Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Colin Gordon

@colinngordon.bsky.social

1.4K followers 2.3K following 190 posts

Vice-chair of @grassrootseu.bsky.social https://grassrootsforeurope.org/summary-reports/ Director @europeanmovement.co.uk https://northeastbylines.co.uk/author/colingordon/ See also https://independent.academia.edu/GordonColin

grassrootsforeurope.org

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 1d

'Dangerous misinformation coming from the centre of government'.
Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025 open.substack.com/pub/christin...
@mikegalsworthy.bsky.social

Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025

These two days have mainly been about suppressing dissent and attacking science.

open.substack.com

Reposted by Colin Gordon

The Bar Council @thebarcouncil.bsky.social · 3h

The Bars, Faculty and Law Societies in the UK have come together and accused politicians of "irresponsible and dangerous" language that is putting lawyers at risk.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Lawyers warn of death threats after Reform and Tories' 'two-tier' claims

In an unprecedented intervention, six legal bodies, representing 250,000 lawyers, expressed “grave concern” over the language being used toward legal professionals

www.mirror.co.uk

2 37 54

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 19h

It's clearer by the day that Columbia making a deal with Trump in July was a catastrophe for higher education as a whole. It gave terrible people a bottomless appetite for extortion. The other eight universities must follow MIT's lead.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

14 320 1.6K

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 2h

@chrischirp.bsky.social @sandylaping.bsky.social

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2h

The regime gets more deranged every day. A rightwing conspiracy theorist assassinated a Democratic lawmaker - which the attorney general presents as an example of leftwing political violence in order to justify an authoritarian crackdown on the opposition…

We’re in incredibly dangerous territory.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Bondi: "We've been living through a horrific cycle of political violence in this country ... night after night antifa wrecks havoc on the streets of our cities. In Minnesota, a gunman murdered a state lawmaker and her husband."

7 130 310

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 11d

Soros is as close as the world’s strongmen get to a cross-border demon. Hundreds of human rights groups, investigative journalists, democracy advocates and other disobedient types have received Soros grants. No global philanthropist comes close to Soros’ $32 bn funding of such cases.

Why Trump is going for Soros

The philanthropist is as close as the world’s strongmen get to a cross-border demon

on.ft.com

4 3 9

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 9d

“President Trump’s so-called proposed ‘compact’ is nothing short of a hostile takeover of America’s universities. It would impose strict government-mandated definitions of academic terms, erase diversity, & rip control away from campus leaders to install government-mandated conservative ideology.”

Trump administration demands universities sign up to ‘compact’ in return for funding

Critics say linking funds to adherence to the White House’s principles undermines academic freedom

www.ft.com

2 4

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 6d

Sound familiar, Hungarians?

‘Enormous fear’: Trump’s threats against George Soros chill US non-profits

Civil society groups funded by billionaire’s charitable foundation feel vulnerable to administration’s attacks

www.ft.com

3 13

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 5d

The initiative, championed by the Czech Republic, is part of a fresh set of sanctions being drawn up by Brussels in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The package requires unanimous support to be adopted. Hungary, the last country opposed to the measure, has dropped its veto

EU to curb Russian diplomats’ travel as suspected spy attacks mount

Intelligence agencies say sabotage operations are often led by spies posing as diplomats

on.ft.com

6 18

Reposted by Colin Gordon

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 2d

🚨 BREAKING: The European Commission will probe reports that Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán's spies targeted EU officials in Brussels.

Read the developing story: ow.ly/vSbA50X93ss

10 84 200

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Katalin Halmai @eublogo.bsky.social · 3h

"We call on Ukraine to refrain from further attacks on the oil pipeline to Hungary and not to jeopardise the security of our country's energy supply!"
Who could forget HUN FM Szijjártó's statement after the August attack on the Druzhba oil pipeline? Perhaps he should have protested to his 🇺🇸 friends?

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 7h

Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help on.ft.com/4q7qUpY

Ukraine hit Russian energy sites with US help

Trump administration supported Kyiv’s operations since summer in co-ordinated push to weaken Moscow

on.ft.com

1 4

Reposted by Colin Gordon

David Phinnemore @dphinnemore.bsky.social · 13d

‘Under Costa’s proposal, so-called negotiating clusters — key legal steps on the path to membership — could be opened with the assent of a qualified majority of EU countries rather than unanimous agreement. Closing a cluster would still require [unanimity]’
www.politico.eu/article/anto...

Costa seeks to bypass Orbán’s veto on Ukraine’s EU membership bid

Brussels’ rules requiring all 27 member countries to agree on new entrants will face scrutiny at a summit this week in Copenhagen.

www.politico.eu

3 8

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Henry Foy @henryjfoy.ft.com · 12d

While others debate the merits of a legalistic change to voting procedures to get around Orban’s veto on starting Ukraine’s technical accession talks, the commission has another idea:

Ignore Hungary and just get on with it

Barbara Moens @bmoens.bsky.social · 12d

The EU is preparing to start technical work on Ukraine and Moldova joining the bloc despite Hungary’s blockade of advancing accession talks, according to officials briefed on the process.

With @henryjfoy.ft.com @benhallnews.bsky.social @christopherjm.ft.com

on.ft.com/3IGHwnE

EU moves to advance Ukraine’s accession by sidestepping Hungary

[FREE TO READ] Brussels advises Kyiv to advance technical work despite Budapest holding up talks

on.ft.com

8 26

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 11d

NYT/Siena poll confirms what most other polls have shown of late - the country has rejected his "strongman" authoritarian tactics, and he is deeply unpopular.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/p...

44 220 880

Reposted by Colin Gordon

Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 11d

I have never seen such a blistering rebuke of a President by a federal judge. He is telling us clearly to stand up for our liberty against a dictator. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

130 2.8K 8.9K

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 3h

Useful overview.
Russia and the rise of the radical right open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/r...

Russia and the rise of the radical right

Marine Le Pen meets with Putin before the 2017 French Presidential election (Photo credit Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images)

open.substack.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 20h

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
@chrischirp.bsky.social @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social

The Anti-Trump Strategy That’s Actually Working

Lawsuits, lawsuits, and more lawsuits

www.theatlantic.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 22h

substack.com/@petergeoghe...

Peter Geoghegan (@petergeoghegan)

No Democracy for Sale newsletter this weekend as I’m sick as a pike, I’m afraid. Apologies. But would highly recommend last week’s interview with Columbia journalism professor Emily Bell, if you misse...

substack.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 22h

The long quest to classify the Trump presidency may be nearing its conclusion.
@timothysnyder.bsky.social

1 2

Reposted by Colin Gordon

darren32359.bsky.social @darren32359.bsky.social · 1d

360 4.8K 10K

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 23h

www.facebook.com/share/1HuANr...

Redirecting...

www.facebook.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 23h

Undermining trust, not toppling the Commission – the European Parliament’s fringes have rediscovered the censure motion www.ceps.eu/undermining-...

Undermining trust, not toppling the Commission – the European Parliament’s fringes have rediscovered the censure motion – CEPS

On 10 July, the European Parliament (EP) rejected a censure motion against the European Commission. Only three months later, on Thursday 9 October, another two

www.ceps.eu

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 1d

Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025
open.substack.com/pub/christin...

Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025

These two days have mainly been about suppressing dissent and attacking science.

open.substack.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 1d

'Dangerous misinformation coming from the centre of government'.
Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025 open.substack.com/pub/christin...
@mikegalsworthy.bsky.social

Last two days in Trump's America as of 10 Oct 2025

These two days have mainly been about suppressing dissent and attacking science.

open.substack.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.
open.substack.com/pub/insideme...
@grassrootsforeurope.org @europeanmovement.co.uk
@chrischirp.bsky.social

BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.

The Trump administration is using the shutdown to further weaken the our national public health infrastructure.

open.substack.com

Colin Gordon @colinngordon.bsky.social · 1d

[Just learned from this about the Presidential "Roundtable"]
@chrischirp.bsky.social @alexhh.bsky.social
Who was Who in Weimar Germany (video) open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

When Anti-antifa means Pro-Nazi (video)

Notes from a Presidential "Roundtable"

open.substack.com