Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by David Kimball

Audrey Truschke @audreytruschke.bsky.social · 1d

A Rutgers professor has been forced to flee the country for his safety, after targeting by a far-right student group that was *checks notes* claiming they felt unsafe.

I'm horrified.
I'm angry.

A short 🧵 #AcademicFreedom #Rutgers #violence #antifa

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Rutgers professor moving to Europe after threats over antifa accusations

Mark Bray says threats intensified after a Turning Point USA petition accused him of promoting political violence

www.theguardian.com

12 350 760

Reposted by David Kimball

This American Life @thisamericanlife.org · 2d

As NYC’s Democratic establishment attempts to resist the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, we look back at another mayoral candidate who upset the established political machine. link.podtrac.com/829uwl76

Harold

When Zohran Mamdani won the primary race for New York mayor, the Democratic establishment's lukewarm response echoed the treatment of another charismatic, unconventional candidate decades earlier. Thi...

link.podtrac.com

4 10

Reposted by David Kimball

Nicholas Slayton @nslayton.bsky.social · 3d

The assault is horrifying on its own, but then there's the other agent shouting "...or else you're next" while another fixes their face shroud.

Daniel Connerton @lordnad.bsky.social · 3d

@govpritzker.illinois.gov

37 and Kedzie, East Garfield, Illinois.

This is assault.

5 83 230

Reposted by David Kimball

Michelle Boorstein @michelleboorstein.bsky.social · 7d

WOW. LDS church member launches GoFundMe for the family of the Michigan Mormon church attacker. So far they've raised $100,000. Comments include: "Praying for your family" "You and your family are loved," "We forgive him"
www.givesendgo.com/helptheSanfo...

Help the Sanford Family

My name is Dave. Like all of you, I was shocked by the murders at the LDS chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on September 28. Multiple families were left griev...

www.givesendgo.com

5 13

Reposted by David Kimball

Chip Mitchell @chipmitchell1.bsky.social · 7d

Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. #BorderPatrol, claims a @wbez.org/@chicago.suntimes.com report about his comments Sunday in downtown #Chicago was "grossly inaccurate" and taken out of context. So we've posted the interview's unedited AUDIO and TRANSCRIPT:
www.wbez.org/immigration/...

Transcript: Gregory Bovino says arrestees in downtown Chicago chosen partly based on ‘how they look’

WBEZ reporter Chip Mitchell spoke with U.S. Border Patrol commander about a deportation blitz downtown and in the upscale River North neighborhood. Here is the transcript and unedited audio interview.

www.wbez.org

49 530 1.1K

Reposted by David Kimball

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 9d

The pro-EU Party of Action & Solidarity has crushed the pro-Russia Patriotic Electoral Bloc in the Moldovan election.

It won 51 seats - an outright majority.

Moldova is now on a trajectory towards EU membership.

A very bad night for Putin, who targeted Moldova with a wave of election propaganda.

29 430 1.6K

Reposted by David Kimball

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 14d

Depolarization is not "a scalable solution for reducing societal-level conflict.... achieving lasting depolarization will likely require....moving beyond individual-level treatments to address the elite behaviors and structural incentives that fuel partisan conflict" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

17 130 390

Reposted by David Kimball

Stan Oklobdzija @stano.bsky.social · 14d

Moreover, @cselmendorf.bsky.social, Clayton Nall and I found that pro-housing policies are some of the **least popular** housing policies when you ask people which policies they prefer (x axis) and which they think would be most effective in bringing down costs (y axis.)

2 11 40

Reposted by David Kimball

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 22d

Check out this scatterplot of health spending per capita (x axis) & life expectancy (y axis) in OECD countries (lines = averages).

The United States sits alone in the bottom right area due to its very high spending rate and below-average life expectancy.

More www.oecd.org/en/publicati... 🧪

Figure 1.7 illustrates the extent to which countries that spend more on health have better health outcomes.
There is a clear positive association between health spending per capita and life expectancy at birth (Figure 1.7). Among the
38 OECD countries, 18 spend more and have higher life expectancy than the OECD average (top right quadrant). A further
11 countries spend less and have lower life expectancy than the OECD average (bottom left quadrant).
Of particular interest are countries that deviate from this basic relationship. Eight countries spend less than the OECD average
but achieve higher life expectancy overall (top left quadrant). This may indicate relatively good value for money of health systems,
notwithstanding the fact that many other factors also have an impact on health outcomes. These eight countries are Korea, Spain,
Italy, Israel, Portugal, Chile, Costa Rica and Slovenia. The only country in the bottom right quadrant is the United States, with
much higher spending than all other OECD countries but lower life expectancy than the OECD average.

14 170 290

Reposted by David Kimball

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 21d

“The Department of Justice has removed a study showing that white supremacist and far-right violence “continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism” in the United States.”

www.404media.co/doj-deletes-...

DOJ Deletes Study Showing Domestic Terrorists Are Most Often Right Wing

Following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the Trump administration’s promise to go after the “radical left” a study showing most domestic terrosim is far-right was disappeared.

www.404media.co

76 710 1.7K

Reposted by David Kimball

🎃🪦 BLOODSUGARSETHMASKET 🪦🎃 @smotus.bsky.social · 21d

I guess nothing matters anymore but what the vice president is saying here is demonstrably untrue.
See Kalmoe & Mason (2022) and just about any other academic study on US political violence.

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 22d

Vance: “People on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence. This is not a both sides problem. If both sides have a problem, then one side has a much bigger and malignant problem and that is the truth.”

9 29 140

Reposted by David Kimball

Phil Williams @philinvestigates.com · 23d

Interesting polling data: Those with unfavorable views of Donald Trump are the LEAST LIKELY to support political violence.

67 760 2.3K

Reposted by David Kimball

Christopher Mathias @letsgomathias.bsky.social · 23d

Last year: Austin Peay State University learns prof is Nazi who went to Charlottesville rally. Admin drags heels, pays him $56k severance to leave

This week: APSU prof posts screenshot of headline - Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment- & is immediately fired

61 1.5K 3.8K

Reposted by David Kimball

Guy Grossman @guygrossman.bsky.social · 24d

Really striking that the movement that campaigned vigorously against cancel culture as un-American is demanding now that people get fired because they posted "disrespectful things" about Kirk after his assassination.

wapo.st/48fwqAi

Workers are getting fired, placed on leave over Charlie Kirk posts

Reactions to the conservative activist’s killing have become a litmus test for employers’ tolerance for political speech by employees, in public and private.

wapo.st

4 36 120

Reposted by David Kimball

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · Sep 11

Behold, the best 9/11 humor of all time: The Onion's TV listings (my favorite row is MTV)

ON TV TONIGHT (columns for 8:00, 9:00, 10:00)

ABC: Attack On America
America Attacked
America In Crisis
America Still In Crisis

NBC:
A Nation Looks Around For Someone To Hit
America On The Verge Of Flying Off The Handle
America's Time Of Trial: Who Fucking Wants Some? You? Do You? How 'Bout You?

CBS
Dan Rather's 83rd Straight Hour On The Air
Dan Rather Seriously Loses His Shit
Medicating Dan Rather

BET
Wartime At The Apollo
Tavis Smiley Presents: Terrorists Strike America-The
White Man Finds Somebody Else To Fear And Demonize For A Change

MTV
The 100 Greatest, But, In Light Of Recent Events, Not As Important As Being Good To Our Loved Ones, Videos Of All Time
Yo! MTV Extends Its Condolences
Talking To Blink 182 About The Tragedy
Carson Daly In Way Over His Head

Lifetime
Golden Girls
Golden Girls
Golden Girls
Golden Girls
Golden Girls
Golden Girls

History
Last Tuesday In History
Two Weeks Ago, As Told By Those Who Lived It
Last Tuesday In History (rerun)

100 780 3.7K

Reposted by David Kimball

The Onion @theonion.com · 26d

Emerald Fennell Assures Fans ‘Wuthering Heights’ Will Be Faithful Adaptation Of ‘Twilight’ https://theonion.com/emerald-fennell-assures-fans-wuthering-heights-will-be-faithful-adaptation-of-twilight/

13 70 860

Reposted by David Kimball

Jonathan Ladd @jonmladd.bsky.social · 29d

"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures...

For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:"

5 54 91

Reposted by David Kimball

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · Sep 8

David Brooks is desperate for "lefties who are willing to spend money fighting poverty but also willing to promote the traditional values and practices that enable people to rise” and I feel like he should go to any mainline Protestant Church on a Sunday

Opinion | Why I Am Not a Liberal

www.nytimes.com

19 33 320

Reposted by David Kimball

Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · Sep 7

AfD loses. Badly, and in the first round. It’s just a mayoral election, but Meißen is the heart of Saxony and as the thread points out, AfD invested a lot in this race.

Hoywoj @aushoywoj.bsky.social · Sep 7

Es ist offiziell: Markus Renner ist der neue Oberbürgermeister von Meißen. Der Kandidat von CDU, der Unabhängigen Liste Meißen, den Bürgern für Meißen, der SPD und der Linken holt im 1. Wahlgang 58%.
Die blaue Welle bleibt aus. AFD-Kandidat Jurisch bleibt weit unter den BTW-Ergebnissen der AFD.

17 170 670

David Kimball @kimballdc.bsky.social · Sep 3

“The gerrymandering battle has a historical precedent. It’s a warning we should heed.” electionlawblog.org?p=151883

"The gerrymandering battle has a historical precedent. It’s a warning we should heed." #ELB

Alex Keyssar oped in The Boston Globe: The framers of the Constitution — assembling in 1787, a time when political parties did not exist — chose to leave it to the state Legislatures to decide how to ...

electionlawblog.org

2

Reposted by David Kimball

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · Aug 31

Hard-Nosed Sheriff Who Inspired ‘Walking Tall’ Movie Killed His Wife, Inquiry Says www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/u...

Sheriff Who Inspired ‘Walking Tall’ Movie Killed His Wife, Inquiry Says

www.nytimes.com

1 5

Reposted by David Kimball

Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is a really excellent, "America, what went wrong" article (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/o...

Opinion | Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class

www.nytimes.com

23 78 240

Reposted by David Kimball

Daniel Ziblatt @dziblatt.bsky.social · Aug 28

A new piece I wrote appearing in FOREIGN AFFAIRS today

www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/warn...

Warnings From Weimar

Why bargaining with authoritarians fails.

www.foreignaffairs.com

24 300 670

Reposted by David Kimball

Dawn Teele @teele.bsky.social · Aug 28

I'm so jazzed that this is in print! it was a dream team! @profdansmith.bsky.social @fiva.no @alicirone.bsky.social

Dan Smith @profdansmith.bsky.social · Aug 28

🎉Now online (open access): "Hidden Majoritarianism and Women’s Career Progression in Proportional Representation Systems" at @apsrjournal.bsky.social. @alicirone.bsky.social, @teele.bsky.social, Gary Cox, @fiva.no. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

3 9

Reposted by David Kimball

Paul Collins @paulcollins.bsky.social · Aug 27

The daughters of Hermann Göring's aide - who refused for years to talk with art-theft investigators - put their home in Argentina up for sale, and GUESS WHAT.

Old master painting looted by Nazis spotted in Argentinian property listing

Dutch newspaper AD says it has traced Giuseppe Ghislandi’s Portrait of a Lady to house near Buenos Aires

www.theguardian.com

38 970 2.4K