Erol Akçay | Lightnews

Erol Akcay

@akcay.theoretical.bio

3.9K followers 3.7K following 330 posts

Ecology, evolution, and social dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania. He/him
https://akcay.theoretical.bio

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Biology 27%

Sociology 16%

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Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · Nov 6

I deleted my twitter/X account. I am now only on here and (rarely) on Mastodon.

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Peter Thorne, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 11 more Lisa W. Fazio, Peter Thorne, Gavin A. Schmidt, Rosemary A. Joyce, Ian Campbell, Alan Richardson, Trevor A. Branch, Andrew L. Whitehead, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Erol Akçay, Jennifer A. Johnson, Julie Novkov, David Stott, Anne Hilborn

Andrew D Thaler @drandrewthaler.bsky.social · 7h

In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.

The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.

The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.

Why?

It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.

Reposted by Philip Nel, David R. Miller, Erol Akçay

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

Astonishing how hard this administration is working to keep people hungry.
It's clear they are trying maximize public suffering, in hopes of getting people to blame Dems for that suffering. But it's transparently the White House working overtime to keep the suffering going!
bsky.app/profile/cram...

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

Yikes. USDA sent threatening letter to states telling them that if they sent out EBT money —which many states did during the window when a lower court said SNAP funds had to be released—they have to take it back (?)
Trying to sort out what this means and if states even can claw back the funds

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 1d

We don’t talk enough about how Operation Warp Speed saved many lives in spite of Trump, nor how many people died because of his failure of leadership. Great piece from my great colleague @maciekboni.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/maciekbo...

COVID’s leadership failures

Two moments that were too big for us, and the unfixable chain of mistakes that was set off after November 2020

open.substack.com

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Maciej F Boni @maciekboni.bsky.social · 1d

What were you doing 5 years ago today ? I think a lot of us forgot the news that was delivered and the failures that followed. Important reminder here:

maciekboni.substack.com/p/covids-lea...

Please click subscribe. It's free.

Reposted by Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Scott L. Greer , and 4 more Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, Scott L. Greer, Andrew Scott, Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay, David Darmofal

JM Rieger @riegerreport.bsky.social · 2d

During an event on Thursday, Donald Trump seemed to repeatedly struggle to keep his eyes open.

A Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds found that Trump spent roughly 20 minutes battling to keep his eyes open.

New video w/ @ddiamond.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Joanna Bryson, James Q. Wilson , and 12 more Stephen M. Walt, Joanna Bryson, James Q. Wilson, Nancy Kanwisher, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, David Rothschild, American Library Association, Rebecca Sear, David R. Miller, Erol Akçay, Jessica A. Gephart, Jason Lyall, Jon Dean, Stella M. Rouse

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 4d

The elimination of USAID was an unforgivable moral atrocity that should haunt Trump, Elon Musk and Marco Rubio for the rest of their days and beyond

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 4d

One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc

The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands

The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.

newyorkermag.visitlink.me

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 6d

These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Alex Fernie @ferniecommaalex.bsky.social · 6d

Several hundred kids just marched past my house because John Marshall High is doing an anti-ICE walk out.

LA's tradition of high schoolers using their voices to push back on racism and inequality is really an inspiring thing.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 6d

i want to repeat this: mamdani and spanberger have run similar campaigns tailored to their respective electorates and it is maddening to watch political journalists attempt to create some broad contrast where none exist

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 6d

the other thing about this is that there is no reason to pit these candidates against each other? each are good fits for their respective electorates and each shows the value of vigorous campaigns focused on the stated material problems of voters.

Reposted by James Q. Wilson, Gavin A. Schmidt, Ian Campbell , and 6 more James Q. Wilson, Gavin A. Schmidt, Ian Campbell, David R. Miller, Sebastiaan Faber, Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay, William Myers, Claire L. Adida

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 7d

In Chicago, a woman was driving to get coffee when a DHS vehicle fleeing an angry crowd crashed into her car. Armed agents jumped out of the vehicle, yanked her door open, pulled her by the legs out of her car at gunpoint, held her incommunicado for hours, then released her with no charges.

Dayanne Figueroa was on her way to get coffee before heading to work when she encountered a chaotic scene in West Town: heavily armed, masked federal agents making arrests on a residential street.
People yelled as vehicles honked their horn — a sign now used to alert neighbors that immigration federal agents are in the area — and witnesses said federal agents had arrested several landscaper workers presumed to be in the country without authorization.
As Figuero tried to drive through the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street on Friday, Oct. 10, an unmarked vehicle driven by federal agents collided with Figueroa’s as it tried to speed away from a hostile crowd, multiple videos reviewed by the Tribune show.
Seconds after the crash, agents abruptly stopped their vehicle and exited with weapons in hand pointing at Figueroa, a U.S citizen. Agents then forcibly opened her door and pulled her out of the vehicle by her legs without identifying themselves, presenting a warrant or informing her that she was under arrest. As bystanders yelled, “You hit her! We have it on video!” agents ignored the crowd and forced Figueroa into a red minivan and drove away.
Her car was left behind in the middle of the road, her coffee still in the cup holder, and her keys in plain view.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Kevin F. McCarthy, Nazita Lajevardi , and 4 more Anna O. Law, Kevin F. McCarthy, Nazita Lajevardi, Erol Akçay, Greg Linden, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 8d

The welfare state is about dignity, equality, and making people not poor, but as @itsafronomics.bsky.social says/cites here, it’s often also an investment that more than pays for itself

Anna Gifty @itsafronomics.bsky.social · 10d

Why should you 🫵🏿 care about SNAP? SNAP recipients saw:

- Improved life expectancy
- Lower chance of incarceration
- Lowers chance of poverty
- Lived in better neighborhoods
- Higher human capital

SNAP keeps our neighbors fed, communities safer, and kids educated. Also people are HUNGRY. DUH!

Reposted by Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, David Passmore , and 2 more Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan, David Passmore, Erol Akçay, David Darmofal

Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 9d

More Insta snaps from the let them eat cake ball at Mar a Lago

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Aaron Sojourner, Adrian Daub , and 6 more Cas Mudde, Aaron Sojourner, Adrian Daub, Erol Akçay, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Charles T. Mathewes, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dunlap, Anne Hilborn

Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · 9d

Let’s be clear, most EBT users are white. The reason he’s specifically lying about “weaves” and we’ve seen so many AI fakes of Black women ranting about food stamps is they need to make BW the face EBT because they know many Americans don’t care if Black people suffer, and some actually wish for it.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

ROB SCHMITT: People are using SNAP benefits to get their nails done, to get their weaves and their hair. This is a really ugly program.

SEN. RON JOHNSON: That program needs to be dramatically reformed.

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 10d

🚨NEWS: Two federal judges just ruled the Trump Admin MUST use emergency funds to continue providing SNAP benefits during the shutdown.

They tried to use hungry kids as political pawns instead of coming to the table to reopen the government. Shameful.

Two federal judges require Trump administration tap into emergency funds to partially cover food stamp benefits | CNN Politics

Two federal judges said Friday that the Trump administration must tap into billions of dollars in emergency funds to at least partially cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in N...

www.cnn.com

Reposted by Elizabeth Sharrow, Nina Jankowicz, Menzie Chinn , and 11 more Elizabeth Sharrow, Nina Jankowicz, Menzie Chinn, Patrick A. Jansen, Daniel W. Drezner, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Michael Zimmer, Andrew Jacobs, Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay, S. J. Holmes, Tim Stephens

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

sure, you might not be able to eat or go to the doctor, but check out how nice Trump's new marble shitter is

I renovated the Lincoln Bathroom in the White House. It was renovated in the 1940s in an art deco green tile style, which was totally inappropriate for the Lincoln Era. I did it in black and white polished Statuary marble. This was very appropriate for the time of Abraham Lincoln and, in fact, could be the marble that was originally there!

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Michael Kevane, Michael Zimmer , and 3 more Joe R. Feagin, Michael Kevane, Michael Zimmer, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Erol Akçay, Deborah M. Kolb

Cory Booker @corybooker.com · 10d

Thank you Congressman Neguse for laying it plain.

Erol Akcay @akcay.theoretical.bio · 10d

Thanks for the kind words!

Reposted by Erol Akçay

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 12d

don't have a lot left to say about the Nazi tat discourse other than the general observation that when some say they oppose "moralism" they mean they oppose self-indulgent or otherwise unprincipled appeals to faux-morality and when others say they oppose "moralism" they mean they oppose morals