Winthrop Rodgers
@wrodgers2.bsky.social
Journalist and analyst focused on Kurdistan and Iraq | Virginian | Bates College and Queen's University Belfast | Washington Capitals and Washington Spirit |
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
Exclusive: US to launch new phase of Venezuela operations, sources say reut.rs/4oekAL4
Exclusive: US to launch new phase of Venezuela operations, sources say
U.S. official sources told Reuters covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action.
reut.rs
November 22, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Exclusive: US to launch new phase of Venezuela operations, sources say reut.rs/4oekAL4
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
this could mean several different things, none of which are reassuring
![“The question is, is it legal just to kill the guy if he’s not threatening to kill you and you’re outside an armed conflict? There are people who are simply uncomfortable with the president just declaring we’re at war with drug traffickers,” said a former senior official familiar with the debate.
“Internally, a lot of people are treating this like the rendition program,” the former official said. “It’s one thing to get rid of [Iraqi dictator] Saddam Hussein or [Libyan autocrat] Moammar Gaddafi for counterterrorism reasons. This is different.’’](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:maiw2rfujepnphhrejytvuu5/bafkreiecj776a2owo634tm7djoq4xyfwoteenbzzind7uxqlvnfkfiak7u@jpeg)
November 22, 2025 at 2:38 PM
this could mean several different things, none of which are reassuring
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
The 20-year-old welder’s killing by her coworker has prompted women in trades across the country to speak out about the harassment they face and the protections they need.
Amber Czech was murdered at work. Tradeswomen say it could have happened to any of them.
The 20-year-old welder’s killing by her coworker has prompted women in trades across the country to speak out about the harassment they face and the protections they need.
19thnews.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The 20-year-old welder’s killing by her coworker has prompted women in trades across the country to speak out about the harassment they face and the protections they need.
NEW from me for @amwajmedia.bsky.social : Kurdish parties will be intimately involved in Iraq’s post-election govt formation process, but will likely not play as decisive a role as in past cycles. Necessity for a broad coalition and dysfunction between KDP & PUK will dilute their influence.
amwaj.media
November 21, 2025 at 1:22 PM
NEW from me for @amwajmedia.bsky.social : Kurdish parties will be intimately involved in Iraq’s post-election govt formation process, but will likely not play as decisive a role as in past cycles. Necessity for a broad coalition and dysfunction between KDP & PUK will dilute their influence.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
A skilled interpreter and social justice champion, Gaughan is a hero to the likes of Richard Hawley and Billy Bragg. Yet much of his work has been stuck in limbo for decades – until a determined fan stepped in
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 AM
‘I never wanted to sing into a vacuum’: Scottish folk pioneer Dick Gaughan’s fight for his lost music
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
We’ll never forget Jamal Khashoggi, and we advise those who care about free speech and a free press to do the same.
This is shameful behavior. Freedom of the press is and always will be one of the most important American values, one that WBNG will always uphold. A sitting president disregarding the severity of violence against journalists is despicable.
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Trump defends Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing
The de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia was branded a pariah in 2018 after the killing of a Washington Post columnist. Now, U.S.-Saudi relations are nearing a high point.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:39 PM
We’ll never forget Jamal Khashoggi, and we advise those who care about free speech and a free press to do the same.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
It’s been a pretty busy couple of days all things considered! Our priority now is to meet with civic leaders to discuss how this affects our business.
We will also be calling for public consultations with both the indie businesses and the wider community of Leith regarding future Newkirkgate plans.
We will also be calling for public consultations with both the indie businesses and the wider community of Leith regarding future Newkirkgate plans.
November 19, 2025 at 10:36 PM
It’s been a pretty busy couple of days all things considered! Our priority now is to meet with civic leaders to discuss how this affects our business.
We will also be calling for public consultations with both the indie businesses and the wider community of Leith regarding future Newkirkgate plans.
We will also be calling for public consultations with both the indie businesses and the wider community of Leith regarding future Newkirkgate plans.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
We need your help.
@waterstones.bsky.social, without any direct communication with us, will be opening their 6th Edinburgh branch less than 100 metres from our front door at the Foot of the Walk in Leith.
Please read on for more information
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...
(1/2)
@waterstones.bsky.social, without any direct communication with us, will be opening their 6th Edinburgh branch less than 100 metres from our front door at the Foot of the Walk in Leith.
Please read on for more information
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...
(1/2)
Anger as Waterstones snaps up prime site on doorstep of independent bookshop
UK's biggest bookselling chain under fire over plans for new store beside Edinburgh tram line.
www.heraldscotland.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:28 AM
We need your help.
@waterstones.bsky.social, without any direct communication with us, will be opening their 6th Edinburgh branch less than 100 metres from our front door at the Foot of the Walk in Leith.
Please read on for more information
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...
(1/2)
@waterstones.bsky.social, without any direct communication with us, will be opening their 6th Edinburgh branch less than 100 metres from our front door at the Foot of the Walk in Leith.
Please read on for more information
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...
(1/2)
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
Meta's court victory yesterday marks an end to years of FTC fights intended to break up the company's family of apps.
Meta wins monopoly trial, convinces judge that social networking is dead
People are “bored” by their friends’ content, judge ruled, siding with Meta.
arstechnica.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Meta's court victory yesterday marks an end to years of FTC fights intended to break up the company's family of apps.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
"Dig that old We’re On The March With Ally’s Army t-shirt out of the loft – Scotland are going to the World Cup."👉 www.heraldscotland.com/spor...
November 18, 2025 at 10:25 PM
"Dig that old We’re On The March With Ally’s Army t-shirt out of the loft – Scotland are going to the World Cup."👉 www.heraldscotland.com/spor...
Iraq scored a penalty 17 minutes into stoppage time to claim a dramatic 2-1 home win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and secure a 3-2 aggregate playoff victory over their neighbours that keeps the country's World Cup qualification dream alive.
www.reuters.com/sports/socce...
www.reuters.com/sports/socce...
www.reuters.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Iraq scored a penalty 17 minutes into stoppage time to claim a dramatic 2-1 home win over the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and secure a 3-2 aggregate playoff victory over their neighbours that keeps the country's World Cup qualification dream alive.
www.reuters.com/sports/socce...
www.reuters.com/sports/socce...
Report on Scottish higher education sector’s support for conflict settings rse.org.uk/report-on-sc...
Report on Scottish higher education sector’s support for conflict settings
The Royal Society of Edinburgh addresses the timely and pressing question: How can the Scottish higher education sector support colleagues and institutions in conflict settings?
rse.org.uk
November 18, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Report on Scottish higher education sector’s support for conflict settings rse.org.uk/report-on-sc...
NEW from me in @thenewarab.bsky.social : A flattened and fractured landscape after the Iraqi parliamentary elections will lead to complex bargaining over the next government, which may take some time to form.
www.newarab.com/analysis/ira...
www.newarab.com/analysis/ira...
Iraq votes, but who governs? The post-election bargaining begins
The election delivered orderly polling but a fractured parliament, leaving Iraq’s power brokers to hash out alliances behind closed doors
www.newarab.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:34 PM
NEW from me in @thenewarab.bsky.social : A flattened and fractured landscape after the Iraqi parliamentary elections will lead to complex bargaining over the next government, which may take some time to form.
www.newarab.com/analysis/ira...
www.newarab.com/analysis/ira...
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
SCOOP: Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer who previously represented the Tate brothers before joining the White House, chided authorities for seizing the brothers’ devices, saying it was not a good use of time or resources. He told DHS officials to give them back.
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 12:25 PM
SCOOP: Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer who previously represented the Tate brothers before joining the White House, chided authorities for seizing the brothers’ devices, saying it was not a good use of time or resources. He told DHS officials to give them back.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
“We don’t have a democracy without an informed public. We don’t have an informed public without a free press,” Rose said.
- @adamrose.bsky.social
- @adamrose.bsky.social
Law enforcement physically attacked 72 journalists covering immigration in LA this year—more than double the city’s 2020 BLM protest total, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
lapublicpress.org/2025/11/indy...
Scrappy and underpaid, LA's independent reporters are risking everything to cover the ICE opposition
Law enforcement physically attacked 72 journalists covering immigration in LA this year—more than double the city's 2020 BLM protest total, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.
lapublicpress.org
November 17, 2025 at 11:43 PM
“We don’t have a democracy without an informed public. We don’t have an informed public without a free press,” Rose said.
- @adamrose.bsky.social
- @adamrose.bsky.social
Benjamin Franklin as quoted in Ken Burns’ new American Revolution documentary on @pbs.org: “Suppose a military force sent into America; they will find nobody in arms; what are they then to do?…They will not find a rebellion; they may indeed make one.”
www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...
www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...
The American Revolution | All Episodes Now Streaming | Ken Burns | PBS
Thirteen colonies unite in rebellion, win their independence, and found the United States. Stream the full documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.
www.pbs.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Benjamin Franklin as quoted in Ken Burns’ new American Revolution documentary on @pbs.org: “Suppose a military force sent into America; they will find nobody in arms; what are they then to do?…They will not find a rebellion; they may indeed make one.”
www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...
www.pbs.org/kenburns/the...
Sulaimani turns 241 today. Such a wonderful city.
November 14, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Sulaimani turns 241 today. Such a wonderful city.
Kurdistan's opposition win about a third of the seats in each election since 2018. But it's like a closed system: relative changes happen in terms of power balance between the parties within that box, but it does not expand beyond that.
November 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Kurdistan's opposition win about a third of the seats in each election since 2018. But it's like a closed system: relative changes happen in terms of power balance between the parties within that box, but it does not expand beyond that.
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
I was with a group of Peshmerga when news broke that Kurdish oil exports would resume. For officials, this was cause for celebration. But ordinary people have long memories of high hopes and unfulfilled promises. They said:
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Deep-Seated Politics of Hopelessness
Political patronage, corruption, and economic pressures have left Iraqi Kurds with little optimism for the region's future.
inkstickmedia.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I was with a group of Peshmerga when news broke that Kurdish oil exports would resume. For officials, this was cause for celebration. But ordinary people have long memories of high hopes and unfulfilled promises. They said:
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
The balance between the KDP and the PUK used to be defined by a "50-50" power sharing arrangement, but it has become increasingly asymmetrical in favor of the KDP. Yet the PUK's power in Sulaimani cannot be ignored. My piece for @rusi.bsky.social remains relevant:
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
Equal No More: The Breakdown of Power-Sharing in Iraqi Kurdistan
The erosion of the ‘50-50’ principle of splitting power between Iraqi Kurdistan’s main political parties could have serious consequences for the future of the region.
www.rusi.org
November 12, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The balance between the KDP and the PUK used to be defined by a "50-50" power sharing arrangement, but it has become increasingly asymmetrical in favor of the KDP. Yet the PUK's power in Sulaimani cannot be ignored. My piece for @rusi.bsky.social remains relevant:
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
#Breaking Catherine Connolly has signed the Declaration of Office at St Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle to formally become the tenth President of Ireland | Follow Live
Connolly inaugurated as 10th President of Ireland
Follow live updates as Catherine Connolly is officially sworn in as the tenth President of Ireland.
www.rte.ie
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
#Breaking Catherine Connolly has signed the Declaration of Office at St Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle to formally become the tenth President of Ireland | Follow Live
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
Iraqi Kurdistan's ruling parties spent years fighting oppression and violence at the hands of the central government in Baghdad. Decades after gaining semiautonomous rule, though, everyday people in the region say their disillusionment runs deep.
By: @wrodgers2.bsky.social
By: @wrodgers2.bsky.social
In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Deep-Seated Politics of Hopelessness
Political patronage, corruption, and economic pressures have left Iraqi Kurds with little optimism for the region's future.
inkstickmedia.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Iraqi Kurdistan's ruling parties spent years fighting oppression and violence at the hands of the central government in Baghdad. Decades after gaining semiautonomous rule, though, everyday people in the region say their disillusionment runs deep.
By: @wrodgers2.bsky.social
By: @wrodgers2.bsky.social
I was with a group of Peshmerga when news broke that Kurdish oil exports would resume. For officials, this was cause for celebration. But ordinary people have long memories of high hopes and unfulfilled promises. They said:
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Deep-Seated Politics of Hopelessness
Political patronage, corruption, and economic pressures have left Iraqi Kurds with little optimism for the region's future.
inkstickmedia.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I was with a group of Peshmerga when news broke that Kurdish oil exports would resume. For officials, this was cause for celebration. But ordinary people have long memories of high hopes and unfulfilled promises. They said:
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
"هەمان تاس و حەمامە"
"Same old, same old"
Long read for @inkstickmedia.com
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
Tomorrow, Iraqis head to the polls in a pivotal election that could test Iraq's stability. Which bloc is the frontrunner in the race? How might the balance of power shift – and what’s at stake for reform and Iraq’s regional position?
Read the latest #IraqInitiative analysis ↓
Read the latest #IraqInitiative analysis ↓
November 10, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Tomorrow, Iraqis head to the polls in a pivotal election that could test Iraq's stability. Which bloc is the frontrunner in the race? How might the balance of power shift – and what’s at stake for reform and Iraq’s regional position?
Read the latest #IraqInitiative analysis ↓
Read the latest #IraqInitiative analysis ↓
Reposted by Winthrop Rodgers
As @wrodgers2.bsky.social explains, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is no different - people struggle with much of the same issues of corruption, political patronage and disillusionment. Read his analysis: inkstickmedia.com/in-iraqi-kur...
In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Deep-Seated Politics of Hopelessness
Political patronage, corruption, and economic pressures have left Iraqi Kurds with little optimism for the region's future.
inkstickmedia.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:45 PM
As @wrodgers2.bsky.social explains, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is no different - people struggle with much of the same issues of corruption, political patronage and disillusionment. Read his analysis: inkstickmedia.com/in-iraqi-kur...