Bessma Momani
LightNews LightNews
banner
bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani
@bmomani.bsky.social
3.1K followers 980 following 330 posts

Professor at the University of Waterloo and Senior Fellow at CIGI, interested in International Affairs and geopolitics of technology.

Videos
Political science 34%
Economics 31%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Bessma Momani

wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 3h
Exclusive: The Trump administration has launched investigations into the use of diversity initiatives in hiring and promotion at major U.S. companies, built on the novel use of a federal law meant to punish businesses that cheat the government. on.wsj.com/4jhkzoZ
Justice Department Using Fraud Law to Target Companies on DEI
Google and Verizon are among those being investigated under the novel interpretation of a law applying to government contractors.
on.wsj.com

Reposted by Tariq Modood, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 1 more

sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h
An example of how the most toxic racists on X are much encouraged by Rupert Lowe's words to promote images of violence + terrorism + and to make racist deportation threats to any and all British-born citizens who are ethnic minorities, including me.

Reposted by Kori Schake, Steve Peers, David R. Miller , and 1 more

sodrock.bsky.social
Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 7h
The succeeding in question

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David R. Miller, Bessma Momani , and 1 more

vermontgmg.bsky.social
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 7h
Speaking as someone who just wrote a book on the Manhattan Project, I can assure you that refugee immigrants were the *entire* reason the US mastered the atom first. The most chilling part of writing my book was reading about them fleeing fascism … abroad. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/fleeing-on...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Rebecca Tushnet, Bessma Momani , and 1 more

brian-goldstone.bsky.social
Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 8h
A Hampton Inn in Asheville just canceled my family's reservation because our address (incorrectly) showed Asheville—and the hotel bars locals within 50 miles.

When I asked why, they said, "because of our homeless population," adding that most hotels here have similar policies.

This is outrageous.

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 9h
All sound awful…
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 9h
A.I.-generated artists topping iTunes and Billboard charts. Podcast hosts speaking fluently for hours in languages they do not know. Dead celebrities brought back to life and filling up social-media feeds. Here are a few examples of how A.I. intersected with pop culture in 2025.
8 Ways A.I. Affected Pop Culture in 2025
No longer something off in the distance, the new technology was all over our screens this past year.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Bessma Momani

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 9h
A.I.-generated artists topping iTunes and Billboard charts. Podcast hosts speaking fluently for hours in languages they do not know. Dead celebrities brought back to life and filling up social-media feeds. Here are a few examples of how A.I. intersected with pop culture in 2025.
8 Ways A.I. Affected Pop Culture in 2025
No longer something off in the distance, the new technology was all over our screens this past year.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Bessma Momani

jbenmenachem.com
jon ben-menachem @jbenmenachem.com · 9h
Is there a term for when your friend isn't texting you back but is posting on social media

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Bessma Momani, Joanna Tai , and 2 more

zoandbehold.bsky.social
Rep. Zooey Zephyr @zoandbehold.bsky.social · 11h
"And I never say no"

We need to have a serious talk about the way "AI companion" apps not only prey on the vulnerable, but are priming their users to ignore consent and to conflate love with control.

We need AI regulations across so many sectors, but this area is particularly horrifying.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 14h
Demand for memory chips currently exceeds supply and there's very little chance of that changing any time soon. More chips for AI means less available for other products such as computers and phones and that could drive up those prices too. n.pr/49aDwVE
Memory loss: As AI gobbles up chips, prices for devices may rise
Demand for memory chips currently exceeds supply and there's very little chance of that changing any time soon. More chips for AI means less available for other products such as computers and phones and that could drive up those prices too.
n.pr

Reposted by Elizabeth Saunders, Bessma Momani, David Darmofal

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 14h
The fundamental bargain, from the Putin-Lavrov perspective: Russia gets Ukraine, China gets Taiwan, Trump gets Greenland and Venezuela.

bmomani.bsky.social
Bessma Momani @bmomani.bsky.social · 15h
Lovely

Reposted by Bessma Momani

wsj.com
The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 15h
The U.S. is fast-tracking power projects for data centers in a bid to boost AI and lower electric costs, but states say the Trump administration’s plan is a federal power grab.
States See a Federal Power Grab in Clash Over AI Data Centers
The Trump administration wants to control how data centers connect to the power grid.
on.wsj.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Bessma Momani

johnsipher.bsky.social
John Sipher @johnsipher.bsky.social · 15h
“The year 2025 was a setback for humanity — and unfortunately, the United States is a reason for the retreat…for the first time in this century, the number of children worldwide dying before the age of 5 is believed to have risen, by about 200,000.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/27/o...
Opinion | In Which I Try Valiantly to Cheer You Up
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

techpolicypress.bsky.social
Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 16h
Queen Elizabeth stopped by police. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shoplifting. 'Leaked conversations’ from elections. A wave of deceptive media circulating during conflicts. 2025 saw AI-generated media cross a threshold, write Zuzanna Wojciak and shirin anlen from WITNESS. What lessons can we learn?
Five Things 2025 Taught Us About AI Deception and Detection | TechPolicy.Press
Zuzanna Wojciak and shirin anlen from WITNESS offer five lessons that show where AI deception is headed and what detection must confront next.
buff.ly

Reposted by Bessma Momani

brucewilson.bsky.social
Bruce Wilson @brucewilson.bsky.social · 16h
Could hitting myself in the head with a hammer actually be good for me?

[note: The Guardian declares it has a "strategic partnership" with OpenAI]
Post by the UK Guardian asks, "Could AI relationships actually be good for us?" Link to Guardian story titled, "Could AI relationships actually be good for us? From companionship to psychotherapy, technology could meet unmet needs - but it needs to be handled responsibly."

Reposted by Bessma Momani, Aleksandra Urman, Jason Williams

abeba.bsky.social
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 17h
a neat (and scary) survey into AI "companions" and kids www.aura.com/reports/stat...

"nearly half of the time kids and teens use AI, it is
for companionship, and when they do, the themes of discussion are primarily sexual, romantic, and violent."
Title: Violence has entered the chat Devices show: * AI is the new imaginary friend: When kids use AI, 42% of the time it’s for companionship. * These chats regularly turn violent: Of these conversations 37% discuss violent topics. How are we defining violent content? This includes videos or interactions with themes of physical violence, aggression, harm, serious injury, death, or coercion (sexual or non-sexual). This includes descriptions of fighting, killing, torture, and non-consensual acts. *Sex and violence go hand in hand: In half of violent AI chatbot conversations, sexual roleplay appeared too. *It drives engagement: Users discussing violent topics with companion AI apps write 1,000+ words per day — more than any other theme.

Reposted by Bessma Momani

motherjones.com
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d
New at the Kennedy Center: declining to perform may now require a lawyer.
Trump’s Kennedy Center chief threatens jazz musician with $1M suit over canceled Christmas gig
Richard Grenell says they will seek damages for “this political stunt."
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani, Simon Lester

mclem.org
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 1d
“'The bottom line is that removing the 935,000 Venezuelans and Haitians would cause the entire economy to contract by more than $14 billion,' said Michael Clemens, a professor in the Department of Economics at George Mason University."

www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trum... cc @piie.com
Trump canceled temporary legal status for more than 1.5 million immigrants in 2025
WASHINGTON — Since Inauguration Day, more than 1.5 million immigrants have either lost or will lose their temporary legal status, including their work authorizations and deportation protections, due t...
www.newsfromthestates.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 2d
In his first Christmas Day address, Pope Leo XIV highlighted conditions in Gaza, saying its inhabitants “have nothing left and have lost everything,” as he called for peace talks to end conflicts around the world, including those in Africa and Ukraine.
Pope Leo speaks about Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan in his first Christmas address
The pope called for peace, especially for the victims of “forgotten” wars, naming several conflicts in Africa.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 2d
“Social media platforms with infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithmic feeds will be required to display warning labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health under a new law, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday.”
New York to require social media platforms to display mental health warnings
Dec 26 (Reuters) - Social media platforms with infinite scrolling, auto-play and algorithmic feeds will be required to display warning ​labels about their potential harm to young users’ mental health ...
www.yahoo.com

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Bessma Momani

busbyj2.bsky.social
Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 2d
Delighted to have consulted on this story. The Trump administration recognizes importance of batteries for drones & AI but is biased against EVs which is biggest source of demand for batteries. Can the US have a vibrant battery sector w/o robust production of EVs? www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/c...
The Pentagon and A.I. Giants Have a Weakness. Both Need China’s Batteries, Badly.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

mrsbettybowers.bsky.social
Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 2d
Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin were both the sons of Italian parents. Back in that time, the racist Stephen Millers of the time didn't regard Italians as Anglo-Saxon enough to be welcome as immigrants to the United States.

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Bessma Momani

marklittle.bsky.social
Mark Little @marklittle.bsky.social · 2d
“The massacres in El Fasher are among the most predicted slaughters in the history of atrocities … we should recognize it as a collective failure of civilization.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/o...
Opinion | This Is What the Murder of a Whole City Looks Like
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

bloomberg.com
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 3d
Gen Z is unleashing a wave of protests that have already toppled multiple governments. These countries face a heightened risk of civil unrest in 2026. bloom.bg/3MTsEEf

📷: Anadolu/Anadolu

Reposted by Tom Clark, John Horgan, Steve Peers , and 8 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 3d
I did not understand this: one of the five Europeans the US has barred from traveling to the United States...is a permanent resident who lives with his family in the US.

Now he is worried about being arrested and deported for the crime of monitoring online hate.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Bessma Momani

anneapplebaum.bsky.social
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d
"any criticism of the election can lead to a minimum sentence of three years in prison, and even the death penalty"

Another reminder that elections are not the same thing as democracy
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
‘Not for the people’: Myanmar junta prepares for elections designed to legitimise grip on power
Elections will be first since military seized power in 2021, but analysts say vote is far from a step toward democracy
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Steven Heydemann, Martin Tomko, Alessandro Nai , and 4 more

newrepublic.com
The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 3d
President Trump’s spiteful defamation suit against the Pulitzer Prize Board may backfire, as the latter is now demanding Trump’s psychological records, prescription medication records, and tax returns in the discovery process. trib.al/LUCScTR

Reposted by Bessma Momani

politico.eu
POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 3d
In February, Britain’s Labour government cut international development spending. MPs, aid experts and officials have told us that the scale of the cuts is on a par with the U.S. under Trump.

But barely anyone made a noise.

🔗 politi.co/3MGSf2R

Reposted by Bessma Momani

wartranslated.bsky.social
WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 3d
According to British intelligence, Russia’s losses since the beginning of the war have exceeded 400,000 killed and wounded.
x.com/DefenceHQ/st...