Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · 5d

Remember #Georgia (the country). The resilience of its society gives hope, even as the regime tries to quash it.

Gypsy Guillén Kaiser @gypsyrights.bsky.social · 5d

Georgia (the country) is on the frontlines of resisting Russian style repression. Aggressive tactics targeting the independent media have continued escalating, including the case of Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli (see thread).

cpj.org/2025/10/geor...

Georgian authorities probe press organizations under foreign funding laws - Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, October 3, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Georgian authorities to repeal restrictive new laws covering foreign donor grants as Georgian authorities open investigations in...

cpj.org

3

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · 18d

A very good suggestion.

Andrea Junker @strandjunker.com · 18d

Dear American citizens, whatever you wish more German citizens would have done in 1933, do that now.

1 2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · 18d

The latter.
(By the way, it doesn't need to be a deep dive. There are easily obtainable facts to challenge Trump's wild claims even in shallow waters.)

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 18d

What’s more astonishing: 1) that the president clearly believes, and repeatedly suggests, that asylum seekers are people from mental asylums, or 2) that no journalist has ever challenged him on this and no mainstream media outlets have done any deep dives on this story?

1 1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · 20d

Some Dems are figuring out the politics of gerrymandering. (All 212 should be out there and Jeffries should be leading.)

Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 20d

NEW: More than a dozen congressional Democrats gathered outside the Capitol steps to announce a new bill that would ban mid-decade redraws and require states to adopt nonpartisan redistricting committees.

From: @jimsaksa.com

Amid GOP’s National Gerrymander, Democrats Push to Require Fair Maps

www.democracydocket.com

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Sep 8

Well done Forest Hills Indivisible!

Indivisible Brooklyn @bkindivisible.bsky.social · Sep 7

Standing ovation 👏👏 for brand new group Forest Hills Indivisible for slaying highway visibility by the US Open & hells yes the motorcade went RIGHT UNDER IT.

You love to see it ❤️🎾

@indivisible.org @marisakabas.bsky.social @elizaorlins.bsky.social @ezralevin.bsky.social @leahgreenberg.bsky.social

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Sep 2

Justice delayed is justice denied.
This SCOTUS specializes in denying justice.

Politico @politico.com · Sep 2

Lawmakers have waited all year for the Supreme Court to save them from Trump’s unprecedented refusal to spend federal cash that Congress already approved.

They may not get closure anytime soon.

Trump’s cash-grab faces meandering path to SCOTUS as Congress writhes

The Supreme Court may not rule on the legality of the Trump administration’s refusal to spend federal cash until next year — if at all.

www.politico.com

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Sep 2

cc: all the foreign policy realists arguing for the US to form an entente with Russia in order to break Russia from its alliance with China.

Kevin Rothrock @kevinrothrock.me · Sep 2

Putin scores an apparent diplomatic win, reportedly securing a massive pipeline deal that would tie Russia & China together for decades, maybe redefining global gas trade. Yet, China has yet to comment on deal’s details, & Chinese media reports on the Putin–Xi meeting don’t mention the pipeline.

Xi, Putin Tighten Ties in Beijing With Apparent Gas Breakthrough

President Vladimir Putin appears to have secured a diplomatic win he has sought for years, with a massive pipeline deal that would tie Russia and China together for decades and could redefine the glob...

www.bloomberg.com

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 30

Ditto that.

Rhuta Bhayga @rhutabhayga.bsky.social · Aug 29

I guess today is about shoring up the resistance. I'm exhausted, and I'm hearing it a lot from others. But it's working, even if we can't see the results yet. YET.

The study found, first, that it’s peaceful persistence that makes movements succeed. Peaceful — because when a movement stays nonviolent, it invites solidarity at home and abroad. Here’s the interesting part: Chenoweth found that regimes with foreign eyes on them are less likely to massacre their own people, because they know they’ll one day answer to the world. And now we’ve met that criteria, too: the world is watching.

Rule two: keep going.
Here’s where the sh*t hits the fan. The final requirement is Sustained Resistance — because this only works if we keep going. I hear people say, “We keep protesting and protesting and nothing helps. Why do we even bother?”

But it is helping. It’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to: straining the regime, denying them silence, building pressure step by step. That’s how dictatorships crack. Not in one glorious burst, but in the grind of steady, relentless resistance.

There are no guarantees in this battle to keep our country from sinking into authoritarianism. I’m not offering them either. I’m just offering hope where I see it. And I do see it.

I know it doesn’t feel like enough. People are exhausted. The signs of fatigue are everywhere. The daily atrocities are an affront to the senses of everyone with a conscience. The urgency of the situation makes its way into our dreams, turning them to nightmares.

The fantasy of Trump frog-marched out in cuffs tomorrow is delicious, but it was never real. This was never going to be a quick revolution. It was always going to be an ugly marathon. And the truth about marathons is that they hurt. They grind you down. But if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you win.

1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 25

Most rational people could have come to this conclusion ahead of time. The problem with 95% of companies is they operate on "exuberant irrationality" as a late-stage mode of capitalism. Happily, they look at profit margins and returns.

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · Aug 25

An M.I.T. study found that 95% of companies that had invested in A.I. tools were seeing zero return. It jibes with the emerging idea that generative A.I., “in its current incarnation, simply isn’t all it’s been cracked up to be,” johncassidysays.bsky.social writes.

The A.I.-Profits Drought and the Lessons of History

Like the steam engine, electricity, and computers, generative artificial intelligence could take longer than expected to transform the economy.

www.newyorker.com

1 3

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 25

True. It applies to many in the administration.

But expand to see J.D. Vance be evil in the stupidest way possible for the purpose of selling out Ukraine to Russia.

Danny Miller @danielmilleresq.bsky.social · Aug 24

To lie like this. To propagandize at this scale. To lie about history in such a brazen way. Without seemingly any moral compunction. Is a sign of great evil.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 24

JD Vance: "This is how wars ultimately get settled. If you go back to World War 2, if you go back to every major conflict in human history, they all end with some kind of negotiation."

1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 24

the indivisible pack is missing @targetmajoritynyc.bsky.social.

1 1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 22

Correct.

Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · Aug 22

You do not have to like John Bolton to see this for what it is.

1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 22

I would rather that, upon reflecting, they recognize the threat Trump poses & act in defense of our democracy for themselves and for their kids & grandkids. (They can beg forgiveness from the kids & grandkids for how they were way too slow to act later. But acting now could still make a difference.)

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Aug 22

1 2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 21

This editorial alone shows how Bezos/Amazon will use his riches to serve Trump. See below to join #BoycottAmazon.

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

3

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 21

Democracy dying in darkness.

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · Aug 21

What in gods name is this

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 21

I would put it differently. He abandoned Ukraine. Period.

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · Aug 21

Trump has abandoned peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. - The Guardian

He abandoned peace. Period.

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 21

Yes, this article gets closer, but still a ways to go to the self-evident analysis. Truly, one wonders how ending federal civil rights enforcement, et al. might be reported generally if @nytimes.com established factual standards for news reporting instead of ordering euphemism as editorial policy.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Aug 21

inching closer and closer to my “they’re segregationists” take

Reposted by Eric Chenoweth

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Aug 21

just thinking about it makes me so angry. the worst kind of open race baiting in american politics since george wallace.

whet moser @whetmoser.com · Aug 21

the "cat eating" fake story was the worst thing i've seen in politics in my lifetime

160 1.3K 9.4K

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 21

For civics teachers, this ruling should be the second thing taught after covering the Declaration of Independence and its meaning. Although muddled by so many then and even today, the Massachusetts Supreme Court got it right from the get-go.

Jerry Mitchell @jmitchellnews.bsky.social · Aug 21

#OnThisDay in 1781, Elizabeth Freeman successfully sued for her freedom in Massachusetts after hearing that all people were born free and equal. Her case helped lead the Massachusetts Supreme Court to declare slavery was incompatible with the state constitution.
mississippitoday.org/2023/08/21/o...

1781: Elizabeth Freeman, a slave, sued for her freedom - Mississippi Today

On this day in 1781, more than 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation, Elizabeth Freeman sued for her freedom from slavery.

mississippitoday.org

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 20

Macron has the better understanding of Putin. And Trump's "optimism" is not to be taken seriously in regards to reaching real peace. Indeed, Macron ought to be very pessimistic about Trump's "optimism." It indicates the U.S. is not on the side of Europe but on the side of Putin.

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · Aug 20

President Macron:

I don't see Putin really willing to make peace.

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 19

Again, European leaders who went to the WH yesterday who thought, somehow, that they had brought Trump "back" to the alliance's position fool themselves. At some point they will awaken to the reality that Trump trapped *them* yesterday to accept his terms for negotiating on behalf of Putin. 👇

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · Aug 19

OMFG, Trump offers assurances to Ru not to Ukraine! That’s why the WashPo deleted the article I originally shared. Bizarro world: the aggressor Ru is being offered assurances that its aggression won’t be countered.

2

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 19

A proper response.

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Aug 19

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu:

“Silence in the face of oppression is not an option. The U.S. Attorney General asked for a response by today. So here it is…Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration's failures.”

1 1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 19

...to press for an immediate cease fire, European leaders came begging for Trump to agree to vague "security guarantees." Immediately, he announces on Fox that there will be no US troops involved. This is not how to deal w/ Trump, much less Putin. Both see only weakness in Europe's leaders. 3/3

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 19

Instead of pressing the case for Ukraine's membership (the only clear possibility for long-term security), Rutte truncated the program for European leaders to applaud Trump. Now, after Trump rolled out the red carpet to applaud *Putin* & immediately breaking an agreement made *the day before*...2/

1

Eric Chenoweth @ericdchenoweth.bsky.social · Aug 19

From Jan 21, 2025, Trump negotiated "peace" on Putin's terms. Early, he broke a NATO agreement by announcing a new US position that Ukraine cannot belong to NATO. What is striking is how European leaders reacted. Instead of challenging him, SecGen Rutte organized a NATO summit on Trump's terms. 1/

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Aug 19

Fox: "You said you got the Article V protections for Ukraine."

Trump: "They're not going to be a part of NATO, but we got the European nations and they'll front-load it...They wanna have boots on the ground. I don't think it's going to be a problem. Putin is tired of it."

1