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Mark Rice

@markricehistory.bsky.social

1.2K followers 520 following 560 posts

Associate professor of history at Baruch College and the CUNY Graduate Center. Author of Making Machu Picchu/Destino Machu Picchu. Fulbright scholar. Department chair. https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/markrice1/

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Economics 18%

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Vasabjit Banerjee @vasabjit.bsky.social · 9h

I think that many of us don't know the extent of the Venezuelan refugee crisis. It is destabilizing a bunch of regional countries. 1/n

The illustration is from this recent article.

www.migrationpolicy.org/article/lati...

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Reposted by Mark Rice

shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 19h

it actually offends me how sloppy and careless they are. anyone who’s ever been laid off knows the panic you feel when it happens. and while obviously it’s good that they backtracked, these are people’s fucking LIVELIHOODS they’re messing with.

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Mark Rice, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 21h

Yikes?

Reporters: I hope you are digging into this hard.

I can imagine this meaning they are trying to rebuild trust among Republicans (which would be great!). I can also imagine much more worrisome possibilities.

Sky Marchini @sky.skymarchini.net · 22h

So dominion voting got sold, look at this fascinating statement from their new owner (not to doom but this is, uh, suboptimal). www.dominionvoting.com

(Dominion voting website now redirecting to libertyvote.com with the following statement:)

Our Promise.
-
My Fellow Americans,
Today, I am proud to announce Liberty Vote - a 100% American-owned election technology company dedicated to restoring trust in our elections. Our mission is clear: every vote must be secure, fair, and verifiable.
I have spent my life working to strengthen America's elections. That commitment began years ago, in the aftermath of the 2000 election, when I worked for the Missouri Secretary of State. Later, as Election Director in St. Louis, I led the effort to modernize outdated systems and rebuild public trust. Eventually, I founded an election technology company that today serves nearly one in four voters nationwide.
With Liberty Vote, we are building on that legacy. We are turning the page and beginning the vital work of restoring faith in American elections. While these changes will not happen overnight, Liberty Vote's mission is rooted in American values and committed to transparency, independent audits, and verifiable paper records.
Our purpose is simple: to ensure that America's elections are secure, fair, and honest.
Scott Leiendecker
Founder and Chairman, Liberty Vote

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 22h

It’s no wonder that Trump has such a twisted view of war and sacrifice. And the utility of bribes.

Donald was seven years old, and his father was brought before a U.S. Senate committee investigating abuses in a housing program for war veterans and middle class families. President Eisenhower had been outraged to learn of the bribes that developers paid to bureaucrats and of the alleged profiteering practiced by Trump and others. Ike called them "sons of bitches."
As federal investigators had discovered, the elder Trump had collected an extra $1.7 million in rent-equivalent to $15 million today-before beginning to pay back his low-cost government loan. He was able to do this because a bureaucrat named Clyde Powell approved the paperwork.
Powell, who had never been paid more than a modest government salary, had mysteriously amassed a small fortune. (While it was clear Powell accepted bribes, the sources were never officially identified.) In addition to collecting the extra rent, Trump paid himself a substantial architect's fee. And he charged inflated rents based on an estimate of construction costs that was far greater than what he actually spent. All of this was legal, even if it did victimize taxpayers, veterans, and other renters.

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 22h

Mad king watch: when *RFK Jr.* is telling you to stop with the vaccine crazy talk www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

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Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Will Jennings, Sanford F. Schram , and 6 more Ben H. Ansell, Will Jennings, Sanford F. Schram, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, James Goodwin, Mark Rice, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Nathan P. Kalmoe

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 23h

vought's view is that the president is an elected dictator and lo and behold he is seizing outright the power of the purse

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 23h

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

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Rich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 1d

Chicago priest Fr. Larry Dowling describes procession to ICE facility: “No one had the courage to speak directly to us. No one from Homeland Security could stand in the presence of the Monstrance holding the Blessed Sacrament. No wonder. Evil is repelled, recoils in the presence of Christ.”

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Michael D. McDonald, Mark Rice , and 2 more Will Jennings, Michael D. McDonald, Mark Rice, Timothy D. McBride, David Darmofal

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

Illinois law requires all registered vehicles to display front and back license plates, without exception. But to evade accountability, masked federal immigration agents are driving around in unmarked cars without plates.
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...?

Federal immigration officers wear masks, no name tags — now some drive cars without license plates

The Sun-Times has documented four unmarked cars carrying federal officers without required plates, offering another way to shield their identities. Federal officials say they’re meeting regulations.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Reposted by Juan Cole, Bessma Momani, Mark Rice , and 1 more Juan Cole, Bessma Momani, Mark Rice, Simon Lester

Mohamad Bazzi @mbazzi.bsky.social · 1d

An underreported aspect of the Gaza ceasefire: The business deals that Trump's family made with Gulf Arab states gave Trump a personal stake in restraining Netanyahu — my piece @theguardian.com | www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 1d

America right now: what if the worst person you know who was also the dumbest person you know was in charge of a critical government agency?

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Steve Hofstetter @stevehofstetter.bsky.social · 1d

More than half of ALL government shut down days in the history of America have come under just one president.

Simply put, the man is a terrible leader.

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Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Mark Rice

Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 1d

CDC has been a global leader in public health & played a key role in smallpox eradication. Health depts in red states & blue states rely on CDC expertise & support. The CDC EIS program trains the next generation of public health leaders & disease detectives.

They are burning it to the ground.

JAMA Health Forum Oct 9, 2025 by LO Gostin and P Lurie.
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long served as the cornerstone of the US
public health system, combining technical expertise, evidence-based policy recommendations, and high-quality health information. Yet, it is undergoing profound weakening by the Trump administration, including major funding cuts, the dismissal and resignation of experienced senior staff, and the erosion of its scientific independence. With tightening political control, public trust in
the CDC is diminishing. Undermining the agency’s reputation and capacities will reverberate for generations, making the nation less prepared for future health emergencies, including diseases of
pandemic potential. At this perilous moment, we document the current assault on the CDC that will inevitably have serious repercussion

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Reposted by Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Mark Rice

Devin Judge-Lord @judgelord.bsky.social · 1d

IRS layoffs are costly for the U.S., redistributing wealth to the top 1% (who lie on their taxes at jaw-dropping rates).

The bottom 99% generally pay their taxes. cepr.org/voxeu/column...

Taxes evaded as a percent of taxes owed from a study showing that the 99th wealth percentile and above evade significantly more taxes than everyone else. The richest evade 25% of the taxes they owe on average. The bottom 95% evade less than 3% of their taxes on average. While these data are from Scandinavia, similar patterns are likely in other countries, including the U.S.

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Reposted by Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner , and 2 more Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Mark Rice, David Spurrett

◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 1d

HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

HUD Issues Layoff Notices, Targeting Fair Housing Staff With Deep Cuts

Fair housing staffers who investigate claims of housing discrimination at field offices nationwide were among the hundreds of HUD staffers who received layoff notices.

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Martin Paul Eve, Richard Waite, David Rosnick , and 3 more Martin Paul Eve, Richard Waite, David Rosnick, Mark Rice, Annette Yoshiko Reed, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 1d

every single tech idea is like “soon our robots will be capable of playing catch with your kid, freeing you up to spend more time working on your employers’ spreadsheets”

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Reposted by Mirco Tonin, Mark Rice, Evan Roberts

David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 1d

Deep dive into the surge in US pedestrian deaths:

"It’s not that more pedestrians are getting hit by vehicles; it’s that the ones that are getting hit are more likely to die."

"[That] seems like fairly strong evidence for the theory that the rise in large SUVs is behind the uptick in ped deaths."

Why Are So Many Pedestrians Killed by Cars in the US?

It’s unfortunately not uncommon for pedestrians to be killed by cars in the US.

www.construction-physics.com

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Reposted by Mark Rice, David Szakonyi

Unusual Whales @unusualwhales.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Look at this.

A new crypto account was opened yesterday morning.

30 minutes BEFORE Trump's announcement of 100% tariffs on China, it added a huge multi-million dollar levered Bitcoin short position, per YF.

The market dumped.

The trader made +$192 million in two hours.

Unusual.

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Reposted by Philip Nel, Sanford F. Schram, Mark Rice

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

This week, MAGA figures claimed Kristi Noem "stared down" violent antifa protesters in Portland. Turns out they were talking mostly about a guy in a chicken suit.

This episode opens a window into how MAGA propaganda works and MSM failure to handle it. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2016...

MAGA Implodes over Kristi Noem’s “Stare Down” with Man in Chicken Suit

A good New York Times piece on Portland nevertheless demonstrates how the conventions of objective reporting fail to accurately capture the bad faith driving pro-Trump propaganda.

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Laia Balcells, Michael Kevane, Iikka Korhonen , and 5 more Laia Balcells, Michael Kevane, Iikka Korhonen, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Mark Rice, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 1d

Military families on day 9 of the shutdown lining up at the food bank

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Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Lisa W. Fazio, Nandita Sharma , and 36 more Shannon Vallor, Lisa W. Fazio, Nandita Sharma, Jonathan A. Eisen, Jocalyn Clark, Will Jennings, Jennifer A. Richeson, Julie L. Lockwood, Karen R. Lips, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Benjamin Mason Meier, Philip N. Cohen, Philip Nel, Daniel W. Drezner, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert C. Richards, Alan Richardson, Silvia Secchi, Aaron Sojourner, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Margot C. Finn, Jason Lyall, Mark Rice, Kent Johnson, Brian Weatherson, Mary Jane Curry, Claire L. Adida, Larry W. Hunter, Emily Evans, Richard M. Carpiano, David S. Tanenhaus, Aviel Roshwald, Jae-Young Son, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Timothy D. McBride, Melinda Baldwin, David Darmofal

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Eric Goldman , and 6 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Eric Goldman, Jane E. Fountain, Anders Nilsson, Michael D. McDonald, Mark Rice, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 1d

Huh: TikTok took down my 8-second video featuring this image of Debbie Brockman — the news producer just detained by Trump’s CBP agents — saying it violates the “joy of TikTok”

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Mark Rice

tony romm @tonyromm.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: It looks like the number of federal layoffs -- so far -- is over 4,000, we've learned from court documents

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

White House Signals Federal Layoffs Have Begun During Government Shutdown

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Scott A. Imberman, Mark Rice

Matt Peterson @mattpeterson.bsky.social · 1d

China put Trump in a corner. Every way out hurts. www.barrons.com/articles/chi...

China's latest threat to clamp down on exports of rare earths appears to have blindsided President Donald Trump. The Chinese plan "came out of nowhere," Trump said Friday in a social media post.
"Nobody has ever seen anything like this."
Beijing's escalation of the trade fight has put the Trump administration on the backfoot at a moment of weakness. China's actions show that the U.S. is vulnerable to economic pressure, and China has forced the administration to choose between further escalation or a humiliating climbdown.

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Reposted by Mark Rice

Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 2d

It’s true that some MAGA supporters are losing faith in Trump and expressing frustration. But evidence and trends suggest they’re flocking to explicit Fascists and growing more radicalized.

We can’t just sit back and hope. We have to fight.

jaredyatessexton.substack.com/p/where-its-...

Where It's All Heading: The Fascist Right Post-Trump

Watching parts of the Right grow weary of Trump might be hopeful, but without needed change the situation will only worsen

jaredyatessexton.substack.com

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Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 2d

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Reposted by Mark Rice, Henry Jones

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 2d

"Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago"

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

Important reporting from @swin24.bsky.social:

Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

zeteo.com

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Reposted by Mark Rice, Federico Finchelstein

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 2d

Stephen Miller just said that Chicago ICE raid was one of the most successful law enforcement operations ever. I asked Pritzker to respond.

"If this was Pinochet’s Chile, if this was Argentina under authoritarian rule, maybe you’d call it successful," he said. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Mark Rice @markricehistory.bsky.social · 2d

The Peruvian congress might be the most reviled legislative body in the world. Yet even they felt the need to take some action in the wake of high profile gun violence.

Says a lot about the moral bankruptcy of US politics... www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/w...

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Mark Rice

Steph💖 @nosoyungato.bsky.social · 2d

Después de todo el circo de anoche, no olvidemos cómo se dieron los intentos de vacancia anteriores
ojo-publico.com/ultimas-noti...

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