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Paul Avey

@paulcavey.bsky.social
1.5K followers 2K following 455 posts

Associate professor of political science at Virginia Tech. IR, foreign policy, nuclear politics. Views are my own & reposts ≠ endorsements.

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Reposted by Paul Avey
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 7h
Adult-only households accounted for the majority of toy sales in the first half of this year in the U.S. Why are grownups playing with kids’ stuff? www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
newyorker.com
Why Adults Are Playing with Toys
After decades of depending on customers who had to beg their parents for pocket money—and who would eventually grow up—the toy industry has found a savior in “kid-ults.”
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 7h
U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, the government reported Friday.
bit.ly
America In Focus: Unemployment rate climbs, mortgage rate hits nearly 3 year high
U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, the government reported Friday.
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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 7h
No way you’re a fan if you don’t think I don’t speak up on this on TV all the time
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Irrational Hawkeye @irrationalhawkeye.bsky.social · 7h
Smith is an absolute freak.
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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The problem isn’t that they’re moving past it—it’s that they’re trying to rehabilitate it. Would be better for everyone if people who don’t want to engage with the facts just talked about the play on the field and left it at that.
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Lynne B @linnibell.bsky.social · 8h
Great start Hawks. 🙄
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🚨BREAKING: In a win for voters, the Kansas Court of Appeals Friday denied Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s (R) latest request to revive a GOP-backed law that would throw out mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if they were cast on time. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
GOP bid to scrap Kansas mail ballot grace period fails again
The ruling means Kansas election officials must continue counting ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within the following three days, including in the upcoming November elections.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: It's that time of year: time to launch my annual guide to November's elections! I guide you through over *650* interesting elections, & why they matter. Judges, AGs, govs, mayors, lawmakers, AGs, county & school boards—plus many (many) ballot measures. Oh, & Congress. Explore & bookmark!
boltsmag.org
Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts
Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read Mo...
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Brad Duplessis @bradduplessis.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
#PME in the latest Military Review. www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Mil...
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
So now there is no accountability whatsoever, and he consistently acts like it. And why wouldn't he?
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The Republican Senate rationalized their failure to impeach him in 2021 because, they said, he would be accountable to legal prosecution. Then the Republican Supreme Court ruled, no, he's not, the only legal accountability was through impeachment.
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"They're struggling to find a remedy." The remedy is in the Constitution. It's called impeachment.
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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 02/10/2026
“… innovation becomes a substitute for strategic choice. The promise of future technological advantage creates the expectation that military effectiveness can be secured without confronting the costs of preparing for war in the present.” Interesting paper
militarystrategymagazine.com
Hammers and Nails: Military Innovation as a Strategic Dead End - Military Strategy Magazine
This article argues that contemporary Western military innovation has become a strategic dead end. Tracing the evolution of military innovation from the Revolution in Military Affairs through counteri...
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Justin Glawe @justinglawe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This follows an SEB resolution from Monday where they effectively tried to do the same thing. But unless the DOJ or DHS files a subpoena or obtains a warrant to access Georgia's election systems, this letter amounts to a waste of paper. www.american-doom.com/p/georgia-tr...
american-doom.com
Georgia tries to give Feds access to voting machines
A Hail Mary of a resolution from the State Election Board is a preview of federal interference in the midterms to come.
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Justin Glawe @justinglawe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The software update that the SEB is demanding takes months — it cannot be done before the Midterms. They ignored this fact and have pushed through anyway, desperate to give Trump access to voting machines to pursue bogus lawsuits before, during and after Election Day.
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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Among other things, the State Election Board wants DOJ to open a variety of election-related investigations. It also asks DOJ to “prohibit” the use of QR code tabulation in upcoming election.
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Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
President Trump in TIME Interview Doesn’t Rule Out Declaring National Emergency or Using Insurrection Act During Elections or Sending Ice Agents to the Polls, But Seems Mostly Unaware of the Issue electionlawblog.org/2026/preside...
electionlawblog.org
President Trump in TIME Interview Doesn’t Rule Out Declaring National Emergency or Using Insurrection Act During Elections or Sending Ice Agents to the Polls, But Seems Mostly Unaware of the Issue #EL...
What’s interesting from this TIME interview, despite all of the most fervent election denier conspiracists urging him to declare a national emergency and take over the running of elections (something ...
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 01/10/2026
NEW: The GOP-led Georgia State Election Board asked the DOJ to declare the state's voting system unlawful before the midterms. The request, which marks an extraordinary request from the body, comes despite board members denouncing federal involvement in state election procedures.
democracydocket.com
GOP-controlled Georgia election board asks DOJ to declare state’s voting machines illegal
The request represents a major assault on the state's voting system by unelected state officials.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 01/10/2026
NEW: A Georgia court dismissed a lawsuit challenging Fulton County's absentee ballot drop-off policy that increased the number of sites where voters could drop off absentee ballots. The ruling comes after the county board unanimously voted to end the entire policy earlier this year.
democracydocket.com
Georgia court dismisses lawsuit seeking to block Fulton County absentee ballot drop-off policy
A Georgia judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to block a Fulton County absentee ballot drop-off policy.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 01/10/2026
NEW: Some North Carolinians only have a week to ensure they can vote in the midterms after the state elections board came to an agreement with the DOJ. The deal has left some in the Tar Heel state confused. We break down what steps voters might need to take to ensure they can vote this fall👇
democracydocket.com
North Carolina mailboxes overflow with voter registration warnings after state cut a deal with Trump's DOJ
“This is death by a thousand cuts,” one voting rights advocate told Democracy Docket. “It's why you move voting sites, it's why you have fewer hours, it's why our absentee mailing ballots are so complicated because they just want to find places where p...
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 01/10/2026
WIN: The DOJ has no right to Georgia’s sensitive voting records —a judge ruled — delivering the department’s 26th consecutive loss in their nationwide hunt for voter data. The judge noted Georgia repeatedly offered its public voter roll, which is available to anyone: demdock.com/4yKtyWN
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Nicole Auerbach @nauerbach.com · 02/10/2026
Nick Saban said the markets for coaches and college football players are “totally different.” He talked about the value that *coaches* create for their universities, but he’s missing a couple of key points:
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Nick Kodama 🌳👻 @nickkodama.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
imagine if elbridge colby was still around to see this
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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: The Georgia State Election board is requesting Justice Department "intervention" ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The board sent request letters to Todd Blanche, Harmeet Dhillon, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Docs obtained by @lawfaremedia.org: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...
documentcloud.org
Formal Request for DOJ Intervention to Todd Blanche
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Reuters @reuters.com · 01/10/2026
Bonds teeter after US Treasuries' worst quarter since 1994 reut.rs/4AHnPlB
reut.rs
Bonds teeter after US Treasuries' worst quarter since 1994
US yields hit two-decade highs for a seventh straight session on Thursday before a drop in oil prices steadied a bond market reeling ​from its worst quarter this century, as investors brace for higher ‌interest rates.
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Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Eric Schmitt’s Very Bad Day at Work www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Eric Schmitt’s Very Bad Day at Work
For MAGA politicians, there’s no such thing as a gaffe.
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Meghan Montemurro @mmontemurro.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Kevin Gausman said he obviously wishes he'd pitched better in Game 2, especially by not letting the Padres get momentum like they did early. "I really wish I could have been 100% and gone out there with a little bit more. But I had what I had and tried to give it everything I had. ... It's tough."
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Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A glowing 2028 scoop dropped just before Schmitt’s disastrous “gotcha,” while right-wing influencers appeared ready to celebrate. After it blew up, the internet noticed thehill.com/homenews/sen...
thehill.com
Schmitt faces fallout after debunked Jack Smith narrative
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) is facing accusations he tried to launch a conspiracy tying former special counsel Jack Smith to others who prosecuted President Trump — a line of questioning that unwound…
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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Excuse me, what?
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Seth Masket @smotus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
@jonathanbernstein.bsky.social wrote a while back that there was such a low threshold for getting a Republican scandal claim on Fox News that people weren't bothering to do basic research on them before trying them out, and I think we're seeing a great example of that today
nytimes.com
Jack Smith Defends Trump Charges as Senator’s Perjury Claim Falls Apart
A Republican eager to prove the former special counsel was dishonest appeared to instead demonstrate his own confusion over basic facts.
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Reuters Legal @legal.reuters.com · 29/09/2026
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority to build the nation's first commercial small modular reactor at its Clinch River site in Roane County, Tennessee, the agency said on Tuesday.
reut.rs
US NRC approves construction of nation's first small modular nuclear reactor
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved ​a construction permit for the Tennessee ‌Valley Authority to build the nation's first commercial small modular reactor at its ​Clinch River site in Roane County, ​Tennessee, the agency said on Tuesday.
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
No one is contesting whether third-country removals are *ever* permitted; the litigation is over whether individuals are entitled to notice & an opportunity to prove that they face torture or other mistreatment in that country before they can be removed. Good luck figuring that out from the tweet.
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There is a cottage industry on that other site of people in official government legal jobs affirmatively misstating or misrepresenting what rulings are about and then expressing surprise that anyone could possibly disagree. Just the latest example—from the Solicitor General of Iowa:
“Can President Trump use lawful authority granted by Congress to deport illegal aliens to third countries? The Supreme Court has stayed an order saying no twice, now stayed a permanent injunction for a third time. Oddly, 6-3 despite a similar posture to the Missouri First map”
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Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"In fact, college tuition in America today is far cheaper than it was two decades ago. Even more surprising, it is much more affordable than it was in the 1960s and 1970s." Provocative post on college tuition rates from Paul Campos. lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2026/09/the-...
lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
The surprising facts about college tuition - Lawyers, Guns & Money
The statistics in the article below come primarily from the Digest of Education Statistics, published annually by the National Center for Education Statistics, and CollegeBoard’s annual Trends in Coll...
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The underlying theory Senate Republicans are going with is that Joe Biden secretly ordered DOJ to investigate Trump, something they have produced no evidence to support and also they're all fine with Trump publicly ordering DOJ to investigate his enemies.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: Sen. Eric Schmitt exposed Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan. Schmitt's erroneous effort to catch Smith in a lie resulted in Smith confirming he went to see Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes play the Terrapins in Maryland in 2023. w/ Chris Marquette www.politico.com/live-updates...
politico.com
Sen. Eric Schmitt pins down Jack Smith — as a Caitlin Clark fan
It appeared that the Missouri Republican misinterpreted a text message reference to the "hawks."
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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 29/09/2026
💰️ Trump made $1.4 billion off crypto last year. 💰️ Regular investors are down an estimated $4.7 billion. See for yourself (not for real money, just shits and giggles):
thinairrealmoney.com
‘THIN AIR,’ REAL MONEY — The Trump Crypto Game
An 8-bit game about real money. Play as Trump: you only make money. Play as an investor: you only lose. Every figure is drawn from Public Citizen's report and the sources it cites.
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Patrick Meyers @pmeyers7.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What are the odds Schmitt's team placed this article with Axios, with the intent to use today's "bombshell" line of questioning as a springboard for said buzz (and then promptly stepping on the world's largest rake on live TV). Helluva way to introduce yourself to the country!
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Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
KLOBUCHAR: I think that people should have their facts straight before they accuse someone of being a dirtbag, and not get the teams wrong. SCHMITT: I stand by that statement. KLOBUCHAR: Teams. You had the teams wrong, sir.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The real political liability here is showing you don’t know the difference between the Atlanta Hawks & the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. HAHAHAHAHAH. Eric Schmitt just accused Jack Smith of lying about going to an Atlanta Hawk's basketball game. Smith went to see the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
🤡 Schmitt beclowns himself 🤡 Schmitt concocted an elaborate conspiracy theory that Smith traveled to Atl for a Hawks game and to collude with Fani Willis, & flashed his "evidence" before accusing Smith of perjury. There's just one problem -- his facts were totally wrong. Here's the whole sequence:
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today, Marist's midnight poll drop is from Ohio: Sherrod Brown leads Sen. Husted 51% to 43%. Amy Acton leads Vivek Ramaswamy 50% to 44%. A key stat: 50% *strongly disapprove* of Trump, in Ohio. maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/midter...
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NPR @npr.org · 29/09/2026
Companies have changed the way they price their products — and shoppers are getting deliberately overcharged. Here are steps you can take to ensure you are getting the best deal. n.pr/4ryNNUh
n.pr
4 ways to avoid getting ripped off, according to a pricing expert
Companies have changed the way they price their products — and shoppers are getting deliberately overcharged. Here are steps you can take to ensure you are getting the best deal.
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Cambridge University Press Political Science & IR @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org · 29/09/2026
NEW ISSUE from @poppublicsphere.bsky.social - Perspectives on Politics - Volume 24 - Special Issue 3 - September 2026 cup.org/4cFOy7V Special Section: Authoritarian Politics
Cover of "Perspectives on Politics" journal, featuring an illustration of a figure with multiple arms, each holding different weapons and tools. The figure stands on a field of small houses, against a backdrop of soldiers. Text reads: "Special Section: Authoritarian Politics.
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Lawrence Freedman @ldfreedman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Latest post considers the ‘forgotten war’ of Sudan. I consider the state of the fighting, the humanitarian crisis, and the logic of partition. This is another example of the difficulty of extracting a good peace from a bad war. (This one is free). samf.substack.com/p/the-sudan-...?
samf.substack.com
The Sudan War: is there any way out?
Since April 2023 Sudan has been consumed by a vicious war that gets far too little attention in the West.
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The Great Pumpkin Papers 🎃🎃🎃 @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As a professor, most of what I do is log in to things
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Alex Dukalskis @alexdukalskis.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My department - @ucdpolitics.bsky.social - is hiring two PERMANENT posts in any area of politics, international relations, theory, or development studies. Please apply if you are on the academic job market, and if you're not, please do us a solid & spread the word! Deadline NOV 9.
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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 28/09/2026
Wow. Check out the European numbers on favourable views of the US versus favourable views of China….
Screenshot showing poll of how 36 countries see the US and China. Large majority has a more favourable view of China than the US including most European contries
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