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Lydia Polgreen

@polgreen.bsky.social
97K followers 592 following 1.1K posts

New York Times Opinion Columnist. The world, especially the global south, migration, inequality, the human future, queer stuff. Reachable via email or on Signal @lpolgreen.39

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Reposted by Lydia Polgreen
Maria BOO!stillos @mariabustillos.com · 06/10/2026
a man who's run out of road standing on the edge of a cliff
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Just a reminder: Tillis persuaded the woman Hegseth allegedly raped to come forward with her story, and told her that if she did, it would sink the nomination. She did. At great risk to herself. Tillis then cast the deciding vote for Hegseth. Because he’s a goddamned coward.
ms.now
Outgoing Sen. Tillis regrets pivotal vote for Hegseth: ‘He’s an actor. He’s not a manager’
Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis spoke to MS NOW about regretting his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth and his strained relationship with Trump.
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David French @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"Here’s one way to think of Paxton — he possesses all of Donald Trump’s corruption and none of Trump’s charisma." My dispatch from the most important Senate race in America: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The ‘God Gap’ Is Narrowing in Texas
It may not be enough for James Talarico to win. But might it also be a sign of a change to come?
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 04/10/2026
the idea that rufo has, at any point in his public career, been a sincere advocate for “colorblind meritocracy” is brain dead
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Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Labor's share of income just hit an all-time low. That means for every dollar a company brings in, workers are taking home smaller and smaller slices. Income keeps shifting to the owners. With @svaneksmith .bsky.social newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/…
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Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 03/10/2026
@rikiwilchins.bsky.social 2026 Oct In one of the tidal wave of Rep attack ads targeting OH Dem Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, a presumably trans woman accuses him of pushing surgery on minors "like her." The only problem? She had surgery as an adult, not a minor. And she's from Texas, not Ohio.
news5cleveland.com
Woman accusing Sherrod Brown of forcing transgender surgeries isn’t from Ohio, didn’t have procedure as minor
In an attack ad against U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, a woman accuses the Democrat of pushing transgender surgeries on minors "like her." She didn't have surgery until she was an adult.
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I wrote about @mayor.nyc.gov and how cities can restore our faith in democracy, one pothole at a time. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Zohran Mamdani Is Showing the World How It’s Done (Gift Article)
The New York City mayor has an antidote to globe-spanning distemper.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 02/10/2026
not that you should expect anything more than rank idiocy from this pair of racists, but the idea that whiteness means a "high trust" society of "social cohesion" is some of the stupidest shit i have ever heard. these people live in a fantasy land that you could dispel by simply opening a book.
talkingpointsmemo.com
Chris Rufo — Known For ‘DEI’ and ‘CRT’ Panics — Tries to Make ‘the Indian Question’ a Thing
To the degree that a “respectable” or “moderate” right exists today in...
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Time for this classic again.
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Anne Helen Petersen @annehelen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is *the* piece. Kate Manne, professor of philosophy at Cornell, speaks truth to the totality of failures at the university — and why students protesting the war in Gaza have faced far harsher consequences than any of the Cornell 7: www.thecut.com/article/what...
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
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David Beard @dabeard.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There Is a Word So Powerful It Need Be Spoken Only Once www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | There Is a Word So Powerful It Need Be Spoken Only Once (Gift Article)
The film that makes a powerful statement without ever raising its voice.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 28/09/2026
this is legitimately very funny
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Christopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
clicked to read about political ad spends on anti-trans shit, ended up reading something quickly beautiful/profound about hope seemingly against all odds lol, by @katelynburns.com www.burnsnotice.com/we-may-have-...
burnsnotice.com
We May Have Just Seen the Tides Turn on Trans Rights
Some conservative PACs have backed off from running anti-trans ads. Is this a sign of what's to come for trans people?
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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I gasped! The Mighty Sparrow has left us. One of the most important and popular Calypsonians to ever do it! Songs filled political fire, irreverence, humor, naughty (very, very naughty) banter, and beats that make you wind your waist! Rest in Power, Sparrow. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/a...
nytimes.com
The Mighty Sparrow, Trinidadian Titan of Calypso, Is Dead at 91
He was sometimes described as the last of the true calypso singers. But in fact he simultaneously preserved calypso tradition and invented it anew.
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More Perfect University @mpuniversity.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
@aoc.bsky.social: The best thing that we can do to rein in runaway costs at private institutions is by having tuition free public colleges and universities. “For anyone who wants to say that that’s pie in the sky and unrealistic… this is literally what baby boomers gave themselves.”
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Kurt Andersen @kurtandersen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Note to @saturdaynightlive.bsky.social producers: please write Natalie Harp into sketches as often as possible because Ashley Padilla plays her brilliantly, and please cast someone other than Ramy Youssef as Zohran Mamdani.
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Primetime was ok - Pattinson's campy performance is creepy fun, the script felt a little muddled to me. Merritt Wever, however, gave an otherworldly performance that felt transported from a far better movie.
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Tom Walsh @tewalsh340.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Rough day for Susan Collins in the local Maine press, where ProPublica's bombshell story is the lead story.
Screengrab from WNTWScreengrab from Maine PublicScreengrab from Portland Press HeraldScreengrab from Bangor Daily News
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NYT has now independently corroborated all the major allegations against Susan Collins in the ProPublica report, including that investigators were prepared to move against her and then Trump intervened to shut it down. This put Trump in a position of exceptional and extortionate leverage over her.
nytimes.com
F.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan Collins
The inquiry was closed last year because senior bureau officials questioned the veracity of a campaign donor’s account, according to current and former officials.
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
He would look great in a generous high waisted double breasted suit.
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David Nir @davidnir.com · 16/09/2026
Everything's falling into place
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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Elon Musk: 20+ years here, hates American culture and most Americans, constantly undermines our multi-racial democracy as part of his obsession to restore the Apartheid of his foreign youth, says non-white people can't assimilate Malala Yousafzai: visits Philly once, instantly adopts local customs
Instagram post from Malala decked out in Eagles dear with text "Go birds!"
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Nick (derogatory) 🎃 @slothropsmap.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
This guy is an energy pricing expert. Currently chief energy advisor at Gulf, long time contributor to various NPR shows. Incredibly distressing.
The next 24 hours will see staggering increases at the pump for both gasoline & diesel. Fuel margins have yet to catch up with previous wholesale hikes.
Watch for huge increases in Great Lakes and Rocky Mountain states in particular.
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Break Vote By Mail Before Midterms talkingpointsmemo.com/news/supreme...
talkingpointsmemo.com
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Effort to Break Vote By Mail Before Midterms
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to take unprecedented control...
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Jen Bendery @jbendery.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
JUST IN: Mitch McConnell says he'll be back in the Senate today and will cast his first vote since June.
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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Here's a gift link to my 9/11 essay in the NYT. Civil libertarians long warned that before giving government new powers, we should consider how an administration with authoritarian ambition might abuse them. We were told that America was too exceptional to elect such a person. Well here we are.
nytimes.com
Opinion | Civil Libertarians Knew This Would Happen. We Should Have Listened. (Gift Article)
The civil libertarians’ warnings have come true.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Amy Acton, Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was attacked at a campaign event; multiple people reportedly injured
wlwt.com
Amy Acton attacked at campaign event near Youngstown; multiple people reportedly injured
Amy Acton was reportedly attacked at a campaign event near Youngstown on Sunday.
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Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 06/09/2026
NEW: An armed individual lunged at Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Dr. Amy Acton while she was at the Canfield Fair in Mahoning County, resulting in the injuries of multiple people who were nearby. A suspect is in custody. www.wlwt.com/article/amy-...
wlwt.com
Amy Acton attacked at campaign event near Youngstown; multiple people reportedly injured
Amy Acton was reportedly attacked at a campaign event near Youngstown on Sunday.
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Jerry Chen @jcsalterego.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
jim downey on conan o'brien's podcast with the caption: "A popularity contest? On the website for humorless scolds?"
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 04/09/2026
‘By July, our tent had become almost impossible to live in. As soon as the sun rose, the fabric trapped the heat, turning the small space into an oven. We decided to get a new tent.’ Hassan Ayman Herzallah reports from Gaza: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se...
lrb.co.uk
Hassan Ayman Herzallah | No Address
By July, our tent had become almost impossible to live in. As soon as the sun rose, the fabric trapped the heat, turning...
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Ellie Mae O'Hagan @elliemaeohagan.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I love the dedication in My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinhem
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
What Pablo Torre did was ridiculously impressive. Uncovered a conspiracy between rich guys, withstood a propaganda campaign by one of the richest guys in the world with a pretty good reputation, didn't buckle or panic, and just kept reporting. That's some Pulitzerin' right there.
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
One thing i can’t help but notice is none of the supposedly anti-Semitic left has rallied to John Galliano’s defense. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/s...
nytimes.com
How the Met’s Galliano Show Fell Apart (Gift Article)
Anna Wintour put her full power and prestige behind a designer convicted of an antisemitic hate crime. Behind the scenes, influential New Yorkers revolted.
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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
newrepublic.com/article/2150...
newrepublic.com
Good Riddance, Seth Moulton: You Got What You Deserved
The congressman who got drubbed by Ed Markey on Tuesday tried to distance himself from the base. That just doesn’t work anymore.
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Dave Lee @davelee.me · 02/09/2026
Milo hasn’t changed his mind about anything. His position has always been: I will say and do whatever it takes for you to talk about me.
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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 02/09/2026
"It is difficult to overstate the failure of the transphobic strategy." (from December 2025) www.liberalcurrents.com/trans-panic-...
liberalcurrents.com
Trans Panic? More Like Trans Apathetic
2025 shows trans rights aren't electoral poison. The truth? Most people just don't care that much.
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Benjamin McKean @blmckean.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
“Carl Ruby, a Springfield pastor, said he was struggling to make sense of Bel’s untimely death. ‘I know that I’m a pastor and I’m supposed to be forgiving,’ he said. ‘But right now as I sit with a broken family, I’m crying out to God for righteous judgment in those who made this happen.’”
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 01/09/2026
the fact that the papers of supreme court justices are treated as their personal property is outrageous www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...
nytimes.com
How the Supreme Court Locks Away Its Own History (Gift Article)
After Justice Scalia died, the justices held private negotiations about locking away their papers. We may not see the ultimate record of the Roberts court for decades.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 31/08/2026
the retconning is to support the argument that "trump won in 2024 because of anti-woke." but other than some nebulous "vibe shift" and the prominence of a few podcasters, there is vanishingly little hard evidence for this claim.
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🎃 Decorative Gourd Mikell 🎃 @mikell.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Fun fact, you do not actually have to use 9/11 to frame discussion about every single Muslim American in 2026. You can simply choose to treat them as different unrelated topics, because they are. Hope this helps, media!
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Democrats have an identity politics problem, but it’s not the one you think. I wrote about how Dem leaders use identity as both crutch and cudgel, and how there’s a better way. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Democrats Have an Identity Politics Problem. Just Not the One You Think. (Gift Article)
Instead of rallying around their candidates, Democrats are falling out among themselves.
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 25/08/2026
‘Trump’s vice president was a writer before he was a politician, and brought a writer’s vices with him: a titanic but fragile ego, limitless self-interest and thirst for adulation, an unsleeping vigilance for any slight.’ @piercepenniless.bsky.social on J.D. Vance. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
James Butler · Short Cuts: J.D. Vance’s Conversion
The most obvious question is not whether J.D. Vance believes what he claims to believe, but why, if he believes it, he...
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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
One way you know Dolly Parton lived life the right way: I don’t think anyone’s going to get fired for accurately quoting Dolly Parton today.
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
You want class traitors, even. I take issue with upper class socialists not just identifying as such and instead wanting to mask as ideologically “working class”. They need therapy. But, in general, you want class traitors. It’s even kind of the whole point.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
What makes this even more grotesque is that Doris Miller was denied the medal of honor when he was alive just because he was black. bsky.app/profile/carl...
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Alex Shephard @alexshephard.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
this is refreshingly direct about the bargain many Never Trumpers thought they were making, which is that they would simply take over the Democratic Party and that everyone else would shut up and be grateful www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The ‘Resistance’ Is Over
The insurgent left cares more about its own factional agenda than the president’s threats to democracy.
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