Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Justin Braun @jusbraun.bsky.social · Jul 9

deportationdata.org/data/ice.html

Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Deportation Data Project

deportationdata.org

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jun 23

DISASTROUS. This means they will send people to horrific situations with no due process — in direct violation of promises the Solicitor General made to the Court in previous cases.

This greenlights sending people to be enslaved in Libya or tortured in any random foreign country.

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · Jun 23

#BREAKING: Over a (sharp) public dissent from the three Democratic appointees, #SCOTUS clears the way for the Trump administration to remove migrants to third countries *without* giving them an additional opportunity to contest whether they face persecution or other forms of mistreatment there:

www.supremecourt.gov

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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Jun 16

You’ve seen the “don’t share this code with anyone” SMS messages when you log in to your most sensitive online accounts: banking, messaging, #Google , #Meta, #Amazon. But who else might have seen them before you?

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MIT Technology Review @technologyreview.com · Jun 11

We got unprecedented access to the AI model that Amsterdam developed to try to fairly detect welfare fraud.

The result is one of the first in-depth looks at a system using responsible AI guidelines—and what happens when those big promises meet messy reality.

Inside Amsterdam’s high-stakes experiment to create fair welfare AI

The Dutch city thought it could break a decade-long trend of implementing discriminatory algorithms. Its failure raises the question: can these programs ever be fair?

www.technologyreview.com

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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Jun 11

Most reporting on AI examines worst-case systems deployed under the guise of efficiency. But what would a good faith effort at Ethical AI look like? For two years, we’ve been looking over the shoulder of a city trying to do things differently.

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Christian Nicolai Bjørke @cbjoerke.bsky.social · May 9

So happy that our project «Inequality for the law» is on the shortlist. 🏆 Lucky to have been collaborating with the talented people at @lighthousereports.com. @elenadebre.bsky.social @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social @jusbraun.bsky.social

Global Investigative Journalism Network @gijn.org · May 9

💫 NEW! GIJN, the new home of the Sigma Awards, is proud to announce the 2025 shortlist for the best data journalism projects and portfolios in the past year.

👏 50 data journalism projects from 24 countries made it to the final round of the competition. https://twp.ai/9PSjQG

gijn.org

Announcing the Sigma Awards 2025 Shortlist

twp.ai

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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · May 2

🎙️ New episode of #Backlight is out! Want to dig deeper into financial investigations, but not sure where to start?

In our latest episode, @margotgibbs.bsky.social and @giacomoza.bsky.social share how reporters can use financial clues to crack open investigations.

Become a moneytrails expert

Find out what it takes to lead financial investigations with tips from Lighthouse reporters.

www.lighthousereports.com

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Leon Yin @leonyin.org · May 1

NEW: @bloomberg.com analysis of +13 years of ICE detentions shows immigrants transferred to the South and SW from interior US at unprecedented rates. Reducing the odds of winning their cases. w/ @elenamejia.bsky.social @racheladhe.bsky.social
@pollymosendz.bsky.social
bloom.bg/43am95w

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jon ben-menachem @jbenmenachem.com · Apr 17

It shouldn't matter if Trump’s victims have criminal records. If we only defend the “innocent,” the fascists will argue that their victim “was no angel.” An anti-fascist rhetoric that carves out exceptions for imperfect victims is a gift to our opponents.

New from me for @us.theguardian.com:

What is a ‘criminal’ immigrant? The word is an American rhetorical trap | Jonathan Ben-Menachem

Labels like ‘gang members’ and ‘terrorist supporters’ are an easy way to make humans disposable

www.theguardian.com

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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · Apr 15

Good job, Stanford admin. More of this.

“America’s univs are a source of great national strength, creating knowledge and driving innovation and economic growth,” they also wrote. “This strength has been built on government investment but not government control.“

stanforddaily.com/2025/04/15/l...

Stanford president and provost back Harvard in funding fight

The president and provost said Harvard’s rejection of government demands was “rooted in the American tradition of liberty.”

stanforddaily.com

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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Mar 26

Europe frames migration as a crisis—but this masks the reality of its aging population and skills shortages. Over 18 months, with 20+ journalists, across 7 countries we answered:

What’s the true cost of shutting migrants out of jobs?

Hear from the reporters:

The cost of Europe’s structural racism

Europe frames migration as a crisis—but this masks the reality of its aging population and skills shortages.

www.lighthousereports.com

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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · Mar 23

Many people rightly point to the core role that mainstream right parties play for defending liberal democracy against the far-right threat. However, solely focusing on the centre-right ignores the errors that leftwing parties have committed that have empowered the far right. A few thoughts …

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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · Mar 10

I just sent our university president and provost an urgent request to defend First Amendment freedoms at Stanford, given this administration’s willingness to punish those who disagree with it.

I urge you to do the same with your university leaders.

Dear President Levin and Provost Martinez:

In light of the recent arrest of a former student at Columbia University and the ongoing threats to fundamental freedoms posed by the current administration, I urge you both to clearly and publicly denounce these dangerous attacks on First Amendment rights. Silence or neutrality in this critical moment risks complicity. Students and faculty urgently need reassurance that Stanford will vigorously protect our community members against threats of arrest, censorship, or sanctions for engaging in constitutionally protected expression.

You have consistently emphasized the importance of free speech and academic freedom as foundational to our institution. Now is the time to unequivocally reaffirm those commitments. Our community must know that Stanford stands firmly behind them, ready to use every resource available to safeguard their right to express themselves freely, without fear of intimidation.

I urge you to act swiftly and decisively to demonstrate our unwavering dedication to protecting constitutional rights, especially as threats against these freedoms escalate.

I have cc’d the Stanford Daily on this correspondence because I believe our entire community should be engaged in encouraging decisive action from our administration at this crucial moment.

Sincerely,

Hakeem Jefferson
Assistant Professor of Political Science
Faculty Director of the Program on Identity, Democracy, and Justice at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law

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Hakeem Jefferson @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social · Mar 10

Here’s the reality: This government—despite what they’d have us believe—cannot simply do whatever it wants. The moment we accept that bullshit, we become complicit in this blatantly authoritarian move by the president and his administration.

With a loud, collective voice, we must say: fuck this!

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · Mar 9

UPDATE—Mahmoud's attorney says they do NOT know where he is.
They were first told he was sent to an ICE facility in Elizabeth, NJ. But when his 8-month-pregnant wife tried to visit him, she was told he's not there.
They've received reports he may be sent as far away as Louisiana.

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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · Feb 27

Bellingcat's new US division is looking for an executive director to make Bellingcat US the best Bellingcat it can be. Details of the role and compensation can be found here:
www.on-ramps.com/jobs/3408

Bellingcat US | Executive Director

On-Ramps is a full-service executive search firm that exclusively serves the social sector, working with innovative, mission-driven organizations across diverse issue areas.

www.on-ramps.com

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · Feb 21

I’ll keep pushing this line of analysis because I’m increasingly convinced the clearest path out of this mess is for Dems to adopt a relentless anti-corruption, anti-inequality, anti-oligarchy, pro-democracy platform. The Dem leadership hasn’t realized it yet, but they’re now a reform party.

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · Feb 21

How many federal workers would DOGE need to fire to make up for Musk not paying his fair share of taxes?

Answer: 677,000. That's 44% of the entire non-DoD federal workforce.

Again, this power grab is not about the budget. It’s about politics.

Title: What Costs More: Billionaire Tax Avoidance or Federal Workers?
Subtitle: Musk’s tax avoidance could fund 677K federal jobs
• Current Tax Rate: 3.27%
• Top Federal Tax Rate: 37%

Cost Comparison (Bar Chart):
• Cost of Musk’s Tax Avoidance (smallest bar, purple)
• Cost of Top 100 Billionaires’ Tax Avoidance (largest bar, red)
• Total Federal Workforce Salaries (mid-sized bar, green)
X-axis ranges from $0B to $380B, showing that billionaire tax avoidance covers a significant portion of federal workforce salaries.

Impact on Federal Workforce:
• Average Federal Salary: $106,000
• Jobs Musk’s Avoidance Could Fund: 677,782 (29.5% of all federal employees)

Federal Workforce Breakdown (Pie Chart):
• A segment representing 29.5% of the workforce highlights the share Musk’s avoided taxes could fund, labeled “Share Equal to Musk’s Avoided Taxes: 29.5%”.

Sources:
• Musk’s Tax Rate: ProPublica
• Billionaire Gains: Bloomberg Billionaires Index (Dec. 31, 2024)
• Federal Employee Data: USAFacts

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Hamed Aleaziz @haleaziz.bsky.social · Feb 18

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/w...

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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Feb 17

New episode of #Backlight is out! This month, we are talking about how journalists can incorporate AI reporting into their beat and hold companies and governments to account.

Don’t leave AI reporting to the experts

You don’t have to be a tech reporter to cover AI

www.lighthousereports.com

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Gabriel Geiger @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social · Feb 17

If you’re a reporter looking to take on AI accountability investigations, consider giving this a listen!

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · Feb 17

New episode of #Backlight is out! This month, we are talking about how journalists can incorporate AI reporting into their beat and hold companies and governments to account.

Don’t leave AI reporting to the experts

You don’t have to be a tech reporter to cover AI

www.lighthousereports.com

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Justin Braun @jusbraun.bsky.social · Feb 17

I think focusing on federal programs that are getting killed where some states have backstops/equivalent programs and others don't is a useful approach to demonstrate how much of government is focused on preventing stuff from going south

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Justin Braun @jusbraun.bsky.social · Feb 17

I think it's important to prepare for the informational asymmetry to change: data on government failure will become harder to access while successes will be more widely publicized.
In other words, government will look more like a corporation

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Feb 14

The IRS was a simple test for DOGE: was it really interested in efficiency and state capacity? If so, you support the tax enforcement, the biggest ROI in govt.
Or did it want to minimize parts of the state that bothered billionaires?
We have our answer.
open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...

Jacob Bogage @jacobbogage.bsky.social · Feb 14

🚨NEWS: Massive layoffs are about to hit the IRS -- around 10,000 employees -- potentially in the middle of filing season.

Of particular interest to the DOGE: Cutting IRS enforcement capabilities.

-- with @jeffstein.bsky.social + Hannah Natanson

Layoffs to hit IRS as DOGE targets tax collections

Several people briefed on the matter said cuts to the IRS cuts numbering in the thousands. One target is tax collections.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Elias Koch @eliaskoch.bsky.social · Feb 11

New paper with @ankuepfer.bsky.social accepted at EJPR🎉
When do MPs debate each other & when do they avoid discourse? Applying a new framework to study the emergence of elite discourse, we find that ideology and gov/opp dynamics shape MPs incentives to seek & avoid dialogical interactions. #polisky

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Jonas Schaible @beimwort.bsky.social · Feb 9

Ich musste an diese Kontroverse um Laschet denken und wie ähnlich die Struktur der Position der CDU heute ähnelt:

Die CDU würde nie mit der extremen Rechten zusammenarbeiten, sonst würde sie die ja normalisieren. Das hat sie ausgeschlossen. Also kann, was passiert ist, keine Zusammenarbeit sein.

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Johannes Hillje @jhillje.bsky.social · Feb 8

Wow! Demo für Demokratie in München: „Die Polizei spricht von 200 000 Menschen, die Veranstalter sogar von 320 000 Teilnehmern.“

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