Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
@upine.bsky.social
Analysis of effects of disinfo on social systems, writer http://Medium.com/@upine "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do bothsidesism."
Pinned
How People Try to Solve Problems in a Libertarian Culture
There once was a land without environmental regulations. So various companies routinely poisoned the air, the water and the land. Everyone…
upine.medium.com
Right Wing Domination of Media & Politics Keeps Us Stuck in Disinformation and Right Wing Government
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
This is a remarkable @nytimes.com split screen:
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
A huge 3,526 word + photos profile on Sen Britt who "can't stop thinking about the boy ICE detained"
But Rep Jaoquin Castro- who actually got Liam Ramos out of detention & back home- gets no interview, no pix, just 116 words inside a story. WOW.
February 5, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
"If a state passed a law called the 'White Supremacist We Want to Bring Back Jim Crow, So These Maps Were Drawn by the Ku Klux Klan Act of 2026,' it is likely that at least two of the Court’s Republicans would vote to strike it down." www.vox.com/politics/478...
Why a Republican Supreme Court just handed a victory to Democrats
The short answer is that this Supreme Court loves gerrymandering more than it hates Democrats.
www.vox.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:59 PM
"If a state passed a law called the 'White Supremacist We Want to Bring Back Jim Crow, So These Maps Were Drawn by the Ku Klux Klan Act of 2026,' it is likely that at least two of the Court’s Republicans would vote to strike it down." www.vox.com/politics/478...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
JUST IN: A federal judge has barred ICE and DHS from using taxpayer information provided by the IRS.
Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 5, 2026 at 9:55 PM
JUST IN: A federal judge has barred ICE and DHS from using taxpayer information provided by the IRS.
Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Judge Talwani says that DHS' view that noncitizens lack 4th amendment rights — combined with ICE use of administrative warrants — is a recipe for abuse.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
AMPED UP with Cliff Schecter & David Shuster: Guest Miles Taylor | Will An Epstein Files Billionaire Help Trump Steal The 2026 Election? www.youtube.com/live/6yDJjvx...
AMPED UP: Will An Epstein Files Billionaire Help Trump Steal The 2026 Election? 📱
YouTube video by Blue Amp Media | Cliff Schecter | Cliff's Edge
www.youtube.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:00 PM
AMPED UP with Cliff Schecter & David Shuster: Guest Miles Taylor | Will An Epstein Files Billionaire Help Trump Steal The 2026 Election? www.youtube.com/live/6yDJjvx...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) was showered with accolades after he stood just feet away from Donald Trump and prayed for God to improve the president's moral failings.
Dem lawmaker stuns by shaming Trump at Prayer Breakfast: 'Somebody's about to get audited'
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) was showered with accolades after he stood just feet away from Donald Trump and prayed for God to improve the president's moral failings.The Illinois Democrat and son of civil rights giant Jesse Jackson delivered the intercession Thursday morning at the bipartisan Nation...
bit.ly
February 5, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) was showered with accolades after he stood just feet away from Donald Trump and prayed for God to improve the president's moral failings.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Rep. Ro Khanna is a fiery torch in this bleak moral darkness.
February 5, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Rep. Ro Khanna is a fiery torch in this bleak moral darkness.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Talked this week about why removing the fascist boot from your neck will help you find a much bigger audience and, also, your soul.
"There's a reason the Washington Post is going to die before The Onion becomes one of the biggest newspapers in the country: They licked the boot, and we kicked back."
"There's a reason the Washington Post is going to die before The Onion becomes one of the biggest newspapers in the country: They licked the boot, and we kicked back."
February 5, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Talked this week about why removing the fascist boot from your neck will help you find a much bigger audience and, also, your soul.
"There's a reason the Washington Post is going to die before The Onion becomes one of the biggest newspapers in the country: They licked the boot, and we kicked back."
"There's a reason the Washington Post is going to die before The Onion becomes one of the biggest newspapers in the country: They licked the boot, and we kicked back."
Anyway, I wrote about a whole slew of reports saying that DHS is using abusive administrative subpoenas to track down Trump's online critics, show up at their door, and intimidate them...
And the "free speech warriors" who insisted Biden was censoring people online are somehow silent.
And the "free speech warriors" who insisted Biden was censoring people online are somehow silent.
DHS Is Hunting Down Trump Critics. The ‘Free Speech’ Warriors Are Mighty Quiet.
For years, we've been subjected to an endless parade of hyperventilating claims about the Biden administration's supposed "censorship industrial complex." We were told, over and over again, that the government was…
For years, we've been subjected to an endless parade of hyperventilating claims about the Biden administration's supposed "censorship industrial complex." We were told, over and over again, that the government was…
February 5, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Back in 2024, when I interviewed labor leaders about the prospect of Trump 2.0, they said Schedule F was the biggest threat his election posed to federal workers. Don Moynihan warned it "makes it easier for politicians to push bureaucrats to...violate the law and undermine the public interest."
February 5, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Back in 2024, when I interviewed labor leaders about the prospect of Trump 2.0, they said Schedule F was the biggest threat his election posed to federal workers. Don Moynihan warned it "makes it easier for politicians to push bureaucrats to...violate the law and undermine the public interest."
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Megalomaniacs & the Media
Billionaires are capturing and gutting media outlets to shield themselves from accountability, critical questions, and truth as they continue laying out the red carpet for Trump's authoritarianism.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
Billionaires are capturing and gutting media outlets to shield themselves from accountability, critical questions, and truth as they continue laying out the red carpet for Trump's authoritarianism.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
Megalomaniacs & the Media: A Live with Katie Phang, George Hahn & Wajahat Ali
Billionaires are capturing and gutting media outlets to shield themselves from accountability, critical questions, and truth as they continue laying out the red carpet for Trump's authoritarianism.
open.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Megalomaniacs & the Media
Billionaires are capturing and gutting media outlets to shield themselves from accountability, critical questions, and truth as they continue laying out the red carpet for Trump's authoritarianism.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
Billionaires are capturing and gutting media outlets to shield themselves from accountability, critical questions, and truth as they continue laying out the red carpet for Trump's authoritarianism.
open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex
February 5, 2026 at 5:05 PM
the Epstein files are really devastating because they remind me of how many girls and women miss out on professional opportunities, mentorship and careers because of how many powerful, rich and influential men only view girls and women — and interactions with them — through the lens of sex
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
NEW: The other ACA enrollment shoe to drop: How many enrollees were forced to "Buy Down" to a worse plan with higher out of pocket costs?
acasignups.net/26/02/05/oth...
acasignups.net/26/02/05/oth...
The other shoe to drop: How many enrollees were forced to "buy down" to a worse plan with higher out of pocket costs?
Back in December, I issued a strong warning that the official 2026 ACA Open Enrollment Period data would have to be taken with a huge grain of salt, since the actual effectuated enrollment data would ...
acasignups.net
February 5, 2026 at 7:43 PM
NEW: The other ACA enrollment shoe to drop: How many enrollees were forced to "Buy Down" to a worse plan with higher out of pocket costs?
acasignups.net/26/02/05/oth...
acasignups.net/26/02/05/oth...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
It's certainly possible he'll do this. But he has other strategies of interfering w elections going on. Some strategies cd be distractions from others. We need 2B ready 4 all possibilities, especially ones that cd be done behind the scenes w T admin trying to cover up. E.g
bsky.app/profile/demo...
bsky.app/profile/demo...
NEW: Why is your personal data being put in harm’s way?
The answer is simple: Trump wants to control who can vote in elections.
The DOJ’s voter data scheme is nothing more than an attempt to incorrectly purge eligible voters from the rolls — all in the name of winning, Dan Vicuña writes.
The answer is simple: Trump wants to control who can vote in elections.
The DOJ’s voter data scheme is nothing more than an attempt to incorrectly purge eligible voters from the rolls — all in the name of winning, Dan Vicuña writes.
February 5, 2026 at 8:43 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
I feel bad for those journalists kicked to the curb yesterday, but this is also an opportunity.
The Wapo takedown was the worst evidence yet that the far-right intends to crush our constitutional order.
It’s a perfect excuse to reinvent journalism.
stzl.ink/b040c9
The Wapo takedown was the worst evidence yet that the far-right intends to crush our constitutional order.
It’s a perfect excuse to reinvent journalism.
stzl.ink/b040c9
February 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
I feel bad for those journalists kicked to the curb yesterday, but this is also an opportunity.
The Wapo takedown was the worst evidence yet that the far-right intends to crush our constitutional order.
It’s a perfect excuse to reinvent journalism.
stzl.ink/b040c9
The Wapo takedown was the worst evidence yet that the far-right intends to crush our constitutional order.
It’s a perfect excuse to reinvent journalism.
stzl.ink/b040c9
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
There is absolutely no basis for the allegation that Harvard engaged in “illegal behavior,” but what Trump administration officials are engaged in is criminal extortion even if Trump’s corrupt DOJ won’t prosecute it.
February 5, 2026 at 8:31 PM
There is absolutely no basis for the allegation that Harvard engaged in “illegal behavior,” but what Trump administration officials are engaged in is criminal extortion even if Trump’s corrupt DOJ won’t prosecute it.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules. www.wired.com/story/cbp-ic...
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy...
www.wired.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules. www.wired.com/story/cbp-ic...
Interesting thread from Shoq, about media, pundits etc. simply documenting the fall of democracy without proposing solutions, which end up being shouted down by MAGA & by almost everyone else too.
LISTEN, I survey a lot of more social media; more than most of you ever do, and I can tell you this with some certainty.
99.999% of all social posts we see — even by the most famous scholars historians, journalists and pundits — are all about the contours or specific examples of our “MAGA/Trump” …
99.999% of all social posts we see — even by the most famous scholars historians, journalists and pundits — are all about the contours or specific examples of our “MAGA/Trump” …
February 5, 2026 at 8:10 PM
Interesting thread from Shoq, about media, pundits etc. simply documenting the fall of democracy without proposing solutions, which end up being shouted down by MAGA & by almost everyone else too.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Accountability!
Brad Karp, head of Paul Weiss, steps down after Epstein revelations.
More please!
Brad Karp, head of Paul Weiss, steps down after Epstein revelations.
More please!
February 5, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Accountability!
Brad Karp, head of Paul Weiss, steps down after Epstein revelations.
More please!
Brad Karp, head of Paul Weiss, steps down after Epstein revelations.
More please!
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
✨️Check out this amazing piece of ice art at the MN Capitol. It was commissioned by @commondefense.bsky.social, the nation's largest grassroots org of veterans, to call for justice for the victims of ICE and for the abolition of ICE here and everywhere. ✨️✨️🕯
#iceout
#JusticeForRenee
#justiceforalex
#iceout
#JusticeForRenee
#justiceforalex
February 5, 2026 at 5:37 PM
✨️Check out this amazing piece of ice art at the MN Capitol. It was commissioned by @commondefense.bsky.social, the nation's largest grassroots org of veterans, to call for justice for the victims of ICE and for the abolition of ICE here and everywhere. ✨️✨️🕯
#iceout
#JusticeForRenee
#justiceforalex
#iceout
#JusticeForRenee
#justiceforalex
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Trump wants to take over voting in at least 15 places
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Trump’s FBI raid could lead to a takeover of elections in Georgia’s largest county
Trump wants control "over the voting in at least 15 places.” He could start in Fulton County, Georgia.
www.motherjones.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Trump wants to take over voting in at least 15 places
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
FBI raid in Fulton County GA now fueling MAGA calls for election takeover there
That would allow them to purge voters, cut polling places, limit early voting & challenge election results. Very scary for 2026
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
PM Tusk on Epstein: it is very likely that this was a planned operation by the Russian KGB.
More and more leads are pointing to suspicions that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services.
More and more leads are pointing to suspicions that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services.
February 4, 2026 at 2:28 PM
PM Tusk on Epstein: it is very likely that this was a planned operation by the Russian KGB.
More and more leads are pointing to suspicions that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services.
More and more leads are pointing to suspicions that this unprecedented pedophilia scandal was co-organized by Russian intelligence services.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
"What’s most alarming here is that Director Gabbard’s own team acknowledges there was no evidence of foreign interference, yet they seized voting machines and election data anyway," U.S. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence panel, said. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Exclusive: US spy chief's office investigated voting machines in Puerto Rico
A team working for President Donald Trump's spy chief, Tulsi Gabbard, last spring led an investigation into Puerto Rico's voting machines, said Gabbard's office and three sources familiar with the pre...
www.reuters.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:42 PM
"What’s most alarming here is that Director Gabbard’s own team acknowledges there was no evidence of foreign interference, yet they seized voting machines and election data anyway," U.S. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence panel, said. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
This is something Democratic governors & AGs need to notice:
I am pleased to share my latest draft, "State Constitutions as Engines of Criminal Procedure Innovation." papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
February 5, 2026 at 6:00 PM
This is something Democratic governors & AGs need to notice:
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
@joshtpm.bsky.social on the demise of the Washington Post and the "formulaic billionaire white knight press baron doom cycle"
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...
‘Do You Speak Billionaire?’ and Other Stories From the Fall of the Washington Post
I think I can say with little fear of contradiction that I...
talkingpointsmemo.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:02 PM
@joshtpm.bsky.social on the demise of the Washington Post and the "formulaic billionaire white knight press baron doom cycle"
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/do-yo...