Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 20m

Great piece as always from @himself.bsky.social, on authoritarianism as a competitive instance of the coordination problem.

Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.

www.nytimes.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 34m

Very operatic.

Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 44m

From jazz and Elvis' hips to TV and video games, industrialized mass society has never come to grips with the moment when children and the adult world can no longer be kept apart, otherwise known as adolescence.

Denmark plans social media ban for under-15s as PM warns phones ‘stealing childhood’

Mette Frederiksen links social media use to anxiety, depression and lack of concentration

www.theguardian.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 49m

ngl, I liked it when you could tell the difference on sight between a head of state and a member of an aging boy band.

Ecuador’s president unharmed after protesters attack his motorcade

Daniel Noboa’s convoy was attacked by a large group throwing stones in protest against rising fuel prices

www.theguardian.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 57m

Find someone who will hold onto you the way Paul Biya holds onto the Cameroon's presidency.

Election présidentielle au Cameroun : l’étrange meeting de Paul Biya, chef d’Etat « à l’infini »

Alors que le scrutin se tient dimanche 12 octobre, le président, au pouvoir depuis quarante-trois ans et candidat à un huitième mandat, est enfin apparu en public lors d’un événement à Maroua, la capi...

www.lemonde.fr

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 1h

Never have so few enriched themselves so much on the suffering of so many.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to join Israel-Hamas talks in Egypt

Senior officials from Qatar and Turkey also expected to attend in push for breakthrough over Donald Trump’s peace plan

www.ft.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 1h

A glimmer of hopium.

French PM sees ‘convergence’ in last-ditch budget talks

Sébastien Lecornu says prospect of snap elections is receding while centrists float suspension of pension reforms

www.ft.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 2h

No argument on any of that. So dangerous at any time, but even more so with all the other crises that require attention too.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 2h

Almost added that but ran out of room. And in all honesty, outside of @aphclarkson.bsky.social, not many people are talking about Trump II as a global systemic threat.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 3h

😭

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 3h

My professional timeline right now is made up of four distinct silos wrt the principal global threat/challenge we face, in roughly this order:

1. AI

2. Russia

3. China

4. Climate

I'd reverse the order and eliminate the silos.

But most notably, Trump II has no plan for dealing with any of them.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 5h

Tariffs are always a zero-sum game between domestic producers and domestic consumers, whether wholesale or retail.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 5h

I mean, in fairness, crypto wasn't a thing when Hunter was in the game. But Kushner just literally opened a bank account for the Saudis to deposit $2bn in, and Trump's kids opened a private club so all the dirty deals can get hashed out among friends.

But still, you can almost see Hunter sweating.

Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 29d

Think they buried the lede here:

"And then, last Wednesday, the two men found each other face to face at the kickoff dinner for the Executive Branch, a members-only club in Georgetown started by the president’s eldest son and a few of his allies."

Trump’s Treasury Secretary Threatens to Punch Housing Official in the Face

www.nytimes.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 5h

In retrospect, and in comparison with the Trump mob family, it's funny and almost charming how small ball and old school Hunter Biden's grift was. So much hustle for such low-stakes payoffs, like basketball before the 3-point shot.

Hunter Biden Pursued a Deal to Sell Land Around the U.S. Embassy in Romania

www.nytimes.com

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 6h

Why, contrary to many initial reactions, China will not necessarily be the beneficiary of Trump's tariffs. Depends on the product and the market, but there's no way the rest of the world, particularly Europe, can or will absorb the diversion of US demand.

E.U. Proposes 50% Steel Tariffs as Trump Effect Ripples Around World

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Judah Grunstein

Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 19h

I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter

Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15h

Arguably more humane than making them repeatedly deal with Grenell, tbh.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15h

I love reading these posts, in the way I love reading about cricket, as I understand nothing about them but it sounds so entertaining.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15h

I think Dems in these oversight committees need to rethink their strategy, because the rules of the game have changed and the "gotcha moments" they're aiming for may not be there anymore.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15h

What's perhaps most offputting about it is that the tone they have adopted sounds like the press releases North Korean state media puts out about US-South Korea joint military exercises.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 15h

Across the board, from congressional oversight hearings and court filings to spox responses to media queries and social media feeds, Trump II is weaponizing institutional communications channels, compared to previous admins that used them to spin, frame and plead but generally also to inform.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 18h

Got it, that makes sense to me.

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 19h

I always understood that term to mean policy that enjoys support across the middle of the aisle (although in recent years it has meant legislation that at least one person from the other party votes for).

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 19h

I have not forgotten about yours, Xan!

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Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 20h

Oh, that looks like something I need to read.

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