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Kathleen J. Frydl

@kfrydl.bsky.social
1.7K followers 411 following 1.8K posts

February 2026: Liberalism & the Reinvention of the Modern Corporation global.oup.com/academic/product/lib…

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 11h
Not the odds, but the stakes. That's my shorthand for the organizing principle we most need in election coverage. Not who has what chances of winning, but the consequences for American democracy. Not the odds, but the stakes. Sep. 11, 2023
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
calizaybak.bsky.social @calizaybak.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Mexico killed El Mencho in February, he was perhaps the smartest, most capable drug lord they've had. They got him after a drone spotted his booty call because everyone slips. His people did a series of retaliatory attacks in response as the drug business continued, not a stitch dropped.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Acknowledgment appears several paragraphs down, but at least it's in the article. "And experts say killing members of trafficking groups, even top leaders, does little to effectively stem the flow of drugs since those killed can be replaced."
nytimes.com
U.S. Sends Reaper Drones to Colombia and Ecuador to Hunt Cartels
MQ-9 Reaper drones — known for high-profile deadly strikes — have been shifted from Africa to Colombia and Ecuador, U.S. officials said.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"as climate models improve, attribution science will only get stronger... rendering climate change not only legible but litigable"
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Science That Has Oil Companies Running Scared
However the U.S. Supreme Court rules, the work of holding oil companies accountable for climate change has a bright future.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Lots of crazy things happening these days, but the spy scandal unfolding in Germany at the moment about the former BND head handling out secret information seems quite high up there in the 'that usually only happens in a Le Carré novel'-list of events...
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Mike Sacks @mikesacks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Originalism has always been inherently anti-precedent! Originalists adopted the One True Way™ to overturn the other side's constitutionalizing its political preferences as though they were constitutional heresies to be purified. But the movement became Gollum in pursuit of the ring. More at 21:00:
liberalcurrents.com
Don't Let John Roberts Fool You (Neon Liberalism #93, with Mike Sacks)
How we need to think about court reform in the future.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 03/10/2026
JUST POSTED: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have pushed a multibillion oil deal with Russia as part of peace talks that will bring profits to their family business partners. A new front for Trump-era conflicts of interest. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Timothy Noah @timothynoah.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
My latest is about Trump’s bailout of the politically unpopular private equity racket. newrepublic.com/article/2161...
newrepublic.com
Everyone Hates Private Equity. Trump Is Bailing It Out.
The industry has become the midterms’ most indelible political symbol for Wall Street’s reckless greed.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“There’s a sense that the health and vibrancy of the [fraternity] community is contingent on the sexual humiliation of women.”
theatlantic.com
Is College Getting Less Safe for Women?
A lawsuit about an alleged gang rape at Cornell University and a Wired story about sexual cyberharassment reveal how campus rape culture and online misogyny are colliding.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
When you see/read these posts, it becomes possible to think that the local DA had his position precisely because he was complacent to the point of negligence.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
One striking thing on social media but not yet in reporting is the number of Cornell alumnae speaking out. Unsparingly. An administration "drenched in misogyny" is a phrase heard today.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Most benign scenario, imo, is Greek life successfully grafts the dynamics of high school onto college. That's not very benign, nor is it desirable. Just my opinion.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Had not appreciated until now that Cornell undergrad who was assaulted is also suing her sorority, Tri Delta
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I haven't done a deep dive but I do follow the news, and I still have no concrete sense of what happened at that RAF base over the weekend.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Care work is challenging. It's nice when this happens to be the view from your window.
Prague castle at night
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Public Citizen @publiccitizen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It's clear that OpenAI does not have the safety protocols in place to protect people from their own technology. Enough corporate recklessness. We're demanding the DOJ & Congress do their job and investigate these serious incidents.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Kate Jackson @katejackson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
After WWII, the allies concentrated on the “four Ds” - denazification, democratization, demilitarization, and decartelization. We need to account for the last bit when we make our reconstruction plans. And we need to aim it straight at the broligarchs.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Dr. Todd Arrington @btarrington.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Sir, Yours of this date proposing Armistice, and appointment of Commissioners, to settle terms of Capitulation is just received. No terms except an unconditional & immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." ~Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, 1862. Image: LOC.
This black and white photo shows a bearded man, Ulysses S. Grant, seated and wearing the Civil War-era military uniform of a United States major general.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 29/09/2026
“Estonian authorities have confirmed that the 15 August arson attack against the Estonian defence company Milrem Robotics in Tallinn was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian security services.” www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
theguardian.com
Estonia says arson attack on ‘consistent with other acts of sabotage carried out in Europe on behalf of Russia’ - Europe live
Foreign minister summons Russia’s chargé d’affaires over attack on Milrem Robotics as security agency says incident was ‘deliberate and pre-planned’
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 28/09/2026
What I would not give for a publicly funded search engine. Like an uncaptured PBS or Library of Congress but for search. Lol we should name it COBOL
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
RAINN's hotline (800-656-4673) will route ppl to confidential advisors. It's not a perfect system (or even guaranteed confidentiality; this varies by jurisdiction) but it's a lot better than going straight to the police.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
(Comments to police made in the immediate aftermath of assault may become part of the record. Trauma can and will disorient, leading to inconsistencies, hesitancy, or other factors that can and will be exploited later by lawyers for the accused.)
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If you talk to counselors who work in the field of sexual assault, they will tell you: assaults spike in August-September (back to school) but only some schools inform students of this trend in orientation or other settings; never talk to campus police before talking to a confidential advisor.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"NIH funding cuts delayed a promising childhood brain cancer trial. Patients lost time they didn’t have." www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/n...
cnbc.com
NIH funding cuts delayed a promising childhood brain cancer trial. Patients lost time they didn't have
A delayed clinical trial underscores the stakes of federal research funding cuts for children with DIPG, a deadly brain tumor with few treatment options.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
johnedwinmason @johnedwinmason.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Very sad news. The great Ian Berry has left us. He was the sole photographer at one of the crucial events in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. 👇🏽
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026
In response to our reporting, Susan Collins has mustered a defense that is full of incorrect and misleading claims. We’ve reviewed FBI evidence, examined thousands of pages of records and interviewed dozens of people. Here are the receipts.
propublica.org
ProPublica Debunks Susan Collins’ Claims About FBI Anti-Corruption Probe
ProPublica revealed that the FBI was circling Sen. Collins over a defense contractor’s donations — until President Trump gutted the unit in charge. Collins has since mustered a defense with a series o...
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If you liked "Heartwood" by Beverly Gaige, I think you'd like this smart, literate page-turner. Recommend:
us.macmillan.com
Birnam Wood
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, Financial Time...
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
If you liked "Heartwood" by Beverly Gaige, I think you'd like this smart, literate page-turner. Recommend:
us.macmillan.com
Birnam Wood
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERA Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Time, Financial Time...
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The Republican Party has repudiated the venerable just war/treatment of enemy combatants legacy of Lincoln for many years now. Yet rarely so succinctly & with such maniacal contempt.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
t.v. list does not seem as crazy to me as the songwriter list.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Amanda Weiss @amandaweiss.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🚨 New Working Paper! 🚨 Do voters *like* local prisons? Are prisons that good for the economy? After years of data collection (+ using a novel estimator?!), @nottone & I find new prisons: • Reduce Republican incumbent vote shares 1-3pp • Decrease per cap. incomes >$2,500 osf.io/dnwke 🧵👇
Abstract for the paper "The Electoral Effects of U.S. Prison Construction" by Ottone & Weiss: From 1980 to 2000, the United States opened over 400 prisons, a rapid expansion of carceral capacity mirroring the punitive turn in public policy and public opinion. Yet few studies have examined the impact of prison construction on nearby residents and their political behavior. We develop a theoretical model tracing how prison openings affect economic, attitudinal, and electoral outcomes in surrounding communities. Us- ing modern difference-in-difference methods and a novel county-level dataset covering forty years of prison openings, we find that prison construction decreases county-level vote share for Republican candidates, especially if Republicans represented the county during prison construction. Drawing on analyses of economic outcomes and prison bond measure support, we argue that voters sanction issue-owning Republican candi- dates for negative economic externalities and turn against funding for prisons. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about the political economy of prisons and have implications for how we understand contemporary expansions of carceral capacity.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
As my father said about his small Czech village, after the war, everyone was in the resistance.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
jon christian @jonchristian.net · 17/09/2026
NEW: We spent months investigating a little-known media startup called Brown Brothers Media, which buys legit news sites and turns them into AI-powered zombie content farms What blew my mind was its traffic -- it appears to be getting more readers than NPR or CBS News futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
How Three Brothers Built an AI Slop Empire by Buying Legitimate News Sites and Turning Them Into Zombie Content Farms That They Say Get 50 Million Page Views per Month
Brown Brothers Media is a media empire raking in millions of clicks with AI, fake writers, and plagiarism.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Once again recommending my brother's very occasional newsletter w/ practical action items for any anti-Trump conservatives in your life. (This edition's action item: protect the polls & vote for Democrats.) Very Bill Kristol vibes--as in, actually making sense. DM me if you want more info.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Penelope Wang @pennywriter.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
"Why does no one in power even pretend anymore to support a health care system with such humanity at its core? Instead, both political parties have protected a status quo utterly devoid of it, that routinely leaves patients to fight for their lives..." www.vanityfair.com/story/health...
vanityfair.com
My Insurer Denied My Cancer Treatment—and My Humanity. So I Emailed the CEO
At 36, Elizabeth Nicholas was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her insurance company refused to pay for a new form of chemotherapy, she took a direct approach. As Luigi Mangione’s trial brings the ...
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Rob Shum @robshum.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
And now — Carbon Oligarchy: The Podcast Episode has dropped. Listen all!
podcasts.apple.com
Robert Shum, "Democracy or Carbon Oligarchy?: Climate and Energy Politics between Crisis and Decarbonization" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2026)
Podcast Episode · New Books in Public Policy · September 5 · 25m
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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 10/09/2026
Our research traces how decades of deregulation and market-first policymaking helped create this concentration in the first place. Beginning to treat media as the public infrastructure it is will be the key to reversing it.
rooseveltinstitute.org
The Political Economy of the US Media System: Excavating the Roots of the Present Crisis - Roosevelt Institute
Bilal Baydoun, Shahrzad Shams, and Victor Pickard trace the roots of the US media crisis to decades of deregulation and commercial capture, outlining how consolidation, news deserts, and platform domi...
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Still a lot in that piece, I think
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I see that folks are starting to pay attention to Roy Cohn. Here's my take from many years ago now. Sadly, still stands:
medium.com
Donald Trump & “A Conspiracy So Immense”
It’s Time to Think About McCarthyism Again
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Noting: "Local Investigations This article was reported and edited as part of the Local Investigations Fellowship, a New York Times program where local reporters produce investigative work about their communities."
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
NYTimes has clearly made a decision to direct attention & resources to state-level Republicans up for election this "nationalizes" the conversation about them & perhaps provides a lift to opponents But it should also disabuse anyone from thinking this is just Trump
nytimes.com
As He Backs ICE Crackdown, Nebraska Governor Employs Undocumented Workers
Gov. Jim Pillen’s family business is one of the nation’s largest pork producers. As he seeks re-election, he has aligned himself with President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda even though his farms have...
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Jas Easterly @jaseasterly.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"[I]n responding to threats, we are potentially our own worst enemy. This story is well enough known, but worth repeating. We didn’t need to go to war in Iraq. Unscrupulous politicians can exploit our lesser instincts for their own ends, often to our detriment." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We’ve Forgotten the Most Important Lessons of 9/11
The world has lost track of the truth about Al Qaeda.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Hannah Harris Green @whatsitlike.me · 08/09/2026
Doctors have been working overtime to fight an unforeseen, life threatening withdrawal syndrome in Pennsylvania. It’s not slowing down. End of August saw a spike in cases. Very few outlets are paying attention. Scientific American killed this story, btw. www.whatsitlike.me/improvising-...
whatsitlike.me
Doctors rush to treat dangerous medetomidine withdrawal
In 2024, a mystery fentanyl adulterant began causing potentially withdrawal symptoms, like stroke and heart attack, in Pennsylvania.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“I had to choose whether I’d pay my electricity or pay $50 to a doctor who didn’t need it,” she said.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
"The unpaid bills ranged from several thousand dollars to as little as $101... Some facing lawsuits were new mothers with outstanding bills from their deliveries. Most lived in Barton County, a rural area with above-average uninsured and poverty rates."
nytimes.com
Roger Marshall Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator.
Patients sued by Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas were routinely charged 18 percent interest, The Times found. Some had bank accounts garnished.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I was surprised when I look into it how economists generally minimize the Smooth-Hawley/Depression-era tariffs as actually *driving* global recesison. So I thought this op-ed was going one way. It went another. Recommend:
nytimes.com
Opinion | Voters Have Spoken. Why Aren’t Democrats Listening?
Less than two years after a catastrophic election, the Democratic brand remains unpopular, and the party is still in the grip of a divisive identity crisis.
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Much respect & gratitude to the brave
Opposition leaders quoted denouncing Mladic
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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
as dismaying as any election news from Germany if not actually surprising.
nytimes.com
Thousands of Serbs Gather to Mourn Ratko Mladic, the ‘Butcher of Bosnia’
The government insisted the funeral was a private affair, even as government ministers attended and state-controlled news media lavished praise on the convicted war criminal.
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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl
Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
“Settler militias clearly act with state backing in the service of a greater national project that is largely uncontested in Israel: Israel’s permanent control over much of the West Bank.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | It’s Not Just the West Bank Settlers. It’s Israel.
Settler violence is reaching new heights.
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