iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kavitha Rajagopalan

John Annese @johnannese.bsky.social · 7h

Six days after ICE shot him in the Bronx, Oscar Belgal remains in MDC Brooklyn, and still hasn’t gotten surgery to remove the bullet in his neck. “He has experienced a loss of sensation in half of his face, as well as hearing loss in his left ear.” Gift link: www.nydailynews.com/2026/10/14/l...

nydailynews.com

ICE never identified themselves during NYC shooting of Oscar Belgal, who still has bullet in neck: lawyers

The Legal Aid Society, which now represents the 28-year-old father, filed a habeas corpus petition in Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday, seeking his “immediate release on reasonable conditions.”

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Astra Taylor @astra.bsky.social · 8h

Let’s learn from past crashes and be ready w bold transformative demands. No AI bail outs. No impunity.

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Kavitha Rajagopalan @kxraja.bsky.social · 5h

Ooof. I just keep rewinding and rewatching every single Lester scene in this show. That straight man is straight serving. So hot.

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Justin Zimmerman @jztidecat.bsky.social · 5h

Can we sit with how outrageous and antidemocratic this is? It's historic levels of racism but corruption too.

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Kavitha Rajagopalan @kxraja.bsky.social · 5h

People…think that? Thats pretty stupid.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 6h

her colleagues are really gonna show their asses in the coming days.

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Kavitha Rajagopalan @kxraja.bsky.social · 6h

We cannot allow this. This is bald faced, blatant white nationalist fascism.

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Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me · 14/10/2026

Simba Kundizeza's statement on his Caine Prize-winning story "The Blue Fighter" is also worth reading—keep in mind, the evidence-free article slandering him was published in The Atlantic to a mass readership and his defense is a tweet to his eight hundred followers

Simba Kundizeza
@S_S_Kundizeza
Statement on The Atlantic article concerning “The Blue Fighter”

I would like to say at the outset that this statement is not in any way a proffer of an explanation or a defense against the allegations levelled against me in the article published by The Atlantic, because I don’t believe the article warrants either. I am however writing because of the level of public interest generated in its aftermath, and out of respect for the people who have supported and championed my writing, as well as my fellow shortlisted writers for the Caine Prize. I want to set the record straight.

For the avoidance of doubt, I wrote "The Blue Fighter." I did not use generative AI to write it. It is entirely my own work.

This story did not appear out of nowhere; it has a concrete, documented history. Its genesis was during my LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Ghana. While there‚ I read a poem by vangile gantsho titled “my father's hands․” I was inspired by this poem to write a story about my family's experiences in Zimbabwe‚ including my father leaving his accounting profession and the hardships my family faced as a result․ Other aspects of the story‚ including characters and the setting‚ are drawn from events in my own life․

There is also a clear chronology to the story's development. I sent the completed first draft of the story to vangile for feedback on May 15‚ 2025․ I then submitted the story to The Shallow Tales Review on May 27‚ 2025․ Fiction editor Nzube Nlebedim accepted the story on June 10‚ 2025‚ and it went through the standard editorial process. vangile then provided her feedback to me on June 25‚ 2025․ On the same day Nzube also provided editorial feedback to me․ In an email dated June 27‚ 2025‚ I sent the final draft and requested that the editor preserve the formatting of an epigraph in the story as originally submitted by vangile as a courtesy to her․ The story was published on June 30‚ 2025․

The Atlantic article seems to question the story's authorship by comparing its style to my other writing. As writers we develop recurring interests, but we don’t produce work from a single fixed template. My debut novel, “Freelance”, and the story titled "The Whistleblower" published in Transition Magazine in 2021 which is referenced by Ms. Vara, are thrillers dealing with political intrigue. "The Blue Fighter," however, is a deeply personal story about economic collapse and familial relationships. The voice shifts because the subject matter demands it. To suggest that a writer cannot write in different styles or genres, or improve his writing substantially after five or more years fundamentally misunderstands the craft of writing.

The motive for my supposedly using AI to generate the story is equally difficult to understand. I was under no obligation to write “The Blue Fighter”. I was not commissioned to produce it, nor was I paid a fee for its publication. The decision to submit the piece for consideration for the Caine Prize was made by the editor of The Shallow Tales Review months after its publication. I therefore didn’t write the story with any guarantee that it would be submitted, let alone win anything. The idea that I would have somehow written the story with the express intention of entering and winning the Caine Prize, despite the inherently competitive and uncertain nature of the prize, conjures up a motive that simply did not exist.

"The Blue Fighter" is my work, and I stand by it completely. I'm grateful to vangile for her inspiration, to The Shallow Tales Review for giving the story a home, and to the Caine Prize judges for recognizing the work on its merits. I’m also heartened by the numerous messages of solidarity from fellow writers and readers, and to Adrienne Ingrum and Regina Brooks at Serendipity Literary Agency for their support throughout.
I look forward to continuing to work with the Caine Prize team, and to celebrating this recognition with the people who helped bring this story into the world.

Most importantly, I will continue to write.

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 10h

Crazy idea: Democrats should defend immigration and immigrants, run on the idea that immigrants make America great, and stop Homer Simpsoning themselves into the shrubbery every time Republicans try to demagogue it.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 10h

Right so the war against social science. Yes it’s ideological. It’s also a termination letter from the state saying it no longer needs legitimation. that’s the public crisis — ask yourself why it doesn’t need legitimacy.

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Nayna Gupta @naynagupta.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

As ICE shootings continue with impunity, this month Renée Good’s family filed two lawsuits challenging the federal immunity that protects ICE & its agents from accountability--my analysis of these explosive claims👇🏽 www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/enforcement/...

americanimmigrationcouncil.org

Renée Good’s Family Files Lawsuits Challenging Federal Immunity as ICE Shootings Continue - American Immigration Council

The family of Renée Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer this year, filed two lawsuits against the government and Trump officials.

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The LPE Project @lpeproject.bsky.social · 12h

This bold version of legal institutionalism ends up reifying both law and political economy: the fundamental plurality of legal claims and institutional forms is erased and so is the question of which ideological and material factors lead some legal arguments and institutions to prevail over others in particular historical conjunctures. One need not adopt the historical materialist answer to this question, which prioritises social relationships of production and reproduction, to nevertheless accept that the inability of legal institutionalism to even raise this question in its own terms is a major weakness of Pistor’s theoretical framework.

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Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

NEW: I wrote about why so many people wanted to believe that Ukrainian airstrikes on a Russian data center reduced troll and bot activity online, even though it's almost certainly not true. Featuring @noupside.bsky.social: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.com

Drone strikes didn't take out a Russian bot farm, but we were primed to believe It

A viral rumor illustrates people’s hunger to make sense of the division we see online.

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Kristina Killgrove @killgrove.bsky.social · 15h

A new documentary on the archaeology of Great Zimbabwe airs tonight on PBS. I interviewed the lead archaeologist, Shadreck Chirikure, and if you click through, you can watch an exclusive clip showing the team's discovery of Longquan celadon from eastern China. 🧪🏺

livescience.com

Chinese pottery discovered in Great Zimbabwe reveals medieval African empire's vast connections spanning thousands of miles

Archaeologists excavating a medieval African kingdom have discovered pottery from eastern China, revealing connections across continents.

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New Lines Magazine @newlinesmag.bsky.social · 15h

India’s sweeping revisions of its voter rolls have left millions, many of them poor and Muslim, struggling to prove they have the right to vote — and protests have filled Delhi’s streets in response. | Fatima Khan

f.mtr.cool

In India, Citizens Brace for a Democratic Unraveling

As revisions to voter rolls put more than 130 million people at risk of disenfranchisement, protesters have returned to the streets of Delhi

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Scroll @scroll.in · 17h

Is the Modi wave beginning to fade? youtu.be/JUSdICy_2l8 Thousands of young protesters took to the streets of Delhi to demand the chief election commissioner’s resignation. What is driving a generation to turn against the Modi government? Ground Report by Priyali Dhingra and Raghav Kakkar

youtu.be

A generation’s revolt against Modi

YouTube video by Scroll.in

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indiahouse.bsky.social @indiahouse.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

When detained protesters are released at police stations far from central Delhi, getting home safely can be a challenge. Rajiv Choudhary’s Detainee Gharwapsi Yojana uses AI and a network of volunteer drivers to help protesters find their way home. 👉Swipe

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Anna Gifty @itsafronomics.blacksky.app · 14h

In short, they are stealing our money, building in our backyards without our consent, kidnapping people off the street, and making everything more expensive. Do we want more of this: yes or no?

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Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin @ecmclaughlin.bsky.social · 18h

Please get trained in rapid response no matter where you are if you are able to do so. Cosecha (our NJ statewide rapid response network) is overwhelmed and could use a donation if you have some dollars to spare. lahuelga.com

lahuelga.com

Cosecha

Movimiento Cosecha is a nonviolent movement fighting for permanent protection, dignity, and respect for all immigrants.

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Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 21h

I don't know if Jackson is going to win, but this woman needs to be voted out many cycles ago.

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hashfyre @hashfyre.dev · 19h

This needs to be viewed by everyone in my feed. Ignoring this and going about your day is how fascism takes root. Neutrality only feeds the status-quo, and hence definitionally is not neutral. youtu.be/bE9rxrjAnxc

youtu.be

Good Morning India - Go Back To Sleep

YouTube video by Unfiltered by Samdish (and a fantastic team)

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Sumita Pahwa @sumitapahwa.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Mashallah.

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 19h

it's always "outside agitators."

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Scroll @scroll.in · 20h

Anojan Sivarasa, 27, was convicted in September for an allegedly derogatory comment he had made about Islam and Prophet Muhammad. Read more: scroll.in/latest/10963... #SaudiArabia

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Kavitha Rajagopalan @kxraja.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

So like why he allowed us to victimize him with a misinformation campaign aimed at questioning his mental health? So like, wearing that? She was asking for it???

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 14/10/2026

1. Yes. Correct. 2. They better. 3. Good call. 4. I know of at least 25,000 plaintiffs.

And yet, as he ringleads Trump's vengeance campaigns, Miller actively fears retribution will one day come for him. In his more honest moments, **he has told confidants about how afraid he is that liberals will try to throw him in prison after Trump is out of power,** even if Trump preemptively pardons him, which will almost certainly happen.

In these private, candid moments,
**Miller has told others that he's convinced Democrats are going to be coming after him,** his family, **and his colleagues maybe for the rest of his days.** Miller has talked about civil

investigations and subpoenas - but perhaps **the thing that stands tallest in his mind is local and state prosecutors who he says want to put him in a
"prison cell."** Federal pardons can make it harder to prosecute former
U.S. appointees locally, but such clemency does not preempt local and state prosecutions and investigations in the same way that it would federal
probes.

privileges... at least not yet!) Miller has also lamented **the possibility that liberals will be filing lawsuits against him for years, if not decades,** and complained about how the left will try to use "lawfare" to bleed him and his

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Kavitha Rajagopalan @kxraja.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Damn. That’s a blow. Single white female meant a lot to me.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 14/10/2026

the other thing is that these people — who are, again, racists — have this image of modern africa as hopelessly backwards. but the entire continent is a pressure cooker of technological innovation! its economies and populations are growing incredibly fast!

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 14/10/2026

that’s right

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Michael Harriot @michaelharriot.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

There may be periods where this country was more brutal, racist or even evil, but when it comes to pure, unadulterated meanness, this might be the greatest America has ever been

dlvr.it

Meanest Country Ever

Public executions, concentration camps and outright racism are just byproducts of America’s “mean girl era.”

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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 13/10/2026

NEW — The 2026 Soul Train Awards is taping in Chicago next month. The show is currently looking for Chicago influencers. Also — fans can vote in two new categories. thetriibe.com/2026/10/the-...

thetriibe.com

The Soul Train Awards are returning to Chicago, where Don Cornelius’ legacy began • The TRiiBE

The 2026 award show is back after a multi-year hiatus.

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Aman Bhargava @aman.bh · 13/10/2026

DYK that India, which prides itself on being the world's largest democracy, has the concept of "designated protest sites?" If you've not sought permission to protest in them, you can be detained. It used to happen right outside parliament, and now they've shifted it 10 km out. A map #dataviz

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indiahouse.bsky.social @indiahouse.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Ground report from Fortress Delhi On October 10, a protester in Delhi described navigating barricades, police deployments, back alleys and rail tracks to reach a demonstration — and carrying swimming goggles in case tear gas was used. 👉Watch! #DelhiProtests #ElectoralIntegrity #Accountability

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Documented @documentedny.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Join Documented on Oct 20 for a sneak peak of The Truth Tellers and a conversation with filmmakers, activists, researchers and journalists about documenting immigration detention right now. Register here: givebutter.com/Documented-Truthtell… 📍 Columbia University, SIPA 🗓 Oct 20, 6–7:30 PM

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I'm engaged in a multi-year project focused on *collecting* and so I've been reading many different things about the practice. I just read this earlier today and thought it was lovely: chicagoreader.com/city-life/so...

chicagoreader.com

Objects of memory - Chicago Reader

The Little Palestine Project charts an oral history of Chicago’s southwest suburbs through treasured possessions.

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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I have a long piece out now in @currentaffairs.bsky.social, where I argue that — even if they call for clean-energy development — insofar they also seek the expansion of fossil fuels, liberals are allied with the petro-authoritarian right. 1/4 www.currentaffairs.org/news/liberal...

It may seem implausible to argue that liberals who are working hard to enable capital investments in clean energy could be the allies of the petroauthoritarian right. But they are exactly that if they support expanding fossil fuels— or even if they advocate for an "all of the above" energy approach, which means expanding both clean energy and fossil fuels like "natural gas" (which, let's be real, should accurately be called "methane gas"). We could blanket the entire planet in solar panels, and power every last data center with nuclear power, but if we continued to use coal, oil, and gas, the temperature would continue to climb with no end in sight. Dismissing that physics as irrelevant, even if you purport to agree that "climate change is real'" is obviously a form of disavowal that borders on denial.

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Himal Southasian @himalsouthasian.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Delhi police detain protesters demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, following allegations of irregularities in voter roll revisions. Many in India have been drawing parallels between the Modi government’s response to protests and the 1970s Emergency: ow.ly/Vbs950ZX5Rc

himalmag.com

Modi’s crackdown on CJP protests evokes the Emergency

Mass detentions of CJP protestors in Delhi expose the Modi government’s disregard for democratic rights, and supercharge comparisons with Indira Gandhi’s Emergency

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Mikki Kendall @karnythia.blacksky.app · 13/10/2026

If your historical setting is a major city it was never an all white place. Traders, migrants, laundry, railroad...pick a time period, somebody of color was always present. Sometimes as servants, more often as people going about their business. That's not DEI casting, that's actual history.

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Marie 🇨🇦 @pawbaby2.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

ICE was chasing someone else. Instead, an ICE SUV struck a 48-year-old man in Houston, breaking both his legs. He’s lived in America for over 30 years. How many more people have to end up dead or hospitalized before there’s real accountability? #USDemocracy abc13.com/post/man-run...

abc13.com

Man run over by ICE-driven SUV during pursuit recovering with both legs broken, family says

A man who was run over by an SUV driven by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a pursuit in west Harris County is recovering after suffering broken bones in both legs, his family sa...

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Scroll @scroll.in · 13/10/2026

In 2019, Narendra Modi urged first-time voters to dedicate their votes to the soldiers killed in the Balakot airstrike. The Election Commission took no action. Ayush Tiwari & Supriya Sharma discuss how the poll body's questionable record predates Gyanesh Kumar. WATCH: youtu.be/_GzTTSu5hqk?...

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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 12/10/2026

hey ben. the guy in the picture here is an actual person, my friend’s dad, and a spiritual leader of Lakota people, Chief Arvol Looking Horse. not only does he support Indigenous People’s Day, he’s the founder of World Peace and Prayer Day. feels weird to use his image and not his name.

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