Tom Nichols
@radiofreetom.bsky.social
Staff writer at The Atlantic. Cat guy, democracy defender. Actor for a day on Succession, Jeopardy champ. New Englander and curmudgeon.
Pinned
Pete Hegseth Should Sit This One Out
By inserting himself into the situation in Minnesota, the secretary of defense is only making things worse.
www.theatlantic.com
"Pete Hegseth might consider adding another task to his many duties, one that would be of immense help to the nation and to the armed forces: He should shut up."
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
In *Texas*
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:34 AM
In *Texas*
Reposted by Tom Nichols
/6 Most of the people who normalized Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction are not legally liable for child rape.
But I submit they are morally culpable to some degree.
But I submit they are morally culpable to some degree.
February 1, 2026 at 3:40 AM
/6 Most of the people who normalized Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction are not legally liable for child rape.
But I submit they are morally culpable to some degree.
But I submit they are morally culpable to some degree.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
This is happening a lot to female journalists. So here is a modest proposal for the White House press corps: Stand together. No one should ask another question until the President answers the question that was ignored.
January 31, 2026 at 6:39 PM
This is happening a lot to female journalists. So here is a modest proposal for the White House press corps: Stand together. No one should ask another question until the President answers the question that was ignored.
Reposted by Tom Nichols
NGL this description of Bsky in Vulture cracked me up
January 31, 2026 at 2:02 PM
NGL this description of Bsky in Vulture cracked me up
I appreciate this but I have to own a mistake: When I wrote the *first* edition of DOE, I really believed that the anti-vax movement had reached its high-water mark. I would not have believed, when I wrote that first one in 2016, that RFK would be in the Cabinet. I did not know how bad it would get.
There were a LOT of things you called out ahead of time. You predicted a monstrosity like RFK JR in the making with your Death of Expertise.
February 1, 2026 at 3:54 AM
I appreciate this but I have to own a mistake: When I wrote the *first* edition of DOE, I really believed that the anti-vax movement had reached its high-water mark. I would not have believed, when I wrote that first one in 2016, that RFK would be in the Cabinet. I did not know how bad it would get.
I am pleased to note that I was an early adopter on calling out Noem as a flag-waving fraud years ago - for which people literally called my office and threatened to kill me and my family. (She has some weird white knights out there, or did back then.)
Looks like Noem’s exterior decorator borrowed the roof scarf for her lectern decoration. Really sets the mood.
February 1, 2026 at 3:18 AM
I am pleased to note that I was an early adopter on calling out Noem as a flag-waving fraud years ago - for which people literally called my office and threatened to kill me and my family. (She has some weird white knights out there, or did back then.)
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Conservative columnist @davidmastio.bsky.social on Don Lemon vs "wannabe authoritarian" Donald Trump: "The government running roughshod over the First Amendment is a far more serious affront to constitutional norms than protestors peacefully breaking the law."🎁
www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
Don Lemon arrest gives Trump just the culture war drama he likes | Opinion
Practicing a questionable kind of journalism that blurs lines between activist and reporter, Lemon’s First Amendment rights are harder to defend. From David Mastio:
www.kansascity.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Conservative columnist @davidmastio.bsky.social on Don Lemon vs "wannabe authoritarian" Donald Trump: "The government running roughshod over the First Amendment is a far more serious affront to constitutional norms than protestors peacefully breaking the law."🎁
www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...
Reposted by Tom Nichols
A deep-freeze and a minor moral dilemma block out Minneapolis. For an hour here and there. Also, I finally get the “eggs!” frenzy of 2024. Plus links to recent columns, and reading and viewing suggestions. jilllawrence.substack.com/p/the-snowcr...
The Snowcrete Jungle
A deep-freeze and a minor moral dilemma block out Minneapolis. For an hour here and there.
jilllawrence.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 10:12 PM
A deep-freeze and a minor moral dilemma block out Minneapolis. For an hour here and there. Also, I finally get the “eggs!” frenzy of 2024. Plus links to recent columns, and reading and viewing suggestions. jilllawrence.substack.com/p/the-snowcr...
hey, I'm just realistic
February 1, 2026 at 1:47 AM
hey, I'm just realistic
Reposted by Tom Nichols
We finally know what happened to DOJ's (frivolous) misconduct complaint against Chief Judge Boasberg:
It was transferred by Chief Justice Roberts from the D.C. Circuit to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeff Sutton, and Sutton dismissed it in a ... direct ... memorandum and order just two weeks later:
It was transferred by Chief Justice Roberts from the D.C. Circuit to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeff Sutton, and Sutton dismissed it in a ... direct ... memorandum and order just two weeks later:
www.opn.ca6.uscourts.gov
January 31, 2026 at 8:01 PM
We finally know what happened to DOJ's (frivolous) misconduct complaint against Chief Judge Boasberg:
It was transferred by Chief Justice Roberts from the D.C. Circuit to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeff Sutton, and Sutton dismissed it in a ... direct ... memorandum and order just two weeks later:
It was transferred by Chief Justice Roberts from the D.C. Circuit to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeff Sutton, and Sutton dismissed it in a ... direct ... memorandum and order just two weeks later:
Reposted by Tom Nichols
“They are using the term terrorist to basically define any group of people who criticize them." I spoke to @cnn.com about the Trump Administration's use of "terror."
www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/p...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/p...
Analysis: Trump 2.0 sees terrorism all over the place | CNN Politics
The Trump administration is living in a state of perpetual terror, both foreign and domestic.
www.cnn.com
February 1, 2026 at 12:55 AM
“They are using the term terrorist to basically define any group of people who criticize them." I spoke to @cnn.com about the Trump Administration's use of "terror."
www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/p...
www.cnn.com/2026/01/29/p...
Do people not understand that when someone decides to block you, their posts become unreadable, and I have no control over that
? Meaningless
February 1, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Do people not understand that when someone decides to block you, their posts become unreadable, and I have no control over that
Reposted by Tom Nichols
Are there new people here? Oh. Well, I'm known as the cool guy. That's common knowledge here. That's my reputation.
Do the new people here know that posts are called skeets
February 1, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Are there new people here? Oh. Well, I'm known as the cool guy. That's common knowledge here. That's my reputation.
And remember, if you don’t get what you want, you don’t have to abide by any rules
No it’s not. It illuminates what the debate is about. The students want veto power over campus speakers, something controlled currently by professors/admin. It’s a power struggle not a move towards authoritarianism.
February 1, 2026 at 12:47 AM
And remember, if you don’t get what you want, you don’t have to abide by any rules
Reposted by Tom Nichols
This is like saying that you have to be a member of a democracy to be democratic.
People who want to use the word fascism quite freely are suddenly very pedantic about the word “authoritarian” if you use it about college students.
People who want to use the word fascism quite freely are suddenly very pedantic about the word “authoritarian” if you use it about college students.
Don't you have to be in a position of authority to be authoritarian?
Perhaps you are thinking of mob rule?
Perhaps you are thinking of mob rule?
January 31, 2026 at 11:22 PM
This is like saying that you have to be a member of a democracy to be democratic.
People who want to use the word fascism quite freely are suddenly very pedantic about the word “authoritarian” if you use it about college students.
People who want to use the word fascism quite freely are suddenly very pedantic about the word “authoritarian” if you use it about college students.
True story: Gravy the turkey was recently injured, finally, after stopping so much traffic and he’s now in an animal hospital being treated
Seen that turkey lately?
January 31, 2026 at 11:20 PM
True story: Gravy the turkey was recently injured, finally, after stopping so much traffic and he’s now in an animal hospital being treated
I suspect this would goose turn out to the point where they’d have to keep the polling stations open till midnight
Yeah, and if you target 20 key precincts in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Detroit at 7am, the. Push those videos out on social media and cable news, you can suppress enough turnout to potentially swing the election. You don’t need to hit 117,000 polling places to scare voters into staying home
January 31, 2026 at 11:16 PM
I suspect this would goose turn out to the point where they’d have to keep the polling stations open till midnight
I was wondering where I misplaced that
A Rhode Island man digging out his driveway this week discovered a large lizard thousands of miles from its natural habitat buried in nearly 20 inches of snow.
Large Lizard Is Rescued After It’s Found Buried in Rhode Island Snow
The reptile, a tegu, had frostbite and showed signs of weakness from exposure in this week’s cold weather. It was unclear where it came from.
nyti.ms
January 31, 2026 at 11:14 PM
I was wondering where I misplaced that
Of course, not. Only people who deny other people the ability to speak that we *don’t like* are authoritarian. People that we like are just rude.
I agree that shouting down college speakers is bad. I don’t agree that it’s “authoritarian.”
January 31, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Of course, not. Only people who deny other people the ability to speak that we *don’t like* are authoritarian. People that we like are just rude.
I didn’t block anybody! The guy showed up and called me a bunch of names and trashed where I work and then blocked me. He seems to have some issues.
Tom's throwing a block party. Time to put those sandals away and don some Sperry Top-siders people.
January 31, 2026 at 10:57 PM
I didn’t block anybody! The guy showed up and called me a bunch of names and trashed where I work and then blocked me. He seems to have some issues.
Here's our subscription page - and note the Premium Plus (which includes swag and *three more digital subs to give away*)
accounts.theatlantic.com/products/
accounts.theatlantic.com/products/
January 31, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Here's our subscription page - and note the Premium Plus (which includes swag and *three more digital subs to give away*)
accounts.theatlantic.com/products/
accounts.theatlantic.com/products/
I actually *don't* know that, and the answer is not to obsess about how Trump could impose martial law in Pittsburgh or Charlotte, but rather to show up and vote in such numbers that this isn't an option.
Tom you know damn well if they targeted 20-30 precincts it could flip the election.
January 31, 2026 at 10:35 PM
I actually *don't* know that, and the answer is not to obsess about how Trump could impose martial law in Pittsburgh or Charlotte, but rather to show up and vote in such numbers that this isn't an option.
For future reference, this very aggrieved person seems to think that shouting down people could be "problematic" and "maybe even censorship," but not authoritarian.
And people think *I* parse words too narrowly :)
And people think *I* parse words too narrowly :)
January 31, 2026 at 10:26 PM
For future reference, this very aggrieved person seems to think that shouting down people could be "problematic" and "maybe even censorship," but not authoritarian.
And people think *I* parse words too narrowly :)
And people think *I* parse words too narrowly :)