John Horgan
LightNews LightNews
banner
johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan
@johnhorgan.bsky.social
4.7K followers 1.8K following 2K posts

Distinguished University Professor of psychology who studies terrorism, school safety, and a few other things📍Atlanta, GA. This is a personal account. Author of TERRORIST MINDS. Mostly posts of our dogs and cats - and terrorism. .. more

Videos

John G. Horgan is a Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. He studies involvement and engagement with terrorism, with a focus on disengagement and deradicalisation from terrorist movements. He has been described by the European Eye on Radicalization research group as the "world’s most distinguished expert in the psychology of terrorism". Since 2019, Horgan has been leading a team of researchers funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to research the incel subculture. .. more

Political science 30%
Medicine 30%
Posts Replies Media Videos

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 1h
Extremely unusual. More people (~8-10 per year) die climbing the mountain.
nytimes.com The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18h
Five people, including tourists on a climbing trip, were killed when their helicopter crashed while descending Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzanian authorities said on Thursday.
Five Killed in Helicopter Crash on Kilimanjaro, Africa’s Highest Peak
The aircraft was on its descent from the mountain when it crashed around the Barafu Camp area in Kilimanjaro National Park, officials said.
nyti.ms

Reposted by John Horgan

emma-briant.co.uk
Dr Emma L Briant @emma-briant.co.uk · 7h
Good to see this action by US government blocked. All researchers are placed in danger by this kind of speech policing.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/25/u...
Judge Blocks Detention of British Researcher Who Scrutinizes Online Hate
www.nytimes.com

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

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 8h
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 John Horgan

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18h
Five people, including tourists on a climbing trip, were killed when their helicopter crashed while descending Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzanian authorities said on Thursday.
Five Killed in Helicopter Crash on Kilimanjaro, Africa’s Highest Peak
The aircraft was on its descent from the mountain when it crashed around the Barafu Camp area in Kilimanjaro National Park, officials said.
nyti.ms

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 22h
Chaos reigns
Two dogs fighting over the same stuffed animal.

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Arthur Geßler, John Horgan , and 4 more

katestarbird.bsky.social
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 2d
Nina Jankowicz: “They’re not doing this because they have any evidence of censorship — they lost a Supreme Court case that made those claims… They’re doing this because the group of researchers and advocates have stood up to liars like Donald Trump and the platforms that enable them.”

Reposted by John Horgan, Elizabeth Stokoe, Christina Pagel

socialmedialab.ca
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 2d
Everyone is porcupining and bracing for war. Finland has raised the reservist age to 65, bringing its reserve force to nearly one million. The memory of the Winter War with the USSR continues to shape Finnish thinking. yle.fi/a/74-20201345
Finland raises reservist age to 65
The reserve force will gradually swell to one million.
yle.fi

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 2d
Bo leads the way
A dog walks quickly through a leafy trail

Reposted by Suresh Venkatasubramanian, John Horgan, Thomas Hegghammer , and 1 more

theatlantic.com
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 5d
Those who speculated wildly about the Brown shooter without knowing any facts got things wrong—and it is important that they lose their credibility because of it, Graeme Wood argues.
How to Treat Purveyors of Baseless Speculation
Don’t log off. Keep score.
bit.ly

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Gavin A. Schmidt, Kevin J. Anchukaitis , and 3 more

katycroffbell.bsky.social
Dr. Katy Croff Bell @katycroffbell.bsky.social · 5d
NOAA has started terminating grants to UCAR under the UCAR/NOAA Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program (CAMP).

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 5d
Christmas movie? Yes.
Terrorism movie? No.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Reposted by John Horgan

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 5d
Walking in nature reduces activity in the brain region linked to sadness and rumination.

A psychologist on why active rest periods—not couch time—are what actually restore us during the holidays. buff.ly/ls00al0
Rest is essential during the holidays, but it may mean getting active, not crashing on the couch
Unwinding can be hard during the holidays for many reasons. Building in time to recharge through active leisure can help.
theconversation.com

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 6d
🫡
jmberger.com J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 6d
There is so much going on in this country right now that requires our attention and energy. We need to find fuel that keeps us going, and creative writing has done that for me. Find what works for you, and do it. We're not going to win if we let the bastards grind us down.

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 6d
Made it. Holiday mode activated. 🫠

Reposted by John Horgan

jmberger.com
J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 6d
There is so much going on in this country right now that requires our attention and energy. We need to find fuel that keeps us going, and creative writing has done that for me. Find what works for you, and do it. We're not going to win if we let the bastards grind us down.

Reposted by John Horgan

jmberger.com
J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 6d
I'm a scholar of extremism and a writer of fiction.

Recent nonfiction:

Extremism (2018, MIT Press) amzn.to/4pMXU6t

The Social Construction of Extremism (2024, dissertation) www.jmberger.com/social-const...

Fiction:

Optimal (2020) amzn.to/4pMXU6t

The Pope's Hitman (Crooked Lane Books, 2026)
THE POPE’S HITMAN The new thriller from J.M. Berger! Fall 2026, Crooked Lane Books When an active shooter tries to kill Father Francis Loyola, the beloved pastor of a Catholic church in Boston, he is forced to confront his long-buried past as an assassin in service to the Vatican. His quest to find answers and protect the Church will set him at odds with a globe-spanning conspiracy that runs from Boston to Bosnia to Saint Peter’s Basilica, putting him on a collision course with an army of monastic zealots and bringing him face to face with his successor, the Holy Father’s newest hand-picked killer, Sister Belina Fortis. The Pope’s Hitman is packed with compelling characters and dynamic, cinematic action. It will keep you guessing until the final pages of its breathtaking Christmas Eve climax.

Reposted by John Horgan

us.theguardian.com
Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 6d
Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem has ordered the suspension of the green card lottery program at Trump’s direction, saying it allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to come to the US.
Trump suspends US green card lottery in wake of Brown University and MIT shootings
www.theguardian.com

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 7d
Worth waiting for. Take it from me ;-)
jmberger.com J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 7d
And now for something completely different
PUBLISHER'S MARKETPLACE THE POPE'S HITMAN By J.M. Berger Internationally recognized extremism expert and criminologist, J.M. Berger’s, The Pope’s Hitman, pitched as John Wick meets Conclave, in which the beloved pastor of a Boston church confronts his past as the Pope’s personal assassin in order to stop a global conspiracy against the Catholic church culminating during Christmas midnight mass in Rome, in a one book deal to Marcia Markland of Crooked Lane Books by Wayne Arthurson of The Rights Factory.

Reposted by John Horgan

jmberger.com
J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 7d
And now for something completely different
PUBLISHER'S MARKETPLACE THE POPE'S HITMAN By J.M. Berger Internationally recognized extremism expert and criminologist, J.M. Berger’s, The Pope’s Hitman, pitched as John Wick meets Conclave, in which the beloved pastor of a Boston church confronts his past as the Pope’s personal assassin in order to stop a global conspiracy against the Catholic church culminating during Christmas midnight mass in Rome, in a one book deal to Marcia Markland of Crooked Lane Books by Wayne Arthurson of The Rights Factory.

Reposted by John Horgan

warinthefuture.bsky.social
Mick Ryan @warinthefuture.bsky.social · 7d
"The key responsibility of governments in Australia now, beyond ensuring the safety of all citizens, is challenging the existing ideas or conceptzia about our domestic & national notions of resilience, cohesion, prosperity & security." My latest at Lowy.
www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
The element of surprise: Bondi and the Australian "conceptzia"
Surprise remains a central feature of Australia's security environment.
www.lowyinstitute.org

Reposted by John Horgan

truthout.org
Truthout @truthout.org · 7d
The Trump administration has reportedly set a goal of yanking citizenship away from over a thousand naturalized Americans in fiscal year 2026, in yet another escalation in the administration’s sweeping immigration crackdown.
Trump Administration Sets Goal to Denaturalize Thousands of US Citizens in 2026
Immigration officials have reportedly issued guidance setting a quota of 100 to 200 denaturalization cases a month.
truthout.org

Reposted by John Horgan

jmberger.com
J.M. Berger @jmberger.com · 7d
"what it sees as" = "what it characterizes as" or "what it claims is"

We have bigger problems than semantic nuance. But part of the bigger problem is an industry committed to extending good-faith presumptions to people who are clearly acting in bad faith.

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
The Trump administration is embarking on an expansive effort to root out what it sees as rampant left-wing domestic terrorism, raising concerns among some security experts and lawmakers that broad categories of Americans’ political speech could come under surveillance.

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 7d
“Rittenhouse did appear on the right-wing lecture circuit, but as a 20-something kid without much to recommend him other than the fact that he’d killed some people, the effort was less than successful.”
motherjones.com Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 7d
Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage shooter who killed two people and wounded a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has returned this month with a big announcement.

That announcement, however, proved to be as embarrassing as many of his previous attempts to call attention to himself.

"I think you're a joke."
A Florida sheriff had a message for Kyle Rittenhouse: "I think you’re a joke"
The once-famous teenage shooter's comeback lasted exactly one week.
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by John Horgan

motherjones.com
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 7d
Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenage shooter who killed two people and wounded a third in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has returned this month with a big announcement.

That announcement, however, proved to be as embarrassing as many of his previous attempts to call attention to himself.

"I think you're a joke."
A Florida sheriff had a message for Kyle Rittenhouse: "I think you’re a joke"
The once-famous teenage shooter's comeback lasted exactly one week.
www.motherjones.com

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 8d
Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by John Horgan

motherjones.com
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 8d
Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.
Then they came for the Dreamers
Immigrants brought here as children were told they wouldn’t be deported. Now, they’re being targeted anyway.
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Suresh Venkatasubramanian, Nandita Sharma, David Lazer , and 9 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 8d
What this will mean, in practice, that if you are deemed an enemy of the administration, they will pore through your citizenship application paperwork looking for some reason to retroactively disqualify you.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by John Horgan

ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 8d
I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to appoint a right-wing conspiracy theorist nut job podcaster as deputy director of the FBI.

Reposted by Suzana J. Camargo, John Horgan, Steve Peers , and 12 more

milesklee.bsky.social
chopped unc crisis hotline @milesklee.bsky.social · 8d
Academics and technologists are sounding the alarm about a growing crisis in scholarship as we know it: AI-generated citations of nonexistent papers that have infested real journals. Despite being fake, the sources are widely assumed to be authentic the more they appear in published literature.
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
www.rollingstone.com

johnhorgan.bsky.social
John Horgan @johnhorgan.bsky.social · 8d
FBI work is hard. Trashing the FBI is easy.
kylegriffin1.bsky.social Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 8d
BREAKING MS NOW:

FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has quietly told confidants he plans to formally leave his job early in the new year and will not be returning to headquarters to work this month, according to eight people briefed on his account. www.ms.now/news/bongino...
FBI’s No. 2 quietly tells colleagues he’s moving on
Controversial deputy director has cleared out his office, sources tell MS NOW.
www.ms.now