Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anne Applebaum

@anneapplebaum.bsky.social

400K followers 540 following 1.3K posts

staff writer @theatlantic. author of GULAG, IRON CURTAIN, RED FAMINE, TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY and AUTOCRACY INC https://linktr.ee/anneapplebaum

Videos

Anne Elizabeth Applebaum is an American journalist and historian. She has written about the history of Communism and the development of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe. She became a Polish citizen in 2013. .. more

Political science 48%

Sociology 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · Aug 26

Paperback, with new preface, available TODAY
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/725302...

68 320 1.3K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio , and 9 more Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, John Horgan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Bonnie Honig, Rebecca Tushnet, Scott A. Imberman, Erol Akçay, Kate Starbird, Pablo Piccato, Southern Africa

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 15h

MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

32 460 1.8K

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 16h

“I went around the country saying, ‘I have nothing to offer but work. I have nothing to offer you but [the possibility] that we’re going to get together, and we’re going to put this country back on our feet. So we’re going to do this right.’ And people cried and prayed.” - Machado

6 52 440

Reposted by Brigid Laffan

Reposted by Anna Nagurney, Daniel W. Drezner

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 16h

Nobel Peace Prizes have often been awarded to people who fight autocracy. Maria Corina Machado fits right into that tradition

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Why María Machado Deserved the Nobel Peace Prize

The Venezuelan opposition leader shows why participation matters.

www.theatlantic.com

210 1.6K 6.7K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, W. Andy Knight, Stacy D. VanDeveer

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 17h

Do they have a prize for blowing up boats in the Caribbean and then bragging that people who made their livelihood fishing there for generations are now afraid to go out on the water?

460 3K 11K

Reposted by David Darmofal

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 18h

I moderated this conversation with Machado and David Smolansky, the elected mayor of El Hatillo who was forced into exile, last December @snfagora.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUw1...

Venezuela's Epic Movement Towards Democracy

YouTube video by Johns Hopkins University

www.youtube.com

8 82 430

Reposted by Alejandro Gaviría, Nicola Giocoli

Reposted by Robbert Sanderman, Axel Bruns, Joe R. Feagin , and 7 more Robbert Sanderman, Axel Bruns, Joe R. Feagin, Mark D. White, Bonnie Honig, W. Andy Knight, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Dana R. Fisher, Jan Bransen, David Darmofal

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 19h

Congratulations to Maria Corina Machado, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize - her incredible optimism has already changed her country. I spoke to her, and wrote about her, at the beginning of this year:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

The ‘Anthropological Change’ Happening in Venezuela

Maduro is still in place, but a pro-democracy movement is transforming the beleaguered country.

www.theatlantic.com

300 3.3K 13K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Jan W. Mueller, Susan Hyde

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

Regrettably relevant research today

Disguised Repression: Targeting Opponents with Nonpolitical Crimes to Undermine Dissent
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

1 150 410

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Scott A. Imberman

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 1d

Just bone chilling. And when the imprisonment of critics is combined with his offer to enrich and immunize his loyalists, this is how democracies die fast.

But it's still our choice. Don't let him silence you.

480 3.5K 11K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan , and 42 more Anne Applebaum, Joe R. Feagin, Brendan Nyhan, Jesse H. Kroll, Patrick A. Jansen, Daniel L. Millimet, David Feldman, Eric Goldman, Fabián Muniesa, Jacob Montgomery, Bruce D. Baker, Juan Cole, Erwin Dekker, Sanford F. Schram, John Foot, Devon Greyson, W. Andy Knight, Nazita Lajevardi, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Caroline Fohlin, Florian Keller, Michael D. McDonald, Jason Lyall, Kate Starbird, Victor Pickard, Thomas Masterson, Nils Zurawski, Nelson Flores, Arlene Stein, Federica Genovese, Richard M. Carpiano, Olivier Jourdan, Klaus Oschema, Meredith Farkas, Brandon Whitcher, Daxton R. Stewart, Albin Wagener, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Manisha Sinha, Aviel Roshwald, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Bruce Buchan, Southern Africa

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 1d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

1.8K 22K 53K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Gavin A. Schmidt, Bessma Momani , and 3 more Anne Applebaum, Gavin A. Schmidt, Bessma Momani, James Goodwin, Mark Rice, Henry Jones

NPR @npr.org · 1d

A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down. n.pr/3KIfcSn

This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled

A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

n.pr

140 1.6K 2.6K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum

Reposted by Greg Linden

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d

How to negotiate with Putin: First, make sure he knows he can't win
From @radek-sikorski.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

Opinion | I’m the Foreign Minister of Poland. This Is How to Negotiate With Putin.

www.nytimes.com

21 270 990

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d

Federal investigators who used to fight crime are now being redirected to immigration
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases

Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.

www.wsj.com

23 120 390

Reposted by Anne Applebaum

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Bessma Momani

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 2d

Antisemitic, pro-Putin, in league with white nationalists, promoted the Pizzagate conspiracy theory - and now being platformed by the president of the United States

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 2d

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

25 180 610

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Brendan Nyhan, Andrew Scott , and 10 more Anne Applebaum, Brendan Nyhan, Andrew Scott, Colin Murray, Jonathan Wolff, Andrew Curry, Tom Griffin, Victor Pickard, Henry Jones, Sam Kamin, Gerry Hassan, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 2d

"Antifa has been around in various iterations for almost 100 years in some instances, going back to the Weimar Republic in Germany."

- Jack Posobiec at Trump's roundtable on antifa

190 230 1.1K

Reposted by Eric Goldman, Iikka Korhonen, R. M. Wilson

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 2d

"We took the freedom of speech away," says the president

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

160 1.2K 3.4K

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

850 1.7K 4.9K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Robert W. Wallace, Mark D. White , and 3 more Anne Applebaum, Robert W. Wallace, Mark D. White, Philip Nel, James Goodwin, David Darmofal

Jon Passantino @passantino.bsky.social · 2d

CNN is now using the Trump preferred “Department of War” name in its official statements

140 160 610

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Robb Willer, Patricia Aufderheide , and 8 more Anne Applebaum, Robb Willer, Patricia Aufderheide, Guy Grossman, Sanford F. Schram, David R. Miller, R. Daniel Kelemen, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Mark Rice

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"

460 5.7K 16K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Nandita Sharma, Brian Leiter , and 8 more Anne Applebaum, Nandita Sharma, Brian Leiter, Jane E. Fountain, Sanford F. Schram, John Collins, Alan Richardson, Aaron Sojourner, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Matthew P. McAllister

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Pritzker: "It's unconscionable. This has never happened before. They're calling out troops onto the streets of a state that doesn't want them and they're not even telling us where they're gonna go, what they're gonna do. This hasn't happened I don't think since the Civil War."

900 11K 32K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Dorothy Bishop, Euan G. Ritchie , and 5 more Anne Applebaum, Dorothy Bishop, Euan G. Ritchie, Sanford F. Schram, John Collins, Gerald Friedman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Alessandro Rigolon

Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 2d

I can’t believe I have to say this, but historically, masked men who kidnap families in the middle of the night are usually not the good guys.

890 7.8K 30K

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Iikka Korhonen

Ramsha Jahangir @ramshajahangir.bsky.social · 2d

Last week, a Dutch court ordered Meta to give Facebook & Instagram users the right to set a chronological feed by default - one of the first EU cases applying the DSA in civil proceedings.

To unpack what this means, I spoke with @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social:

www.techpolicy.press/what-a-dutch...

What a Dutch Court Ruling Against Meta Signals for Private DSA Enforcement | TechPolicy.Press

Tech Policy Press spoke with Rejo Zenger, Policy and Advocacy Lead at Bits of Freedom, to better understand the significance of the ruling.

www.techpolicy.press

8 48 130