Beth DeSombre
@bethdesombre.bsky.social
730 followers 330 following 140 posts
Songwriter, professor (Wellesley College, ES), activist, dog mom, runner. Songs that are “smart and uplifting...focusing on the quiet meaning to be found in ordinary life." Last year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
jaredlholt.bsky.social
One of the craziest stories I've seen in a long time. If you think Trump and his administration are extreme and depraved, just wait until you learn about the young guns who are positioning themselves to take over the reigns in the next few decades

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
www.politico.com
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
thetnholler.bsky.social
ICYMI: “And now, a response from the leader of the frog resistance...” 🐸 🎵 #Colbert
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
clarajeffery.bsky.social
People ask me all the time what they can do and broadly:

1) Organize and join protests
2) Support media that isn't backing down
3) Give to ACLU and others taking on the illegal actions in court
4) Give to food banks :(
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
blmckean.bsky.social
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Ohio State changes policy on group conferences after Trump administration threats
A federal investigation into potentially discriminatory practices at Ohio State prompted the university to change its policies regarding conferences.
www.dispatch.com
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
evilcleverdog.bsky.social
Using ChatGPT
edithcharles.bsky.social
What's something that isn't considered embarrassing but you think it should be?
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
briantylercohen.bsky.social
Multiple airports are now announcing they will refuse to play Kristi Noem’s government-funded video blaming “Democrats” for the government shutdown.

“We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” one airport said.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
nicholasgrossman.bsky.social
When Mike Johnson or another national leader repeatedly claims they haven’t seen relevant things in the news, an appropriate reporter reaction would be “Holy cow, how do you not know?!? How can you do your job without knowing what’s happening? What are you doing to fix your ‘not knowing’ problem?”
beijingpalmer.bsky.social
I don't understand why U.S. reporters so regularly seem to let politicians get away with 'I haven't seen that' about stuff a) they obviously know and b) is directly relevant to their job. Did they sign some kind of agreement never to ask a follow-up question?
atrupar.com
REPORTER: We know the president moved forward with mass layoffs. We're also learning there were significant cuts to staff at special education services. Are you comfortable with those cuts?

MIKE JOHNSON: I haven't seen the specifics of that and I don't know
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
charlesgaba.com
20th time I’ve posted this Doonesbury since 2105.

I’m supposed to get a free set of (Trump) steak knives now.
Doonesbury
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
cmgiulini.bsky.social
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
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
alandettlaff.com
Yesterday I was told that the class I’m scheduled to teach this month, Confronting Oppression & Injustice, is no longer part of our curriculum. This is a required class yet there was no discussion, no faculty vote, just an email saying the class no longer exists. This is what it’s like in Texas now.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
duckworth.senate.gov
Without ACA tax credits, a 64-year-old couple making $90K would face an extra $26,000 a year in premiums.

Democrats are working to protect families—Republicans are ready to let these credits expire.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
repdangoldman.bsky.social
No “clean CR” exists when Trump defies Congress and unilaterally guts programs—from law enforcement to pediatric cancer research to clean energy projects.
 
Republicans want Democratic cover to keep breaking the law. Democrats won’t play along.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
katelynburns.com
I wrote a little about some of the little details you might have missed in this video and why it hit me so hard as a trans person this morning:

www.burnsnotice.com/you-have-to-...
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
gelbach.bsky.social
This response to Linda McMahon from MIT’s president makes me proud to be an MIT grad

links.mit.edu/nl3/N5Jy2cKq...
Regarding the Compact
links.mit.edu
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
vsapiro.bsky.social
It’s not a compact. It’s hostage taking.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
junoryleejournalism.com
David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)
SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
sivav.bsky.social
The “compact” for higher ed is an unserious document written by unserious people from a position of spectacular ignorance. No one should take it seriously. Sadly, my bosses are taking it seriously.

newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
schmidtocean.bsky.social
In celebration of World Octopus Day, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite cephalopod sightings, the glass octopus — Vitreledonella richardi filmed during a month-long #PhoenixIslandsCoral expedition in 2021.
Reposted by Beth DeSombre
musicologyduck.bsky.social
anyway if i ever strike it rich, I'm going to start a foundation that just pays the salaries for small non-profits to have full time staff members with benefits, because that is what they actually need most of the time