Michael Karanicolas
@karanicolas.bsky.social
Palmer Chair in Law and Public Policy at Dalhousie Law. Formerly @ UCLA and Yale. All things tech and democracy. Dachshund enthusiast.
This mentality is exactly what destroyed American news and it’s so maddening to see the BBC determined to follow in the same direction.
Hunting for bias will ultimately be hunting the snark. We are all biased in some way or another. The news team need to insist on detail and rigour, not matching one empty but biased commentator with another equally empty and biased commentator from the other side.
November 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
This mentality is exactly what destroyed American news and it’s so maddening to see the BBC determined to follow in the same direction.
Not pedantic at all when you consider Trump squeezed $15M out of ABC because an anchor mixed up rape and sexual abuse.
I know this is pedantic, but Kim Davis was not "jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses." She was jailed for contempt of court because she refused to follow a court order (she had stopped issuing all marriage licenses). NYT makes it sound like the Woke Police broke down her door.
November 8, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Not pedantic at all when you consider Trump squeezed $15M out of ABC because an anchor mixed up rape and sexual abuse.
Agree with all of this, and would only add that, by engaging in "good faith" efforts to try and mollify these critics, the universities played right into the hands of their adversaries, legitimizing a bogus narrative about rampant antisemitism in campus protests.
The problem wasn't that universities were indifferent to antisemitism, but that they allowed trustees, advocacy groups, demagogues, etc to pressure them into treating as "antisemitism" all kinds of political expression and advocacy that was entirely legitimate.
November 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Agree with all of this, and would only add that, by engaging in "good faith" efforts to try and mollify these critics, the universities played right into the hands of their adversaries, legitimizing a bogus narrative about rampant antisemitism in campus protests.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
We need a web3 video hosting site.
Just for context, it was an international scandal when YouTube erased documentation of Syrian government war crimes. Now it's just the Intercept and tech outlets who care.
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
November 6, 2025 at 1:23 PM
We need a web3 video hosting site.
Just for context, it was an international scandal when YouTube erased documentation of Syrian government war crimes. Now it's just the Intercept and tech outlets who care.
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
November 6, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Just for context, it was an international scandal when YouTube erased documentation of Syrian government war crimes. Now it's just the Intercept and tech outlets who care.
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
apnews.com/article/d9f1...
Hopefully Canadian policy-makers are watching this, as it significantly undercuts the wisdom of any further concessions to the Trump administration in order to secure tariff-relief.
If I had to guess right now (and it is premature!) I'd say the Supreme Court is going to strike down Trump's tariffs.
All three liberals are clearly against the government. Barrett too. Roberts leaning that way. And we haven't even gotten to tax-hater Gorsuch yet.
All three liberals are clearly against the government. Barrett too. Roberts leaning that way. And we haven't even gotten to tax-hater Gorsuch yet.
November 5, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Hopefully Canadian policy-makers are watching this, as it significantly undercuts the wisdom of any further concessions to the Trump administration in order to secure tariff-relief.
Remake of The Big Short except instead of Christian Bale as the lone person who sees a bubble the entire industry screams about for a year, but for some reason that does nothing to prevent the horrible fallout.
The guy who got famous betting against the housing market in 2007 just before that bubble burst - played by Christian Bale jn “The Big Short” - just wagered $1 billion on the collapse of the AI boom.
www.wsj.com/livecoverage...
www.wsj.com/livecoverage...
Michael Burry Returns With Two Big Shorts: Palantir and Nvidia
Signs of an AI bubble abound: Stock valuations have become uncomfortably rich, AI-related debt is ballooning, and a sustainable financial model for the technology has largely yet to emerge. Now Michae...
www.wsj.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Remake of The Big Short except instead of Christian Bale as the lone person who sees a bubble the entire industry screams about for a year, but for some reason that does nothing to prevent the horrible fallout.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
There has been-ahem-a lot going on in international law. in this brief chapter, I tried to take stock of the past two years and what they mean for critical IL. TL;DR: the old moves REALLY don't work anymore: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Critical International Law amongst the Ruins
<span>This chapter consists of two decidedly uneven parts: a landscape and an explosion. In the first section, I offer an overview of the evolution of critical
papers.ssrn.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:15 PM
There has been-ahem-a lot going on in international law. in this brief chapter, I tried to take stock of the past two years and what they mean for critical IL. TL;DR: the old moves REALLY don't work anymore: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
There's a number of reasons why this is a dumb take - but chief among them is that the report in question actually does describe the situation as a genocide, as one can plainly see from other media coverage.
November 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM
There's a number of reasons why this is a dumb take - but chief among them is that the report in question actually does describe the situation as a genocide, as one can plainly see from other media coverage.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
AT service operators and moderation thinkers: I put together an early proposal around infra abuse notices across organizational boundaries.
really looking for feedback on this one, it is bait for counter-proposals and references to prior work!
really looking for feedback on this one, it is bait for counter-proposals and references to prior work!
github.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM
AT service operators and moderation thinkers: I put together an early proposal around infra abuse notices across organizational boundaries.
really looking for feedback on this one, it is bait for counter-proposals and references to prior work!
really looking for feedback on this one, it is bait for counter-proposals and references to prior work!
Pretty cool how, during the first Trump administration, folks were shocked at how much democracy depends on norms and guidelines, and how it exposed the system to massive abuse, and then the Democrats gained power for four years and did absolutely nothing to fix that and now we’re here.
The Justice Department told Congress this week that President Trump could lawfully continue his lethal military strikes on people suspected of smuggling drugs at sea. The move rests on the idea that a Vietnam-era law called the War Powers Resolution does not apply to airstrike campaigns.
War Powers Law Does Not Apply to Trump’s Boat Strikes, Administration Says
The move deepened the idea that a Vietnam-era law, which says congressionally unauthorized deployments into “hostilities” must end after 60 days, does not apply to airstrike campaigns.
nyti.ms
November 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Pretty cool how, during the first Trump administration, folks were shocked at how much democracy depends on norms and guidelines, and how it exposed the system to massive abuse, and then the Democrats gained power for four years and did absolutely nothing to fix that and now we’re here.
Really is striking how many of the Trump administration’s worst excesses are grounded in expansions of Obama and Bush-era policies.
Sadly vindicating for those who argued at the time that these were creating dangerous precedents.
Sadly vindicating for those who argued at the time that these were creating dangerous precedents.
🧵 Trump admin is "doing a Libya"—claiming that US maritime strikes don't constitute "hostilities" under the War Powers Resolution and thus that law's 60-day limit on hostilities doesn't apply.
Shared thoughts with @washingtonpost.com, but here are more: 1/n
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Shared thoughts with @washingtonpost.com, but here are more: 1/n
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Trump administration tells Congress war law doesn’t apply to cartel strikes
A top Trump administration lawyer told Congress that the War Powers Resolution, which would require the end of hostilities within 60 days, doesn’t apply to cartel strikes.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Really is striking how many of the Trump administration’s worst excesses are grounded in expansions of Obama and Bush-era policies.
Sadly vindicating for those who argued at the time that these were creating dangerous precedents.
Sadly vindicating for those who argued at the time that these were creating dangerous precedents.
By all accounts, the Trump administration has had a catastrophic impact on America’s advanced research capacity. They’ve defunded Nobel prize winners and Fields medalists and deported the world’s best PhDs and post-docs.
It’s so insane to be asking them about how to improve university research.
It’s so insane to be asking them about how to improve university research.
The committee hosted Steven Pinker, who said, "Canada has the reputation now of being more woke than the United State... because of some of these EDI programs and policies that are being put in place, researchers do not feel welcome here."
This fantasy is being deployed to create anti-EDI policy.
This fantasy is being deployed to create anti-EDI policy.
November 1, 2025 at 5:18 PM
By all accounts, the Trump administration has had a catastrophic impact on America’s advanced research capacity. They’ve defunded Nobel prize winners and Fields medalists and deported the world’s best PhDs and post-docs.
It’s so insane to be asking them about how to improve university research.
It’s so insane to be asking them about how to improve university research.
I remember scoffing a few years ago at the idea that Musk was buying lasting cultural influence because it was so obvious he was going to run Twitter into the ground and then people would leave - and man, I did not understand the lasting power of network effects, especially among elite accounts.
I would read the hell out of a deeply reported piece on how the media/political elite addiction to Twitter is shaping their views, which in turn shape the views of millions of people. It's a total reality-warper.
i’m increasingly convinced that many people in d.c. are just suffering from x dot com brain rot
October 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
I remember scoffing a few years ago at the idea that Musk was buying lasting cultural influence because it was so obvious he was going to run Twitter into the ground and then people would leave - and man, I did not understand the lasting power of network effects, especially among elite accounts.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
We use the term “influencer” to capture how accounts with large audiences play an outsized role in shaping online discourse. But influence works both ways, and the audience’s (and other influencers’) power in shaping the views of elites (including electeds) is probably the most meaningful dynamic.
I would read the hell out of a deeply reported piece on how the media/political elite addiction to Twitter is shaping their views, which in turn shape the views of millions of people. It's a total reality-warper.
i’m increasingly convinced that many people in d.c. are just suffering from x dot com brain rot
October 30, 2025 at 1:47 PM
We use the term “influencer” to capture how accounts with large audiences play an outsized role in shaping online discourse. But influence works both ways, and the audience’s (and other influencers’) power in shaping the views of elites (including electeds) is probably the most meaningful dynamic.
The funniest thing about this DeSantis quote is his exhortation that we REALLY need to look at what’s going on with America’s schools.
As if nobody’s ever studied that problem, and as if he and his colleagues haven’t spend decades eviscerating the public school system.
As if nobody’s ever studied that problem, and as if he and his colleagues haven’t spend decades eviscerating the public school system.
So many own goals.
Once again: higher ed is one of our most successful exports. We export more higher ed to China than soybeans. And yet Trump and the mini-Trumps are deliberately destroying the quality of our product
Once again: higher ed is one of our most successful exports. We export more higher ed to China than soybeans. And yet Trump and the mini-Trumps are deliberately destroying the quality of our product
October 30, 2025 at 12:43 PM
The funniest thing about this DeSantis quote is his exhortation that we REALLY need to look at what’s going on with America’s schools.
As if nobody’s ever studied that problem, and as if he and his colleagues haven’t spend decades eviscerating the public school system.
As if nobody’s ever studied that problem, and as if he and his colleagues haven’t spend decades eviscerating the public school system.
Oh those poor pension fund members.
"The chief investor at New York’s public pension scheme has said the valuation of big technology companies is not 'euphoric', brushing off fears of an artificial intelligence-fuelled bubble."
New York City pension chief defends ‘optimistic’ tech valuations
Nycers CIO says stocks are in an ‘investment supercycle’ rather than a bubble, though 10% correction would be ‘welcome’
www.ft.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Oh those poor pension fund members.
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
I think any story about Trump's autocracy should be mostly about the people and institutions who failed to stop it. This guy isn't a political genius, everything else just happens to be rotten. 'Toddler Consolidates Power In Household' is a story about incompetent parents, not shrewd maneuvering
October 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I think any story about Trump's autocracy should be mostly about the people and institutions who failed to stop it. This guy isn't a political genius, everything else just happens to be rotten. 'Toddler Consolidates Power In Household' is a story about incompetent parents, not shrewd maneuvering
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
October 27, 2025 at 10:19 PM
“Tell your children who the cowards were.”
"Today, as we see the American civic space becoming more hostile to protest, and weapons of state power wielded aggressively against dissenting views, it is time once again to demonstrate that Canada’s Charter values are distinct, by recognizing the importance of protest to our democratic order."
Opinion: Bill C-9 puts Canadians’ Charter rights in peril
The Combatting Hate Act is far too broad in the powers it grants to police and prosecutors in dealing with protests
www.theglobeandmail.com
October 27, 2025 at 4:56 PM
"Today, as we see the American civic space becoming more hostile to protest, and weapons of state power wielded aggressively against dissenting views, it is time once again to demonstrate that Canada’s Charter values are distinct, by recognizing the importance of protest to our democratic order."
Reposted by Michael Karanicolas
In my latest post, I look at what the report actually says, and why the case for lawful access still doesn’t add up.
robertdiab.substack.com/p/do-csis-an...
robertdiab.substack.com/p/do-csis-an...
Do CSIS and Police Really Need More ‘Lawful Intercept’ Powers?
A new report makes Parliament’s case for Bill C-2 — and why it falls short
robertdiab.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 1:01 PM
In my latest post, I look at what the report actually says, and why the case for lawful access still doesn’t add up.
robertdiab.substack.com/p/do-csis-an...
robertdiab.substack.com/p/do-csis-an...
Obviously Trump's reaction is ridiculous, but I can't help but wonder what Doug Ford was possibly hoping to achieve with these ads.
We're six months into this trade war and it's utterly unacceptable a Premier still thinks he can just freelance foreign policy. He should leave this to the PM.
We're six months into this trade war and it's utterly unacceptable a Premier still thinks he can just freelance foreign policy. He should leave this to the PM.
Trump says he's hiking 'tariff on Canada' by 10% 'over and above' what it pays now | CBC News
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced on social media he will be increasing “the Tariff on Canada” by 10 per cent “over and above what they are paying now" because of an advertisement by the Ontar...
www.cbc.ca
October 25, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Obviously Trump's reaction is ridiculous, but I can't help but wonder what Doug Ford was possibly hoping to achieve with these ads.
We're six months into this trade war and it's utterly unacceptable a Premier still thinks he can just freelance foreign policy. He should leave this to the PM.
We're six months into this trade war and it's utterly unacceptable a Premier still thinks he can just freelance foreign policy. He should leave this to the PM.
It’s certainly a problem that our information environment is dominated by billionaires, but the real problem is that there are billionaires.
The richest man on earth owns X.
The second richest man on earth is about to acquire TikTok and his family could soon own both Paramount and Warner Bros.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
The second richest man on earth is about to acquire TikTok and his family could soon own both Paramount and Warner Bros.
The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.
See the problem here?
October 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
It’s certainly a problem that our information environment is dominated by billionaires, but the real problem is that there are billionaires.
If President Bernie Sanders imposed a $130 million wealth tax, this guy would be screaming bloody murder, but for some reason he’s fine lighting that money on fire as part of some weird publicity stunt.
NYT - Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the US government to help pay troops during the shutdown. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/us...
Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune
Timothy Mellon is a billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump.
www.nytimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM
If President Bernie Sanders imposed a $130 million wealth tax, this guy would be screaming bloody murder, but for some reason he’s fine lighting that money on fire as part of some weird publicity stunt.
Really bizarre how much money some people are willing to spend to avoid paying higher taxes.
NYT - Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the US government to help pay troops during the shutdown. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/us...
Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune
Timothy Mellon is a billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump.
www.nytimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Really bizarre how much money some people are willing to spend to avoid paying higher taxes.