They don't *need* AI to make these decisions. But they *want* AI to make these decisions. Because the tech gives them plausible deniability--something to blame (other than themselves) when things go wrong.

Revisit one of our most-read stories of 2025: One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate became the DHS official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism. (Published June 2025)

My first conscious memory of global affairs is the non-stop CNN coverage of the Gulf War.

Two things can be true at the same time and very often are

My whole life, advocating war has been fed to me as “the adult position,” akin to drinking your coffee black or reading the business section of the newspaper. Let’s be very clear — war is the childish nonsense of impulsive destructive idiots playing baby-brained video games with real human lives.

Lorraine Schneider, 1967.

Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city — you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here.

The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?

The FCC just opened public comments on SpaceX's plan to launch a million satellites to do AI compute in space. Under the current proposal, an environmental review won't be required. Please consider submitting a public comment to oppose this damaging plan. darksky.org/news/two-sat...

"Everyone deserves a nice life" turned out to be a winning message to voters.

When gambling became the primary means to make profits rather than through goods and services, the economy was broken. The glorification of money above all else has resulted in only the absolute greediest people being in every single position of power. Capitalism is eating itself alive.

I would think that if you unintentionally call someone the N word you could intentionally apologize..

We've got to fight these, folks! Heads up #Atlanta @50501atlanta.bsky.social @50501atl.bsky.social @atlantaantifa.bsky.social @atlpresscollective.com @indivisiblegaco.bsky.social @indivisibleatl.bsky.social 5calls.org/issue/ice-wa...

I used to think I “should believe” in wealth redistribution because I didn’t have money, wanted it, and thought people who had it were dicks and I’d accept being given their stuff Now I know I must believe in wealth redistribution bc the wealth is a weapon aimed at the rest of us

The Roberts Court loves corporations. Corporations are their benefactor more so than Trump. Corporations were not happy with the tariffs. SCOTUS rules against Trump when it's Corporations v. Trump. End of. Don't let this fool you into thinking this court as any goddamn legitimacy. It does not.

I am so tired of waiting, Aren’t you, For the world to become good And beautiful and kind? ― Langston Hughes, Good Morning, Revolution, 1973. 🙏🏼🌎🕊️ 📷 English Literature

A great exercise in data viz and science communication

From now on I'll be re-listening to this essay by @margaret.bsky.social whenever I'm having a bad day: www.iheart.com/podcast/1119...

"free/cheap/non-toxic youth sports" feels like one of those skeleton keys that would have knock-on effects accidentally fix 100 unrelated things about America or, you know, even if it didn't, at least a bunch of kids would be able to have fun playing sports

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in P4A this year, which surpassed $4 MILLION RAISED! The livestream is over, but there’s still time to donate and vote for the charities you care about. projectforawesome.com

The 2026 Project for Awesome begins in TWENTY MINUTES! projectforawesome.com/live

Breaking per NBC News — CBP has shot and critically wounded another person, this time in Arizona. Very few details available at this time.

This has been above my desk for 5 years now. “Maybe the real question to ask every day is what kind of world do we want each other to live in?” Think about what we are building now because a better, safer, more just world is possible.

Perhaps the most politically important thing about Zohran Mamdani is that it seems like he really, really likes New York and New Yorkers.

he knows that we know he's lying. he's telling us we're all terrorists to him. he's telling us that to dissent is now a capital crime. he's telling us they'll shoot us, too, and they'll say we deserved it.

You know me I don't share fundraisers unless I can tell you I trust them with my whole heart and my own wallet. This one gets protective gear to legal observers in Minneapolis / Saint Paul www.gofundme.com/f/help-equip...

Call. Your. Senators. Right. Fucking. Now. It’s ok if your voice shakes while you leave the voice mail. If you cry. If you cuss. If you’re inarticulate. Just get the message across. bsky.app/profile/jaso...

Must read thread

inescapable conclusion is we have no laws, just cops

Another question I came here with was: how effective are the whistles and honking? Does it stop abductions? And the answer is, surprisingly to my cynical self, yes, and often. I have talked to so many people who have successfully interrupted kidnappings.

Knowing about smells means that I also know that the lingering smell of my recently passed pup are molecules his body produced. Tiny traces of my Mateo, entering my brain.

The lesson of history is that tyrants cannot be appeased. Appeasement only feeds their insatiable hunger for power. Tyrants prey on people who feel unsafe and vulnerable. But without mass submission, a tyrant is powerless. Remember this.

It's a problem that actual elected officials post on social media as if they are powerless observers and commentators.

i think this MLK day the thing to focus on is the strategic focus and tactical brilliance of the civil rights movement and the way it was laser focused on a set of achievable goals

It’s the lack of lived experience for a large portion of the American public.

This Eastern/Central European’s take on Greenland: If Europe and US start a full on dispute, Russia will complete the attack on Ukraine, and make a move on to Poland and Moldova. Given political climate, Slovakia and possibly Hungary are just going to roll over.

Among perpetrators of violence, there is a very small share who are independently motivated to violence. But the vast majority of perpetrators commit violence to seek approval and status from others. This is particularly true among men who use violence to affirm their masculinity.

What can history teach us about what happens when a populist strongman with an idiosyncratic taste for low interest rates undermines central bank independence?

For those who have forgotten the past 40 years: Tax cuts for the rich ...don’t trickle down Boosting military spending ...doesn’t bring peace Slashing regulations ...doesn’t create jobs Folks, we’ve seen this all before.

That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers. Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?

Maduro was a brutal repressive dictator who destroyed Venezuela. Trump did not have congressional or UN approval to engage in unilateral regime change. Trump's actions were illegal. All of those things can be true at the same time. Don't let them make this about Maduro.

Happy New Year New York New You!

Eastern Europeans have a saying “don’t believe anything until the Kremlin denies it” - and the reverse is true as well. Putin is walking DJT on a rope exactly where he wants to have him.

Two weeks ago I spent the whole day at the Museum of the Moving Image to listen to New Yorkers. This is what Liam shared with me.

I’m a public radio kid. Have been listening to long form programming since I remember listening. It’s been a backdrop to me doing other things, which means I do not want to watch people talk. I want to listen to them.

You can do a lot locally with a dedicated group of 15 to 40 people. Regular people should be thinking at that scale rather than at the scale of thousands.

Agreed. Cordelia Cupp should have been given several seasons.

Since there seems to be files getting deleted from the Epstein release, I've made all four dataset zip files available for download. These are the files as they were originally released. (Downloaded within minutes of them being made public) ~3GB in size drive.proton.me/urls/P0XVG30...

Wag the Dog.