, I stared at those black curtains and wondered, why is this being announced in front of what looks like black curtains from an academic panel (and shout-out to all law professors, like an academic panel at SEALS).
January 3, 2026 at 11:30 PM
I am sorry to go off about Mar-A-Lago this late in the game but the whole time, I stared at those black curtains and wondered, why is this being announced in front of what looks like black curtains from an academic panel (and shout-out to all law professors, like an academic panel at SEALS).
The cherry on top: they conducted the raid at Mar-A-Lago?! They conducted 👏 a raid👏 that put military lives 👏 on the line 👏 from the White and Gold Ballroom. Truly, truly, truly.
January 3, 2026 at 11:16 PM
The cherry on top: they conducted the raid at Mar-A-Lago?! They conducted 👏 a raid👏 that put military lives 👏 on the line 👏 from the White and Gold Ballroom. Truly, truly, truly.
That press conference was wild. Rubio was like, no, no it was an arrest (following the advice of counsel), Hegseth was like look at my suit it is fly, and Trump was like, I issued an executive order and declared myself King of Venezuela. You know what would help to navigate state building: USAID.
Exactly. These are not the same thing. Either this was a highly kinetic police operation or the US now runs Venezuela. If it's a policing operation, sovereign power of Venezuela doesn't come in as a package deal.
Either it was a limited operation merely to arrest Maduro and move on, or, it is an ongoing major regime change committment that will open up a transition including international and private sector partners. It really can't be both
January 3, 2026 at 11:00 PM
That press conference was wild. Rubio was like, no, no it was an arrest (following the advice of counsel), Hegseth was like look at my suit it is fly, and Trump was like, I issued an executive order and declared myself King of Venezuela. You know what would help to navigate state building: USAID.
There are several steps before impeachment: I would start with refusing to appropriate Defense and State without testimony from Hegseth, Rubio and Bondi. I mean if I was John Thune I would have encouraged Donald Trump to wait after January 30th. But as we all know, January 6 is a trigger for him.
Impeachment is the obvious elephant in the room. But there are other things you could say! WPR resolution. New legislation. Standing firm on the upcoming shutdown for once. Literally anything. Just say what you would actually do if you had the votes and then vote that way. It's not that complicated!
January 3, 2026 at 10:29 PM
There are several steps before impeachment: I would start with refusing to appropriate Defense and State without testimony from Hegseth, Rubio and Bondi. I mean if I was John Thune I would have encouraged Donald Trump to wait after January 30th. But as we all know, January 6 is a trigger for him.
This is like Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, where the dream of power and glory, obscures what is the actual tactical reality on the ground.
also: no, this is not going to be popular
the entire concept of invading was polling deeply underwater before they did this and while I expect a bit of a jump there from the cult I don’t see any reason to expect anyone else to rally around the flag
stop shitting your pants and oppose it
the entire concept of invading was polling deeply underwater before they did this and while I expect a bit of a jump there from the cult I don’t see any reason to expect anyone else to rally around the flag
stop shitting your pants and oppose it
January 3, 2026 at 9:35 PM
This is like Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg, where the dream of power and glory, obscures what is the actual tactical reality on the ground.
We knew even before President Trump opened his mouth this morning that he saw President Maduro’s arrest as part of an ongoing claim to “run Venezuela” and so, far as I am concerned, Rubio has no credibility to claim this is as an arrest, pursuant to Barr’s memo.
January 3, 2026 at 9:27 PM
We knew even before President Trump opened his mouth this morning that he saw President Maduro’s arrest as part of an ongoing claim to “run Venezuela” and so, far as I am concerned, Rubio has no credibility to claim this is as an arrest, pursuant to Barr’s memo.
Well, who is paying the bill on that buddy? The remaining appropriations bills that matter as of today are:
Defense and State
Well, Chuck Schumer, time to crank up ole shutdown machine because where is the “running Venezuela” line item?
Defense and State
Well, Chuck Schumer, time to crank up ole shutdown machine because where is the “running Venezuela” line item?
Trump on Venezuela: "We're going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition"
January 3, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Well, who is paying the bill on that buddy? The remaining appropriations bills that matter as of today are:
Defense and State
Well, Chuck Schumer, time to crank up ole shutdown machine because where is the “running Venezuela” line item?
Defense and State
Well, Chuck Schumer, time to crank up ole shutdown machine because where is the “running Venezuela” line item?
If leaving Afghanistan after First Trump negotiated one of the worst deals in international law ruined President Biden, what does entering regime change when Congress has not approved it, it is being led by a man overdosing—on aspirin—and overwhelmingly disapproved by the American people, do?
A deluge of work on regime change after the 2003 invasion of Iraq yielded strong (and rare) agreement in IR: it doesn't work & has terrible consequences. @profdownes.bsky.social's book Catastrophic Success lays it out, but it's right there in the title. www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
January 3, 2026 at 2:34 PM
If leaving Afghanistan after First Trump negotiated one of the worst deals in international law ruined President Biden, what does entering regime change when Congress has not approved it, it is being led by a man overdosing—on aspirin—and overwhelmingly disapproved by the American people, do?
The Trump Adminstration would not even brief Congress on the strikes in the Caribbean. You know who I blame this doozy? ML John Thune and Speaker Johnson, leaders of what Trump refers to as the Duma. We should probably start referring to them as the Duma Wing of the Republican Party.
Im seeing discussions about consultations with congress, authorizations of force etc. I have to say this transcends any of what I would call sub constitutional technicalities. The president has gone to war with a foreign power and, it seems, kidnapped a foreign head of state on the basis of nothing.
January 3, 2026 at 12:47 PM
The Trump Adminstration would not even brief Congress on the strikes in the Caribbean. You know who I blame this doozy? ML John Thune and Speaker Johnson, leaders of what Trump refers to as the Duma. We should probably start referring to them as the Duma Wing of the Republican Party.