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Double Down News @doubledown.news · 20h

Lowkey EXPOSES Truth Behind Gaza Ceasefire

What REALLY Happened

www.doubledown.news

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Henry Carnell @hencarnell.bsky.social · 28d

Read the full story here:

The phrase “transgender ideology” has “increasingly become a shorthand for everything that threatens the MAGA-preferred vision of the nation, of the people, of the family,” says Joanna Wuest, assistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

It's never too soon for the right to blame trans people

A timeline of false "gender ideology" claims about the Charlie Kirk shooting.

www.motherjones.com

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East London Kingfishers @londonkingfishers.bsky.social · 27d

Double trouble!

Good news - there are in fact two fledglings down on the River Lea. While watching one, I looked up and there was another a few metres further up the river.

#LondonBirds #eastlondonkingfishers #nature #wildlife #kingfisher #kingfishers #ukbirds #birds

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 10h

I had to look up Eswatini. It’s what used to be called Swaziland. A land-locked country almost completely surrounded by South Africa (with a border with Mozambique to the north).

That’s a hell of a way from the US of A!!

Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 10h

NEW: The private jet that flew 10 shackled migrants to an Eswatini prison last weekend is owned by Israeli-American billionaires with close ties to Trump.

It’s oligarchs all the way down.

My first for @zeteo.com:

zeteo.com/p/this-famil...

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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 10h

This book was on a reading list I was looking at this evening. Wondering if it was worth reading - so this thread is v helpful.

Henry Laws @henryglaws.bsky.social · Feb 5

So yesterday I finished reading the book Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica R. Meiners, and Beth E. Richie. www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1546-a...

Image description: Picture of the book’s cover, which consists of the title and the authors on top of an orange and purple background.

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Sandeep Bakshi @sandeepbak.bsky.social · 13d

Something random happened to me a while ago. Sitting with its discomfort makes my muscles twitch even today. I reread passages from these four gems to remind me of the world we wish to inhabit. My ‘single issue’ required non-myopic analysis. The passage (pic 2) helped me make an informed decision.

Four books placed together. The books are:
Revolutionary Feminisms
Edited by Brenna Bhandar and Rafeef Ziadah

SARA AHMED
COMPLAINT!

ABOLITION. FEMINISM. NOW.
Angela Y. Davis
Gina Dent
Erica R. Meiners
Beth E. Richie

Living a Feminist Life
SARA AHMED

In answering the previous question about feminism, I might have pointed out that many contemporary radical feminists have embraced the concept of abolition feminism, which helps to distinguish them from glass ceiling' femi nists, or those who are simply striving to reach greater heights without otherwise troubling the system. Abolition feminism differentiates itself from carceral feminism, a somewhat derogatory term for those who believe that state violence - more police and more imprisonment - is the most appropriate response to gender violence. If gender violence is ever to be eliminated, the complicated web of causes that have historically produced structures of heter patriarchy and their embeddedness in racial capitalism for the last several centuries will have to be addressed.

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Larry Tenney @larrytenney.bsky.social · 18h

Trump biographer Michael Wolff says Epstein showed him Polaroids of Trump with topless teenage girls

When asked if she's seen those pics, AG Pam Bondi wouldn't say "No!"

And litigious Trump hasn't sued Wolff for defamation

#ReleaseAllTheEpsteinFiles

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ally @dustysevens.bsky.social · 15h

cat pool is the best pool

Steve 🏳️‍🌈🇬🇧 @wohyeahwohyeah.bsky.social · 14d

Timeline cleanser 🐈

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Peter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 1d

Respect and fair play to all the gifted teachers who, according to Nigel Farage, are poisoning our kid's minds with race issues.
I had great difficulty teaching some of the little buggers about triangles.

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May-Li Khoe✨ @mayli.bsky.social · 16h

i love this little dig “And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.” 👀👀👀 unwritten “unlike the rest of yall”

• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit.
Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute was the first to reinstate the SAT'ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.

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Glonzo Journalism, But Scary 👻 @scriban.bsky.social · 16h

The only crime spree in American cities is Trump’s Gestapo destroying private property and injuring people while they kidnap folks.

Jim Daley @jimdaleywrites.bsky.social · 17h

I'm at the scene where ICE abducted multiple people from Lincoln and Foster this morning.

A WGN producer was among the people taken, allegedly because she was among a group of bystanders who tried to intervene. ICE agents hit this car while making their getaway.

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Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 1d

Looks like lying to federal judges has consequences

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 1d

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

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Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 1d

In response, the Chief Judge of that District Court issued a statement calling that claim into question, noting that:
- the US Marshall service, not FPS, is responsible for the security of the district court; &
- neither she nor the building’s security committee requested National Guard assistance.

Statement from Chief Judge Virginia M. Kendall
"Providing access to justice is at the heart of the Court's mission and critical for our democracy.
Maintaining access to the courthouse for anyone who seeks redress remains a top priority of the court. It is a core principle to promote our rule of law," said Chief Judge Virginia Kendall.
As the Chief District Court Judge in the Northern District of Illinois, I chair the Dirksen Courthouse Building Security Committee and work closely with the United States Marshals Service. During the past several weeks, I have received frequent updates on matters impacting the Court's operations to allow for proceedings to continue safely. Proceedings are and have been open to the public and the media.
The United States Marshals Service has jurisdiction over the interior and exterior security at the Dirksen Courthouse. While the Federal Protective Service has authority in most federal buildings, the United States Marshals Service has that primary responsibility at the Dirksen Courthouse. I trust and rely upon the men and women of the United States Marshals Service and the Court Security Officers to provide security at the Dirksen Courthouse; this includes the perimeter of the building. At no point did I, nor did the Building Security Committee, authorize or request the National Guard's assistance to secure the Dirksen Courthouse.
With my approval, additional security measures have been implemented to allow court operations to proceed, but those measures do not include the National Guard at the Dirksen Courthouse. The Courthouse remains open and accessible for all matters including hearings, jury trials, and naturalization ceremonies. The District Court Clerk's Office will be open during normal business hours, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, and in-person proceedings will continue as scheduled by the assigned judge.

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Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 20h

My 1st nominee for a weekly mini-Nobel Peace Prize:

Eboni Watson, the Chicago woman who stood up to & questioned DHS agents who in the middle of the night detained every resident of an apartment building in her South Shore neighborhood.

Who would you nominate?

Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 2d

Eboni (Ebony?) Watson sure sounds like a hero:

‘As Watson questioned agents about warrants and the legality of their raid, neighbors pleaded with her to be quiet for her own safety. She refused to back down.
"You claim you have warrants, but do you have a warrant to seize the entire building?”’

Eboni Watson, a neighborhood resident who filmed the hours-long raid of the apartment building, told the Weekly she had just gone to bed and closed her eyes when she heard a loud
'bang', followed by the distinct buzzing of drones, a sound she had come to recognize after noticing them hovering near her home for the past three or four weeks.
A moment later, Watson's phone lit up with a notification from the Citizen app that said there'd been a car accident outside. The buzzing grew louder. She grabbed the phone and got out of bed to look out the window.
southsideweekly.com

As Watson questioned agents about warrants and the legality of their raid, neighbors pleaded with her to be quiet for her own safety. She refused to back down.
"You claim you have warrants, but do you have a warrant to seize the entire building?" she asked the agents. "Do you have warrants to detain the entire building?" According to Watson, two federal agents told her that they were taking all detainees' photos to check them against databases for visas or warrants.

When Watson walked around the block to capture footage of the ongoing raid, she noticed federal agents were using the parking lots of Excel South Shore Academy—a CPS contractor school-to load residents into vans. In them, Watson saw Black U.S. citizens, women, and children. Grabbed from their beds, they hadn't been allowed to dress themselves before they were zip-tied and brought down to the waiting vans.

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Kathleen Clark @kathleenclark.bsky.social · 17h

A master class from MIT in responding to authoritarian overreach:

Your “premise … is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
… America’s leadership in science & innovation depends on independent thinking & open competition for excellence.

Dear Madam Secretary,
I write in response to your letter of October 1, inviting MIT to review a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." I acknowledge the vital importance of these matters.
I appreciated the chance to meet with you earlier this year to discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.
As we discussed, the Institute's mission of service to the nation directs us to advance knowledge, educate students and bring knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges.
We do that in line with a clear set of values, with excellence above all. Some practical examples:
• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit. Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute was the first to reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.
• MIT opens its doors to the most talented students regardless of their family's finances. Admissions are need-blind. Incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 a year pay no tuition. Nearly 88% of our last graduating class left MIT with no debt for their education. We make a wealth of free courses and low-cost certificates available to any American with an internet connection. Of the undergraduate degrees we award, 94% are in STEM fields. And in service to the nation, we cap enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly 10%.

source:
https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/regarding-compact

• We value free expression, as clearly described in the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom. We must hear facts and opinions we don't like - and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree.
These values and other MIT practices meet or exceed many standards outlined in the document you sent. We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission - work of immense value to the prosperity, competitiveness, health and security of the United States. And of course, MIT abides by the law.
The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that free marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences. Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.
As you know, MIT's record of service to the nation is long and enduring. Eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped invent a scientific partnership between America's research universities and the U.S. government that has delivered extraordinary benefits for the American people. We continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the nation.
Sincerely,
Sally Kornbluth

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Carceral Abolition @carceralabolition.bsky.social · 18h

Formerly incarcerated Atlantans help the city's unhoused residents find a way off the street www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news...

Formerly incarcerated Atlantans help the city's unhoused residents find a way off the street

A group of formerly incarcerated Atlantans are working to support people who are unhoused in any way they can.

www.cbsnews.com

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 18h

a woman in a pink sweater is sitting at a table with her hands in her hair and says b-b-b-bingo .

Alt: a woman in a pink sweater is sitting at a table with her hands in her hair and says b-b-b-bingo .

media.tenor.com

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 18h

I’m a procrastinator all the way.

What about you?!!

Screenshot of Twitter post by @Thymbtaeus:

Are you the ADHD who became really good at planning ahead because your brain made you worried? Or are you the ADHD who procrastinated until you became VERY good at improvising.

26 Aug 21

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 18h

Anyone?!!

“This isn’t a joke. I’m about to sh*t my pants which one am I.”

Photo shows two grey doors. One has gold sign on it saying “BIRDS”, the other has a similar gold sign on it saying “BEES”.

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Jen Mercieca @jenmercieca.bsky.social · 19h

It's Nobel to protect democracy.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 22h

Venezuelan politician María Corina Machado wins Nobel peace prize

Leader of country’s opposition receives award after intense public and private campaign by Donald Trump

www.theguardian.com

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Pat Charity 🇺🇦 🌊🗳️🌎🏛️ BLM 💉🚻📚🧢🐕 @patcha822.bsky.social · 1d

We are now living in that time. It's shameful

Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 1d

This is what Einstein ACTUALLY said. He was speaking about what was happening in 1949:

“Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education)….

www.snopes.com/fact-check/a...

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Lucy De. ☝️🧐 🔞 "The Oracle" 🎧🎶 @lucyde.sisc.one · 1d

Einstein literally warned israelis what israelis will become

it's genuinely insane how smart that guy was like holy shit

Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 1d

This is what Einstein ACTUALLY said. He was speaking about what was happening in 1949:

“Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education)….

www.snopes.com/fact-check/a...

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Andrew Perfors @andyperfors.bsky.social · 1d

Younger me did not foresee a world in which I am ideologically far more aligned with the current Pope than with most major US institutions, but here we are.

He puts his finger on much of what's at the heart of the moral rot we see all over.

Lucius Fox In The Box @carnegro.bsky.social · 1d

Pope Leo is spitting.

www.npr.org/2025/10/09/n...

Leo questioned a world where the wealth of the elite grows
"exponentially" while many "millions of people die of hunger or survive in conditions unfit for human beings." He also criticized "ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation,"
with false promises "that a free-market economy will automatically solve the problem of poverty."

Leo described a "new tyranny," which shuns any kind of oversight and where the economy is structured "in such a way that sacrifices are demanded of the masses in order to serve the needs of the powerful." The poor, he wrote, are only allowed "drops that trickle down."

The pope openly challenged "prosperity theology" and called Christians to the practice of giving charity. "It will not solve the problem of world poverty, yet it must still be carried out, with intelligence, diligence and social responsibility," he wrote.

Popular movements that challenge "the empire of money," invite people to take on the cause to combat poverty alongside the poor, instead of on their behalf, and "make history," the pope said. It our duty, Leo said, to "make their voices heard, albeit in different ways, in order to point out and denounce such structural issues, even at the cost of appearing foolish or naïve."

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Cathy Green (she/they) 🏳️‍🌈💜🏳️‍⚧️ @cathygreen67.bsky.social · 1d

Same.

We are truly living through “interesting times”.

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