While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t exactly a favorite of the left, he has been at the forefront of state AI regulation, while the country’s executive branch takes the opposite stance.
President Trump has pushed to deregulate AI and force states to comply with federal policy. trib.al/W0jqVQC
Lectured about Francis Fukuyama today. Clearly I’m in fine end-of-semester form.
A web connecting early cast members of Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules (2013–)
Teaching a course on the history of reality TV is so much fun. 🗃️
This is baby.
A tweet from Pope Leo XIV that reads: “When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.”
Apparently the Pope has read Baudrillard.
I follow my sources!
Always great people-watching at the gym during history conferences. An eminent southern historian on the chest press! A well-regarded borderlands historian doing leg extensions! One of my professional nemeses exhibiting poor form on the treadmill! 🗃️
Thank you. I was honestly gobsmacked by what he said. THAT’S what you’re upset about, dude?! But given his performance at the OAH business meeting last year, I really shouldn’t be surprised.
Hopefully my clap-back wasn’t out of line!
Rachel in a black shirt and ball cap next to Jessica Jackson in a green floral top and Brendan Shanahan in a white button down outside a brick building
Ben Johnson in a Hutton down shirt and blazer, next to Rebecca Hill in a black blazer, next to Paul Remfro holding a peace sign in a black shirt with bright designs and Rachel in a yellow floral mask and yellow blazer
Civics Pod in a green shirt and black blazer next to Rachel in a black blouse and yellow mask as they both run to panels
Regina Alvarez in a green shirt and Rachel in a black blouse and baseball cap both holding ice creams
Had a fabulous day at #OAH2026
Congrats to Brendan Shanahan for winning the book prize! Was great to see him & Jessica Jackson!
Thanks to @renfro.bsky.social & @benjaminhjohns1.bsky.social for a great panel!
It was so nice to meet @civicspod.bsky.social in the elevator too!
“Dangerous Ideas: Academic Freedom and the Assault on High Education” is underway here at the OAH. 🗃️
This was the second mass shooting on my campus in eleven years. Several of the students in my US since 1945 class that semester had lived through the shooting at Parkland High School in February 2018. Please join me in envisioning a world without gun violence and the hatred that animates it. 2/2
A year ago today, my University’s campus dining coordinator, Robert Morales, and a campus dining vendor, Tiru Chabba, were shot and killed on campus by an FSU student. The accused assailant had long espoused far-right, white-power, and antigay views, and he was an avid Donald Trump supporter. 1/
Full house at Wooden Shoe Books for a discussion related to @stschrader1.bsky.social’s new book BLUE POWER.
One of the first things I thought about when I landed in Philly yesterday was John Fetterman. I’m too online!
“The New York Times The Morning: Your dog is dumb Plus, national security, Al and the war in Sudan...”
A truly depraved news media organization.
April 13, 2026 – Online sports betting is growing as a facet of American life, with 27% of Americans and half of men ages 18-49 (52%) saying they have an active account with an online sportsbook such as DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, or BetMGM, according to a new survey of United States residents released today by the Siena Research Institute (SRI) and St. Bonaventure University’s Jandoli School of Communication. This trend is up from 22% of Americans in 2025 and 19% in 2024, showing a slow but steady increase in online sports betting interest over the past few years of the survey. A third of Americans (33%) say they have opened an account at least once.
52% of US men between the ages of 18-49 have an active sports betting account.
This is what you get when the sports/media complex goes all-in on gambling.
Hard to overstate how troubling a development this is for fans and athletes alike.
sri.siena.edu/2026/04/13/m...
BREAKING: A handful of FIU students have been hit with conduct charges after holding an anti-ICE protest on campus.
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/fiu-inv...
“Hi Paul — you've been elected UFF-FSU Senator, congrats! Would you kindly forward a non-FSU email? Thanks!”
RIGGED
A New York Post headline that reads: “Eric Swalwell’s shameful meltdown: rape claims, spy scandal, farting on MSNBC”
It’s MSNOW, okay?!
Lectured about the end of the Cold War in my 1980s class this afternoon.
“Key physical and technical enhancements across our campus in the past 12 months include: • Active assailant buttons: We have installed panic and lockdown buttons in 700 academic classrooms. These include blue "Panic Buttons" for silent alerts to FSU Police dispatch and yellow "Lockdown Buttons" that automatically lock classroom doors to prevent outside entry. (Doors can be opened by occupants inside.) • Facility hardening: We have replaced 217 doors and 600 locks to improve ease of operation and to allow for faster, more reliable securing of classrooms during emergencies.”
“Enhanced technology: Our security network features more than 2,000 cameras and 100 license plate readers. We are continuing to expand this network, including the use of new tools, such as drones, to strengthen situational awareness and response capabilities. Regional collaboration: We are working closely with our local law enforcement partners, including the Tallahassee Police Department and Leon County Sheriff’s Office, through the award-winning Capital Regional Real Time Crime Center. We also have enhanced collaboration with our partners through joint trainings and mutual aid agreements to ensure a coordinated response to any emergency. “
Bleak!
Had a great launch for the @scquarterly.bsky.social country music issue with Rissi Palmer and Frankie Staton. Good reminder that not all in the world is terrible.
My “We operate under US law” sign has people asking a lot of questions already answered by my sign.
What a fucking psychopath.
Just learned that Rory McIlroy is an only child. WE ARE EVERYWHERE!
It is, thankfully—for now.
A proud day for the North of Ireland!