Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 18h

WENDY. Why are you telling everyone?
OTTO. It's a smoke screen?
WENDY. What?
OTTO. Double bluff. You obviously don't know anything about intelligence work, lady. It's an XK Red 27 technique.

Bobby Silverman @robertsilverman.bsky.social · 18h

most "undercover operations" don't begin with the person in charge saying "I am sending out spies to do some spying" afaik—unless the goal is actually to freak out lefties and has nothing to do w/any information-gathering.

Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 18h

Obviously not the main point here, but it's interesting how this is framed as content rather than policy.

"BREAKING" is typically what journalists or influencers say when they have a big story -- not what government officials say when they launch "undercover" operations

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Island Press @islandpress.bsky.social · 21h

📚 A new chapter begins! Island Press will be joining @princetonupress.bsky.social in 2026 — uniting two mission-driven publishers dedicated to shaping a better planet.

Learn more about this historic collaboration: islandpress.org/PUP

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Anne Trubek @atrubek.bsky.social · 21h

Had a book published before mid-2021? Take 5 minutes to see if it's listed here and if so another 5 to enter info. And look up your grandma's book, the book of your friend, etc. and let them know

PSA: Get Your AI Money, Authors

The Anthropic settlement has been preliminarily approved, which means people can join in to be a member in this class action suit.

notesfromasmallpress.substack.com

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Stephanie Burt @notquitehydepark.bsky.social · 1d

Publication day for Taylor's Version! I'm so happy for my baby and for all the work @hachetteus.bsky.social & @johnmurrays.bsky.social did to bring her out into the world. Consider an order here: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/steph...

Taylor’s Version

“With unfailing lucidity, empathy, and wit” (Greil Marcus), a preeminent Harvard professor and poetry expert explains the artistry—and the celebrity—...

www.hachettebookgroup.com

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 1d

Collins states that -led combines with nouns, not adjectives. www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionar...

LED definition in American English | Collins English Dictionary

3 senses: → the past tense and past participle of lead1 light-emitting diode → a diode of semiconductor material, such as.... Click for more definitions.

www.collinsdictionary.com

Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 1d

“Forcing knowledge to pass through a political filter is a tactic adopted by the Soviet Union and other authoritarian states.”

American Council of Learned Societies @acls1919.bsky.social · 1d

ACLS has released a statement regarding the White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”: bit.ly/3IviMig

We call for the immediate rejection of the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”...No institution that is committed to the free pursuit of knowledge should submit to the degradation of autonomy and academic freedom contained in it. -ACLS Statement Regarding White House “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education”

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 2d

Better than nothing, but in the canon of federal literature, they are pretty far below National Transportation Safety Board accident reports, inspector general reports, or New Starts Before and After studies. Maybe you have tips for making the most of them.

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 2d

I was told not to teach a class on the intellectual histories of Zionism and Anti-Zionism next year - not because they doubted I could teach it fairly, but because it would attract too many politicians scrutinizing the syllabus.

A society where that is a valid fear is no longer fully democratic.

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Adam Rothman enjoys a good sandwich @adamrothman.bsky.social · 2d

In 1787, Hamilton dismissed fears that the national government would establish a military despotism. I do not think he would be as sanguine today.
(Federalist 28)
avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century...

For a long time to come, it will not be possible to maintain a large army; and as the means of doing this increase, the population and natural strength of the community will proportionably increase. When will the time arrive that the federal government can raise and maintain an army capable of erecting a despotism over the great body of the people of an immense empire, who are in a situation, through the medium of their State governments, to take measures for their own defense, with all the celerity, regularity, and system of independent nations? The apprehension may be considered as a disease, for which there can be found no cure in the resources of argument and reasoning.

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Andrew Wehrman @profwehrman.bsky.social · 3d

My book, The Contagion of Liberty is coming out (in January) in paperback, and I got some preview copies of this cheaper, more flexible version with new blurbs on the cover!

For the 250th anniversary, it argues that American independence was only achieved through inoculation and public health.

The paperback version of The Contagion of Liberty: The Politics of Smallpox in the American Revolution.

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Dr. Todd Arrington @btarrington.bsky.social · 4d

kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700636037/

Please buy my book. Since I’m unemployed and all.

The Last Lincoln Republican

Of all the great “what if” scenarios in American history, the aftermath of the presidential election of 1880 stands out as one of the most tantal...

kansaspress.ku.edu

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 3d

That quotation is from Sarah Babb, whose excellent book I reviewed for Academe. Good choice by NYT reporters. www.aaup.org/academe/issu...

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 4d

Coins are 31 USC 5112, not 5114

Contents of 31 U.S. Code Subtitle IV Chapter 51 Subchapter II - GENERAL AUTHORITY
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/31/subtitle-IV/chapter-51/subchapter-II

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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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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 4d

Ask me about the time I put my lunchbox on the grass while changing a tire.

No, no. Don't ask. Let us never speak of that again.

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John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 5d

“No self-respecting university could ever accept something like this,” said Lee Bollinger, a First Amendment scholar and former Columbia University president. “Trying to protect conservative ideas against being ‘belittled’ — that’s about as violative of the First Amendment interests as you can get.”

Colleges weigh whether to sign onto Trump plan or forgo federal benefits

A new proposal from the Trump administration would give colleges funding advantages if they adopt conservative priorities.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 5d

d101vc9winf8ln.cloudfront.net/syllabuses/3...

d101vc9winf8ln.cloudfront.net

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 5d

A Yom Kippur Viddui, but instead of being alphabetical, it catalogs sins by Library of Congress classification.

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Greater Greater Washington @ggwash.org · 7d

Take a look at how the Silver Line has reshaped the Reston and Tysons areas in the past decade-plus:

How the Silver Line has shaped transit-oriented development in Northern Virginia

View this post on ggwash.org

ggwash.org

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Urban History Association (the official account) @urbanhistorya.bsky.social · 8d

Today we kick off our Graduate Student Blog Contest for 2025. George Mason's Alexandra Miller kicks us off with a look at the intersection of adolescence, civic expectations, and the scourge of urban America, fireworks in early 20th century NYC

Playing with Fire: Pyrotechnic New York Youth at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

This post is an entry in our ninth annual Graduate Student Blogging Contest. This year’s theme is “Light.” By Alexandra Miller BOOM! The sound of the explosion “Shook the houses b…

themetropole.blog

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Tony Clark @anthonyclark.bsky.social · 7d

If you've done in-person research at any of the following presidential libraries in the last 8 months, can you please follow me/contact me—soon—for a story I'm working on (can be off the record)?

Hoover
FDR
Truman
Eisenhower
JFK
LBJ
Ford
Carter

And either way, can you please share this request? 🙏

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Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD @arghavansallesmd.medsky.social · 7d

I joined AAUP because I saw they were one of the few organizations taking a stand. They also organized the lobbying trip I took to DC a couple of weeks ago. If you’re an academic, supporting them is good use of our money.

AAUP @aaup.org · 7d

BREAKING: WE WON!!!
💥 💥 💥

Federal Judge William G. Young ruled today in our lawsuit against the Trump administration that the policy of arresting, detaining, & deporting noncitizen students & faculty members for their pro-Palestinian advocacy violates the 1st Amendment.

Full ruling here:

Findings of Fact & Conclusions of Law – #261 in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio (D. Mass., 1:25-cv-10685) – CourtListener.com

Judge William G. Young: ORDER entered. FINDINGS OF FACT AND RULINGS OF LAW, PURSUANT TO FED. R. CIV. P. 52(A)(Sonnenberg, Elizabeth) (Additional attachment(s) added on 9/30/2025: # 1 Main Document) (J...

www.courtlistener.com

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 7d

"Another historical marker is planned to commemorate the Kensington Riots of 1844, a series of clashes between nativist Protestants and Irish Catholic immigrants in the city."

"For God's sake, men, what are you about?"

www.phillyvoice.com/philly-histo...

Philly to get 14 new state historical markers, including for Bellevue hotel, Kensington riots

The Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission approved 45 additional plaques that will be installed statewide.

www.phillyvoice.com

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Rachel Cole @rmartincole.bsky.social · 7d

From the Transportation Library's Instagram: 1893 Western Wheel Works bicycle catalog. www.instagram.com/p/DPO6pVSEXgS/

Cover of Western Wheel Works Bicycle Manufacturers 1893 catalog with an illustration of cyclists in front of the entrance to the Transportation Building at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

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Zachary Schrag @zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 9d

Fun with the wide angle lens

Wide angle lens photo of cat whose prominent ruff hides her body, making her appear to be decapitated

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