Chris Cook
@professorcook.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Political Science
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."-- Steve Biko
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."-- Steve Biko
Reposted by Chris Cook
Trump desperate to become a petro-dictator like his buds MBS and Putin.
Rep. Salazar: "We're gonna be doing a favor to us, to our children, to our economy, to our oil companies to be able to liberate. And to Venezuelans who wants to be free."
November 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Trump desperate to become a petro-dictator like his buds MBS and Putin.
Reposted by Chris Cook
Political Scientist Vahid Abedini detained boarding flight as he traveled to the annual MESA conference
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Political Scientist Vahid Abedini detained boarding flight as he traveled to the annual MESA conference
Reposted by Chris Cook
This is absolutely f'ing horrifying.
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, wandered away from his mom’s fruit stand in October.
She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.
“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...
She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.
“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...
A Disabled Child’s Mom Reported Him Missing. He Was Locked Away by Federal Immigration Authorities for 48 Days.
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old who has an intellectual disability, walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. Houston Police called ICE.
thebarbedwire.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:13 PM
This is absolutely f'ing horrifying.
Reposted by Chris Cook
loved this book and love this podcast and now BOTH TOGETHER!
New Tides of History: I talk with Professor Michael Livingston (@michaellivingston.com) about how the Hundred Years War actually lasted for 200 years, why we focus too much on England, and what this long medieval war tells us about our world today. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Why the Hundred Years War Actually Lasted Two Hundred Years: Interview with Professor Michael Livingston
Podcast Episode · Tides of History · 11/20/2025 · 40m
podcasts.apple.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
loved this book and love this podcast and now BOTH TOGETHER!
Reposted by Chris Cook
Crockett on MTG resigning: "Honestly, I was like, you got to be kidding. You're on the other side of the president for one week and you can't take the heat? Imagine what it is to sit in my shoes."
November 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Crockett on MTG resigning: "Honestly, I was like, you got to be kidding. You're on the other side of the president for one week and you can't take the heat? Imagine what it is to sit in my shoes."
Reposted by Chris Cook
Catholics pray outside Aurora ICE facility, citing bishops’ push for migrant dignity
Catholics pray outside Aurora ICE facility, citing bishops’ push for migrant dignity
Hundreds of people walked around the ICE facility pausing to pray 15 times, hoping the people detained inside could hear them.
www.9news.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Catholics pray outside Aurora ICE facility, citing bishops’ push for migrant dignity
Reposted by Chris Cook
The idea that Trump built a durable, multiracial working-class coalition was always overstated. trib.al/oX4FTOF
Exit polls from New Jersey and Virginia show the GOP lost overwhelmingly among all three voting blocs: voters under age 30, Black voters, and Latinos.
Exit polls from New Jersey and Virginia show the GOP lost overwhelmingly among all three voting blocs: voters under age 30, Black voters, and Latinos.
The Young Voters and Minorities Who Backed Trump in 2024 Hate Him Now
Political analyst Michael Podhorzer discusses why the Republican candidates in New Jersey and Virginia came nowhere near matching Trump’s 2024 support among voters of color and young voters.
trib.al
November 23, 2025 at 12:03 PM
The idea that Trump built a durable, multiracial working-class coalition was always overstated. trib.al/oX4FTOF
Exit polls from New Jersey and Virginia show the GOP lost overwhelmingly among all three voting blocs: voters under age 30, Black voters, and Latinos.
Exit polls from New Jersey and Virginia show the GOP lost overwhelmingly among all three voting blocs: voters under age 30, Black voters, and Latinos.
Reposted by Chris Cook
"From Texas to Pennsylvania to Ohio, Democrat-backed candidates ran successful campaigns in some of the nation’s largest school systems. The trend was enabled by voters’ increasing weariness with the culture wars that helped MAGA..."
politi.co/3JXnWnP
politi.co/3JXnWnP
In culture war backlash, Democrats sweep school boards
The party recruited and invested in school board races to oust Republicans. It worked.
politi.co
November 22, 2025 at 10:11 PM
"From Texas to Pennsylvania to Ohio, Democrat-backed candidates ran successful campaigns in some of the nation’s largest school systems. The trend was enabled by voters’ increasing weariness with the culture wars that helped MAGA..."
politi.co/3JXnWnP
politi.co/3JXnWnP
Reposted by Chris Cook
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by Chris Cook
"Nuremberg defendants were surprisingly normal, opportunists who, as he put it in a 1946 lecture, 'exist in every country of the world, who would willingly climb over the corpses of half of the … public if they could gain control of the other half.'”
What's real & not in the new Nuremberg movie:
What's real & not in the new Nuremberg movie:
The Psychiatrist Who Studied Nazi Officials After the War Found Something Shocking. It Didn’t Earn Him Any Fans.
Understanding the minds of monsters is no easy task.
slate.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
"Nuremberg defendants were surprisingly normal, opportunists who, as he put it in a 1946 lecture, 'exist in every country of the world, who would willingly climb over the corpses of half of the … public if they could gain control of the other half.'”
What's real & not in the new Nuremberg movie:
What's real & not in the new Nuremberg movie:
Reposted by Chris Cook
"Legal experts point out that this effectively hands Trump the authority to unilaterally execute civilians who are not waging war against the United States in any recognizable sense."
Read that again, I had to.
Read that again, I had to.
Trump's illegal murders in the Caribbean just got worse. An internal DOJ memo on the bombings says the victims are waging war on the US, but per NYT, it extensively cites the WH's *own claims* to this effect as evidence!
It gets even darker than that. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2032...
It gets even darker than that. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2032...
Trump Boat Bombings Take Dark, Unnerving Turn with Leaked Memo Stunner
A new Trump administration memo argues that those carrying out the boat attacks can’t be prosecuted. Why? Because the administration says so!
newrepublic.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:13 PM
"Legal experts point out that this effectively hands Trump the authority to unilaterally execute civilians who are not waging war against the United States in any recognizable sense."
Read that again, I had to.
Read that again, I had to.
Reposted by Chris Cook
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops this week called for a “meaningful reform” of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The archbishop of the Kansas City in Kansas diocese confirmed his support for this announcement.
Read more at: www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
Read more at: www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
KCK Archbishop backs urgent Catholic message for immigration reform | Opinion
Archbishop Shawn McKnight and dioceses call for humane immigration while expanding parish sanctuary programs for families in Kansas City. | Opinion
www.kansascity.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops this week called for a “meaningful reform” of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The archbishop of the Kansas City in Kansas diocese confirmed his support for this announcement.
Read more at: www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
Read more at: www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
Reposted by Chris Cook
This says that the U.S. is preparing to suppress Venezuelan air defenses systems, which is does have aplenty courtesy Russia. I am way more concerned about Venezuela's anti-ship missiles of various types. It's not whether the U.S. can win, but at what cost?
maritime-executive.com/article/repo...
maritime-executive.com/article/repo...
Report: USS Ford's Pilots are Studying Up on Venezuelan Air Defenses
As the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford nears the Caribbean, her air wing's pilots are studying up on the capabilities of Venezuela's air defense network, a...
maritime-executive.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:52 PM
This says that the U.S. is preparing to suppress Venezuelan air defenses systems, which is does have aplenty courtesy Russia. I am way more concerned about Venezuela's anti-ship missiles of various types. It's not whether the U.S. can win, but at what cost?
maritime-executive.com/article/repo...
maritime-executive.com/article/repo...
Reposted by Chris Cook
President Trump has removed tariffs on coffee and bananas to make breakfast affordable for the American people. Why don’t Biden and Obama do this?
by Hugh Hewitt
by Hugh Hewitt
November 16, 2025 at 12:56 PM
President Trump has removed tariffs on coffee and bananas to make breakfast affordable for the American people. Why don’t Biden and Obama do this?
by Hugh Hewitt
by Hugh Hewitt
The GOP claims that the Democrats "cherry picked" documenrts. What does that mean? Because if you "cherry pick" a document where Epstein discusses leaving Trump alone for hours with a victim-- do you need any other documents? Do I care that Epstein calls Trump crazy a few years later?
November 12, 2025 at 6:05 PM
The GOP claims that the Democrats "cherry picked" documenrts. What does that mean? Because if you "cherry pick" a document where Epstein discusses leaving Trump alone for hours with a victim-- do you need any other documents? Do I care that Epstein calls Trump crazy a few years later?
Reposted by Chris Cook
A pastor recorded footage of the U.S. citizen family, the baby struggling to breathe, after being pepper sprayed. Immigration response: It didn’t happen. apnews.com/article/immi...
Suburban Chicago dad headed to store with toddler says they were pepper-sprayed by federal agents
A suburban Chicago father says he and his 1-year-old daughter were pepper-sprayed at close range as they headed grocery shopping over the weekend and happened upon federal immigration agents.
apnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:43 AM
A pastor recorded footage of the U.S. citizen family, the baby struggling to breathe, after being pepper sprayed. Immigration response: It didn’t happen. apnews.com/article/immi...
Taking my 16 y/o son to “Nuremberg.” So I am explaining the Nuremberg Trials and who was in it; He asked if anyone got out of prison later. I told him about Speer and Donitz. I then told him how Hess was the last one left at Spandau. But I am going to leave Goring’s death as a surprise.
November 10, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Taking my 16 y/o son to “Nuremberg.” So I am explaining the Nuremberg Trials and who was in it; He asked if anyone got out of prison later. I told him about Speer and Donitz. I then told him how Hess was the last one left at Spandau. But I am going to leave Goring’s death as a surprise.
Reposted by Chris Cook
Last day of #npsaphilly2025 and listening to @professorcook.bsky.social talk about the frontier and American exceptionalism in film.
November 8, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Last day of #npsaphilly2025 and listening to @professorcook.bsky.social talk about the frontier and American exceptionalism in film.
Reposted by Chris Cook
There was a lot of fantasizing over easy "boots-free" regime change in Iraq in the 1990s, esp via a "rollback" strategy that would theoretically involve the US using just enough force to tip the balance against Saddam.
Equal level of delusion here about the day after and the unpredictable/
Equal level of delusion here about the day after and the unpredictable/
I regret to inform you’ll this is not the most insane article about Venezuela today lol
November 7, 2025 at 7:10 PM
There was a lot of fantasizing over easy "boots-free" regime change in Iraq in the 1990s, esp via a "rollback" strategy that would theoretically involve the US using just enough force to tip the balance against Saddam.
Equal level of delusion here about the day after and the unpredictable/
Equal level of delusion here about the day after and the unpredictable/
Trump: "We're gonna do things to Nigeria that Nigeria's not gonna be happy about, and may very well go into that now disgraced country guns a-blazing..."
Is he serious? Is he not? No one knows. The NIgerian government does not seem to be taking him too seriously.
Is he serious? Is he not? No one knows. The NIgerian government does not seem to be taking him too seriously.
November 7, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Trump: "We're gonna do things to Nigeria that Nigeria's not gonna be happy about, and may very well go into that now disgraced country guns a-blazing..."
Is he serious? Is he not? No one knows. The NIgerian government does not seem to be taking him too seriously.
Is he serious? Is he not? No one knows. The NIgerian government does not seem to be taking him too seriously.
Reposted by Chris Cook
Some on the far right want to repeal the 19th amendment. Many more share a coercive, patriarchal view of women.
I wrote about this and how the far right sees subjugating women as key to building the sort of electorate they need to win. @liberalcurrents.com
www.liberalcurrents.com/women-should...
I wrote about this and how the far right sees subjugating women as key to building the sort of electorate they need to win. @liberalcurrents.com
www.liberalcurrents.com/women-should...
Women Should Make Babies, Not Vote: Why Some on the Far Right Want to Repeal the 19th Amendment
The far right takes losses at the ballot box as evidence that women do not deserve their rights.
www.liberalcurrents.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Some on the far right want to repeal the 19th amendment. Many more share a coercive, patriarchal view of women.
I wrote about this and how the far right sees subjugating women as key to building the sort of electorate they need to win. @liberalcurrents.com
www.liberalcurrents.com/women-should...
I wrote about this and how the far right sees subjugating women as key to building the sort of electorate they need to win. @liberalcurrents.com
www.liberalcurrents.com/women-should...
Reposted by Chris Cook
Of course I'm worried about socialism. I mean, just imagine if Mamdani one day becomes President and nationalizes industry, imposes historic tax hikes, goes after the media, builds a secret national police force, militarizes the country, and sends people to camps.
November 5, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Of course I'm worried about socialism. I mean, just imagine if Mamdani one day becomes President and nationalizes industry, imposes historic tax hikes, goes after the media, builds a secret national police force, militarizes the country, and sends people to camps.
Reposted by Chris Cook
Gosh, I wonder who'll win
FIFA announces new peace prize to be awarded at World Cup draw in Washington
FIFA has announced the creation of a peace prize, which it plans to award for the first time at the World Cup draw on Dec. 5 in Washington.
apnews.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Gosh, I wonder who'll win
Reposted by Chris Cook
"How would less fortunate corporations like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon get by without SNAP and other programs to subsidize their sub-poverty level wages that leave many of their workers reliant on benefits?"
It Is Cruel to Deny Food Assistance to Those Who Truly Deserve It: Corporations
“Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of beneficiaries of federal aid programs like Medicaid and food stamps, according to a study by...
buff.ly
November 3, 2025 at 4:23 PM
"How would less fortunate corporations like Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon get by without SNAP and other programs to subsidize their sub-poverty level wages that leave many of their workers reliant on benefits?"
Reposted by Chris Cook
Absolutely. Wins make the non-inevitability clear. But we did have one of these wins back in April already, & then we & have obsessed 100% about the NYC mayoral race, because our National Conversation™️ on politics is incredibly parochial:
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
"Victories remind elites Trump is not some sort of eternal expression of the American volk. The press will have to at least briefly acknowledge MAGA fascism is not inevitable. Institutions that have been acting as if Trump is a rightful king will be confronted with a sweeping rejection of him."
Virginia and New Jersey can show that Trump isn't inevitable
MAGA might be in for an ass-whuppin' on Tuesday.
www.publicnotice.co
November 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Absolutely. Wins make the non-inevitability clear. But we did have one of these wins back in April already, & then we & have obsessed 100% about the NYC mayoral race, because our National Conversation™️ on politics is incredibly parochial:
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...