banner
LightNews
eckles.bsky.social
Dean Eckles
@eckles.bsky.social
9.4K followers 1.2K following 290 posts

networks, contagion, causality faculty at MIT

Videos
Mathematics 19%
Physics 19%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Dani Rodrik, Stephen M. Walt, Cas Mudde , and 50 more

florianscheuer.bsky.social
Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 21h
I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7
23 190 940

Reposted by Dean Eckles

burhanazeem.bsky.social
Cllr. Burhan Azeem @burhanazeem.bsky.social · 2d
During this election season, lots of groups and people have been supportive (Sierra club, UAW, …) but this new on definitely means the most to me!
1 9

Reposted by Dean Eckles

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 2d
Super cool science: Parachutes are expensive and delicate to manufacture, which limits their use for humanitarian airdrops or drone delivery. Laser cutting a closed-loop kirigami pattern in a disc induces porosity and flexibility into an easily fabricated parachute. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Kirigami-inspired parachutes with programmable reconfiguration - Nature
A thin planar disc designed with appropriately patterned cuts transforms itself, due to air flow effects, into an effective parachute exhibiting good positional stability, regardless of its initial orientation.
www.nature.com
2 8 41

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Norbert Schwarz , and 10 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 3d
Monstrous.

"federal agents detained nearly every resident of the 130-unit building—including children and babies—placing them in zip ties and separating them by race into vans for more than two hours early Tuesday morning."
dlknowles.bsky.social
Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 3d
Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...
Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children
Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.
southsideweekly.com
32 730 1.5K

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Tom Clark, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 6 more

robertmackey.bsky.social
Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 4d
The Oregon Republican Party tried to help Donald Trump make the case for military intervention in Portland with an image of a fiery protest — but since Portland is calm, they had to fabricate one by merging old photos of police in Ecuador and protesters in Brazil www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America
A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland
www.theguardian.com
120 2K 3.8K

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, David Lazer, Joshua S. Weitz , and 16 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4d
My new op-ed with @lkfazio.bsky.social:

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
8 200 570

Reposted by Dean Eckles

Reposted by Berk Özler, Dean Eckles, Nathan P. Kalmoe

jenlucpiquant.bsky.social
Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 4d
Another effort to track ICE raids was just taken offline www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/06/1...
Another effort to track ICE raids was just taken offline
People over Papers was removed by Padlet, the platform it was built on, yesterday.
www.technologyreview.com
12 140 250

Reposted by Dean Eckles

mszll.datasci.social.ap.brid.gy
Michael Szell @mszll.datasci.social.ap.brid.gy · 4d
Nice project: A computational framework for quantifying route diversification in road networks
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.02582

Interactive: https://divercitymaps.github.io/
Overview of DiverCity and global patterns in urban road networks. (a) Example of a trip with low DiverCity (2.18) in Mumbai. Near-shortest routes significantly overlap, leading to low route diversity. (b) Example of a trip with high DiverCity (9) in Tokyo, characterized by multiple spatially diverse near-shortest routes. For panels (a) and (b), inset bar plots show the travel time of each alternative route, with NSRs in blue and non-feasible routes (exceeding the near-shortest threshold, shown as a dashed line) in red.
9 15

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Jonathan A. Eisen, Tom Clark , and 6 more

akalhan.bsky.social
Anil Kalhan @akalhan.bsky.social · 5d
"[A]gents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face.... I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, 'you’re free to go.'" #KavanaughStop
I’m a US citizen and a veteran. ICE arrested me for no reason.
Jailed for three days without an explanation or ability to notify anyone, George Retes argues the only path to healing starts with the government taking accountability for its actions.
newsletter.ofthebrave.org
67 1.2K 2.3K

Reposted by Dean Eckles

natematias.bsky.social
J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 6d
Are you a scientist, journalist, or civil society researcher studying New York State's distraction-free school policy, the one that bans internet-enabled devices in schools from bell to bell?

If so, I want to hear from you, as I refine a project to archive & classify published school policies.
2 9 14

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Anna O. Law, Will Jennings , and 23 more

dlknowles.bsky.social
Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 6d
I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America
470 7.5K 18K

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Scott A. Imberman, Dean Eckles , and 3 more

itaisher.bsky.social
Itai Sher @itaisher.bsky.social · 6d
This op-ed is excellent and I encourage everyone to read it.

Universities must reject the Trump compact.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
21 44

eckles.bsky.social
Dean Eckles @eckles.bsky.social · 6d
boxd.it/beN8Br
Thematically related...
1 3

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Lisa W. Fazio, Jacob Montgomery , and 3 more

brendannyhan.bsky.social
Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 6d
This is what authoritarians do - use the powers of the state to humiliate and degrade their opponents in public so that others will not challenge them
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 7d
“The source told CBS News that [Kash Patel and Dan Bongino] asked for "large, beefy" agents to conduct an arrest of Comey "in full kit," including Kevlar vests and exterior wear emblazoned with the FBI logo.” The leadership of the FBI is now in the hands of infantile psychopaths.
The FBI is weighing an arrest and perp walk for Comey — and suspended an agent for refusing to help, sources say
The FBI is considering carrying out a "showy" arrest and perp walk of the agency's now-indicted ex-Director James Comey, sources tell CBS News.
www.cbsnews.com
8 63 190

Reposted by Dean Eckles, Dana R. Fisher, Josh Pasek

emgusk.bsky.social
Emily Guskin @emgusk.bsky.social · 6d
Most American Jews say Israel has committed war crimes

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
12 210 620

Reposted by Mark Bray, Brendan Nyhan, Trevon D. Logan , and 3 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d
*A Republican lawmaker objected to reference to Charlie Kirk holding “often racist and controversial views” in local Alaska news
*The corporate owner took down the story and edited it
*The journalists resigned

This feels like more and more of our media now.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/u...
Journalists at 3 Newspapers Quit Over Edits to a Charlie Kirk Story
www.nytimes.com
50 900 2.6K

Reposted by Dean Eckles

wblau.bsky.social
Wolfgang Blau @wblau.bsky.social · 6d
Spot the North-American anomaly: only region where social media use is still growing.
Great work by the FT’s @jburnmurdoch.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a072... “Have we passed peak social media?”
5 42 98

Reposted by Dean Eckles

carnage4life.bsky.social
Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 6d
Following Apple’s removal of ICEBlock, both Google and Apple have removed a similar app for reporting ICE raids called Red Dot.

Google states it removed the app for targeting a vulnerable group that is at risk of violence — ICE agents.
Google Calls ICE Agents a Vulnerable Group, Removes ICE-Spotting App ‘Red Dot’
The move comes as Apple removed ICEBlock after direct pressure from U.S. Department of Justice officials and signals a broader crackdown on ICE-spotting apps.
www.404media.co
53 250 480

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Bryan D. Jones, David R. Miller , and 4 more

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 7d
“The source told CBS News that [Kash Patel and Dan Bongino] asked for "large, beefy" agents to conduct an arrest of Comey "in full kit," including Kevlar vests and exterior wear emblazoned with the FBI logo.” The leadership of the FBI is now in the hands of infantile psychopaths.
The FBI is weighing an arrest and perp walk for Comey — and suspended an agent for refusing to help, sources say
The FBI is considering carrying out a "showy" arrest and perp walk of the agency's now-indicted ex-Director James Comey, sources tell CBS News.
www.cbsnews.com
170 990 3.2K

Reposted by Dean Eckles

gonebabygone.bsky.social
Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Podcast @gonebabygone.bsky.social · 7d
Was kind of surprised by how good Mediaite’s was
Trump Pretends He Has Authority To Imprison Flag Burners for 'One Year'
5 100

Reposted by Chris Hanretty, Dean Eckles

mm-jj-nn.bsky.social
Mark J. Nelson @mm-jj-nn.bsky.social · 7d
I didn't realize that JAX is taking over in the probabilistic programming space. Very fair (afaict) post from Bob Carpenter, one of the core Stan developers, on how that looks from the Stan side.
It’s a JAX, JAX, JAX, JAX World | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
1 7 33

Reposted by Colin F. Camerer, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 11 more

oregonian.com
The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 7d
Federal officer blasts chemical spray into vocal but nonviolent Portland protester, video shows

The interaction illustrates how federal law enforcement officers do use aggressive tactics against protesters who yell and needle officers but don’t appear to present clear physical threats.
440 3.4K 6.3K

Reposted by Daniel W. Drezner, Robert C. Richards, Dean Eckles

thebulwark.com
The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 7d
"I think in a free country we should be able to post onto the internet, 'hey, there are masked agents on Broadway and Vine and not have the government or the tech oligarchs prevent us from doing that.' Shame on you, Tim Cook."

@radiofreetom.bsky.social joins @timmiller.bsky.social:
230 2K 6.3K

Reposted by Anna O. Law, David Lazer, David Brady , and 9 more

jswatz.bsky.social
John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 7d
“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”
Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits
A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.
www.washingtonpost.com
21 260 830

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Dean Eckles

dlknowles.bsky.social
Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 8d
Honestly in some ways this is the epitome of this administration. This is a government of podcasters and TV presenters led by a reality TV star who doesn't actually want to govern, he just wants to create *content*
istanbulshiite.bsky.social
istanbulshiite.bsky.social @istanbulshiite.bsky.social · 8d
DHS posted a sizzle reel about it.
30 170 660

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Sander van der Linden, Steve Peers , and 10 more

jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 8d
so the US government just forced a tech company to delete an app it doesn’t like, which is totally normal stuff

www.404media.co/iceblock-own...
ICEBlock Owner After Apple Removes App: ‘We Are Determined to Fight This’
Apple removed ICEBlock reportedly after direct pressure from Department of Justice officials. “I am incredibly disappointed by Apple's actions today. Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never t...
www.404media.co
760 7.1K 17K

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Richard E. Lenski, Jane E. Fountain , and 5 more

melissaryan.bsky.social
Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · 8d
I always pay attention to what stories People Magazine and other consumer media outlets cover. That's how you can tell that something has broken through the usual political and news bubbles. This horrific Chicago story has broken through. people.com/ice-agents-o...
ICE Agents Rappel from Helicopter in Overnight Chicago Raid, Dragging Kids from Beds to U-Hauls
Overnight on Tuesday, Sept. 30, federal agents from different agencies raided an apartment building on the South Side of Chicago, pulling men, women and children — some of them allegedly naked — from ...
people.com
370 5.8K 14K

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Richard S.J. Tol, Richard E. Lenski , and 7 more

govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 8d
ICE is running around Chicago harassing people for not being white.

Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.

That’s not making America great again.
South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: 'It Looks Like Hell'
A "now renting" sign outside touts granite countertops. Inside, residents are trying to make sense of the raid that made their already neglected building even worse.
blockclubchicago.org
1.4K 10K 29K

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Dean Eckles

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 8d
The US Administration is now illegally impounding federal funding for our universities unless they turn away international students *regardless of their talent and qualifications*.

Arbitrary 15% quota on int'l students, with no more than 5% from a single country (anti-China, anti-India).
www.washingtonexaminer.com
1 52 130