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Will Friedman

@willfriedman.bsky.social
483 followers 1K following 538 posts

Democracy researcher/writer/advocate focused on the idea that we can’t defend democracy without renewing democracy. Former president, Public Agenda. NYC born, Brooklyn based.

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Reposted by Will Friedman
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The richest man owns X. The second and fourth richest men control Google. The third richest man owns The Washington Post. The sixth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. And now the seventh richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Poland, Hungary, now India - are we entering a period in which autocrats and oligarchs are losing their footing, a time of “democratic upsliding”? The World’s Largest Democracy Gets a Second Chance www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Indian Democracy Isn’t Dead After All
This summer’s youth-led revolt punctured Modi’s aura and showed that Indian democracy may still be able to renew itself from below.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
File under Flouting Democracy: “Meta’s project had no…issues with opposition — in part because the local community didn’t know about the deal until it was done.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/27/b...
nytimes.com
5 Things to Know About Meta’s Giant Data Center in Louisiana
The road to the giant project was paved with secret meetings and an ever-expanding building plan.
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Reposted by Will Friedman
David Roberts @volts.wtf · 29/06/2026
This is a great example of what's called "pluralistic ignorance" -- the phenomenon whereby most people share a particular view, but they *don't think other people share it*. In this case: most people are concerned about climate change but think others aren't.
sherwood.news
Over 50% of Americans say climate change is a serious threat; only 10% think their compatriots feel the same
That perception gap on the issue is among the highest in the world, per a new Gallup poll....
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
“The true value of democracy is not in one specific election or policy; it is in the fact that we, the people, always retain the opportunity — and the power — to fix our mistakes.” Amen. The Founder We Need Is the One We Don’t Remember www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Founder We Need Is the One We Don’t Remember
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Democratic innovations keep spreading that help regular people fully consider public issues and gain a stronger voice in setting the public agenda and enacting public decisions. www.linkedin.com/posts/a-few-...
linkedin.com
A few weeks ago, G1000 launched a campaign that we fully support. “Your voice deserves a seat” is calling on the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to establish a permanent citizens’ assembly at the…...
A few weeks ago, G1000 launched a campaign that we fully support. “Your voice deserves a seat” is calling on the Belgian Chamber of Representatives to establish a permanent citizens’ assembly at the ...
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Hawaii just passed the first state law in the country banning corporations from making political donations in state elections. Now a Koch-backed legal group is suing to overturn it. Big Money won't get out of our politics without a fight — one that we the people must win. (via @levernews.com)
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
China is exporting its “vast security apparatus that keeps citizens safe [but] is frequently deployed to crush political dissent.” Interesting that US’ aspiring tech oligarch Larry Ellison predicts people here will “behave” b/c surveillance will be everywhere. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/w...
nytimes.com
China Is Testing Its State Surveillance Model Abroad
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Public Agenda @publicagenda.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
New research: Public Agenda, in partnership with @snfagora.bsky.social, finds that Americans are deeply concerned about democracy, with partisan divides sharpened by Republican disagreements about presidential authority and the balance of powers. Full findings: publicagenda.org/resource/pa-...
publicagenda.org
Understanding Evolving Republican Attitudes Towards Democracy - Public Agenda
Public Agenda and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University are working together to understand Americans’ beliefs about democratic practices and principles. Previous work led by the SNF Agor...
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Public Agenda @publicagenda.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Many agree that young men in the US are not thriving—but what do they actually think? New Public Agenda research listens to young men directly, uncovering their views on education, the economy, civic life, and more. See what we found in the full report: publicagenda.org/resource/you...
publicagenda.org
In a Rapidly Evolving World, Are Young Men Struggling to Catch Up, or Refusing the Direction It’s Heading? - Public Agenda
“The biggest challenge men face today is identity. Historically men would have a tribe, have a local community, whether it’s church and you are kind of just part of the organization. Now we live in a ...
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 25/05/2026
To cast doubt on election results, the Trump administration and its supporters are misconstruing declassified intelligence reports about vulnerabilities in state voter registration databases. But there’s no evidence that the systems were corrupted. bit.ly/4tjHbIM
brennancenter.org
Voter Registration Database Protections Are Resilient
Despite recent unfounded claims about data breaches, various systems and backstops protect voter information from cyberattacks.
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Reposted by Will Friedman
The Participatory Budgeting Project @pbp-org.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Check it out - excited to learn about how how to mainstream #publicparticipation and #democracy with @peoplepowered.org next Tues!
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Center For Humane Technology @humanetech.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
To learn more about CHT’s work on “AI and What Makes Us Human,” read our Substack post: centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com/p/whats-at-s...
centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com
What's at Stake: Preserving What Makes Us Deeply Human in the Age of AI
Announcing CHT’s new work on “AI and What Makes Us Human”
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Reposted by Will Friedman
New_ Public @newpublic.org · 21/05/2026
Read more of their thinking here: www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/05/1... And find our recent research on AI here: newpublic.org/afterthefeed
technologyreview.com
A blueprint for using AI to strengthen democracy
AI is changing what it means to be a democratic citizen. Here’s how we can harness it for good.
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Reposted by Will Friedman
New_ Public @newpublic.org · 01/12/2025
In communities across the country, we’re hearing from everyday people that they are hungry for a new way to connect with neighbors online. Our team at New_ Public, a nonprofit focused on building digital public spaces, is creating Roundabout, a new social app and website, now in closed beta. 🧵
newpublic.substack.com
👋 Introducing Roundabout: built for neighbors, with neighbors
New_ Public’s app for local communities enters closed beta in five pilot communities
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Noema Magazine @noemamag.com · 23/05/2026
The collapse of political belonging is reshaping democracy, Anton Cebalo argues.
noemamag.com
A New Anti-Political Fervor | NOEMA
How the collapse of political belonging is reshaping democracy.
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Claudia Chwalisz @cchwalisz.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
How to scale democratic innovations? Read my new DemocracyNext paper, co-authored by Sammy McKinney, about "scaling catalysts" - the organisations playing a crucial role in scaling democratic innovations in their regions. www.demnext.org/projects/sca...
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CumVideo18 @cumvideo18.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
#cumshot #cum #facial @thepriapicknave.bsky.social
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 13/04/2026
President Trump's latest voting executive order is another attempt to take over elections — power he doesn’t have. But it turns out, there are effective countermoves blunting this and other efforts to undermine elections.
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Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
From @kimlanelaw.bsky.social “lots of lessons here for the US - in particular that Magyar went to Orban strongholds for years and persuaded Orban supporters in person that their lives could be better. He knew he had the cities -- and he needed the villages to win this sort of victory.
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Tax cuts for giant corporations and the super rich. Paid for by cuts to the social safety net for everyone else. The state of Trump's union. [@itep.org]
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Montana — yes, deep red Montana — has a plan to effectively neuter Citizens United. No Supreme Court ruling or constitutional amendment needed. This is no joke. Here's how it works. www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1fP...
youtube.com
Could This Actually End Citizens United?
YouTube video by Robert Reich
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
"The way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace... I think what’s going on in our country — what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate and it’s really sad." - Charles Barkley on CBS
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FairVote @fairvote.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
"We need an electoral system that encourages us to talk to each other again. We have options" like ranked choice voting and proportional representation. – FairVote CEO Meredith Sumpter in DemocracySOS on repairing America's civic culture⬇️ democracysos.substack.com/p/stop-fight...
democracysos.substack.com
Stop Fighting, Start Fixing: This Is How We Rebuild Democracy
Sane voices, trying to bring the nation together in perilous times, are sorely needed
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Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 30/03/2026
Every second we spend talking about 2028 is a second not spent on supporting redistricting in Virginia. It's a second we don't spend talking about 20M people who'd be disenfranchised by the SAVE Act. Let's focus on winning this fall. 👇 open.substack.com/pub/santiago...
open.substack.com
For the Love of God, Stop Talking About 2028
I am begging, pleading, imploring. Please.
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Now get out and vote in the midterms like your life depends on it, because it does. #NoKings
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Very interesting research that opens up new ways of thinking about countering the dangers we and democracy face.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Important insights in this research by my old organization, @publicagenda.bsky.social, identifying a typology of GOP voters in terms of their attitudes toward democracy. This @washingtonmonthly.bsky.social podcast discusses the findings. #democracy
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Only ongoing democracy-enriching on-the-ground organizing can overcome these anti-democratic antics. Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
nytimes.com
Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
nytimes.com
Netflix Backs Out of Bid for Warner Bros., Paving Way for an Ellison Takeover
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Lots of good substance here, but it’s beating heart is this: “Cowardice is a social virus, but courage is also contagious.” (gift article) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Great Capitulation Is Over. What Will Take Its Place?
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Agree
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
We can expect lots more of these democracy-corrupting corporate “investments” in the coming months. Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push to Advance A.I. Agenda www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/t...
nytimes.com
Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push to Advance A.I. Agenda
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
notorious radical left communist rag says tax the rich
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Crucially, many local governments are furious with ICE over these purchases, because they were not consulted or even told. Because they are federal property now, it's taking a commercial property off the tax rolls while likely imposing dramatic additional infrastructure costs.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Take any power you have and do as much good as you can with it. This is a fine example. How a Judge Weaponized Wit to Free the 5-Year-Old Detained by ICE www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Annotating the Judge’s Decision in the Case of Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-Year-Old Detained by ICE
Our critic annotates the barbed wordplay of a decision challenging the Trump administration’s theory of executive power.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Good job, @bradlander.bsky.social. As a fellow New Yorker, I appreciate your going to MN to support them and learn for our hometown.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Excellent, moving, with telling details: "What [the administration] discovered in the frozen North was...a real resistance, broad & organized & overwhelmingly nonviolent, the kind of movement that emerges only under sustained attacks by an oppressive state." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
About damn time... www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Top Democrats tell Trump: either fire Kristi Noem or we will impeach her
Trump defends homeland security secretary but Hakeem Jeffries says: ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way’
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
It's time for a truly massive general strike. robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-t…
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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Yes, the GOP controls Congress. That's why it's key to show Congress COULD stop the madness. And it's not just the DHS bill. Congress could repeal the prior multi-year $75b for DHS; set up a special investigative committee (cf. Watergate); amend the Insurrection Act; etc.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Agree!
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Living a moral life in an age of bullies requires collective action; it cannot be done alone. Each of us must organize and participate in a vast network of moral resistance. From this solidarity we will grow stronger. This is what our current moment requires.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
A new wave of Democrats is creating energy & victories by embracing economic populism. They can be even more successful, in elections & governance, if they complement a bold affordability agenda with an ambitious commitment to civic renewal & democracy reform. washingtonmonthly.com/2026/01/08/r...
washingtonmonthly.com
Rebuilding the Republic From the Bottom Up
Democrats are winning on economic populism. To make lasting change, they should pair it with an ambitious agenda for democratic reform.
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Reposted by Will Friedman
Isaac Rowlett @isaacrowlett.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
friendly reminder that authoritarians tend to use the same playbook and there are proven strategies to resist them and save one’s country written in early 2017 by Eastern Europeans on the forefront of democratic decline, see for yourself how this aligns to the US in 2025 1/x
Verfassungsblog
ON MATTERS CONSTITUTIONAL
Q
YEAR 1 Under Authoritarianism
What to Expect?
1. They will come to power with a campaign based on fear, scaremongering and distorting the truth.
Nevertheless, their victory will be achieved through a democratic electoral process. But beware, as this will be their argument every time you question the legitimacy of their actions. They will claim a mandate from the People to change the system.
Remember - gaining power through a democratic system does not give them permission to cross legal boundaries and undermine said democracy.
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
“The fullness of our authentic human attention, shared with others, is the power with which we make the world. It’s worth fighting for.” The Multi-Trillion-Dollar Battle for Your Attention Is Built on a Lie www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Multi-Trillion-Dollar Battle for Your Attention Is Built on a Lie
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
New essay: A new generation of Democrats is generating energy & victories with economic populism. They can be even more successful (in elections & governance) if they complement their bold affordability agenda with an ambitious civic renewal agenda. #democracy washingtonmonthly.com/2026/01/08/r...
washingtonmonthly.com
Rebuilding the Republic From the Bottom Up
Democrats are winning on economic populism. To make lasting change, they should pair it with an ambitious agenda for democratic reform.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
It has been The Onion's best year since we broke Watergate and subsequently, personally had Richard Nixon removed from office. I'm going to share some personal favorite stories in this thread. Please add your own, and visit the Our Annual Year recap below. theonion.com/our-annual-y...
theonion.com
Our Annual Year 2025
January February March April May June July August September October November Sports Entertainment January February March April May June July August September October November Sports Entertainment
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Will Friedman @willfriedman.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
Well said: “Each of us knows that [the Senate] doesn’t work very well right now. Each of us knows we should be taking a look in the mirror and acknowledging that lives lived in a politicized echo chamber are unworthy of a place that calls itself a deliberative body.” www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...
nytimes.com
Ben Sasse Says He Has Terminal Pancreatic Cancer
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