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Max Colbert

@mc00.bsky.social
27K followers 5K following 2.2K posts

Freelance journo/researcher. Bylines: Guardian, Mirror, DeSmog, Byline Times, The Nerve, Computer Weekly, Democracy for Sale, AOAV, Citizens, Good Law Project, Dawn etc. Email:mcfoiareturns@proton.me

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Max Colbert
THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 3h
Hooray it’s the Nerve’s first birthday today! And we’re also celebrating being financially sustainable 🥳 Thanks to @pressgazette.co.uk for this fab piece on our first year + future plans. And huge thanks to our members, supporters + team for getting us here 🙏💪❤️ pressgazette.co.uk/news/the-ner...
pressgazette.co.uk
The Nerve reaches 5,000 paying subscribers in first year
Newsletter-led newsbrand from ex-Observer journalists now said to be financially sustainable.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 6h
🔴 We asked Tony Blair's think tank about charging businesses £500k for political access at party conferences and why one of its sponsor's logos disappeared after our reporting last week on TBI's alleged cash for access scheme This is what they said
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DeSmog @desmog.com · 29/09/2026
🔴 NEW - Tony Blair Institute Brings Gas-Guzzling Tech Giants to Labour Conference The think tank has received extensive funding from U.S. tech interests. 📝 @writesbright.bsky.social
desmog.com
Tony Blair Institute Brings Gas-Guzzling Tech Giants to Labour Conference
LIVERPOOL – The think tank led by former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair has hosted a number of events sponsored by Trump-donating tech firms at this year’s party conference. The Tony Blair Institute...
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Spencer Beswick @spencerbeswick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"This article argues that the series of continental convergences in the late 1980s was crucial to the revitalization of North American anarchism as a revolutionary movement in the late twentieth century. 1/ scholarlypublishingcollective.org/msup/jsr/art...
scholarlypublishingcollective.org
Building the American Anarchist Movement: Radical Collectives and Continental Convergences in the 1980s
“Bowl a strike, not a spare—Revolution everywhere!” Members of the Revolutionary Anarchist Bowling League (RABL) chanted bowling-themed slogans as they marched against President Ronald Reagan's threat...
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Cat Neilan @catneilan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
At Reform party conference a few weeks ago, I caught wind of a fascinating member of the team who "keeps [the top donors] happy". Katie Lewis has a super low profile - and as I started asking around about her, posts were deleted or edited to keep it that way observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk
‘Nigel loved her’: the mystery woman looking after Reform...
Former Cameo executive Katie Lewis has flown under the radar since working with the party’s crypto donors, with online posts that mention her name being swiftly deleted
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 4h
I've been blocked from attending Conservative Party conference. Just a few weeks after Badenoch blasted Reform for doing the same thing... bylinetimes.com/2026/09/30/k...
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
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Angry People in Local Newspapers @apiln.bsky.social · 5h
The “Beats off” Chronicles day one hundred and forty-five: Now that’s how you win prizes for hospitality.
Laois hotel beats off stiff competition to win Best Overall Hotel' at Hospitality Awards.
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Josie Glausiusz @josiegz.bsky.social · 5h
An Iranian court’s decision to uphold a sentence of 74 lashes against the popular singer Parastoo Ahmadi for performing without a hijab has sparked outrage among rights groups, who described it as “a form of torture”. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Iranian singer’s 74 lashes for performing without a hijab ‘a form of torture’, say rights groups
Iranian court upholds sentence against 29-year-old star Parastoo Ahmadi and other musicians in crackdown on women flouting hijab law
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Samantha Asumadu @samanthaasumadu.substack.com · 5h
N.B The government minister who negotiated the deal on behalf of Hungary is now under investigation over alleged misuse of public funds during his time leading the department, adding further significance to questions about the nature of the partnership and the lack of scrutiny it has received.
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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 13h
🔴 NEW Times Higher Education, Sponsored by Orbán’s Hungary, Failed to Report James Orr Allegations By Samantha Asumadu Read below. ↓
bylinetimes.com
Times Higher Education, Sponsored by Orbán’s Hungary, Failed to Report James Orr Allegations
The publication signed a partnership with Viktor Orbán's government and has since published no coverage of the allegations around a Cambridge academic and former Reform UK policy chief whose foundation receives Hungary-linked funding
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Zoë Grünewald @zoegrunewald.bsky.social · 7h
I wrote for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social on the sheer significance of Andy Burnham putting compassion for others, empathy and care at the forefront of his political offering www.thenewworld.co.uk/zoe-grunewal...
thenewworld.co.uk
The right says empathy is suicidal - but Andy Burnham thinks it might save us
The prime minister’s emotional conference speech laid down a challenge to populists who say compassion makes us weak
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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A satellite image of southern Gaza shows an apocalyptic scene—not a single building appears to be left standing.
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—>realhackhistory.org @bsky.realhackhistory.org · 9h
This is why hiring a lifetime businessman with no experience in creative industries or creating anything artistic for that matter, straight from Google, just might have been a bad move for the BBC, but hey.
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THE NERVE @thenerve.news · 11h
“That, to me, was an implicit threat. It feels very Palantir. Very Big Brother”: MP @labourlewis.bsky.social reveals Tom Watson has warned him over criticising Palantir By @carolecadwalla.bsky.social www.thenerve.news/p/clive-lewi...
‘We’re watching you’: MP Clive Lewis reveals Tom Watson has warned him over criticising Palantir. (l-r): Clive Lewis, Tom Watson and the Palantir logo, against a pink background
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John Lubbock @jwsal.bsky.social · 10h
Waymo trying to claim its autonomous vehicles make cities more ‘liveable’, which raises the question: for who? Not for the workers whose jobs have been automated.
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Nick Turse @nickturse.bsky.social · 19h
static.klipy.com
Clown Makeup Transformation
ALT: Clown Makeup Transformation
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 23h
United States President Donald Trump issues executive order instructing federal government agencies to "use the terms 'Super Intelligence' and 'SI' in place of 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI' and will not acknowledge the usage of 'Artificial Intelligence' and 'AI' in any applicable setting."
whitehouse.gov
Inaugurating The Era Of Super Intelligence
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. Every child deserves a safe and nurturing home where they ...
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jon christian @jonchristian.net · 21h
i feel like the thing is using a sampler/drum machine/auto-tune/whatever previous moral panic over "computer music" to make a good song in reality takes immense skill and artistic intent writing a prompt to AI generate a song... i just don't see evidence of the skill and artistry
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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 20h
Probable that Burry is right, and for a while now I've thought it's increasingly unlikely that the apparent fears of AI dooming humanity (in the way plugged in open letters written by CEOs of the companies making and selling the tech) is anything of substance. www.businessinsider.com/michael-burr...
businessinsider.com
'Big Short' Michael Burry says AI leaders' calls for slowdown are 'self-serving' and he's not worried
Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame said AI companies were helping themselves by calling for slower progress to head off any threats to humanity.
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Tom Scott @tom--scott.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
In many ways, Burnham's speech can be read as a reaction to the strength of the Greens. Best way to push Labour to do better on climate & stop Burnham backsliding on electoral reform & Europe? More Greens in Parliament, starting with @zackpolanski.bsky.social next week!
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Danny Palmer @dannypalmer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Bender Oh Wait Bender
Alt: Bender Oh Wait you're serious. Let me laugh even harder GIF.
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Adi Robertson @thedextriarchy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
the past week reminds me of this @lopatto.bsky.social piece about *just how much* of the past several years has been shaped by powerful men dismantling the court of public opinion, because it was the last court they might face any consequences in
theverge.com
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.
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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I mean yeah, given the bar for PMs doing *some things* that aren't the worst possible choice available for the country at every turn has been through the floor for so long it's difficult to remember a time when this wasn't the case.
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Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Overreliance On Palantir AI Technology Played Role In Iran School Bombing: Report” 9/18/26 (Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel & Joe Lonsdale) … 1/
malaysia.news.yahoo.com
Overreliance On Palantir AI Technology Played Role In Iran School Bombing: Report
U.S. war planners were too confident in unreliable artificial intelligence tools, leading to a strike on an Iranian school, Bloomberg reported.
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
OMG can you imagine if extremists were in charge of America, it doesn’t bear thinking about
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Henry Giroux @girouxh.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
My latest piece on Monsters and memory- www.counterpunch.org/2026/09/18/w...
counterpunch.org
When Monsters Walk Among Us
More than four decades ago, the Greek composer and public intellectual Manos Hadjidakis issued a warning that now reads less like a reflection on fascism than a prophecy of our own time. The greatest ...
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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
'The monsters are no longer hiding in the shadows. They occupy presidential offices and ministries, command armies and police forces, control digital platforms, dominate television screens, administer borders, build detention centers, and transform the suffering of others into political theater.'
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Reform Political Advertising @reformpoliticalads.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A reminder of the Cambridge Analytica story almost 10 years on at tonight’s screening of @the-citizens.bsky.social’s latest film. Our proposals for the Representation of the People Bill tackle two issues it exposed: disinfo in election ads and ads hidden from public scrutiny.
The Citizens latest film
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Huh. The Daily Wire is reporting something that would be *enormous* if true, as since July the majority of all ICE arrests are people with no criminal record. I am deeply skeptical of such a massive operational change, given how the White House/DHS keep bragging about setting arrest records.
Jennie Taer *
@JennieSTaer
X.com
SCOOP: ICE officers across the country were told this weekend to stop arresting non-criminals, agency sources tell @realDailyWire
Now, ICE may only arrest illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or charges for the time being, said the sources.
The change also ends so-called "collateral arrests,
" sources said, meaning officers who find a criminal target alongside others in the country illegally may detain only the target.
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Travis Brown @travisbrown.dev · 28/09/2026
I do my best to avoid buying anything American, and I especially want to support European tech companies, but damn I wish that didn’t feel like taking a time machine back to 2011.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Home Sec has announced new capped safe and legal routes for refugees, including community and university sponsorship, and the reopening of the UN resettlement route, with Afghan women and girls and Palestinians from Gaza among the first arrivals, she says
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Mic Wright @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Fairford suspects out on bail already. This is a very intriguing situation.
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John Lubbock @jwsal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I've known Margaret for many years. Her advocacy for Kurdish rights is legendary, and she is a force of nature.
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Tom Hardy @tomxr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As usual, surprise, surprise, based on a report by a think tank co-founded and directed by Andrew Haldenby, formerDirector of Studies at Tufton St’s Centre for Policy Studies, previously of the Conservative Research Department.
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Matthew Whitfield @matthewwhitfield.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
midwit dystopia of the Blair hegemony update www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Teachers at Euan Blair firm report ‘horrendous stress’ after AI used to rate their work
Exclusive: Instructors at tech training company Multiverse hit out at ‘remorseless’ and ‘unnerving’ monitoring system
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Saving Wildcats project has confirmed four wildcats released into the Cairngorms National Park this summer has brought the total number released since 2023 to 50 👉 www.thenational.scot/news/2...
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
There’s no excuse for being Camilla Tominey.
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Roel Maalderink @roelmaalderink.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hoe vinden Meta-medewerkers hun eigen Meta-bril? (Samen met @bitsoffreedom.eurosky.social)
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The British right has now descended to the point where 'the England team are not English' is becoming the consensus position
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Erin Fogg says Free Link @criminalerin.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"One in every five middle-income renters surveyed by the institute said that at some point during 2025, they could not afford to pay the full amount of rent when it was due. That's a significant jump from the year prior, when about 14% reported being unable to pay their rent." 🦅🇺🇸🤑
npr.org
It's getting harder to afford rent in the U.S., even for middle-income families
Housing affordability challenges are spreading to higher income brackets, according to new research, which found one in five renters struggled last year to pay for their housing in full and on time.
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Mark Gongloff @markgongloff.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Urban heat island effects are bad enough. Clustering data centers in cities, each of which can produce the heat of 54,000 houses, will make it exponentially worse, especially in already hot places like Phoenix Gift link to this great @bloomberg.com infographic: www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
AI Data Centers Release Heat, Posing New Problem for Cities
As facilities to power AI grow larger and are built in clusters, they are spreading hot air beyond their property lines
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 17/09/2026
This week, ProPublica revealed that a Russian oligarch close to President Vladimir Putin bankrolled Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding festivities. Join our reporters on Sept. 23 for a behind-the-scenes conversation. 🗓️ RSVP: events.propublica.org/don-jr-weddi...
Graphic titled "Bankrolled: How a Russian Oligarch Funded Donald Trump Jr.'s Wedding Weekend." Text below reads: The inside story of how ProPublica traced the lavish three-day party back to a secret benefactor. Wednesday, Sept. 23. 4 p.m. EST. An image shows dozens of people in a group wedding photo on a beach, including Donald Trump Jr.; his wife, Bettina; and Tiffany Trump. An arrow points to Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev, labeled as "Don Jr.'s secret benefactor," in the back row.
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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
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M a r c u s 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧 @marcusjdl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is how the BBC is reporting Danny Tommo attacking a RNLI boat with a knife. He’s mentioned in passing on paragraph 15. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Migrants taken to Dover after more than 30 hours at sea
Protesters gathered in Gosport after initial reports the small boat would be brought further west.
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Jessica Valenti @jessicavalenti.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I don’t even know what to say anymore jessica.substack.com/p/her-baby-h...
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Adam Barnett @adambarnett.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Legitimate concerns about immigration”
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Mic Wright @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
BBC News using the term ‘snowflakes’ in a story that isn’t about weather conditions is a problem.

BBC News

Health
Young people aren't snowflakes - mental distress is rising, says head of official review
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 20/09/2026
BREAKING: An ICE agent shoots and wounds a man in Austin, Texas, officials say.
bit.ly
ICE agent shoots and wounds man in Austin, Texas, officials say
A local official says a federal immigration agent has shot and wounded a man in Austin, Texas. City Councilmember Mike Siegel says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer rammed the man’s car then got out of his federal vehicle and opened fire at least five times.
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 21/09/2026
The evidence is clear: countries with lower NEET rates than the UK get there almost entirely through higher rates of post-18 education. In these countries, more young people stay in education for longer and often combine it with work.
Comparison of OECD countries’ differences from the UK in 2024 for 18–24‑year‑old participation in education or work
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Max Colbert @mc00.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I, for one, am shocked.
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