Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 7h

One of the sober realities behind this is that many academics are not citizens, or not born citizens.

Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Rep. Greg Stanton @repgregstanton.bsky.social · 21h

Violent political speech needs to stop.

@RepYassAnsari.bsky.social, Rep.-elect Grijalva, and I are demanding the state legislature take action against state Rep. Gillette for his threats against our colleague Rep. @Jayapal.house.gov.

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Matt Gabriele @profgabriele.com · 13h

I know this case is all over - & it should be - but Turning Point USA has waged a harassment campaign against faculty for more than a decade. I know of at least a half dozen other faculty, personally, who have received death threats and several of those who felt so unsafe they too left their homes

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 14h

Are we great yet?

Mark Bray, a Rutgers University professor and expert on anti-fascist groups, is fleeing to Spain with his family due to death threats that stem from a campaign by Turning Point USA and other conservative groups to get him fired, falsely labeling him as an antifa member.

Antifa expert at Rutgers University says he is moving to Spain because of death threats

An expert on anti-fascist groups who teaches at New Jersey’s flagship state university is moving his family overseas.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 14h

You won’t believe what degrading practice the Pope just condemned

Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists The Pope has condemned clickbait as a “degrading” part of journalism, at a private audience with global newswires. Australian media representatives were among those to hear directly from Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday with about 150 members of newswire alliance MINDS International. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

John Fasullo @jfasullo.bsky.social · 17h

"By most metrics, 2025 has been the worst year for the American scientific enterprise in modern history". The result - we are "essentially ending America’s longstanding role as the world leader in science and innovation,” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/s...

Trump Seeks to Cut Basic Scientific Research by Roughly One-Third, Report Shows

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Shana Gadarian @sgadarian.bsky.social · 18h

Everyone who studies research methods just had an aneurysm

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Matthew Kay @mjskay.com · 1d

to appear at #alt.vis 2025: THEORY IS SHAPES

sure "theory figures" are great, but @matthew.wiki, @maryamhed.bsky.social, me, and Carolina Nobre wonder: why always a 2D plane or a flowchart? why not icebergs, horseshoes, Möbius strips, or BLT sandwiches?
arxiv.org/abs/2510.01382

#ieeevis #hci

Abstract and teaser figure of the paper "Theory is Shapes" by Matthew Varona, Maryam Hedayati, Matthew Kay, and Carolina Nobre.

The teaser figure is an "iceberg" theory figure, showing four levels: the tip of the iceberg, containing a nested set diagram and a Cartesian plane. The next level down (just under the water) has a complicated flow charts and a combination flow chart and matrix. The next level down has the iceberg figure itself and a horseshoe. The final level contains a Möbius strip and a BLT sandwich.

The abstract reads:

"Theory figures" are a staple of theoretical visualization research. Common shapes such as Cartesian planes and flowcharts can be used not only to explain conceptual contributions, but to think through and refine the contribution itself. Yet, theory figures tend to be limited to a set of standard shapes, limiting the creative and expressive potential of visualization theory. In this work, we explore how the shapes used in theory figures afford different understandings and explanations of their underlying phenomena. We speculate on the value of visualizing theories using more expressive configurations, such as icebergs, horseshoes, Möbius strips, and BLT sandwiches. By reflecting on figure-making's generative role in the practice of theorizing, we conclude that theory is, in fact, shapes.

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 19h

When I was reporting in Sudan several years ago, a driver warned me not to tell government officials when I was leaving because the airport is where they stop and detain writers.

So, yeah, this is a very bad sign. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 21h

🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

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UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20h

Not for nothing but if you're high profile and need to flee the US, don't tell anyone in advance. It's also most certainly better to leave via a smaller land border crossing and catch your flight from Canada or Mexico. Much less ability for the feds to prevent you from leaving that way.

David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 21h

“I’ll kill you in front of your students.”

This is just one of the death threats that has driven @mark-bray.bsky.social to try and flee the US.

But at the airport last night, after checking in and clearing security, his booking mysteriously disappeared

www.wired.com/story/mark-b...

He Wrote a Book About Antifa. Death Threats Are Driving Him Out of the US

Rutgers historian Mark Bray is trying to flee to Spain after after an online campaign from far-right influencers was followed by death threats. He was turned back at the airport on his first attempt.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 20h

This is "Gold standard" science in the same sense that the ubiquitous Fox/Newsmax/Blaze/Daily Wire/Tucker ads for "Buy Gold" are "Gold Standard" financial advice.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

David M. Luebke @davidmluebke.bsky.social · 20h

In case you're wondering whether the Tr•mp is serious about persecuting people for the things they think and write about, consider the case of Mark Bray, a historian who writes about the origins and evolution of antifascism 🗃️

#Tyranny
#edusky
#signalboost

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/n...

Rutgers Expert on Antifa Tries to Flee to Spain After Death Threats

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 1d

Nestle stuck it out less than 2 years with the Dairy Methane Action Alliance, and never actually reported its dairy methane emissions. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Nestle Bows Out of Initiative to Reduce Dairy’s Climate Impact

The food giant has left the Dairy Methane Action Alliance, an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from herds of cattle.

www.bloomberg.com

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Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 21h

“but more than that, a loving mother”

as much as I loathe MTG, what in the misogynist seeing motherhood as the most important thing about a woman fresh hell is this

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Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 21h

there’s always a wonky family history in there somewhere

Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 22h

Religious studies and developmental psychology folks: what literature is out there on childhood religious tradition and media literacy? I’m looking specifically for the impact of literalism

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 1d

Bondi also wouldn’t answer whether she’d seen photos of Trump in the Epstein files around half naked girls, as a witness alleged they’d seen. She must resign.

Tweet from Acyn showing a quote exchange:
Padilla: “Do you believe government officials are obligated to follow court orders whether they agree with them or not?”
Bondi: “I wish you loved your state of California as much as you hate President Trump.”
Padilla: “I asked a simple yes or no question.”
Below is a C-SPAN screenshot showing Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) speaking during a Justice Department oversight hearing. A lower third graphic shows a countdown to a government shutdown.

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

I think Dems can and should do better than people who are abusive to their staff members

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1d

It was only a matter of time before these stories started to come out
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘Get out of my f--king shot’: Katie Porter tears into staffer in newly released video

The former member of Congress, who is now running for California governor, also vented that she was snubbed by the Biden White House, complaining she raised the president “a shit ton of money.”

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.

This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 1d

This is all bullshit, by the way. There is no imminent risk of rotting crops, according to experts and farmworker unions. It's a ploy to cut wages (even below state minimum wages) for foreign workers, which will eventually hit U.S. workers too.
So much for America First!

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 2d

I mean read this, the Trump administration in an official document is saying that Americans won't ever pick crops and America won't have enough food to eat because of ICE raids!
prospect.org/politics/tru...

As a result, employers are facing significant economic harms, the filing claims. And incredibly, given the administration’s unceasing rhetoric to the contrary, the Labor Department definitively rejects the idea of Americans replacing the missing workers. “The Department does not believe American workers currently unemployed or marginally employed will make themselves readily available in sufficient numbers to replace large numbers of aliens,” the filing states, adding that agricultural work involves “a distinct set of skills and is among the most physically demanding and hazardous occupations in the U.S. labor market.” (For what it’s worth, nearly half of all agricultural workers are native-born, and significantly more than half are U.S. citizens, according to Department of Agriculture data.)

The Labor Department even claims that broadly advertising agricultural jobs, which is required under the H2-A rules, has not led to a boost in applications from U.S. workers. This is a bit of a fiction; workers who apply often do not receive jobs, and nobody is really checking to see if applications are coming in. “The system isn’t set up to prove that there’s a labor shortage of U.S. workers,” said Costa, of EPI.

In the end, the Labor Department concludes, the only way to protect agricultural employers from disaster and consumers from rising prices and food shortages is to slash wages in the H-2A program to make it more viable to bring in workers. This is an odd response to a workforce crisis, since cutting wages across the sector will likely drive existing workers to look elsewhere for jobs. In fact, farm employers in Florida fear that H-2A foreign workers won’t apply for these jobs anymore because the wages are so low. (There were 384,900 H-2A applications last year.)

But the filing states, “Without swift action, agricultural employers will be unable to maintain operations, and the nation's food supply will be at risk.”

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Dr. Katharine Dickson @metaomicsnerd.bsky.social · 1d

They're both tokens. The people Bari Weiss props up would love to see her divorced and thrown in conversion "therapy".

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 1d

This is getting wild.

The states of Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and 14 others have just asked for permission to file THEIR amicus brief in IL v. Trump.

The States of Iowa, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and 14 additional States
respectfully move for leave to submit the attached amicus curiae brief in support of Defendants
and their opposition to Plaintiffs’ requested temporary restraining order and preliminary
injunction. Proposed amici are States with a vested interest in federalism, the relationship between
States and the federal government, and deploying the National Guard. We also each have a vital
interest in supporting the President and Congress in enacting and enforcing valid immigration
laws. Every State has a responsibility to protect our citizens.
The federalization of States’ National Guard units is a matter of profound public
importance, as it directly implicates the delicate balance of power between state and federal
governments—a true cornerstone of Federalism. States generally maintain authority over their
National Guard units, allowing governors to deploy them for state-specific needs, such as disaster
response or public safety. Federalization of state National Guard units without gubernatorial

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Reposted by Dr. Katharine Dickson

Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 1d

National Guard from TEXAS, untrained in domestic law enforcement, are now patrolling Illinois (and apparently cracking heads), based on the wholly fictitious premise of a rebellion in Chicago. Looking forward to discussing on #deadlinewhitehouse with @nicolewallace.bsky.social at 5 PM ET.

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