Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
@phdrachel.bsky.social
Public Historian/Prof; Voting rights, suffrage, & citizenship; 🗃️
On The Great Courses & Audible
Views=my own. On #TikTok
http://buymeacoffee.com/PhDRachel
On The Great Courses & Audible
Views=my own. On #TikTok
http://buymeacoffee.com/PhDRachel
Pinned
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Dr. Donna Shaver is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of turtles.
Sea turtle expert leaves Texas position 'not by choice' after 37 years
Dr. Donna Shaver is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of turtles.
bit.ly
January 4, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Dr. Donna Shaver is credited with saving hundreds of thousands of turtles.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
You can’t report illegal acts because you don’t want to compromise them being carried out is an interesting take, if true
NYT, WaPo learned of the secret US raid on Venezuela soon before it was scheduled to begin but held off publishing what they had at the administration's request to avoid endangering US troops
January 4, 2026 at 4:18 AM
You can’t report illegal acts because you don’t want to compromise them being carried out is an interesting take, if true
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
the administration wants to frame this (bizarrely) as law enforcement. but if law enforcement conducted a raid for a suspect and killed 40 people, including an unknown number of unarmed civilians, it would be treated as a clear disaster like Waco.
NYT:
At least 40 people were killed in the US attack on Venezuela, including military personnel and civilians.
At least 40 people were killed in the US attack on Venezuela, including military personnel and civilians.
January 3, 2026 at 11:32 PM
the administration wants to frame this (bizarrely) as law enforcement. but if law enforcement conducted a raid for a suspect and killed 40 people, including an unknown number of unarmed civilians, it would be treated as a clear disaster like Waco.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Had Congress not spent the better part of a century (arguably longer) abdicating their responsibility as the first branch to meaningfully oversee the second branch of government, we would not be in this position
January 3, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Had Congress not spent the better part of a century (arguably longer) abdicating their responsibility as the first branch to meaningfully oversee the second branch of government, we would not be in this position
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
I feel like I’m going insane, there is, like, an actual Venezuelan government that still exists
With Nicolás Maduro out of power, the Trump administration is racing to assemble an interim governing structure for Venezuela.
After Maduro Ouster, Trump Takes On the Risks of Governing Venezuela
The administration is racing to get an interim government in place, even as pushback from Maduro’s allies raise fears of instability.
on.wsj.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:52 AM
I feel like I’m going insane, there is, like, an actual Venezuelan government that still exists
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani: “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law.”
January 3, 2026 at 7:03 PM
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani: “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law.”
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
there is no constituency that needs you to fall all over yourself to call Maduro illegitimate before you dare criticize Trump. Voters have been down this road before. No one thought Saddam Hussein was a nice guy. Criticism of Maduro at this stage correctly reads as a defense of Trump to most people.
Just an absolutely pathetic response from absolutely pathetic people. I was not a fan of Pelosi but even she would be better than the current crew.
January 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
there is no constituency that needs you to fall all over yourself to call Maduro illegitimate before you dare criticize Trump. Voters have been down this road before. No one thought Saddam Hussein was a nice guy. Criticism of Maduro at this stage correctly reads as a defense of Trump to most people.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Wait a minute, if I’m reading this correctly, the US didn’t do regime change in Venezuela, but instead, we helped the army-connected VP stage a coup???
January 3, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Wait a minute, if I’m reading this correctly, the US didn’t do regime change in Venezuela, but instead, we helped the army-connected VP stage a coup???
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Obsessing over Congressional approval in this moment is a category error.
Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and bombed families to seize control of the country for his billionaire buddies.
The MAGA regime isn’t breaking the rules. It’s teaching people that rules no longer apply.
Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and bombed families to seize control of the country for his billionaire buddies.
The MAGA regime isn’t breaking the rules. It’s teaching people that rules no longer apply.
January 3, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Obsessing over Congressional approval in this moment is a category error.
Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and bombed families to seize control of the country for his billionaire buddies.
The MAGA regime isn’t breaking the rules. It’s teaching people that rules no longer apply.
Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and bombed families to seize control of the country for his billionaire buddies.
The MAGA regime isn’t breaking the rules. It’s teaching people that rules no longer apply.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Not that crazy IMO
➡️ The Republican-run Supreme Court has ruled the President can't be prosecuted for doing crimes in office
➡️ The Republican-run Congress has decided Trump's the boss and they are mere spectators
Historically, tell a guy he's a god-king with no consequences and this is the result
➡️ The Republican-run Supreme Court has ruled the President can't be prosecuted for doing crimes in office
➡️ The Republican-run Congress has decided Trump's the boss and they are mere spectators
Historically, tell a guy he's a god-king with no consequences and this is the result
News: Gang of Eight in Congress were only notified about Trump's Venezuela operation after it began, source familiar tells me. That means the heads of the Intelligence Committees in Senate and House were *not* consulted. Just crazy.
January 3, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Not that crazy IMO
➡️ The Republican-run Supreme Court has ruled the President can't be prosecuted for doing crimes in office
➡️ The Republican-run Congress has decided Trump's the boss and they are mere spectators
Historically, tell a guy he's a god-king with no consequences and this is the result
➡️ The Republican-run Supreme Court has ruled the President can't be prosecuted for doing crimes in office
➡️ The Republican-run Congress has decided Trump's the boss and they are mere spectators
Historically, tell a guy he's a god-king with no consequences and this is the result
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Statement from Cato VP Clark Neily: Courts probably won't rule against the rendition. Yet Trump has chosen to bypass the constitutional provisions designed to cabin the president's powers in using force against other countries. And an indictment does not supply him with those powers.
January 3, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Statement from Cato VP Clark Neily: Courts probably won't rule against the rendition. Yet Trump has chosen to bypass the constitutional provisions designed to cabin the president's powers in using force against other countries. And an indictment does not supply him with those powers.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
January 3, 2026 at 3:34 PM
It’s not about drugs. If it was, Trump wouldn’t have pardoned one of the largest narco traffickers in the world last month.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
It’s about oil and regime change.
And they need a trial now to pretend that it isn’t. Especially to distract from his sinking under Epstein and skyrocketing healthcare costs.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Reminder: The US has refused to join the International Criminal Court because it argues extraterritorial justice is incompatible with national sovereignty and citizen's rights.
Vance pushes back and says this was not illegal, arguing "Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas."
January 3, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Reminder: The US has refused to join the International Criminal Court because it argues extraterritorial justice is incompatible with national sovereignty and citizen's rights.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Trump and his cronies can try to dress this up, but it is an illegal act of war to replace Maduro and grab Venezuela's oil for his billionaire buddies.
Full statement below:
Full statement below:
January 3, 2026 at 3:56 PM
Trump and his cronies can try to dress this up, but it is an illegal act of war to replace Maduro and grab Venezuela's oil for his billionaire buddies.
Full statement below:
Full statement below:
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Specifically, a protest song about how the sons of the rich were able to avoid fighting, like fighting-age Donald Trump who got four deferments for being in college and another for bone spurs.
Trump posts footage of the Maduro raid set to "Fortunate Son" -- a protest song about the Vietnam War draft
January 3, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Specifically, a protest song about how the sons of the rich were able to avoid fighting, like fighting-age Donald Trump who got four deferments for being in college and another for bone spurs.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Pour one out for the Latin American historians. May the gods of patience be with you as you do your public-facing work right now.
January 3, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Pour one out for the Latin American historians. May the gods of patience be with you as you do your public-facing work right now.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
it's darkly humorous to listen to Trump and his cronies reference the fact that Maduro was indicted in SDNY as evidence he's a dictator and overall bad guy
January 3, 2026 at 3:43 PM
it's darkly humorous to listen to Trump and his cronies reference the fact that Maduro was indicted in SDNY as evidence he's a dictator and overall bad guy
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
What is modern Texas History? When did that happen?
FOLKS NEED TO REALIZE HOW HUGE THIS IS
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
For the first time in modern Texas history, Dems have candidates running in every state and federal race on the 2026 ballot.
That includes all congressional seats, every state House and state Senate race, plus statewide judicial and State Board of Education.
January 3, 2026 at 2:48 PM
What is modern Texas History? When did that happen?
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Fuck the NYT. The way this headline is written, it makes it sound like Obama or the original law is responsible for the premium increases.
January 2, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Fuck the NYT. The way this headline is written, it makes it sound like Obama or the original law is responsible for the premium increases.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Excellent coverage of how this isn't a new problem on X. The best piece I've seen on this issue so far. Please take the time to read it.
I've been tracking the spread of nonconsensual deepfakes on X for more than two years. Here's a timeline of how Musk's leadership allowed the practice to flourish from a once-underground market to a viral trend, with little recourse for victims or legal enforcement.
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
spitfirenews.com/p/grok-csam-...
How Grok's sexual abuse hit a tipping point
Nonconsensual deepfakes on X are nothing new, but now it's built into the platform.
spitfirenews.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Excellent coverage of how this isn't a new problem on X. The best piece I've seen on this issue so far. Please take the time to read it.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
I cannot emphasize enough that the attempts to anthropomorphize an algorithm is a fundamental act of journalistic malpractice and an intentional act to shield the people responsible for this. It's fucking shameful.
Musk's Grok AI bot is fixing safeguard 'lapses' after posting of sexualized images of children
Musk's Grok AI bot is fixing safeguard 'lapses' after posting of sexualized images of children
Users on X raised concerns over explicit content of minors being generated using Musk's Grok tool.
cnb.cx
January 2, 2026 at 5:03 PM
I cannot emphasize enough that the attempts to anthropomorphize an algorithm is a fundamental act of journalistic malpractice and an intentional act to shield the people responsible for this. It's fucking shameful.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
A bigger problem might be that the framing attributes some kind agency and sincerity to an LLM. It cannot “apologize” any more than a calculator could.
January 2, 2026 at 7:23 PM
A bigger problem might be that the framing attributes some kind agency and sincerity to an LLM. It cannot “apologize” any more than a calculator could.
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Anti-abortion advocates: our bans exempt women from prosecution
Cops: oh we have other laws we can charge them under, and we’ll call fetuses “infants”
www.fox10tv.com/2026/01/02/w... h/t @kelciemmorris.bsky.social
Cops: oh we have other laws we can charge them under, and we’ll call fetuses “infants”
www.fox10tv.com/2026/01/02/w... h/t @kelciemmorris.bsky.social
January 2, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Anti-abortion advocates: our bans exempt women from prosecution
Cops: oh we have other laws we can charge them under, and we’ll call fetuses “infants”
www.fox10tv.com/2026/01/02/w... h/t @kelciemmorris.bsky.social
Cops: oh we have other laws we can charge them under, and we’ll call fetuses “infants”
www.fox10tv.com/2026/01/02/w... h/t @kelciemmorris.bsky.social
Reposted by Rachel Gunter, Ph.D. 🗃️
Retired immigration judge to @radleybalko.bsky.social: "It always starts with the minorities. It always starts with the immigrants. If we don’t stop them, it will be American citizens. We need to be screaming that this isn’t America—that this isn’t who we are" newrepublic.com/article/2042...
Trump’s Immigration Nightmare: It Is Happening Here
With astonishing speed, the administration has toppled the most cherished pillars of a free society. And the experts agree: It’s all going to get much, much worse.
newrepublic.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Retired immigration judge to @radleybalko.bsky.social: "It always starts with the minorities. It always starts with the immigrants. If we don’t stop them, it will be American citizens. We need to be screaming that this isn’t America—that this isn’t who we are" newrepublic.com/article/2042...