A new report on civic freedoms concludes that "the US is no longer a functional democracy." Congrats everyone. And a *special* congrats to the Harpers letter signatories, free-speech warriors, and "anti-woke" crusaders. You saved us from woke! Great work.

U.S. EPA: Waren’t us: bsky.app/profile/luck...

SCOTUS is literally in a hearing rn where the likely outcome is that they will tell us that it is illegal for Congress to appoint independent and non-partisan figures to oversee public decisions in areas where there are obvious conflicts of interest for politicians

Passionate, detailed account of how America has slid into an oligarchy dominated by networks of economic elites using corrupt practices to advance (only) their own interests. To quote Howard Beale in 'Network': "First, you've got to get mad."

I discussed the possibility of future Israeli attacks on Iran, on @AlGhadTV today. BLUF: Likely, as Iran seeks to reconstitute its strategic deterrence. www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNdz...

This one is accessible. I have a three-season heat pump, heat pump water heater and an induction stove in NE Ohio. They’ve cut my emissions by 87% and are comparable in cost to operate. homes.rewiringamerica.org/articles/hea...

An absorbing, detailed examination of how Congress bgot broken and how to fix it. It also gives a detailed account of the rise of political violence and its destructive effects on our polity. An essential read for those who are looking to fix our legislature.

Finished - great book! Sweeping history of societal collapse from the start of Homo Sapiens to the present. I wasn't thrilled with his 'Goliath-based idiosyncratic nomenclature ('Goliath curse,' (Goliath fuel'...) but the author has a complex, nuanced theory of history that invites reflection.

With all the talk about the massive electricity demand of new data centers, let’s see what it would look like to power one of the world’s largest continuously by using only 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧, 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨!

I went on SharqBloomberg yesterday to discuss the MBS visit. BLUF: Reflectst the strengthened bilat relationship, but results could well be less than meets the eye. now.asharq.com/clips/178867...

Noteworthy.

An introduction to our runaway military spending and its adverse consequences, with a focus on the institutions that perpetuate this decidedly suboptimal status quo (like Eisenhower's 'Military-Industrial Complex,' but much more pervasive.). Lots of good bits, some areas overlooked.

“They’re trying to make the loss of life invisible, they’re trying to deny the reality" @agawande.bsky.social on the Trump administration's devastating, heartbreaking cuts to global aid www.thebulwark.com/p/this-may-b...

"The scale of the damage is unprecedented. Start with housing. The UN estimated in August that over 320,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged....Around 1.2m people—60% of Gaza’s population—are homeless. Even tents are hard to find." www.economist.com/middle-east-...

Good portrait of SCOTUS personalities and dynamics during the Rehnquist & early Roberts eras. Confirms that like the Executive and Legislative branches, this institution is also intrinsically political, and deeply dependent on the collective virtues and flaws of the nine justices serving.

Scholarly yet engrossing look at comparativism in U.S. foreign policy, using Turkiye and Iran. Eminently readable, this book heightened my awareness of the subjective, political nature of comparison in foreign affairs.

Oh the desperation; he's terrified ... Trump summons Boebert to the White House, escalating a campaign to block an Epstein vote www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...

The effort to keep this information out of public view has reached a level of intensity where the American people are clearly entitled to "adverse inference", i.e. you're allowed to assume the worst.

Jeffries: "It's unbelievable that for 7 plus weeks Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva has been denied the ability to serve more than 800,000 people in Arizona because Republicans are running a pedophile protection program."

Money quote: Habitually offloading cognitive tasks to AI could backfire, however. bigthink.com/thinking/art...

incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty

🚨BREAKING NEWS! The Virginia House of Delegates has not only been defended, but expanded — making VA the nation’s newest pro-democracy trifecta!

Finished. A hard but rewarding book, one I'd been putting off for a while. Loaded with good historical insights about the inevitable social effects of free-market capitalism. Much of the book refers to British history, so it makes me want to learn more about British history from about 1700-1900.

The Epstein Shutdown continues

My god, WHAT is in those Epstein files that has him so terrified of swearing in Vote Number 218? “I will not bring the House back to session until the Congress negotiates a budget that it needs to pass” is pretty much a pure pi-r-squared circle.

I think Van Hollen is running for Secretary of State and I think he’d be an excellent one

Finished- a GREAT BOOK! Authoritative, engaging expose by @christinewebb.bsky.social of the fallacy of human exceptionalism. The book argues (inter alia) that the 'Great Chain of Being' puts homo sapiens on the highest rung has been a persistent historical mistake w/catastrophic consequences.

Latest in PN: Who looks at what’s happening and says to themselves, “I’d love to put on a mask and a bulletproof vest, then go around smashing car windows and tackling terrified housekeepers and landscapers on the sidewalk”? By @paulwaldman.bsky.social www.publicnotice.co/p/abolish-ic...

Fascinating, depressing historical examination of how corruption went from being a major concern of the Founding Fathers to something essentially defined out of existence by the current Supreme Court.

California is readying a one-time 5% tax on billionaires for the 2026 ballot that would go toward compensating for Trump's Medicaid cuts. The architects see it as a national model. It will be announced today.

Finished = Great Book! by @susanzieger.bsky.social Authoritative yet playful look at logistics as a feature of capitalism. The author's ability to posit surprising & profound connections is rare & delightful, and the bibliography is like looking through the window of a candy store.

This is who is paying for the destruction of the White House East Wing, per @wsj.com Altria Group Inc. Amazon Apple Inc. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. Caterpillar Inc. Coinbase Global Comcast Corp. Hard Rock International Google HP Inc. Lockheed Martin Corp. Meta Platforms Inc. 1/3

House Republican Leadership, everyone. They continue to roll out one nutjob after another. bsky.app/profile/atru...

The Trump administration just ordered two Gulfstream luxury private jets for Kristi Noem at a cost of over $172 million. This comes as Americans can barely afford groceries.

This article is an excellent introduction to the dangers of AI for one's cognitive capacities. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Soros didn’t tell you guys about the attire changes?? He’s getting forgetful in his old age smh

Topics Mike Johnson thinks are serious: - Super Bowl halftime entertainer - getting a Nobel Prize for Trump - terrifying naked bike riders Topics he thinks are not serious: - Epstein Files - domestic violence - being able to keep the govt open - the neutering of Congress

WSJ: President Trump believed his Truth Social post demanding prosecutions of James Comey and other political foes was a private message to his attorney general, and "and was surprised to learn it was public." www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

44% of Americans are paid less than a living wage, while a union-buster who pays poverty wages, and buys elections to get more tax breaks hits $500 billion. Our system isn’t broken. It’s working exactly how billionaires want it to work.

Did you know that the Trump Presidential LIbrary Foundation (run by Eric Trump, of course) was given a piece of Miami real estate likely worth hundreds of millions of dollars this week. Like, just donated to them. By the state. For nothing. On which they can build anything.

The story of 2024 is this: Trump had a plan to destroy American government called Project 2025, which had, literally, not a typo, a 4% approval rating. He lied constantly and said he wouldn't do it. Then he entered office and immediately implemented AN EVEN MORE EXTREME VERSION OF IT.

Thread.

This morning I went on Bloomberg's 'Horizons Middle East & Africa' to talk about the latest developments in the Iran nuclear portfolio, i.e. activation of snapbacks. www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/...

I published a video focused on my perspective on the 1.5°C temperature target and what it will mean to exceed it. This monologue is an honest (and unvarnished) scientifically-informed personal reflection, so I hope you'll give it a listen. #ClimateChange www.youtube.com/watc...

And most of all, pitch in and get to work.

Hiltzik: The Trump administration's attack on Social Security is looking worse

Moskowitz: "We just heard there were no riots on the right. We're literally sitting in a building where there was a giant riot by supporters of POTUS. We also heard only leftists have said Trump is a Nazi. In 2016, the current VP said 'Trump is either a cynical asshole or he's America's Hitler'"