Dr. Monica J. Casper

With the House returning, Adelita Grijalva will have to be sworn in, potentially resulting in the release the Epstein files.

In this essay, @mjcasper.bsky.social and I explain why this matters a lot:

"Replace betrayal with courage: Release all of the Epstein Files"

thehill.com/opinion/whit...

The word of the day is Ca-Bitch-U-Lation.
In which some folks capitulated, full stop.
And I'm bitchy about it.

Time to swear in Adelita Grijalva, let her cast the final vote to release the Epstein files!

Banning Abortion Is a Hallmark of Authoritarian Regimes From the Soviet Union to El Salvador, authoritarian governments have, historically, targeted reproductive rights. Now, it’s happening in the U.S.

It is worth noting here, as argued in my book BABYLOST (Rutgers U Press, 2022), that limiting access to abortion increases maternal and infant mortality rates. Banning abortion is not about saving lives; it is about control, surveillance, and punishment.

#abortion #reproduction #fascism

Trump’s DOJ Cuts Are a Disaster for Sexual Violence Survivors The administration has slashed funding and wants to implement ideological conditions on grants for programs that both support survivors and prevent these crimes in the first place.

Trump’s DOJ Cuts Are a Disaster for Sexual Violence Survivors newrepublic.com/article/1992... via @newrepublic.com

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

To be clear, the flight wasn't canceled - just Bray's reservations. This, like so many things, is unacceptable.

#fascism #authoritarianism #freespeech #academicfreedom #history

Safe Leave: How Employers Can Help Survivors in the Emerald City and Beyond By Monica J. Casper and Matthew Melendez

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month - though every month should be dedicated to ending violence & supporting survivors, given how little we have moved the bar. Resharing an op-ed from last year focused on how workplaces can help.

#DVawareness #Gbv #survivors #workplace

‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds Diet allows modest meat consumption and would also slash food-related climate emissions by half, says report by 70 leading experts from 35 countries

Many of us already live this way, and it can be done. We must first fix inequities in the food system, along with other gross inequities. And people must be persuaded to live their lives such that those who come later can also have sustainable lives.

#food #diet #sustainability #climate

Raskin: "It's not lost on anyone that shutting the government down allows them not swear in our new colleague, Ms Grijalva from Arizona, who would be the 218th signature to discharge the Epstein files and to put a vote on that on the House floor."

I rang the bell today, signaling the end of my radiation treatment for breast cancer. Grateful for science and medicine that, while imperfect, nonetheless is lifesaving. As always, interested in questions of who gets to live and whose deaths are speeded.

#cancer #science #healthcare #survivor

Want to stop political violence? Start by addressing hostile sexism. In her new book, an expert on violent extremism lays out evidence that gender-based bigotry fuels hate — so national security officials need to do something about it.

"Want to stop political violence? Start by addressing hostile sexism." 19thnews.org/2025/09/how-... via @19thnews.org

"To date, the government’s response to the Epstein survivors has been one of massive institutional betrayal."

From new op-ed published in The Hill written by me and @mjcasper.bsky.social

"Replace betrayal with courage: Release all of the Epstein Files"

thehill.com/opinion/whit...

thehill.com/opinion/whit...

New op-ed:

"We also know that when survivors are not respected, and are castigated for sharing their truths, their healing is delayed, and further harm is perpetrated."

@jjfreyd.bsky.social

#epsteinfiles #survivors #accountability #violence #gbv #institutionalbetrayal #institutionalcourage

Bioethics - forged in the post-Nazi era - is woefully underprepared for our current moment. Until bioethicists take systemic injustices and inequality more seriously, bioethics will remain a small bandaid on a gaping wound.

#bioethics #inequality #health #science #medicine

Don't be fooled: Trump's D.C. takeover is about race Black people have been Trump’s target for his entire adult life.

"Black people have been Trump’s target for his entire adult life. This is a man whose first appearance in the New York Times was for denying apartments to Black applicants. But his racial animus makes him very much a product of the country he was born in; the historical rule, not an exception."

Pete Hegseth reposts video that says women shouldn’t be allowed to vote Progressive evangelical group says ideas shared by pastors and amplified by defense secretary are ‘very disturbing’

Repost if you think Hegseth shouldn't be allowed to vote.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months

I've covered race for two decades. I knew the 2nd Trump Admin would be dangerous for civil rights. Yet the collapse of the federal civil rights architecture and national will to address racial inequality and work on integration is stunning. Here's my latest. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/m...

@jjfreyd.bsky.social - your work continues to inspire!

Why Institutions Retreating From DEI Can Feel Like Betrayal Institutional betrayal is omnipresent, but so is institutional courage. We can support marginalized communities even during turmoil.

How do we respond to institutional betrayal in higher education and beyond? Courage, creativity, and curiosity are a good starting point. Of course, we can also work to prevent institutional betrayal through compassionate, ethical leadership and allyship.

#highered

@beckymartinez.bsky.social

@jjfreyd.bsky.social - your work continues to inspire!

Democracy Disappeared We live in an age when disappearance is no longer a metaphor. It is both a threat and a governing principle. Under the Trump regime, language is no longer a prelude to violence—it is its echo, its ann...

"Universities must become sanctuaries for truth, not outposts of surveillance."

We're big fans of public intellectual Henry Giroux's work. Check out his recent piece laying out the strategy for response and resistance to Trump.

www.counterpunch.org/2025/04/11/d...

Betrayal U | UAPress

Betrayal U is now live!
Order your copy here, share the news widely, invite your libraries to purchase the book, and considering inviting us for talks.

#highered #education #institutionalbetrayal #inequality #inclusion

A Call for Constructive Engagement | AAC&U A Call for Constructive Engagement

Glad to see this statement from (some) university presidents. Also noticing who is not here.

"The price of abridging the defining freedoms of American higher education will be paid by our students and our society."

#highered #education #politics

The real story of the Easter Bunny...
🐰🐣🐇

"Trump’s tariff gaslighting has a name: It’s DARVO"
by @sarahharsey.bsky.social & me

"Trump’s attempts to deflect responsibility and blame . . . are calculated efforts to distract and confuse you. By exposing DARVO . . . we can ensure that his gaslighting does not win."

thehill.com/opinion/whit...

I’m heading to the Senate floor because Donald Trump and Elon Musk have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people. You can tune in on CSPAN, YouTube, X, and Facebook.

Long waits, waves of calls, web crashes: Social Security is breaking down A flood of cuts led by Elon Musk has sent the agency into chaos as a new commissioner prepares to take charge.

"The Social Security Administration website crashed four times in 10 days this month...Social Security is the primary source of income for about 40 percent of older Americans."

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Words & Phrases We Could do Without “Academic Freedom,” under this administration, becomes an anachronism

Fear-based leadership is not, in fact, leadership.
Pass it on.

The coolest thing I’ve seen today is that a bunch of volunteer public health professionals and developers have restored the CDC website from before January 20th 2025.

This differs from an archive in that they want to rebuild the links between pages and replicate the full website.