Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Timothy Vollmer

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 4h

twice a year the entire U.S. press becomes a marketing extension of a single billionaire-owned retailer, and nobody in any position of editorial power thinks it's weird or gross

photo of Google News search results for Amazon Prime Day (the second this year)

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 5h

“Bucking tradition and legal precedent.” Lol.

I guess according to the sanitizing standards of mainstream media’s neutrality-theater journalism, you can “buck tradition and legal precedent” so hard that you end democratic self-government and the constitutional order altogether.

NPR @npr.org · 1d

President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.

Trump's power to deploy National Guard, explained

President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Portland, Oregon, and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration.

n.pr

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Reposted by Timothy Vollmer

UC Berkeley Library Scholarly Communication & Information Policy @ucbscholcomm.bsky.social · 1d

We’re happy to be joining the SJSU Open Access Virtual Conference to discuss how librarians and researchers are navigating the updated NIH Public Access Policy: scholarworks.sjsu.edu/oa-un-confer...

October 21, 2025. Free to register at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Title slide with dark teal background. Main heading reads 'Navigating NIH's Revised Public Access Policy: On-the-Ground Experiences from Librarians and Researchers' in white text with a vertical yellow-green accent line on the left. Below are presenter names: Katie Fortney (California Digital Library), Tim Vollmer (UC Berkeley), and Anneliese Taylor (UCSF). At the bottom: 'SJSU Open Access Conference | October 21, 2025'

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AAUP @aaup.org · 1d

NO LOYALTY OATHS IN HIGHER ED!

Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.

Please click below, sign, & share.

#DefendHigherEd

University Administrations: Reject Trump's "Loyalty Oath" Compacts

The Trump administration is trying to blackmail schools to let him and his unqualified bureaucrats run our schools. They want to dictate what schools teach, who they admit and hire, what researchers s...

actionnetwork.org

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Reposted by Timothy Vollmer

Emanuel Maiberg @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social · 2d

Got a tip recently about how Trump's tariffs are preventing libraries from sharing books, and causing their loaned books to get stuck or lost in other countries: www.404media.co/libraries-ca...

Libraries Can’t Get Their Loaned Books Back Because of Trump’s Tariffs

Libraries have shared their collections internationally for decades. Trump’s tariffs are throwing that system into chaos and can ‘hinder academic progress.’

www.404media.co

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Timothy Vollmer @tvol.bsky.social · 1d

“Fair use is a “case‑by‑case” standard, and the facts now include an exogenous policy barrier that makes return shipping for physical ILL either impossible or systemically unreliable.” copyrightfightclub.substack.com/p/controlled... by @kylekcourtney.bsky.social

Controlled Digital Lending Is Still Not Dead; It Just Got a New Job: Saving Interlibrary Loan from Tariff Chaos

Because apparently the "Trade War" is eating interlibrary loan and our print collections.

copyrightfightclub.substack.com

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

“.. On closer inspection, however, it turned out that the image was not a photograph of a real event in Portland, but instead a fabrication created by combining two photographs of scenes that unfolded in South America nearly a decade apart ..”

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

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UC Berkeley Library Scholarly Communication & Information Policy @ucbscholcomm.bsky.social · 2d

Next week, join our workshop to understand scholarly metrics and learn how to amplify your academic work. Oct 14, 11a-12p, Zoom. RSVP: update.lib.berkeley.edu/2025/09/25/r...

This diagram, titled "The metrics ecosystem," illustrates the different ways scholarly impact is measured. The six categories are:

Author-level: Measures impact based on a researcher's Publications, Citations, and the Journals they publish in.

Journal-level: Measures the "Impact," Citations, and Reputation of the publication itself.

Article-level: Measures the impact of a single paper through Citations, Bookmarks, Social media mentions, and Views & downloads.

Alt-metrics: Measures broader "Attention" and social engagement for All outputs, often tracked by the Altmetric "donut."

Data, code, & software: Measures the use of non-publication outputs through Citations, Dataset downloads, and GitHub forks.

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Mikhail Zinshteyn @mzinshteyn.bsky.social · 2d

BREAKING: Hours after California filed suit against the Trump administration Sunday seeking to prevent the president from sending 300 California National guard troops to Portland, Ore., a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking federalized deployment from any state to Oregon.

Trump deploys 300 California Guard troops to Portland; Newsom vows lawsuit

Gov. Gavin Newsom is vowing to sue after he says Trump sent 300 California Guard troops to Portland to quell protests

calmatters.org

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Reposted by Timothy Vollmer

Toby Higbie @thigbie.bsky.social · 2d

From occupied Chicago: “Worker centers, community groups, unions and informal networks have fanned throughout the city, numerous individuals taking personal risks to their own safety to help defend their neighbors.”

Sarah Lazare @sarahlazare.bsky.social · 2d

If Trump's deportation machine were an army, it would be the 13th largest on earth, ahead of Poland, Canada, Iran. The funding increase kicked in Oct 1, as federal agents unleash violence on the Chicago area, raiding communities and brutalizing protesters. By me & Lindsay Koshgarian, 📷 Steel Brooks.

The 13th Largest Army in World Is Unleashing Violence in Chicago

As federal agents kill and use extreme force in Chicago, their budget surges.

inthesetimes.com

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Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 3d

I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.

Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

balkin.blogspot.com

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

I do not regret to inform you that we are going to win

Cristian Farias @cristianfarias.com · 3d

This video of Chicagoans intervening to save a man from being abducted off the streets by ICE is making the rounds on Instagram.

Community action works.

Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DPZL2AL...

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Stacy Fahrenthold @sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 3d

There is a felony case involving 3 UC Davis protestors who painted an egghead w/ Palestine solidarity messaging.

A UCPD officer *fired his gun* at a student in violation of SOPs.

Now body camera footage reveals the shot was not accidental as UC leaders told us.

davisvanguard.org/2025/07/uc-d...

Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Felony Charges against UC Davis Protesters Despite Restorative Justice Offer - Davis Vanguard

A judge denied a defense motion to dismiss felony charges against three UC Davis students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest that included the spray-painting of an Egghead sculpture, despite the de...

davisvanguard.org

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This skeet will self destruct @pardoguerra.bsky.social · 4d

🚨🚨red alert, UC colleagues🚨🚨

President Milliken is telegraphing the university’s surrender to the administration’s demands. “Ensuring that UC remains” is administrativeese for “we are giving them all they want”

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AAUP @aaup.org · 4d

UC’s Academic Council calls on the Office of the President & the UC Board of Regents to unequivocally reject governmental demands that compromise institutional autonomy and #academicfreedom.

This is the way.

#DefendHigherEd

Brian Soucek @brsoucek.bsky.social · 4d

Strong statement today from UC's Academic Senate:

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Timothy Vollmer @tvol.bsky.social · 4d

Workers and students across the UC are saying loud and clear: do not capitulate to the Trump administration’s extortion of higher education. When will President Milliken and the UC Regents grow a spine?

Stacy Fahrenthold @sfahrenthold.bsky.social · 4d

@uofcalifornia.bsky.social systemwide Academic Council today:

"There can be no clearer attack on academic freedom than [Trump's] attempt to dictate curricular content, research priorities, hiring decisions, & admissions standards."

senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/repor...

senate.universityofcalifornia.edu

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Carlos Moffat @carlosmoffat.com · 5d

"Should Universities work together to fend off the administration's attacks on academic freedom and free speech?" is a key question that rank-and-file faculty (i.e., @aaup.org) are answering in the affirmative and University administrators are mostly shrugging off. Time is running out.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5d

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

Trump’s proposed “compact” with nine major universities “is extortion, plain and simple,” Erwin Chemerinsky writes in a guest essay. “It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education in America requires that every university reject it.”

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

There seems to be no limit to the president’s odious attempts to control higher education.

nyti.ms

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Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · 5d

“This is extortion, plain and simple.

It is not hyperbole to say that the future of higher education.. requires that every university reject it…The only solution is solidarity and collective action against this effort at federal control over higher education.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

www.nytimes.com

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 5d

UKY complied in advance and was still found in violation by the Trump administration.

That's the short of all of this.

There is no level of compliance that will save you if Trump decides you are his enemy.

When will our universities learn that?

kykernel.com/118067/news/...

UK to determine future of partnerships, funding for identity-based groups

The University of Kentucky will determine, over the next 60 days, which “identity-based” organizations can receive university support in compliance with federal instruction. UK Spokesperson Jay Blant...

kykernel.com

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Reposted by Timothy Vollmer

AAUP @aaup.org · 5d

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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AAUP @aaup.org · 6d

In a landmark ruling in our case against the Trump admin on the deportation of international students for protected speech, Judge William Young rejected the government’s justification for the wearing of masks by ICE agents as
“disingenuous, squalid & dishonorable.”

#AAUPvRubio
@knightcolumbia.org

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Timothy Vollmer @tvol.bsky.social · 6d

I initially thought the bootlicking response from the University of Texas board of regents was a joke. But it’s commonplace for university administrators, persons in positions of immense power, to align with Trump and sell out their students, faculty, and workers. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference

www.nytimes.com

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 7d

Using the DOJ website for hatch act violating propaganda

Democrats have shut down the government. Department of Justice websites are not currently regularly updated. Please refer to the Department of Justice's contingency plan for more information.
An official website of the United States government

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UC-AFT Bay Area Chapter @ucaftbayarea.bsky.social · 7d

“When UC Berkeley tries to crack down on any one of the 160 of us, we will continue to speak out because we are safer and stronger together,” said UC Berkeley electrical engineering and computer science lecturer Peyrin Kao in a speech. www.dailycal.org/news/campus/... @ucaft.bsky.social

Students gather on Sproul Plaza in protest of federal information sharing

A coalition of UC Berkeley students, faculty and community members gathered on Sproul Plaza on Tuesday to protest UC Berkeley’s release of personal information of 160 student and faculty members

www.dailycal.org

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The Intercept @theintercept.com · 7d

Defense officials were shocked at the cost and danger of assembling the military’s top officers to listen to meandering tirades.

Trump and Hegseth Gathered U.S. Military Leaders for an “Embarrassing” Rant

Defense officials were shocked at the cost and danger of assembling the military’s top officers to listen to meandering tirades.

interc.pt

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