Brad Summers
@bradrsummers.bsky.social
Not an expert on anything, except naps.
Reposted by Brad Summers
I'm just over here toiling away on 17th and 18th-century legal history unmoored to any contemporary issue, and it took me two years before I even started putting pen to paper.
Discovering a brand-new understanding of 600 years+ of legal history and having a written paper in weeks is... curious.
Discovering a brand-new understanding of 600 years+ of legal history and having a written paper in weeks is... curious.
Maybe just me but to me it's incredibly obvious what these "birthright deniers" are up to. It's not an academic project, it's a political one, attempting to provide cover for conservative jurists who are now being asked to rule on this very question, and need a fig leaf of justification.
December 26, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm just over here toiling away on 17th and 18th-century legal history unmoored to any contemporary issue, and it took me two years before I even started putting pen to paper.
Discovering a brand-new understanding of 600 years+ of legal history and having a written paper in weeks is... curious.
Discovering a brand-new understanding of 600 years+ of legal history and having a written paper in weeks is... curious.
Reposted by Brad Summers
"Amid this chaos there has been one consistent target for Trump’s contempt: the constraints imposed by international law... In its place Trump pursues “sheer coercive power” – or what has been described as mobster diplomacy, in which shakedowns, blackmail and deal-making are the agents of change."
Into the void: how Trump killed international law
The rules-based global order, its institutions and value system face a crisis of legitimacy and credibility as the US turns away
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:53 AM
"Amid this chaos there has been one consistent target for Trump’s contempt: the constraints imposed by international law... In its place Trump pursues “sheer coercive power” – or what has been described as mobster diplomacy, in which shakedowns, blackmail and deal-making are the agents of change."
Reposted by Brad Summers
According to FBI agents involved in the raid, Attorney General William Barr was on the scene and he personally took custody of many items seized, a step they thought highly unusual.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 I filmed the @SDNY press conference when #Epstein was arrested. Geoffrey Berman stated exactly what was confiscated by the FBI when they raided Epstein’s mansion. Tapes, hard drives, 1700 photos on the walls. They fired Berman not long after
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHc...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZHc...
Jeffrey Epstein Charged w/Sex Trafficking of Underage Girls SDNY Presser 7/8/19
YouTube video by Sandi Bachom
www.youtube.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM
According to FBI agents involved in the raid, Attorney General William Barr was on the scene and he personally took custody of many items seized, a step they thought highly unusual.
Reposted by Brad Summers
“Conservatives would never accept a left-wing government using regulatory favoritism to pressure conservative media”—but now that this is occurring at CBS, they offer “pointillistic defenses” of Bari Weiss spiking a “60 Minutes” story, @jonathanchait argues.
Stop Defending Bari Weiss
It is impossible to take her actions at face value given the context in which she is operating.
bit.ly
December 26, 2025 at 3:45 PM
“Conservatives would never accept a left-wing government using regulatory favoritism to pressure conservative media”—but now that this is occurring at CBS, they offer “pointillistic defenses” of Bari Weiss spiking a “60 Minutes” story, @jonathanchait argues.
Reposted by Brad Summers
DOGE was A LOT less likely to cancel contracts from companies that donated money to Republicans than companies that donated to Democrats.
December 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
DOGE was A LOT less likely to cancel contracts from companies that donated money to Republicans than companies that donated to Democrats.
Reposted by Brad Summers
Texas Universities are now like police departments who would prefer to pay out the inevitable lawsuits rather than stop breaking the law
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M won’t reinstate fired lecturer despite findings
A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
www.texastribune.org
December 26, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Texas Universities are now like police departments who would prefer to pay out the inevitable lawsuits rather than stop breaking the law
Reposted by Brad Summers
There are many genealogical paths that connect our present moment to the American past. If you have 30 minutes to waste, I think you'll find that this 1970 campaign ad by Asa Carter resonates, to an alarming degree, with the worldview and rhetoric of the MAGA right. archive.org/details/asa-...
ASA CAMPAIGN PROMO : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
A paid political announcement from Asa Carter, candidate for Alabama governor in 1970. Carter was a white supremacist, segregationist, and Klansman.
archive.org
December 26, 2025 at 3:20 PM
There are many genealogical paths that connect our present moment to the American past. If you have 30 minutes to waste, I think you'll find that this 1970 campaign ad by Asa Carter resonates, to an alarming degree, with the worldview and rhetoric of the MAGA right. archive.org/details/asa-...
Reposted by Brad Summers
This is literally a holiday-themed missile strike. It is as insane as it sounds and should be front-page news.
December 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM
This is literally a holiday-themed missile strike. It is as insane as it sounds and should be front-page news.
Reposted by Brad Summers
GOP operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, convicted election fraudsters, were paid $960,000 in the second quarter to secure a pardon for a former nursing-home operator who defrauded the government of $38 million. Trump pardoned the man, Joseph Schwartz, last month.
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:35 PM
GOP operatives Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, convicted election fraudsters, were paid $960,000 in the second quarter to secure a pardon for a former nursing-home operator who defrauded the government of $38 million. Trump pardoned the man, Joseph Schwartz, last month.
Reposted by Brad Summers
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
December 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
Reposted by Brad Summers
I worked for DOJ. I don't think people realize how dangerous it is for the White House to takeover the daily operations of the Justice Department.
December 25, 2025 at 5:05 AM
I worked for DOJ. I don't think people realize how dangerous it is for the White House to takeover the daily operations of the Justice Department.
Reposted by Brad Summers
The government failed at actually redacting the Epstein files because DOGE cancelled the feds adobe acrobat premium subscription is the funniest shit.
December 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The government failed at actually redacting the Epstein files because DOGE cancelled the feds adobe acrobat premium subscription is the funniest shit.
Reposted by Brad Summers
"As a rule, coverups are difficult in free societies. They are routine for authoritarian governments. The Epstein coverup will be an indicator of how far we are down the road to authoritarianism. The success of a coverup would take us much further down that road." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Why the Epstein Coverup Matters
In free societies, government coverups are difficult. In authoritarian ones, they’re routine.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 11:06 PM
"As a rule, coverups are difficult in free societies. They are routine for authoritarian governments. The Epstein coverup will be an indicator of how far we are down the road to authoritarianism. The success of a coverup would take us much further down that road." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Reposted by Brad Summers
What’s worse, philosophically: being a sincere and devoted bigot, or being someone perfectly willing to go all-in on bigotry because it works politically?
December 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
What’s worse, philosophically: being a sincere and devoted bigot, or being someone perfectly willing to go all-in on bigotry because it works politically?
Reposted by Brad Summers
Christmas 2025
December 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Christmas 2025
Reposted by Brad Summers
This is John Roberts' America.
The blatant selling of pardons is perhaps the clearest instance of criminal conduct authorized by SCOTUS. Pardons are a quintessential "official act." So, even when Trump takes a bribe to issue one, he is presumably above the criminal law.
The president’s own chief of staff was reportedly stunned by his pardon of a former Honduran president.
December 25, 2025 at 5:29 PM
This is John Roberts' America.
Reposted by Brad Summers
SCOTUS could have limited immunity to non-corrupt official acts, but it chose the broader protection for Trump. So, taking a bribe in exchange for an official act cannot be criminally prosecuted. No American has ever received this form of immunity. The opinion is an abomination.
December 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
SCOTUS could have limited immunity to non-corrupt official acts, but it chose the broader protection for Trump. So, taking a bribe in exchange for an official act cannot be criminally prosecuted. No American has ever received this form of immunity. The opinion is an abomination.
Reposted by Brad Summers
The blatant selling of pardons is perhaps the clearest instance of criminal conduct authorized by SCOTUS. Pardons are a quintessential "official act." So, even when Trump takes a bribe to issue one, he is presumably above the criminal law.
The president’s own chief of staff was reportedly stunned by his pardon of a former Honduran president.
Trump’s Ice Maiden Blindsided by President’s Controversial Pardon
The president’s own chief of staff was reportedly stunned by his pardon of a former Honduran president.
trib.al
December 25, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The blatant selling of pardons is perhaps the clearest instance of criminal conduct authorized by SCOTUS. Pardons are a quintessential "official act." So, even when Trump takes a bribe to issue one, he is presumably above the criminal law.
Reposted by Brad Summers
"The miracle of birth is so incredibly beautiful to behold. Do you know the only thing that could make it better? Percussion. Nothing calms one’s stress and eases the pain of delivering a baby more than a little boy standing nearby absolutely shredding on his drum."
This Woman in Labor Is Gonna Love My Drumming
The miracle of birth is so incredibly beautiful to behold. Do you know the only thing that could make it better? Percussion. Nothing calms one’s st...
buff.ly
December 24, 2025 at 2:20 AM
"The miracle of birth is so incredibly beautiful to behold. Do you know the only thing that could make it better? Percussion. Nothing calms one’s stress and eases the pain of delivering a baby more than a little boy standing nearby absolutely shredding on his drum."
Reposted by Brad Summers
I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
Context for Trump withdrawing dozens of ambassadors
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
*China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy
*The US has significantly degraded soft power
*The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies
December 25, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I never again want to hear about how the Republican Party is the party of national security. You don’t incinerate our diplomatic capacity & violate all of our treaty commitments if you care about national security.
Reposted by Brad Summers
The University of Oklahoma fired an instructor for failing a student who wrote a reaction paper without having read the text she was supposed to react to.
By definition she failed to satisfy the requirements of the assignment—which she publicly disclosed before the decision to fire the instructor.
By definition she failed to satisfy the requirements of the assignment—which she publicly disclosed before the decision to fire the instructor.
Adding on to the clip @parkermolloy.com found where the dumbass OU student admits she just rushed through the assignment.
This isn't an issue of a trans instructor trying to force students to adhere to their worldview...it's a moron student half-assing an assignment and trying to shift blame.
This isn't an issue of a trans instructor trying to force students to adhere to their worldview...it's a moron student half-assing an assignment and trying to shift blame.
Jordan Uhl on Instagram: "Oklahoma University student Samantha Fulnecky admitted to local press that she rushed her assignment in a matter of minutes and didn’t follow the guidelines but should have r...
In a stunning admission, Oklahoma University student Samantha Fulnecky reveals she rushed her assignment and didn't follow guidelines, sparking controversy and debate about academic integrity and acco...
www.instagram.com
December 24, 2025 at 1:30 AM
The University of Oklahoma fired an instructor for failing a student who wrote a reaction paper without having read the text she was supposed to react to.
By definition she failed to satisfy the requirements of the assignment—which she publicly disclosed before the decision to fire the instructor.
By definition she failed to satisfy the requirements of the assignment—which she publicly disclosed before the decision to fire the instructor.
Reposted by Brad Summers
Historical revisionism about COVID-19 and the public health response is now mainstream. The next pandemic will likely be even harder to manage due to a relentless propaganda campaign to weaken public support for masking, vaccines, social distancing, etc.
This is genuinely horrifying. Fact-free far-right agitprop given accolades by credible media across the political spectrum.
Congratulations to Stephen Macedo & Frances Lee, whose book In Covid's Wake has been recognized as:
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
⭐ A @newyorker.com Best Book of the Year
⭐ An @economist.com Book of the Year
⭐ A @wsj.com Best Book of the Year
Learn more about this eye-opening book: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 25, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Historical revisionism about COVID-19 and the public health response is now mainstream. The next pandemic will likely be even harder to manage due to a relentless propaganda campaign to weaken public support for masking, vaccines, social distancing, etc.
Reposted by Brad Summers
Opinion | The Epstein Files Should Not Have Been Released This Way
www.nytimes.com
December 25, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Reposted by Brad Summers
So I hate to be That Guy, but we're entering into uncertain territory here with the Epstein Files, and it's more important than ever that we make sure we know all the facts before we blow things up.
I'm talking now about the "tips" that DOJ is now releasing. They sound super salacious and evil.
I'm talking now about the "tips" that DOJ is now releasing. They sound super salacious and evil.
December 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
So I hate to be That Guy, but we're entering into uncertain territory here with the Epstein Files, and it's more important than ever that we make sure we know all the facts before we blow things up.
I'm talking now about the "tips" that DOJ is now releasing. They sound super salacious and evil.
I'm talking now about the "tips" that DOJ is now releasing. They sound super salacious and evil.
Reposted by Brad Summers
Pope Leo said in a Christmas Eve sermon that the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and strangers today is tantamount to rejecting God himself. For @reuters.com
Pope Leo, on Christmas Eve, says denying help to poor is rejecting God
Pope Leo said in a Christmas Eve sermon on Wednesday that the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and stra...
www.reuters.com
December 24, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Pope Leo said in a Christmas Eve sermon that the story of Jesus being born in a stable because there was no room at an inn should remind Christians that refusing to help the poor and strangers today is tantamount to rejecting God himself. For @reuters.com