Sumita Pahwa
@sumitapahwa.bsky.social
Social scientist, Bombayite, Californian, ex-Cairene. Mango maven. Cat lady. Teaches at Scripps College. Book: https://press.syr.edu/supressbooks/5829/politics-as-worship/
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Not a "no."
Q: Can you confirm that CBP actually hit a party balloon it thought was a drone with a laser? And why wasn't that coordinated with the FAA?
KRISTI NOEM: You know, this was a joint agency task force, um, mission that was undertaken. And um, we're continuing to work on communication
*ends presser*
KRISTI NOEM: You know, this was a joint agency task force, um, mission that was undertaken. And um, we're continuing to work on communication
*ends presser*
February 13, 2026 at 9:39 PM
Not a "no."
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
I feel like it’s become kind of common sense that COVID led to a huge anti-incumbent swing.
But are there citations to back that up?
And is that true at all levels of government? And in all parts of the world?
But are there citations to back that up?
And is that true at all levels of government? And in all parts of the world?
February 13, 2026 at 8:53 PM
I feel like it’s become kind of common sense that COVID led to a huge anti-incumbent swing.
But are there citations to back that up?
And is that true at all levels of government? And in all parts of the world?
But are there citations to back that up?
And is that true at all levels of government? And in all parts of the world?
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
There is a necessary level of literacy, numeracy, and *individual agency* that has to be developed before a person can engage in either of these.
This is why young adults are given the chance to choose for themselves following a period of shared basic education.
This is why young adults are given the chance to choose for themselves following a period of shared basic education.
February 13, 2026 at 8:33 PM
There is a necessary level of literacy, numeracy, and *individual agency* that has to be developed before a person can engage in either of these.
This is why young adults are given the chance to choose for themselves following a period of shared basic education.
This is why young adults are given the chance to choose for themselves following a period of shared basic education.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
It is optimal that this occurs *early* in a person's life both in order to allow both of these skills to be available to them for as much of their lives as possible.
It is optimal for a society to support this as it ensures the greatest return on that society's investment.
It is optimal for a society to support this as it ensures the greatest return on that society's investment.
February 13, 2026 at 8:33 PM
It is optimal that this occurs *early* in a person's life both in order to allow both of these skills to be available to them for as much of their lives as possible.
It is optimal for a society to support this as it ensures the greatest return on that society's investment.
It is optimal for a society to support this as it ensures the greatest return on that society's investment.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
It is good for a citizen in a democracy to have a wide understanding of how arguments are made over a broad range of contexts so that they can engage those arguments as adults.
A democratic society should promote both of these things to the extent it has the resources to do so.
A democratic society should promote both of these things to the extent it has the resources to do so.
February 13, 2026 at 8:33 PM
It is good for a citizen in a democracy to have a wide understanding of how arguments are made over a broad range of contexts so that they can engage those arguments as adults.
A democratic society should promote both of these things to the extent it has the resources to do so.
A democratic society should promote both of these things to the extent it has the resources to do so.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
And Liberal Arts majors are actually very hirable and do great in the labor market.
Why? Because we teach students how to think, not to just do tasks.
Why? Because we teach students how to think, not to just do tasks.
Again, most people do not work in the fields they studied between 18 and 22.
This is a *good* thing.
This is a *good* thing.
Isn't it just a matter of practicality? There aren't that many jobs/careers in liberals arts, not to mention well-paying jobs, famously.
February 13, 2026 at 8:47 PM
And Liberal Arts majors are actually very hirable and do great in the labor market.
Why? Because we teach students how to think, not to just do tasks.
Why? Because we teach students how to think, not to just do tasks.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
“Far beyond just saving riders money, free buses deliver a cascade of benefits, from easing traffic to promoting public safety. Just look at Boston; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Kansas City, Mo.; and even New York itself, all of which have tried it to excellent effect.”
Opinion | Something Surprising Happens When Bus Rides Are Free
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:05 PM
“Far beyond just saving riders money, free buses deliver a cascade of benefits, from easing traffic to promoting public safety. Just look at Boston; Chapel Hill, N.C.; Richmond, Va.; Kansas City, Mo.; and even New York itself, all of which have tried it to excellent effect.”
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
SCOOP: ICE is asking Social Security for peoples' in-person appointment dates and times, and SSA staff are being told to give it to them. From me + @leahfeiger.bsky.social + @zoeschiffer.bsky.social @wired.com
wired.com/story/social...
wired.com/story/social...
Social Security Workers Are Being Told to Hand Over Appointment Details to ICE
The recent request goes against decades of precedent, and puts noncitizens at further risk of immigration enforcement actions.
wired.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:19 PM
SCOOP: ICE is asking Social Security for peoples' in-person appointment dates and times, and SSA staff are being told to give it to them. From me + @leahfeiger.bsky.social + @zoeschiffer.bsky.social @wired.com
wired.com/story/social...
wired.com/story/social...
"Compared to Sisi, Mubarak was a human rights activist" - ouch, and accurate, Hossam.
February 13, 2026 at 6:22 PM
"Compared to Sisi, Mubarak was a human rights activist" - ouch, and accurate, Hossam.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Voters have no idea how US immigration laws work & the timing for Democrats to tell them has never been better
In other words, "what Americans think about immigration" is, if you take it literally, a null category. They don't think anything about the reality of immigration because they simply do not know the reality of immigration. They can not have opinions on things they do not know.
February 13, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Voters have no idea how US immigration laws work & the timing for Democrats to tell them has never been better
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
February 13, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
There are ~90 million people alive today because of USAID. Russ Vought illegally shut it down and now is spending the money on himself. These are deeply evil people. www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:33 PM
There are ~90 million people alive today because of USAID. Russ Vought illegally shut it down and now is spending the money on himself. These are deeply evil people. www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
From The Washington Post:
The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 10:05 PM
From The Washington Post:
The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
The concentration of wealth among the richest Americans is unlike anything in history — and so is billionaires’ influence in politics.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Merchants and Mercenaries: The Archaeology of Greeks in Egypt
YouTube video by Getty Museum
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
New poll: In 2024, low-engagement voters went for Trump over Harris by 11 percentage points. But now they disapprove of the way he's handling the presidency by 13. They have moved 25 points against Trump — 2x as large as the shift for high-knowledge voters www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...
Trump has lost the voters who weren’t paying attention in 2024
The least-engaged Americans have swung 25 points against him since 2024 — about twice the shift among everyone else. Trump has flattened the engagement gap.
www.gelliottmorris.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:01 PM
New poll: In 2024, low-engagement voters went for Trump over Harris by 11 percentage points. But now they disapprove of the way he's handling the presidency by 13. They have moved 25 points against Trump — 2x as large as the shift for high-knowledge voters www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trump-lost...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Fuentes, yesterday: “Our #1 political enemy is women because women constrain everything, every conversation, every man, everything. They have to be imprisoned. They are the ones that are hurting the fertility rate. They're the ones making us sympathetic to poor people, which are also brown people.”
Nick Fuentes: “The number one political enemy in America is women. … They have to be imprisoned.”
www.mediamatters.org
February 12, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Fuentes, yesterday: “Our #1 political enemy is women because women constrain everything, every conversation, every man, everything. They have to be imprisoned. They are the ones that are hurting the fertility rate. They're the ones making us sympathetic to poor people, which are also brown people.”
Why am I not surprised.
interesting posts 🥴 from a WSJ reporter who also wrote this piece www.wsj.com/health/healt... about the FDA refusal or Moderna flu vaccine under Vinay Prasad
February 12, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Why am I not surprised.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
New at Can We Still Govern: One aspect of ICE that is not discussed much is how dependent it is on private supply chains, including foreign companies. That provides an opportunity to name-and-shame firms providing its services.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/private-ch...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/private-ch...
Private Chains, Public Harm
How Supply Networks Fuel ICE Operations
donmoynihan.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM
New at Can We Still Govern: One aspect of ICE that is not discussed much is how dependent it is on private supply chains, including foreign companies. That provides an opportunity to name-and-shame firms providing its services.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/private-ch...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/private-ch...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
“The number of billionaires grew, of course, roughly doubling between 2010 and 2024. But their political spending grew by more than 150 times.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/o...
Opinion | Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:52 AM
“The number of billionaires grew, of course, roughly doubling between 2010 and 2024. But their political spending grew by more than 150 times.” www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/o...
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
“When Citizens United was decided in 2010, billionaires had spent $18 million on the 2000 election, $13M 2004 and $16M in 2008. Then came the deluge. In 2012 it was $231M, and nearly doubled again in next three election cycles —to $682M in 2016, $1.2 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2024.” Gift:
Opinion | Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:57 AM
“When Citizens United was decided in 2010, billionaires had spent $18 million on the 2000 election, $13M 2004 and $16M in 2008. Then came the deluge. In 2012 it was $231M, and nearly doubled again in next three election cycles —to $682M in 2016, $1.2 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2024.” Gift:
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Very excited about this new @knightcolumbia.org project, both because it gives us the chance to look beyond the current democratic crisis and because so many super people have already agreed to participate. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...
New Knight Institute Initiative to Focus on “Reconstructing Free Expression” After Trump
knightcolumbia.org
February 11, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Very excited about this new @knightcolumbia.org project, both because it gives us the chance to look beyond the current democratic crisis and because so many super people have already agreed to participate. knightcolumbia.org/content/new-...
Now I'm craving sticky toffee pudding.
February 11, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Now I'm craving sticky toffee pudding.
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video
February 11, 2026 at 5:15 PM
“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
February 11, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
Reposted by Sumita Pahwa
"I beg of you, please commemorate my birthday with mattress sales. Downy, tufted, even memory foam: none shall be exempt from the wholesale slashing of prices."
I’m Abraham Lincoln and I Beg of You, Please Commemorate My Birthday with Mattress Sales
Dear citizens, I know that I am not well. Amid this evening at Ford’s Theatre, my body has borne within it an abominable manifestation of political...
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"I beg of you, please commemorate my birthday with mattress sales. Downy, tufted, even memory foam: none shall be exempt from the wholesale slashing of prices."