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brucetoman.bsky.social

@brucetoman.bsky.social
310 followers 798 following 67 posts

"That things 'just go on' is the catastrophe." ~ Walter Benjamin (trans Samantha Rose Hill)

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Rose Broderick @rosebroderick.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
It's a really sad day here at STAT. www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/h...
statnews.com
Helen Branswell, whose reporting on infectious diseases and public health drew acclaim, dies at 69
Helen Branswell, STAT's infectious disease reporter who earned the respect of experts and public health officials with her accessible, prescient dispatches, has died at age 69.
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Cascadia Daily News @cascadiadaily.com · 11/10/2026
Cascadia Daily News asked readers what they want candidates to discuss this election cycle. Here are the Skagit County Commission candidates' answers to your Citizens Agenda questions.
cascadiadaily.com
Skagit County Commission, Position 3 candidates talk funding necessities amid a budget deficit | Cascadia Daily News
Joe Burns and Keith Wagoner weigh in on reader-submitted Citizens Agenda questions
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
I am a long time subscriber to National Geographic. National Geographic generally does a superb job of covering complex scientific topics. However, The End of Aging” in the September issue was a dramatic deviation from this record. 1/n
Cover of the issue with a jig-saw puzzle of a white man with a greying beard
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Shooti @bambooshooti.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
#ResistanceRoots Lucy Morgan was born on this day in 1940 in Memphis, Tenn. She was an investigative reporter with the St. Petersburg Times (now the Tampa Bay Times) who was feared and revered by Florida politicians, lobbyists and law enforcement for her dedication to government accountability. /1
Lucy Morgan talks on the phone surrounded by notepads, ca. 1978. Morgan was the ultimate, uncompromising watchdog of Florida journalism. Over a trailblazing 50-year career, she transformed from a rural mother writing for 20 cents per word into one of the most respected investigative forces in American political history. She proved that meticulous, records-driven “shoe-leather” journalism could dismantle corrupt political machines, rogue sheriff departments and dangerous drug cartels. She valued the truth above partisan points, commanding equal parts terror and profound respect from both political parties. Ultimately, Morgan created a blueprint for fearless local journalism. She proved that a reporter armed with absolute accuracy, unyielding integrity and deep empathy for everyday citizens can singlehandedly check the abuses of the most powerful institutions in government.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As former Labour minister Tom Watson joins Palantir, please read this devastating exposé by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @lucasamin.bsky.social of how the company, with Peter Mandelson's help, wormed its way into the UK government to sell its dire & dangerous products. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Peter Geoghegan and Lucas Amin · ‘This looks absolutely rubbish’: Palantir and the NHS
A decade ago Palantir was largely unknown in the UK. It now holds public contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds...
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Shooti @bambooshooti.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
#ResistanceRoots Mary Engle Pennington was born on this day in 1872 in Nashville, Tenn. She was a pioneering bacteriological chemist, food scientist and refrigeration engineer who developed the “cold chain” of food safety. Every time you buy fresh food or open your fridge, thank Dr. Pennington. /1
Mary Engle Pennington in 1940. Dr. Pennington’s legacy is woven into the fabric of modern food systems and public health. As a chemist and engineer, she took a chaotic, unregulated and often lethal food supply network and engineered it into a secure, predictable system. Every time we open a modern home refrigerator, buy a fresh carton of milk or eat frozen foods shipped across continents, we are benefiting from her research and development. Before her work, bacterial contaminants in unrefrigerated food were a death sentence for American children. With the distribution of 1.5 million free domestic safety bulletins, she taught an entire nation how to properly cool and zone food. Pennington also battled systemic gender discrimination, not with loud protests, but with bulletproof, undeniably superior empirical data. We owe a debt of gratitude to this brilliant, soft-spoken Quaker who quietly saved millions of lives by keeping food cool. Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution.
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damniel spookradski @self.agency · 07/10/2026
"The accusation of Israeli genocide implicates Jews everywhere only if you first accept that Israel acts as the Jews — and that premise belongs to the deniers, not the accusers." My latest for Jewschool.
jewschool.com
When Jews Deny Genocide · Jewschool
“Keep far from a false charge; do not bring death on those who are innocent and in the right, for I will not acquit the
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GC Digital Fellows @digitalfellows.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
DF @igraywill.bsky.social briefs us on his experience at an unconventional technology unconference, or better known as CityCamp NYC organized by @beta.nyc. Read "CityCamp NYC: Contained Chaos and Civic Technology" on our Tagging the Tower blog at gcdi.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2026/10/05/c...
image of a theater stage with a "be most excellent to each other" projected center stage. People are sitting in the auditorium chairs. One person  presenting.
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🍂 Autumn Witch 🍁 @autumnwitch.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Fecking unnerving.
static.klipy.com
Saying Hi Creepily To Your Friend
ALT: Saying Hi Creepily To Your Friend
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 02/10/2026
This is a better epilogue to my January story about the private equity firm profiting off of ICE's cruelest flights than I could have ever possibly hoped for. CHICAGO: You went to the mat and protected (at a minimum!) thousands of immigrants from torture. Take a bow. prospect.org/2026/10/02/i...
prospect.org
The City That Brought Down an ICE Airline - The American Prospect
In Chicago, progressive alderpeople held up a contract until a private equity firm was forced to dispatch Omni Air International, protecting thousands of immigrants from deportation.
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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Dr Zara Bain @zaranosaur.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
sliding this link in here in case anyone is like “oh man I really would love to read The Racial Contract but it’s just not accessible!” Also it’s 180-odd pages, and if you’ve not read it, it’ll upend your understanding of the world, and of philosophy, I promise abolitionjournal.org/wp-content/u...
abolitionjournal.org
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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
There are four overlapping scandals here: 1. Fundraising spam tactics are hallmarks of elder financial exploitation 2. The Dem establishment is in on it 3. Most of what is raised goes to fundraising consultants 4. Capitulation to legal threats by NYT and The Bulwark on a fully vetted story 🧵👇
data4democracy.substack.com
Hook and Squeeze
How Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations.
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Black Aziz Anansi @blackazizanansi.blacksky.app · 17/08/2026
Cubans thought he was talking about Mexicans, Mexicans thought he was talking about Salvadorans, Dominicans thought he was talking about Haitians, etc.
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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I'm always try to improve this description.
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John Garrison Marks @johngmarks.com · 10/08/2026
On my blog, I wrote about how America's museums are falling apart. The US has 20k+ museums, and most have historic buildings with leaky roofs, failing HVAC units, and flooding basements. What they don't have is money for repairs. Please read/share! 🧵 johngmarks.beehiiv.com/p/america-s-...
johngmarks.beehiiv.com
America's Museums are Falling Apart
With
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Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Hannah Arendt
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Sarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Ok so this lady says solar panels are getting built on "the most productive farmland" in her area. Which just ain't true at all. It ain't true here in NC either. Where I ALSO hear that talking point over & over again. Smells like astroturf! So let's get the dirt on solar farms & dirt ✨
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Bhaskar Mitra | ভাস্কর মিত্র @bmitra.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Last week I presented a keynote at #SIGIR2026 titled "Emancipatory Information Retrieval: Towards Critical IR Theories and Practices". Slides: bhaskar-mitra.github.io/files/emanci... I went in nervously excited but several people appreciated talking openly about this topic. A quick thread. 🧵 1/
Photo of the stage at the beginning of the keynote address. The title slide of the keynote is being projected on a large screen in the background. Present on stage: Me (as keynote speaker) and Hannah Bast (SIGIR'26 PC Chair and session chair for the keynote). Also, in the background on stage are large lit-up letters spelling out "SIGIR 2026".

Photo credit: Johanne Trippas
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Digital Warrior - Combat Disinfo @digitalwarrior.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
1/ Viktor Orban ruled Hungary 16 years. Then 2,500 volunteer groups popped up in 18 months and voted him out. No famous donor did that, regular people did. New research mapped exactly how, and Americans need to see this now. 🧵 #DV1 #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory #USDemocracy
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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
This is an incredibly good speech - featuring a shoutout to @jfrejnyc.bsky.social, formed to counter the narrative that all American Jews were skeptical of Mandela in 1990 due to his support for Palestinian liberation. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Nelson Mandela held a mirror to humanity – and showed us what solidarity means | Zohran Mamdani
In a speech given on Wednesday in honor of Nelson Mandela Day, New York’s mayor reflects on what Madiba can teach us in a fractured era
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 11/07/2026
This week in Ankara: NATO closed $50B+ in defense deals, pledged €70B to Ukraine for 2026 alone, Canada launched a new international defense bank — and none of it made headlines the way Trump’s Greenland comments did. Here’s what actually happened. 🧵
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Rachel Cohen @cohen489.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
some of the more meaningful feedback I got on this essay about my paternal grandfather, Lorenzo, and American racism came today, when my father texted to say how much he liked it (and tbh I was stressed)—you can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/cohen489...
open.substack.com
It's Racism.
If we can't confront reality, we can't do anything.
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Statement from NYC-DSA, Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), VOCAL-NY, Justice Committee, New York Communities for Change (NYCC), docs.google.com/document/d/e...
docs.google.com
Statement: Community Safety, Not More Cops
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Peter Liepmann @datadrivenfp.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
diabetesjournals.org/care/article...
diabetesjournals.org
Misguided Brushes of a Pen Continue to Dismantle and Destroy Biomedical Research in the United States: We Can No Longer Afford Complacency and Fear. We Must All Act Now!
The opinions expressed in this editorial are the personal views of the authors (S.E. Kahn, C.A.M. Anderson, J.B. Buse, and E. Selvin) and do not represent
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Science Magazine @science.org · 29/05/2026
The White House today announced it plans to make major changes in how the U.S. government manages research funding. scim.ag/43HgW4s
scim.ag
White House seeks to tighten political oversight of grantmaking
Sweeping proposed rule, now open for comments, would also restrict foreign collaborations and remove federal funding for open-access fees
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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
sometimes people ask me what my favorite Bible translation is and it's Fox. Every single time. Every time. Always. Faithful to the text is always the point. Always.
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brucetoman.bsky.social @brucetoman.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
went to see this in NYC last night. totally worth it, if you can go. thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/...
thejewishmuseum.org
Paul Klee: Other Possible Worlds | The Jewish Museum
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Tiffany⸆⸉ @tiffanyclay.dev · 04/05/2026
Dropping a gift link so non-subscribers can access this fantastic story: www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic...
texasmonthly.com
How an Alleged Child Predator Remade the Nation’s Second-Largest Faith Group in His Image
Paul Pressler helped ordain the marriage between white evangelicals and the GOP, all while accusations of sexual abuse piled up. Right-wing groups are still using his political playbook
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Christina Wolbrecht @cwolbrecht.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
By popular (?) demand, I've updated (and cleaned up) my suffrage and citizenship timeline with recent events and some additional clarifications. Feedback welcome! I will make the file available on my website (christinawolbrecht.com) by COB.
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Taylor Lorenz @taylorlorenz.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
SCOOP: A pro-AI dark money group backed by a powerful super PAC funded by execs tied to Palantir and OpenAI, has been secretly paying influencers to push pro-AI, anti-China propaganda on TikTok and IG.
wired.com
A Dark-Money Campaign Is Paying Influencers to Frame Chinese AI as a Threat
Build American AI, a nonprofit linked to a super PAC bankrolled by executives at OpenAI and Andreessen Horowitz, is funding a campaign to spread pro-AI messaging and stoke fears about China.
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Mia Moore @miamoore.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
AGAIN AGAIN premieres at the Seattle International Film Festival May 11 and 12!!! I'm so excited to finally put this beautiful heartfelt movie out into the world. Grab your tickets before they sell out! www.siff.net/festival/aga...
siff.net
Again Again
Aberdeen-raised director Mia Moore’s debut film, executive produced by Lilly Wachowski, is a heady, romantic sci-fi starring a trans woman who enters a new day after ten years stuck in “the loop.”
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Ami Fields-Meyer @fieldsmeyer.com · 25/04/2026
🧵It's time to talk about how we Jews should think about power. Many want us to believe "our-community-first-at-all-costs" is *the* legitimate Jewish path, rooted in text & tradition. That's a lie. Let's reactivate the deep lineage of Jewish thought that sees all as worthy of equal dignity 🧵🧵🧵
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Tessa Strain @tessastrain.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Gift link for those like me, who neither have nor want a sub 😌: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/s...
nytimes.com
How Do You Make a Medieval Film on a Shoestring Budget?
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Caroline von Golum @carolineavenue.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Tonight is your last chance to catch “Revelations” @ Roxy Cinema before we cross the river for our final weekend of screenings! 5:15pm with me and @itheodore.bsky.social chatting with @bwd.bsky.social after! And YES there will be hats for sale!! 🎟️ roxycinemanewyork.com/screenings/r...
roxycinemanewyork.com
Revelations of Divine Love + Q&A
Julian of Norwich's 14th century account of religious ecstasy, plague, and revolt; the first book to be authored by a woman in English.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 12/04/2026
Viktor Orban accomplished so much of what the Trump movement wants to accomplish here he ruled for 16 years and rewrote the rules in his favor and still, they threw him out and you know what? they did it by voting don’t let anyone tell you voting doesn’t matter
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Limited Edition Ellie @tldrellie.bsky.evl.im · 11/04/2026
Here's a picture of Christina Koch using hardware I designed the electronics for and wrote the firmware of
US Astronaut Christina Koch using an experiment facility on board the ISS
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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Absolutely remarkable statement from Pope Leo today. One for the history books www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
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Bill DiFilippo @billdifilippo.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
got to share this @bencollins.bsky.social banger with some colleagues today and am now sharing it here because he really did nail it
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Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 23/03/2026
The US government collected over $1 billion in immigration fees then refused to process the applications. No denials. No refunds. Just silence. This is the largest fee fraud in the history of the American immigration system. Here's what's happening. 🧵
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Dr. Katie Clark @altadenakatie.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Go experience this chart (I know, I know) because it’s really smart design - the physical experience of trying to look at it of it gives you a visceral understanding of the scale. I love this. LOOK AT THIS CHART RIGHT NOW 👀
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/03/2026
I know I've said this a trillion times but I have to say it periodically to keep from going insane: The right ran a huge, well-funded, & ultimately successful campaign to completely take over political media & the infosphere more generally. This is by far the most important political development...
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/03/2026
I'd peg the start being young aide Roger Ailes telling Richard Nixon that he never would have been run out of office if the right had its own media.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 17/03/2026
The database has the name, sex, birthday and Social Security number of every child in the U.S. who is the subject of a child support case. It also has the addresses of parents and kids who are domestic violence victims and receive support.
propublica.org
DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database Legally Restricted to Use in Child Support Cases
The Trump administration’s immigration enforcers are requesting unfettered access to the government’s “most powerful people-finder system,” which contains sensitive information on children and victims...
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Adam Kinzinger @adamkinzinger.substack.com · 17/03/2026
Retirees on fixed incomes sent $10, $20 — believing they were defending democracy. They were feeding a grift. The people who built that system knew exactly what they were doing. That's what makes it so enraging. open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...
open.substack.com
The Most Dangerous Fundraising Operation in American History
They called it saving the country. The money told a different story.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 04/02/2026
NEW: since last year, a pair of "highly trained" feds have been involved in an array of incidents attacking crowds with chemical weapons. We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team. Read more:
unraveledpress.com
Identified: the El Paso BORTAC crew rampaging through the Midwest
One violent duo in particular, U.S. Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17), have been frequently seen alongside former commander-at-large Greg Bovino terrorizing crowds wi...
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
sand in every MFing gear
wsbtv.com
No water for ICE: Utilities to planned Georgia detention center cut off
Officials said water would remain off until ICE answers the city's requests.
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Reuven Blau @reuvenblau.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
David Do, the most recent head of the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is taking a new job with a ride-hailing tech company — just weeks after TLC branded it as “illegal.” — @jmartineznyc.bsky.social reports www.thecity.nyc/2026/03/12/d...
thecity.nyc
Taxi Boss Hired By Ride-Hail Company Once Branded ‘Illegal’ By Former Agency
David Do is jumping to Empower after overseeing the city’s sprawling taxi and for-hire vehicle industry.
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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
In the 1920s, there was an enormous Klan-aligned caucus in the House of Representatives that passed an immigration restriction bill designed to keep out Catholics and Jews because they supposedly posed an existential threat to American civilization. 100 years later, here we are.
Congressman Keith Self • • Follow
X
1d•
The Sharia-Free America Caucus has grown to 48 members spanning 22 states-and we're j... See more
DEFEND
SHARIA-FREE AMERICA CAUCUS
Co-Chairs: Keith Self (TX-03) & Chip Roy (TX-21)
Whip Tom Emmer (MN-06)
Andrew Clyde (GA-09)
Pat Fallon (TX-04)
Russ Fulcher (ID-01)
August Pfluger (TX-11)
Mary Miller (IL-15)
Craig Goldman (TX-12)
Tracey Mann (KS-01)
Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
Andy Harris (MD-01)
Pete Sessions (TX-17)
Eric Burlison (MO-07)
Brandon Gill (TX-26)
Mike Ezell (MS-04)
Michael Cloud (TX-27)
Addison McDowell (NC-06)
Brian Babin (TX-36)
Mark Harris (NC-08)
Wesley Hunt (TX-38)
Pat Harrigan (NC-10)
Eli Crane (AZ-02)
Michael Rulli (OH-06)
Andy Biggs (AZ-05)
Josh Brecheen (OK-02)
Paul Gosar (AZ-09)
Scott Perry (PA-10)
Nick Begich (AK-at-large)
Mike Kelly (PA-16)
Barry Moore (AL-01)
Sheri Biggs (SC-03)
Aaron Bean (FL-04)
Ralph Norman (SC-05)
John Rutherford (L-05)
Andy Ogles (TN-05)
Randy Fine (FL-06)
John Rose (TN-06)
Cory Mills (FL-07)
Mike Kennedy (UT-03)
Mike Haridopolos (FL-08)
John McGuire (VA-05)
Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13)
Ben Cline (VA-06)
Byron Donalds (FL-19)
Morgan Griffith (VA-09)
Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Riley Moore (WV-02)
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