Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Mica Pollock

AAUP @aaup.org · 8d

The Trump admin’s offer to give preferential treatment to institutions that toe the party line reeks of bribery in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda.

This is corruption.

Adherence to ‘loyalty oaths’ would usher in a new era of thought policing in American higher education.

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin 'Loyalty Oath' Compacts

The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that court government favor in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological...

www.aaup.org

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Professor Amanda Sturgill @drsturg.bsky.social · 10d

Class is in session.

Fun fact about disinformation: In order to change actions, you don't always have to convince someone something is wrong. You might just have to convince someone that something might not be right.

The friction of uncertainty can stop someone in their tracks.

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Frank Strong @frankstrong.bsky.social · 16d

I need help getting this CRAZY censorship story out!

Last week, admins in Leander ISD emailed teachers telling them to “pause” use of 40 books relating to “DEI” that had previously been curriculum or choice reading activities.

Included on the list? To Kill a Mockingbird. #bookbans #booksky

Email to 6th-grade teachers in Leander ISD that reads:

Dear 6th Grade ELA Team,
I want to share an Important update regarding some of the texts in our book club and
whole-class reading collections. In response to new legislation outlined in Senate Bill 12 (89th
Legislature), we have conducted a review of titles currently used in secondary ELA instruction.
Because SB 12 prohibits specific types of content, several of our resources now require
additional review.
Effective immediately, please pause the use of the identified texts (linked below) in
instruction and assignments until further notice. This step is necessary to ensure our
curriculum remains in full compliance with the law.
I want to emphasize that these books are not being permanently removed. They are simply on
hold while we seek additional guidance from TASB and TEA regarding the implications of SB 12
for instructional resources. Once we receive that guidance, we will provide clear updates about
next steps. Additionally, if these books are included in your own personal classroom library, we
request that you remove them since personal classroom libraries are considered instructional
resources.
I know this timing is far from ideal and may present challenges, especially given the thoughtful
preparation you have invested in building engaging reading experiences for students. Please
know that our commitment to offering students a wide range of meaningful opportunities for
choice reading and discussion remains unchanged.
Thank you for your flexibility, professionalism, and continued dedication to our students as we
navigate this process together.
6th grade ELAR Resources
With appreciation,

List of 40 books removed from classes. Includes To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, The Fire Next Time, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and, weirdly, Les Miserables.

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usvshate @usvshate.bsky.social · 16d

We've worked for a long time on our definition of "hate" and our call for "anti-hate" messaging in #USvsHate.

See what you think at USvsHate.org/about/. Then encourage youth you know to submit their take by February 27, this year's single deadline. Join us!

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · 22d

The article lists grants “quietly” canceled. I think it’s crucial to not simply let grants supporting K12 get canceled in silence. So, while it’s painful to read each of these, I think it’s crucial to know about them & to spread the word on education opportunities being taken from young people.

Education Week @edweek.org · 23d

The Trump administration has canceled millions of dollars in grants for several dozen ongoing projects promoting civics, arts, literacy education, and preparing K-12 students for college.

Trump Admin. Cancels Dozens More Grants, Hitting Civics, Arts, and Higher Ed.

The multi-year initiatives are abruptly losing funding midway through their grant periods.

www.edweek.org

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Reposted by Mica Pollock

ProPublica @propublica.org · Sep 10

NEW: Federal funding for organizations that help students with hearing and vision loss across eight states will stop at the end of the month, according to letters sent by a top Education Dept. official and obtained by ProPublica.

By @jodiscohen.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social

Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump’s Anti-Diversity Push

Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. “How low can you go?” one advoc...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Mica Pollock

AAUP @aaup.org · Sep 3

BOOM💥💥💥

Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · Sep 3

AAUP-HARVARD, AAUP, & UAW WON THE HARVARD CASE!!!!

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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HELLody SchreiBOO @melodyschreiber.com · Aug 28

Demetre Daskalakis was a key figure in the Covid, mpox, and bird flu responses. This is a huge loss.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 28

Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."

My resignation letter from CDC.

Dear Dr. Houry,

I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested.

This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.

While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.

It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc.

I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information.

The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically.

Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

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Reposted by Mica Pollock

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · Aug 25

Im going to cry there was a line of teachers with signs that said "You've got this" outside my metro station cheering every kid when they got off the escalator 😭

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · Aug 25

As a new school year starts, Trump is terrifying the children of the District, thousands of whom rely on public transit to get to school and will now be greeted by a coterie of federal agents and armed soldiers who know nothing of their lives or their communities

For some in D.C., first day of school to look different under Trump crackdown

As President Donald Trump sends more federal forces to D.C. to fight crime, some residents worry about the impact on students and staff as school resumes.

wapo.st

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Japanese American National Museum @jamuseum.bsky.social · Aug 18

We are outraged and deeply distressed that armed federal agents came onto our campus—making arrests on the very ground where, in 1942, Japanese American families were forced to board buses bound for concentration camps. It was a deliberate act of provocation and intimidation.

Photo of armed customs and border patrol agents and cars on the plaza in front of the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Aug 15

REPORTER: President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?

PUTIN: *taps ear*

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Aug 15

I signed. Jewish UC faculty, students, staff, alums: please consider signing too.

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Aug 15

sites.google.com/view/jewsforuc "We, Jewish members of the University of California community, express our shock at the Trump Administration’s threatened imposition of a $1 billion fine against UCLA in the name of protecting Jews... we stand together now in defense of the University of California."

Sign in - Google Accounts

sites.google.com

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · Aug 10

Reposted w/correct numbers!

Whatever you’ve been doing, STOP & LISTEN (read). This is happening on our soil in our name paid for with our tax dollars.
Every one of us should call our House members & Senators. 202-224-3121
And flood the call lines to Gov. DeSantis’ office: 850-717-9337

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Aug 11

The federal government’s $1B demand would devastate the nation’s top public research university system, take tax dollars and education access from the state’s students, cut off life-saving care, and halt tech and economic growth. #StandUpForUC bit.ly/standuc

Stand Up for UC

We must stand together to protect our students, staff, faculty and our mission.

bit.ly

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Aug 6

“On July 31, 2025, the Trump administration suspended roughly eight hundred federal research grants to UCLA scholars totaling over $339 million. The UCLA Faculty Association has responded to this malicious attack by circulating this open letter.” Sign and circulate.

tinyurl.com/ucstandup

Home

Please forward this letter widely at https://tinyurl.com/ucstandup

tinyurl.com

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Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · Aug 2

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal

August 1, 2025
AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION
Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations

Statement from the American Economic Association on the
Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner

Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today.
The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day.
Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias.
The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity.
Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions.
We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure.

Lawrence Katz
President, American Economic Association
Katharine Abraham
President-Elect, American Economic Association
Karen Dynan
Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics
Kenneth Troske
Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Aug 2

Crucial letter from UCLA colleagues. “We welcome signatures from everyone (at all institutions) who cares about the future of the University of California and the future of higher education! Please forward this letter widely” sites.google.com/view/ucstand...

Home

Please forward this letter widely at https://tinyurl.com/ucstandup

sites.google.com

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ACLU @aclu.org · Aug 1

BREAKING: We're suing ICE for unlawfully targeting and arresting people who show up to court for their immigration hearings.

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Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Jul 29

As the grandchild of Holocaust survivors (and daughter of a post-war refugee), prevention of human rights violation has driven everything I do.

My grandparents and mother would never have wanted this violence against Palestinian civilians to persist in their name.

Michael Rothberg @mrothberg.bsky.social · Jul 29

Taner Akçam, Marianne Hirsch, and I introduce the Genocide and Holocaust Studies Crisis Network and call for immediate concrete measures to prevent further atrocity crimes and to protect civilians in Gaza.

As scholars of genocide, we demand an end to Israel’s atrocities | Open letter

Within weeks, 400 colleagues joined our organization. We say: it is not too late to save lives. End the genocide now

www.theguardian.com

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Michael Rothberg @mrothberg.bsky.social · Jul 29

Taner Akçam, Marianne Hirsch, and I introduce the Genocide and Holocaust Studies Crisis Network and call for immediate concrete measures to prevent further atrocity crimes and to protect civilians in Gaza.

As scholars of genocide, we demand an end to Israel’s atrocities | Open letter

Within weeks, 400 colleagues joined our organization. We say: it is not too late to save lives. End the genocide now

www.theguardian.com

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The Lancet @thelancet.com · Jul 18

“US health policy: the Senate must act”—our latest Editorial.

Read here: tinyurl.com/3wb3vxyu

The Lancet's July 19, 2025 Editorial in full. Copyright: 2025 Elsevier Ltd.

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Writers Guild of America West @wgawest.bsky.social · Jul 18

WGA statement on Paramount’s decision to cancel the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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MoveOn @moveon.org · Jul 16

We’re only halfway through 2025 – and already, extreme weather has torn through communities worldwide.

Meanwhile… Trump and the GOP have killed clean energy incentives and given tax breaks to coal.

Our planet is burning, and they are fueling the fire.

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · Jul 16

I want to be clear: this is what American prisons are like.

I spent years posting about the humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. The criminal legal system consigns Americans who are incarcerated to live like this FOR YEARS. DECADES.

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · Jul 16

They held him like this for 100 days.

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