iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Today’s reminder that athletes are not role models.

John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

“The question is no longer whether Russia is probing NATO. It is whether NATO understands that it is being probed, and what signal it intends to send to prevent grey-zone actions from turning into full-fledged confrontation.” economist.com/by-invitatio... #NATO #NAFO #Poland #Ukraine

economist.com

Europe cannot protect Russia from itself

Fear of Vladimir Putin going fully rogue has paralysed the West for long enough, writes Radek Sikorski

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Reposted by John Lis 🇺🇦

Informed Alarmist @informedalarmist.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Everyone should be reading up on Article I Section 5 of the constitution where it says each chamber of Congress judges the elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members. Because Republicans will use it to block elected Dems from becoming members.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

The start of the Kyle Whittingham era at Michigan marks the end of the Wolverines being reviled as cheaters. Discuss.

Photo showing game clock at 0:00 during what proved to be the penultimate play of the Michigan-Western Michigan game.

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Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

In a letter to Sec. Rubio, a bipartisan group of lawmakers ask State Dept. to immediately release $25M promised in March to track down and return an estimated 20K kidnapped Ukrainian children. 👇

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Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

"Trump and the Republican Party may be laying the groundwork to question the election process and undermine public confidence. ... [Still,] there are actions that can be taken between now and November to protect election integrity against other threats." democracyrenewal.substack.com/p/threats-to...

democracyrenewal.substack.com

Threats to the 2026 Midterm Elections

By Eric Bjornlund

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Reposted by John Lis 🇺🇦

Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

What is a founding in our country? What does the American experience of a founding look like? In this article, Danielle Reiff dives into the United States' history and constructs of foundings, and why it's essential to find a path to our fourth founding. democracyrenewal.substack.com/p/the-path-t...

democracyrenewal.substack.com

The Path to a Fourth Founding

Part one of two: why our social contract needs renewing — and why renewing it peacefully is our American inheritance

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Reading the first copy of the Declaration of Independence printed in Massachusetts, my eyes were drawn to a sentence that remains relevant today. (Thanks to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., for the exhibit.)

A 1776 typeset copy of the Declaration of Independence, focusing on the words: “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people"

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The view from East Boston at sunset. Beautiful evening looking across Boston Harbor toward downtown.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

"Brent Jindra voted for President Trump three times, drawn by his aggressive immigration agenda. He never imagined the crackdown would ensnare his own wife." Shout out to @informedalarmist.bsky.social for asking: "How do you say schadenfreude in Russian?" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...

nytimes.com

Years of Trump Support Came Undone in 15 Minutes in an Airport. (Gift Article)

The case represents a new front in President Trump’s mass deportation drive: arrests at airports of people who have active immigration cases and no criminal history.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner: "I think what we are about to see in the United States is going to be the deployment either at the federal level or at the state level of National Guard soldiers to, quote-unquote, 'protect' the security of the vote in November." www.npr.org/2026/08/13/n...

npr.org

Could the National Guard play a role in the Midterms?

The National Guard's presence has become routine in D.C., but there's nothing routine about questions over the role the troops could play in the upcoming midterms.

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Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

DRG joins dozens of organizations condemning the deployment of National Guard troops to DC. Our democracy experts have seen regimes use military presence to intimidate voters, erode civil liberties & create fear. Governors must withdraw their troops. freedcproject.org/news/solidar...

buff.ly

An Open Letter Supporting a Free DC and Marking One Year of Occupation — Free DC

More than 200 organizations, congregations, and elected leaders sign an open letter opposing DC’s occupation, urging the federal government to dismantle the "DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force"…

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

What idiot would gild a bronze statue on the Memorial Bridge to make it look like C3PO on a horse?

A bronze statue at the foot of the Memorial Bridge in Washington covered in gold leaf at the command of Dear Leader.

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The Last Mile with USAID @thelastmilewithusaid.substack.com · 18/07/2026

America is strongest when our military deters wars, our diplomats prevent conflicts, and our development professionals stop crises before they begin. Restore America’s experts to service. Restore the missing pillar of American leadership. Restore USAID.

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Ambassador (ret.) Janet Sanderson @jastucaz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Sending support and respect to our Foreign Service and USAID colleagues fighting back against unlawful termination by this administration.Today’s “Missing Badge” demo at Capitol sponsored by @afsaorg.bsky.social and other organizations standing up for service. Diplomacy matters to all of us.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

"The president may say he has the power to seize voting machines…to stop mail-in ballots, despite court orders…to censor 'false' election information…to vacuum up state voter lists…to take over electoral functions in the name of preventing foreign interference…" www.defiance.news/p/trump-thin...

defiance.news

Trump thinks he has ‘doomsday’ powers to steal votes. He's wrong. But take him seriously.

The president has long fantasized about using secret, “break glass” presidential authorities. The midterms might be his chance to abuse them.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

#England just found out how #Cleveland felt in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

Jose Mesa of the Cleveland Indians after blowing a lead in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

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Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Our political economy analysis found opponents of liberal democracy in the United States in the past decade have accumulated and deployed their power more effectively than the forces of democratic reform and accountability. Josh Kaufman looks at the key political actors: substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

A Political Economy Analysis of America’s Democracy Crisis

Additional Findings of the Democracy Assessment of the United States

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Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Thanks to our friends at the Alliance for American Rule of Law for citing our Democracy Assessment of the United States as one of their five favorite reflections on the 250th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence. Check it out: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

linkedin.com

#america250 #independenceday #julyfourth #recommendations | Alliance for American Rule of Law

As Americans gathered together over the July 4th weekend, many of us took time to reflect on where America finds itself in its 250th year. What’s the true state of our constitutional republic? Can we ...

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Ballpark Mustard. Or Stadium Mustard. Can someone in Cleveland tell me what the difference is?

Photograph of bratwurst with Ballpark Mustard. Not to be confused with Stadium Mustard.

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Luke Epplin @lukeepplin.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

79 years ago today, Larry Doby integrated the American League. While I'm glad that the Cleveland Guardians are playing at home today, it's a lingering shame that Major League Baseball doesn't allow them to wear Doby's number for one game.

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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

JD Vance urging the Ukrainians to be defensive is peak pro-Putin lobbying by the Trump administration. Now that Ukraine is doing better than they ever imagined, they want Ukraine to back off and take a deal Putin would go for. Nothing has changed. The US is with Russia.

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The Steady State @thesteadystate.org · 05/07/2026

zurl.co/r40Oh Protecting the vote now requires ordinary citizens to act before Election Day.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Lionel Messi is the Alex Ovechkin of soccer. The Athletic: “Messi — tied as the 2026 World Cup leading goal scorer with six so far — ranked 618th out of 618 non-goalkeepers in distance per 90 minutes during the group stage, at just over 5 miles.” www.nytimes.com/athletic/401...

Alex Ovechkin standing still in his office.

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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 05/07/2026

Ten years ago today, J. D. Vance called Trump “cultural heroin” in The Atlantic: “To every complex problem, he promises a simple solution … He never offers details for how these plans will work, because he can’t," Vance wrote of Trump. Read the piece: theatln.tc/foJ8lGw3

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Limits on immigration were literally a cause of the Revolution. From the Declaration: "[George III] has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither..."

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

I went to a reading of the Declaration today at our local historical society. It was moving and inspiring. Takeaway quote: “A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.”

Photo of a Tyrant unfit to rule a free people

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Nicholas Kristof: “… these kids are just like ours, except that they didn’t do as well in the lottery of birth — and that just because we can’t save every child’s life doesn’t mean we should save none of them.” U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | U.S.A.I.D. Cuts Killed People. That’s the Truth.

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Democracy Renewal Group @democracyrenewal.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

A new nonpartisan democracy assessment—conducted by former USAID civil servants and diplomats using the same framework the U.S. government applies to other countries—assesses the state of U.S. democracy at its 250th birthday. The findings are stark: democracyrenewal.org/assessment/ #democracy #USAID

democracyrenewal.org

Democracy Assessment: The State of Democracy in the United States

DRG's assessment of the interconnected challenges driving democratic decline in the United States.

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The Carter Center @cartercenter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

This clear-eyed assessment provides the unique value that only a mirror can. Read what former USAID workers and diplomats found about the state of U.S. #democracy when using the same tool the U.S. has used to assess other countries. democracyrenewal.org/assessment/ @democracyrenewal.bsky.social

democracyrenewal.org

Democracy Assessment: The State of Democracy in the United States

DRG's assessment of the interconnected challenges driving democratic decline in the United States.

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Reposted by John Lis 🇺🇦

The Last Mile with USAID @thelastmilewithusaid.substack.com · 25/06/2026

📅 Wed, June 24 🕙 10:00 AM EST 👉 Register: inclusivedevpartners.com/usaid-research/

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

"A non-partisan democracy assessment of the United States, using the same framework we had applied for decades in dozens of countries around the world ... identified deteriorating trends across every element of the democracy assessment framework." substack.com/home/post/p-... #democracy #USAID

substack.com

Turning Our Tools on Ourselves

A Democracy Assessment of the United States

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Ambassador (ret.) Janet Sanderson @jastucaz.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

“[T]he U.S. is a backsliding democracy whose democratic institutions are under severe stress and increasingly unable to meaningfully mediate political disputes…The executive branch has accumulated power at a pace and scale that has strained the traditional system of checks and balances..” Spot-on.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

A new nonpartisan democracy assessment—conducted by former USAID civil servants and consultants (including me) using the same framework the U.S. government applies to other countries— assesses the state of U.S. democracy at its 250th birthday. The findings are stark: democracyrenewal.org/assessment/

democracyrenewal.org

Democracy Assessment: The State of Democracy in the United States

DRG's assessment of the interconnected challenges driving democratic decline in the United States.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Ukraine must win. Russia must lose. "Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people. Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.” #NAFO #SlavaUkraini www.nbcnews.com/world/russia...

nbcnews.com

Moscow refinery ablaze as Ukraine launches biggest attack on Russian capital in years

Waves of Ukrainian drones hit a major oil refinery for the second time this week, disrupting flights and sending thick clouds of black smoke rising over the city Thursday morning.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Longtime election observer Tom Melia: “While elections alone do not make a democracy, democracy depends on popular participation in elections, and government efforts to control elections and outcomes can be overcome if enough people engage in direct action.” open.substack.com/pub/democrac...

open.substack.com

Observations about Observers

Firsthand Lessons from Hungary

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

9.4 million unnecessary deaths. But at least Elon is now a trillionaire. Something about needing to break a few eggs …

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

“In truth, there was one issue that underlies [Orban’s] downfall: corruption.” Drew Sullivan of the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project on how corruption brought down an autocracy and possible lessons for those fighting the Trump administration’s graft. open.substack.com/pub/democrac...

open.substack.com

Corruption: The True Kryptonite for Autocrats

How Hungary proved that corruption is an autocrat's fatal weakness.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried for more than four years to protect the population of Moscow from the consequences of his invasion of Ukraine. ... But Putin can no longer lull Muscovites into thinking that his war does not involve them." #NAFO www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

Putin Can No Longer Hide His Catastrophe

The Russian dictator has lost control of the narrative.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

"Suddenly, many people have understood that the Russian narrative is wrong: The Ukrainians are not losing. The Russians are not winning, and more important, they don’t know how to win." #NAFO #SlavaUkraini www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

theatlantic.com

Ukraine Is Not Losing. Russia Is Not Winning.

A momentum shift that changes everything

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

FP: “The State Department will soon announce a wave of grants aimed in part at reshaping European domestic politics. … [C]ritics fear that the campaign ... could help legitimize views once considered fringe in Europe." foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/01/s...

foreignpolicy.com

Can the State Department Make Europe Great Again?

A small but influential office will soon announce grants to support Trump administration causes in Europe.

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John Lis 🇺🇦 @jjlis.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

"The 2026 midterms will be a stress test for whether election outcomes are determined by the will of the voters ... Trump and his allies have pursued a sequence of actions that, taken together, mirror strategies of democratic backsliding elsewhere." www.justsecurity.org/133953/the-t...

justsecurity.org

The Trump Administration’s Strategy for Reshaping Elections

Trump’s election takeover playbook is following the same five-step pattern used in democratic backsliding in Hungary and elsewhere.

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