Prof. Carl LeVan

New minority report from the House Judiciary Committee lists five women who have accused Trump “of raping or sexually assaulting them” in the company of Jeffrey Epstein. www.politico.com/live-updates...

Just in caae our team loses, we want to block the results, even though we have no constitutional authority to do so since states run elections: "DOJ seeks to block Alaska Senate result if Republican incumbent narrowly loses" www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

that's real weird because there were Maine Indivisible groups in your office every single day during the Kavanaugh confirmation repeatedly telling you he was going to do exactly that

Would Trump accept GOP midterm losses? 7 in 10 Americans doubt it. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

This is what #corruption looks like: "Ordinary political giving requires public disclosure and is subject to campaign finance rules. The ballroom donations are collected by a nonprofit and then channeled to the government and into a White House account the president directly controls."

Trump said he was paying for the ballroom but he isn't; the White House disclosed 37 of the donors. The @washingtonpost.com found the other 30 donors who were hidden from the public. They "have benefited from regulatory decisions, government contracts and, in one case, a pardon for a family member."

Great to have my friend and colleague Prof Isumonah from University of Ibadan #Nigeria visiting to meet with my PhD students, speak to my undergrad class about the challenges of doing interviews in the Niger Delta, and share memories about his excellent contribution to my co-edited Oxford Handbook.

I would say it's a scandal a day here in Washington, with Homeland Security raiding the home of a sitting member of Congress in the opposition. But I wouldn't want you to miss this: "Kimberly Guilfoyle is out as U.S. ambassador to Greece" www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Truly excellent reporting here by @washingtonpost.com. About two dozen former DOGE staffers are now profiting from federal government contracts and contracts, bringing in at least half a BILLION dollars from the govt (the "swamp") they once dismantled for being corrupt and bloated. wapo.st/4yF1Kml

Joining AOC effectively, Chris Rock says woke 1.0 was like the Old Testament, where there was no forgiveness. (I would have loved to hear this about five years ago) www.nytimes.com/video/podcas...

Federal Bureau of Investigation is now engaged in political campaigns. Aligns with my research on the huge risks to democracy when nonpartisan institutions are so openly politicized. Here's the interesting question: why isn't Trump worried about how a Democratic president might use FBI in 2029?

Cynthia Mbalu @nedemocracy.bsky.social 84% #Nigeria ns want to vote but confidence in electoral commission INEC low. Fear of violence major deterrent to voting. From Yiaga polls. Also frustration that only 16.5% youth candidates, and hardly any women. #Africa #Democracy

US focus on Christians not helpful. Gives people a special disposition and treatment. Violence affects so many groups, and Abuja peacebuiling groups will tell you that

'Kemi Okenyodo on #Nigeria elections at @nedemocracy.bsky.social - we see large scale displacement, greater pressure on informal IDP camps because formally they don't exist, so risk of disenfranchisement. Campaigns not reaching them, unclear plans for their safety. Safety often mistaken for apathy

Ken Wallach at @nedemocracy.bsky.social - #Nigeria civil society has improved election monitoring, stopped an illegal 3rd term. And judiciary has overturned some fraud. Yet 2023 observers highlighted divisive rhetoric, sectarian violence, and historically low turnout. Much therefore at stake 2027.

In memoriam: Read Jamal Khashoggi’s columns for The Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-...

Senator’s basketball mix-up derails ‘gotcha’ moment at Jack Smith hearing www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Xi just visited Washington week. If you want background on China's foreign policy and #autocratization, there's a great resource now missing from the International Republican Institute's website "The Authoritarian Nexus: How #Russia and #China undermine democracy worldwide."

The military junta in #Niger faced a coup attempt this week. In the spirit of sovereignty and nationalism in resistance to foreign imperialism, General Tiani called upon Russia to save his regime (which too many analysts are quick to believe is popular). www.worldpoliticsreview.com/niger-coup-j...

The taxpayer-funded pro-Trump ad "is an astonishing misuse of public resources in the campaign context," @danw329.bsky.social told @wsj.com.

This picture, from the viewing of the new #Nigeria film "MKO" at @americanuniversity.bsky.social means a lot to me. Adotei Akwei lobbied me 30 years ago on Cap Hill about Abacha killing Oogoni environmental activists in Niger Delta. Nneka Achapu is part of a new generation of #humanrights leaders

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson implored her Supreme Court colleagues to dip into emergency docket cases less frequently, warning that it is imposing “institutional costs.”

The costs of food and fuel are up in the US. The party that campaigned on "family values" in the 1990s is ordering ICE to separate parents from children, and 760,000 people just lost their health care. Join @ips-dc.org for a discussion of this "perfect storm." ips-dc.org/event/people...

So the intelligence community should be tasked with a damage assessment, to see how much damage the White House did to itself. "The White House banned Politico, citing anonymous sources. It provided the quotes." www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

In 2016 I used the leaked tax returns to compare his debt to African nations, and found that he had more debt than Mugabe's Zimbabwe in the 1990s. So he's come a long way.

Instead, 760,000 people are losing access to health care through the Affordable Care Act based on no objective criteria or identified problem. (There could be some "ghosts" but that has not been established for any of them.) It's almost like Vance wants the Democrats to take back House and Senate

Last fall, a speaker from Human Rights Watch at my university characterized these payments as human trafficking. Now we know more about the scale of the inhumanity "How Trump turned a #refugee bureau into a $410 million deportation operation" Washington Post www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...

Concerned about the midterms? Get the latest from UCS and Protect Democracy on the threats we face from the Trump administration, what to watch for in the coming weeks, and ways you can take action to ensure a fair, free, and safe election this November. Info & RSVP: act.ucs.org/4z3buXF

As the @nytimes.com has been reporting, some DC think tanks are torn between their ideas and traditional lust for access to the president. So good to see CATO not cowering in the face of Trump's tariff taxes. Also reveals Dems need to explain how tariffs ->cost of living www.cato.org/blog/75-amer...

Join us at @americanuniversity.bsky.social on Wednesday 9/23 for #Democracy Denied: #Nigeria Annulled 1993 Election and its Lasting Legacies. I'll participate in a discussion with the director of a new film "MKO", Adotei Akwei, Nneka Achapu and Folabi Olagbaju. Join us for networking and learning

Can someone just explain to the president that if he tears down the #KennedyCenter in defiance of the law and court orders, that his successor can feel free to to the same to his arch, which no one wants?

It can get a little overwhelming deciding which Democrats need your grassroots donations the most, so here are the most competitive Senate races and how I will be donating: shero.substack.com/publish/post...

One year after the destruction of #USAID by Musk and a team of computer hackers who had never been involved in development, State Dept is learning that it lacks the expertise to carry out its new mission (which was taken OUT of State Dept w/bipartisan support in 1990s). mailchi.mp/modernizeaid...

She's on the moderate end of the House Republican caucus on immigration. But she voted for the stunningly massive expansions of ICE—with weaker oversight—in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the 2026 Secure America Act. That speaks louder than any video.

The last time the Dems had a lead this large heading into the midterms was 2018. And by some analyses this is bigger than the lead the GOP had going into 1994. BUT the election hasn't happened yet. Ya'll remember 2016 right? PS:Very similar poll data from NYT www.realclearpolling.com?utm_campaign...

Excellent overview of women's under-representation in #Nigeria politics and recent reforms to address them. (Read with: my essay in Oxford Handbook of Nigerian Politics) "Young Nigerian women want to go into politics – party rules and older men keep them out" theconversation.com/young-nigeri...

Heading to Rome 2027 for @ipsa.org ? Dr. Idris Oladokun is looking for panelists to explore subnational #governance in #Africa. "This panel takes the gap between formal accountability and its actual exercise as its organising concern." Check out the call here: wc2027.ipsa.org/wc/panel/sub...

So let me get this straight: President Trump has won 0 out of 23 cases demanding voter data? That is almost as bad as his record litigating the 2020 election. Excellent overview of today's SCOTUS decision on mail in ballots, by @amyhowe.bsky.social www.scotusblog.com/2026/09/supr...

Or, adding Donald Trump's name caused the bankruptcy, since subscriptions and donations practically disintegrated as soon as this national cultural treasure was politicized. www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

Just signed @democracyinafrica.bsky.social petition on cancellation of passports of #Zambia govt critics. "We specifically protest against the use of such action against Dr. Sishuwa Sishuwa, a prominent historian, analyst of Zambian political affairs, and Senior Lecturer in History" c.org/RddD7fD7Dq

Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children www.propublica.org/article/dona...

The part of this interview where I got stuck was when he said "imagine a university department with free food." I was lost. open.spotify.com/episode/0ab4...

Trump called (former) #Fed Chair Powell “too angry, too stupid and too political” to keep the job, and said “I’d love to fire his ass.” In new research w/Assenov, we compare discuss behavior of various autocrats, and show how central banks are a critical line of defense against democratic #erosion

Being held in contempt is no small matter. Just ask Steve Bannon. So Trump will resist but the effectiveness of a "block" would be diluted by compelling and clearly explained evidence of corruption, including the privatization of foreign policy (noting that "real" diplomats are just waiting to vent)

One year after announcing “Donald Trump is in the Epstein files,” Elon Musk is now expected to spend over $100 million on the midterms to help Trump cling to power. We can’t match Musk’s money, but we’ve got something he will never have: Friends — and the power of We The People on our side.

Starting from basic definitions, and a discussion of different measures of govt control over economy, @cullenhendrix.bsky.social has a neat analysis about the rise of socialism...accelerating int 2025 under Trump. www.piie.com/blogs/realti...