Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Victor Sojo

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 7h

Resistance to authoritarianism is a coordination game. That's why universities and law firms and nonprofits can't let themselves be picked off one by one. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

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

www.nytimes.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 7h

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The Australia Institute @australiainstitute.org.au · 20h

Great to see our research being used in Parliament!

Australia Institute research shows that the proposed changes to Freedom of Information laws would make a repeat of the Robodebt coverup more likely, not less.

@davidshoebridge.bsky.social #auspol

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 19h

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

“the university told him in February this year that the course was not accredited and there was no way he would be registered with APHRA.

A week later, the university told him the course had been suspended for new students.”

Careers in limbo after graduates discover university courses were never accredited

Students have been left with HECS debts and careers that are "non-existent" after completing degrees that were not accredited. Class actions have been launched against two Australian universities.

www.abc.net.au

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Tom Studans @maximumwelfare.bsky.social · 22h

Good morning. I have been out of town for a wedding but obviously the Deloitte thing is now providing a lot of interest for local and international mainstream media who are basically ignoring the contents of the report and the substance of the issue, being unlawful cancellations of welfare payments.

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 22h

In exchange for a promise of preferential access to federal grants, universities must follow the administration’s dictates on admissions, tuition, grading, student discipline, campus speech and protest rules, faculty and staff hiring, athletics, and many other domains that go far beyond federal law.

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · 1d

New from me and @brendannyhan.bsky.social

Why Trump's "Compact for Academic Excellence" is a devil's bargain and should be rejected in all forms

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.

Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.

www.msnbc.com

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 23h

ICE will reportedly hire contractors to surveil social media platforms 24/7 to target people for deportations.

The information would then be funneled into an existing ICE database built by Palantir (founded by Trump ally Peter Thiel).

"The party of small government,” folks.

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Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 1d

🧪 NEW STUDY of fracking and drinking water in PA:

“Our results verify that unintended communication events can result in widespread contamination of subsurface water sources”

The verb “verify” references the 200+ previous studies that also found fracking harms water

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Contamination of private water supplies after a well communication event (frac-out) in southwest Pennsylvania - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Contamination of private water supplies after a well communication event (frac-out) in southwest Pennsylvania

www.nature.com

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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 1d

The number of international students arriving in the U.S. in August fell by 19% this year compared with last year — the largest decline on record outside of the pandemic. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Nearly 20 Percent Fewer International Students Traveled to the U.S. in August

The data shows the steepest decline in August international student arrivals since the pandemic.

www.nytimes.com

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Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 1d

The Oregon Republican Party tried to help Donald Trump make the case for military intervention in Portland with an image of a fiery protest — but since Portland is calm, they had to fabricate one by merging old photos of police in Ecuador and protesters in Brazil www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 1d

100% - enough with the slop!

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 1d

HR representatives say the AI is a ‘natural fit’ for the Partner role. “It ticks all the boxes,” a People & Culture spokesperson said. “It lacks personality, it bills relentlessly, and it even refers to staff as ‘resources’ without hesitation. It’s basically born for leadership.”

The Shovel @theshovel.bsky.social · 1d

The AI has already started making its presence felt on the executive team, sending out a 500-word email about “leveraging holistic verticals for client-centric uplift” that no one has fully read but everyone agreed “sounded important.”

theshovel.com.au/2025/10/07/a...

AI That Generated Fabricated Deloitte Report Promoted to Partner — The Shovel

Deloitte has promoted the artificial intelligence system responsible for fabricating a government report, citing “unparalleled efficiency, strategic vision, and the ability to work weekends without co...

theshovel.com.au

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Tea Junkie @teajunkie.bsky.social · 1d

"And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it ‘the future,’ AI is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be re-consumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line".
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda hits out at AI-generated videos of her dead father: ‘stop doing this to him’

Film-maker tells the public to stop sending her videos, saying: ‘You’re not making art, you’re making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings’

www.theguardian.com

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 1d

I think this is the point.

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 1d

"“If the deputy director wants to do something and needs a legal opinion about whether or not he can do it, he can’t advise himself...”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/u...

C.I.A. Deputy Director Has Replaced Agency’s Top Legal Official With Himself

www.nytimes.com

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 1d

Probably, but not today. Today they are in full agreement with Miller and Trump sending ice and national guard to harass brown people in their neighbourhoods.

Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 1d

Trump, world renowned expert on black women’s political opinions.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "You have Black women with MAGA hats on in Chicago. All over the place. They want the Guard to come in."

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Victor Sojo @victorsojo.bsky.social · 2d

My dudes, you did.

Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 2d

“I voted for none of this."

Prominent influencers, including Theo Von, Joe Rogan, and Andrew Schulz, are starting to distance themselves from the president they helped propel to the White House.

Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

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David Pocock @davidpocock.bsky.social · 5d

$1.5 million of 🇦🇺 taxpayer💰per head but asylum seekers still going without food.

Huge contract blowouts, added to the cost of the latest secret MOU with Nauru raises serious questions of gross mismanagement.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru going hungry despite government spending $1.5m a year for each person

The Australian government is spending millions of dollars a year to house asylum seekers, yet many say they can not afford food and are forced to skip meals

www.theguardian.com

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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 2d

#BREAKING Mary E. Brunkow (US), Fred Ramsdell (US) and Shimon Sakaguchi (Japan) win Nobel Nobel Prize in Medicine for immune system research

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump to the Navy: "We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder called the Democrats."

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Thor Benson @thorbenson.bsky.social · 3d

"The strength of a people lies in its purity, not in its diversity."
—Tom Metzger, a white supremacist, neo-Nazi and Klansman

"Real strength comes from homogeneity, from people who share the same blood and values."
—William Pierce, neo-Nazi, author of the Turner Diaries

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Hegseth to the Navy: "Your diversity is not your strength"

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Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 3d

ICE admits that up to 50% of arrests in its Chicago raids are "collateral.” These aren't statistics. They are parents taken from their children, neighbors taken from our communities. When does a "collateral" U.S. citizen child's trauma matter? This isn't law enforcement; it's a campaign of terror.

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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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Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 3d

They’re using American tax dollars to fund infrastructure in Argentina because that’s where they’re all going to flee when we kick them out of office

Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 6d

After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs

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