Shahrzad Shams
@shahrzadshams.bsky.social
Democratic Institutions at Roosevelt Institute and Roosevelt Forward • Views are my own
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
You just know that “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” bit would have done NUMBERS in this little clique
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
You just know that “Did Women Ruin the Workplace?” bit would have done NUMBERS in this little clique
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
“The incalculable damage left by Bush and Cheney’s day-in-and-day-out contempt for national and international law includes the power to sweep forward in time and trivialize into a matter of personal preference any future president’s adherence to the law.“
Elaine Scarry in 2008:
Elaine Scarry in 2008:
Presidential Crimes - Boston Review
Torture must be addressed through legal instruments, not simply through the electoral repudiation of bad policy.
www.bostonreview.net
November 4, 2025 at 7:12 PM
“The incalculable damage left by Bush and Cheney’s day-in-and-day-out contempt for national and international law includes the power to sweep forward in time and trivialize into a matter of personal preference any future president’s adherence to the law.“
Elaine Scarry in 2008:
Elaine Scarry in 2008:
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Still thinking about Zohran’s full-throated defense of immigration and how long i’ve waited for it. No bullshit about border security or “legal” immigrants but just unabashed support for immigrants. How many people feel so much more seen today? I know I do. 1/
November 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Still thinking about Zohran’s full-throated defense of immigration and how long i’ve waited for it. No bullshit about border security or “legal” immigrants but just unabashed support for immigrants. How many people feel so much more seen today? I know I do. 1/
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
It is time to admit that Republicans won the 2024 election by running to the center.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/o...
November 1, 2025 at 12:01 PM
It is time to admit that Republicans won the 2024 election by running to the center.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/o...
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
It probably doesn’t matter but I would be flooding the zone with images of the White House destruction right now.
October 23, 2025 at 2:50 PM
It probably doesn’t matter but I would be flooding the zone with images of the White House destruction right now.
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
“Let him among you who is without a Nazi tattoo cast the first stone.” -The Bible
October 22, 2025 at 2:20 AM
“Let him among you who is without a Nazi tattoo cast the first stone.” -The Bible
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
🧵 Yesterday’s AWS failure wasn’t just a massive service disruption. It exposed how dependent our economy and public institutions have become on privatized, centralized systems. 1/4
www.fastcompany.com/91425078/aws...
www.fastcompany.com/91425078/aws...
The AWS outage reveals the web’s massive centralization problem
What happens when key infrastructure providers are too good at their jobs? Everyone relies on them—with catastrophic consequences when they fail.
www.fastcompany.com
October 21, 2025 at 1:45 PM
🧵 Yesterday’s AWS failure wasn’t just a massive service disruption. It exposed how dependent our economy and public institutions have become on privatized, centralized systems. 1/4
www.fastcompany.com/91425078/aws...
www.fastcompany.com/91425078/aws...
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Maybe it's time for the pathetic and cowardly Democratic Leadership to FINALLY ENDORSE ZOHRAN MAMDANI?
October 15, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Maybe it's time for the pathetic and cowardly Democratic Leadership to FINALLY ENDORSE ZOHRAN MAMDANI?
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Everything about John Roberts's approach to the Voting Rights Act makes sense when you remember that John Roberts has has always been hostile to the Voting Rights Act, never believed it was appropriate, and has spent most of his 45-year legal career working to hollow it out.
One of the Biggest Cases of the Supreme Court’s Term Is John Roberts’ Decadeslong Pet Project
If there’s one thing the Roberts court has been consistent on, it’s this.
slate.com
October 15, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Everything about John Roberts's approach to the Voting Rights Act makes sense when you remember that John Roberts has has always been hostile to the Voting Rights Act, never believed it was appropriate, and has spent most of his 45-year legal career working to hollow it out.
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Ohio State changes policy on group conferences after Trump administration threats
A federal investigation into potentially discriminatory practices at Ohio State prompted the university to change its policies regarding conferences.
www.dispatch.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
It was inevitable that, without needed change and reform, the War on Terror would swing back to America
It’s the march of capitalism and its reliance on hidden and then overt authoritarianism. We can see where this is going by looking at what we did to others, and so we must band together with them
It’s the march of capitalism and its reliance on hidden and then overt authoritarianism. We can see where this is going by looking at what we did to others, and so we must band together with them
October 11, 2025 at 4:47 PM
It was inevitable that, without needed change and reform, the War on Terror would swing back to America
It’s the march of capitalism and its reliance on hidden and then overt authoritarianism. We can see where this is going by looking at what we did to others, and so we must band together with them
It’s the march of capitalism and its reliance on hidden and then overt authoritarianism. We can see where this is going by looking at what we did to others, and so we must band together with them
Unsurprisingly all over online right-wing media channels too.
Amid the flood of ads for grifty “wellness” products and the occasional pitch to invest in gold, these recruitment ads have joined the steady rotation of horseshit on Rumble
Amid the flood of ads for grifty “wellness” products and the occasional pitch to invest in gold, these recruitment ads have joined the steady rotation of horseshit on Rumble
ICE recruitment ads are seeping into sports and entertainment programming, including the UFC, WWE, WNBA and NFL programming depending on the viewer's location.
www.sportspolitika.news/p/ice-recrui...
www.sportspolitika.news/p/ice-recrui...
ICE recruitment ads air on UFC, WWE programming
Chilling ICE recruitment ads are seeping into sports and entertainment programming, including the UFC, WWE, WNBA and NFL programming depending on the viewer's location.
www.sportspolitika.news
October 11, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Unsurprisingly all over online right-wing media channels too.
Amid the flood of ads for grifty “wellness” products and the occasional pitch to invest in gold, these recruitment ads have joined the steady rotation of horseshit on Rumble
Amid the flood of ads for grifty “wellness” products and the occasional pitch to invest in gold, these recruitment ads have joined the steady rotation of horseshit on Rumble
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.
October 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Last month @rooseveltinstitute.org and NASI launched the Disability Economic Policy & Research Consortium. Read my colleague Lena Bilik's latest below on how a focus on this oft ignore population is crucial to building an inclusive economy.
rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/disabil...
rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/disabil...
Economic Policy Is Disability Policy: Launching the Disability Economic Policy & Research Consortium - Roosevelt Institute
When we apply a disability lens to economic policy and research, we zoom in on people who deeply understand the flaws in our systems and are more likely to interact with public programs and services. ...
rooseveltinstitute.org
October 8, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Last month @rooseveltinstitute.org and NASI launched the Disability Economic Policy & Research Consortium. Read my colleague Lena Bilik's latest below on how a focus on this oft ignore population is crucial to building an inclusive economy.
rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/disabil...
rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/disabil...
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Deputy Director of Democratic Institutions lays out the cases to watch in this SCOTUS term.
With the influence this court has had on landmark decisions and precedent, the outcomes will have long-lasting impacts.
With the influence this court has had on landmark decisions and precedent, the outcomes will have long-lasting impacts.
A new SCOTUS term begins today. What fresh hell awaits our flailing democracy this time around?🧵
October 7, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Deputy Director of Democratic Institutions lays out the cases to watch in this SCOTUS term.
With the influence this court has had on landmark decisions and precedent, the outcomes will have long-lasting impacts.
With the influence this court has had on landmark decisions and precedent, the outcomes will have long-lasting impacts.
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
"Haidt’s thesis is broader than just 'new thing bad.' In The Anxious Generation and his public commentary you find a dismissal of young people as a thinking, feeling group: they are anxious because of phones, they empathize with Gaza because of phones."
now is not the time to ban phones
why Jonathan Haidt sucks
howtodothingswithmemes.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 12:36 AM
"Haidt’s thesis is broader than just 'new thing bad.' In The Anxious Generation and his public commentary you find a dismissal of young people as a thinking, feeling group: they are anxious because of phones, they empathize with Gaza because of phones."
Important piece by @lookheron.bsky.social tracing how the steady neoliberalization of higher education has sowed fertile ground for its takeover by authoritarians
Today, @lookheron.bsky.social argues that, for higher education, it's been one battle after another: how the neoliberal era laid the groundwork for the recent authoritarian turn.
The Neoliberal Foundation of the Authoritarian Turn in Higher Education
Recent authoritarian attacks on higher education mark a significant shift from the neoliberal era, which celebrated institutional independence from the state, the role of education in boosting worker…
lpeproject.org
October 6, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Important piece by @lookheron.bsky.social tracing how the steady neoliberalization of higher education has sowed fertile ground for its takeover by authoritarians
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Stephen Miller said last year this was the plan. They said it out loud. Some of us highlighted his remarks at the time and warned how dangerous they were. Most of the media missed them and/or moved on from them. It’s happening:
Red states sending troops to blue states is a really bad idea.
October 6, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Stephen Miller said last year this was the plan. They said it out loud. Some of us highlighted his remarks at the time and warned how dangerous they were. Most of the media missed them and/or moved on from them. It’s happening:
A new SCOTUS term begins today. What fresh hell awaits our flailing democracy this time around?🧵
October 6, 2025 at 2:46 PM
A new SCOTUS term begins today. What fresh hell awaits our flailing democracy this time around?🧵
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
BREAKING: It’s official. David Ellison announces that Bari Weiss, founder of pro-Israel outlet “The Free Press,” is now Editor in Chief of CBS News, per internal memo shared with me:
October 6, 2025 at 12:56 PM
BREAKING: It’s official. David Ellison announces that Bari Weiss, founder of pro-Israel outlet “The Free Press,” is now Editor in Chief of CBS News, per internal memo shared with me:
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
Breaking news: ICE stops family at gunpoint—smash car window on top of newborn baby.
"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.
“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."
"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.
“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."
October 3, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Breaking news: ICE stops family at gunpoint—smash car window on top of newborn baby.
"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.
“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."
"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.
“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."
Reposted by Shahrzad Shams
fuck gavin newsome but making states choose between local vs federal backing is a really effective way to combat the Trump Shit and more people should do it.
I literally hate to give Newsom credit for anything, he's a snake when it comes to transgender issues, but he's legitimately doing a good thing here.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Newsom threatens to cut state funding to universities that sign Trump’s political compact
The White House asked nine major universities, including USC, to commit to President Trump’s political priorities in exchange for more favorable access to federal money. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Califor...
www.latimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
fuck gavin newsome but making states choose between local vs federal backing is a really effective way to combat the Trump Shit and more people should do it.
A new @rooseveltinstitute.org report by @rfunkfordham.bsky.social empirically assesses the antidemocratic effects of Citizens United 15 years after it was decided.
The findings speak for themselves: there is no place for big money in our political system.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The findings speak for themselves: there is no place for big money in our political system.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
Citizens United and the Decline of US Democracy: Assessing the Decision’s Impact 15 Years Later - Roosevelt Institute
In a new analysis, Rachel Funk Fordham examines the 15-year legacy of Citizens United, assessing its impact on democracy through new evidence and political science research and offering recommendation...
rooseveltinstitute.org
October 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
A new @rooseveltinstitute.org report by @rfunkfordham.bsky.social empirically assesses the antidemocratic effects of Citizens United 15 years after it was decided.
The findings speak for themselves: there is no place for big money in our political system.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...
The findings speak for themselves: there is no place for big money in our political system.
rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...