Michael Pollak
@mdpollak.bsky.social
I love big books and I cannot lie
Reposted by Michael Pollak
You and your wife drop your 6-year-old off at school. You just moved here. You see ICE terrorizing your new neighbors. You film them, as is your legal right. Your wife complies with orders. She is then shot in the head. You still have to pick up your child later today.
This could be you.
This could be you.
January 8, 2026 at 12:15 AM
You and your wife drop your 6-year-old off at school. You just moved here. You see ICE terrorizing your new neighbors. You film them, as is your legal right. Your wife complies with orders. She is then shot in the head. You still have to pick up your child later today.
This could be you.
This could be you.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Cea Weaver is the real deal. Her presence in the Mamdani administration is a very good sign.
I gotta say it is cool as fuck that our millennial movement mayor is actually appointing millennial movement people.
As my friend @atgenevieve.bsky.social pointed out, Cea scares the richest people in the world, and they’ll do anything to stop effective organizers.
As my friend @atgenevieve.bsky.social pointed out, Cea scares the richest people in the world, and they’ll do anything to stop effective organizers.
This Activist Has Long Been Polarizing. Mamdani Is Standing by Her.
www.nytimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Cea Weaver is the real deal. Her presence in the Mamdani administration is a very good sign.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.
January 8, 2026 at 12:22 AM
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
At the @status.news newsletter that I read daily, they're saying...
"A chaotic on-air rollout, cringe social media posts, and MAGA-friendly editorial choices have turned Tony Dokoupil’s “CBS Evening News” debut into a source of embarrassment and growing alarm inside the network’s newsroom.
"A chaotic on-air rollout, cringe social media posts, and MAGA-friendly editorial choices have turned Tony Dokoupil’s “CBS Evening News” debut into a source of embarrassment and growing alarm inside the network’s newsroom.
January 7, 2026 at 3:31 AM
At the @status.news newsletter that I read daily, they're saying...
"A chaotic on-air rollout, cringe social media posts, and MAGA-friendly editorial choices have turned Tony Dokoupil’s “CBS Evening News” debut into a source of embarrassment and growing alarm inside the network’s newsroom.
"A chaotic on-air rollout, cringe social media posts, and MAGA-friendly editorial choices have turned Tony Dokoupil’s “CBS Evening News” debut into a source of embarrassment and growing alarm inside the network’s newsroom.
To loosely paraphrase Gandhi on colonial law, it is shitting on the word "law" to say that what Trump did to Venezuela is legal. It is established only by the naked sword, wielded arbitrarily over those who had no say its appointing its government.
January 6, 2026 at 1:08 AM
To loosely paraphrase Gandhi on colonial law, it is shitting on the word "law" to say that what Trump did to Venezuela is legal. It is established only by the naked sword, wielded arbitrarily over those who had no say its appointing its government.
Reposted by Michael Pollak
I'm old enough to remember when Elon Musk said it was so easy to remove bots that any social platform that failed to do it was prima facie committing fraud
January 5, 2026 at 4:47 PM
I'm old enough to remember when Elon Musk said it was so easy to remove bots that any social platform that failed to do it was prima facie committing fraud
Reposted by Michael Pollak
I have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643
Ruling for the Rich: the Supreme Court over Time
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
January 5, 2026 at 9:14 AM
I have a new paper w Andrea Prat & Jake Spitz. We show that Republican appointed Supreme Court Justices vote in favor of the richer party by over 70% today, as compared to D’s at 30%. In the 1950s and both were at 50%. This strong trend may contribute to rising inequality. www.nber.org/papers/w34643
Nan Goldin made a 10 minute film about Gaza - entirely silent. Surprising, simple and effective as always with her.
youtu.be/_PaLHriVbjw
youtu.be/_PaLHriVbjw
Voices for Gaza: Nan Goldin
YouTube video by Viet Thanh Nguyen
youtu.be
January 5, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Nan Goldin made a 10 minute film about Gaza - entirely silent. Surprising, simple and effective as always with her.
youtu.be/_PaLHriVbjw
youtu.be/_PaLHriVbjw
Reposted by Michael Pollak
America is rich and the UK is poor…
True but this statistic shocked me…
The average wealth per American adult is $620k but the median is only $124k!
The average wealth per UK adult is $339k and the median is $176k. 🧵
True but this statistic shocked me…
The average wealth per American adult is $620k but the median is only $124k!
The average wealth per UK adult is $339k and the median is $176k. 🧵
January 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
America is rich and the UK is poor…
True but this statistic shocked me…
The average wealth per American adult is $620k but the median is only $124k!
The average wealth per UK adult is $339k and the median is $176k. 🧵
True but this statistic shocked me…
The average wealth per American adult is $620k but the median is only $124k!
The average wealth per UK adult is $339k and the median is $176k. 🧵
Great article by @lizafeatherstone.bsky.social on Sarahana Shreshtha's extremely effective campaign to take power utility public in mid-Hudson Valley. And how straightforward & great it would be, there & everywhere else.
jacobin.com/2025/12/huds...
jacobin.com/2025/12/huds...
Keeping Power Utilities in Corporate Hands Doesn’t Make Sense
A new study shows that socialist plans to take over the privately owned power utility in New York’s Hudson Valley would lower rates for users and improve its long-term health. Public ownership of powe...
jacobin.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Great article by @lizafeatherstone.bsky.social on Sarahana Shreshtha's extremely effective campaign to take power utility public in mid-Hudson Valley. And how straightforward & great it would be, there & everywhere else.
jacobin.com/2025/12/huds...
jacobin.com/2025/12/huds...
December 27, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Satisfying review profile by @davidklion.bsky.social
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephen-miller-hatemonger-biography
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephen-miller-hatemonger-biography
The Cruel World According to Stephen Miller
How did he become the Trump era’s architect of hate?
www.thenation.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Satisfying review profile by @davidklion.bsky.social
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephen-miller-hatemonger-biography
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/stephen-miller-hatemonger-biography
Reposted by Michael Pollak
"tell me we didn't just fire a dozen $500,000 missiles at a $200 camel"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
December 26, 2025 at 7:17 PM
"tell me we didn't just fire a dozen $500,000 missiles at a $200 camel"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
"sir, no evidence of any camel present, sir!"
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Samuel Stein looks at how New York City Hall is "booby-trapped to prevent progress on housing"—and how mayor-elect Mamdani and his allies can overcome the obstacles. jewishcurrents.org/zohran-mamda...
December 19, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Samuel Stein looks at how New York City Hall is "booby-trapped to prevent progress on housing"—and how mayor-elect Mamdani and his allies can overcome the obstacles. jewishcurrents.org/zohran-mamda...
Reposted by Michael Pollak
Classical lute music (well, theorba) by Kapsberger. Fits the holiday season, very traditional but very new to most people
youtu.be/MUL8lPZ9tM0
youtu.be/MUL8lPZ9tM0
Johannes Hieronymus Kapsberger "Preludio e Sfessania"
YouTube video by Simone Vallerotonda
youtu.be
December 24, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Classical lute music (well, theorba) by Kapsberger. Fits the holiday season, very traditional but very new to most people
youtu.be/MUL8lPZ9tM0
youtu.be/MUL8lPZ9tM0
Surprisingly clear story by @ryanlcooper.com of how we got here & why what worked so well in the past can't possibly work now. Long for an article but really short for so smoothly packing in 80 years of history & engineering
jacobin.com/2025/12/amer...
jacobin.com/2025/12/amer...
America Can’t Build Homes Anymore
Cities stopped building not by accident but by design. Our housing system is constructed on scarcity, speculation, and private veto power.
jacobin.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Surprisingly clear story by @ryanlcooper.com of how we got here & why what worked so well in the past can't possibly work now. Long for an article but really short for so smoothly packing in 80 years of history & engineering
jacobin.com/2025/12/amer...
jacobin.com/2025/12/amer...
Reposted by Michael Pollak
To survive a school shooting is traumatic enough but to then face a racist smear campaign that falsely accuses you of being the murderer is even worse. That, writes @jeetheer.bsky.social, was the fate of a queer Palestinian student at Brown University.
https://bit.ly/3MO9hMK
https://bit.ly/3MO9hMK
Islamophobic Elites Lied to Destroy the Life of a Palestinian Brown Student
Plutocrats, pundits, and government officials joined together in a racist smear campaign against a queer Palestinian student at Brown University.
bit.ly
December 22, 2025 at 5:49 PM
To survive a school shooting is traumatic enough but to then face a racist smear campaign that falsely accuses you of being the murderer is even worse. That, writes @jeetheer.bsky.social, was the fate of a queer Palestinian student at Brown University.
https://bit.ly/3MO9hMK
https://bit.ly/3MO9hMK
I can see why Bari Weiss spiked it. You should watch it.
The Oligarchy will spike this one soon, but just keep passing it around, downloading and uploading.
Ironically this was the original point of the internet, distributed protection from deletion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIm6...
The Oligarchy will spike this one soon, but just keep passing it around, downloading and uploading.
Ironically this was the original point of the internet, distributed protection from deletion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIm6...
60 Minutes CECOT Segment Axed by Weiss (Aired in Canada)
YouTube video by JayyRodd
www.youtube.com
December 23, 2025 at 12:56 AM
I can see why Bari Weiss spiked it. You should watch it.
The Oligarchy will spike this one soon, but just keep passing it around, downloading and uploading.
Ironically this was the original point of the internet, distributed protection from deletion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIm6...
The Oligarchy will spike this one soon, but just keep passing it around, downloading and uploading.
Ironically this was the original point of the internet, distributed protection from deletion
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIm6...
Reposted by Michael Pollak
The most impressive thing about Bari is her ability to violate ethical principles while indignantly claiming to defend them.
Weiss concluded: “We need to be able to make every effort to get the principals on the record and on camera. To me, our viewers come first, not a listing schedule or anything else. And that is my North Star, and I hope it's the North Star of every person in this newsroom.”
December 22, 2025 at 3:30 PM
The most impressive thing about Bari is her ability to violate ethical principles while indignantly claiming to defend them.