Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
@upine.bsky.social
Analysis of effects of disinfo on social systems, writer http://Medium.com/@upine "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do bothsidesism."
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How People Try to Solve Problems in a Libertarian Culture
There once was a land without environmental regulations. So various companies routinely poisoned the air, the water and the land. Everyone…
upine.medium.com
Right Wing Domination of Media & Politics Keeps Us Stuck in Disinformation and Right Wing Government
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
(I found a better named for this article later, after I first wrote it, and so I retitled it, which is why the title now comes out wrong when I type in the url.)
upine.medium.com/how-people-t...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
November 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
For those who don’t know, Jack served in the Bush administration but resigned in protest of the extra constitutional claims made by the administration. He’s no left wing radical, but he care about the Constitution.
He has forgotten more about executive power than I could ever hope to learn.
He has forgotten more about executive power than I could ever hope to learn.
Harvard Law School’s Jack Goldsmith:
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
“In short, if the Post’s facts are correct, it appears that Special Operations Forces committed murder when the ‘two men were blown apart in the water, as the Post put it.’”
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
November 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
For those who don’t know, Jack served in the Bush administration but resigned in protest of the extra constitutional claims made by the administration. He’s no left wing radical, but he care about the Constitution.
He has forgotten more about executive power than I could ever hope to learn.
He has forgotten more about executive power than I could ever hope to learn.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
NEW EPISODE: I break down seven urgent reforms every blue state must pass before 2026 (plus a bonus). These are real, actionable policies that protect the right to vote, stop ballot rejection, and make democracy actually work for every voter.
youtu.be/cuX6BRJIL5Y?...
youtu.be/cuX6BRJIL5Y?...
7 Things Democrats Can Do TODAY To Save Democracy
YouTube video by Democracy Docket
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 4:13 PM
NEW EPISODE: I break down seven urgent reforms every blue state must pass before 2026 (plus a bonus). These are real, actionable policies that protect the right to vote, stop ballot rejection, and make democracy actually work for every voter.
youtu.be/cuX6BRJIL5Y?...
youtu.be/cuX6BRJIL5Y?...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
November 29, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
👇
The public does not know this. They don't realize how the budget at their beloved 🏈/🏀 State U works, or that their kids won't be able to take courses/labs they need there anymore, bc they won't exist without federal $ & foreign graduate students.
Maybe someone should speak up about this stuff? 🤷♂️🧐
Maybe someone should speak up about this stuff? 🤷♂️🧐
Old Man Yells At Clouds
No one wants to hear this message. Not our university leaders. Not the media (I & colleagues have tried & failed repeatedly). Everyone just wants to pretend doing the definition of insanity is going to work this time. Sleepwalking into epic disaster.
No one wants to hear this message. Not our university leaders. Not the media (I & colleagues have tried & failed repeatedly). Everyone just wants to pretend doing the definition of insanity is going to work this time. Sleepwalking into epic disaster.
November 29, 2025 at 4:14 PM
👇
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
There. Is. No. Plan.
But the only way to communicate to voters, parents, students, etc. that there is no plan for cutting 20-25% of every R1 university's budget is for our university leaders to be out, loudly & collectively talking about this. The silence is maddening.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
But the only way to communicate to voters, parents, students, etc. that there is no plan for cutting 20-25% of every R1 university's budget is for our university leaders to be out, loudly & collectively talking about this. The silence is maddening.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Just pointing out how grim the funding situation is. If an institution fights you have no idea where future grants are coming from. Harvard won in court and is still telling researchers to cut everything 20% because they don’t know what happens next. Somehow everybody has to make it to Jan 2029
Yes I agree with this. The problem for grant-dependent researchers is that even if they win in court to get their illegally withheld funds, they’re sure to be denied any new grants by these corrupted agencies. 2026-2028 will be a killing field as institutions hemorrhage their research apparatus
November 29, 2025 at 4:13 PM
There. Is. No. Plan.
But the only way to communicate to voters, parents, students, etc. that there is no plan for cutting 20-25% of every R1 university's budget is for our university leaders to be out, loudly & collectively talking about this. The silence is maddening.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
But the only way to communicate to voters, parents, students, etc. that there is no plan for cutting 20-25% of every R1 university's budget is for our university leaders to be out, loudly & collectively talking about this. The silence is maddening.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Melanochromis auratus
Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Alligator mississippiensis
Fundulus heteroclitus
Americamysis bahia
Melanochromis auratus
Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Alligator mississippiensis
Fundulus heteroclitus
Americamysis bahia
November 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Melanochromis auratus
Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Alligator mississippiensis
Fundulus heteroclitus
Americamysis bahia
Melanochromis auratus
Labeotropheus fuelleborni
Alligator mississippiensis
Fundulus heteroclitus
Americamysis bahia
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
FOR NO REASON
Nat Sec think tanks, COIN heads, Great Power™ Commentators, Op-Ed Columnists with a security focus, anyone, are you going to say on TV that this has no basis and is absolutely bonkers?
Nat Sec think tanks, COIN heads, Great Power™ Commentators, Op-Ed Columnists with a security focus, anyone, are you going to say on TV that this has no basis and is absolutely bonkers?
The president is about to start a war for no real reason. All of the things he has blamed on the country he’s targeting — fentanyl distribution, “emptying the asylums” and sending patients to the U.S., alignment with Tren de Aragua— are provably, obviously false.
Lots of people are going to die.
Lots of people are going to die.
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM
FOR NO REASON
Nat Sec think tanks, COIN heads, Great Power™ Commentators, Op-Ed Columnists with a security focus, anyone, are you going to say on TV that this has no basis and is absolutely bonkers?
Nat Sec think tanks, COIN heads, Great Power™ Commentators, Op-Ed Columnists with a security focus, anyone, are you going to say on TV that this has no basis and is absolutely bonkers?
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
November 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
The Boston Globe identified the companies in Massachusetts that employ the most SNAP recipients. A key stat: "In Massachusetts, 74% of working-age recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are employed, half of them full-time."
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Full article: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/28/m...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
“The people whose rights are being violated don’t have a lot of power, and the people responsible for the pollution are huge mega corporations with a lot of power…And they’ve been getting away with this for decades now.”
'The Precedent Is Flint': How Oregon's Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon data centers constructed in eastern Oregon's farmland have worsened a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
www.rollingstone.com
November 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
“The people whose rights are being violated don’t have a lot of power, and the people responsible for the pollution are huge mega corporations with a lot of power…And they’ve been getting away with this for decades now.”
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable telling diplomats to destroy visas that had been approved and printed to give to Afghans. And diplomats are told to do scheduled interviews but not grant visas. US shuts all legal entry routes for Afghans. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/u...
Trump Pauses All Asylum Applications and Halts Visas for Afghans
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:02 AM
NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable telling diplomats to destroy visas that had been approved and printed to give to Afghans. And diplomats are told to do scheduled interviews but not grant visas. US shuts all legal entry routes for Afghans. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/u...
Political journalism parodies itself.
I really wish I had not already seen this argument made twice today.
Pete Hegseth, who I do not support, may have been wrong to murder those Venezuelan survivors, who I also do not support, but at least he didn’t do it with drones the way a shitlib would have.
by Glenn Greenwald
by Glenn Greenwald
November 29, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Political journalism parodies itself.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
“They won’t insure you,” Ms. Rojas said. “No one will buy from you. You’re kind of stuck where you are.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
A Climate ‘Shock’ Is Eroding Some Home Values. New Data Shows How Much. (Gift Article)
Changes in the insurance market have started to affect home prices in the most disaster-prone areas, new research finds, pushing some homeowners’ finances to the breaking point.
www.nytimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:20 PM
“They won’t insure you,” Ms. Rojas said. “No one will buy from you. You’re kind of stuck where you are.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Reporters who fact-check Trump to his face are not “stupid”, they are not “piggies”, and they are not “ugly”. They are doing their jobs, and doing it under pressure most of us will never experience.
We should be grateful for their service. I appreciate their courage now more than ever.
We should be grateful for their service. I appreciate their courage now more than ever.
November 28, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Reporters who fact-check Trump to his face are not “stupid”, they are not “piggies”, and they are not “ugly”. They are doing their jobs, and doing it under pressure most of us will never experience.
We should be grateful for their service. I appreciate their courage now more than ever.
We should be grateful for their service. I appreciate their courage now more than ever.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
This exact kind of lie, which is mothers milk to Republican politicians, should be punishable with prison time.
This came from the 2021 infrastructure bill signed by Biden. Mace voted against it.
November 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
This exact kind of lie, which is mothers milk to Republican politicians, should be punishable with prison time.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Since when does tRUmp care about limits to his authority?
Nevertheless, airlines must pay attention because liability to them attaches.
Nevertheless, airlines must pay attention because liability to them attaches.
Trump, with no authority to do so, demands the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela be closed as he threatens to bomb and invade the country.
November 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Since when does tRUmp care about limits to his authority?
Nevertheless, airlines must pay attention because liability to them attaches.
Nevertheless, airlines must pay attention because liability to them attaches.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
“In days after Alaska, a European intel agency distributed a hard-copy report in an envelope to some of the continent’s most senior national security officials, who were shocked by the contents: Inside were details of the commercial and economic plans the Trump admin had been pursuing with 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 5:44 AM
“In days after Alaska, a European intel agency distributed a hard-copy report in an envelope to some of the continent’s most senior national security officials, who were shocked by the contents: Inside were details of the commercial and economic plans the Trump admin had been pursuing with Russia.”
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Thanks for this.
Dems need to fund media ops.
Dems need to fund media ops.
November 29, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Thanks for this.
Dems need to fund media ops.
Dems need to fund media ops.
Sarcasm
Opinion | Time to rethink due process?
November 29, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Sarcasm
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Would love to ask the folks who lined up before dawn at Target for a swag bag “filled” with goodies and walked out with a reusable grocery bag and a pack of Uno cards, “how does it feel to get played?”
I honestly do not know why anyone is still loyal to that store. This is hilarious though 😂
I honestly do not know why anyone is still loyal to that store. This is hilarious though 😂
November 29, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Would love to ask the folks who lined up before dawn at Target for a swag bag “filled” with goodies and walked out with a reusable grocery bag and a pack of Uno cards, “how does it feel to get played?”
I honestly do not know why anyone is still loyal to that store. This is hilarious though 😂
I honestly do not know why anyone is still loyal to that store. This is hilarious though 😂
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
As someone who used to do graphic design I tell you that each print edition of The Onion is a joy for design parody. I first noticed this with one of my favorite read again and again books, their "Our Dumb Century" - period accurate mock ups of Onion front pages since the dawn of the 20th century.
Here's a note I sent to our members about what we did with their money, and why we expect the Onion to outgrow the Washington Post.
We keep doing weird, hard shit — taunting ICE, yelling at Congress for not taunting ICE, buying bad websites — when nobody else does.
Our members keep getting papers.
We keep doing weird, hard shit — taunting ICE, yelling at Congress for not taunting ICE, buying bad websites — when nobody else does.
Our members keep getting papers.
November 29, 2025 at 10:53 AM
As someone who used to do graphic design I tell you that each print edition of The Onion is a joy for design parody. I first noticed this with one of my favorite read again and again books, their "Our Dumb Century" - period accurate mock ups of Onion front pages since the dawn of the 20th century.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
We will be able to rebuild a constitutional order when Trump is deposed. But it will require rooting out the influence of billionaires, reinvigorating democratic decision making, and complete reform of the corrupted courts. We can do this.
November 29, 2025 at 4:25 PM
We will be able to rebuild a constitutional order when Trump is deposed. But it will require rooting out the influence of billionaires, reinvigorating democratic decision making, and complete reform of the corrupted courts. We can do this.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
Just in case you're wondering , this is considerably worse than what Trump did you get impeached the first time.
At some point in the future, Witkoff should be prosecuted for this.
November 29, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Just in case you're wondering , this is considerably worse than what Trump did you get impeached the first time.
Reposted by Julie H. Hotard Ph.D., Disinfo expert
NEW: As President Trump increases pressure on Colorado Governor Polis to free Tina Peters, a close ally of Peters is calling for Gov Polis and Attorney General Weiser to be executed.
MAGA podcaster Joe Oltmann called for the execution of several Colorado Democrats by name.
MAGA podcaster Joe Oltmann called for the execution of several Colorado Democrats by name.
November 25, 2025 at 2:50 AM
NEW: As President Trump increases pressure on Colorado Governor Polis to free Tina Peters, a close ally of Peters is calling for Gov Polis and Attorney General Weiser to be executed.
MAGA podcaster Joe Oltmann called for the execution of several Colorado Democrats by name.
MAGA podcaster Joe Oltmann called for the execution of several Colorado Democrats by name.