Naomi Schalit
@democracyeditor.bsky.social
Senior Politics & Democracy Editor, @us.theconversation.com; co-founder w/hubby John Christie of The Maine Monitor. Family of journos & writers. We proofread menus.
ICE says it only needs an administrative, not judicial, warrant, to enter a home and arrest someone. Former federal judge & Dickinson College President John E. Jones III says that turns settled law "on its head" - it's unconstitutional theconversation.com/we-want-you-...
‘We want you arrested because we said so’ – how ICE’s policy on raiding whatever homes it wants violates a basic constitutional right, according to a former federal judge
Since the republic’s beginning, it has been uncontested law that to invade someone’s home, the government needs a warrant reviewed and signed by a judicial officer. ICE is turning that law on its head...
theconversation.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:41 PM
ICE says it only needs an administrative, not judicial, warrant, to enter a home and arrest someone. Former federal judge & Dickinson College President John E. Jones III says that turns settled law "on its head" - it's unconstitutional theconversation.com/we-want-you-...
Can democracy tolerate persuasion? Sam Martin writes "the constitutional tradition of free speech says go ahead and speak. The alternative is a politics in which the state survives by making dissenters illegitimate as citizens. That’s what happened to Renée Good" theconversation.com/a-government...
A government can choose to investigate the killing of a protester − or choose to blame the victim and pin it all on ‘domestic terrorism’
Renee Good’s death was the consequence, writes a First Amendment scholar, of a kind of politics in which the state survives by making dissenters illegitimate as citizens.
theconversation.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Can democracy tolerate persuasion? Sam Martin writes "the constitutional tradition of free speech says go ahead and speak. The alternative is a politics in which the state survives by making dissenters illegitimate as citizens. That’s what happened to Renée Good" theconversation.com/a-government...
Tracing the history of US alliances since the American Revolution, former diplomat Don Heflin @fletcherschool.bsky.social asks whether Trump will now abandon the fruitful postwar cooperation that characterized the 20th century theconversation.com/trumps-green...
Trump’s Greenland ambitions could wreck 20th-century alliances that helped build the modern world order
How the US treats its allies has been a crucial question for every president. What evolved over the centuries into an official embrace of friendly nations is now being reversed by Donald Trump.
theconversation.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Tracing the history of US alliances since the American Revolution, former diplomat Don Heflin @fletcherschool.bsky.social asks whether Trump will now abandon the fruitful postwar cooperation that characterized the 20th century theconversation.com/trumps-green...
Does Trump have the authority to send the military into US cities? asks con law expert Jennifer Selin. "The answer to this question involves a web of legal provisions that ... simultaneously try to balance presidential power with the power of state leaders" theconversation.com/the-insurrec...
The Insurrection Act is one of at least 26 legal loopholes in the law banning the use of the US military domestically
Can the president use the Insurrection Act and send the military into U.S. cities? A web of legal provisions try to balance presidential power with the power of state leaders.
theconversation.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Does Trump have the authority to send the military into US cities? asks con law expert Jennifer Selin. "The answer to this question involves a web of legal provisions that ... simultaneously try to balance presidential power with the power of state leaders" theconversation.com/the-insurrec...
On a day when the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter's home, here's a story about how "most modern autocrats have worked to silence free speech and crush independent media," writes Konstantin Zhukov theconversation.com/searching-re...
Searching reporters’ homes, suing journalists and repressing citizen dissent are well-known steps toward autocracy
President Donald Trump’s threats against independent media and free speech look a lot like the actions of autocrats elsewhere intent on undermining the institutions meant to keep them in check.
theconversation.com
January 14, 2026 at 5:53 PM
On a day when the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter's home, here's a story about how "most modern autocrats have worked to silence free speech and crush independent media," writes Konstantin Zhukov theconversation.com/searching-re...
Maurizio Valsania: how Trump's harsh vision of US national interest diverges from Washington's respectful, modest one "Washington...forged a vision that treated restraint, not self-justifying unilateralism, as the truest measure of American national interest" theconversation.com/george-washi....
George Washington’s foreign policy was built on respect for other nations and patient consideration of future burdens
For the nation’s first president, friendliness was strategy, not concession: the republic would treat other nations with civility in order to remain independent of their appetites and quarrels.
theconversation.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Maurizio Valsania: how Trump's harsh vision of US national interest diverges from Washington's respectful, modest one "Washington...forged a vision that treated restraint, not self-justifying unilateralism, as the truest measure of American national interest" theconversation.com/george-washi....
"For Congress’ most intricate issues" -- especially health care -- "rank-and-file members do not have the time, resources or, frankly, the interest to dedicate to meaningful problem-solving," writes SoRelle Wykoff Gaynor theconversation.com/congress-tak...
Congress takes up health care again − and impatient voters shouldn’t hold their breath for a cure
Why does health care reform keep failing despite decades of attention and expanding costs? A scholar of Congress has some answers.
theconversation.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:05 PM
"For Congress’ most intricate issues" -- especially health care -- "rank-and-file members do not have the time, resources or, frankly, the interest to dedicate to meaningful problem-solving," writes SoRelle Wykoff Gaynor theconversation.com/congress-tak...
What's next? "Perhaps no one outside of Venezuela or Cuba should care more about the U.S. capture of nominal President Nicolás Maduro than the Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei," writes Aaron Pilkington @uofdenver.bsky.social theconversation.com/today-venezu...
Today Venezuela, tomorrow Iran: can the Islamic Republic survive a second Trump presidency?
Perhaps no one outside of Venezuela should care more about the US invasion and capture of President Nicolás Maduro than the Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
theconversation.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:13 PM
What's next? "Perhaps no one outside of Venezuela or Cuba should care more about the U.S. capture of nominal President Nicolás Maduro than the Islamic Republic of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei," writes Aaron Pilkington @uofdenver.bsky.social theconversation.com/today-venezu...
"Removing a leader – even a brutal one – is not the same as advancing a legitimate political order," says Monica Duffy Toft @fletcherschool.bsky.social. Force "may deliver short-term obedience, but is a counterproductive strategy for building durable power" theconversation.com/can-the-us-r...
Can the US ‘run’ Venezuela? Military force can topple a dictator, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy
If Washington governs by force in Venezuela, it will repeat the failures of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya: Power can topple regimes, but it cannot create political authority or legitimacy.
theconversation.com
January 5, 2026 at 12:42 PM
"Removing a leader – even a brutal one – is not the same as advancing a legitimate political order," says Monica Duffy Toft @fletcherschool.bsky.social. Force "may deliver short-term obedience, but is a counterproductive strategy for building durable power" theconversation.com/can-the-us-r...
So did an editor miss this (clear/unclear), or was it on purpose: “…Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday made it clear that it is somewhat unclear what’s next for the Latin American country” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Rubio remains vague on transition plan for Venezuela
“We want Venezuela to move in a certain direction, because not only do we think it's good for the people of Venezuela, it's in our national interest,” he says.
www.politico.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:02 PM
So did an editor miss this (clear/unclear), or was it on purpose: “…Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday made it clear that it is somewhat unclear what’s next for the Latin American country” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Congress has "a legal, constitutional, one might even say moral, responsibility to assert themselves as a branch" and say, “We have a role here" says war powers expert Sarah Burns in an interview with me about the US attack on Venezuela theconversation.com/i-wrote-a-bo...
I wrote a book on the politics of war powers, and Trump’s attack on Venezuela reflects Congress surrendering its decision-making powers
Congress has a legal, constitutional and even moral responsibility to assert itself as a branch when it comes to military actions by the US, says an expert on war powers.
theconversation.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Congress has "a legal, constitutional, one might even say moral, responsibility to assert themselves as a branch" and say, “We have a role here" says war powers expert Sarah Burns in an interview with me about the US attack on Venezuela theconversation.com/i-wrote-a-bo...
With more Trump administration pressure on the Smithsonian this week to sanitize US history, George Orwell, via historian Laura Beers, helps you understand what's going on: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” theconversation.com/the-orwellia...
The Orwellian echoes in Trump’s push for ‘Americanism’ at the Smithsonian
Donald Trump aims to rewrite America’s official history, including at one of the nation’s key sites of public history-making: the Smithsonian. George Orwell would recognize Trump’s impulse.
theconversation.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
With more Trump administration pressure on the Smithsonian this week to sanitize US history, George Orwell, via historian Laura Beers, helps you understand what's going on: “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” theconversation.com/the-orwellia...
Headlines in the past focused on unidentified elites who may be exposed or embarrassed, rather than on the people whose suffering made the case newsworthy in the first place: the girls and young women Epstein abused and trafficked, writes Sam Martin at Boise State theconversation.com/as-doj-begin...
As DOJ begins to release Epstein files, his many victims deserve more attention than the powerful men in his ‘client list’
Powerful men connected to Jeffrey Epstein are named, dissected and speculated about. The survivors, unless they work hard to step forward, remain a blurred mass in the background.
theconversation.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Headlines in the past focused on unidentified elites who may be exposed or embarrassed, rather than on the people whose suffering made the case newsworthy in the first place: the girls and young women Epstein abused and trafficked, writes Sam Martin at Boise State theconversation.com/as-doj-begin...
Are Americans about to be led again into a war with Venezuela based on misrepresentations and lies? It’s happened before, writes Betty Medsger, who describes the run-ups to the wars in Iraq and Vietnam theconversation.com/deception-an...
Deception and lies from the White House to justify a war in Venezuela? We’ve seen this movie before in run-ups to wars in Vietnam and Iraq
Two US wars based on lies, in which tens of thousands of American troops and millions of civilians died, offer a cautionary tale about the rush to war.
theconversation.com
December 19, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Are Americans about to be led again into a war with Venezuela based on misrepresentations and lies? It’s happened before, writes Betty Medsger, who describes the run-ups to the wars in Iraq and Vietnam theconversation.com/deception-an...
What to do when Orwell is all I can think of while watching Karoline Leavitt? Ask Orwell expert @fieryparticle.bsky.social
to analyze the "transparency," doublespeak, doublethink & constant reminders of “WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
to analyze the "transparency," doublespeak, doublethink & constant reminders of “WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s ‘1984’
A historian analyzes how White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claims about her boss and his administration are ‘doublespeak’ straight out of the pages of George Orwell’s ‘1984.’
theconversation.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:55 PM
What to do when Orwell is all I can think of while watching Karoline Leavitt? Ask Orwell expert @fieryparticle.bsky.social
to analyze the "transparency," doublespeak, doublethink & constant reminders of “WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
to analyze the "transparency," doublespeak, doublethink & constant reminders of “WAR IS PEACE; FREEDOM IS SLAVERY; IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH” theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
Orwell expert @fieryparticle.bsky.social finds the Orwell in Karoline Leavitt's White House briefings: "In Leavitt’s usage, “transparency” has become a form of Orwellian “doublespeak,” a word or phrase ...that... had come to encompass its exact opposite meaning" theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
Karoline Leavitt’s White House briefing doublethink is straight out of Orwell’s 1984
A historian analyzes how White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claims about her boss and his administration are ‘doublespeak’ straight out of the pages of George Orwell’s ‘1984.’
theconversation.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Orwell expert @fieryparticle.bsky.social finds the Orwell in Karoline Leavitt's White House briefings: "In Leavitt’s usage, “transparency” has become a form of Orwellian “doublespeak,” a word or phrase ...that... had come to encompass its exact opposite meaning" theconversation.com/karoline-lea...
Headlines about the Epstein files "focus on unidentified elites and who may be exposed or embarrassed, rather than on the people whose suffering made the case newsworthy in the 1st place: the girls and young women Epstein abused and trafficked," writes Sam Martin theconversation.com/epsteins-vic...
Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’
Powerful men connected to Jeffrey Epstein are named, dissected and speculated about. The survivors, unless they work hard to step forward, remain a blurred mass in the background.
theconversation.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Headlines about the Epstein files "focus on unidentified elites and who may be exposed or embarrassed, rather than on the people whose suffering made the case newsworthy in the 1st place: the girls and young women Epstein abused and trafficked," writes Sam Martin theconversation.com/epsteins-vic...
As reporters and the public wait breathlessly for more Epstein files to be released by the end of this week, Sam Martin says Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’ theconversation.com/epsteins-vic...
Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’
Powerful men connected to Jeffrey Epstein are named, dissected and speculated about. The survivors, unless they work hard to step forward, remain a blurred mass in the background.
theconversation.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:00 PM
As reporters and the public wait breathlessly for more Epstein files to be released by the end of this week, Sam Martin says Epstein’s victims deserve more attention than his ‘client list’ theconversation.com/epsteins-vic...
Trump politics infect the US Mint's America 250 coins sethographer.bsky.social writes. "The Black Abolition, Women’s Suffrage & Civil Rights quarters were replaced with quarters that commemorate the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War & the Gettysburg Address" theconversation.com/trump-admini...
Trump administration replaces America 250 quarters honoring abolition and women’s suffrage with Mayflower and Gettysburg designs
US coins showcase American identity and public memory through their designs. The America 250 coins just unveiled reflect the nation’s divided politics and history.
theconversation.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Trump politics infect the US Mint's America 250 coins sethographer.bsky.social writes. "The Black Abolition, Women’s Suffrage & Civil Rights quarters were replaced with quarters that commemorate the Mayflower Compact, Revolutionary War & the Gettysburg Address" theconversation.com/trump-admini...
"My takeaway as an American citizen and as a former judge is that at bottom, President Trump simply lacks respect for our system of justice. The president believes the law is whatever he says it is" -- Dickinson College President John E. Jones III
theconversation.com/as-a-former-...
theconversation.com/as-a-former-...
As a former federal judge, I’m concerned by a year of challenges to the US justice system
A university president who’s a former federal judge looks at the rule of law and the Trump administration’s first year, concluding the president ‘simply lacks respect for our system of justice.’
theconversation.com
December 11, 2025 at 8:21 PM
"My takeaway as an American citizen and as a former judge is that at bottom, President Trump simply lacks respect for our system of justice. The president believes the law is whatever he says it is" -- Dickinson College President John E. Jones III
theconversation.com/as-a-former-...
theconversation.com/as-a-former-...
Reposted by Naomi Schalit
Here's TCUS's version. @democracyeditor.bsky.social and I both edited this piece, so you know it's going to make the necessary connections reproductive rights and the state of U.S. democracy.
2026’s abortion battles will be fought more in courthouses and FDA offices than at the voting booth
Judges and federal regulators will make significant decisions over Americans’ reproductive rights.
theconversation.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Here's TCUS's version. @democracyeditor.bsky.social and I both edited this piece, so you know it's going to make the necessary connections reproductive rights and the state of U.S. democracy.
Too many words, people. While there are great Substacks to read right now, as a reader, writer and editor, I beg all of you to get an editor and cut your content down by half. I promise you, you can say it in 750 words.
December 7, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Too many words, people. While there are great Substacks to read right now, as a reader, writer and editor, I beg all of you to get an editor and cut your content down by half. I promise you, you can say it in 750 words.
The 5 different ways to "hold accountable those who ordered and carried out the...operation in the Caribbean that killed two survivors of an earlier attack," laid out by military law scholar Josh Kastenberg, who spent 20 years as a lawyer & judge in the Air Force theconversation.com/pete-hegseth...
Pete Hegseth could be investigated for illegal orders by 5 different bodies – but none are likely to lead to charges
Allegations are swirling around a US military strike on an alleged drug boat that resulted in 2 civilian deaths. A military law scholar outlines how facts and accountability can be determined.
theconversation.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:26 PM
The 5 different ways to "hold accountable those who ordered and carried out the...operation in the Caribbean that killed two survivors of an earlier attack," laid out by military law scholar Josh Kastenberg, who spent 20 years as a lawyer & judge in the Air Force theconversation.com/pete-hegseth...
House Speaker Mike Johnson's in trouble with a growing number of his frustrated GOP colleagues. Is it because he's been giving away the House's power to President Donald Trump? theconversation.com/speaker-john...
Speaker Johnson’s choice to lead by following the president goes against 200 years of House speakers building up the office’s power
The founders’ vision of the speaker of the House – a nonpartisan moderator and referee – has yielded to a far more powerful position. But has Speaker Mike Johnson given away his chamber’s power?
theconversation.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:31 PM
House Speaker Mike Johnson's in trouble with a growing number of his frustrated GOP colleagues. Is it because he's been giving away the House's power to President Donald Trump? theconversation.com/speaker-john...
Giving it away: Most speakers, says UVA's SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, worked "to strengthen the position & power of Congress; Johnson’s choice to lead by following President Trump drifts the position further from the framers’ vision of congressional primacy" theconversation.com/speaker-john...
Speaker Johnson’s choice to lead by following the president goes against 200 years of House speakers building up the office’s power
The founders’ vision of the speaker of the House – a nonpartisan moderator and referee – has yielded to a far more powerful position. But has Speaker Mike Johnson given away his chamber’s power?
theconversation.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Giving it away: Most speakers, says UVA's SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, worked "to strengthen the position & power of Congress; Johnson’s choice to lead by following President Trump drifts the position further from the framers’ vision of congressional primacy" theconversation.com/speaker-john...