iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Siddhartha Mitter @siddharthamitter.bsky.social · 12h

It's ugly. There will no doubt be useful analysis in the coming days, and the campaign restarts now, with the runoff on October 25. A lot can happen. But it's very ugly. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

theguardian.com

Brazil’s presidential race goes to second round as Flávio Bolsonaro leads incumbent Lula

Far-right challenger and son of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro put in a stronger than expected showing, with Lula calling the result ‘unexpected’

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 13h

What is the movie that came out before you were born that you’ve watched the most times? (It’s A Wonderful Life is a close second for sure.)

Jimmy Stewart in a still from the film Mr Smith Goes to Washington

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 20h

Mike Vrabel is cursed, man.

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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 23h

I'm about to lose it guys

The Giant/Fireman from Twin Peaks says ‘It is happening again’

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 23h

And if you live in Texas and recently registered, you might not be. Check today. #BlueWaveIn30Days Get it handled. Then help somebody else do the same. IWillVote.com

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 21h

It must be so hard to have something you invested yourself in so deeply inevitably associated with grief and loss. The book is so valuable and important.

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Tricia Matthew @triciamatthew.bsky.social · 21h

This autumn is the 10th anniversary of the publication of Written/Unwritten: Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure. It came out during a heartbreaking time, my mom’s passing. I worked on copy edits and proofs from her living room, between medical appointments. uncpress.org/978146962771...

uncpress.org

Written/Unwritten

The academy may claim to seek and value diversity in its professoriate, but reports from faculty of color around the country make clear that departments and ...

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Denny Carter @dennycarter.bsky.social · 22h

Since Bluesky is the official app of sports, I thought I'd share this General Sports starter pack with the new folks bsky.app/starter-pack...

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Rebecca Brückmann @historleans.bsky.social · 22h

I’m re-reading Rashauna Johnson’s fabulous new book, “Sweet Home Feliciana,” in preparation for class next week (and her visit to campus the week after!), and sometimes, like today, I’m still giddy that I get to do history for a living (how great is that?!). 🗃️ #EduSky

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EQV Analytics @eqvanalytics.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

House Rep @foushee.house.gov's un-positions on AI: "She doesn’t want to stifle innovation" "Make sure that we’re not leaving anybody behind" "Threw cold water on a moratorium on data centers" "An Anthropic executives' PAC spent a million dollars to support her" www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

politico.com

The little-known Democrat with big influence over AI policy

Rep. Valerie Foushee wants to put civil rights and liberties at the center of the debate over how to regulate artificial intelligence.

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Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Announcing the merger with Titanic footage is an incredible bit

David Ellison • @ellisonskyd... 2h
What once was the peak, is now just the beginning.
Paramount and Warner Bros. shaped over a century of culture. By combining them, we aren't rewriting history — we're equipping these iconic studios with a more powerful engine. Together, we are Skydance: a creative-first ho Show

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Can “Kool-Aid: The Movie” be far behind?

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I sure do wish the Vatican would move the Pontifex account to Bluesky, or even just create a mirror.

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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:

Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads:

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I’m a major information consumer and a career long publisher who would affirm everything Josh says here and is grateful he took the time to lay it out so clearly.

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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Robert Gould Shaw on the Road and In a Bookstore Near You #CivilWarMemory 🗃️ kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/robert-gou...

kevinmlevin.substack.com

Robert Gould Shaw on the Road and In a Bookstore Near You

This has been an exciting week.

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Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 01/10/2026

The death penalty is a moral abomination. State-sanctioned barbarism pushed by incompetent morons and sanctioned by the Supreme Court. Absolute ghoul shit. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

The lone woman on Tennessee's death row was still alive after she was administered two lethal injections, her lawyer said in a motion seeking to halt her execution Wednesday night, a stunning development after the Supreme Court had stepped in to allow the state to put her to death.
At 8:26 p.m. local time, witnesses said
"executioners had injected both syringes of lethal injection chemicals and Pike is still alive and snoring," her lawyers said in a federal court filing.
They said Pike "has not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat," and that curtains to the death chamber "have gone down twice."

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Counterpoint: It is not mind-boggling.

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Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If you include comps you clearly haven’t read it’s gonna dissuade me from your proposal and also make me a little annoyed—even if I believe comps are silly, which I do. What I’m looking for first and foremost is a reader.

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Prof. Carl LeVan @democracyprofdc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The costs of food and fuel are up in the US. The party that campaigned on "family values" in the 1990s is ordering ICE to separate parents from children, and 760,000 people just lost their health care. Join @ips-dc.org for a discussion of this "perfect storm." ips-dc.org/event/people...

ips-dc.org

A People’s Briefing: The Perfect Storm of Increasing Economic Insecurity - Institute for Policy Studies

A webinar to analyze the policy choices that are pushing millions of Americans into increasingly precarious conditions.

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Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“It’s that Trump’s agenda—the masked ICE thugs snatching grandmas and children, the killings of U.S. citizens, the overt white nationalism in official government communications—has opened the door to creating a new pro-immigrant consensus, even in a place Trump won overwhelmingly.”

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Allen Orr @allenorr.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Trump did not retreat on mass deportation. He refined it. There are outsourced arrests, rushed hearings, and hidden cruelty. In darkness is the new strategy. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.com

From mass raids to quiet crackdown: a timeline of Trump’s strategic ICE pivot

After switching tactics, federal agents are detaining and deporting record numbers of people from the US

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

ICYMI, yesterday I was on CNN's Amanpour. In a lengthy discussion, we covered rising ICE enforcement nationwide, debunking Vance's claim that ICE was "prioritizing violent criminals," the stripping of legal services for migrant children, and even myths about noncitizen voting. Check it out!

edition.cnn.com

‘ICE is not prioritizing people with violent offenses’: Immigration expert on ICE arrests surge | CNN

As ICE arrest numbers surge quietly across the US, Bianna Golodryge speaks to Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council Aaron Reichlin-Melnick about what is driving the policy and the legality...

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yesterday @politico.com was out with a story giving some context into the weird situation with TPS for El Salvador, which everyone expected to be terminated but is now in an unprecedented and indefinite limbo. Surprisingly, it was the White House that intervened. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

politico.com

White House pumped brakes on TPS termination for 200,000 Salvadorans

DHS was set to end temporary protected status for El Salvador before the White House stepped in.

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wjasonmiller.bsky.social @wjasonmiller.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

It's here! "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is officially out today! I can't quite put into words how much this means. This book took years, and I'm endlessly grateful to everyone who supported it and believed in this story. Grab your copy today. Link in comments. #DontLetMeBeMisunderstood...

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

All respect to you and Mathew, Austin, for a lengthy and rich interview. And I know Mathew’s writings as well as World Relief’s broad moral vision. I support them financially. But they have in my view missed some opportunities to speak more forcefully and broadly as your pull quote reflects

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

World Relief is an organization that does tremendous good and I understand the nuance they are trying to bring with some of the statements here. But I am still disappointed by some of the technocratic approach to what is also a moral issue where forceful clarity is required.

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The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If the future of democracy depends on shared truth, and if shame is the right response to bad faith, what is the future of democracy when men like Eric Schmitt not only shrug off humiliation but are even rewarded for it? For an answer, I got in touch with @donmoyn.bsky.social.

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

82 games of grinding it out! Let’s do it!

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cliodialogues.bsky.social @cliodialogues.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Who do you picture when you think “American working class”? Aimee Loiselle joins The Clio Dialogues history podcast to discuss 𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘙𝘢𝘦 and why our cultural image of the working class leaves so many workers outside the frame. 🎧Link in bio @uncpress.bsky.social @aimloiselle.bsky.social

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Jason Herbert @herberthistory.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Big congratulations to two of my dear friends on their book releases today. First up is @civilwarmemory.bsky.social's new book on the life and legacy of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. You can get this for 30% at @uncpress.bsky.social by using code 01HATM30 uncpress.org/978146969717...

uncpress.org

A Glorious Fate

Robert Gould Shaw (1837–1863) is best known as the heroic colonel who led the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment—one of the first regiments of Black so...

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David Silkenat @davidsilkenat.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Happy to announce the launch of Elements in the History of the American South, new book series that I'm editing with @daviddoddington.bsky.social at @universitypress.cambridge.org.

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

America.gov launched today--a DOGE initiative to use AI to deliver public services. Child lying facedown on a frozen lake as the image accompanying the question: "How can I invest in my child's future" is just incredible. Way to go AI

Image of a child lying facedown on a froze lake. above is the portal where you ask AI questions about government services. the question matching this image is: "How can I invest in my child's future?"

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Very excited to see Elizabeth Ellis and Ariel Ron honored here - historians I respect a bunch - but the recipient who most blew my mind this year is Christine Sun Kim, whose exhibition at the Walker Art Center in MN was one of the most riveting and transformative experiences I’ve had in years

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In Otter News @in-otter-news.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Whatever you're doing right now. Stop, breath, and look into this otter face.

A close-up photograph of Steve the otter peering curiously from among grass and dry twigs.
No text appears in the image.

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

What if I carry it with me in my heart

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LAWCHA: Labor and Working-Class History Association @lawcha.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

After several long years off the air, the Working History podcast returns next week for a new season. Listen to a preview via the link below and subscribe on Apple Music, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. #laborradiopod #laborhistory ms.podbean.com/media/share/...

ms.podbean.com

Working History Reboot Promo

After several long years off the air, the beloved labor history podcast is back! Now brought to you by the Southern Labor Studies Association, the Labor and Working-Class History Association, LABOR: S...

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Aimee Loiselle @aimloiselle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

47 years -- and Norma Rae (1979) is still the hottest union movie for labor organizations and women's groups. It shows how much labor needs more, and more that allow working people to be part of the production. To learn more about the history behind NR uncpress.org/978146967613...

uncpress.org

Beyond Norma Rae

In the late 1970s, Hollywood producers took the published biography of Crystal Lee Sutton, a white southern textile worker, and transformed it into a blockbu...

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Mark Simpson-Vos @simpsonvos.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

💜 I just stumbled across texts I had forgotten about from two close friends who both passed within the last few years. Sometimes the grief hits for predictable reasons and sometime it blindsides us. May his memory be a blessing.

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