Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Josh Busby

@busbyj2.bsky.social

27K followers 840 following 6.2K posts

Professor at the University of Texas-Austin. Former Senior Climate Advisor DOD. Climate security, climate governance, clean energy, global health, US foreign policy. Author of States and Nature: The Effects of Climate Change on Security (Cambridge, 2022).

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · Jun 13

At a time when some are questioning why we should care about this problem, I recently gave a talk for TEDx for why climate change is a national security concern. www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ne...

Climate Change and National Security | Josh Busby | TEDxSouth Congress

YouTube video by TEDx Talks

www.youtube.com

1 30 67

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 3h

He is a radical not a conservative.

1 3

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 3h

Good job everybody.

R Subramanian (he/him) @subu.bsky.social · 3h

Undocumented Bolivian migrant with three US citizen children, including one with brain cancer, detained by ICE on a traffic violation.

Main caretaker of the kid with cancer and sole breadwinner for the family. No criminal record in the US or in Bolivia.

He was caring for his 5-year-old son with brain cancer. Then he was detained by ICE.

A court has temporarily blocked Johny Merida Aguilar's deportation to Bolivia.

share.inquirer.com

4 13

Reposted by Josh Busby

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 3h

Sens. Schumer, Merkley, Murray, and Peters are calling for the resignation of OMB Director Russell Vought.

"By impounding billions of dollars … and aggressively pursuing the illegal use of pocket rescissions, Vought has done everything in his power to gut the federal government piece by piece."

60 570 1.9K

Reposted by Josh Busby

NPR @npr.org · 3h

The Smithsonian's museums and zoo are now closed due to the government shut down. Tours of historic Washington, D.C. sites have been suspended and the National Gallery of Art is also closed.

Smithsonian closes as government shut down continues

The Smithsonian's museums and zoo are now closed due to the government shut down. Tours of historic Washington, D.C. sites have been suspended and the National Gallery of Art is also closed.

n.pr

22 120 310

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 3h

Seems like senior mil leaders who receive orders from civilians have to judge whether orders are democracy degrading. Is so, they may have a moral foundation for disobeying and possibly obligation to disobey?

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 3h

Thread. Latter posts about who is to judge when mil leaders can disobey legal but democracy undermining orders is key. Thread may be still in process of being written.

Avishay BSG (Ben-Sasson-Gordis) @avishaybsg.bsky.social · 4h

🧵 I'm excited to share that my article "Democratic Backsliding and the Limits of Civilian Control of the Military" has been accepted @thejop.bsky.social.

It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"

1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory

1 3

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 4h

Puli from Friday’s game.

1 4

Reposted by Josh Busby

Marcello Graziano 🇺🇦 @marcellograz.bsky.social · 15h

Jfc

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 16h

After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

5 11

Reposted by Josh Busby

Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social · 17h

Some of these people have now been fired and rehired TWICE since January. The current state of dysfunction is mind boggling.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 19h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

31 700 2.2K

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

Poignant protest.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17h

“ICE kidnapped a community member here,” reads one. “Never forget/no nos olvidamos,” says another.

The signs have appeared across some of D.C.’s heavily immigrant neighborhoods where federal immigration arrests have escalated.

Signs popping up around D.C. note: ‘ICE kidnapping happened here’

The signs range in style and mark numerous locations where people have been taken by federal agents.

www.washingtonpost.com

9 31

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

It's crazy and sad that the only Republican willing to stand up to Trump is Marjorie Taylor Greene and she is legit crazy. www.politico.com/live-updates...

Marjorie Taylor Greene ‘putting blame’ on GOP congressional leaders for shutdown

Greene has continued to be a thorn in the side of Republican leadership in recent weeks, splitting from Trump and the GOP on a string of high-profile topics.

www.politico.com

2 5 43

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

Never should have happened in the first place.

Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 18h

The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

2 4 24

Reposted by Josh Busby

EM Simpson @emsetc.bsky.social · 17h

And why isn't the house in session? Bc Mike Johnson doesn't want to seat Rep Grijalva because she'd be the final vote to release the Epstein files.

Sam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · 20h

Dems floated a narrow bill to fund the military, which can’t move because the House isn’t in session. Meanwhile, DoD is now going to spend funds not appropriated by Congress to ensure military paychecks continue.

POTUS now both commands and provisions the military. Unconstitutional and SO dangerous

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.
A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC
News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

66 190

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

They fear Trump will destroy their lives more than they fear losing the next election, which may not be free and fair in any case.

1 1 1

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

Kristi's Incel Army.

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 17h

Remember, though, it will hurt Kristi Noem's feelings if you call them secret police.

Federal immigration officers wear masks, no name tags — now some drive cars without license plates

The Sun-Times has documented four unmarked cars carrying federal officers without required plates, offering another way to shield their identities. Federal officials say they’re meeting regulations.

chicago.suntimes.com

3 19

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

The inadvertent architect/inspiration for the second Trump administration. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Br...

Paul Bremer - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

1 8

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 17h

Feels like the United States has been invaded by a hostile force and we are getting the equivalent of de-Baathification domestically by the Trump administration which is treating its own government and blue states as enemies.

4 8 50

Reposted by Josh Busby

Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 18h

We really are going to need a special tribunal for these malefactors. It's the United States government they are destroying, and they must answer to the American people.

They are violating so many laws that a standard court of law won't be enough. And there are different levels of violation.

1 7 26

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 18h

And this. www.pbs.org/weta/washing...

Russell Vought and his role in expanding executive power

Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, is one of the key architects of Project 2025. He's now taking a key role in the Trump administration's attempt to transform the gov...

www.pbs.org

1 2 5

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 18h

And if anyone is wondering WTF is this guy and what's he up to? Project 2025 Architect from Heritage.
www.newsweek.com/departments-...

Departments hit hardest by Trump's mass layoffs—Report

President Donald Trump started discussing federal staffing cuts as the government shutdown started.

www.newsweek.com

1 1 5

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 18h

It's true. He has no understanding of American institutions and is willing to do whatever it takes to implement his personal demented vision for America. He easily looks 60 and is 5 years younger than me.

2 5

Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 18h

Live feed of Russell Vought during the shutdown.

mr. burns from the simpsons is making a funny face and says excellent .

ALT: mr. burns from the simpsons is making a funny face and says excellent .

media.tenor.com

1 8 26

Reposted by Josh Busby

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 20h

After 10 long days, the hearing challenging Texas' gerrymandering ended. By the end, all of legacy media had vanished. But Democracy Docket stayed to keep you informed about just how far Republicans went to manipulate the state’s maps.

Support its vital work by subscribing now. hubs.ly/Q03M8rql0