“Campus leaders need to understand that their capitulations and concessions only further empower the greatest threat to higher education since the Red Scare, if not earlier.” (The AAUP contends that this moment is far worse.) Act Now. Never Cave. #DefendHigherEd

And for folks who may not be from NYC, or may not know — this is who @bradlander.bsky.social has always been! I’m so glad that so many more folks are getting to meet him.

If you'll be in DC on Monday, why not join us? And if you can't, please consider taking one of the other actions on your own time.

The Supreme Court's decision sets a dangerous precedent. When I signed into law LGBTQ+ history in our curriculum, I hoped schools would become more welcoming to all. We'll keep telling the whole story of our shared history in Illinois, whether through storybooks or textbooks.

Earlier, several NIH staffers told me that NIH awards that had been held are being issued now. Bunches of them. Wonder if this report from the WaPo (gift link) has to do with it.

"...sadly, this seems to be a last ditch attempt by Virginia Governor [Glenn] Youngkin to resuscitate his floundering presidential ambitions by proving he is the chief destroyer of DEI." - @katiecouric.bsky.social bluevirginia.us/2025/06/uva-...

During McCarthyism, they went after individuals to force their agenda, now they're going after entire institutions. The Trump administration is doing everything they can to reverse all progress toward creating a higher education system assessable to all. We must fight back. #DefendHigherEd

But it can’t be the individual or even the few in a few disciplines. Like those who attack higher ed at institutional level, it must be a collective front. The moment has called us. If we listen.

how did i get here

folks with signs on the rotunda steps leading a chant of “the whole world is watching”

More than 100 UVA faculty (and counting) have signed an open letter condemning political interference in the university. The forced installation of a new president under these circumstances will cast a shadow on teaching and research. Read here: docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Trying really hard to push through, get things accomplished for projects I care about. Tough day for that.

Part of the story about the war on US higher ed right now is university board members who want to see changes for the school that they can’t achieve structurally or politically – their power not in fact being unqualified – inviting and enabling federal incursion to make those changes

Hey, I know the people who need to hear this are probably not on this site, but here’s a free tip: Stop resigning. Make the fascists fire you. Make them own their actions, then fight it with whatever legal remedies you can find. We can’t win if people don’t fight.

This outrageous Supreme Court decision is another reminder that the courts won’t save us. Today’s ruling from the MAGA SCOTUS is all the more reason why Democrats in Congress must fight like hell to block Trump’s policies from being enacted and gum up the works as much as possible.

Glad tariffs on Canada are back. Record stock market performance immediately following contraction of the economy needed a little juice of excitement to really keep the wheels rolling.

I grew up in a high school where Creationism was a Big Deal. It's weird to say this, but it was in some cases a stalking horse for deeper causes that ran counter to value systems I'd like to see in my community.

Just to give a sense of how insane the birthright citizenship stuff is, this is what the constitution actually says about the matter. There is literally nothing controversial about it. Either 2+2=4 or nothing means anything.

the president does not actually have the power to fire a university president or a museum director, but if elites simply roll over under pressure, then effectively he does

The president of the United States has claimed—and been granted—the power to fire a university president or a TV news reporter or a museum director

As Trump and his allies continue to attack the Rule of Law and undermine the foundations of the United States Constitution, Illinois will stay true to who we are: we are the Land of Lincoln, and we will forcefully defend the freedoms and rights of our people.

I'm just sick over all this.

... www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/u...

you have to ask, what will constitute a resolution of the civil rights investigation? let's say UVA completely dismantles everything related to diversity and still admits a class where a third of the student body is nonwhite. would the administration consider this per se evidence of discrimination?

trump launched a politically motivated investigation into UVA's decision to admit nonwhite student and jim ryan folded in an immense disservice to the university

More of this

With regard to these terrible Court decisions: It is *CRITICAL* to resist the urge to give in to doomerism and declare that things not directly accomplished by the decision - removal of books from classrooms, age verification expanding to medical websites, and so on - are now the law.

We will keep fighting to protect this and the other constitutional rights that make us the United States of America. (9/x)

Here is a *good thing*. I put together a FREE TOOLKIT with the Brooklyn Public Library's Books Unbanned team to help raise and support the next generation of anti-book ban, pro-library advocates. Check it out: bookriot.com/freedom-to-r...

honestly we need libs willing to basically clog up the federal court systems till the Supreme Court relents

This is an assault on the Reconstruction Amendments by a Neo-Confederate Court wedded to the far-right argument that those amendments were illegitimate and destroyed the original intent of the Founders, which was to create a white man's country

(stops hitting self with hammer) wow that feels so good

I feel sick. I can’t even imagine what children of immigrants are thinking about right now who live in any of the 28. We had already done this with abortion. Everything is upside down when depending on what state you live in is whether your children are citizens and have bodily autonomy.

The left better start figuring out how to weaponize today's decision rather than just (rightfully) criticizing it. - Go back into Judge Kaczmaryk's court to dissolve all of his nationwide orders. - Pass gun bans and insist any order applies only to plaintiffs.

as for the upshot of the decision, the republican court has put the citizen children of non-citizens in a position similar to that of free blacks during the antebellum period. their right to enjoy the privileges and immunities of american citizenship will vary according to state borders

Unless something dramatic happens in the interim, a birth certificate will no longer be sufficient to prove the citizenship of any child born in much of the United States after July 27.

biden's abdication of any effort to reign in the christofascist court along with his foot dragging on holding trump accountable has basically destroyed all the decent parts of his legacy. 1

Justice Jackson in dissent: "The Court's decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law."

We're taking action to push forward the civil rights legacy Congressman John Lewis worked for his entire life. This community resources event continues the movement Lewis helped lead and marks a new stage in our fight for freedom. Join us July 17, Urbana: Details: bit.ly/GoodTroubleJ... -LM

I played this game earlier this year and it is, top to bottom, an incredible piece of work. A masterpiece, even. It's hard to describe what, precisely it is, other than a love letter to dreams of what the internet might have used to have been. Even if you don't "play games"... You must play this.

Oh: so you know that USCCB letter challenging the GOP-led budget bill? It appears a group of Catholic bishops — including the Archbishop of Washington — wrote there *own* letter w/many other faith leaders that's MORE critical and straight-up asks Senators to vote against it. This is very unusual!

That this facility is still open, still accepting minors as patients, and still collects complaints for harassment and abuse is a stain on the community. I am so sad that people may send their loved ones there in their most vulnerable times. If you are local and want to hear other options, DM me.

MERP, mostly for the late-stage supplements that are fully fan fiction and endearingly unhinged.

Jim Ryan should not even consider this demand. The playbook here is becoming very clear. The Trump administration would like all universities to be led by weak interim and/or newly appointed leaders who will have even less ability to hold their stakeholders together and resist government demands.

'"We will work in good faith with the Department of Justice as it conducts its investigation," Zaentz said.' That "good faith" is absolutely going to be one-sided.

When political power silences science, we all lose. From climate to health, anti‑science agendas erode progress. Scientists, institutions, and leaders must speak up - or risk letting ideology undermine academic freedom and evidence-based discovery. zurl.co/OrCHk #StandUpForScience

I'm going to try and communicate with my Republican colleagues in a new way.

Pentagon Sends Hurricane Forecasters Scrambling After Suddenly Announcing Shutdown of Key Satellites Forecasters could miss out on “six, eight, 10 hours” of early warning about dangerous storms, one expert said. w/ @emilykennard.bsky.social www.notus.org/climate-envi...