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John Sanbonmatsu

@jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social
836 followers 437 following 2.2K posts

Writer, critical theorist, and professor of philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. Author of "The Postmodern Prince" and of "The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals, and Ourselves." www.JohnSanbonmatsu.com

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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 02/10/2026
Adults have stopped visiting one another, and it's threatening the state of American social life, @dkthomp.bsky.social writes. He examines four explanations for what he calls "the great disinvitation":
bit.ly
Death of the Dinner Party
The share of adults who say they regularly have friends over has declined dramatically since 1975.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
MUST READ--the real "existential threat" posed by AI. AI is already automating "much of what would occur between a possible enemy [nuclear] missile launch and the onset of retaliation, including threat analysis, strategic assessment, and response planning." www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
How AI Could Kill Us All
Mapping the pathways to human extinction.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Top Trump figures push to direct human rights funding to rightwing causes
Support for white Afrikaners, anti-communism and others reveals how US redefining what qualifies as human rights
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Reuters reported that approximately 80 pages of the 261-page main body of the Anthropic prospectus were devoted to laying out [existential] risk factors [of AI], compared with 48 pages to describe its business." The capitalist class will rush to invest, anyway. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Anthropic ‘warns of existential AI risks to humanity’ in IPO document
Reported admission to investors of AI’s ‘self-preserving behaviours’ comes as company prepares for a potential $2tn flotation
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
AI godfathers warn of runaway ‘intelligence explosion’
OpenAI chief scientist also among authors of report on prospect of ‘most consequential technological development in history’
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
It’s not hypothetical: the dangers of AI are already here | Granate Kim and Mohamed Hussein
Israel and the US have used AI to kill in Gaza and Iran, while law enforcement uses it in surveillance and arrests. The future is here
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Each and every day, AI is making our lives better and better. #AI
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIBR...
youtube.com
NAZA - official trailer
YouTube video by The Guardian
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIBR...
youtube.com
NAZA - official trailer
YouTube video by The Guardian
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump’s executive order on recreational fishing is a ‘giveaway of fish and ocean ecosystem’, advocates warn
Federal agencies told to prioritize recreational fishing and to reconsider scientific standards as well as regulations
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The problem isn't Sweeney: "Women’s bodies, in a capitalist patriarchal system, have been monetized, caricatured, and technologically and surgically enhanced. These distorted images commodify sexuality and sexualize the commodities being advertised." msmagazine.com/2026/09/19/w...
msmagazine.com
Why Blaming Sydney Sweeney Misses the Point
Blaming Sydney Sweeney misses the larger forces that profit from sexualizing women, manufacturing insecurity and policing women’s choices.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
‘I’m afraid they’ll bomb the cafe where I work, or bomb me’: a day in the life of a 12-year-old boy in Gaza
Ramadan, 12, works in a cafe on the beach. He remembers enjoying school, playing and family barbecues before life became about survival
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Two words left out of this article are the reason for the widening catastrophe: capitalism and speciesism (human domination of other animals). www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn
New report shows key indicators of Earth’s health are ‘outside the safe operating space’ as climate disaster looms
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US environment agency let Bayer pick regulations for destructive weedkiller, documents show
Environmental Protection Agency asked firm to choose rules it wanted for dicamba, then put the choices in a proposed federal rule
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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 18/09/2026
Chevron is first in line. ExxonMobil—and a company led by a Trump adviser—looks to be next.
motherjones.com
Trump's friends are already signing deals to take Venezuela's oil
Chevron is first in line. ExxonMobil—and a company led by a Trump adviser—look to be next.
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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
Vegan FTA @veganftaofficial.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Tell Ace Hardware: End the Sale of Cruel Glue Traps Today! veganfta.com/petitions/tell-ace-har… 🐀 #gluetraps #petition #animalrights
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"Iranian security forces 'coordinated' the killing, torture and sexual abuse of hundreds of people who took part in the women-led nationwide protests in September 2022." www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Iranian security forces coordinated killing, torture and sexual abuse of protesters, says Amnesty
Leaked documents and testimony reveal extent of regime’s crackdown in 2022 and how it paved the way for more brutal killings of protesters this year
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics: "There are 4,871 new datacenters in the construction pipeline in the US." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says
Global push will triple toxic e-waste annually in 25 years, filling enough shipping containers to circle globe six times
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
How quickly the world turns a blind eye to injustice when a new champion emerges.... www.sportingnews.com/us/tennis/ne...
sportingnews.com
Alexander Zverev allegations, explained: Why tennis star reached 'out-of-court settlement' in 2024 domestic violence trial | Sporting News
Tennis star Alexander Zverev reached an 'out-of-court settlement' in June 2024 following a trial in Germany for his domestic violence allegations.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It's long been official Department of War policy to achieve total US military supremacy over land, sea, air, and space. But this new development will spur a destabilizing space arms race and empower AI with weapons systems on orbital platforms. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Has Deployed Weapons in Space, Air Force Secretary Says
Troy E. Meink’s comments were the first public acknowledgment of American weapons in orbit. The Pentagon has been preparing for potential conflict in space with Russia or China.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“The very existence of democracy is endangered when the memory of the dead participates actively in the democratic process. Fascist regimes understood this very well and acted on it.” www.bostonreview.net/articles/the...
bostonreview.net
The Stranglehold of Memory
A conversation with Omer Bartov on the fate of Zionism, the “non-debate” about the uniqueness of the Holocaust, and impunity for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is Really Bad
We can no longer pretend that A.I. is safe.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
As we mourn the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11, we must also mourn the more than 940,000 people-including 400,000+ civilians--killed in vengeful US wars in the wake of the attack, "in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan between 2001-2023." costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/costs/human
costsofwar.watson.brown.edu
Human
Costs of War research examines the human toll of U.S. military operations and spending, for U.S. service members, veterans, military contractors, and allies; and for civilians killed and displaced.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Disturbing analysis of the Effective Altruists pushing for animal advocates to abandon abolitionism and instead begin running factory farms themselves. My own take: these people aren't "well-meaning," they are dangerous ideologues who are betraying the animals. #EA podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
They Fought Factory Farms. Now They Want to Run One.
Podcast Episode · The Vegan Report · September 8 · 1h 22m
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Israel used "AI-based systems built to identify large numbers of potential low-ranking Hamas targets, who were then bombed in their homes at night": the IDF "covertly listened into conversations with their wives and children moments before they were all killed." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film
Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the Guardian
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I sometimes turn to Walmart consumer reviews for perspective on what matters in life. Saw this one today, for a WiFi device.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Tomorrow the Union of Concerned Scientists is planning to host Rep. Katherine Clark--a supporter of the genocide in Gaza--at a town hall meeting in Arlington, Massachusetts. Call UCS and urge them to WITHDRAW their invitation: (617) 301-8000. Shame on the @ucs.org! @whipkclark.bsky.social clark
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The horror and barbarism of such experiments, their morally indefensible nature, perpetually elude the writers and editors at @wired.com. The latter fetishize and adore lifeless machines but view conscious beings--animals--with undisguised contempt.
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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 06/09/2026
Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Roderick Miles Jr., a Democratic Tarrant County commissioner, calls the voting restriction a “modern-day poll tax.”
democracynow.org
“Modern-Day Poll Tax”: Dem. Texas Commissioner Slams GOP Vote to Close 92 Polling Sites
Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Tarrant County, which incl...
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The US-Israeli war has only strengthened the most hardline factions within the Iranian government, thus worsening the situation for jailed and abused dissidents like these young women. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Broken feet, ripped-out hair and now a death sentence: the fate of twin sisters jailed over Iran protests
Taraneh Rahimi was told prison guards would rape her sister, Romina, if she did not sign a confession
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
New review of my book "The Omnivore's Deception" in The Times of India. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/mind-f... @timesofindianews.bsky.social
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Why humans are so ok about animal suffering
Vegan philosopher John Sanbonmatsu’s work focuses on our resistance to rethinking the meat economy. In The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals And Ourselves, the critical socia...
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"Since the start of the war in 2023, no Israeli soldier has been convicted of wrongful death or war crimes in Gaza operations." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘Guilt by association’: why seven international aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrike
Exclusive: Guardian investigation reveals targeting of World Central Kitchen convoy was result of widely used military tactic
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Excellent analysis of the rise of the AfD in Germany, in context of economic decline, alienation, and innumerable policy mistakes by Germany's ruling political class. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Something Alarming Is About to Happen in Germany
The government is seemingly incapable of stopping the far right.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Finally a newspaper calling it for what it is: ethnic cleansing. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Israelis shoot dead two Palestinian teenagers after settlers encircle village
Troops escort settlers into al-Mughayyir and raze village outside Hebron as ethnic cleansing of West Bank continues
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This perverse injustice is characteristic of the category mistake driving our culture, which is to reduce (and subordinate) the ontology of sentient animals to that of plants. There are good ethical reasons to respect plant life; but consciousness matters more. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Judge rules 2,000 Catalina Island deer can be killed to save native plant species
Cull of animals that eat native shrubs, causing spread of fast-igniting grasses, to go ahead despite fierce opposition
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The main contradiction of our polity is the disjuncture between liberal democratic ideals and the tyrannical social power that has long structured and controlled American society. The contradiction is no longer sustainable: things fall apart, the center cannot hold. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...
nytimes.com
‘The Least Transparent Midterm’: How Dark Money Is Washing Over the 2026 Election
At least $1 billion from anonymous donors is flowing into the midterm elections. Dark money is not new, but it now permeates nearly every major contest.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
One of the most disturbing (and important) things I've ever read in the arena of "animal welfare." Not only is AI being used to "optimize" and intensify factory farming; supposed animal advocates are themselves jumping on the bandwagon. collectivelygary.substack.com/p/factory-fa...
collectivelygary.substack.com
Factory Farming 2.0
A movement built to end factory farming is spending its largest windfall ever to upgrade it.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
What the Germans invented "schadenfreude" for. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right political commentator, reportedly detained by ICE
A former editor of Breitbart News, Yiannopoulos has also served as an intern for Marjorie Taylor Greene
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Three pro-Israel Democrats given key roles on House foreign affairs panel
Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Wesley Bell to join as Jared Moskowitz becomes ranking member on sub-committee
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Fake US thinktank set up and funded by Israel sought to game AI for propaganda
In effort to prime chatbots to make pro-Israel arguments the site published 124 reports, over 560,000 words in nine days, Guardian analysis shows
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Bill Gates Warns A.I. Is More Dangerous Than Big Tech Will Admit www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/t...
nytimes.com
Bill Gates Is Warning That A.I. Is More Dangerous Than Big Tech Will Admit
In an hourlong interview, he said his industry was downplaying the risks, which he believes include mass unemployment and bioterrorism.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
More casualties of the animal agriculture system--a massive extermination event racing across the world, killing millions of animals. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Australia has just 12,000 sea lions left – and ‘carnage’ may await them as bird flu takes hold, scientists warn
Virus has already caused catastrophic losses in seals in South America and sub-Antarctica, particularly among pups
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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
Hellishchildren @hellishchildren.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
bsky.app/profile/trut...
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Reposted by John Sanbonmatsu
Hellishchildren @hellishchildren.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
July 23, 2026 Quito, Ecuador—Alexandra Bravo, the prosecutor assigned to investigate U.S. strikes on three Ecuadorian boats and the 36 survivors’ subsequent accounts of torture and kidnapping, was shot dead in the coastal city of Manta last month.
dropsitenews.com
Prosecutor Investigating U.S. Boat Strikes and Claims of Torture Was Murdered in Ecuador
New evidence has emerged of U.S. Coast Guard activity in the aftermath of two strikes, further corroborating survivor testimony.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If you vote in Massachusetts, support Paz in his challenge to the genocide-denying Rep. Katherine Clark. @whipkclark.bsky.social. www.pazforthepeople.com
pazforthepeople.com
Jonathan Paz for Congress | MA-5 | 2026
Jonathan Paz is running for U.S. House of Representatives in Massachusetts's 5th Congressional District in 2026, fighting for working families, union workers, and everyday people.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Trump regime has committed 223 extrajudicial murders of civilians, at $21 million per death. The murders aren't slowing the amount of drugs coming into the US; rather, their purpose is to create a spectacle of mass violence for Trump's ravening base. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Military Kills 2 People in Attack on Boat in Pacific
The United States has killed at least 223 people since its campaign of boat strikes began nearly a year ago.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
"The January 6 insurrection created a brief reckoning among corporate leaders, many of whom criticized Donald Trump’s role in inciting the violence": now, the same companies are donating to Republican Attorneys General who seek to weaken voting rights. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Top US firms that backed Voting Rights Act donate to groups working to undermine it
Watchdog data shared with Guardian shows contributions to Republican Attorneys General Association and others
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Excellent--must read. "How to Stop a Lab Leak From Starting the Next Pandemic" www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Opinion | How to Stop a Lab Leak From Starting the Next Pandemic
More than six years after the emergence of Covid-19, no one is keeping track of the risky virus experiments that are capable of starting a pandemic.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly Erasing America’s Great Forests "Recent studies estimate that as much as 40 percent of Western conifer forests will turn into shrubland by 2100." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/c...
nytimes.com
Wildfires Are Turning Forests in the American West Into Shrubland
Towering woodlands in the West are being permanently replaced by tracts of spiky shrubs. Conditions “just aren’t normal anymore,” one researcher said.
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John Sanbonmatsu @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump laying groundwork to impose national emergency by sowing election distrust
President’s speech, declassification of documents and heightened claims of noncitizen voting have experts concerned
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