Aashna Agarwal
@aashnaxyz.bsky.social
Comms @knightcolumbia.org. Previously @freedomhouse.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social. Views my own.
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Judge William G. Young's decision in AAUP v. Rubio was well worth the wait.
And ... reading his entire decision (including footnotes), from the first page to the last, is well worth your time. 🗃️
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
And ... reading his entire decision (including footnotes), from the first page to the last, is well worth your time. 🗃️
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
October 1, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Judge William G. Young's decision in AAUP v. Rubio was well worth the wait.
And ... reading his entire decision (including footnotes), from the first page to the last, is well worth your time. 🗃️
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
And ... reading his entire decision (including footnotes), from the first page to the last, is well worth your time. 🗃️
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
BREAKING
@knightcolumbia.org just won their case against Trump admin’s policy arresting/deporting noncitizen stud. & fac. participating in pro-Palestinian activism
This is a threat mailed to chambers of the 84yo Reagan appointed judge. He started the opinion with it and this is how he ended.
1/2
@knightcolumbia.org just won their case against Trump admin’s policy arresting/deporting noncitizen stud. & fac. participating in pro-Palestinian activism
This is a threat mailed to chambers of the 84yo Reagan appointed judge. He started the opinion with it and this is how he ended.
1/2
September 30, 2025 at 5:17 PM
BREAKING
@knightcolumbia.org just won their case against Trump admin’s policy arresting/deporting noncitizen stud. & fac. participating in pro-Palestinian activism
This is a threat mailed to chambers of the 84yo Reagan appointed judge. He started the opinion with it and this is how he ended.
1/2
@knightcolumbia.org just won their case against Trump admin’s policy arresting/deporting noncitizen stud. & fac. participating in pro-Palestinian activism
This is a threat mailed to chambers of the 84yo Reagan appointed judge. He started the opinion with it and this is how he ended.
1/2
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
1/n A few days ago, an article appeared in The Atlantic with a bold headline “Left-wing terrorism is on the rise.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Left-Wing Terrorism Is on the Rise
For the first time in more than 30 years, attacks by the far left outnumber those by the far right.
www.theatlantic.com
September 26, 2025 at 10:56 AM
1/n A few days ago, an article appeared in The Atlantic with a bold headline “Left-wing terrorism is on the rise.”
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
"We don't want the administration to be using this tragedy as a way to go after protected speech. [...] Bondi and others have gotten a lot of blowback on this, and they should, frankly," @katiefallow.bsky.social tells @msnbc.com's @arimelber.bsky.social. WATCH below ⬇️. www.msnbc.com/the-beat-wit...
September 18, 2025 at 8:05 PM
"We don't want the administration to be using this tragedy as a way to go after protected speech. [...] Bondi and others have gotten a lot of blowback on this, and they should, frankly," @katiefallow.bsky.social tells @msnbc.com's @arimelber.bsky.social. WATCH below ⬇️. www.msnbc.com/the-beat-wit...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Wrote about Ayman Soliman, a children’s hospital chaplain now in ICE custody after losing his asylum. His story shows the long legacy of post-9/11 laws, and his case is a test of Trump’s ability to merge the sweeping powers of immigration and counterterrorism
www.propublica.org/article/ayma...
www.propublica.org/article/ayma...
Ohio Chaplain’s Case Shows How 9/11-Era Terror Rules Could Empower Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
The U.S. government is trying to deport Ohio children’s hospital chaplain Ayman Soliman, alleging tenuous connections to terrorism. If DHS succeeds, experts say it could hand the Trump administration ...
www.propublica.org
September 9, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Wrote about Ayman Soliman, a children’s hospital chaplain now in ICE custody after losing his asylum. His story shows the long legacy of post-9/11 laws, and his case is a test of Trump’s ability to merge the sweeping powers of immigration and counterterrorism
www.propublica.org/article/ayma...
www.propublica.org/article/ayma...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
As part of a consortium of researchers and journalists, I spent the better part of a year digging into leaked documents from Chinese security company Geedge, which plays a pivotal role exporting the Great Firewall around the world: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/15c699a...
Leaked files show a Chinese company is exporting the Great Firewall’s censorship technology
Geedge Networks is providing censorship capabilities to foreign governments, including those in Myanmar, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Kazakhstan
www.theglobeandmail.com
September 9, 2025 at 4:51 AM
As part of a consortium of researchers and journalists, I spent the better part of a year digging into leaked documents from Chinese security company Geedge, which plays a pivotal role exporting the Great Firewall around the world: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/15c699a...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
NEW: The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions.
The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
Trump Says America’s Oil Industry Is Cleaner Than Other Countries’. New Data Shows Massive Emissions From Texas Wells.
The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
www.propublica.org
September 3, 2025 at 11:30 AM
NEW: The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions.
The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
BREAKING: Judge Breyer rules that President Trump's deployment of the military to Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, says Trump is using military as a "national police force with the president as its chief."
Injunction granted.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Injunction granted.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 2, 2025 at 1:21 PM
BREAKING: Judge Breyer rules that President Trump's deployment of the military to Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act, says Trump is using military as a "national police force with the president as its chief."
Injunction granted.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Injunction granted.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
NEW: ProPublica has identified at least 15 major disasters since 2016 in which officials in the most-harmed communities failed to use a federal system to send emergency alerts to residents — or waited until it was too late.
By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social
By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social
Local Officials Have a Powerful Tool to Warn Residents of Emergencies. They Don’t Always Use It.
ProPublica has identified at least 15 major disasters since 2016 in which officials in the most-harmed communities failed to use a federal system to send emergency alerts to residents — or waited unti...
www.propublica.org
August 28, 2025 at 10:36 AM
NEW: ProPublica has identified at least 15 major disasters since 2016 in which officials in the most-harmed communities failed to use a federal system to send emergency alerts to residents — or waited until it was too late.
By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social
By @jenniferberryhawes.bsky.social
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Too many in the aid community still can’t process what happened to USAID. They keep reaching for technocratic reasons for its destruction. But @timhirschelburns.bsky.social was right - it was political - a democratic failure and far right culture wars timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/everyone-i...
Everyone is misunderstanding what happened to USAID
I read 18 pieces reckoning with the end of USAID. Here's what they get wrong.
timhirschelburns.substack.com
August 26, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Too many in the aid community still can’t process what happened to USAID. They keep reaching for technocratic reasons for its destruction. But @timhirschelburns.bsky.social was right - it was political - a democratic failure and far right culture wars timhirschelburns.substack.com/p/everyone-i...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Keep up with the different surveillance technologies police are using across the U.S., from body-worn cameras to cell-site simulators. Stay informed using the Atlas of Surveillance. atlasofsurveillance.org/
Atlas of Surveillance
Documenting Police Tech in Our Communities with Open Source Research
www.atlasofsurveillance.org
August 26, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Keep up with the different surveillance technologies police are using across the U.S., from body-worn cameras to cell-site simulators. Stay informed using the Atlas of Surveillance. atlasofsurveillance.org/
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
U.S. Special Operations Command, recently implicated in a covert anti-vax campaign targeting Asian countries, is seeking machine learning tools to automate digital propaganda and “suppress dissenting arguments" online, according to a procurement document I obtained theintercept.com/2025/08/25/p...
Pentagon Document: U.S. Wants to “Suppress Dissenting Arguments” Using AI Propaganda
The U.S. is interested in acquiring machine-learning technology to carry out AI-generated propaganda campaigns overseas.
theintercept.com
August 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
U.S. Special Operations Command, recently implicated in a covert anti-vax campaign targeting Asian countries, is seeking machine learning tools to automate digital propaganda and “suppress dissenting arguments" online, according to a procurement document I obtained theintercept.com/2025/08/25/p...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
On this @planetmoney.bsky.social, we visit two countries that have some experience with data manipulation -- Argentina and Greece. To see what happens when governments get tempted to cook the books, and how hard it is to UN-cook them. www.npr.org/2025/08/08/1...
What happens when governments cook the books : Planet Money
After President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists and statisticians across the board were horrified. Because the firing raises the spectre of potential manipulation – ...
www.npr.org
August 9, 2025 at 6:48 PM
On this @planetmoney.bsky.social, we visit two countries that have some experience with data manipulation -- Argentina and Greece. To see what happens when governments get tempted to cook the books, and how hard it is to UN-cook them. www.npr.org/2025/08/08/1...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
“But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech…”
As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers.
apnews.com
August 10, 2025 at 9:01 PM
“But growing evidence suggests that the electricity bills of some Americans are rising to subsidize the massive energy needs of Big Tech…”
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
August 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
BBC International Editor Jeremy Bowen has confirmed that the entire Al Jazeera team in Gaza City has been killed.
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it. www.wired.com/story/palant...
What Does Palantir Actually Do?
Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it.
www.wired.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Palantir is often called a data broker, a data miner, or a giant database of personal information. In reality, it’s none of these—but even former employees struggle to explain it. www.wired.com/story/palant...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
This story is pretty wild. Sources suggest Microsoft execs in US are concerned Israel-based employees, some of whom are reservists or veterans of the IDF’s Unit 8200 (aka eavesdropping unit), were not “fully transparent” about IDF’s use of Microsoft products in recent review
Microsoft investigates Israeli military’s use of Azure cloud storage
Concerns that tech company’s Israel-based staff may have concealed key details of work follow Guardian investigation
www.theguardian.com
August 9, 2025 at 1:40 PM
This story is pretty wild. Sources suggest Microsoft execs in US are concerned Israel-based employees, some of whom are reservists or veterans of the IDF’s Unit 8200 (aka eavesdropping unit), were not “fully transparent” about IDF’s use of Microsoft products in recent review
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
New story out from me and @dylanfreedman.nytimes.com about how and why chatbots go into delusional spirals that can cause people to have mental breakdowns. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens.
www.nytimes.com
August 8, 2025 at 12:46 PM
New story out from me and @dylanfreedman.nytimes.com about how and why chatbots go into delusional spirals that can cause people to have mental breakdowns. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/t...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
A government-sanctioned "truth arbiter" will soon arrive at CBS. Their role will be to ensure that journalists do not criticize this Administration or express views that conflict with its agenda.
This is a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust. 🧵
This is a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust. 🧵
August 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
A government-sanctioned "truth arbiter" will soon arrive at CBS. Their role will be to ensure that journalists do not criticize this Administration or express views that conflict with its agenda.
This is a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust. 🧵
This is a betrayal—not just of journalistic independence, but of the public trust. 🧵
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the government is supposed to track how many people die in law enforcement custody — but the data is a mess.
Why Doesn’t the U.S. Government Know How Many People Die in Custody?
Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the government is supposed to track how many people die in law enforcement custody — but the data is a mess.
www.themarshallproject.org
August 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the government is supposed to track how many people die in law enforcement custody — but the data is a mess.
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
NEW: Trump administration asks #SCOTUS to remove judge-imposed 'straitjacket' limiting immigration raids in and around L.A. w/@kyledcheney
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow ‘roving’ immigration raids in Los Angeles
The Justice Department called a lower-court order that limited the raids “a straitjacket" for law enforcement.
www.politico.com
August 8, 2025 at 2:50 AM
NEW: Trump administration asks #SCOTUS to remove judge-imposed 'straitjacket' limiting immigration raids in and around L.A. w/@kyledcheney
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
www.politico.com/news/2025/08...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
The ICE war on workers, and its assault on a state that doesn’t look at immigration status when people want to work, lands at a Supreme Court that is traditionally hostile to both.
Here, DOJ is specifically calling out day laborers, who many years ago won a key First Amendment right to seek work.
Here, DOJ is specifically calling out day laborers, who many years ago won a key First Amendment right to seek work.
New: The Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to halt an injunction that’s currently preventing it from racially profiling Hispanic people while conducting immigration arrests in part of California. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
August 8, 2025 at 1:58 AM
The ICE war on workers, and its assault on a state that doesn’t look at immigration status when people want to work, lands at a Supreme Court that is traditionally hostile to both.
Here, DOJ is specifically calling out day laborers, who many years ago won a key First Amendment right to seek work.
Here, DOJ is specifically calling out day laborers, who many years ago won a key First Amendment right to seek work.
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
We're on in less than *5* minutes to discuss the lessons from our study examining how users speak online across four languages and the future of moderation in these regions and across the Majority World. You don't want to miss it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRZ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRZ...
Interrogating content moderation systems in indigenous & low-resource languages of the Global South
YouTube video by Center for Democracy & Technology
www.youtube.com
August 7, 2025 at 1:01 PM
We're on in less than *5* minutes to discuss the lessons from our study examining how users speak online across four languages and the future of moderation in these regions and across the Majority World. You don't want to miss it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRZ...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRZ...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
With the rise of nonprofit newsrooms, journalists must ask, Who should newsrooms accept money from, and on what terms? New by @sulliview.bsky.social and Julie Gerstein. www.cjr.org/analysis/non...
For Nonprofit Newsrooms, Ethical Funding Is Essential
How outlets are updating their strategies to protect editorial independence.
www.cjr.org
August 7, 2025 at 1:04 PM
With the rise of nonprofit newsrooms, journalists must ask, Who should newsrooms accept money from, and on what terms? New by @sulliview.bsky.social and Julie Gerstein. www.cjr.org/analysis/non...
Reposted by Aashna Agarwal
Happy 34th Birthday The World's First Website!
On August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web (WWW) creator, Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website.
#InternetHistory
On August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web (WWW) creator, Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website.
#InternetHistory
August 6, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Happy 34th Birthday The World's First Website!
On August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web (WWW) creator, Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website.
#InternetHistory
On August 6, 1991, the World Wide Web (WWW) creator, Tim Berners-Lee launched the world’s first website.
#InternetHistory