Nathalie Maréchal, PhD
@nathaliemarechal.net
Fighting for democracy and human rights in the age of technofascism. She/her. Opinions personal, etc. ❌👑
The 97th edition of Pressing Issues from @freepress.bsky.social features part of the @moneyontheleft.bsky.social podcast conversation with Free Press Board Chair @victorpickard.bsky.social Public Media Isn’t Optional for Democracy
Public Media Isn’t Optional for Democracy
Free Press Board Chair Victor Pickard explains why on the latest episode of ‘Money on the Left’
pressingissues.org
NEW: Trump’s coziness with AI oligarchs is a defining feature of his admin. But the AI companies reshaping our lives are also betting on the support of Democrats. We tracked close to 100 former Biden officials to their new jobs working in the AI industry:
Tracking the Revolving Door Between AI and Former Biden Officials | Revolving Door Project
This tracker was last updated on August 3, 2026. The artificial intelligence industry is rapidly reshaping every facet of life, from the popularity of chatbots and disruption of the workplace to the ...
therevolvingdoorproject.org
Listen to @tressiemcphd.bsky.social when she writes that AI is "the backbone of a superstructure that merges regressive politics with unchecked economic power in the guise of technological innovation” - and then teach about and against the technologies with the help of the books she cites:
Opinion | Want to Fight Back Against Big Tech? Start Here.
A.I. is a political theory. And it is gobbling up our democracy.
nytimes.com
A wave won’t be enough if Trump denies election results post mid-terms. It will also be necessary for the institutions from which Trump derives legitimacy—S&P 500 companies, tech CEOs, evangelical leaders, military leadership, etc.—to withdraw support for his claims. Start organizing now.
BlogForArizona@blogforarizona.bsky.social · 3d agoThe Blue Wave Is Rising: Trump’s Collapse Could Sweep Republicans Out of Power Historical trends point to a Blue Wave election in November, according to political strategist Doug Sosnik, except that Republicans have far more money and voters view both political parties negatively. Democrats need…
Some motherfuckers need to read Winner. Like, it’s been clear from the jump that AI adoption has been a political project or in service too political projects and those projects have been universally shitty extensions of white supremacy and other structures of oppression.
vortex_egg@vortexegg.com · 4d agoFor me, LLMs are clearly powerful machines, but everything about their construction and deployment in society by the people constructing them appears oriented around achieving a political project that deeply conflicts with my values or a vision of a future I want to live in and dont have a choice in
MAGA authoritarianism and the political project of AI are two sides of the same totalitarian coin.
Sonja Drimmer@sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · last wk.“AI has become a blunt instrument in the enterprise to impose precisely this form of sanctioned ignorance about America’s past...Taken together, [Trump’s & Musk’s] plans amount to a one-two punch, history in the hands of the corporate state.” My latest on AI & history: www.salon.com/2026/07/28/t...
The AI emperor has no clothes, exhibit so many
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C)@doctorow.pluralistic.net · 4d agoNeoclassical econ assumes rationality. The corollary of, "If you're so smart, why aren't you rich?" is "you're rich, so you must be very smart!" Thus, people assume that if powerful, well-compensated CEOs insist that "AI is changing everything," well then, *AI must be changing everything*. 1/
I'd be happy to give High-level Academic Advise on AI in research, but this call makes clear that genuine advice is not welcome. Yet, advice is much needed! Even EU president promotes hype & pseudoscientific claims. See e.g. open letter by experts last year www.iccl.ie/press-releas...
Scientists call on the President of the European Commission to retract AI hype statement - Irish Council for Civil Liberties
Experts in AI call on the President of the European Commission to retract unscientific AI hype statement she made in the budget speech.
iccl.ie
Ajuna Soerjadi 🌸@ethicsofai.bsky.social · last wk.So let me get this straight. They want expert scientific advice on AI -So far so good - to unlock the full potential of AI-driven science, accelerate breakthroughs and to consolidate the uptake of AI in science?? research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/news/all-res...
Essential reading for anyone who’s thinking about what comes next. Reconstruction must start with (re)building political power for pro-democracy actors *and* deconstructing the power of authoritarian actors. The one I’m focused on is Silicon Valley’s broligarchy and surveillance capitalism.
Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · 5d agoVery excited for this new essay at "Can We Still Govern?": The key claim is that planning for a progressive future cannot just focus on new policies. It also has to include - to start with - political power. What does a power-shifting perspective look like? 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/rebuilding...
So, so good.
Flaming Hydra@flaminghydra.com · 7d agoTODAY: Nathan Schneider on what comes after Luddism. "The struggle against big tech can have two stories in one: the vibrant resistance and refusal, but also the effort to build a better economy under workers’ and users’ control." flaminghydra.com/issue-617/#b...
Among many other things this is a good illustration of the necessity of untethering ideology and "fight" in intra-Democratic battles. The party is very united on fight, very divided on ideology. You unite on fight, let different constituencies/states find their center of gravity on ideology.
At a certain point, willful ignorance becomes indistinguishable from outright malice.
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
A U.S. government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a State Department presentation at a global conference taking place in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attendees who took screen...
reuters.com
People think "Hollywood" is rich and famous. The reality? Film and TV is a national industry. It's a blue collar industry. And it is an industry free fall. My latest for @newrepublic.com on how the Paramount merger would crush blue collar workers who can not afford it newrepublic.com/article/2136...
There’s a Blue-Collar Hollywood—and the Paramount Merger Will Kill It
Hollywood isn’t all glamour. It’s thousands of line workers. And a Paramount takeover of Warner will make their lives even more precarious.
newrepublic.com
I'm thrilled to have this resource out today - it represents months of research and analysis and creative data visualization work by my amazing colleagues. Please share widely, and let us know if you have any questions or think we've missed anything!
For clarity in journalism, the go-to identifier should be "Elon Musk, centibillionaire tech CEO and leading far right agitator."
Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · last wk.Adding to @jamellebouie.net: We think Musk's "zero died" claim is perfectly consistent with and even reinforces his messaging to the global fascist movement. It's a form of far right coding that simply denies the humanity of all impacted by ethnic cleansing policy: newrepublic.com/article/2135...
Agree with @jamellebouie.net that it's pretty clear Elon Musk wanted to eviscerate USAID *for the purpose of killing as many African people as possible.* Mass death wasn't an accidental byproduct of his "deep state" paranoia; it was a key mission of DOGE. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/o...
Agreed that this is a good segment. There is not a single component of the AI stack that is not antagonistic to human welfare. An interviewee in this segment compares this to noise torture, and anyone exposed to constant noise of this sort knows it’s hostile to one’s wellbeing.
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · last wk.This is a well-produced segment. I encourage you to watch so you can hear the noise for yourself. The professor of environmental health science that they interviewed called it an “unprecedented new noise source.”
Are Silicon Valley billionaires building a new fascist world order? My interview with the @sfstandard.com: sfstandard.com/2026/07/28/t...
The Nerd Reich: Are Silicon Valley billionaires building a new fascist world order?
Gil Duran’s new book traces a through-line from SF school board recalls to Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin, and JD Vance.
sfstandard.com
The Trump administration tried to use visa denials and deportation to silence researchers who study social media. A court just said no. Sunday Tagliasacchi and Elisabeth Snyder, former legal externs at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, break down the CITR v. Rubio ruling.
Trump Cannot Use Immigration Law to Silence Technology Researchers
Sunday Tagliasacchi and Elisabeth Snyder detail an initial court victory for the Coalition for Independent Technology Research in CITR v. Rubio.
buff.ly
"AI opponents have landed on a strategy that successfully generates collective action & challenges the industry where it is most vulnerable. And this guy thinks what everyone ought to do instead is focus on their own personal decisions & vague social norms." Sound familiar, climate peeps?
The data center backlash Is working. That's why the New York Times is so concerned.
I have a
davekarpf.beehiiv.com
Here's another example of the noxious trend we identify below: Stephen Miller claiming "all asylum claims" are "fake." What he really means is no asylum seeker is *worth caring about.* It's the same trick Musk uses with "zero" died from USAID cuts. (h/t @lastpositivist.bsky.social @mattortega.com)
Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · last wk.The pattern is unmistakable: *Nobody died from USAID cuts. *Nobody killed by ICE is innocent. *No Muslim in the UK can escape the charge of being a rapist or a murderer. *No Somali in Minnesota is there legitimately by definition. And so on: newrepublic.com/article/2135...
Really interesting thread responding to our new Elon Musk piece. As @asharangappa.bsky.social points out, Musk's claim that "zero" died from USAID cuts is really about breaking any sense of empathy or responsibility we feel for the victims:
Asha Rangappa@asharangappa.bsky.social · last wk.🧵 This piece is really important, because it gets to something that is a prerequisite for and recurring feature of atrocities worldwide: selective empathy. Most people assume that when atrocities happen, it’s bc everyone involved is a sociopath. Some are. But not all. 1/
really something to see tech YouTuber types calmly discussing the latest Tesla or SpaceX business news without once mentioning Elon’s 50 Day of the Rope posts per day or his murdering 700,000+ people
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · last mo.X owner Elon Musk indicates he would prioritise political violence (assassination of pro-migration politicians is the common sense meaning) over violence against "invaders" (refugees, asylum seekers, maybe ethnic minorities generally) while endorsing call for violence (killing) against both groups
If DEFCON can figure this out… so can lots of other places
DEF CON@defcon.bsky.social · last wk.Friendly #DEFCON34 reminder: Meta-style glasses with recording capabilities are prohibited at DEF CON. There is no exception for recording glasses with prescription lenses. Be sure to pack non-violating eyewear if you need them. Please see our Photo policies for more. defcon.org/html/links/d...
Hell yeah
DEF CON@defcon.bsky.social · last wk.Friendly #DEFCON34 reminder: Meta-style glasses with recording capabilities are prohibited at DEF CON. There is no exception for recording glasses with prescription lenses. Be sure to pack non-violating eyewear if you need them. Please see our Photo policies for more. defcon.org/html/links/d...
Don’t look away from what this administration is doing in our name.
Adam Sawyer@adamjst.bsky.social · last wk.“If immigration hadn't picked up my brother, my sister-in-law would still be alive, and the children wouldn't be going through this sorrow,” he said. “Unfortunately, immigration — the [U.S.] government — doesn't see that. It makes no difference to them.” www.stlpr.org/law-order/20...
The Venn diagram of political project of AI, MAGA authoritarianism, and global white Christian nationalism is basically a circle. Political leaders and policy experts ignore these connections at our peril
Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · last wk.When Elon Musk says "zero" children died in Africa from his DOGE cuts, he really means zero children died who are *worthy of any concern.* It's vile coded signaling to his global fascist audience. From me and @polphilpod.bsky.social, a deep dive into Musk's fascism: newrepublic.com/article/2135...
Muting: people are weird in the replies. It’s not conjecture when I say they know this. Meta’s own researchers warned them about amplifying hate content, damaging girls’ body image…and a bunch of other stuff. To pretend they are ignorant of the negative affordances is to let them off the hook.
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · last wk.FWIW, Meta was fully aware of how these glasses would primarily be used. The glasses were designed to erase consent, and that is why they exist. Anything that they do that suggests they want to ameliorate this use is an attempt to win the PR battle and manipulate public opinion.
