What if tech was used for good.

⚠️ SCOTUS may be gearing up to weaken what’s left of the Voting Rights Act. The Court declined to hear a lawsuit challenging an Arkansas law that criminalizes helping more than six voters cast ballots. Here’s how voters with disabilities or who face language barriers could be disenfranchised:

A) This is bad B) I have my own significant concerns about X-Labs that track the content in this piece C) It’s a Jeff Mervis piece so expect some sloppiness D) That doesn’t necessarily mean the eventual outcome is going to be different than what Mervis describes, here

It seems somewhat bad that the richest man in the world can use his money to bankrupt individuals or organizations -- including officials who are tasked with holding him accountable -- that accurately point out that his actions plausibly facilitated the deaths of millions.

“Ten years after the Brexit referendum, the central question is no longer whether Britain can return to the old arrangement. It is whether Britain can think seriously enough about the one now taking shape.” [2/2]

This amount would fund the US National Science Foundation for a decade. 🧪

Chinese tech companies are mobilizing massive local workforces to record millions of hours of human movement data within homes and factories https://restofworld.org/2026/china-ai-robotics-training-data/?utm_campaign=row-social

The Trump administration is undermining DACA renewals, creating chaos for thousands of Dreamers and leaving them vulnerable to detention and deportation. Dreamers deserve permanent legal protections now. www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

🚨On July 1, students taking out federal loans will face higher interest rates. Instead of helping borrowers, Linda McMahon's Dept. of Ed has weakened the student loan system, creating new barriers to higher education our country can't afford. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/y...

The breast cancer center appealed thousands of Blue Cross reimbursements for being too low. At trial, the insurer revealed that it had never considered any of the appeals — and that they were pointless: “An appeal is not available to review an underpayment.” (Published April 2025)

"We Are Trained Marxists!" The Real Story Behind How Black Lives Matter Became Popularly Defined youtu.be/t6H3BYKMPkA?...

THANK YOU for all those that have helped us take action thus far. Haven't had a chance to take action yet? Follow our link here for multiple ways to join the fight 👉 fight2win.standupforscience.net

A quote from my new book.

"While most universities have cowered and complied, we have resisted. Our answer to the Trump administration’s myriad attempts to undermine higher education has been a resounding: ABSOLUTELY NOT."

Former Hugging Face executive Tiezhen Wang explains how open-source AI training algorithms from Chinese labs are quietly becoming the default infrastructure for U.S. researchers https://restofworld.org/2026/tiezhen-wang-china-us-open-source-ai/?utm_campaign=row-social

Also for Juneteenth, this unique essay from our magazine:

In Louisiana, which has more ICE lockups than almost any state, a crisis of prolonged detention is accelerating. Data suggests that the number of immigrants in ICE custody for more than a year has spiked five-fold since 2024. Our story with The Lens Nola: boltsmag.org/louisia...

Happy Juneteenth!

The results from this proxy season give company boards a clear reason to keep lawful diversity programs in place: Shareholders are saying they want their companies to hire and promote from the widest possible pool of talent. By: Karen Juanita Carillo #BlackskyNews amsterdamnews.com/news/2026/06...

Black farmers have lost millions of acres since the early 1900s. Despite the policy hurdles, Black women are still sowing seeds for land and farming projects. This story was produced in collaboration with @wgbh.org: https://bit.ly/4vSPrRz

The Growing Pile of Trash Scholarship About Malcolm X youtu.be/atoNwsVFhvg?...

This is, single handedly, the worst thing the Chronicle has ever published, a repost (why??) from the right-wing magazine Persuasion (again why????)

Trump has politicized research & scientific communication, making it harder for researchers to work & communicate their findings. This culture of fear & self-censorship leaves us all sicker & less safe. We must stand up 4 researchers #HigherEdBenefitsEveryone www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

The NAACP’s April lawsuit accuses xAI of endangering public health and violating the Clean Air Act requires permits and pollution controls for the turbines housed in Southaven. The Department of Justice claims it has discretion over when and how the law should be enforced.

Russell Vought’s OMB Grant Proposal will end science in America as we know it. We need you to help fuel our fight against Russell Vought by donating at the link in our bio, or go here: zurl.co/sDU65 #StandUpForScience #Science #Donate #OMB #Vought

You shouldn't go broke because you got sick. Everyone should be able to access quality, affordable healthcare. But the GOP’s cuts to ACA subsidies, force millions to go without health coverage & every month, more families drop coverage they can't afford. kffhealthnews.org/insurance/un...

Short-form video (~8 mins) on threats to science from @evidentmedia.org, an Emmy-winning nonprofit newsroom, featuring takes from @cdelawalla.bsky.social, @drstarbird.bsky.social & me. Ongoing efforts by OMB are another indication of the ongoing existential threats to American leadership in science.

I’ve seen recent comments about private donors saving science. Usually, donations go to universities and it’s not always to the direct benefit of existing labs. As such, several PIs have created direct routes to support their research. You can donate to the Starbird Lab here: starbirdlab.com/donate/

At the largest private university in the country, non-tenure-track faculty teach about a quarter of all courses. Earlier this year, nearly 1,000 of them went on strike and won what their union says are the highest minimum salaries for unionized full-time non-tenure-track faculty in the U.S.

NYC COMPTROLLER: “Next level. Beyond anything we’ve seen. We’re very worried about the precedent this sets.” Institutional investors (and regular Americans) are being forced to own billions worth of SpaceX after it was fast-tracked into indexes to make Elon a trillionaire 🤔

😕 🧬 🧪 🤷🏼

Read the report here: www.aacu.org/research/the...

🚨🚨 For the past nine months, my team @aacu.org has studied how can college and university leaders can advance public trust in higher education. Today, we published our report, The Trust Agenda. Here's what we found.

SpaceX launched roughly three-quarters of all payload mass reaching orbit in 2025. Its share of the launch market may now exceed the share of Asian trade once controlled by the East India Company. Researchers say history should give policymakers pause. @eastangliabylines.co.uk

A new Louisiana law could subject unhoused people to fines, jail time, or even unpaid labor if they are found sleeping outdoors. The National Homelessness Law Center says it is “one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country.” https://bit.ly/4ed9gNN

#LIVE @10a EST ⚽️The World Cup Is Even Worse Than You Think! www.youtube.com/live/vOp5ypu...

As AFRAM hits 50, Baltimore’s celebration of Black culture is a tale of resiliency

Fox acquiring Roku gives it a foothold in the sophisticated world of surveillance advertising, endlessly tracking the preferences of viewers and controlling their experiences. prospect.org?p=139885

Some women at the recent Turning Point USA Women’s Leadership Summit said they’d be willing to give up their right to vote if it meant creating a more conservative country. Ideas about restricting women's voting seem connected to ideas about restricting voting in general. https://bit.ly/3Srxiff

One of the highlights of the AAUP meeting last week was this report on the org’s legal work. Read it! An incredible snapshot showing that when we fight, we win ✊

Take your mental and physical health very seriously over the next few months in particular. Unplug, unwind, and do things to put your mind and body at ease, as much as you can. Be there for your friends and family. Process your feelings as they come. Be patient with yourself and others 💕

www.timeshighereducation.com/news/erc-ban... #academicsky ERC banks on new ‘super grants’ to attract top researchers

That’s a Wrap! What a POWERFUL Higher Ed Summit this week in Chicago centering the work of building a strong movement to defend the quality & promise of higher ed & our democracy in this pivotal moment. LET’S GO! #AAUP2026 👊🏽👊🏿👊🏻👊🏼👊🏾