SFI External Professor Mark Newman (University of Michigan) has been awarded the 2026 SIAM John von Neumann Prize, for his contributions to the theoretical and algorithmic foundations of network science and their application to real-world systems.

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

"Regimes that rely on repression face a challenge: The more force they deploy, the more they risk exposing their own brutality to politically persuadable observers. Overreach doesn’t just project strength; it also undermines legitimacy." @owasow.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...

If you need some hope today — and don’t we all? — read @adambonica.bsky.social . As a bonus, you’ll also find an agenda and a source of resolve to make it happen. open.substack.com/pub/data4dem...

Here is a poem Renee Good, under her earlier name Renee Macklin, wrote, "On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs." It won a prize. It's really good. "it’s the ruler by which i reduce all things now; hard-edged & splintering from knowledge." poets.org/2020-on-lear...

Applications open for SFI’s 2026 UCR program. Are you fascinated by transdisciplinary questions that transcend or combine disciplines? UCR is a fully funded, 10-week summer research experience for undergraduates curious about complexity science. Apply by Jan 14, 2026 santafe.edu/ucr

From interim President Mahoney's letter: "We seek no special treatment.... the integrity of science ... depends on merit-based assessment." Yay UVa.

My department is hiring an assistant professor of environmental behavioral sciences. The research area is open but we are particularly interested in people with research on collective action or computational social sciences. Happy to answer questions about the Doerr School or the department.

If you think the attack on the Fed's Lisa Cook has nothing to do with you, you're wrong — any one of us may be next paulkrugman.substack.com/p/we-are-all...

⭐ Book rec to understand Trump's Epstein August: www.harpercollins.com/products/the.... There's no better guide to the evangelicals’ embrace of Trump. This is no outsider’s ethnography; he is a pastor’s son trying to understand how the church he loves has chosen earthly power over the Gospel.

The launch of an important new public resource. The Anti-Corruption Tracker: Mapping the Erosion of Oversight and Accountability www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-... The Tracker is a living document that will be continually updated. A screenshot below gives you a sense of the Chart and its data.

"Fear is the tool of a tyrant."

Cutting the CPB devastates rural public radio. On a recent roadtrip w @scottepage.bsky.social we listened only to public radio. It was incredibly...local: hog sales, new biz, swaps, & in western KS, a book club of Verghese's Covenant of Water. We lose more than emergency alerts. We lose community.

Special Issue Captures Vibrant Moment in #ComplexityEconomics Editorial team: @jennabednar.bsky.social @sfiscience.bsky.social @maria-drc.bsky.social @doynefarmer.bsky.social @francoislafond.bsky.social +J.Kaszowska-Mojsa, P.Mealy, M.Pangallo & A.Pichler #EconSky www.inet.ox.ac.uk/news/vibrant...

Over 1K rejected kings in Brighton, MI, a red town of 8k in the midst of a deep red county. The vibe: highly patriotic, pro people power, pro freedom. A rousing collective pledge of allegiance. Pro constitution signs on fishing poles and marshmallow sticks.

Melissa Hortman, who was assassinated last night, was the Speaker of the Minnesota House in the 2023-2024 session, when Democrats ran the state government. That means she had a leading role in shepherding the many landmark reforms that Dems adopted in that period—an important legacy. Brief 🧵.

Can federalism hold? Here's a decent review of recent federalization of national guard troops. Last time done over a gov's wishes was 60 years ago, to protect protesters. BTW the president's order can include all states, not just CA. Where are the R governors? D govs? Pritzker? wapo.st/3ZXocaZ

this @adambonica.bsky.social piece deserves to be read beside the yeoman work that @donmoyn.bsky.social and @pamherd.bsky.social have been doing. The dismantling of administrative expertise is one of those stories that is so big that pro journalists with beats find it hard to focus on or explain .

DeVos family creates a 501c4, headed by Ronna McDaniel, to promote R candidates in Michigan. Open seats in 2026 for gov, AG, SOS, and US Senate.

On the flight to Amsterdam a rowdy group of septuagenarian women from New Orleans kept saying 86 this trash, 86 this movie, 86 this wine, it’s terrible. It’s true, they killed me.

A lot has changed in the world, so my colleagues and I at the @fordschool are opening up a special emergency admissions cycle for folks who want to start a Masters of Public Policy this fall. Deets are here: fordschool.umich.edu/masters-prog... I hope to see you in class in September!

Is it just me, or is <checks notes> military.com significantly more clear-eyed about this than most news sources? www.military.com/daily-news/2...

HAPPENING NOW: Following the Supreme Court's decision requiring the government to "facilitate" the release of Abrego Garcia, a hearing before Judge Paula Xinis is about to begin. I'm in Greenbelt, Maryland for @lawfare.bsky.social Follow along for updates

Consumer confidence is in free fall, across all segments of the population. www.sca.isr.umich.edu/files/featur...

Oh man *UMICH PRELIM APRIL CONSUMER SENTIMENT FALLS TO 50.8; EST 53.8 *MICHIGAN 5-10 YR INFLATION EXPECTATIONS RISE TO 4.4% VS 4.1% *UMICH YR-AHEAD EXPECTED INFLATION AT 6.7%, HIGHEST SINCE 1981

Problem solving by cognitively diverse teams is such a dangerous idea that the Navy has pulled @scottepage.bsky.social ‘s book The Difference from their shelves. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...

A coalition of 21 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the federal agency charged with supporting the nation’s libraries.

Tune in now to catch Cory Booker finish his filibuster. He is speaking lovingly of John Lewis now. The past hour has been on the rule of law, the spirit of liberty, and asking: is the Constitution in your heart? He reminds us that our country is worth loving, and it’s because of our Constitution.

Elbows up, Canada!

"Democracy dies in darkness, so we're shining our spotlight on free markets."

Over 400 showed up in the midst of a snowstorm last night to learn about executive orders, the rule of law, and democratic norms. They stayed for 3 1/2 hours. Go Blue! Go Team Democracy!

HOPE ALERT: For everyone worried about the devastating implications for universities of the change to the NIH indirects, @sbagen.bsky.social explains the feasibility of a successful legal challenge. buttondown.com/sbagen/archi...

It turns out that the best way to get a lot of quick, clear-eyed explainers of a really technical bureaucratic thing is to do it to scientists.

I'm hoping that this photo might inspire a few of you today. Anna Hall, US heptathlete, photo credit www.instagram.com/jeffcohenpho...

Last week on a plane I sat next to a woman who despaired of being able to make a difference. I happened to have a copy of Snyder's On Tyranny in my backpack, and gave it to her, pointing to ch12: Make small talk and eye contact. Dehumanization of others is the tyrant's tool to kill democracy. 1/2

Handy for those wondering whether a president can freeze spending authorized by Congress. Hint: it's going to be a battle. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/a-pr...

In thinking about the future of LA and elsewhere, I recommend this documentary about living sustainably with growing wildfire risk. The sequence on the insurers' study of housing, and the extent that the guy who gets to set stuff on fire loves his job is alone worth the watch. www.elementalfilm.com

Seeking historical perspective on challenges of rebuilding after LA fires Chicago fire of 1871 destroyed 17K buildings (LA 12K) & displaced 100K pp. Just 2K acres; V dense Anything else comparable? Chicago built back a beautiful city en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_C...

California's state insurer of last resort, described by a state legislator: "It feels like a big gamble in many ways. Quite frankly, if this were on Wall Street, I'm not sure you'd be able to get away with this." susanpcrawford.substack.com/p/what-happe...

We were in Washington today with a few spare hours, so Scottie and I went to the Nat’l Museum of Natural History and the National Archives to see a few endangered things: butterflies, ocean life, the Constitution.

Send your students to Santa Fe @sfiscience.bsky.social this summer to learn about complexity science in a highly inter- and transdisciplinary environment. Gain exposure to the breadth of complexity theory and applications, develop skills, and build enduring research networks. Three opportunities:

Hello fellow Brian Eno & complexity fans: one of the great film experiences I've had was seeing Gary Hustwit's experimental documentary about Eno; each screening is an algorithmic selection from 600 hours of clips. Here's your chance to stream it at home in January! variety.com/2024/film/ne...

shares some intellectual DNA with this great piece by @jennabednar.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

The 2026 MIchigan governor's race is heating up. Bombshell news this week: Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will run as an independent, avoiding a primary battle with MI SOS Jocelyn Benson and perhaps also Pete Buttigieg and Lt Gov Garlin Gilchrist. www.bridgedetroit.com/why-mike-dug...

University of Oslo is hiring 2-4(!) Associate Professors in Political Science. The call is open to candidates from all subfields. Deadline is February 3rd. It comes with amazing colleagues, great work conditions, and lots of snow. Brown cheese, salmon, and cross-country skis can be supplementary.

At a White House convening on youth civic engagement last week, I learned that on many campuses, the only institutional support for youth voting comes through DEI leads. DEI's mission and potential is far broader than the stereotypes would have you believe.

Since the 70s, economics has shifted beyond markets & governments to civil society. SFI Profs Sam Bowles, Wendy Carlin & former UCR student Sahana Subramanyam use experiments & data to study identity, cooperation, & power, showing how non-market relationships shape our world. tinyurl.com/yeyt2j4v

Look who’s here! Kicking off his Bluesky life with a timely talk. (Starts around the 20m mark)

A Saturday can of worms: NIL + transfers have wrecked college sports. Don't get me wrong: exploitation was vile. But it's so wild west now. I loved seeing our students develop; transfers at first felt like treason. Now it's eye-poppingly pricey temporary affiliations. Help me change my mind!

Wisconsin ended their highly gerrymandered maps this year. The result, during a red wave election? Senate went from 22(R)-11(D) to 18(R)-15(D) House: 64(R)-35(D) to 54(R)-45(D) From @danshafer.bsky.social: www.therecombobulationarea.news/p/democrats-...