Nate Holdren

Nate Holdren

@nhold.bsky.social

Hey bluesky. Historian. In decline. Views expressed here are those of a future insightful majority.

8.6K followers1K following6.2K posts

Nate Holdren reposted

Kate Starbird
@katestarbird.bsky.social

This drives me CRAZY. I grew up playing sports w/ boys. I played on a U12 boys select soccer team, b4 switching to a U12 girls team that kept beating us. Nobody had any issue with any of it. Youth sports have never had the strict sex/gender boundaries that “XX-XY” activists are now trying to defend.

Andrew D Thaler@drandrewthaler.bsky.social

I live in a rural town and, like, I don't know how to tell you this, but the girls play on the boys team and vice versa all the time because otherwise we don't have enough players for a game and it's literally always fine so stop being weirdos about kids sports and just let trans kids play.

Nate Holdren reposted

Madison Gant
@madgant.bsky.social

Hi. I, a trans woman, am the Executive Producer of this show. I wrote the question. He called trans girls men. He has now said it in three different places in the past week.

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Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

big 'Iraq has WMDs, we gotta invade!' energy

Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social

The New York Times just put out this credulous bullshit that claims Iran is getting ready to attack, citing Trump officials. This is clearly a way for Trump to justify more heavy bombing. It’s so fucking irresponsible to position it like this.

nytimes.comIran in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks Against Americans, Officials Say (Gift Article)The U.S. government has ordered diplomats and other federal employees to leave Saudi Arabia. It is also drawing down staff at other missions in the region.
Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

we're probly in the golden or at least silver age of noise rock, dub techno, and in the golden age of all-ages/G or PG rated comics and fiction by women and LQBTQ people

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

Nate Holdren reposted

Asheesh Kapur Siddique
@asheeshks.org

If you took all the money the Democratic consulting class and Democratic politicians who don’t need it are getting and gave it to your local public university history department or public library, society would be far better off. What a colossal waste of $.

The New Republic@newrepublic.com

If you’re a Democrat with an email address or a phone, you get these pleas: A candidate needs your dollars. Democracy needs your dollars. It doesn’t have to be much—but it can’t be nothing. But where does your donation actually go? trib.al/skt74iy

trib.alHow the Consulting Class Is Eating the Democratic PartyFundraising costs gobble up most of the funds raised. Billions are spent on TV ads that have virtually no impact. Candidates may win or lose—but the consulting class always wins.

Nate Holdren reposted

Lauren Mahon
@leekvs.bsky.social

The thread has barely started and steam is beginning to emerge from my ears

Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social

The Seattle city council is about to take up Mayor Wilson's proposal to cut a couple of administrative positions that have never been filled from the encampment-removing Unified Care Team, which has more than 100 staffers across four city departments. Yesterday, councilmembers went OFF on this.

Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

Not a novel observation on my part but the language ('agents' 'on their own', 'tried') here is a gift to the AI companies. 'Petroleum-flow agents, acting on their own, burst from BP's containment system and tried to gain access to a wide range of locations within the Gulf of Mexico,' kinda thing.

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

(NYT) - Artificial intelligence agents created by Anthropic, acting on their own, tried to gain access to a range of government websites, filled out visa applications on the State Department’s website and sent a fake homicide tip to Philadelphia’s Police Department. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/t...

Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

Better to just say 'Anthropic set a fire/Anthropic caused an oil spill, which then spread and hurt a lot of people' imho, in terms of both accuracy (these are not actors!) and in terms of foregrounding responsibility and regulate-ability.

Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

(Again not a novel observation but make CEOs give up all their money and/or go to prison and problem ends ASAP. Not that I'm holding my breath. It's the same basic issue of occupational and environmental hazards that capitalism is absolutely lousy with just with a shiny techy 'THE FUTURE!' paintjob)

Nate Holdren reposted

Matthew Guariglia
@mguariglia.bsky.social

Democrats must recon with the idea that, guided by ideology and in exchange for massive profits from government contracts, many of these tech companies were *fine* assisting with the erosion of democracy and civil/human rights violations en mass.

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social

One key point @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social makes here is that if Dems win the midterms (and win in 2028), deploying congressional power creatively to unwind Elon Musk's sway over the government (contracts, etc) will be essential to any reconstruction: www.ms.now/opinion/elon...

ms.nowOpinion | Oligarchs like Elon Musk are tightening their grip on the PentagonA new initiative named Project Meridian is just one way GOP donors’ influence over defense policy is increasing.

Nate Holdren reposted

Julia Raifman, ScD
@juliaraifman.bsky.social

“California billionaires saw their net worth rise roughly 25%, or $432 billion, in <2 years Gains were especially pronounced for 22 CA billionaires who’ve publicly opposed the one-time, 5% wealth tax; they saw their net worth rise nearly 65%, or $280 billion” @sacbee.com @bpaviour.bsky.social

sacbee.comCalifornia billionaires opposing Prop. 40 saw their wealth soar, report saysProp. 40 supporters call the tax a small price for billionaires. Critics warn wealthy Californians may flee.

Nate Holdren reposted

Jessica Pishko
@jesspish.bsky.social

Police have killed nearly 1000 people this year so far. That doesn't include deaths in custody.

Donna Stern@dvsmemphis.bsky.social

Mullin: Saying there have been many ICE involved shootings is absolutely false. You guys don't cover all our other arrests, just these ones (There have been at least 25 shootings involving immigration officers in Trump's second term.) Guess he has no problem shooting those he deems to be unworthy.

Nate Holdren reposted

Dimitri Drekonja, MD, MS
@dimitridrekonja.bsky.social

How could anyone know this wasn’t a carjacking?!?

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social

The NYPD just released surveillance video of the ICE shooting (which occurred off camera). Two men in civilian clothes run up to a car with guns drawn. One second later, one man begins smashing the butt of his gun into the driver’s side window. The driver appears to panic and hit the gas.

Nate Holdren
@nhold.bsky.social

The outraged liberals responding to this in the replies are kinda demoralizing. I think they reflect a kind of distinct flavor of political authoritarianism and political despair - very little is possible so be grateful for the little bit that some electeds do, kinda thing bsky.app/profile/lili...

Liliana Segura@lilianasegura.bsky.social

One more thing about the death penalty before going offline. As disgusted as we should be by Trump's bloodlust, we should NOT lose sight of the CENTRAL role of Democrats in upholding, expanding, and enabling this system that seems to horrify so many people right now. It really cannot be said enough.

Nate Holdren reposted

Liliana Segura
@lilianasegura.bsky.social

One more thing about the death penalty before going offline. As disgusted as we should be by Trump's bloodlust, we should NOT lose sight of the CENTRAL role of Democrats in upholding, expanding, and enabling this system that seems to horrify so many people right now. It really cannot be said enough.

Nate Holdren reposted

unraveled
@unraveledpress.com

ICE is slamming far northern Illinois for a second day in a row. Rapid responders in Rockford say federal agents detained a group of roofing workers this morning—eight men all the way from Minnesota. Volunteers are currently trying to locate their families. From a local immigration attorney:

Nate Holdren reposted

Private Eye Magazine
@privateeyenews.bsky.social

Replying to @privateeyenews.bsky.social

Talking to Politico at the Labour party conference, Narayan said he had used “AI-generated synthetic focus groups provided by a private company… to test public opinion on AI and other issues”.