Peter Dorman

The Other Jeffrey Epstein Public attention has understandably centered on the repugnant, grossly exploitative sex bazaar overseen by Epstein and his co-conspirators.

Epstein I: financial and organizational facilitator of a network of tech scholars and billionaires with a peculiar philosophy of science and politics. Epstein II: mastermind of a gruesome teenage girl sex ring. What's the connection?
open.substack.com/pub/peterdor...

(2) The issue is whether students are urged to think critically about the professor's views and graded accordingly. That's *much* better than students having to guess what the prof thinks and then spouting back what they think they're supposed to say.

Book Review: Campus Speech and Academic Freedom In their new book, Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman critique current threats to campus free speech, but their narrow definition of academic freedom risks free expression.

This is an important criticism of the "keep it out of the classroom" chorus. (1) Lots of stuff gets said in the classroom, so this becomes the equivalent of anti-loitering laws.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.

This article doesn't identify the individual(s) who issued the order to cease the Good investigation. Their names should be recorded, and after Trump is gone they should be prosecuted for interference.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...

Very sporadic, especially while a book is gestating.

Where Will the Revenue for AI Come From? Explaining the grotesque politicization of Big Tech

I took up this question too:
peterdorman.substack.com/p/where-will...

It's useful to note that Rogoff got his start (his diss I think, but I might remember it wrong) applying game theory to sovereign debt issues. My diss was applied game theory too! But by my defense I was mostly skeptical.

The thing to bear in mind is that, since the Trump people don't enforce the law and lie about everything they do, no reform matters unless it is tied to external oversight. That goes for everything and not just ICE.

Democrats Aren’t Reining in ICE. Here’s How They Could. ICE is out of control. Democrats have numerous ways to restrain the agency, from barring ICE from domestic spying and terminating its contracts with tech companies to creating and fully funding an ind...

These are all good suggestions, and the underlying point is right. I would add one thing, though. The critical reform (if you want one) is accountability. DOJ and DHS must commit to allowing state and local agencies to investigate and prosecute ICE and BP agents.
jacobin.com/2026/02/demo...

Long ago I used a program called Stella that generated visualizations of systems of differential equations, very intuitive. You could see feedbacks operating on a period-to-period basis. I had a simplified model of income ≠ generating wealth ≠ and vice versa. There must be something like it now.

One Solution for Too Many A’s? Harvard Considers Giving A+ Grades.

A+ is the new 11! Crank it up!
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/u...

Videos Show Alex Pretti in Confrontation With Agents 11 Days Before His Death

There is a strong possibility that ICE maintains a database of people who have previously confronted them. They have photo recognition on their phones. Investigators should explore whether Pretti's murder was premeditated.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

Why Is the Trump Administration Demanding Minnesota’s Voter Rolls?

This is a bizarre article, which doesn't even try to answer the crucial question in the headline. *What can the Trump people do with those rolls?* The lack of serious thinking on this topic is itself scary. Lay out the scenarios in which access to voter data matters.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/u...

Read the NYT critically. Long ago I worked for them in the newsroom, and I got a first hand look at the cross pressures that determine what get's printed. Different reporters. Editorial oversight. And of course there are smart (e.g. Jamelle B) and clueless (Doubthat) opinion people.

Pricing Lives Trump’s EPA has kicked up a firestorm by announcing that, in performing cost-benefit analyses of proposed regulations, it will not assign dollar values to lives saved by reducing pollution.

What about the decision by Trump's EPA to not put a monetary value on lives saved by regulation? Overdue or outrage? To answer we need the length and depth of Substack, not Bluesky.

DOGE Employees Shared Social Security Data, Court Filing Shows

Note the part near the end about DOGE people merging Social Security data with voter rolls. This points to one possibility I played up in my Substack: if Trump gains access to other state voter rolls, he will try to use them to implement selective voter suppression.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/u...

Judge: Hands off Oregon voters’ most private data

This is an important ruling for Nov. If the Feds can access the full voter rolls in blue states, it gives them more options for selective suppression. No doubt decisions such as this will be appealed, and in the end it will be up to SCOTUS to hold the line.
reader.theoregonian.com/judge-hands-...

I don't know about this polling outfit and how reliable their weighted samples are, but: there appears to be no question about either support for labor or dealing with the power of corporations and the rich. Like, these are not even issues people would have opinions about.

Aside from the utter inanity of the whole thing, the Greenland "issue" is a straight up economic problem. It's a big chunk of real estate. What's Trump's initial offer? And where would the money come from? New taxes? Cuts to other budgets? More debt? Is anyone even asking?

3. If not, he will have to make a claim about voting machines that can lead to annulling the vote in a number of blue jurisdictions. 4. Meanwhile, centrist D's will downplay threats of prosecution etc. if they get the majority to try to induce R's to forego interference. This strategy will fail.

1. Trump will definitely try to mess with the election if it looks like he'll lose one or both congressional majorities. 2. If the Supremes give him the power to access state voter rolls, he will take it, and suppression is on the table.

The first step is to put yourself in their shoes with their resources. What would you do? It begins with some form of federalization of voting lists, voting apparatuses etc. Then selective disqualification. Don't forget dual state theory.

A terrible event in the world of cream cheese... I just posted this to Hungry Onion. Any thoughts?

I wish I could be as optimistic. The only thing that counts right now is how *R's* think, and 2/3 are OK with Good's killing. The rest of us matter only if the R's are willing to allow it, and then not until Nov.

Could there have been aerial surveillance of Minneapolis when Renee Good was killed? Has anyone examined the possibility? Have the relevant agencies been queried?

Just saw "Cover-Up", the new documentary on Sy Hersh. It's really good, politically insightful, fair and remarkably well-organized. Great archival footage. It's streaming on Netflix and shouldn't be missed.

About a month ago, our "Stop Arming Israel" sign was stolen. So we put up a new one, and redirected the security camera on it. A few nights ago it was stolen again -- by someone who snuck along the side of the house to avoid the camera, rather than just walking up from the street.

Court Records Reveal Details of ICE Agent’s Previous Dragging Incident

See the last paragraph. This is why MN should be seeking an emergency order placing all evidence in judicial custody. The bullet holes in the driver's side window will be dispositive. Of course, the evidence from the autopsy is also crucial.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...

Minn. Officials Say They’re Being Blocked From Investigating Fatal ICE Shooting

Can someone explain to me why MN would withdraw from investigating this killing rather than seeking an emergency court order mandating access to evidence? Don't they have a legal (not to mention ethical) responsibility to pursue this?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/08/u...