Mafia governance in action "the only offer on the table was that I needed to resign by 5pm that day or the DOJ would basically rain hell on UVA... If I did not resign that day, I was told that the DOJ would extract/block hundreds of millions of dollars from UVA before they would even negotiate."

A total of 12 of 15 Dutch political parties running in the October elections have proposals that violate the rule of law, according to the Dutch Bar Association.

What do we know about negative partisanship in Western Europe? This study in Electoral Studies examines its prevalence, components, predictors, and links to the radical right. 🔗 authors.elsevier.com/a/1lxsLxRaZn...

Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza this evening as it approached Palestinian territory.

A recent call for a multimillion-euro program run by the EU’s top research council saw a fivefold increase in US-based applicants seeking to relocate to European institutions to pursue their research ambitions.

I'm of the view that, when @adamprz.bsky.social writes about democracy, we should pay a lot of attention... adamprzeworski.substack.com/p/musings-1

The EU’s most prominent hard-right pressure group has received millions of euros in financial support from sources linked to Hungary’s populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, new financial disclosures show.

Today I found in my pigeonhole 📬 the printed version of the Handbook of Affective Polarization! 😍 Thanks again to the wonderful editors @marianotorcal.bsky.social & @eelcoharteveld.bsky.social Best bit: you do not need to buy it! It is accessible open access 👉 www.elgaronline.com/edcollbook-o...

To date, 186 journalists in Gaza have been killed since the war began, according to a monitor in New York—a higher rate than in any conflict since its records began in 1992

Defending US democracy: the role of scientists @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🚨🚨- PHD OPPORTUNITY - 🚨🚨 I am excited to open a PhD position! How does rising inequality reshape media and democratic politics? If you are curious to answer this question, apply by September 15! You will be working with me and Luana Russo in beautiful Maastricht! Details at: tinyurl.com/mpzfk5me

🌅📙 64.3 A shadow on democracy? 😶🌫️ @mfenzl.bsky.social demonstrates the importance of studying the political impacts of the #ShadowEconomy bringing to light 💡 the impact on welfare systems and #Taxation rates 💲📈 🔗

🔔 Got thoughts about cars, vans and their CO2-emissions? Let us hear them! Public consultation just opened. Details below. 🇪🇺🚗🚐🇪🇺

Cannot wait for my organised panel on economic and political inequalities tomorrow - with contributions from @madselk.bsky.social @mfenzl.bsky.social @breunig.bsky.social and Matthew Shaikh - if you’re interested in the politics of inequality do join us!! #EPSA2025

The international monetary system is changing before our eyes. Germany and Italy pressed to bring gold home from US; a survey of more than 70 global central banks showed more were thinking of storing their gold domestically amid concerns about ability to access it. www.ft.com/content/e393...

I asked ICE where the “413% increase in assaults” justification for its officers using masks came from. They didn’t answer. So I dug into it, and what I found … did not boost their argument. Gift link: wapo.st/4l7a1ch

As Trump deploys thousands of troops in response to ICE protests, people across America are also planning on attending rallies and demonstrations. Here's a WIRED guide on protesting safely.

If you'll allow me to say it, The Onion is cooking with gas today.

Palestinians gunned down while trying to reach food aid site in Gaza, hospital says

NIH stops development of HIV vaccine, terminates grants to consortia, including at Duke University. www.science.org/content/arti...

"The starvation of Gaza can be measured in the jutting ribs of a 6-year-old girl." So begins Vivian Yee's report. Don't look away. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/w...

Openly and lawlessly persecuting a private organization for standing up to the authoritarian leader

20 out of the 27 EU countries today signed a declaration condemning Viktor Orban's ban on pride parades in Hungary. The map very much resembles the old iron curtain divide, with the glaring exception of 🇮🇹Italy which has joined with Hungary and 5 other Eastern European countries in refusing to sign.

Some cool visualizations in this viral NYT piece, but I think it's less informative than its virality would make you think Counties are big enough to cause major ecological problems (vs, eg, Catalist's use of tracts) Composition of county electorates fluctuates ~as much via turnout over the period

"What we are doing in Gaza is a war of extermination: indiscriminate, unrestrained, brutal, and criminal killing of civilians,” [former Prime Minister Olmert] said." www.huffpost.com/entry/israel...

lol

Greece sent a younger Michelle Visage to Basel #Eurovision2025

I AM HIRING 2 postdocs (5 years) in my @erc.europa.eu project "The Politics of the Latent Educational Cleavage" at @goetheuni.bsky.social @infer-frankfurt.bsky.social! German call: www.fb03.uni-frankfurt.de/170856927.pdf English call: www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/170858269.pdf Please share

As Ukraine continues to interrogate two Chinese citizens that its forces captured earlier this week, Kyiv said it has identified even more Chinese men fighting for Russia.

The Dutch govt has funded sector plans for collaboration in #highered. FASoS contributes to themes like humane #AI, #inequality, #culture, & #democracy, with new staff advancing this work within and beyond the Faculty. Find out about the research carried out👉 tinyurl.com/2vxwrn8a

Video contradicts Israel’s version of killing of paramedics in Gaza https://www.ft.com/content/ad03a551-9d37-429d-8bc5-3e340981c5a7

Nobody should travel to the US while ICE goons are on the rampage with impunity. Whatever rights you think you have, forget it.

🤣

We’re gonna have to start accepting political refugees from the US pretty soon

Thread: Musk's dishonesty is an order of magnitude worse than any fraud he claims, and used to hide real cuts. For example, he claimed that the Interior Department spent $1 billion on an internet survey. There did not happen. Completely made up. So what are they cutting?

This speaks volumes: Yale professors, Timothy Snyder, a historian of totalitarianism and the author of "On Tyranny," and Jason Stanley, a philosopher and the author of "How Fascism Works", move to Canada. leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2025/03... munkschool.utoronto.ca/person/timot...

But more importantly… Did Goldberg say THANK YOU for being invited?

interested in #smartfarming & #precisionagriculture? we're hiring a #phd at @fasosmaastricht.bsky.social who will use #ethnographic methods to study the intersection of #digitalization and #agriculture in NL & BE. open to candidates with backgrounds in #politicalecology, #anthropology, #sts, etc.

Of course, the best option is avoiding the US for the forthcoming future

Nearly 600 Palestinians have now been killed since the truce between Israel and Hamas was shattered on Tuesday.

Elon Musk has openly threatened Pentagon employees who may have leaked information that the tech billionaire was due to get a briefing on a potential American war with China.

US State Dept Human Rights report will remove all sections covering ‘the rights of women, LGBTQ+ people, and the disabled as well as sections dedicated to discrimination against indigenous people and corruption in government’ www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/03/marc...

EU’s inability to reform itself created a fertile ground for our enemies to do so for us : The US wants to bulldoze the EU, and rename it European Community of Nations (ECN) - and doing so with current EU politicians’ placet and in the case of Orban much EU funding www.desmog.com/2025/03/14/h...

Judge Boasberg to DOJ: Nah, we're having the hearing

Huge protests today in Belgrade and Budapest. In Belgrade half a million people joined protests against corrupt, pro-Kremlin Aleksandar Vučić. In Budapest, hundreds of thousands marched against corrupt, pro-Kremlin Viktor Orban. Many millions across Europe stand against autocracy and corruption!

Russia has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. Putin was indicted for this crime. Yale has a unit searching for them. Musk eliminated the funding. inews.co.uk/news/world/m...

New, from me: Trump is whitewashing American history, removing not just people, but also the stories, images, and values to anyone who does not conform to his impoverished vision of America. Here is a partial inventory. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/whitewashi...

🔴 NEW 🔴 The Heritage Foundation, the group behind the radical pro-Trump Project 2025 agenda, held a private discussion this week about how to dismantle the EU. 📝 @desmog.bsky.social report 👇🏻

They’ll finally drink the exquisite Ohio champagne 🍾