David Simon
@davidesimon.bsky.social
300 followers 290 following 14 posts
Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut
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Reposted by David Simon
dynarski.bsky.social
Smart judge
robertscotthorton.bsky.social
By ordering the Columbia student's presence in his courtroom and ordering his release then and there, a federal judge robbed Trump and his team of the opportunity to defy his order, which was implemented on the spot by court officers. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...
Judge frees Columbia student activist whom Trump administration wants to deport
Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested as part of a crackdown on pro-Palestinian students who were legally studying in the United States.
www.politico.com
Reposted by David Simon
theradr.bsky.social
Reminders:

"Concentration camps" aren't the same as "extermination camps." Both were/are horrific.

Most Nazi camps were *outside Germany*, away from the eyes of German citizens.

Those trains? Were to, uh, deport the category of people whose lives were deemed unimportant.

Never again is now.
Reposted by David Simon
ericcolumbus.bsky.social
Conservative writer for @nationalreview.bsky.social has zero affection for Rumeysa Öztürk but slams her arrest and detention.

Let’s uplift conservatives when they oppose outrageous Trump actions.
I remain open to being persuaded by subsequent revelations, should they come. But if the case against Öztürk reduces to little more than her having written a column in support of the boycott, divest, and sanctions movement and/or her "not liking the Jews," then I reject this. I reject it vehemently on a prudential, legal level and on a moral level. Revoking a visa for criminal violence or active subversion is one thing, a commonsense
matter of civic hygiene. But to capriciously eject people from the country without warning merely for publishing an unpopular political opinion in a student newspaper is, no matter what Trump's defenders or special pleaders may beg, utterly abhorrent. I will accept the legal point, if you insist: No visitor or immigrant truly has a First Amendment right to free speech until the second after he has taken his formal oath of citizenship. And I will tell you in response that no modern administration has insisted on this standard before, and the idea that foreigners who are here on valid visas should live under fear that their every political opinion might become grounds for sudden incarceration in Louisiana or El Salvador is inhumane and close to un-
American in spirit. Remember: Unless another shoe is about to drop, Rumeysa Oztürk hasn't been accused of leading "Death to Israel" chants with a bullhorn or of occupying school buildings. She is accused of venturing a bad opinion in print. Make no mistake: I yield to none in my loathing for antisemites and idiot protesters alike. And I agree that lawbreaking should earn any foreigner a one-way ticket home. But Secretary Rubio has indicated in his responses to this case that lawbreaking is not the issue; it is speech, and the nature of it. Regardless of whether his actions are within the bounds of the law, are you comfortable with immigrants being ejected for exercising basic speech rights? Are you comfortable with this novel standard being introduced? I am not.
Maybe you reject my ethical qualms. Even so, this sets a hugely dangerous precedent, one nearly limitless in its potential abuse. Again, I concede the secretary of state's right to eject any noncitizen. But now imagine that power maximally interpreted, as Trump's team has chosen to do, in the hands of the next several Democratic administrations. Which foreign-born individuals might the government choose to summarily eject from the country on the grounds of those individuals' having expressed opinions contrary to the previous administration's foreign policy? It wouldn't be someone with negative opinions about Israel, I can assure you of that. It would be the next Ayaan Hirsi Ali, or Douglas Murray, or Charles C. W. Cooke for that matter. I have seen people cheer too many times as they watch the pitiless gears of government suddenly weaponized to crush their ideological enemies, unaware of how but for the grace of God they go untouched. Every time it happens, my long-dormant inner libertarian awakens, imagining those same gears grinding down on myself and those I love. Today, the victim may not be particularly sympathetic. Tomorrow — or ten years from now, but likely sooner - it might be your ox getting gored.
So, my question, to conclude: Where do you draw the line? I draw it here. I concede the legality of the administration's act: It is probably within its right to revoke Rumeysa Öztürk's visa and deport her. I reject the morality and the prudence of it. Deporting noncitizens for expressing unpopular political opinions (as opposed to committing crimes) doesn't just violate the spirit of the First Amendment. It opens Pandora's box: When this administration - and popular opinion
- changes, as it inevitably must, this same malevolent spirit of the law, now unleashed, will be turned on us all.
Reposted by David Simon
aclu.org
ACLU @aclu.org · Mar 18
BREAKING: A court overturned Ohio's ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

This is a critical victory for trans rights.
davidesimon.bsky.social
This month’s topic explores inflation.

In February inflation came in hot, and the Federal reserve has continued to hit pause on lowering interest rates: signaling that they are unlikely to decrease before September...

for more: www.healthaffairs.org/insider ) 5/5
Health Affairs Insider
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www.healthaffairs.org
davidesimon.bsky.social
When possible, I intend to introduce concepts from economic theory and findings from cutting-edge research to provide readers with a deeper understanding of the issues. 4/5
davidesimon.bsky.social
I will be taking big picture looks at economic trends, data, and forces; shedding light on how they forecast and shape the provision of health care services as well as the overall affordability, and quality of our health care systems. 3/5
davidesimon.bsky.social
They released a pre-view copied below (for the full article see: www.healthaffairs.org/insider )

Inflation’s Challenge to Health Care Operations

Welcome to my newsletter! My goal is to provide you with ongoing commentary on the economy and its intersections with the health care industry. 2/5
davidesimon.bsky.social
I picked up a side-hustle to write bi-monthly newsletters on how economic trends/event impact health and the health care industry. The newsletter is part of health affairs Insider, offering access to reports on health care, newsletters, and virtual events. 1/5
Reposted by David Simon
newrepublic.com
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex condemned ICE’s detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, calling it a “tyrannical” move.

“If the federal government can disappear a legal US permanent resident without reason or warrant, then they can disappear US citizens too."
AOC Rips “Tyrannical and Un-American” Arrest of Mahmoud Khalil
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had a serious warning about the ICE arrest of Palestinian activist (and U.S. green card holder) Mahmoud Khalil.
newrepublic.com
Reposted by David Simon
davidimiller.bsky.social
💯 This op-ed by ed research leaders made that essential point quite forcefully:

"Abruptly ending near-complete projects does not drive efficiency. Instead, it ensures that the public sees no benefit from the investments already made, converting what was productive spending into waste."
Cutting research funding would make education less effective and efficient
Presidents of education research associations explain the impacts of recent funding cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
www.brookings.edu
davidesimon.bsky.social
I just can't get that excited about using AI to produce lit reviews. I am VERY excited about AI eventually being able to fill out travel reimbursement paperwork for me.
Reposted by David Simon
peterbergman.bsky.social
The farce that this is to protect Jews is beyond offensive and insulting. Cancelling grants, threatening deportation of students based on their speech does not make me feel either safe or supported as a Jew. No admin in my life has made me feel *less* safe. Disgusting. www.ed.gov/about/news/p...
DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA Announce Initial Cancelation of Grants and Contracts to Columbia University Worth $400 Million
Government agencies today announced the immediate cancelation of approximately $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent h...
www.ed.gov
Reposted by David Simon
crampell.bsky.social
Clearly maintaining the White House dress code is very important
Reposted by David Simon
joshuajfriedman.com
Richmond, Virginia!
mparlopiano.bsky.social
Hundreds of protesters have gathered at Richmond Capitol Square against Donald Trump’s execution actions and Elon Musk’s involvement in the federal government.
Protesters call out:
“Stand up fight back” and “Truth sets us free”

@vcucns.bsky.social
Reposted by David Simon
aaronsojourner.org
Federal law & decades of government practice provide Americans strong guarantees of confidentiality & security for their govt data.

With POTUS's blessing & federal pardon power behind them, individuals appear to be violating our rights, corrupting systems meant to operate for our benefit.
jonmladd.bsky.social
Arguably the biggest national security breach in U.S. history. Private employees downloading personnel data on every federal employee and tax and social security data on every American onto private unsecured servers. Needless to say, completely illegal and subject to major prison sentences.
joshtpm.bsky.social
3/ different pieces fit together. There also seems to be a significant amount of downloading government data onto private servers, etc, totally outside any cybersecurity regime. Additionally it’s unclear to the people inside whether the people doing these things actually work for the US govt…
Reposted by David Simon
crampell.bsky.social
Any news outlet reporting Mexico conceded anything to Trump to get him to delay tariffs has not done its homework.
Trump boasts he got Mexico to commit to stationing 10K troops at our border. Apparently he didn't realize Mexico already has 15K troops deployed there
prami.ibero.mx/informes-y-i...
Reposted by David Simon
daveweigel.bsky.social
Yeah, and if you didn't figure this out after the Colombia gambit, get with the program!
crampell.bsky.social
Any news outlet reporting Mexico conceded anything to Trump to get him to delay tariffs has not done its homework.
Trump boasts he got Mexico to commit to stationing 10K troops at our border. Apparently he didn't realize Mexico already has 15K troops deployed there
prami.ibero.mx/informes-y-i...
Reposted by David Simon
chloeneast.bsky.social
Just had to explain to a reporter that yes, I did start working on a paper six years before it was finally published....
Reposted by David Simon
crisortunity.bsky.social

Too much bad news this week, please enjoy some good news
(HT @dougparr.bsky.social )
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...
Graph showing EU solar power generation has overtaken coal for the first time
Reposted by David Simon
chloeneast.bsky.social
Given how complicated our immigration system is (which is by design) it might not be obvious that this woman was going through legal channels to try to migrate to the US

Claiming asylum is a completely legal way to migrate to the US, but it's not easy & is subject to whims of the president
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
The first visual of the Trump presidency at the border; a sobbing woman in Ciudad Juárez stands outside the Paso Del Norte port of entry, clutching a pole as she weeps having learned that her 1:00PM appointment for a chance to seek asylum in the US has been cancelled. x.com/arelisrhdz/s...
Arelis R. Hernández post on X: "Migrants in Ciudad Juárez who were waiting for their 1 pm CBP1 parole appointments learned 20 minutes ago that the app has shut down & those appointments are no longer valid." There is a screenshot of video. A woman lays her head in her hands, leaning against a pole, and cries. As the video playes, multiple cameras are pointed at her and there is the sound of a DSLR or film camera shutter going off.
Reposted by David Simon
gabyaboulafia.bsky.social
this part is the most remarkable to me -

as a % of total ACA-related coverage, the share of people with marketplace coverage is now just *more than* the share of people with coverage through Medicaid expansion