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Erin A. Snider

@erinsnider.bsky.social
7.1K followers 1.5K following 1.3K posts

IR, Middle East political economy, democracy aid, & development • Egypt she/her • Author, Marketing Democracy: bit.ly/3j8sN8k

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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 17h
One of the most apparent truths about universities in this era is that student journalists have tended to exhibit the greatest courage and tenacity when it comes to applying their institutional mottos and academic lessons to the world.
nytimes.com
The Student Journalists Who Never Let the Cornell Assault Case Go (Gift Article)
The student newspaper, The Cornell Daily Sun, covered the allegations of rape at a fraternity house since they were first made in 2024 and led the reporting on the case.
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Hisham Zerriffi @hishamzerriffi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Pew tested AI synthetic surveys against actual survey data. Conclusion: “This experiment taught us that, at this time, AI models are not an adequate replacement for traditional polling on topics of broad public importance.” This is an all time bad idea. No need to hedge with “at this time.”
pewresearch.org
Can AI Stand In for Human Survey-Takers? Not Really
Synthetic surveys using digital twins do a poor job estimating the public mood and are especially error-prone for some subgroups, including Republicans and Black adults.
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Wendy Pearlman @wendy-pearlman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Alhakam's powerful words about his house in Aleppo open the chapter titled "Losing" in my book, "The Home I Worked to Make." In this beautiful essay, he describes renovating that very home today. Let the era of losing forever be replaced with rebuilding. #Syria www.hidden-cities.com/p/home-again...
hidden-cities.com
Home Again in Aleppo
On finally returning to Syria from exile to rebuild what was lost.
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"The United States crossed the line into competitive authoritarianism during Donald Trump’s second presidency...The new regime is unlikely to consolidate, however: The United States’ vast countervailing power—its wealth, private sector, and civil society—dilutes authoritarian abuse..."
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The playbook remains the same in Morocco. "The decision appeared motivated by the desire to project an image of change and “optimism”, said Riccardo Fabiani, north Africa director of the International Crisis Group."
giftarticle.ft.com
Morocco’s first female prime minister launches coalition talks
King appoints Fatima Ezzahra El-Mansouri over presumed favourite and head of Royal Moroccan Football Federation Fouzi Lekjaa
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Frederick Deknatel @freddydeknatel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Assad's crony capitalism — with convenient state controls for regime loyalists — is out. Sharaa's "embrace of the free market" is in, through extreme deregulation and a mishmash of liberalization and privatization, while other fundamental economic reforms remain frozen. www.ft.com/content/5313...
ft.com
Syria’s free-market experiment
Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Islamist government has overhauled Assad’s protectionist model and exposed businesses to foreign competition
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Strengthening ties between the Houthis and al-Shabaab militants in Somalia pose an “escalatory” threat to regional stability, US officials have warned, as Yemeni rebels battle to consolidate control over the Red Sea coast following a string of recent victories."
giftarticle.ft.com
US warns Houthi ties with al-Shabaab threaten Red Sea trade
Growing partnership with al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia gives Yemeni rebels a foothold on both sides of the Gulf of Aden
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Miranda Yaver @mirandayaver.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good. This is the correct call.
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Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This piece by the incomparable Moe Tkacik digs into the political economy of the Macklemore/Sheeran standoff and the money and business relations flowing behind the scenes: prospect.org/2026/09/19/m...
prospect.org
Macklemore vs. Everybody - The American Prospect
The wokest rapper took on the NFL’s plutocratic ownership, the Israel lobby, and the Live Nation ‘flywheel’—and won.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“MBS will not forget this,” said retired Lieutenant General Karen Gibson, former director of intelligence at US Central Command, adding that the administration’s hesitation demonstrates that the “United States will not necessarily fight when Saudi Arabia believes its vital interests are threatened”
giftarticle.ft.com
‘MBS will not forget’: Donald Trump’s reluctance to fight Houthis rattles Saudi Arabia
US hesitation has amplified doubts in Riyadh about Washington’s reliability as its prime defence partner
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"Mr. Trump’s decision to pull back from, or at least delay, striking Houthi targets came as commanders had approved target lists, troops were loading bombs onto U.S. warplanes selected for the missions & the wave of attacks was just about to begin, according to two people briefed on the operation."
nytimes.com
Trump Gets Caught in a Dilemma Over a Saudi Plea for Military Help (Gift Article)
The president vacillated but decided on Sunday not to join Saudi Arabia, for now, in joint strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. But he also needs the kingdom’s cooperation in his war against Iran.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"The Houthi militia in Yemen said on Saturday that it had attacked Saudi Arabia’s capital and oil facilities with a barrage of missiles and drones, a significant escalation in the renewed war between the kingdom and the Iranian-backed group."
nytimes.com
In Significant Escalation, Houthis Attack Saudi Capital (Gift Article)
The Houthis, an Iranian-backed militia, said they had fired a wave of missiles and drones at Riyadh, and on Saudi oil facilities.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Yemeni analysts say that while the Houthis’ actions serve Iran’s interests, al-Houthi doesn’t take orders from Tehran — or anybody else. Amid their ranks are those pushing for closer ties to Iran and others who champion a more Yemeni nationalist stance."
giftarticle.ft.com
Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the Yemeni rebel leader spooking oil markets
The enigmatic leader has long been a thorn in Riyadh’s side but is now causing disruption that affects the world
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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Karl Steel @karlsteel.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Medieval history included
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"At least 125,000 people have fled their homes since the start of the month, according to the UN. Some 5mn of the 42mn population are already internally displaced because of conflict, and just under half the nation is “acutely food insecure”, it says.
giftarticle.ft.com
The rebel offensive that shook Saudi Arabia
Riyadh has been thrown into crisis after Yemeni forces it helped arm and train were overrun by the Iran-backed Houthis
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Joshua Foust 🪖🎮 @joshuafoust.com · 16/09/2026
This is basically USAID’s entire annual budget (with some wiggle room and depending on the year). Just a quick reminder that this administration and it’s centi-billionaire sponsor sentenced millions of people to die for absolutely no financial reason, just stupidity and malice.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"The Trump administration has approved a $2.8 billion sale of heavy bombs to Israel, according to a U.S. official, in what would be among the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions there even as American public support for the country declines."
nytimes.com
Trump Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel, Including 40,000 One-Ton Bombs (Gift Article)
The package would be among the largest deliveries of U.S. munitions to Israel.
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Brian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This jaw-dropping story has become ProPublica's most-read article of 2026, with more than 2.2 million views in the first day, a spokesperson tells me
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Hakkı Taş @hakkitas.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Come and work with us at @giga-hamburg.de in Hamburg! We are looking for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow focusing on the Middle East and North Africa. It is a 3+3 year position, offering up to six years to develop an independent research profile at GIGA. www.giga-hamburg.de/en/career/po...
giga-hamburg.de
GIGA Hamburg
German Institute for Global and Area Studies
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Yikes, if this is accurate, its basically the owner class using their power to shut down dissent. The Patriots Robert Kraft told Sheerhan his concert would be cancelled if Mackelmore stayed on the your, and that other stadium owners would follow suit.
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Laleh Khalili @lalehkhalili.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Reading a letter by Hans Magnus Enzenberger from 1968 and boy does it sound familiar:
Let me begin with a few elementary considerations. I believe the class which rules the United States of America, and the government which implements its policies, to be the most dangerous body of men on earth. In one way or another, and to a different degree, this class is a threat to anybody who is not part of it. It is waging an undeclared war against more than a billion people; its weapons range from saturation bombing to the most delicate techniques of persuasion; its aim is to establish its political, economic, and military predominance over every other power in the world. Its mortal enemy is revolutionary change.

Many Americans are deeply troubled by the state of their nation. They reject the war which is being waged in their name against the people of Vietnam. They look for ways and means to end the latent civil war in the ghettos of American cities. But most of them still hold on to the idea that these crises are unfortunate accidents, due to faulty management and lack of understanding: tragical errors on the part of an otherwise peaceful, sane, and well-intentioned world power.

To this interpretation I cannot agree. The Vietnam war is not an isolated phenomenon. It is the most visible outcome and, at the same time, the bloodiest test case of a coherent international policy which applies to five continents. The ruling class of the United States has taken sides in the armed struggles of Guatemala and Indonesia, of Laos and Bolivia, of Korea and Colombia, of the Philippines and of Venezuela, of the Congo and of the Dominican Republic. This is not an exhaustive list. Many other countries are governed, with American support, by oppression, corruption, and starvation. Nobody can feel safe and secure any more, not in Europe, and not even in the United States itself.The fact is that most Americans have no idea of what they and their country look like to the outside world. I have seen the glance that follows them: tourists in the streets of Mexico, soldiers on leave in Far Eastern cities, businessmen in Italy or Sweden. The same glance is cast on your embassies, your destroyers, your billboards all over the world. It is a terrible look, because it makes no distinctions and no allowances. I will tell you why I recognize this look. It is because I am a German. It is because I have felt it on myself.
If you try to analyze it, you will find a blend of distrust and resentment, fear and envy, contempt and outright hate. It hits your President, for whom there is hardly any capital left in the world where he can show his face in public; but it also hits the kind old lady across the aisle on the flight from Delhi to Benares. It is an indiscriminate, a manichaean look. I do not like it. I do not share your President's belief in collective graft and in collective guilt.
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
“Whatever they say about it, it’s clear that this is indoctrination,” said @andrewdessler.com, a Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor who has taught a climate change course that regents recently voted to remove from the core curriculum. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...
nytimes.com
How University Core Curriculums Are Getting Political (Gift Article)
Politics and other factors are causing universities to reconsider what classes are core requirements. In some places, civics and classics are replacing climate change and sociology.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
"The Saudi foreign ministry said the pipeline had been hit by drones from Iraq and added that the kingdom would not retaliate “at this stage” after a request from the Iraqi prime minister."
giftarticle.ft.com
Saudi Arabia shuts East-West pipeline that bypasses Hormuz after attacks
Move is likely to put further momentum behind fast-rising oil prices
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Wrapping up a brilliant week in Glasgow at the annual meeting of the Conflict Research Society at the University of Glasgow and doubly grateful for the wee bit of sun and the chance to hear fascinating new research from scholars working on Sudan, Iraq, and Syria.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“I think that day belongs to everyone who lived it & what came after belongs to a smaller group of us” said Mr Awawdeh, 39, who is now the president & chief executive of the NY Immigration Coalition & a confidant of Mr Mamdani. “That part of the story this country still has not told itself honestly”
nytimes.com
After 9/11, Islamophobia Shaped a Generation of Muslim New Yorkers
The attacks unleashed a wave of hate, but the years since have seen Muslim Americans’ political and cultural influence grow.
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
The New Arab @thenewarab.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The Houthis have seized Yemen's strategic port city of Mocha near Bab al-Mandab, prompting a large-scale exodus of residents towards Aden:
newarab.com
Houthis seize key Yemen city near Bab el-Mandeb Strait
The Houthis have seized Yemen’s strategic port city of Mocha near Bab al-Mandab, prompting a large-scale exodus of residents towards Aden.
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 05/09/2026
Not The Onion.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Texas A&M "University" So campus speech. Much viewpoint diversity. Very marketplace of ideas.
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Wesley Morgan @wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Defense Minister Katz says plans to displace entire population of Gaza are "frozen" but IDF is "organized and prepared to get them out by sea, by air, by every way possible" when Trump admin negotiates with host countries to send them to: "No real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration"
france24.com
Israel ‘organised and prepared’ to remove Gaza population if US gives green light, Katz says
Israel is "organised and prepared" to remove Palestininians from Gaza "by every way possible", Defence Minister Israel Katz told reporters Wednesday, adding that there was no alternative "solution" to...
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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
One of those things you were pretty sure was true but now you have causal quantiative evidence in the American Economic Review: business schools trained CEOs to pay workers less in pursuit of maximizing shareholder value www.aeaweb.org/conference/2...
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 02/09/2026
Who would like to guess why UK, US and European media outlets are not publishing 3,000 articles per minute about this www.dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
dukechronicle.com
‘Insane data’: Duke professor Dan Ariely accused of additional research fraud
New evidence released Monday shows that Dan Ariely, professor of business administration in the Fuqua School of Business, likely tampered with or fabricated data in an influential research paper from ...
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"Russia has been secretly helping Iran develop advanced supersonic cruise missiles in one of the most significant known transfers of strategic military technology from Moscow to Tehran."
giftarticle.ft.com
Russia secretly helping Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles
Leaks reveal programme behind one of the most significant known transfers of military technology from Moscow to Tehran
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"Donald Trump has summoned oil groups to the White House on Tuesday as high petrol and diesel prices, triggered by his war in Iran, push up inflation across the US ahead of midterm elections."
giftarticle.ft.com
Donald Trump summons US refiners as Iran war pushes up fuel prices
President to hold White House meeting on Tuesday as high living costs sap his popularity ahead of midterm elections
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Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Two tankers carrying Saudi oil were hit by rockets and other munitions within minutes of each other while trying to make a midnight crossing of the Strait of Hormuz www.wsj.com/world/middle...
wsj.com
Two Tankers Attacked on Midnight Run Through Hormuz
The attacks on vessels laden with Saudi crude showed the risks still plaguing the waterway.
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
🚨BREAKING: A whistleblower claims in a new report that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has embarked on a “secretive, rushed” effort to implement President Donald Trump’s mail voting order ahead of the midterms, even though the order is currently blocked. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
USPS rush to implement Trump order could cause ‘catastrophic failure’ of mail voting, whistleblower claims
A whistleblower claims in a new report that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has embarked on a “secretive, rushed” effort to implement President Donald Trump’s mail voting order ahead of the midterms, e...
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It’s worse than that: Hegseth’s preferred replacement picks for these positions are unlike to survive a Senate confirmation process.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
"The move, announced on Friday, would cut off the UAE branches of Banque Misr, Egypt’s second-largest bank, from banking access to US financial institutions in an effort to block them from transacting in dollars."
giftarticle.ft.com
US Treasury imposes limits on Egyptian bank for doing business with Iran
Measures targeting UAE branches of Banque Misr are part of Trump administration’s efforts to isolate Tehran
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Reposted by Erin A. Snider
Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The conditions needed to make the Gaza ceasefire a genuine truce have been sorely absent over ten months on. The process has instead been marred by recurring patterns that have kept Gaza in limbo and on the cusp of war www.crisisgroup.org/rpt/middle-e...
crisisgroup.org
Hollow Promises: Resetting Gaza’s Ceasefire | International Crisis Group
A July roadmap sponsored by the Board of Peace has failed to overcome obstacles that have mired Gaza’s ceasefire deal ten months on. A mix of sustained pressure and diplomatic guarantees is needed to ...
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
“The Carter Doctrine does appear to have collapsed,” said Gregory Brew, a historian & analyst at the Eurasia Group, adding that there was a sense that Washington had come full circle. “The Islamic Revolution compelled the Carter Doctrine, & it was war with Iran that caused it to collapse” he added.
giftarticle.ft.com
Are America’s vast Gulf bases worth rebuilding?
Iran’s attacks exposed vulnerability of US military footprint spanning the region since the 1990s
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Jennifer Clapp 🇨🇦 @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Great piece by @dandrezner.bsky.social this morning on the US trade war against Canada. Especially liked this line: "I’m confident that this kind of American douchebaggery will further bolster Carney’s standing and resolve" and thanks for the reminder about the term "airhead" - so apt here.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Some of the classes removed: Gender in Arabic Literature, and Intro to Global Climate Change. Solidarity to friends in TX unis dealing with this.
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
"The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces has been dissolved and its fighters integrated into the Syrian military, the group’s leader has said, marking a step forward in President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s push to bring the country under his control."
giftarticle.ft.com
Syria’s Kurds dissolve military force and integrate fighters with Damascus
Merger with Syrian army is a step forward in push to bring country under central government control
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Erin A. Snider @erinsnider.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Writing whilst going down the youtube rabbit hole of Dolly songs tonight. This one with Dolly, Emmylou, and Linda covering the Carter family's 'Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow' is a bittersweet gem.
music.youtube.com
Dolly Sings The Carter Family Classic "Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow" (1976) Feat Emmylou & Linda
YouTube video by The Carter Family Channel
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Bearded Stoner @beardedstoner.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
America AF
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Nitish Pahwa @nitishpahwa.com · 25/08/2026
I think the universal grieving comes in no small part from the fact she represented the best of what America could be, and that she never stopped chasing that ideal, artistically and socially
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Tina Vasquez @tinavasquez.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
When the Gatlinburg Wildfires happened in 2016, Dolly gave impacted families $1,000/month to help them get back on their feet. This included my father-in-law, who lost everything in the fire. Dolly gave children in TN free books each month, from birth to the age of five. She was a goddamn saint.
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