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David Smilde

@dsmilde

Check out my Substack "Venezuela and the United States" https://davidsmilde.substack.com/ Opinions expressed are my own.

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Latest posts by David Smilde @dsmilde

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open.substack.com/pub/davidsmi...

05.03.2026 15:53 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Trump usarΓ‘ Venezuela tres aΓ±os mΓ‘s, pero solo en su propio beneficio La intervenciΓ³n no trajo elecciones ni transiciΓ³n. El rumbo dependerΓ‘ de las elecciones de medio tΓ©rmino en EE.UU. y del costo polΓ­tico interno para Trump.

www.lasillavacia.com/red-de-exper...

05.03.2026 15:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Opinion | Why Universities Keep Losing the Argument They have responded to public skepticism with appeals to their own authority. It’s not working.

www.chronicle.com/article/why-...

03.03.2026 14:22 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Will Sutton: These two leaders in politics and pop culture agree: Higher ed in La. must adapt Columnist Will Sutton finds that there is growing agreement among leaders like state Senate President Cameron Henry and rapper Master P, who is president of UNO’s basketball operations, that universit...

www.nola.com/opinions/wil...

01.03.2026 16:05 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Kansas Town Uses License Plate Readers to Go After Man Who Wrote Op-Ed | ACLU Targeting followed opinion piece critical of town’s police and anonymously posted anti-ICE fliers

www.aclu.org/news/privacy...

23.02.2026 03:39 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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David Brooks: β€˜We’re Part of the Problem’ The β€œNew York Times” columnist on the sins of the educated class, what Trump gets right, and why he’s leaving the newspaper to take a new job at Yale University.

www.chronicle.com/article/were...

18.02.2026 15:26 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts

Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

14.02.2026 05:39 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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open.substack.com/pub/davidsmi...

06.02.2026 16:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Les comparto un reportaje de @rcienespanol.bsky.social sobre los costos fΓ­sicos y sociales de la crisis venezolana desde una mirada feminista, basados en una entrevista que tuvimos en enero y la reciente publicaciΓ³n de β€œEmbodying Predation” con @antuliorosales.bsky.social
(link debajo)
#Venezuela

05.02.2026 14:48 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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open.substack.com/pub/davidsmi...

05.02.2026 16:19 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Dr. David Smilde - Venezuela & the United States: Keys to Understanding the Conflict

Looking forward to this virtual presentation for the U of Illinois Center for Global Studies, 3 pm Central, 4 pm Eastern, 5 pm Caracas. Join online following the link below.
calendars.illinois.edu/detail/45/33...

02.02.2026 16:07 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Federal Courts Undercut Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign

Federal Courts Undercut Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

01.02.2026 14:56 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Don Lemon speaks outside of the courtroom after release: "I have spent my entire life covering the news. I will not stop now ... I will not be silenced."

30.01.2026 23:46 πŸ‘ 14362 πŸ” 3404 πŸ’¬ 185 πŸ“Œ 135
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open.substack.com/pub/davidsmi...

30.01.2026 00:20 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Sounds like a truly fantastic program, David!

29.01.2026 01:32 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Thanks!

29.01.2026 16:47 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

If you know of any students, activists or other professionals who might be interested, please bounce them this message (there is more information below), point them towards the webpage linked above. Thanks! 7/x

28.01.2026 16:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

We got final approval on this just last month, so the deadlines are tight. Applications are due by March 1. 6/x

28.01.2026 16:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Finally, it will house Tulane’s program on Publicly Engaged Scholarship, which will train graduate students from across campus on community-engaged research methods as well as public facing scholarship. 5/x

28.01.2026 16:01 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Second, our program will have embedded links to other programs on campus (such as Africana Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, and Political Science) as well as the School of Architecture and the School of Public Health. 4/x

28.01.2026 16:01 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

It is not an β€œapplied” program, but one that will train students in the "evergreen" research skills that will be useful not just in the university setting, but in activism, government and industry as well. 3/x

28.01.2026 16:00 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

It will have three distinguishing characteristics.
First, while it will focus on the fundamentals of sociological theory and methods, it will be oriented both to those seeking academic and those seeking non-academic careers. 2/x

28.01.2026 16:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Graduate Programs: School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University Sociology PhD program stands out for its interdisciplinary nature, a focus on both academic and non-academic careers, and publicly engaged scholarship.

We are excited to announce that after 20 years, Tulane University once again offers a Sociology doctoral degree. We have spent some time developing an innovative program in public-facing sociology, that will train Ph.Ds to be relevant beyond the academy 1/
liberalarts.tulane.edu/sociology/ac...

28.01.2026 15:59 πŸ‘ 10 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Greg Bovino Loses His Job The Border Patrol chief has been ousted from his role as β€œcommander at large,” and will return to El Centro.

Good Riddance
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

27.01.2026 01:09 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The U of C & Me | Yale Professor Steven B. Smith
The U of C & Me | Yale Professor Steven B. Smith YouTube video by Shabtai

youtu.be/ZcH-HmRmdy8

23.01.2026 05:34 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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La incierta transiciΓ³n en Venezuela Los gestos de apertura apuntan en una nueva direcciΓ³n, pero los expertos dudan de que se estΓ© gestando un cambio hacia la democracia

elpais.com/america/2026...

22.01.2026 19:00 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Investigations and a Billion-Dollar β€˜Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education

Investigations and a Billion-Dollar β€˜Shakedown’: How Trump Targeted Higher Education www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/u...

21.01.2026 18:48 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

20.01.2026 22:53 πŸ‘ 14450 πŸ” 8316 πŸ’¬ 90 πŸ“Œ 765
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The paradox of Violence: Revolution, Crime, and Policing During Chavismo, edited by
@dsmilde.bsky.social

@beccahanson.bsky.social
and VerΓ³nica Zubillaga.

upittpress.org/books/978082...

17.01.2026 22:50 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I wanted to make a thread about the useful analyses coming out about the situation in Venezuela, but there is a lot, and everyday new things come out.

It may be more useful to share some of the existing analysis of how we got here. Books in no particular order and on various themes/issues...

🧡

17.01.2026 22:37 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1