John Goldin
@johngoldin.com
R enthusiast. History reader. Walker. Retired Director of Institutional Research, Yale University. https://www.johngoldin.com
David Frum does a nice job interviewing Jonathan Gruber ( starts about 8 minutes into his show). Gruber is a great guy. His points are clear and easy to follow. youtu.be/eyY05fD9dk4?...
Architect of Obamacare: Health Care Is Still a Mess | The David Frum Show
YouTube video by The Atlantic
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 2:10 PM
David Frum does a nice job interviewing Jonathan Gruber ( starts about 8 minutes into his show). Gruber is a great guy. His points are clear and easy to follow. youtu.be/eyY05fD9dk4?...
Reposted by John Goldin
The new National Security Strategy is a propaganda document, designed to be widely read. It is also a performative suicide. Hard to think of another great power ever abdicating its influence so quickly and so publicly. It will be worth following the reactions around the world, not just in Europe.
Trump's national security strategy is out and some of the Europe sections are shocking. "...the growing influence of patriotic European parties indeed
gives cause for great optimism."
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
gives cause for great optimism."
www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...
December 5, 2025 at 12:17 PM
The new National Security Strategy is a propaganda document, designed to be widely read. It is also a performative suicide. Hard to think of another great power ever abdicating its influence so quickly and so publicly. It will be worth following the reactions around the world, not just in Europe.
Reposted by John Goldin
I think part of What's Going On with billionaires is that the daily friction of interacting with normal people is part of what anchors people to the real world, and once you have enough money to buy your way out of the friction you can knock down a load-bearing column propping up your sanity.
December 3, 2025 at 8:10 PM
I think part of What's Going On with billionaires is that the daily friction of interacting with normal people is part of what anchors people to the real world, and once you have enough money to buy your way out of the friction you can knock down a load-bearing column propping up your sanity.
Reposted by John Goldin
A lot of people expressing shock that bayonets were being used for crowd control in 1966
A little background
Until the late ‘60s, soldiers were not equipped or trained for riot duty. They used weapons of war for policing
In Detroit alone in ‘67, troops fired 156,000 rounds of ammunition
A little background
Until the late ‘60s, soldiers were not equipped or trained for riot duty. They used weapons of war for policing
In Detroit alone in ‘67, troops fired 156,000 rounds of ammunition
“Hey, why do we do risk analysis for home station unit training?”
Exhibit A:
Exhibit A:
December 3, 2025 at 1:28 PM
A lot of people expressing shock that bayonets were being used for crowd control in 1966
A little background
Until the late ‘60s, soldiers were not equipped or trained for riot duty. They used weapons of war for policing
In Detroit alone in ‘67, troops fired 156,000 rounds of ammunition
A little background
Until the late ‘60s, soldiers were not equipped or trained for riot duty. They used weapons of war for policing
In Detroit alone in ‘67, troops fired 156,000 rounds of ammunition
Reposted by John Goldin
Trump dozes while Marco Rubio speaks to him directly next to him. Just insane optics.
December 2, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Trump dozes while Marco Rubio speaks to him directly next to him. Just insane optics.
Reposted by John Goldin
Scoop: They tried to bury this news on Black Friday, but, well...
Trump crypto partner Alt5 Sigma told the SEC its auditor quit in Nov.
We called the auditor.
He resigned in August.
That's the second SEC filing with an apparent conflict that Alt5 Sigma has made in recent weeks.
1/
Trump crypto partner Alt5 Sigma told the SEC its auditor quit in Nov.
We called the auditor.
He resigned in August.
That's the second SEC filing with an apparent conflict that Alt5 Sigma has made in recent weeks.
1/
Trump Crypto Partner Alt5 Sigma May Have Violated SEC Rules After Another Filing Discrepancy
Alt5 Sigma told regulators its accountant resigned in November, while he says he notified the company three months earlier.
www.forbes.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Scoop: They tried to bury this news on Black Friday, but, well...
Trump crypto partner Alt5 Sigma told the SEC its auditor quit in Nov.
We called the auditor.
He resigned in August.
That's the second SEC filing with an apparent conflict that Alt5 Sigma has made in recent weeks.
1/
Trump crypto partner Alt5 Sigma told the SEC its auditor quit in Nov.
We called the auditor.
He resigned in August.
That's the second SEC filing with an apparent conflict that Alt5 Sigma has made in recent weeks.
1/
Reposted by John Goldin
Yup. Even if Trump's policies were both effective and popular (lolololol, I know), Trump's pardons *alone* would be ample fodder.
This weekend Trump pardoned *yet another* drug lord and *yet another* infamous scammer!
This isn't low-hanging fruit, it's fruit delivered in a holiday basket!
This weekend Trump pardoned *yet another* drug lord and *yet another* infamous scammer!
This isn't low-hanging fruit, it's fruit delivered in a holiday basket!
And this is so obnoxious because actual-politics is kind of a fucking layup right now.
Your opponents are running a historically corrupt government.
Be anti-corruption. Run on fixing the shit they broke, holding assholes accountable, and improving people’s lives.
Duh.
Your opponents are running a historically corrupt government.
Be anti-corruption. Run on fixing the shit they broke, holding assholes accountable, and improving people’s lives.
Duh.
November 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Yup. Even if Trump's policies were both effective and popular (lolololol, I know), Trump's pardons *alone* would be ample fodder.
This weekend Trump pardoned *yet another* drug lord and *yet another* infamous scammer!
This isn't low-hanging fruit, it's fruit delivered in a holiday basket!
This weekend Trump pardoned *yet another* drug lord and *yet another* infamous scammer!
This isn't low-hanging fruit, it's fruit delivered in a holiday basket!
Reposted by John Goldin
Perhaps the Gray Lady is learning.
November 30, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Perhaps the Gray Lady is learning.
Reposted by John Goldin
Ex-official explained this in a way that will stick with me forever: Within fire departments, the EMTs are overworked and underpaid and don’t have time to advocate for policy. The fire chiefs, on the other hand, have a lot more time on their hands. So fire response, not medical, dictates policy.
November 30, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Ex-official explained this in a way that will stick with me forever: Within fire departments, the EMTs are overworked and underpaid and don’t have time to advocate for policy. The fire chiefs, on the other hand, have a lot more time on their hands. So fire response, not medical, dictates policy.
Reposted by John Goldin
Sure seems like the kind of thing that would have led to a third impeachment back in the first Trump term.
www.youtube.com/shorts/4tiT1...
www.youtube.com/shorts/4tiT1...
Trump pardons Honduran drug boss Juan Orlando Hernandez
YouTube video by Lawyer Oyer
www.youtube.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Sure seems like the kind of thing that would have led to a third impeachment back in the first Trump term.
www.youtube.com/shorts/4tiT1...
www.youtube.com/shorts/4tiT1...
Reposted by John Goldin
He scammed over 1,000 people, most of whom were not wealthy - veterans, farmers, teachers, nurses, small businesses owners. Some lost everything. But he’s a rich Republican, so Trump let him get away with it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
He scammed over 1,000 people, most of whom were not wealthy - veterans, farmers, teachers, nurses, small businesses owners. Some lost everything. But he’s a rich Republican, so Trump let him get away with it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...
Reposted by John Goldin
When Mark Carney sets specific goals for Canada to "diversify away" from its reliance on the US—making headlines in Canada but not the US—hear that for what it is: Close partners and allies looking elsewhere for better friends.
This is the silent way that the US loses its pointless trade war.
This is the silent way that the US loses its pointless trade war.
November 30, 2025 at 12:52 PM
When Mark Carney sets specific goals for Canada to "diversify away" from its reliance on the US—making headlines in Canada but not the US—hear that for what it is: Close partners and allies looking elsewhere for better friends.
This is the silent way that the US loses its pointless trade war.
This is the silent way that the US loses its pointless trade war.
Reposted by John Goldin
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 1:10 AM
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Reposted by John Goldin
I said a few days ago that RFK Jr. was advancing a stealth campaign to ban vaccination in the US.
That campaign is accelerating, & it ain't that stealthy.
I'll have more to say about this soon, but for now, just take this in: the US under RFK Jr.'s reign of error is about to kill a lot of kids. 1/
That campaign is accelerating, & it ain't that stealthy.
I'll have more to say about this soon, but for now, just take this in: the US under RFK Jr.'s reign of error is about to kill a lot of kids. 1/
Experts say strict new FDA protocol for vaccine approval is ‘dangerous and irresponsible’
Lead FDA vaccine regulator announced new approval process after claiming Covid vaccine had killed 10 children
www.theguardian.com
November 29, 2025 at 11:53 PM
I said a few days ago that RFK Jr. was advancing a stealth campaign to ban vaccination in the US.
That campaign is accelerating, & it ain't that stealthy.
I'll have more to say about this soon, but for now, just take this in: the US under RFK Jr.'s reign of error is about to kill a lot of kids. 1/
That campaign is accelerating, & it ain't that stealthy.
I'll have more to say about this soon, but for now, just take this in: the US under RFK Jr.'s reign of error is about to kill a lot of kids. 1/
Reposted by John Goldin
Your periodic Baltimore homicides update: Baltimore continues to be on track for 150 homicides this year. If you look at the graph you can see how amazing this is, although, of course, that's still 150 too many.
November 29, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Your periodic Baltimore homicides update: Baltimore continues to be on track for 150 homicides this year. If you look at the graph you can see how amazing this is, although, of course, that's still 150 too many.
Reposted by John Goldin
Furthermore, unlike most of the campaigns and PACs themselves, I've raised $21M directly for Dems *without paying one dime* to any "consultants," "list harvesting companies," etc.
In fact, none of it even goes to me (I have a separate tip page for folks who *choose* to throw a buck or two my way).
In fact, none of it even goes to me (I have a separate tip page for folks who *choose* to throw a buck or two my way).
November 29, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Furthermore, unlike most of the campaigns and PACs themselves, I've raised $21M directly for Dems *without paying one dime* to any "consultants," "list harvesting companies," etc.
In fact, none of it even goes to me (I have a separate tip page for folks who *choose* to throw a buck or two my way).
In fact, none of it even goes to me (I have a separate tip page for folks who *choose* to throw a buck or two my way).
Reposted by John Goldin
There’s nothing new about this plan from the Kremlin.
It’s just so no other American administration in history was so devoid morals and a belief in American values and an understanding of American security to pursue it with such vigor
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
It’s just so no other American administration in history was so devoid morals and a belief in American values and an understanding of American security to pursue it with such vigor
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
Make Money Not War: Trump’s Real Plan for Peace in Ukraine
The Kremlin pitched the White House on peace through business. To Europe’s dismay, the president and his envoy are on board.
www.wsj.com
November 29, 2025 at 12:10 PM
There’s nothing new about this plan from the Kremlin.
It’s just so no other American administration in history was so devoid morals and a belief in American values and an understanding of American security to pursue it with such vigor
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
It’s just so no other American administration in history was so devoid morals and a belief in American values and an understanding of American security to pursue it with such vigor
www.wsj.com/world/russia...
www.politico.com/magazine/sto.... How is it that this person became a major component of the US presidency? It’s a sign we are way off course.
Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.
If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.
www.politico.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
www.politico.com/magazine/sto.... How is it that this person became a major component of the US presidency? It’s a sign we are way off course.
Reposted by John Goldin
The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 1:23 PM
The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.
Reposted by John Goldin
FYI: the “disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan” was negotiated and begun by…. Donald Trump
November 27, 2025 at 3:12 PM
FYI: the “disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan” was negotiated and begun by…. Donald Trump
Reposted by John Goldin
This is the first Thanksgiving for Sophie & Colin Hortman without their parents, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman who were assassinated along with the family dog in an act of political murder. National guards troops were not deployed to the state in response.
November 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
This is the first Thanksgiving for Sophie & Colin Hortman without their parents, Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and Mark Hortman who were assassinated along with the family dog in an act of political murder. National guards troops were not deployed to the state in response.
Reposted by John Goldin
“Ukraine is the only country fulfilling NATO's destiny,”
chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov said passionately at the Halifax Security Forum.
@garrykasparov.bsky.social
chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov said passionately at the Halifax Security Forum.
@garrykasparov.bsky.social
November 27, 2025 at 5:33 PM
“Ukraine is the only country fulfilling NATO's destiny,”
chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov said passionately at the Halifax Security Forum.
@garrykasparov.bsky.social
chess grandmaster and political activist Garry Kasparov said passionately at the Halifax Security Forum.
@garrykasparov.bsky.social
Reposted by John Goldin
"Miles said her son and uncle were both detained by ICE agents who initially did not accept their tribal IDs before they were eventually let go."
‘Northern Exposure’ actor gave ICE agents in Redmond her tribal ID. They called it ‘fake,’ she says
Indigenous actor Elaine Miles of "Northern Exposure" was detained by ICE at a Redmond bus stop. When she showed them her Tribal ID, they told her it was fake.
www.seattletimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
"Miles said her son and uncle were both detained by ICE agents who initially did not accept their tribal IDs before they were eventually let go."
Reposted by John Goldin
By far the LARGEST growth in people arrested by ICE and thrown into detention centers across the country are from people with absolutely no criminal history on record. See the data below (and here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/breaking-i... ).
November 24, 2025 at 1:57 PM
By far the LARGEST growth in people arrested by ICE and thrown into detention centers across the country are from people with absolutely no criminal history on record. See the data below (and here: austinkocher.substack.com/p/breaking-i... ).