The backstory: Ukrainian drones struck a Yandex supercomputer facility in Vladimir, taking it out. Suddenly, bot activity in US social media fell by 49%, confirming suspicions that this was the site of a massive Russian influence operation targeting US social media—mostly targeting MAGA.

After years of championing "free speech," Texas lawmakers have enabled a dramatic rise of censorship in Texas universities, banning concepts, canceling courses and closing departments seen as "woke," and even using AI bots as censors. All in the name of freedom. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/1...

And now the best part: Bot traffic from the #Yandex network has plunged to near zero following the strike on its Vladimir data center. Bot traffic includes automated requests from search crawlers, scrapers and other online services. Twitter must be a ghost town by now.

Alina Pereverzieva 🇺🇦@perevaa.bsky.social · 13h ago

All three Yandex AI supercomputers are reportedly offline: Galushkin in Vladimir, Chervonenkis and Lyapunov in Sasovo, whose data center shut down after the Oct 8 strike. Yandex Cloud outages also threaten thousands of Russian firms relying on it for websites, databases and payments 👏

Starting “Below” and did know about the Newfoundland Resettlement Program. Love learning some new Canadiana.

Thinking about the pathologies that will be created by all the MAGA parents letting (forcing?) their kids to watch a live streamed execution.

The administration gets a twofer: more attacks on higher education and public health.

Jonathan Wosen@jonathanwosen.bsky.social · 3d ago

The Trump administration is investigating nine universities -- including Stanford, Harvard, and MIT -- for alleged fraud related to visas commonly used by postdoctoral researchers, a core part of the nation’s biomedical workforce. My latest for @statnews.com www.statnews.com/2026/10/08/t...

New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854

This.

Adam Serwer@adamserwer.bsky.social · 3d ago

I think people should listen to what the administration trying to bring back spectacle lynchings, race riots, and middle passage-esque deportation voyages are trying to tell you about themselves. bsky.app/profile/bren...

Picked some Rosa Bianca eggplants from the garden and did a thing.

This is new and incredibly horrible territory for this country. Executions as entertainment is a new low, for an administration that seems to believe its primary function is new lows. And the response may not be what the regime expects. People don’t like snuff films. ISIS didn’t get this too.

Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 3d ago

The Pentagon says it will livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan

Go Rays go!

I make Portuguese roast chicken at least once a month. Complicated and messy colonialism in one dish. Tried adding mint this time as a minor tweak.

Looking forward to the Mike Flanagan “Carrie” adaptation.

And def devastating for political science. I use GSS. Well…used, I guess now.

Stephen Vaisey 🇺🇦@stephenvaisey.com · 4d ago

BTW this means no funding for GSS, ANES, or PSID. GSS 2026 is in the field now, but then it looks like that's it. Devastating for social science.

Worth noting that SC had a Democratic senator as recently as 2005.

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 4d ago

Worth watching: South Carolina Dems are starting to roll out ads featuring GOPers endorsing Dem Annie Andrews. On our pod, Jalisa Washington-Price, who runs a PAC, says a $2 million ad buy is set to feature a former GOP lawmaker from a deep red county: newrepublic.com/article/2163...

Good points here. Maybe talk to the recipients of toxicity rather than the givers of it.

Michael Hobbes@michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 4d ago

The most psychotic possible framing of this archive.is/202609271858...

Interesting in light of polls in those races 💸🚽

Wesleyan Media Project@wesmediaproject.bsky.social · 5d ago

GOP gubernatorial candidates have an ad spending advantage in the five races for Governor that have seen the most spending in the three weeks since Labor Day. % of pro-Democratic ad spending by race: #OHGov – 34.8% #WIGov – 34.8% #TXGov – 15.4% #GAGov – 7.5% #FLGov – 5.9%

As a Mainer I hate trying to explain Maine politics to non-Mainers. Because I hate believing in what i’m trying to explain.

Rooting for Atlanta tonight. Great Cthulhu help me.

Come work with me and my brilliant colleagues! jobs.chronicle.com/job/38048348...

Associate or Full Professor in Comparative Politics - Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN job with Vanderbilt University | 38048348

Associate or Full Professor in Comparative Politics appointment Vanderbilt Department of Political Science

jobs.chronicle.com

the tech industry is about to invent books

I and others have made the observation that if you are not a current or former DC resident it's difficult to fathom the emotional toll the physical destruction of our city has been going through. And the ever present thought that even worse is to come.

Brandon Friedman@brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 5d ago

Lafayette Square isn't "a historic protest site." It's a fucking park. And it's packed on nice days. Calling it a protest site is White House framing. They're closing a popular public park to create a presidential palace Saddam Hussein would love.

Damn. He's not wrong.

Michael Warburton@michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 7d ago

Gary

4 X Postdoctoral Fellowships #ECPRMemberJobs 🎓 A doctoral degree granted between 30 September 2024 and 1 October 2026 🏫 Universität Konstanz ⌛ Monday 12 October 🔗 buff.ly/3lEtlIN #PolSciJobs #PoliSky #AcademicSky

Postdoctoral Fellowship

buff.ly

Lucan Way and I have been writing about competitive authoritarianism for more than 25 years. We never thought we'd write this piece. www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/com...

Competitive Authoritarianism in America | Journal of Democracy

The United States has slid into competitive authoritarianism. The slide has been modest and remains reversible—but it is real. Even after Donald Trump, American democracy will remain fragile.

journalofdemocracy.org

Career destroying in normal times.

Bayliss Wagner@baylisswagner.bsky.social · 6d ago

BREAKING: In Nebraska rally, Trump just suggested he would be unbothered to see Iran "take out" LA or San Diego: “They could take out a city,” he said. “Let them take—Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That’s—this is a very small price to pay."

Go White Sox I guess

I am sifting through the murky details of the Russia plague story but my sense from observing disasters in the Soviet Union and Russia is that the reality is far worse then we know at this point.

Postdoc position within my group 3 years (100% TVl-13): stellen.uni-muenster.de/jobposting/2... ⏱️ 06.11.2026 If you have questions: get in touch!

Postdoctoral Research Associate (Wissenschaftliche*r Mitarbeiter*in, salary level E 13 TV-L)

stellen.uni-muenster.de

Anyone remember a British sitcom from the 80s (I think) about a university in the UK falling into disrepair and dysfunction during the Thatcher years?