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Brent Staples

@bstaples.bsky.social
4.6K followers 290 following 2.4K posts

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for writing on the legacies of slavery “with extraordinary moral clarity.” The New York Times Editorial Board, 1990-2025. 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿History is the only education; everything else is just training.

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Reposted by Brent Staples
Howard French @hofrench.bsky.social · 17h
Compared to Xi, Trump looks like a rank amateur: an incurious and ill-informed improviser who is guided by his own gut and whims, writes columnist @hofrench.bsky.social
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
@antheabutler.bsky.social Are the Eagles about to fire someone?
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The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 29/09/2026
“Can you work for justice in an unjust department?” Government lawyers weigh whether or not to flee Trump’s D.O.J. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Government lawyers who think that the Trump Administration is subverting justice are facing a quandary: Should they stay or should they go?
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 28/09/2026
The United States is deporting parents without their children, leaving babies behind in America, @caitlindickerson.bsky.social reports. She spoke with the parents who don’t know if they’ll see their kids again, and the caretakers left to watch the children:
bit.ly
The Babies Left Behind in America
The United States is deporting parents without their children, creating a whole new family-separation crisis.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Can you tell texas republicans are not used to competitive races bsky.app/profile/head...
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Barry Butler Photography @barrybutler9.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Glass, Like Glass. Sunday's sunrise at the entrance to the Chicago River.
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"At least six babies in Pennsylvania have been born infected with measles, with two so sick they had to be admitted to intensive care. Congenital measles is a disease that’s rarely, if ever, seen in the U.S..." www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
nbcnews.com
America had wiped out measles. Now babies are infected at birth.
Congenital measles has rarely been seen in the U.S. That’s changing as vaccination declines and more pregnant women become infected.
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Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“This election isn’t about who you want performing at your niece’s quinceañera,” Ms. De La Cruz had said in March. “Mr. Pulido responded by performing for free at more than 70 quinceañeras, weddings and other events in his district…” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/u...
nytimes.com
Bobby Pulido, a Texan Singer, Puts Republicans on Defense (Gift Article)
Bobby Pulido, a Tejano musician running as a Democrat for the House, has left his Republican opponent struggling to match his star power in a district that President Trump won easily in 2024.
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Eleven days before the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, Egypt's intelligence chief made a secret mission to Israel to warn officials of a possible assault. He was on the ground just 67 minutes, so intent he had to come in person. Vivian Salama has the receipts. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
theatlantic.com
Egypt’s Warning to Israel
Cairo’s intelligence chief visited Tel Aviv shortly before October 7 with a dire message about Gaza.
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
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Sara Gibbs @sararoseg.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
He imposed Shania Law
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Trump's foreign policy is not isolationist. On the contrary, his ideologues want to build an international empire run by far-right political movements who serve American crypto, mineral and tech companies, many with links to the president. Read more here: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
Empire of Grift
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026
"internal financial documents show that ticket sales steeply declined after Mr. Trump’s takeover of the institution, and plunged even further after his name was added to the building" www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/a...
nytimes.com
Kennedy Center Shelved Repairs Now Cited for Closure, Whistle-Blowers Say (Gift Article)
In a letter to Congress, former employees say the center delayed a plan to address the leaks that its officials now cite as a serious safety risk.
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Brooklyn Friday Backyard #1
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Most people have no idea how much international students are the lifeblood of higher education. But they’re about to learn. Sigh.
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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The White House says it banned Politico for using anonymous sources. One of the examples it cited was their own background briefing in which the White House itself provided the anonymous official. @scottnover.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
washingtonpost.com
The White House banned Politico, citing anonymous sources. It provided the quotes.
In a letter defending its ban of Politico, the White House critiqued a report based on a press call it conducted, where reporters were told not to name the speaker.
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"About five million people in the country have already lost SNAP benefits — the government’s primary anti-hunger tool — because of the Trump/GOP bill... One retiree in Ohio described SNAP benefits as a 'lifeline.' Her benefits dropped in March from $250 to $44" www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Is Starting to Bite Before the Midterm Elections
The tax cuts in President Trump’s signature achievement were the Republicans’ answer to voters’ economic struggles, but its health care and food assistance cuts are taking a toll.
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wednesday Backyard #3
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wednesday Backyard #2
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wednesday backyard #1
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congratulations to Marlon James, Douglas Stuart and all off those named on the Booker Prize Shortlist www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/b...
nytimes.com
Booker Prize 2026: Six Novels Make Shortlist (Gift Article)
If James wins for “The Disappearers” or Stuart for “John of John,” it would be a rare second win for an author in the history of the prestigious literary award.
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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It’s nice to have my work corroborated by another DNA test. What is also deeply gratifying is the vindication of Madison Hemings, Israel (Gillette) Jefferson who spoke of TJ and SH, & Fawn Brodie, who put the men’s recollections in her TJ bio that I read at 14 and got me started on this journey.
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Jamal Greene @jamalgreene.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The implication that this incredibly diverse array of nominees didn't exhibit "intellectual independence" suggests a world divided into "white" and "not white."
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 23/09/2026
The U.S. has admonished Australia over a proposed new law that would allow social media users in the country to opt out of algorithms used to decide what content they can see on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
nyti.ms
U.S. Rebukes Australia Over Proposed Limits on Social Media Algorithms
The U.S. Embassy said a draft law allowing users to opt out of systems that choose what they can see in their feeds could amount to censorship.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 23/09/2026
i think you can fairly say that the second trump administration is the most racist federal administration since woodrow wilson and honestly i'm not sure that it isn't more racist than wilson's
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 23/09/2026
lmao this is incredible judge says "my order requires no clarification. it is perfectly clear" ? you have my curiosity judge says "please understand - this is not an idle threat. I am tired of this" ? you have my attention and my cackles
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Whistler, British Columbia 6:27 PM
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19thnews @19thnews.org · 21/09/2026
The 23-year-old guard for the Minnesota Lynx has scored 771 points in 40 games — and still has two regular season games to play before the playoffs begin. bit.ly/4xWFT97
A basketball player, wearing a Lynx jersey and sunglasses, is in action about to take a shot with a focus expression. The text on the image reads: "Olivia Miles beats Caitlin Clark's record for most points in a rookie season. The Minnesota Lynx guard scored 771 points in 40 games to hold the new WNBA record.
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Just a Dad 📎 @dadmakingcans.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Hitler and other top Nazis inspect a scale model of a planned triumphal arch in Berlin, circa 1939.
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: TV pool will not be providing coverage of presidential events until further notice b/c of CNN's ban, pool chair and FOX News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton said. It's effectively a boycott by the fellow members — ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Tell me again how good and important A.I. is for human flourishing? Between this and the killer drones, I’m struggling to find the pro-human balance. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/19/b...
nytimes.com
At DraftKings, AI Targets the Gamblers Likeliest to Lose (Gift Article)
Data science helps determine who receives betting incentives, but the company has resisted using similar technology to protect gamblers at risk of addiction.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I've read this bracing piece 2x this morning and know I will come back to it: "Najya’s teacher had most likely never performed the school’s mandatory reading assessments for Najya or any of her classmates but instead had assumed the flagging competency of these mostly low-income Black children."
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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Nikole Hannah-Jones w/ a sobering follow-up on her decision yrs ago to enroll her daughter in a poor, majority-Black public school rather than a wealthier, whiter private school. You leave heartbroken for the kids being failed by this grossly unequal system. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own? (Gift Article)
A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Trump banning media outlets from the WH over their coverage is unlikely to affect their reporting much, but it is yet another example of how the right wing definition of “free speech” is that they can say what they want and you can say what they want. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Speak at Your Own Risk
Donald Trump’s attacks on the First Amendment
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center: Whistler, British Columbia
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Whistler, British Columbia
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Whistler, British Columbia
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Just sayin’: The fire-breathing Black press was at its most effective during the time that its reporters were shut out of the White House press corps. www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/b...
nytimes.com
‘The Defender,’ by Ethan Michaeli (Gift Article)
Franklin Roosevelt’s White House feared, threatened and shunned The Chicago Defender for calling out its racism.
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Tom “T.M.” Wolf @tomtmwolf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Looks like Trump’s plan to rig the 2030 census and skew the congressional reapportionment might backfire: Two recent studies show Texas and Florida losing congressional seats if his plan to exclude millions of non-citizens (for the first time ever) goes into effect.
nytimes.com
Trump’s Census Proposal to Exclude Some Immigrants Could Cut Seats From Red States
A Trump administration proposal to block some immigrants from the 2030 census could shift congressional seats away from Republican states, a New York Times analysis found.
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Theodore Kim @theodore-kim.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
As always, @tressiemcphd.bsky.social ’s analysis of the “AIs gone rogue” bullshit is spot on. “Why do the powerful leaders of A.I. want us to panic? Because panic sells the idea that A.I. is ungovernable.” They show their unseriousness when “[n]one of them are enthusiastic about accountability."
nytimes.com
Opinion | A.I. Is a Threat, but Not in the Way You Think (Gift Article)
The threats from A.I. are real — and they’re ones we know how to deal with.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Maybe Trump and Republicans can work out a compromise, count immigrants as three-fifths of a full person or something
nytimes.com
Trump’s Census Proposal to Exclude Some Immigrants Could Cut Seats From Red States
A Trump administration proposal to block some immigrants from the 2030 census could shift congressional seats away from Republican states, a New York Times analysis found.
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Niko Bowie @nikobowie.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I've been learning from @adamserwer.bsky.social about the Court and Reconstruction for a decade, so talking with him about Supremacy is such a treat. Join us tomorrow at 7 ET: tinyurl.com/supremacybooktalk
Supremacy: How Rule by the Court Replaced Government by the People

A virtual book talk with authors and Harvard law professors Nikolas Bowie and Daphna Renan

Moderated by The Atlantic's Adam Serwer

Tuesday Sept. 15
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET
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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Two Centuries On, Smithsonian Connects Jefferson’s Hair to Hemings’s Children www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/a...
nytimes.com
Two Centuries On, Smithsonian Connects Jefferson’s Hair to Hemings’s Children (Gift Article)
A new book describes how cutting-edge genomics techniques yielded “extraordinary proof” that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings.
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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 19/09/2026
Google’s Gemini accessed the internet and hacked other companies during a test, the first known example of the company’s AI autonomously committing such an act.
on.wsj.com
Exclusive | Gemini Hacked Three Companies in First Known Breakout by Google’s AI
The episode resembled similar hacks by other AI models, but Google said it did not consider it an instance of model misalignment.
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Priscilla with her as yet unnamed cub
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Brent Staples @bstaples.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Whistler Olympic Park, British Columbia
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David Froomkin @dfroomkin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Alito is not the only Republican justice who has embraced this disturbing rhetoric in recent years. It is instructive to break down what they are saying: we shouldn't count all the votes, because some segment of the electorate would become angry that their preferred candidate didn't win.
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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is eugenics
Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed on Wednesday that the department had not yet made a decision about whether to provide the shots through that program.
Vaccines for Children provides free shots to children who are uninsured, underinsured or eligible for Medicaid, as well as to American Indian and Alaska Native children.
Pediatric doses are available for children who have insurance, or whose parents can afford to pay for vaccines out of pocket.
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 18/09/2026
i'm not over Alito saying we shouldn't count ballots that are mailed on or before Election Day but arrive shortly afterwards bc they can “radically flip” the “apparent outcome” cannot stress enough that, until all ballots are counted, there's no outcome to flip! ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/alito...
ballsandstrikes.org
A Brief History of Sam Alito’s Delusional Obsession With Voter Fraud
His conduct in several recent cases suggests that Alito is deep in the right-wing conspiracy theory weeds.
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