Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
@robschmidt.bsky.social
Freelance writer focused on Native American, social justice, and pop culture issues; publisher of Blue Corn Comics; host of Creative Spirit Screenwriters
Pinned
A new graphic novel from Blue Corn Comics--coming in 2026.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
In incredible news, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women."
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
European Parliament Votes Overwhelmingly For "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women"
The resolution, though nonbinding, is a significant shot at those who seek to erode transgender rights on the continent.
www.erininthemorning.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:17 PM
In incredible news, the European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for "The Full Recognition Of Trans Women As Women."
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
Even the center-right European People's Party voted for the declaration.
It will form a foundation for their position at the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
Our latest.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
"And guess who was not a threat in Rubio’s speech? Dictatorial Russia and China is the answer... Indeed I think they were ignored entirely. Rubio’s threats were not dictatorial states, but immigration, trade, tolerance and, I suppose people who do not have religious faith."
Rubio Calls For The End Of A Tolerant, Democratic Europe And The Crowd Goes Wild
Just over an hour ago, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the end of a tolerant, democratic Europe and its break-up into a disparate group of smaller, Trumpist states, and the Europeans in t...
phillipspobrien.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:34 AM
"And guess who was not a threat in Rubio’s speech? Dictatorial Russia and China is the answer... Indeed I think they were ignored entirely. Rubio’s threats were not dictatorial states, but immigration, trade, tolerance and, I suppose people who do not have religious faith."
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
More money than projected and in the hands of a mayor who is adamant on using it to build as soon as possible! I love this city.
"The city’s new social housing tax, levied on lofty pay packages to pay for public housing, was due Jan. 31. The startling news was that it blew the projections out of the water."👏
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Another ‘millionaires tax’ finds Seattle is far richer than anyone knew
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson last week described the city as “filthy rich.” Impolitic as that may be, returns from a new tax on high pay packages show she’s not wrong.
www.seattletimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:24 PM
More money than projected and in the hands of a mayor who is adamant on using it to build as soon as possible! I love this city.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
The President, two of his current Cabinet secretaries, his former strategist, his biggest donor, and his pending Fed Chair nominee are all in the files of a pedophile who ran a sex trafficking ring, while the attorney general and a former Cabinet secretary let him get away with it.
Seems kinda bad?
Seems kinda bad?
At least half a dozen top Trump administration officials appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files
The degree to which each individual was connected to Epstein varies significantly, from a single email to years of communications.
www.nbcnews.com
February 14, 2026 at 8:43 PM
The President, two of his current Cabinet secretaries, his former strategist, his biggest donor, and his pending Fed Chair nominee are all in the files of a pedophile who ran a sex trafficking ring, while the attorney general and a former Cabinet secretary let him get away with it.
Seems kinda bad?
Seems kinda bad?
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
"Trump has become a parody of a 1980s televangelist, openly grifting his followers for massive amounts of cash. (His ballroom is practically his own Heritage USA.) But Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart put on a more convincing show." — @playtyperguy.com
Trump is clowning his evangelical base
He's not even bothering to pretend anymore.
www.publicnotice.co
February 14, 2026 at 5:50 PM
"Trump has become a parody of a 1980s televangelist, openly grifting his followers for massive amounts of cash. (His ballroom is practically his own Heritage USA.) But Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart put on a more convincing show." — @playtyperguy.com
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Just noting this because I have cited the trends a lot recently: Tracking data from Civiqs now shows a plurality of the public favors abolishing ICE, with 47% in support and 46% opposed. Independents are net +5 on abolish, up from -40 a year ago substack.com/profile/4791...
February 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Just noting this because I have cited the trends a lot recently: Tracking data from Civiqs now shows a plurality of the public favors abolishing ICE, with 47% in support and 46% opposed. Independents are net +5 on abolish, up from -40 a year ago substack.com/profile/4791...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Remarkable: Majority of working class voters oppose deportations of undocumented immigrants with jobs/no criminal records, per new Marquette data.
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
February 14, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Remarkable: Majority of working class voters oppose deportations of undocumented immigrants with jobs/no criminal records, per new Marquette data.
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Yes and some in the pundit class badly want to believe that Trumpism represents the true mystical longings of the Real American volk, because they want liberals/Dems to accommodate Trumpism by scaling back their commitments to pluralism and the open society
My long-held, maybe-unprovable hypothesis is that immigration restriction is an issue a loud but small core of right-wing voters want, helped by a pundit class that agrees with it or is helplessly hooked on dumb balance.
Remarkable: Majority of working class voters oppose deportations of undocumented immigrants with jobs/no criminal records, per new Marquette data.
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
February 14, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Yes and some in the pundit class badly want to believe that Trumpism represents the true mystical longings of the Real American volk, because they want liberals/Dems to accommodate Trumpism by scaling back their commitments to pluralism and the open society
"When the project started, Tribal Nations in the Court were losing a historic low of 80% of their cases. In contrast, and with the leadership of the project, in the last decade they have won 70% of their cases." narf.org/tribal-supre...
Tribal Supreme Court Project Celebrates 25th Anniversary - Native American Rights Fund
In 2026, the Tribal Supreme Court Project commemorates a quarter-century of service to Indian Country and envisions the next 25 years of protecting and furthering the interests of Tribal Nations at…
narf.org
February 14, 2026 at 3:31 PM
"When the project started, Tribal Nations in the Court were losing a historic low of 80% of their cases. In contrast, and with the leadership of the project, in the last decade they have won 70% of their cases." narf.org/tribal-supre...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Love is in the air with ICT’s Annual Indigenous Valentine’s Day Playlist, featuring artists from Siibii to Supaman, plus timeless classics from Redbone.
ICT’s Annual Indigenous Valentine’s Day Playlist - ICT
From Siibii to Supaman, love is in the air with these songs
ictnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Love is in the air with ICT’s Annual Indigenous Valentine’s Day Playlist, featuring artists from Siibii to Supaman, plus timeless classics from Redbone.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
A new children’s book, major museum moment for Nanibah Chacon, award nominations for Crystal Shawanda and Keith Secola, and buzzy new buffalo-centered films — here’s the latest in Indigenous arts and entertainment.
INDIGENOUS A&E: Artist book illustrations, nominated music, future feature films - ICT
A biweekly column from ICT with the latest news from the arts and entertainment world
ictnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 5:42 PM
A new children’s book, major museum moment for Nanibah Chacon, award nominations for Crystal Shawanda and Keith Secola, and buzzy new buffalo-centered films — here’s the latest in Indigenous arts and entertainment.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Luda Kinok, a Yupik Indigenous activist originally from Chukotka and now living in the U.S., experienced a rollback of freedoms after Perestroika ended in Russia.
She says it feels eerily familiar as she watches democratic institutions erode in the United States.
She says it feels eerily familiar as she watches democratic institutions erode in the United States.
February 13, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Luda Kinok, a Yupik Indigenous activist originally from Chukotka and now living in the U.S., experienced a rollback of freedoms after Perestroika ended in Russia.
She says it feels eerily familiar as she watches democratic institutions erode in the United States.
She says it feels eerily familiar as she watches democratic institutions erode in the United States.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
"Republicans were ready. Democrats weren't." is an apt description of most of the major social & political developments of my lifetime.
Antonin Scalia’s death 10 years ago today gave the conservative legal movement the chance it had spent decades preparing for. Republicans were ready. Democrats weren’t.
The Conservative Legal Movement Was Ready For Antonin Scalia’s Death
The sequence of events kicked off by Scalia’s death a decade ago might feel improbable. But the right was waiting for its chance to capture the Court, and didn’t let it go to waste.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:26 PM
"Republicans were ready. Democrats weren't." is an apt description of most of the major social & political developments of my lifetime.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
This is striking: New Senate Majority PAC poll finds that GOP's advantage on immigration has been wiped out by unpopularity of Trump's agenda. Dems now at parity with Republicans.
This is a Dem poll but it dovetails with what other polls are showing (see piece/thread below)
This is a Dem poll but it dovetails with what other polls are showing (see piece/thread below)
February 13, 2026 at 7:35 PM
This is striking: New Senate Majority PAC poll finds that GOP's advantage on immigration has been wiped out by unpopularity of Trump's agenda. Dems now at parity with Republicans.
This is a Dem poll but it dovetails with what other polls are showing (see piece/thread below)
This is a Dem poll but it dovetails with what other polls are showing (see piece/thread below)
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
“.. using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought ..”
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
February 13, 2026 at 12:45 PM
“.. using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought ..”
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/whi...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
Kristi Noem does not want "transparency."
Her reasons for wanting body cameras are wholly sinister.
She thinks they can be used to generate even more racist propaganda, to demonize ICE's victims.
www.salon.com/2026/02/13/t...
Her reasons for wanting body cameras are wholly sinister.
She thinks they can be used to generate even more racist propaganda, to demonize ICE's victims.
www.salon.com/2026/02/13/t...
The real reason Kristi Noem wants ICE body cams
The DHS secretary’s effort to avoid a shutdown is about propaganda, not transparency
www.salon.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Kristi Noem does not want "transparency."
Her reasons for wanting body cameras are wholly sinister.
She thinks they can be used to generate even more racist propaganda, to demonize ICE's victims.
www.salon.com/2026/02/13/t...
Her reasons for wanting body cameras are wholly sinister.
She thinks they can be used to generate even more racist propaganda, to demonize ICE's victims.
www.salon.com/2026/02/13/t...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
The extraordinary courage of people who are documenting ICE atrocities in places like Minneapolis, at great personal risk, are also achieving something else: They're changing the public's mind about immigration. We have a rare opportunity here. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
How the Democrats Can Play Offense on Immigration
Typically, Democrats run for the hills when immigration comes up. But as two blue-state governors are showing, the winning play is actually to confront ICE and MAGA xenophobia head on.
newrepublic.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:57 PM
The extraordinary courage of people who are documenting ICE atrocities in places like Minneapolis, at great personal risk, are also achieving something else: They're changing the public's mind about immigration. We have a rare opportunity here. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Reposted by Rob Schmidt (Blue Corn Comics)
This is so important. I’ve never seen a bunch of leaders more afraid of public opinion — and more unwilling to try to shift it — then current Democratic leadership
"Democratic politicians urgently need to adopt the GOP view of public opinion—that it’s movable, and it’s their job to move it." newrepublic.com/article/2058...
Instead of Pandering, Democrats Should Try Changing Voters’ Minds
How can the party of liberalism make liberal ideas more popular? By creating a more liberal electorate. Yes, it can be done. Here are five ways how.
newrepublic.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
This is so important. I’ve never seen a bunch of leaders more afraid of public opinion — and more unwilling to try to shift it — then current Democratic leadership
"Washington's inability to control his Native American allies – the Seneca warriors executed Jumonville – exposed a critical gap in his early leadership. He lacked the ability to manage the volatile intercultural alliances necessary for frontier warfare." theconversation.com/how-a-22-yea...
How a 22-year-old George Washington learned how to lead, from a series of mistakes in the Pennsylvania wilderness
Washington’s fundamental character as a military leader was forged in the Ohio River Valley, where he also inadvertently helped ignite the French and Indian War.
theconversation.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:02 PM
"Washington's inability to control his Native American allies – the Seneca warriors executed Jumonville – exposed a critical gap in his early leadership. He lacked the ability to manage the volatile intercultural alliances necessary for frontier warfare." theconversation.com/how-a-22-yea...
"Rock art is a fantastic resource because it's so evocative, because it brings people into some sense of the past and that's really special for everyone. There's a cultural significance of these places to Indigenous people and it should be important to all of us." www.cpr.org/2026/02/09/s...
February 13, 2026 at 5:02 PM
"Rock art is a fantastic resource because it's so evocative, because it brings people into some sense of the past and that's really special for everyone. There's a cultural significance of these places to Indigenous people and it should be important to all of us." www.cpr.org/2026/02/09/s...
"The question isn't whether our own laws justify our theft, it's whether morally the taking of the country should be considered theft. That it was theft when it happened is very difficult to deny," and the authors don't even try to deny it. www.currentaffairs.org/news/of-cour...
Of Course The Country Was Stolen
It should not be controversial to acknowledge the hideous injustice done to Native Americans through colonization, and the country’s illegitimate origins make cracking down on immigrants absurd and…
www.currentaffairs.org
February 13, 2026 at 4:02 PM
"The question isn't whether our own laws justify our theft, it's whether morally the taking of the country should be considered theft. That it was theft when it happened is very difficult to deny," and the authors don't even try to deny it. www.currentaffairs.org/news/of-cour...
"Representing the Indigenous community on a world stage was probably the coolest thing that happened to me at the Winter Olympics. Becoming the first Indigenous female to participate in the Winter Olympics was quite an incredible feeling of accomplishment and pride." ictnews.org/news/dream-b...
‘Dream Big Things’: An Indigenous view of the Olympics - ICT
Naomi Lang was the first Native American woman to represent the US in the Winter Olympics
ictnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 2:59 PM
"Representing the Indigenous community on a world stage was probably the coolest thing that happened to me at the Winter Olympics. Becoming the first Indigenous female to participate in the Winter Olympics was quite an incredible feeling of accomplishment and pride." ictnews.org/news/dream-b...
Trump suggested that tribal programs were race-based rather than a fulfillment of treaty obligations; questioned the scope of Native birthright citizenship in court; reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument; and opened protected areas to oil leases and mining. ictnews.org/news/native-...
NATIVE VOTE: Will Native Republicans stand by or break from the GOP? - ICT
The economy was the top issue for Indigenous voters in 2024. There are signs they may be losing confidence in this administration to fix it.
ictnews.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Trump suggested that tribal programs were race-based rather than a fulfillment of treaty obligations; questioned the scope of Native birthright citizenship in court; reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument; and opened protected areas to oil leases and mining. ictnews.org/news/native-...