Philip Mai
@philipmai.com
Co-Dir. SocialMediaLab.ca | M.S., J.D. | Developer of social media analysis tools for research in the public interest | PoliDashboard.org, Communalytic.org, DeepfakesTracker.org, ConflictMisinfo.org, NoteTracker.socialmedialab.ca, & KM.socialmedialab.ca
Reposted by Philip Mai
As a matter of fact, they hate the current leadership of the EU so much that the administration has already said they will actively work for regime change in the EU. bsky.app/profile/soci...
"Trump’s 'National Security Strategy' declares that the US will focus on 'cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.'” www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-maki...
Make America Weak
Trump is systematically undermining America's interests at home and abroad.
www.publicnotice.co
December 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
As a matter of fact, they hate the current leadership of the EU so much that the administration has already said they will actively work for regime change in the EU. bsky.app/profile/soci...
Reposted by Philip Mai
It’s telling how much more disdain and animosity the Trump administration has for the EU (and the people currently running the EU) than for China: the U.S. hasn’t done this to China, despite China's outright banning of U.S. social media.
The US State Department just announced that it'll be revoking the visa & deporting people who "led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose." www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov
December 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
It’s telling how much more disdain and animosity the Trump administration has for the EU (and the people currently running the EU) than for China: the U.S. hasn’t done this to China, despite China's outright banning of U.S. social media.
This sounds familiar. When I worked for a U.S. Senator in the late 1990s/2000s, the first thing we did every morning was to pore over the front page of every local paper in our region and look for local stories with a federal angle, and then fax them to DC. Those stories guided our focus that day.
When I was on CNN's northeast desk, the first job at 6a every morning was to read the local papers. That guided some of what the massive CNN machine followed every day.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
When those papers die, CNN doesn't hire new regional reporters. What you get instead is more panel shows, more punditry.
"The newspaper industry served as a feeder for our entire news media ecosystem. So when we lose those newspapers, we've lost that journalism. In the early 2000s, we had 40 journalists per 100,000 people. We're now down to 8 journalists per 100,000 people," says @victorpickard.bsky.social.
December 26, 2025 at 1:07 AM
This sounds familiar. When I worked for a U.S. Senator in the late 1990s/2000s, the first thing we did every morning was to pore over the front page of every local paper in our region and look for local stories with a federal angle, and then fax them to DC. Those stories guided our focus that day.
"How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
December 25, 2025 at 8:38 PM
"How effective is protesting? According to historians and political scientists: very
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
From emancipation to women’s suffrage, civil rights and BLM, mass movement has shaped the arc of US history" www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Philip Mai
As AI continues to advance, more people will come to assume that anything they dislike or disagree with must be the product of AI. This reflects a form of motivated reasoning combined with a breakdown in collective sensemaking. This became obvious to us in late 2023 while developing the plan for...
December 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
As AI continues to advance, more people will come to assume that anything they dislike or disagree with must be the product of AI. This reflects a form of motivated reasoning combined with a breakdown in collective sensemaking. This became obvious to us in late 2023 while developing the plan for...
Reposted by Philip Mai
This is disgraceful. You don't abandon your allies. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Republicans Who Backed Afghan Visas Are Mum as Trump Halts Them
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 2:06 PM
This is disgraceful. You don't abandon your allies. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Reposted by Philip Mai
There are heroes everywhere. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
Kennedy Center’s Christmas Eve Jazz Show Canceled After Trump Name Added to Building
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 1:13 PM
There are heroes everywhere. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/u...
Reposted by Philip Mai
Margaret Atwood was right: “I didn’t put anything into the book that had not already happened in real life.”
In a nation with no official religion, state power is once again wrapped in religious symbolism ... bright, public, and unmistakable.
In a nation with no official religion, state power is once again wrapped in religious symbolism ... bright, public, and unmistakable.
December 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Margaret Atwood was right: “I didn’t put anything into the book that had not already happened in real life.”
In a nation with no official religion, state power is once again wrapped in religious symbolism ... bright, public, and unmistakable.
In a nation with no official religion, state power is once again wrapped in religious symbolism ... bright, public, and unmistakable.
Reposted by Philip Mai
Here's a little extra gift 🎁 from 🎅 ... a Bluesky feed with nothing but gift links & gift articles to major publications.
Pin this feed to enjoy it all year long. bsky.app/profile/did:...
Pin this feed to enjoy it all year long. bsky.app/profile/did:...
December 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Here's a little extra gift 🎁 from 🎅 ... a Bluesky feed with nothing but gift links & gift articles to major publications.
Pin this feed to enjoy it all year long. bsky.app/profile/did:...
Pin this feed to enjoy it all year long. bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Philip Mai
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas 🎄. This year hasn’t been easy, but I hope the routine and timelessness of the season bring you a little peace, comfort, and light. #Flowers #AllanGardens #Toronto
December 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas 🎄. This year hasn’t been easy, but I hope the routine and timelessness of the season bring you a little peace, comfort, and light. #Flowers #AllanGardens #Toronto
"Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment & threats have changed their lives. More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges & their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement. Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live." www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives
More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges and their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement. Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live.
www.nbcnews.com
December 24, 2025 at 5:18 PM
"Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment & threats have changed their lives. More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges & their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement. Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live." www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
It’s telling how much more disdain and animosity the Trump administration has for the EU (and the people currently running the EU) than for China: the U.S. hasn’t done this to China, despite China's outright banning of U.S. social media.
The US State Department just announced that it'll be revoking the visa & deporting people who "led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose." www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov
December 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
It’s telling how much more disdain and animosity the Trump administration has for the EU (and the people currently running the EU) than for China: the U.S. hasn’t done this to China, despite China's outright banning of U.S. social media.
Reposted by Philip Mai
Facebook, Instagram, X are simply banned in Russia. No US outrage about free speech there—yet the EU is the target. That contrast says a lot.
Visa bans may be moderate, but the message isn’t: the US is signaling it feels entitled to challenge EU rules governing digital speech.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
Announcement of Actions to Combat the Global Censorship-Industrial Complex - United States Department of State
The State Department is taking decisive action against five individuals who have led organized efforts to coerce American platforms to censor, demonetize, and suppress American viewpoints they oppose....
www.state.gov
December 24, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Facebook, Instagram, X are simply banned in Russia. No US outrage about free speech there—yet the EU is the target. That contrast says a lot.
Reposted by Philip Mai
I thought, based on the social media-fication of the @rachelaviv.bsky.social Oliver Sacks piece, that Sacks had invented patients wholesale. But instead it’s what was once seemingly secretly acceptable among highbrow writers: making up quotes and details about people to make them more interesting.
December 24, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I thought, based on the social media-fication of the @rachelaviv.bsky.social Oliver Sacks piece, that Sacks had invented patients wholesale. But instead it’s what was once seemingly secretly acceptable among highbrow writers: making up quotes and details about people to make them more interesting.
Reposted by Philip Mai
The government has broad authority to control admission but courts have held *repeatedly*, over more than half a century, that the First Amendment bars the government from denying visas to foreign citizens simply because it dislikes what they have to say. 1/
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship.
www.nytimes.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The government has broad authority to control admission but courts have held *repeatedly*, over more than half a century, that the First Amendment bars the government from denying visas to foreign citizens simply because it dislikes what they have to say. 1/
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/b...
"The Key Foreign-Policy Players of Trump 2.0. As the second Trump administration approaches the one-year mark, here’s who is influencing key policies." foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/22/t...
The Key Foreign-Policy Players of Trump 2.0
As the second Trump administration approaches the one-year mark, here’s who is influencing key policies.
foreignpolicy.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:32 PM
"The Key Foreign-Policy Players of Trump 2.0. As the second Trump administration approaches the one-year mark, here’s who is influencing key policies." foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/22/t...
Reposted by Philip Mai
Everyone is porcupining and bracing for war. Finland has raised the reservist age to 65, bringing its reserve force to nearly one million. The memory of the Winter War with the USSR continues to shape Finnish thinking. yle.fi/a/74-20201345
Finland raises reservist age to 65
The reserve force will gradually swell to one million.
yle.fi
December 24, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Everyone is porcupining and bracing for war. Finland has raised the reservist age to 65, bringing its reserve force to nearly one million. The memory of the Winter War with the USSR continues to shape Finnish thinking. yle.fi/a/74-20201345
In a swipe at the EU, the US denies visas to a former EU commissioner and others over the enforcement of EU anti-hate speech laws on social media. www.bbc.com/news/article...
US denies visas to ex-EU commissioner and others over social media rules
Thierry Breton, the former top tech regulator at the European Commission, says a "witch hunt" is taking place.
www.bbc.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:40 AM
In a swipe at the EU, the US denies visas to a former EU commissioner and others over the enforcement of EU anti-hate speech laws on social media. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Except for the oligarchs, we will all be poorer when this is over. "Canadian economy shrank by 0.3% in October, the biggest slump in almost 3 years." www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
Canadian economy shrank by 0.3% in October, the biggest slump in almost 3 years | CBC News
The drop was largely due to contraction in the goods and services sectors. Analysts had predicted that growth would dip by 0.2 per cent ahead of the release.
www.cbc.ca
December 23, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Except for the oligarchs, we will all be poorer when this is over. "Canadian economy shrank by 0.3% in October, the biggest slump in almost 3 years." www.cbc.ca/news/busines...
Reposted by Philip Mai
Drone warfare has put asymmetric economics at the center of modern conflict, yet the United States is still committing billions to yet another expensive military platform. #makeitmakesense #otherpeoplesmoney #TrumpClass #vanity www.france24.com/en/americas/...
Trump announces ‘Trump class’ battleships in expanded US naval buildup
US President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships, launching an expanded naval buildup and signalling tougher scrutiny of defence contractors over production de...
www.france24.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Drone warfare has put asymmetric economics at the center of modern conflict, yet the United States is still committing billions to yet another expensive military platform. #makeitmakesense #otherpeoplesmoney #TrumpClass #vanity www.france24.com/en/americas/...
Reposted by Philip Mai
When everything is a matter of national security, nothing is.
December 23, 2025 at 12:38 PM
When everything is a matter of national security, nothing is.
Reposted by Philip Mai
Tell Bari. We want her to know it was Canada. 🇨🇦
"‘60 Minutes’ story shelved by Bari Weiss streamed in Canada — and instantly spread across the web." www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/m...
"‘60 Minutes’ story shelved by Bari Weiss streamed in Canada — and instantly spread across the web." www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/m...
December 23, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Tell Bari. We want her to know it was Canada. 🇨🇦
"‘60 Minutes’ story shelved by Bari Weiss streamed in Canada — and instantly spread across the web." www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/m...
"‘60 Minutes’ story shelved by Bari Weiss streamed in Canada — and instantly spread across the web." www.cnn.com/2025/12/22/m...
Reposted by Philip Mai
"Justice Department releases 3rd batch of Jeffrey Epstein files, including some that mention Trump" www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Justice Department releases 3rd batch of Jeffrey Epstein files, including some that mention Trump
There have been growing concerns from lawmakers and survivors that the department had fallen short of releasing all of its records as required by law.
www.nbcnews.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
"Justice Department releases 3rd batch of Jeffrey Epstein files, including some that mention Trump" www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...
Reposted by Philip Mai
"Conservatives Want the Antebellum Constitution Back. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments are in trouble."
Here's why that matters:
* 14th Amendment = citizenship + due process + equal protection
* 15th Amendment = voting rights regardless of race www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Here's why that matters:
* 14th Amendment = citizenship + due process + equal protection
* 15th Amendment = voting rights regardless of race www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
December 22, 2025 at 4:12 PM
"Conservatives Want the Antebellum Constitution Back. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments are in trouble."
Here's why that matters:
* 14th Amendment = citizenship + due process + equal protection
* 15th Amendment = voting rights regardless of race www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Here's why that matters:
* 14th Amendment = citizenship + due process + equal protection
* 15th Amendment = voting rights regardless of race www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Philip Mai
A+ data journalism. @karenyourish.bsky.social @kenvogel.bsky.social and @charliesmart.bsky.social analyzed 346 donors who gave more than $250,00 to Trump. They found that more than half, “benefited, or are involved in an industry that has benefited,” from Trump.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:56 PM
A+ data journalism. @karenyourish.bsky.social @kenvogel.bsky.social and @charliesmart.bsky.social analyzed 346 donors who gave more than $250,00 to Trump. They found that more than half, “benefited, or are involved in an industry that has benefited,” from Trump.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...