Mala Kumar
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authormala.bsky.social
Mala Kumar
@authormala.bsky.social
34 followers 8 following 42 posts
Author of the novels, What It Meant to Survive and The Paths of Marriage. Global expert in tech for social good. Ex-GitHub and ex-UN. NYC is home.
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authormala.bsky.social
Go @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social ! What a wonderful day to be a progressive South Asian in NYC! This is the boost we need with the recent rise of the far right Desi in America.
June 25, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
bywaterbooks.bsky.social
Bywater Books has been named the 2024 Foreword INDIES Publisher of the Year!

Please join us in celebrating this amazing honor from Foreword Reviews.

#ForewordINDIES #PrideMonth #LGBTQBooks
June 5, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
merriam-webster.com
If you have a dictionary that you don't show love
Oh, yes, son, we're talking to you.
April 11, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
chrislhayes.bsky.social
Again, worth at the last considering the possibility that he’s a malevolent idiot who has no idea what he’s doing.
kairyssdal.bsky.social Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · Apr 6
This is nonsense
April 7, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
ryanboyd.bsky.social
Hey is it good to build a society where lonely people turn to chatbots?
April 1, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
chrislhayes.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...
The Makeup Artist Donald Trump Deported Under the Alien Enemies Act
The President has invoked the law to send Venezuelans to prison in El Salvador without due process—and, in many cases, under false pretenses.
www.newyorker.com
April 1, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
crockett.house.gov
Disruption is all they seem to understand—so that’s exactly what they’re getting. For 14 hours, @booker.senate.gov has been on the Senate floor, speaking truth within the rules. This cannot be business as usual when our democracy’s on the line. Thank you, senator.
April 1, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
NEW: A federal judge in Massachusetts has granted a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from deporting any person to a country they are not a national of (so-called 'third country removals') without written notice and an opportunity to apply for protection from that country.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS _______________________________________ ) D.V.D., et al., ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) Civil Action No. v. ) 25-10676-BEM ) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND ) SECURITY, et al., ) ) Defendants. ) _______________________________________) TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER MURPHY, J. This matter comes before the Court on Plaintiff D.V.D., M.M., E.F.D., and O.C.G.’s Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunctive Relief. Having considered the motion and related filings, the Court ORDERS as follows: 1) Plaintiffs’ Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order is GRANTED in part. 2) Defendants, and all of their officers, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, successors, assigns, and persons acting in concert or participation with them are hereby ENJOINED and RESTRAINED from: a) Removing Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M., and E.F.D. from the United States to a third country, i.e., a country other than the country designated for removal in the prior immigration proceedings, UNLESS and UNTIL Defendants provide Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M. and E.F.D., and their respective counsel, with written notice of the third country to where they may be removed, and UNTIL Defendants provide a meaningful opportunity for Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M. and E.F.D. to submit an application for protection, including withholding of removal under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3) and protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) to the immigration court, and if any such application is filed, UNTIL Plaintiffs D.V.D., M.M., and E.F.D. receive a final agency decision on any such application; b) Removing any individual subject to a final order of removal from the United States to a third country, i.e., a country other than the country designated for removal in immigration proceedings, UNLESS and UNTIL Defendants provide that individual, and their respective immigration counsel, if any, with written notice of the third country to where they may be removed, and UNTIL Defendants provide a meaningful opportunity for that individual to submit an application for CAT protection to the immigration court, and if any such application is filed, UNTIL that individual receives a final agency decision on any such application. 3) No security bond is required under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c). 4) This Order shall remain in effect until the Court rules on Plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. 5) The Court’s previous order, Dkt. 12, remains in effect. So Ordered. /s/ Brian E. Murphy Brian E. Murphy Dated: March 28, 2025 Judge, United States District Court
March 28, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
chrislhayes.bsky.social
What people in every part of higher education need to understand is that Republicans now want to do to universities what they’ve tried to do to labor unions: erase them from the institutional landscape. The question is how much you want to collaborate in your own destruction.
March 27, 2025 at 12:10 PM
authormala.bsky.social
The publication, Global South, did a nice Q&A write up about my career in tech for social good / international development. Read here: globalsouth.org/2025/03/tech...
Technology for Social Good with Mala Kumar - GLOBAL SOUTHS HUB Technology for Social Good with Mala Kumar
Mala Kumar is a globally recognised leader in technology for social good, with expertise in UX research design, open-source software, and the evolving field of artificial intelligence and machine lear...
globalsouth.org
March 24, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
jennycohn.bsky.social
“One young man sobbed when a guard pushed him to the floor. He said, ‘I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a barber.’ I believed him. *** He “began to whimper,” as his head was roughly shaved, “folding his hands in prayer as his hair fell.” He “asked for his mother & cried as he was slapped again.”
What the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Experienced
Exclusive photos of the arrival of Venezuelan detainees deported from the U.S.
time.com
March 22, 2025 at 8:52 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
tanyaocarroll.bsky.social
Case closed! 🤩💥🚀. In settling my case, Meta has agreed to stop processing my personal data for direct marketing purposes. In non-legalese, that means I will no longer be shown surveillance-ads on Facebook. www.thetimes.com/article/ae70...
One mother’s win over Meta will change social media for everyone
Britons will be able to opt out of targeted advertising after Tanya O’Carroll’s David-and-Goliath battle with Meta
www.thetimes.com
March 22, 2025 at 8:02 AM
authormala.bsky.social
Oh great, per LibGen, my second novel - What It Meant to Survive - is one of the pirated books Meta used to train Llama 3 😡😡😡
March 20, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
erininthemorning.com
We reported on this a few days ago, but I want to point out this headline because this is where we are at.

A bill in Arkansas would ban gender affirming HAIRCUTS for transgender youth.

HAIRCUTS.

This is a straight up North Korea state sanctioned hairstyle proposed law for youth.
GOP bill could ban hairdressers from giving gender-nonconforming haircuts to minors - LGBTQ Nation
The bill would allow anyone to sue someone who affirms a young person's transition, and it specifically mentions hairstyles.
www.lgbtqnation.com
March 19, 2025 at 5:34 PM
authormala.bsky.social
Mahmoud Khalil graduated from SIPA, which has graduated heads of state and other high level politicians, diplomats, and civil society leaders. Whatever the Trump Administration thinks it’s doing, they have created a new political star.
March 19, 2025 at 6:21 PM
authormala.bsky.social
Grateful Canada is willing to host this American for a book event. Come out on April 10th, Toronto! Let’s talk about intersectionality and respect for sovereignty. 🇨🇦

Get your feee ticket: www.eventbrite.ca/e/what-it-me...
WHAT IT MEANT TO SURVIVE - Mala Kumar (with Pree Rehal)
Join us for the Toronto launch of WHAT IT MEANT TO SURVIVE by Mala Kumar! In conversation with Pree Rehal.
www.eventbrite.ca
March 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
lisaocarroll.bsky.social
Tesla investor calls on Musk to quit DOGE or Tesla. Tells Sky News this is first time he has said it but it needs to be said .

news.sky.com/story/its-a-...
Tesla investor calls for Elon Musk to step down as boss
Wealth manager Ross Gerber tells Sky News that Elon Musk's time has become too stretched and his work alongside President Trump too divisive.
news.sky.com
March 18, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
garygrumbach.bsky.social
BREAKING: Elon Musk and DOGE efforts to close USAID likely unconstitutional, agency must be restored, judge rules
www.nbcnews.com/politics/dog...
Elon Musk and DOGE efforts to close USAID likely unconstitutional, agency must be restored, judge rules
The federal judge ordered the government to reinstate U.S. Agency for International Development systems, saying DOGE likely violated the constitution in multiple ways.
www.nbcnews.com
March 18, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
authormala.bsky.social
I made a video about why the private sector won’t replace US government funding. Feel free to like and share with those people in your life who still don’t get why privatization in all aspects of life won’t work.

youtu.be/AUHr0IgPKO8?...
Why Private Sector Solutions Won't Replace US Government Funding
YouTube video by Mala Kumar
youtu.be
March 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Holy crap. The DOJ is arguing that the President can unilaterally deport anyone he wants without ANY statutory authority, just on his inherent authority as President over national security.

That is a terrifying claim to make and not one that has ever been recognized before in US history.
Beyond the statute, the President’s inherent Article II authority is plainly violated by the district court’s order. As a function of his inherent Article II authority to protect the nation, the President may determine that TdA represents a significant risk to the United States, that it is intertwined and advancing the interests of a foreign government in a manner antithetical to the interests of the United States, and that its members should be summarily removed from this country as part of that threat.
March 15, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
steventdennis.bsky.social
Waiting until after Democrats caved on the CR, Trump issues a late night order to eliminate 7 agencies “to the maximum extent” allowed by law, including the organization running the Voice of America, the agency that helps fund museums and libraries in all 50 states, and so on. Order in alt text:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. This order continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary. Sec. 2. Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, the non-statutory components and functions of the following governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law: (i) the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; (ii) the United States Agency for Global Media; (iii) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution; (iv) the Institute of Museum and Library Services; (v) the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness; (vi) the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and (vii) the Minority Business Development Agency. (b) Within 7 days of the date of this order, the head of each governmental entity listed in subsection (a) of this section shall submit a report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget confirming full compliance with this order and explaining which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent. (c) In reviewing budget requests submitted by the governmental entities listed in subsection (a) of this section, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget or the head of any executive department or agency charged with reviewing grant requests by such entities shall, to the extent consistent with applicable law and except insofar as necessary to effectuate an expected termination, reject funding requests for such governmental entities to the extent they are inconsistent with this order.
March 15, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
adamserwer.bsky.social
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
March 14, 2025 at 10:24 PM
authormala.bsky.social
I’m so over constantly blaming the state of American politics on messaging, as though this is all a marketing campaign. Democrat Senators, oppose the budget bill. Then have the National Committee build real community programs instead of only asking for money. The messaging will follow.
March 14, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Reposted by Mala Kumar
jsweetli.bsky.social
Betar USA says today “expect naturalized citizens to be picked up within the month.”
March 10, 2025 at 5:53 PM