Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Erol Akcay

@akcay.theoretical.bio

3.8K followers 3.6K following 310 posts

Ecology, evolution, and social dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania. He/him https://akcay.theoretical.bio

Videos

Biology 27%

Sociology 16%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · Nov 6

I deleted my twitter/X account. I am now only on here and (rarely) on Mastodon.

2 66

Reposted by Aaron Sojourner, Erol Akçay

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6h

Three senior Republican appropriators agree it doesn't make any sense for Democrats to agree to a government funding deal unless Trump actually adheres to the deal.

The Democratic alternative CR has language that would begin to address this, but Trump and Vought are completely opposed.

"If you're a Democrat - even just like a mainstream Democrat - your predisposition might be to help negotiate with Republicans on a funding mechanism," said Rep. Steve Womack, a senior GOP appropriator. "Why would you do that if you know that whatever you negotiate is going to be subject to the knife pulled out by Russ Vought?"

"I don't think the Democrats want to shut down either," Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator, told Bloomberg Government. "Their concern right now, and it's a legitimate concern, is that, how can we agree to any deal when our OMB director will just impound the funds and say we're not going to spend them there?"

Julie Tsirkin @news_jul •1h
MURKOWSKI blames Russ Vought for making it harder to negotiate shutdown end:
"The appropriations process is being run over, and that, to me, is absolutely unacceptable."
She understands why Democrats don't trust them given Vought's rescissions and layoffs.
"Why would you?"

6 53 150

Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · 8h

Tweeenty pages (at least).

a bald man in a gray suit is sitting in a chair and making a face .

Alt: The shot from Austin Powers movie where the villain says 1 million dollars not realizing that is not even close to a world shattering amount, similar to Murray thinking a 20-page (at least!!!) “techical article” is something formidable.

media.tenor.com

Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · 8h

😂😂😂

Screencap from the Turkheimer article reading: “In our email exchange, Murray said that any argument I'd lay out here would be insufficient to make this case. "We're not talking about something that lends itself to 1,500 words, or 3,000 for that matter, written for a lay audience, but a 20-page (at least) technical presentation," he wrote. (He did not respond to an invitation to elaborate on this, or respond to the argument made in this piece.) Certainly …”

1 6 25

Reposted by Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 1d

Ahead of a cryptocurrency selloff, two accounts placed bets against the market minutes before tariff news broke and scored $160 million

A Historic Crypto Selloff Erased Over $19 Billion, but Two Accounts Made $160 Million

Ahead of the selloff, two accounts on Hyperliquid placed massive bets that bitcoin and ether would fall.

on.wsj.com

13 46 82

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Daniel W. Drezner, Daniel Aaron , and 8 more Scott L. Greer, Daniel W. Drezner, Daniel Aaron, Jussi T. Eronen, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert C. Richards, Erol Akçay, Simon Lester, Aviel Roshwald, Timothy D. McBride, David Darmofal

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 3d

Per CDC source: At internal leadership meeting this afternoon, it was shared that 1,257 people were RIF'd at CDC. Number may not be final. Apparently, chief of staff was unaware that RIFs were going to occur so not clear who is making decisions. (Short 🧵)

92 1.6K 3.5K

Reposted by Kimberly A. Prather, Will Jennings, Joshua S. Weitz , and 11 more Kimberly A. Prather, Will Jennings, Joshua S. Weitz, Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, American Library Association, Robert C. Richards, Melanie C. Green, Gerald Friedman, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay, Henry Jones, Timothy D. McBride, Monisha Bajaj

Sara Partridge, PhD @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 3d

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

270 2.6K 5.4K

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Erol Akçay, David Darmofal

darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 4d

that johnson is more terrified of seating a duly elected democrat who could force an epstein vote than having the entire government shut down really makes me wonder about that epstein vote tbh

84 1.2K 5.4K

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Christian E. Weller, Daniel W. Drezner , and 7 more Scott L. Greer, Christian E. Weller, Daniel W. Drezner, Rosanna E. Guadagno, David R. Miller, Silvia Secchi, Erol Akçay, Patrice M. Dabrowski, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 4d

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

230 2.4K 6.2K

Reposted by Joanne Spetz, Erol Akçay, Manisha Sinha

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 4d

MIT President Sally Kornbluth just issued a statement to the campus community saying NO to Trump’s authoritarian compact

“And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

Dear Madam Secretary,
I write in response to your letter of October 1, inviting MIT to review a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." I acknowledge the vital importance of these matters.
I appreciated the chance to meet with you earlier this year to discuss the priorities we share for American higher education.
As we discussed, the Institute's mission of service to the nation directs us to advance knowledge, educate students and bring knowledge to bear on the world's great challenges. We do that in line with a clear set of values, with excellence above all. Some practical examples:
• MIT prides itself on rewarding merit.
Students, faculty and staff succeed here based on the strength of their talent, ideas and hard work. For instance, the Institute
was the first to reinstate the SAT/ACT requirement after the pandemic. And MIT has never had legacy preferences in admissions.

• MIT opens its doors to the most talented students regardless of their family's finances. Admissions are need-blind. Incoming undergraduates whose families earn less than $200,000 a year pay no tuition. Nearly 88% of our last graduating class left MIT with no debt for their education. We make a wealth of free courses and low-cost certificates available
to any American with an internet
connection. Of the undergraduate degrees we award, 94% are in STEM fields. And in service to the nation, we cap enrollment of international undergraduates at roughly
10%.
• We value free expression, as clearly described in the MIT Statement on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom. We must hear facts and opinions we don't like - and engage respectfully with those with whom we disagree.

These values and other MIT practices meet or exceed many standards outlined in the document you sent. We freely choose these values because they're right, and we live by them because they support our mission - work of immense value to the prosperity, competitiveness, health and security of the United States. And of course, MIT abides by the law.
The document also includes principles with which we disagree, including those that would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution. And fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific
funding should be based on scientific merit alone.
In our view, America's leadership in science and innovation depends on independent thinking and open competition for excellence. In that tree marketplace of ideas, the people of MIT gladly compete with the very best, without preferences.
Therefore, with respect, we cannot support the proposed approach to addressing the issues facing higher education.

As you know, MIT's record of service to the nation is long and enduring. Eight decades ago, MIT leaders helped invent a scientific partnership between America's research universities and the
U.S. government that has delivered extraordinary benefits for the American people.
We continue to believe in the power of this partnership to serve the nation.
Sincerely,
Sally Kornbluth
CC
Ms. May Mailman
Mr. Vincent Haley

4 130 430

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio , and 9 more Anne Applebaum, Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, John Horgan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Bonnie Honig, Rebecca Tushnet, Scott A. Imberman, Erol Akçay, Kate Starbird, Pablo Piccato, Southern Africa

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 4d

MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

34 490 1.9K

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Gavin A. Schmidt, Erol Akçay , and 2 more Dorothy Bishop, Gavin A. Schmidt, Erol Akçay, Mathias Frisch, Mun-Keat Looi

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 6d

🎵 They did the Monster Slash 😭 @ellecordova.bsky.social

12 400 870

Reposted by Linda J. Skitka, Efrén O. Pérez, Daniel Stone , and 2 more Linda J. Skitka, Efrén O. Pérez, Daniel Stone, David R. Miller, Erol Akçay

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 6d

Resistance to authoritarianism is a coordination game. That's why universities and law firms and nonprofits can't let themselves be picked off one by one. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.

www.nytimes.com

1 29 93

Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · 7d

Most chromosomes of any animal on Earth so far!

1 7 37

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear, Erol Akçay , and 2 more Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear, Erol Akçay, Larry W. Hunter, David Spurrett

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 8d

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

1/14

jeremymberg.github.io

14 160 300

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 10d

A WILD ONE: A man broke his leg during an arrest by ICE at a car wash south of L.A.

ICE has held him under 24/7 guard at a hospital, registering him under a pseudonym, for *37 days* without telling him why.

A judge has ordered his immediate release.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

560 8.4K 23K

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele , and 9 more Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Kim L. Scheppele, Elizabeth Saunders, Philip Nel, Joseph Schafer, Juan Cole, Laurent Pech, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay, Dana R. Fisher, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 10d

If a federal judge, appointed by Trump, can call him “simply untethered to facts,” our White House press corps can as well.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

In sum, the President is certainly entitled "a great level of deference," Newsom II, 141
F.4th at 1048, in his determination that he "is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws
of the United States." 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3). But "a great level of deference" is not equivalent to
ignoring the facts on the ground. As the Ninth Circuit articulated, courts must "review the
President's determination to ensure that it reflects a colorable assessment of the facts and law
PAGE 22 - OPINION AND ORDER
Case 3:25-cv-01756-IM Document 56
Filed 10/04/25
Page 23 of 31
within a 'range of honest judgment.'" Id. at 1051 (quoting Sterling, 278 U.S. at 399). Here, this
Court concludes that the President did not have a "colorable basis" to invoke § 12406(3) to
federalize the National Guard because the situation on the ground belied an inability of federal
law enforcement officers to execute federal law. Id. at 1051-52. The President's determination
was simply untethered to the facts.
c. Whether there is a Rebellion or Danger of Rebellion
Defendants also aroue that the Sentember 28 2025 federalization order is authorized

78 1.7K 5.5K

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 10d

This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

1.5K 7.4K 24K

Reposted by Colin F. Camerer, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 11 more Colin F. Camerer, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Mor Naaman, Jennifer Dill, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Michael Zimmer, Erol Akçay, Dean Eckles, Ann Bartow, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dan Immergluck, Timothy D. McBride

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 11d

Federal officer blasts chemical spray into vocal but nonviolent Portland protester, video shows

The interaction illustrates how federal law enforcement officers do use aggressive tactics against protesters who yell and needle officers but don’t appear to present clear physical threats.

440 3.4K 6.3K

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Tom “T.M.” Wolf @tomtmwolf.bsky.social · 11d

BREAKING -- 1st Cir. says Trump's attempt to end birthright citizenship REMAINS BLOCKED.

Opinion includes a helpful TL;DR:

Don't mistake the length of our answer for the existence of a real question. Birthright citizenship is broad-based and it's sacred. @brennancenter.org

1 31 87

Reposted by Erol Akçay, Robert Apel, Dan Immergluck

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 11d

News coverage of the Trump administration's proposed "compact" with universities has been, so far, shockingly bad.

I hate to pick on NPR reporter Elissa Nadworny, who's usually a solid reporter, but almost every important thing I heard her say this morning about the proposed "compact" was false.

2 99 300

Reposted by Erich Fromm, Rosemary A. Joyce, Janet Murray , and 8 more Erich Fromm, Rosemary A. Joyce, Janet Murray, Alan Richardson, Erol Akçay, Brian Keegan, Aurélien Mondon, Carol J. Adams, Daxton R. Stewart, Magda Teter, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 12d

Bari Weiss is set to be named the editor in chief of CBS News, the New York Post reports

Paramount Skydance is poised to name Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days — giving the hard-charging journalist unusual clout to revamp the struggling network as it also acquires her scrappy news site the Free Press, The Post has learned.

Weiss — a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who has built the Free Press into a buzzworthy site with a contrarian bent — is expected to be named to the top post in a Monday announcement, although the talks are in flux and the timing could change, a source close to the situation said.

380 180 810

Reposted by David Lazer, Scott L. Greer, Joshua Goodman , and 9 more David Lazer, Scott L. Greer, Joshua Goodman, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Iveta Silova, Johann N. Neem, Scott A. Imberman, Erol Akçay, Kate Starbird, Victor Pickard, Todd Hedrick, David Darmofal

AAUP @aaup.org · 12d

The Trump admin’s offer to give preferential treatment to institutions that toe the party line reeks of bribery in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological agenda.

This is corruption.

Adherence to ‘loyalty oaths’ would usher in a new era of thought policing in American higher education.

Universities Must Reject Trump Admin 'Loyalty Oath' Compacts

The AAUP and AFT warn that the Trump administration’s offer to give preferential treatment to colleges and universities that court government favor in exchange for allegiance to a partisan ideological...

www.aaup.org

3 260 470

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 4 more Richard S.J. Tol, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Erol Akçay, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 13d

All blue states. What a surprise. I guess all we can do is vote out every single Republican candidate for every office in those states since none of them will speak up or do anything. And the Appropriations Chair Susan Collins.

260 1K 3.1K

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Peter Murphy, Alan Richardson , and 2 more Michael E. Mann, Peter Murphy, Alan Richardson, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Erol Akçay

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 13d

Priorities.

1.3K 8.5K 18K

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller, James Goodwin , and 2 more Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay, Greg Linden

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 13d

We are now in the domain of not just illegal impoundments, but targeted illegal impoundments to punish liberal spaces. Not different from what Trump is doing to to universities.

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 13d

OMB Director Russell Voight says that US DOT will announce that the federal government is "pausing" funding for both Gateway and the Second Avenue Subway because of "unconstitutional DEI principles" -- x.com/russvought/s...

72 770 2.2K

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Charles Ghoul-ba ✡️ @charlesgaba.com · 14d

📣 OK, with ~3 hours to go before the midnight government shutdown, I'm going to go through ALL 50 STATES +DC ONE BY ONE to remind everyone of how many Americans healthcare Democrats are fighting to save (and this is just #ACA exchange enrollees; don't forget about Medicaid).

Please bear with me.

10 250 450

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Stanford University Press @stanfordpress.bsky.social · 14d

Population Biology Modeling & Theory (PBMT) is a peer-reviewed journal reporting advances in modeling and theory within population biology. Its scope spans demography, ecology, epidemiology, evolutionary biology, population genetics, and phylogenetics. PBMT will be online soon.

1 13 33

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Christopher Wright, Daniel W. Drezner , and 4 more Brendan Nyhan, Christopher Wright, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Caroline Fohlin, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 14d

I know we're desensitized, but it's important to note, again, that today's events would have led to the immediate impeachment & removal of any president from at least Truman to at least Obama. We're hundreds of miles on the interstate past Richard Nixon's high school prank-level crimes compared to 👇

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14d

Trump wraps up a speech to military leaders that represented a major escalation of his effort to weaponize the armed forces into a tool he can use to violently quash domestic dissent. Hard to imagine how anyone with a shred of dignity can keep serving after this, which of course is the point.

110 1.5K 5.4K

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 14d

Again...Republicans WANT the government shutdown. They would do it even if they controlled every congressional seat

Jacob Bogage @jacobbogage.bsky.social · 14d

👀 Just Now -- President Trump in the Oval Office said a government shutdown gives his administration the power to cut benefit programs, which include Social Security and Medicare.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them, and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like. And, you all know Russell Vought. He’s become very popular recently because he can trim the budget to a level that you couldn't do any other way. So they're taking a risk by having a shutdown. Because of the shutdown, we can do things medically and other ways, including benefits. We can cut large numbers of people. We don't want to do that, but we don't want fraud, waste and abuse.”

5 14 32

Reposted by David R. Miller, Erol Akçay, Jelena Subotić , and 2 more David R. Miller, Erol Akçay, Jelena Subotić, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 14d

Really the only question that matters

9 270 930