Columbia Ph.D. and faculty member here. Completely gutted by this decision. And as a researcher of autocracy, not challenging these charges in court and in public opinion is a great mistake.

Don't let anyone tell you that there is no protest happening. Our latest Crowd Counting Consortium data update is now available. February saw thousands of events. 50501 days of action, immigration-related protests & Tesla takeovers were key spikes in activity. dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtm....

Opinion | Trump and Musk refusing to pay USAID's bills threatens far more than foreign aid It takes a certain kind of mindset to believe that there are no consequences for not paying the people who have already provided their labor.

It’s about more than just the $1.5 billion that USAID owes to contractors and grantees. It’s about whether the federal government is obligated to honor the contracts it signs after the work is already completed

Update: Hours after Musk asserted that USAID had "restored" Ebola prevention, the agency informed several organizations working with USAID on Ebola prevention that their contracts were being cancelled, two people tell me + @John_Hudson. One of those groups was UNICEF.

Update: Hours after Musk asserted that USAID had "restored" Ebola prevention, the agency informed several organizations working with USAID on Ebola prevention that their contracts were being cancelled, two people tell me + @johnphudson.bsky.social.

One of those organizations was UNICEF.

Since the 1950s, Summer Language Workshops at Indiana University have provided training in Russian, East European, and Central Asian languages. Generations have come to Bloomington to study Romanian, Polish, Kazakh, etc.

Rubio just cancelled all of them
languageworkshop.indiana.edu/summer-langu...

DoD terminates Minerva grants and State Dept eliminates Title VIII summer language institutes on the same day. Coming on the heels of COVID, there’s going to be gaping holes in international expertise in the US for a generation.
/slow clap

Great examples of how to cover protests, esp for vulnerable groups like trans & queer people.

Over the head, from the rear. Catching the event, not the attendees or faces.

"You go looking for something, and it’s just not there," said Amy O'Hara, speaking about the disappearance of federal datasets.

thehill.com/homenews/adm...

Reporter: Migrants who were in Guantanamo Bay say they were shackled and placed in cages and say they were not treated as human beings. Any response to those conditions?

Leavitt: It’s a promise the President campaigned on

No, University Endowments Can’t Replace Federal Science Funding How Endowments Actually Work

There are so many reasons university endowments can't make up for the dramatic cuts the Trump administration has planned for science.

Here are a few. Thanks to @donmoyn.bsky.social for the platform.

Trump repeals Biden directive linking U.S. arms to human rights Rescission of the order, imposed by President Joe Biden as he struggled with the civilian toll caused by Israel’s war in Gaza, comes as Trump puts his mark on U.S. foreign policy.

The Trump administration has rescinded a Biden-era regulation that sought to ensure American allies don’t use U.S.-made weapons in violation of international humanitarian law, officials said Monday.

Graphic promoting data protection efforts. The background features a pattern of yellow, blue, and white triangles. A large navy blue circular overlay at the center contains the message in bold yellow text: "HELP US PROTECT AT-RISK DATA" Below, in smaller white text: "Your contribution TODAY shapes TOMORROW" The University of Michigan ISR logo appears at the top of the circular overlay.

#UMISR: Preserve At-Risk Government Data!

DataLumos, an open-access archive at ICPSR, is working to preserve/share critical govt data. Help keep the data accessible.

Donate: datalumos.org
Explore & contribute: myumi.ch/egrbW
Volunteer: icpsr-data-rescue@umich.edu

#DataPreservation #SocialScience

Hegseth Fires Military’s Top JAG Lawyers in Pursuit of ‘Warrior Ethos’ The defense secretary has repeatedly derided the military lawyers for war crime prosecutions and battlefield rules of engagement.

“In some ways that’s even more chilling than firing the four stars,” Rosa Brooks, a professor at Georgetown Law. “It’s what you do when you’re planning to break the law: you get rid of any lawyers who might try to slow you down.”
By NYT Greg Jaffe
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/u...

Chilling.

The University of Pittsburgh pauses its Ph.D. admissions process amid research funding uncertainty A spokesperson for the University told WESA Friday that the school has "temporarily paused additional Ph.D. offers of admission," while Pitt works to understand how proposed federal funding cuts could...

The University of Pittsburgh confirmed Friday that there would be no new Ph.D. offers of admission while Pitt works to understand how reduced federal aid could impact the institution.

These are great action items.

Upon learning that yesterday would be my last day as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, I shared this parting message with my colleagues. The next few months will be frenetic and stressful for them. Here are some things that you can do to help them with the mission ahead. (1)

ICPSR logo and text: Recent Data Updates and Additions on a transparent background of blue wavy lines.

📈Data Alert!📈 ICPSR has new and updated data available for your research needs. Perfect for researchers, students, and data enthusiasts. Start exploring! Check it out ➡️ buff.ly/3Clfwmi

#NewReleases #DataUpdate #DataDriven

Organizing and Mobilization during Democratic Backsliding – Ash Center In this webinar, panelists will draw upon lessons from around the world about how civil society groups can protect and promote democracy and the rule of law during episodes of democratic backsliding.

Join this online conversation between me and my colleagues @stevelevitsky.bsky.social, @cornellwmbrooks.bsky.social, and Marshall Ganz about organizing and mobilization during democratic backsliding. Next Thurs, Feb 20, 4-5pm ET. ash.harvard.edu/events/organ...

Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan [Carpenter, Edward H., Bardalai, Gen. Apurba Kumar] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Blue Helmet: My Year as a UN Peacekeeper in South Sudan

My brother Lt. Col @ehcarpenter.bsky.social's new book about his time as a peacekeeper in South Sudan is topping the charts at Amazon! A great resource for classrooms, scholars and the general public interested in world affairs… and he's about to start a book tour as well: bit.ly/3QmwT9H

Times of crisis and change bring many challenges, and each of us has an opportunity to decide how our priorities, skills, and bandwidth guide us in acting. There are many activities out there, and this starter pack can connect you with them.

It's horrific that JD Vance would go to Dachau yesterday, talk about being "deeply moved," then spend today telling Germans to welcome into government the Holocaust-minimizing, far-right AfD. But it also needs to be the final nail in the coffin of "Holocaust museum as ritual penance for bigotry."

Fellow data scientists: here’s an action item. Check out @datarescueproject.org and do what you can!

This is such an important point.

A judge extends the pause on Trump's plan to put USAID workers on leave A federal judge has ruled to continue for another week the freeze on the Trump administration's plan to put thousands of staffers for the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid leave.

A federal judge has ruled to continue for another week the freeze on the Trump administration's plan to put thousands of staffers for the U.S. Agency for International Development on paid leave. By @hansilowang.bsky.social