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James Polchin

@jamespolchin.bsky.social
306 followers 313 following 8 posts

Edgar Award nominated writer / INDECENT ADVANCES (2019) / SHADOW MEN (2024) both with Counterpoint Press / NYU Professor / Footman to a Labrador

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Reposted by James Polchin
The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 10/08/2026
"When Democrats don’t mince words, and instead underscore realities such as “big corporations get massive tax breaks and then turn around and lay off American workers,” voters take them seriously."
contrariannews.org
How Democrats Win in 2026 and Beyond
A generational opportunity to reset politics.
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James Polchin @jamespolchin.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
I'm launching Vice and Visibility on Substack today. Subscribe and join me there for a monthly newsleeter about queer crime, historical research, and literary nonfiction. #trucrime #queerhistory #LGBTQ #history #crimestories #creativenonfiction open.substack.com/pub/viceandv...
open.substack.com
The Curious Case of Queer Murder
How do you find a queer murder in history?
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Reposted by James Polchin
derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
every epstein file drop underscores how elite power operates through shared socio-economic networks, regardless of people's ideological differences, populist posturing, or public feuds
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Reposted by James Polchin
Nancy Levine Stearns @nancylevinestearns.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The Heritage Foundation is cracking
Tweet by Heritage Foundation co founder criticizing Heritage Action threat to Indiana
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
BREAKING: The Indiana Senate just REJECTED the gerrymandered congressional map that Trump and his allies pressured Republicans to support. The GOP-controlled chamber voted down the map, 31-19.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Same headline. Seven years apart. 🤡 @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House. By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
propublica.org
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
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Reposted by James Polchin
Hamilton Nolan @hamiltonnolan.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
In 2028 I will vote for whoever will send Stephen Miller to The Hague.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 11/11/2025
‘Young audiences are less scared of it’: why London jazz clubs are expanding and thriving against the odds
theguardian.com
‘Young audiences are less scared of it’: why London jazz clubs are expanding and thriving against the odds
As the Jazz Cafe and Ronnie Scott’s expand, and Blue Note eyes its arrival, proprietors say there’s an energy in the scene – but financial pressures remain
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Reposted by James Polchin
PEN America @penamerica.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Applications are now open for the 2026 DREAMing Out Loud program! This creative writing initiative supports emerging migrant writers in New York City. The program runs from February to April 2026. Apply today at: pen.org/fellowships/...
pen.org
DREAMing Out Loud
DREAMing Out Loud is a PEN America’s tuition-free creative writing workshop series for young immigrant writers.
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Reposted by James Polchin
Reuters @reuters.com · 23/10/2025
Chinese battery company abandons plan to build Michigan plant, state says reut.rs/47uzu9Y
reut.rs
Chinese battery company abandons plan to build Michigan plant, state says
Chinese battery company Gotion has abandoned a plan to build a $2.4 billion plant in Michigan to produce material for electric vehicles, the state said Thursday.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Trump is threatening to withhold back pay for federal workers furloughed during the shutdown — which goes against a law he signed in 2019, by the way. This should come as no surprise: Trump and his businesses have been accused of stiffing hundreds of their own workers out of pay over the years.
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Sarah Weinman @sarahweinman.com · 20/09/2025
If you love the song “Me and Bobby McGee” you absolutely must read @elongreen.bsky.social on the life of the woman who inspired the song.
slate.com
The Unlikely Story of the Secretary Who Inspired One of Music’s Greatest Songs
“Me and Bobby McGee” was originally about a woman—Barbara “Bobbie” McKee. I talked to her.
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m @keptsimple.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
mike lee allegedly went to law school and passed the bar. aside from stephen king's claim being true, a dead person's estate can't sue for defamation, on account of the fact that a dead person can't suffer an injury to their reputation, because they are dead.
senator Mike Lee calling for Kirk's estate to sue Stephen King for correctly pointing out that Kirk once advocated for gay people to be stoned to death
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Frey: And don't just say, this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying. It was the first week of school. They were in a church.
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Reposted by James Polchin
NPR @npr.org · 25/07/2025
Without federal funding, public media — and the truth-telling, community-connecting role it plays — is at risk. Local stations may vanish. Millions could lose trusted news and vital information. If you are ready to join the fight for journalism, donate now: n.pr/458sOhq
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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
The mass starvation & killing of Palestinians in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli gov’t is a chillul hashem, a desecration of God. Jewish leaders who criticized Zohran Mamdani for three words he doesn’t use should raise their voices loudly here as well. forward.com/opinion/7575...
forward.com
Gaza is starving. Where are the American Jewish leaders?
A fear of being labelled antisemitic still deters American Jews and Jewish institutions from taking a position that is morally correct.
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Tristan Snell @tristansnell.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
BREAKING: Trump's FCC approves Paramount-Skydance merger after blocking it Just DAYS after CBS (part of Paramount) fired Trump critic Stephen Colbert Just WEEKS after CBS paid $36 million to Trump to settle his bullshit lawsuit vs 60 Minutes TOTAL AND COMPLETE CORRUPTION
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 19/07/2025
ATTN: If you’re one of the 1,000 FBI agents who reviewed the Epstein files, feel free to reach out to me via signal (in my bio). I’ll keep you anonymous- as I have the thousands of current and former federal workers who have sent me tips. Please share this widely. 🙏🏻
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Well, that took him long enough.
comicsands.com
Nick Fuentes Finally Realizes Trump Is A 'Scam Artist' In Savage Rant: 'The Liberals Were Right'
Took him long enough.
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Michelangelo Signorile @msignorile.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
Rosie is all a distraction by Trump from the Epstein files. Lots of Trump world is crashing down this weekend.
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James Polchin @jamespolchin.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
“What does it mean when you don’t even know your own country.” Thanks to CrimeReads for publishing my converstion with Robert Fieseler about his new book AMERICAN SCARE. #florida #AmericanHistory #RedScare #Crime #injustice #ColdWar #queerhistory #civilrights crimereads.com/robert-fiese...
crimereads.com
Robert Fieseler On Florida’s Hidden Cold War Against Black and Queer People
Historian and journalist Robert Fieseler’s first book “Tinder Box: The Untold Story of the Upstairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation” won the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime. His newest b…
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JoeMyGod @joemygod.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
joemygod.com
Homan: "ICE Doesn't Need Probable Cause" For Arrests - Joe.My.God.
The New York Post reports: Border Czar Tom Homan on Friday angrily condemned the violence at a California pot farm as proof anti-ICE protests will turn deadly, blaming the inflammatory rhetoric of Dem...
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The Daily Beast @thedailybeast.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
EXCLUSIVE | Ted Cruz was vacationing in Athens as floods ripped through Central Texas.
trib.al
Ted Cruz Was Vacationing in Europe as Emergency Crews Desperately Searched for Texas Flood Survivors
The Texas senator was visiting the Parthenon in Athens while a massive rescue mission was under way to find flood victims, our must-read newsletter, The Swamp, reveals.
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Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Trump got the Social Security administration to lie for him. www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...
nbcnews.com
Social Security Administration sends misleading email lauding Trump's new tax cuts law
The emails say nearly 9 in 10 Social Security beneficiaries won't pay income taxes on their benefits in the future. But the Trump tax law did not directly address Social Security.
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Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 04/07/2025
7:18 in the ayem here on the West Coast and I can find no indication (perhaps you can? happy to be corrected) that The New York Times has so much as mentioned this
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 02/07/2025
US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza.
bit.ly
US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza
American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Holy Crap. Just straight up looting at this point. Or like was already looting. But just bringing in a semi to haul out the loot faster.
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The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 25/06/2025
The free market used to be touted as the cure for all our problems; now it’s taken to be the cause of them.
nyer.cm
The Rise and Fall of Neoliberalism
The free market used to be touted as the cure for all our problems; now it’s taken to be the cause of them.
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The Lever @levernews.com · 24/06/2025
NEWS: Stephen Miller invests in and stands to financially gain from the immigration crackdown that he's spearheading, according to new financial disclosure documents. www.levernews.com/dividends-fo...
levernews.com
Dividends For Stephen Miller, Deportations For Everyone Else
The man behind the Trump administration’s migrant crackdown holds stock in an ICE surveillance contractor.
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Peter Steinberg @peter23.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/... A great piece in The Guardian on @wordbobby.bsky.social ‘s new book AMERICAN SCARE, which publishes today! Read and then go buy one!
urldefense.com
‘We live in a second Red Scare’: what can we learn from a chilling book about Florida’s past?
A harrowing new book looks back at a dark period of US history as the Johns committee targeted Black and queer Americans, drawing parallels to what’s happening now
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Reposted by James Polchin
LGBTQ History @lgbtqhistory.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Follow Friday: @jamespolchin.bsky.social James Polchin is an author and professor at NYU. His 2019 book Indecent Advances chronicles crimes involving gay men before the 1960s and his newest book, Shadow Men, explores the death of Clarence Peters. Learn more about James at www.writinginpublic.com
Indecent Advances: A Hidden History of True Crime and Prejudice Before Stonewall by James PolchinBook cover: Shadow Men The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege that Scandalized Jazz Age America by James Polchin, Author of Indecent Advances.
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Chad Loder @chadloder.dev · 31/05/2025
Heavily armed paramilitary forces stormed a local San Diego restaurant today, deployed stun grenades against a crowd of onlookers, and kidnapped a handful of kitchen workers.
Heavily armed DHS HSI agents clad in full desert camo tactical gear including plate carriers and Kevlar helmets stand in the middle of the street like soldiersHeavily armed DHS HSI agents clad in full desert camo tactical gear including plate carriers and Kevlar helmets stand in the middle of the street like soldiers.
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NPR @npr.org · 27/05/2025
BREAKING: NPR and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order seeking to ban the use of federal money for NPR and PBS.
npr.org
NPR and Colorado public radio stations sue Trump White House
NPR and three Colorado public radio stations are suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order seeking to ban the use of federal money for NPR and PBS.
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Robert Fieseler @wordbobby.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
***6/17 NOLA LAUNCH EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT*** Join me in celebrating the official pub day for my new book AMERICAN SCARE in conversation with the NPR host Gwen Thompkins on 6/17 at 6pm at the New Orleans bookstore Octavia Books. Don't Gwen and I just look the cutest? Event link in comments.
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
China knows an own-goal when it sees one. www.newsweek.com/harvard-hkus...
newsweek.com
Chinese college gives Harvard international students "unconditional offers"
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said it would be opening its doors to Harvard students "amid global academic shifts."
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Rick @rickylongthread.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
College degrees can be revoked. Your move harvard
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 24/05/2025
You couldn’t ask for a better picture of depravity than turning victims of a genuine humanitarian horror—ones we're slamming the door on—into evidence of a phony genocide against white South Africans—ones who are getting welcomed into our country by Trump with open arms. trib.al/WErp1F2
trib.al
Trump’s Lie about Dead “White Farmers” Just Got Even More Grotesque
That photo he brandished to Cyril Ramaphosa was from the Democratic Republic of Congo—whose refugees the Trump administration is pointedly not welcoming to America.
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Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
ABC reports Trump to take “flying palace” from Qatar and use it as temporary Air Force 1 before converting it to a personal possession.
abcnews.go.com
Trump administration poised to accept 'palace in the sky' as a gift for Trump from Qatar: Sources
President Trump poised to accept "palace in the sky" as a gift from Qatar: Sources
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 06/05/2025
Yes, several major law firms agreed to provide millions in pro bono work for the Trump administration—but it seems the famed dealmaker didn’t know exactly what he was signing on to. Many firms have asserted they have total authority over the selection of clients.
newrepublic.com
Trump’s Law Firm Deals Are Already Falling Apart
Law firms that caved to Donald Trump are revealing they have ways to wriggle out of the deals.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 04/05/2025
Trump's new Meet the Press interview was just the latest illustration that dude's brain is gone
publicnotice.co
Trump's brain is gone
It really should be a bigger story.
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NPR @npr.org · 03/05/2025
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has opened up 73 jobs to internal candidates. They include roles just vacated by people who are receiving full pay and benefits through September.
npr.org
After paying people to leave, one federal agency is scrambling to fill positions
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has opened up 73 jobs to internal candidates. They include roles just vacated by people who are receiving full pay and benefits through September.
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Michael J. Stern @michaeljstern.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Pam, I was a federal prosecutor who handled large drug conspiracy cases, so I appreciate the value of drug interdiction. That said, your claim that in his first 100 days Trump saved a third of all Americans from fentanyl death is a mind-numbing exaggeration and makes you and DOJ look like idiots.
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The Daily Beast @thedailybeast.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Major airlines are starting to fret as Europeans avoid making U.S. travel plans thanks to Trump's economic chaos and unwelcoming border.
thedailybeast.com
Airlines Offer Bleak Warning on Tourism to the U.S.
Trump’s trade threats and unwelcoming border stance are driving European travelers away.
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Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
1. IT'S OFFICIAL Working full time for the federal minimum wage is not enough to keep someone over the poverty line — even if that person is single w/no dependents The right talks about the "dignity of work" but what kind of dignity is provided by a full-time job that is not enough to live on?
popular.info
What $7.25 buys you in 2025
Americans who work 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, at the federal minimum wage no longer make enough money to keep themselves out of poverty.
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Dean Jobb - True Crime Writer @deanjobb.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
'The message was clear for the Conservatives: name-calling and simplistic slogans will be rejected in a world where the U.S. attacks Canada’s economy and sovereignty.' Globe editorial: The message from voters: It’s time for unity /via @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/edit...
theglobeandmail.com
Globe editorial: The message from voters: It’s time for unity
The election outcome shows that Canadians want an end to unserious and divisive politics
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Media Matters for America @mmfa.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Flashback: On Fox last month, a Trump economic adviser predicted robust GDP growth of “2-2.5% in the first quarter.” GDP actually contracted at a rate of 0.3%.
mediamatters.org
Fox spins economic contraction under Trump: "Some might say that wasn't as big a drop as anticipated"
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 25/04/2025
“On Earth Day, We Finally Have a President Who Follows Science,” the White House statement declared. ... Of an administration that has cut so much funding for science, 75% of 1,200 scientists responding to a survey said they were considering leaving the country.
newrepublic.com
Was This White House Press Release Written by “The Onion”?
The Trump administration marked Earth Day with a publication that read like satire, but instead was a faithful representation of their twisted view of the world.
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Wait, what? His wife? www.cnn.com/2025/04/23/p...
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