Lindsay P Cohn
@lindsaypcohn.bsky.social
Political Scientist (all views are own, not employers’). Visiting Prof @ Columbia SIPA; civ-mil relations, military orgs/manpower, public opinion, foreign policy, militarized policing, democratic theory, intl/natsec law, pol econ
Pinned
I’m excited that my first book is available for pre-order and will come out at the end of the month!
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
It looks at how to think about military ethics from a perspective of upholding democratic governance and values. Everyone can just ignore the chapter on Augustine unless you REALLY like Augustine 😂
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
November 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The U.S. military is being used inside the United States. There's a lot we don't know about how, why, and under what authorities.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Today, Lawfare is launching a new project–which includes a tracker and a map–to follow where and how the military is being domestically deployed.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Not that we need more evidence that our oligarchs are out of touch with the average citizen, but asking everyone to just buy a second ticket to prevent being stranded at an airport is pretty tone deaf: fortune.com/2025/11/07/f...
Frontier’s CEO on air travel reductions: Buy a second plane ticket from competitors if you ‘don’t want to be stranded’ | Fortune
"If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don't want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier."
fortune.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Not that we need more evidence that our oligarchs are out of touch with the average citizen, but asking everyone to just buy a second ticket to prevent being stranded at an airport is pretty tone deaf: fortune.com/2025/11/07/f...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
if you are food insecure for both the humans and pets in your household there is a tool called Pet Help Finder that can help locate pet food banks nearby and other free or reduced price assistance and supplies for pets.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
November 8, 2025 at 6:35 PM
if you are food insecure for both the humans and pets in your household there is a tool called Pet Help Finder that can help locate pet food banks nearby and other free or reduced price assistance and supplies for pets.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Happy to share that my new book with Jeff Berry and Jim Glaser is now available from @uchicagopress.bsky.social! (preorder elsewhere til 12/2, but available now through Chicago)
🧵
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
🧵
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Everyday Democracy
How the everyday habits and attitudes of ordinary liberals and conservatives shape the health of American democracy. In Everyday Democracy, Jeffrey M. Berry, James M. Glaser, and Deborah J. Schildkrau...
press.uchicago.edu
October 28, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Happy to share that my new book with Jeff Berry and Jim Glaser is now available from @uchicagopress.bsky.social! (preorder elsewhere til 12/2, but available now through Chicago)
🧵
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
🧵
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
"Under the deal, large cargo ships would have paid a fee if their CO₂ emissions exceeded a certain level. The standard would get stricter over time, encouraging the industry to move away from oil-based shipping fuel to cleaner options."
THE LEADING SHIPPING LOBBY SUPPORTED IT
THE LEADING SHIPPING LOBBY SUPPORTED IT
The nation’s top diplomat: “Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, personally called officials in several countries to threaten financial penalties and other punishments if they continued to support the agreement to cut ship pollution.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/c...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/c...
Trump Officials Accused of Bullying Tactics to Kill a Climate Measure
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:30 AM
"Under the deal, large cargo ships would have paid a fee if their CO₂ emissions exceeded a certain level. The standard would get stricter over time, encouraging the industry to move away from oil-based shipping fuel to cleaner options."
THE LEADING SHIPPING LOBBY SUPPORTED IT
THE LEADING SHIPPING LOBBY SUPPORTED IT
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Judge McConnell has just taken the bench.
As you'll recall, this is the second of two cases against the USDA re: the reduction of SNAP benefits.
We have Amy Romero for the Plaintiffs and Tyler Becker for the Government.
As you'll recall, this is the second of two cases against the USDA re: the reduction of SNAP benefits.
We have Amy Romero for the Plaintiffs and Tyler Becker for the Government.
November 6, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Judge McConnell has just taken the bench.
As you'll recall, this is the second of two cases against the USDA re: the reduction of SNAP benefits.
We have Amy Romero for the Plaintiffs and Tyler Becker for the Government.
As you'll recall, this is the second of two cases against the USDA re: the reduction of SNAP benefits.
We have Amy Romero for the Plaintiffs and Tyler Becker for the Government.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
NEW: Billions of pounds of food are imported to the U.S. each year.
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts
The dramatic shift in oversight comes at a time when the U.S. has never been more reliant on foreign food, which accounts for the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half its fresh fru...
www.propublica.org
November 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
NEW: Billions of pounds of food are imported to the U.S. each year.
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.
But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
🧵/
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
“But the Trump administration is seeking a separate legal opinion from the Justice Department that would provide a justification for launching strikes against land targets without needing to ask Congress to authorize military force, though no decisions have been made yet…”
I'd missed this. Evidently Rubio, Hegseth & someone from OLC told Congress in classified session that the administration doesn't currently have a legal justification for attacking Venezuela.
Trump admin tells Congress it currently lacks legal justification to strike Venezuela | CNN Politics
The “execute order” that launched the US military campaign against suspected drug boats in September also does not extend to land targets, the briefers said, according to the sources.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:37 AM
“But the Trump administration is seeking a separate legal opinion from the Justice Department that would provide a justification for launching strikes against land targets without needing to ask Congress to authorize military force, though no decisions have been made yet…”
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
On March 6, #SCOTUS denied a Trump emergency application in the Dellinger case. That was the last time that happened; today's ruling is the 24th (consecutive) grant since then.
I survey this broader pattern (and its alarming implications) in a new draft paper here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I survey this broader pattern (and its alarming implications) in a new draft paper here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
November 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
On March 6, #SCOTUS denied a Trump emergency application in the Dellinger case. That was the last time that happened; today's ruling is the 24th (consecutive) grant since then.
I survey this broader pattern (and its alarming implications) in a new draft paper here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
I survey this broader pattern (and its alarming implications) in a new draft paper here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
The Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug boats are “blatantly unlawful as a matter of U.S. domestic law—and a quickly spreading stain on whatever is left of the executive branch’s commitment to the rule of law.”
Me on “extrajudicial killings” in the latest issue of “One First”:
Me on “extrajudicial killings” in the latest issue of “One First”:
188. Five Questions About "Extrajudicial Killings"
There is no obvious legal argument to support President Trump's expanding campaign of strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. And the implications are even scarier.
www.stevevladeck.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
The Trump administration’s military strikes on alleged drug boats are “blatantly unlawful as a matter of U.S. domestic law—and a quickly spreading stain on whatever is left of the executive branch’s commitment to the rule of law.”
Me on “extrajudicial killings” in the latest issue of “One First”:
Me on “extrajudicial killings” in the latest issue of “One First”:
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
Australia has so much solar that it's offering everyone free electricity
Australia's extensive solar power penetration makes so much energy that the government wants to offer free electricity at peak hours.
electrek.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Australia has so much electricity from solar power that it is going to start offering free electricity to everyone for at least three hours during the day as the wholesale price of power goes negative
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
electrek.co/2025/11/04/a...
The company making money from the carbon offset market was wildly overstating its effectiveness. Investors found out and stopped investing. But many of the projects were in fact making a difference and reducing deforestation, and those are now at risk of dying.
apple.news/AUZVKy_jtR-y...
apple.news/AUZVKy_jtR-y...
‘There is no money’: As carbon markets collapse, what happens to the forests they promised to protect? — Guardian US
After it was found most offsets did not represent real carbon reductions, the money dried up. But successful schemes such as Kasigau in Kenya now face a stark future
apple.news
November 6, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The company making money from the carbon offset market was wildly overstating its effectiveness. Investors found out and stopped investing. But many of the projects were in fact making a difference and reducing deforestation, and those are now at risk of dying.
apple.news/AUZVKy_jtR-y...
apple.news/AUZVKy_jtR-y...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Not true obviously, but you save more lives when you stop a vessel and arrest those aboard, alive, if they're actually trafficking drugs.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
November 6, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Not true obviously, but you save more lives when you stop a vessel and arrest those aboard, alive, if they're actually trafficking drugs.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
Instead of drowned bodies, you get useful intel about their criminal structures, their support networks, their finances, and future vessels.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
This is the kind of stuff that really drives home that these are true believers, bona fide anti-immigration zealots. This is not 200,000 people, it is *200*. That is nothing, I wouldn’t even call it a rounding error, it would go fully unnoticed. But they are taking steps to strip them of protections
A global food security watchdog warned this week that half of South Sudan's population faces crisis-level hunger next year. But DHS wants to send back more than 200 people from the country with Temporary Protected Status.
Like in other recent TPS decisions, the agency cites public safety concerns.
Like in other recent TPS decisions, the agency cites public safety concerns.
South Sudanese Migrants Lose Temporary Deportation Protections
The Department of Homeland Security is eliminating a temporary deportation shield for more than 200 immigrants from South Sudan.
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM
This is the kind of stuff that really drives home that these are true believers, bona fide anti-immigration zealots. This is not 200,000 people, it is *200*. That is nothing, I wouldn’t even call it a rounding error, it would go fully unnoticed. But they are taking steps to strip them of protections
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
WOW. A federal judge says he's going to issue a Temporary Restraining Order requiring ICE to make changes at the Broadview facility in Chicago, a facility that until January was only for stays under 12 hours "absent exceptional circumstances," but has become, in Judge Gettleman's words, "a prison."
U.S. Robert Gettleman is now giving his thoughts. He says, "I think the evidence has been pretty strong that this facility is no longer just a temporary holding facility. …
"It has really become a prison."
"It has really become a prison."
DOJ's Jana Brady steps up next but says she'll largely "rest on our brief that we filed."
She wants any TRO to not "interfere with the executive branch."
She wants any TRO to not "interfere with the executive branch."
November 4, 2025 at 10:29 PM
WOW. A federal judge says he's going to issue a Temporary Restraining Order requiring ICE to make changes at the Broadview facility in Chicago, a facility that until January was only for stays under 12 hours "absent exceptional circumstances," but has become, in Judge Gettleman's words, "a prison."
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
IRS officially saying Direct File is dead. This was clear from back in April when they told engineers to stop working on the project (and the leaders of that team have since left government). Here is what I wrote then.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
November 4, 2025 at 11:17 PM
IRS officially saying Direct File is dead. This was clear from back in April when they told engineers to stop working on the project (and the leaders of that team have since left government). Here is what I wrote then.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-death-...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
So.Very. Stupid.
Honestly, someone should start an awards program for the worst government policies of the year. This one would certainly be a strong contender in the federal policy category.
Honestly, someone should start an awards program for the worst government policies of the year. This one would certainly be a strong contender in the federal policy category.
‘Burning Money:’ Dept. of Energy Directs $100 Million to Modernize Declining Coal Plants - Inside Climate News
The funding represents Trump’s latest attempt at coal revitalization, but updating the nation’s aging facilities would cost billions, experts say.
insideclimatenews.org
November 3, 2025 at 11:39 PM
So.Very. Stupid.
Honestly, someone should start an awards program for the worst government policies of the year. This one would certainly be a strong contender in the federal policy category.
Honestly, someone should start an awards program for the worst government policies of the year. This one would certainly be a strong contender in the federal policy category.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
Since SNAP benefits expired on Saturday, Houstonia is keeping a running list of where federal employees and people in need can pick up ingredients or get a free meal.
Please send any updates or leads to bbritto@houstoniamag.com & echeng@houstoniamag.com.
www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-cit...
Please send any updates or leads to bbritto@houstoniamag.com & echeng@houstoniamag.com.
www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-cit...
Local Kitchens, Big Hearts: How Houston Is Feeding Its Own
Free food, community drives, and restaurant giveaways—Houston steps up when it matters most.
www.houstoniamag.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Since SNAP benefits expired on Saturday, Houstonia is keeping a running list of where federal employees and people in need can pick up ingredients or get a free meal.
Please send any updates or leads to bbritto@houstoniamag.com & echeng@houstoniamag.com.
www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-cit...
Please send any updates or leads to bbritto@houstoniamag.com & echeng@houstoniamag.com.
www.houstoniamag.com/news-and-cit...
The situation in Darfur is dire apple.news/Aj3T17ypTQvq...
Sudan Militia, Armed with Drones, Hunts Down Black Population of Darfur — The Wall Street Journal
The country’s civil war is triggering a wave of brutal reprisals, human rights groups say
apple.news
November 1, 2025 at 1:58 AM
The situation in Darfur is dire apple.news/Aj3T17ypTQvq...
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
An EPA report found that the forever chemical PFNA interferes with human development and likely causes damage to the liver and male reproductive systems.
The agency has sat on the report for months. “Scientifically, it was done,” said one scientist.
The agency has sat on the report for months. “Scientifically, it was done,” said one scientist.
Scientists Completed a Toxicity Report on This Forever Chemical. The EPA Hasn’t Released It.
Agency scientists found that PFNA could cause developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but the ...
www.propublica.org
November 1, 2025 at 1:15 AM
An EPA report found that the forever chemical PFNA interferes with human development and likely causes damage to the liver and male reproductive systems.
The agency has sat on the report for months. “Scientifically, it was done,” said one scientist.
The agency has sat on the report for months. “Scientifically, it was done,” said one scientist.
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
All of this *just* happened in two totally separate cases, so be careful with differing stories about where things stand:
- TRO granted in the Rhode Island case (Judge Jack McConnell), but no written order yet.
- Trump admin was given until Monday to act in the Mass. case (Judge Indira Talwani).
- TRO granted in the Rhode Island case (Judge Jack McConnell), but no written order yet.
- Trump admin was given until Monday to act in the Mass. case (Judge Indira Talwani).
NEWS: The Trump admin's decision to suspend SNAP benefits due to the shutdown has been blocked. In two cases, both judges found the government action is likely illegal. Although a judge in Mass gave the admin until Monday to reverse course, a judge in Rhode Island issued a TRO from the bench today.
BREAKING: Federal judge rules that the Trump administration likely illegally suspended SNAP benefits, ruling that at least reduced distribution is required to go forward under law using the $6 billion reserve fund.
Judge gives the Trump admin until Monday to respond as to whether it will act.
Judge gives the Trump admin until Monday to respond as to whether it will act.
October 31, 2025 at 6:33 PM
All of this *just* happened in two totally separate cases, so be careful with differing stories about where things stand:
- TRO granted in the Rhode Island case (Judge Jack McConnell), but no written order yet.
- Trump admin was given until Monday to act in the Mass. case (Judge Indira Talwani).
- TRO granted in the Rhode Island case (Judge Jack McConnell), but no written order yet.
- Trump admin was given until Monday to act in the Mass. case (Judge Indira Talwani).
Reposted by Lindsay P Cohn
#ResistanceRoots
Jonas Salk was born on this day in 1914 in New York City. He is best known for developing the first safe and effective polio vaccine, one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. He famously refused to patent his vaccine or seek any profit from it. /1
Jonas Salk was born on this day in 1914 in New York City. He is best known for developing the first safe and effective polio vaccine, one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. He famously refused to patent his vaccine or seek any profit from it. /1
October 29, 2025 at 12:51 AM
#ResistanceRoots
Jonas Salk was born on this day in 1914 in New York City. He is best known for developing the first safe and effective polio vaccine, one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. He famously refused to patent his vaccine or seek any profit from it. /1
Jonas Salk was born on this day in 1914 in New York City. He is best known for developing the first safe and effective polio vaccine, one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 20th century. He famously refused to patent his vaccine or seek any profit from it. /1
Uh
I use Claude (an AI) to scan my posts for spelling and grammar errors. On the most recent post (about the East Wing, link below), I got a really amazing addendum.
www.pbump.net/o/yes-most-a...
www.pbump.net/o/yes-most-a...
October 30, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Uh