Paul Franz

Just launched a new interactive with @clairemaevabg.bsky.social at @crisisgroup.org: The Fight for Sittwe. We lean heavily on satellite imagery and scroll-driven transitions to show how the Myanmar military has reshaped the terrain around the city over time. www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

NEW VISUAL EXPLAINER | The State of the Strait: The Role of Hormuz in the Middle East War So Far Over three months of conflict, Iran and the U.S. have used the Strait of Hormuz to demonstrate resolve while inflicting economic pain. www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

Cait Conley is out with her first major ad in #NY17 to win the Democratic primary and take on Mike Lawler.

After closely watching the #NY17 Democratic primary over the last year, I am happy to announce my support for Cait Conley. All of the contenders are fine and honorable Democrats. But after reviewing the evidence I believe @caitfornewyork.bsky.social is the strongest candidate to beat Mike Lawler.

The world must not lose sight of other hotspots even as they focus on war in the Middle East. Myanmar is one of them. @crisisgroup.org looks at why Rakhine state could prove pivotal in shaping the civil war. crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

NEW VISUAL EXPLAINER | The Fight for Sittwe Sittwe is one of the military’s last strongholds in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. We examine the consequences if the Arakan Army launches an offensive, especially for civilians. crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

Some of the biggest excitement in this MLB game is how the crowd reacts to the computer dunking on CB Bucknor. Keep the umps. #mlb #abs youtube.com/shorts/vNQrq...

A 2nd story has now dropped on vulgar comments and jokes made by Democratic candidate Peter Chatzky in #NY17. This race is going to be very tough to win, and Dems cannot afford to nominate a candidate who may cost us this much-needed seat. nypost.com/2026/03/23/u...

“Netanyahu does not need a clean victory — he just needs a durable narrative. This is also about cementing an Israeli national security doctrine that always trumps diplomacy.” www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/o... ~ @crisisgroup.org @mairavz.bsky.social

I really need to watch this hearing in full

One thing that really distorts the discourse is the belief that any politician could become wildly popular by embracing a Full Left Economic Agenda, which then positions people to believe that every politician is intentionally limiting their own power in order to keep progressives in check

I am so proud to have the support of @gabbygiffords.bsky.social and @giffords.org in our fight to flip NY-17.

The Peekskill Dems are a force to be reckoned with, and I am incredibly proud to have them in my corner as we take on Mike Lawler! I’ve seen the fierceness of Peekskill-born fight my whole life — my Mom was born there :) Honored to have that spirit in the arena with me.

Going live with @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social in a few minutes to talk about the dangerous expansion of ICE detention facilities across the US.......join us - going to be a great discussion.

After Renee Good's murder, Mike Lawler blamed Good for her own murder and said it was 'inevitable'. After Alex Pretti's murder, Mike Lawler saw the writing on the wall and tried to pivot his defense of ICE to a 'both sides' debate about 'immigration policy'. Now he's getting called out for his BS.

This guy literally spent *years* in the NY state assembly obsessing over the name of the Mario Cuomo Bridge. He fundraises off of it, still. So clearly, he cares about what things are named.

For Trump to hold millions of dollars in critical infrastructure hostage just so he can slap his name on Penn Station and Dulles Airport is not the “leadership” or decision-making the American people voted for. It is ego over country, and New Yorkers are paying the price.

And so the project of mainstreaming white nationalist thought as a question worthy of serious discussion in policy continues.

If Jeff Bezos could afford to spend $75 million on the Melania movie & $500 million for a yacht to sail off to his $55 million wedding to give his wife a $5 million ring, please don't tell me he needed to fire one-third of the Washington Post staff. Democracy dies in oligarchy.

Another batch of Trump's judicial nominees refused in their confirmation hearings today to publicly acknowledge that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which annoyed Sen. Richard Blumenthal enough for him to call them "monkeys" and "puppets"

President Trump’s Great American Recovery takes the same old central-planning approach to addiction rather than expanding new treatment options, Cato’s Dr. Singer explains. Real solutions should remove barriers, expand access, and treat people like capable adults. https://ow.ly/sTrM50Y7KBl

I'm disappointed that the candidates tonight at the Orangetown Dems forum are arguing for banning only stock *trading* in Congress. H.R. 5106 also bans ownership while serving, which is equally problematic. #NY17 share.google/2v3BmR6vprws...

"In exchange for his bravery, a bunch of pussies shot him dead and and unloaded 6 bullets into his dead body while he was laying on the ground. That's what happened." - @timmiller.bsky.social

Can you imagine your son was just killed by federal agents and this is what the President of the United States has to say?

in Hungary do they have masked agents of the state gunning down civilians in the street? I feel like we need to dial up our authoritarian regime comparisons quite a bit from where they were a year ago

pretty wild statement re: Republican Chris Madel drop from race for MN governor: "Saying he cannot support the national GOP's 'stated retribution on citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so."

From the leading Democrat running for #NY17 congressional seat 👇

"We have seen empires fall and civilizations crumble. But we’ve almost never seen a people renounce their leadership of the world—all at once, in full public view. That is what has happened in the 365 days since January 20, 2025."

The Prime Minister of Belgium speaks:

Hey @pfrazee.com -- any plans to introduce GIF and image insertion into DM's? 🙏

But so far, this forum is exceptionally civil, despite some controversy amongst them earlier last week. #NY17 open.substack.com/pub/davidmck...

A fix that I wish #NY17 candidates would have mentioned on childcare affordability is the real deficiency of the current law on FSA Dependent Care plans. Peg it to inflation, not a fixed amount.

Going to be posting some quick takes on the first major forum of 2026 for the #NY17 Democratic primary hosted by @indivisrockland.bsky.social. Stay tuned. 📺

Nine days after the 2024 presidential election, I interviewed Chair Powell at a public event in Dallas. I asked him what happened the last time the Fed was not seen as credibly independent. Here's part of his response www.youtube.com/live/Oy1vB7U...

Here’s a must-read piece for anyone who dislikes GOP Rep. Mike Lawler. It’s by David McKay Wilson, a local #NY17 reporter who covers Lawler truthfully, which Lawler naturally does not like. So Lawler punched down at Wilson…and Wilson punched back. davidmckaywilson.substack.com/p/after-lawl...

NEW MAP ALERT 🗺️ We just shipped a brand-new Mapbox scrolly at @crisisgroup.org — rebuilt from the ground up with full-motion video and interactive maps throughout. Design: @clairemaevabg.bsky.social Engineering: me 👉 www.crisisgroup.org/visual-expla...

Crisis Group's @comfortero.crisisgroup.org has been appointed as a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. “It’s a privilege to lead an organisation that continues to serve as an invaluable global public good”. #NYHonours www.crisisgroup.org/who-we-are/c...

A national volunteer corps to do this and restore honor to our capital city would be just fine.

The “worst of the worst” Venezuelans deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison weren’t the worst: nearly all had no violent convictions, many entered the US legally, and gang labels relied on tattoos—not evidence, reports Cato’s David Bier. https://ow.ly/wifs50XO2TY

It's almost as if top-down, centrally planned economic policies don't work, even if the person enacting them is a Republican. Trump is a socialist of the worst kind.

As I told @cnn.com, there's nothing to justify any of the lethal maritime strikes. There's no armed conflict. The administration has engaged in very real killing in a make-believe armed conflict. And even in the admin's legal fantasy land, attacking the shipwrecked would be a war crime.

The term "has historic roots, including Nazi ideology and, more recently, a violent conspiracy theory that’s inspired terrorist attacks in the US and abroad" www.cnn.com/2025/10/19/u...

Nativists are the real economic de-growthers.

NEWS from @crisisgroup.org. After 7 years as UN Director, I'm moving to a new program on Global Issues and Institutions. @fortid.crisisgroup.org becomes Head of UN Affairs, backed by @mayaungar.bsky.social. . AND we need a Senior Analyst covering geopolitics 👇 jobs.crisisgroup.org/o/analyst-gl...

Rockland is for @caitfornewyork.bsky.social. We talked about her vision for Congress last evening at Soul Brewing Company in Pleasantville. I got to meet so many first time comers who wanted to know more about her. No one walked away disappointed. We're going to take this seat back. #ny17

The only takeaway I have from this @nytimes.com piece in Christian Orthodox in the U.S. is that "young men are desperate for someone or anything to tell us exactly what to do". www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...

This number is completely made up. There are not 30 million undocumented immigrants. The most recent estimates are around 14 million, of which roughly 8 million people have been here for over a decade. Vance is not a fool. He knows this. DHS produces official estimates. They don’t say 30 million.

Write-up on the latest happenings in the Democratic primary race to take on Mike Lawler in #NY17, including a quote from my friend @paul-franz.com. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Gov. Pritzker: “All I can say is that whether it was the loss in the elections a week ago that's led to Donald Trump deciding to pull CBP out or the fact that Greg Bovino is a snowflake…Whatever it is, the people of Chicago have deserved better than having CBP and Greg Bovino in this city.”