Laia Balcells
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laiabalcells.bsky.social
Laia Balcells
@laiabalcells.bsky.social

Yale educated political scientist. Georgetown professor. Views here are personal. Reskeets are not endorsements.

Political science 60%
Sociology 17%
President Trump is keeping the Nobel Peace Prize medal presented to him by its recipient, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. abcnews.go.com/US/trump-mee...
Trump accepts Nobel Peace Prize medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado
President Donald Trump met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the White House Thursday, where she said she presented him with her Nobel medal.
abcnews.go.com
One of the stories that makes me the saddest out of this ICE invasion is one out of the Minnesota Star Tribune today about ICE agents eating at a little Mexican restaurant in the small town of Willmar, Minn, —and then, when they were done, arresting some of the workers.

Shocking: US Universities are starting to feel the impact of policies that are intentionally aiming to undermine them: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u...
Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Alternate headline: “Is @joerogan really going to pretend he wasn’t warned repeatedly about his support for this guy?”

Reposted by Laia Balcells

NEW: The Supreme Court opened the floodgates to lawsuits challenging the counting and certifying of election results, ruling 7-2 that any candidate for federal office may challenge laws governing their election.
Supreme Court opens election litigation floodgates, says any candidate can challenge voting laws
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Wow!
Peltola raises $1.5M in first 24 hours of Alaska Senate bid
Peltola raises $1.5M in first 24 hours of Alaska Senate bid
Democrats are hoping the former member of Congress can flip GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan’s seat.
www.politico.com
Breaking News: Three Minnesota federal prosecutors resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the wife of Renee Good, the woman killed by an ICE agent. The Justice Department sought to examine her supposed ties to activist groups.
3 Prosecutors Quit After Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow
Joseph H. Thompson, a career federal prosecutor who was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota last year, quit after the Justice Department sought to examine the woman’s supposed ties to activist groups.
nyti.ms

This is truly heartbreaking. As a mother, I can't start to imagine the pain she and her partner are going through. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/11/w...
Famed Nigerian Author Blames Death of Toddler Son on Negligent Care
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Colorado public school enrollment has dropped by more than 10,000 students this year
Colorado public school enrollment has dropped by more than 10,000 students this year
Fewer Hispanic students are also showing up to schools, according to data released Tuesday
coloradosun.com
Trump just posted that the "day of reckoning & retribution is coming" in Minnesota.
The ICE agent called her a "fucking bitch" after he killed her. One officer screams "Go, get out of here" while this officer says "Get out of the car." You clearly see her turn the wheel AWAY from him after he steps in front of her car. Did they think releasing this would help them?? cw // violence

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Hey #Polisky - I'm trying to put together a panel for APSA 2026 that focuses on antisemitism. Is anyone interested in contributing an abstract? If so, let me know!

Reposted by Laia Balcells

How do violent pasts shape democratic politics decades later?

A new Broadstreet blog by @laiabalcells.bsky.social, @apvjustino.bsky.social and @andrearuggeri.bsky.social dives into findings from the Comparative Political Studies special issue.

Read more: go.unu.edu/fc9rP

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Beyond the financial toll, the researchers found that withdrawing support for rapidly advancing mRNA vaccine technology could result in over 49,000 preventable deaths annually among patients diagnosed with four major cancers.

3/3
A new report from researchers at the Yale School of Public Health warns that the U.S. government’s abrupt cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine research could have devastating health and economic consequences for the nation.
New report sounds alarm on health fallout from mRNA vaccine funding cuts
A new report from the Yale School of Public Health warns that the U.S. government’s abrupt cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine research could have
ysph.yale.edu

Reposted by David Darmofal

First time writing for Broadstreet blog! With @apvjustino.bsky.social and @andrearuggeri.bsky.social, we wrote about the Special Issue just published at Comparative Political Studies: www.broadstreet.blog/p/legacies-o...
Legacies of Repression: How Europe’s Violent 20th Century Still Shapes Its Politics
by Laia Balcells, Patricia Justino, and Andrea Ruggeri
www.broadstreet.blog
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.

Reposted by David Darmofal

guys is it happening??

www.mediaite.com/politics/two...
Rob Reiner: “Silence in the face of authoritarianism is complicity. Speaking out is a patriotic act. Democracy doesn’t defend itself. It requires participation, vigilance, and courage from ordinary people."

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Unlike in the U.S., in Hungary sexual abuse of children is leading to massive protests that pose a serious threat to the power of their far-right leader.
🇭🇺Massive demonstrations in Budapest, Hungary against the Viktor Orbán’s regime.

Protesters carried toys and torches under the banner “Protect the children!” showing solidarity with children who became victims of abuse in the state care system
The pilot of a JetBlue flight reported on Friday that he narrowly avoided colliding with a U.S. military aircraft over the Caribbean after an Air Force refueling tanker passed in front of the commercial plane without broadcasting its position, according to air traffic control radio communications.
U.S. Military Plane and JetBlue Flight Nearly Collided Over Caribbean, Radio Traffic Shows
The Air Force refueling tanker was flying without its location transponder activated and could not be detected by air traffic control.
nyti.ms
Jews everywhere understand that this is the omnipresent reality of being Jewish now. There's a reason my synagogue built a 10-foot tall fence around the whole building and has armed security guards.
Murphy: "We need to understand the choice we've made in this nation to subject our kids to daily exposure to violence is not just about what happens inside schools. For many kids in our violent urban neighborhoods, it's about trauma that's breaking their brains & causing them to be unable to learn"

Reposted by Laia Balcells

Today, on what should have been a day of celebration, the Jewish community is instead mourning once again after a horrific attack at Bondi Beach, Australia, where two men opened fire and killed at least 12 people in a targeted terror attack against Jews celebrating Hanukkah.

Antisemitism is evil.
‘I heard 40, 50 shots’: Witnesses fled Bondi Beach as gunmen targeted Jewish event
‘I heard 40, 50 shots’: Witnesses fled Bondi Beach as gunmen targeted Jewish event
Gunshots ripped through a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, killing at least 12 people
www.irishtimes.com

Thinking of all the community of Brown University people, including friends.
I am a student at Brown in communication with a friend at RIBC.

There is an urgent need for blood donations to support RI. Donations in NY, NJ, MN, NB, DE or NJ can help supply RI.

Spread the word.

www.ribc.org/donate-blood/
Donate Blood
Check your eligibility to donate blood, learn about the process and why blood matters, and enroll in a RIBC Donor Loyalty Rewards programs.
www.ribc.org
AS A PROFESSOR, I AM ASKING

HOW ARE OUR STUDENTS SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN THESE CONDITIONS?

HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL AND TAKE EXAMS KNOWING SOMEONE MIGHT JUST SHOW UP WITH AN EASY TO ACQUIRE AUTOMATIC WEAPON?

HOW??????????
Longer statement from Brown University:

"We are very sorry to share that we have confirmed reports of multiple shooting victims, but we are not able to share their condition. They have been transported to local hospitals."