Raj Thamotheram
@rajtham.bsky.social
Formerly a sustainable finance guy who's also not fond of pandemics or genocides or fascists.
On here for as long as it helps us organise a centre left response to the polycrisis.
If we have something in common, feel free to send me a DM.
On here for as long as it helps us organise a centre left response to the polycrisis.
If we have something in common, feel free to send me a DM.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
#IranProtests: After Deadly Repression, Regime Arrests Leading Activists
#Iran
eaworldview.com/2026/02/iran...
#Iran
eaworldview.com/2026/02/iran...
Iran Protests: After Deadly Repression, Regime Arrests Leading Activists - EA WorldView
Following deadly repression of national protests, Iran regime arrests and sentences prominent activists such as Nobel Prize laureate Mohammadi
eaworldview.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:51 AM
#IranProtests: After Deadly Repression, Regime Arrests Leading Activists
#Iran
eaworldview.com/2026/02/iran...
#Iran
eaworldview.com/2026/02/iran...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Mrinank Sharma, who led the safeguards research team at Anthropic, shared his resignation letter on X, which quickly garnered nearly 1 million views.
Anthropic AI Safety Researcher Warns Of World ‘In Peril’ In Resignation
Mrinank Sharma, who led the safeguards research team at Anthropic, shared his resignation letter on X, which quickly garnered nearly 1 million views.
www.forbes.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Mrinank Sharma, who led the safeguards research team at Anthropic, shared his resignation letter on X, which quickly garnered nearly 1 million views.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
I note that in 2018, both Mandelson and Johnson’s political careers were completely fucked due to their own crookedness, and both were deliberately brought back via extremely dubious media campaigns because they were useful in defeating the left. Should we learn any lessons from these Cane toads?
![The New Statesman • @NewSt... 1h X The Mandelson affair: Inside the scandal of a century by @PronouncedAlva
When Keir Starmer first entered Downing Street as Prime Minister, appointing Peter Mandelson ambassador to Washington wasn't part of the plan. Starmer was persuaded that the delicacy of the position would require a politician, rather than a traditional diplomat. But intriguingly, he initially favoured George Osborne over Mandelson, according to a person familiar with the conversations.
"Keir doesn't even like [Mandelson], and never really has," one Labour insider now insists. And yet, five months later, the man Starmer apparently never liked got the job.
How that happened - and what changed in the intervening months - is now a question to which the answer may determine whether
Starmer survives as Prime Minister.
Mandelson's links to the notorious paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have plunged Labour into a fresh crisis it cannot afford. Five months since Starmer sacked his US ambassador, new revelations have placed fresh scrutiny on the very decision to appoint him in the first place. Because, while No 10 says it is shocked and appalled by the latest developments, Mandelson's relationship with Epstein beyond his 2008 conviction was not only in the public domain, but pointed o plainly and directly, to Starmer and his of staff, Morgan McSweeney, before the appointed him. And still they went ahead wit the decision.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5hyjbx4hnlxe5il24ydnn4sr/bafkreieedqeh6pccykdtqbnwexjyjumxdk5fowgl3krlfvspw4zavv7ee4@jpeg)
February 4, 2026 at 8:36 AM
I note that in 2018, both Mandelson and Johnson’s political careers were completely fucked due to their own crookedness, and both were deliberately brought back via extremely dubious media campaigns because they were useful in defeating the left. Should we learn any lessons from these Cane toads?
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
If Labour activists want to be seen as anything other than the enemy, they will take the faction who decided their shortlist for us ambassador was Peter Mandelson and George Osborne, and they will kick them all out. If they don't do that, they will be judged accordingly.
February 4, 2026 at 10:25 PM
If Labour activists want to be seen as anything other than the enemy, they will take the faction who decided their shortlist for us ambassador was Peter Mandelson and George Osborne, and they will kick them all out. If they don't do that, they will be judged accordingly.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Sudan war: ‘As evidence mounts of the RSF’s barbarous attacks on civilians and cultural institutions, a clearer picture is emerging of an ongoing genocide, backed by the UAE and tacitly enabled by the UK. The comparisons with Gaza are chilling.’
Britain is allowing another Gaza to unfold in Sudan
As RSF violence intensifies, monitoring groups have witnessed a surge in UK arms sales to the group's primary sponsor: the UAE
www.middleeasteye.net
December 8, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Sudan war: ‘As evidence mounts of the RSF’s barbarous attacks on civilians and cultural institutions, a clearer picture is emerging of an ongoing genocide, backed by the UAE and tacitly enabled by the UK. The comparisons with Gaza are chilling.’
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
For the Interept, I reported from Uganda about the effects of USAID cuts on LGBTQ people, HIV prevention activists and sex workers—and tried to tell the story from the POV of these important but criminalized communities. Please read and share.
theintercept.com/2026/02/09/t...
theintercept.com/2026/02/09/t...
By Slashing Foreign Aid, Trump Is Fueling the Spread of HIV in Uganda
Reporting from Uganda, The Intercept saw how Trump’s effort to slash foreign aid is encouraging the transmission of HIV.
theintercept.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:16 PM
For the Interept, I reported from Uganda about the effects of USAID cuts on LGBTQ people, HIV prevention activists and sex workers—and tried to tell the story from the POV of these important but criminalized communities. Please read and share.
theintercept.com/2026/02/09/t...
theintercept.com/2026/02/09/t...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
“Washington today is a kleptocracy… [Trump’s] obviously planning to rig the elections.”
Financial Times editor @edwardluce.bsky.social explains how the collapse of America is ‘halfway there’ and how Trump is planning to rig the midterm elections.
Watch the full interview: zeteo.com/p/geopolitic...
Financial Times editor @edwardluce.bsky.social explains how the collapse of America is ‘halfway there’ and how Trump is planning to rig the midterm elections.
Watch the full interview: zeteo.com/p/geopolitic...
February 9, 2026 at 3:24 PM
“Washington today is a kleptocracy… [Trump’s] obviously planning to rig the elections.”
Financial Times editor @edwardluce.bsky.social explains how the collapse of America is ‘halfway there’ and how Trump is planning to rig the midterm elections.
Watch the full interview: zeteo.com/p/geopolitic...
Financial Times editor @edwardluce.bsky.social explains how the collapse of America is ‘halfway there’ and how Trump is planning to rig the midterm elections.
Watch the full interview: zeteo.com/p/geopolitic...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Britain’s ‘unsung’ army – a million people in poorer working-age households now have full-time unpaid caring responsibilities .
February 9, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Britain’s ‘unsung’ army – a million people in poorer working-age households now have full-time unpaid caring responsibilities .
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Few national Democrats have pushed back as forcefully against Trump’s authoritarian crackdown as JB Pritzer. There’s a reason for that.
"If you want to understand the Pritzkers, you should start by reading theirs."
"If you want to understand the Pritzkers, you should start by reading theirs."
What being a billionaire scion taught JB Pritzker about standing up to one
Few national Democrats have pushed back as forcefully against Trump’s authoritarian crackdown. There’s a reason for that.
www.motherjones.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Few national Democrats have pushed back as forcefully against Trump’s authoritarian crackdown as JB Pritzer. There’s a reason for that.
"If you want to understand the Pritzkers, you should start by reading theirs."
"If you want to understand the Pritzkers, you should start by reading theirs."
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Hundreds of kids are still detained.
We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
The Media wants you to vote Reform.
February 9, 2026 at 3:15 PM
The Media wants you to vote Reform.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
ICE sacked some tiny Idaho town and deported ~4 percent of the population at a stroke, it's liable to collapse the local economy www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
A Raid in a Small Town Brings Trump’s Deportations to Deep-Red Idaho
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:54 PM
ICE sacked some tiny Idaho town and deported ~4 percent of the population at a stroke, it's liable to collapse the local economy www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Yes, it's true. The US Attorney's office in New York prepared a draft of an announcement of Epstein's death that is dated one day BEFORE Epstein died.
Nothing fishy here....
Nothing fishy here....
February 8, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Yes, it's true. The US Attorney's office in New York prepared a draft of an announcement of Epstein's death that is dated one day BEFORE Epstein died.
Nothing fishy here....
Nothing fishy here....
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Of the bad decisions in British politics, the appointment of Andrew as Trade Envoy ranks as one of the very worst.
Police assessing claims about Andrew sharing confidential trade details www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Police assessing claims about Andrew sharing confidential trade details www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Police assessing claims about Andrew sharing confidential trade details
It comes after files suggest the former prince shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein from his official work as trade envoy.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Of the bad decisions in British politics, the appointment of Andrew as Trade Envoy ranks as one of the very worst.
Police assessing claims about Andrew sharing confidential trade details www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Police assessing claims about Andrew sharing confidential trade details www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
“Lying in feces, throw up, urine… like animals in a cage at the zoo.”
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
February 9, 2026 at 1:41 PM
“Lying in feces, throw up, urine… like animals in a cage at the zoo.”
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people's bodies. Her bosses halted her work.
Now she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.
(Published May 2024)
Now she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.
(Published May 2024)
Toxic Gaslighting: How 3M Executives Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe
Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles wit...
www.propublica.org
February 7, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people's bodies. Her bosses halted her work.
Now she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.
(Published May 2024)
Now she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.
(Published May 2024)
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Nice writeup of our now-finished JITSUVAX project: cordis.europa.eu/art... The main output of the project is the empathetic refutational interview...
1/7
1/7
Inoculating against anti-vax messaging through empathy
Vaccine hesitancy can be overcome through personalised, empathetic conversational approaches.,,,European Commission
cordis.europa.eu
February 9, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Nice writeup of our now-finished JITSUVAX project: cordis.europa.eu/art... The main output of the project is the empathetic refutational interview...
1/7
1/7
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Good morning. The President of the United States was in the middle of the most serious child sex trafficking ring of the last quarter century.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
February 8, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Good morning. The President of the United States was in the middle of the most serious child sex trafficking ring of the last quarter century.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
He is referenced not a dozen times in the case files. Not 100 times. Not 1,000 times. He’s referenced 38,000 times.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
🚨BREAKING: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called for Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister
"The distraction has to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."
"The distraction has to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."
February 9, 2026 at 2:41 PM
🚨BREAKING: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called for Keir Starmer to resign as Prime Minister
"The distraction has to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."
"The distraction has to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
"Tory & Labour governments in Britain have provided every conceivable form of support for Israel’s genocidal project in Gaza"
'Peter Oborne, independent-minded conservative journalist, has provided us with a definitive record of their complicity'
jacobin.com/2026/02/uk-israel-gaza-genocide-media
'Peter Oborne, independent-minded conservative journalist, has provided us with a definitive record of their complicity'
jacobin.com/2026/02/uk-israel-gaza-genocide-media
February 9, 2026 at 2:37 PM
"Tory & Labour governments in Britain have provided every conceivable form of support for Israel’s genocidal project in Gaza"
'Peter Oborne, independent-minded conservative journalist, has provided us with a definitive record of their complicity'
jacobin.com/2026/02/uk-israel-gaza-genocide-media
'Peter Oborne, independent-minded conservative journalist, has provided us with a definitive record of their complicity'
jacobin.com/2026/02/uk-israel-gaza-genocide-media
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
Bad Bunny’s closing messages during his Super Bowl performance:
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love”
“Together, we are America”
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love”
“Together, we are America”
February 9, 2026 at 1:51 AM
Bad Bunny’s closing messages during his Super Bowl performance:
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love”
“Together, we are America”
“The only thing more powerful than hate is love”
“Together, we are America”
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
1. People struggle to reconcile Keir Starmer’s ruthless ambition, Machiavellian manoeuvres, breaking of promises, collaboration in genocide, bans on protest, aid cuts, benefit cuts and war on nature with his history as a human rights lawyer. But perhaps there is no contradiction.
Read on.🧵
Read on.🧵
February 9, 2026 at 7:55 AM
1. People struggle to reconcile Keir Starmer’s ruthless ambition, Machiavellian manoeuvres, breaking of promises, collaboration in genocide, bans on protest, aid cuts, benefit cuts and war on nature with his history as a human rights lawyer. But perhaps there is no contradiction.
Read on.🧵
Read on.🧵
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
The daft thing is that with Proportional Representation there'd be no need for this self-destructive war within Labour. It could split into its component parts - left and right - and people could vote for what they wanted. It's only First-Past-the-Post that forces these irreconcilables together.
February 9, 2026 at 8:51 AM
The daft thing is that with Proportional Representation there'd be no need for this self-destructive war within Labour. It could split into its component parts - left and right - and people could vote for what they wanted. It's only First-Past-the-Post that forces these irreconcilables together.
Reposted by Raj Thamotheram
"First, we put the oxygen mask on democracy. Then we shift gears to paper ballots. Because there will always be some maladaptive male with a God complex—or a so-called tech “genius”—willing to subvert democracy in pursuit of a dystopian fiefdom."
thiswillhold.substack.com/p/trump-the-...
thiswillhold.substack.com/p/trump-the-...
Trump: The Trojan Horse for Authoritarian Technocracy
Inside the billionaire broligarchs’ plan to erase democracy, surveil the population, and decide who lives—and who doesn’t.
thiswillhold.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:37 AM
"First, we put the oxygen mask on democracy. Then we shift gears to paper ballots. Because there will always be some maladaptive male with a God complex—or a so-called tech “genius”—willing to subvert democracy in pursuit of a dystopian fiefdom."
thiswillhold.substack.com/p/trump-the-...
thiswillhold.substack.com/p/trump-the-...