Zack Beauchamp
@zackbeauchamp.bsky.social
Senior Correspondent at Vox covering the crisis of global democracy. Author of The Reactionary Spirit, a book on that topic, and a '25-'26 distinguished visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House.
I was just in Rio de Janeiro, and I saw a woman and a four year old sleeping on the street a block from touristy Copacabana Beach.
This isn't to shame Brazil in particular, but rather to show that there's a certain kind of negative American narcissism in assuming a problem here is unique *to* here
This isn't to shame Brazil in particular, but rather to show that there's a certain kind of negative American narcissism in assuming a problem here is unique *to* here
There are particularly American problems: homelessness is not one of them. It is more shameful in a rich country but it’s not unique.
February 9, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I was just in Rio de Janeiro, and I saw a woman and a four year old sleeping on the street a block from touristy Copacabana Beach.
This isn't to shame Brazil in particular, but rather to show that there's a certain kind of negative American narcissism in assuming a problem here is unique *to* here
This isn't to shame Brazil in particular, but rather to show that there's a certain kind of negative American narcissism in assuming a problem here is unique *to* here
Post a banger that isn't in English www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1...
February 9, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Post a banger that isn't in English www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zp1...
Pats coming back and winning from a seemingly insurmountable late deficit again is the objectively funniest outcome
February 9, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Pats coming back and winning from a seemingly insurmountable late deficit again is the objectively funniest outcome
This is my favorite sport in the world to watch, but defensive battles are objectively hard for casual fans too appreciate
I watch football once a year, it’s usually not this boring, is it?
February 9, 2026 at 1:11 AM
This is my favorite sport in the world to watch, but defensive battles are objectively hard for casual fans too appreciate
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
Netanyahu is a war criminal who belongs in the Hague, but the only references to Netanyahu in the Epstein files are emails sent exchanging articles about him, or others discussing him.
I think it's very bad that the most popular left-wing streamer on the internet is a raging antisemite.
I think it's very bad that the most popular left-wing streamer on the internet is a raging antisemite.
February 7, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Netanyahu is a war criminal who belongs in the Hague, but the only references to Netanyahu in the Epstein files are emails sent exchanging articles about him, or others discussing him.
I think it's very bad that the most popular left-wing streamer on the internet is a raging antisemite.
I think it's very bad that the most popular left-wing streamer on the internet is a raging antisemite.
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
February 6, 2026 at 6:25 PM
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
Here's @rickhasen.bsky.social detailing the scenario in which Trump uses search warrant to seize ballot boxes in a contested 2026 locale. This is more worrisome than ICE at the polls. Hasen also suggests ways to act against this now.
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
February 6, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Here's @rickhasen.bsky.social detailing the scenario in which Trump uses search warrant to seize ballot boxes in a contested 2026 locale. This is more worrisome than ICE at the polls. Hasen also suggests ways to act against this now.
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
It's harrowing stuff:
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Apropos of that Trump video — there is a reason why, when researching my book, I came to believe that Barack Obama's election was the moment when America's democratic crisis began.
It set off a racial backlash to civil rights that has been the defining force in our politics since.
It set off a racial backlash to civil rights that has been the defining force in our politics since.
February 6, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Apropos of that Trump video — there is a reason why, when researching my book, I came to believe that Barack Obama's election was the moment when America's democratic crisis began.
It set off a racial backlash to civil rights that has been the defining force in our politics since.
It set off a racial backlash to civil rights that has been the defining force in our politics since.
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
i feel like american political elites are completely unprepared to tackle with tangibel threats to their democracy beyond "shaming random people for being too to win wisconsin" because they don't actually think democracy itself could disappear. in brazil and south korea they do believe it.
A story relevant to ICE election threats.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
February 5, 2026 at 2:02 PM
i feel like american political elites are completely unprepared to tackle with tangibel threats to their democracy beyond "shaming random people for being too to win wisconsin" because they don't actually think democracy itself could disappear. in brazil and south korea they do believe it.
A story relevant to ICE election threats.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
February 5, 2026 at 1:59 PM
A story relevant to ICE election threats.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
On Election Day 2022 in Brazil, the Bolsonaro government had Federal Highway Police place roadblocks in his opponent Lula's northeastern strongholds.
But courts intervened; Lula won. The highway police chief is now serving a 24 years prison sentence.
Excellent @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social piece on how the murder of Charlie Kirk set off a right-wing civil war over whether it's okay to hate Jews www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Second Death of Charlie Kirk
The activist’s assassination unleashed anti-Semitism that is pulling the Trump coalition apart.
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Excellent @yair-rosenberg.bsky.social piece on how the murder of Charlie Kirk set off a right-wing civil war over whether it's okay to hate Jews www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The bloodbath at the Post is the worst day in US media in quite some time. Hundreds of talented journalists laid off because a billionaire wants to curry favor with an authoritarian president.
February 4, 2026 at 6:32 PM
The bloodbath at the Post is the worst day in US media in quite some time. Hundreds of talented journalists laid off because a billionaire wants to curry favor with an authoritarian president.
This is the essential problem in media now: the economics are absolutely brutal, and there's only room for one New York Times.
Other great publications shrink, specialize, or source their funding to a billionaire — and we're getting a brutal object lesson in the dangers of that last option today.
Other great publications shrink, specialize, or source their funding to a billionaire — and we're getting a brutal object lesson in the dangers of that last option today.
So what’s the business model now if you want to run a top-flight national newspaper doing hard journalism? The NYT is making it work by selling games, but that doesn’t seem like it’d scale to multiple prestige papers doing it.
February 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
This is the essential problem in media now: the economics are absolutely brutal, and there's only room for one New York Times.
Other great publications shrink, specialize, or source their funding to a billionaire — and we're getting a brutal object lesson in the dangers of that last option today.
Other great publications shrink, specialize, or source their funding to a billionaire — and we're getting a brutal object lesson in the dangers of that last option today.
There's something uniquely disgusting about Elon, the man who has done more than any other human alive to immiserate the world's poorest, claiming to want to end poverty
February 3, 2026 at 2:22 PM
There's something uniquely disgusting about Elon, the man who has done more than any other human alive to immiserate the world's poorest, claiming to want to end poverty
Chris Rufo is so upset about the Minneapolis protests that he is resorting to anti-Nordic racism christopherrufo.com/p/the-curse-...
January 30, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Chris Rufo is so upset about the Minneapolis protests that he is resorting to anti-Nordic racism christopherrufo.com/p/the-curse-...
So Yoram Hazony claimed that Tucker Carlson wasn’t an antisemite because there was no “15 minute explainer video” proving that he was.
Except *his own team* had made exactly that video (runtime: 14 minutes, 57 seconds). And he buried it www.tabletmag.com/sections/new...
Except *his own team* had made exactly that video (runtime: 14 minutes, 57 seconds). And he buried it www.tabletmag.com/sections/new...
Yoram Hazony’s 15 Minutes - Tablet Magazine
I helped National Conservatism’s leading intellectual produce the video he now says doesn’t exist. He chose to bury it.
www.tabletmag.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:14 PM
So Yoram Hazony claimed that Tucker Carlson wasn’t an antisemite because there was no “15 minute explainer video” proving that he was.
Except *his own team* had made exactly that video (runtime: 14 minutes, 57 seconds). And he buried it www.tabletmag.com/sections/new...
Except *his own team* had made exactly that video (runtime: 14 minutes, 57 seconds). And he buried it www.tabletmag.com/sections/new...
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
🎙️ON AIR:
We're talking to @vox.com's @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social and @npr.org's @cgrisales.bsky.social about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis and the guardrails that could keep our democracy safe.
❓What do you think is the administration's endgame?
📻 Listen:
We're talking to @vox.com's @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social and @npr.org's @cgrisales.bsky.social about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis and the guardrails that could keep our democracy safe.
❓What do you think is the administration's endgame?
📻 Listen:
What's the Endgame in DHS Brutality? | KQED
We talk to experts about the real purpose behind federal agents' show of force in Minnesota, and we discuss the guardrails that could keep our democracy safe.
www.kqed.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:02 PM
🎙️ON AIR:
We're talking to @vox.com's @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social and @npr.org's @cgrisales.bsky.social about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis and the guardrails that could keep our democracy safe.
❓What do you think is the administration's endgame?
📻 Listen:
We're talking to @vox.com's @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social and @npr.org's @cgrisales.bsky.social about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis and the guardrails that could keep our democracy safe.
❓What do you think is the administration's endgame?
📻 Listen:
That's true! Go listen to KQED Forum
I think @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social is on now talking about Minnesota.
January 28, 2026 at 6:29 PM
That's true! Go listen to KQED Forum
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
Political scientists see non-violent resistance as much more effective--and it's not just from aggregate statistics. Rather, it's the way that peaceful resistance undermines the state's repressive capacities.
This op-ed by Berkeley prof @owasow.bsky.social explains this logic 🎯.
Give it a read!
This op-ed by Berkeley prof @owasow.bsky.social explains this logic 🎯.
Give it a read!
“What we are seeing is the weakness of strong states. Regimes that rely on repression face a challenge: The more force they deploy, the more they risk exposing their own brutality to politically persuadable observers. Overreach doesn’t just project strength; it also undermines legitimacy.” Gift link
Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Political scientists see non-violent resistance as much more effective--and it's not just from aggregate statistics. Rather, it's the way that peaceful resistance undermines the state's repressive capacities.
This op-ed by Berkeley prof @owasow.bsky.social explains this logic 🎯.
Give it a read!
This op-ed by Berkeley prof @owasow.bsky.social explains this logic 🎯.
Give it a read!
Every future interview with Stephen Miller should begin and end with asking him to apologize for smearing Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist
January 27, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Every future interview with Stephen Miller should begin and end with asking him to apologize for smearing Alex Pretti as a domestic terrorist
"Every social theory undergirding Trumpism has been broken on the steel of Minnesotan resolve." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:26 PM
"Every social theory undergirding Trumpism has been broken on the steel of Minnesotan resolve." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Bovino's resignation is not a minor defeat for the administration. It is proof that they cannot escalate indefinitely, that they are still constrained by opposition activism and public opinion.
These constraints will make it very hard for them to consolidate an authoritarian regime. They're losing.
These constraints will make it very hard for them to consolidate an authoritarian regime. They're losing.
January 27, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Bovino's resignation is not a minor defeat for the administration. It is proof that they cannot escalate indefinitely, that they are still constrained by opposition activism and public opinion.
These constraints will make it very hard for them to consolidate an authoritarian regime. They're losing.
These constraints will make it very hard for them to consolidate an authoritarian regime. They're losing.
Reposted by Zack Beauchamp
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Gregory Bovino Gets Demoted
The Border Patrol chief was the public face of a traveling immigration crackdown on cities governed by Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:40 PM
BREAKING Greg Bovino has been removed as Border Patrol "commander at large" and will return to El Centro Calif, where he is expected to retire soon. A stunning turnaround after Pretti killing. Bovino's traveling blue city crackdown is over www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...