Worth repeating: In 2025, California met 67% or more of its energy needs with clean energy on 90% of days. What state wouldn’t want these bragging rights?

Officially announced today: new deals between UK unis and 'big 5' publishers will trial removing article-processing fees from some journals, effectively making them free for both readers and authors @sophieatrpn.bsky.social was well ahead of the curve on this www.jisc.ac.uk/news/all/lan...

The day after THAT GAME, Caleb Williams teamed up with the Cubs’ PCA to pack meals for families in need. I’m not crying you’re crying.

Thank you @jfallows.bsky.social for having me on your podcast to talk about 2025 and what comes next for our democracy in 2026.

The Mamdani team can almost do no wrong when it comes to communication. This visual passing of the baton from my late friend Mayor Dinkins to Mayor Mamdani is especially moving—two leaders who share a deep commitment to coalition building, economic justice, and government accountability.

Waymo has halted service in San Francisco after numerous videos & images showed its autonomous cars snarling traffic during the blackout. With traffic lights down, Waymos across the city stopped dead in their tracks at intersections. missionlocal.org/2025/12/sf-w...

Hochul signed *TWO* AI safety bills. The RAISE Act requires AI incident reporting and risk assessment. AB295D requires agencies to disclose use of automated decision-making tools and conduct impact assessments for safety, effectiveness, privacy, security and bias. www.axios.com/2025/12/19/n...

This is a must-read visionary (and pragmatic) piece from @alondra.bsky.social on how to promote ethical AI development and use by building on, learning from, and improving the ELSI genetics model, which I missed when it came out back in September: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Must-read for health care regulators, by former FDA head @scottgottliebmd.bsky.social, pointing out challenges of introducing AI in health care systems -> Approval, benefit assessment and reimbursement regulation need system-specific consideration and design in order to support productivity gains!

So what's the alternative to grantwashing you ask? We offer several ideas, including one by Alondra Nelson that borrows from the structure of the Human Genome project to dedicate 3-5% of R&D funding from emerging technologies to safety and ethics research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

In these turbulent times, light persists. Take a moment to watch this beautiful celebration. It will brighten your day. Hanukkah blessings for A New Era for New York City (and for the galaxies?!).

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge tonight after an exciting day with @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social & team. Thank you for the warm welcome, NYC. Can’t wait to get to work.

jenny holzer (2012)

Most people have memory-holed 2020-2022, but we experienced generational trauma on a global scale and at some point that kind of thing bubbles up to the collective consciousness. Then and only then will we realize the extent to which grief and loss looms over every decision we have made ever since

Another "plan" for Gaza with the same visual aesthetic as all Network State dystopias. Beware tech fascist billionaires bearing promises of AI-enhanced abundance. Gift Link: U.S Pitches Project Sunrise to Turn Gaza Into High-Tech Metropolis www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Perfect visual and choice. @juliesulabor.bsky.social doesn't just talk about working people-she fights for them with relentless creativity. I've seen her integrity and ingenuity firsthand. This is the team Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social is building and it's exactly what NYC needs. Let's go!

"We have reached a point where any mix of solutions to our nation’s economic problems is going to involve the wealthiest Americans contributing more." - Mitt Romney #TaxTheRich

Trump’s Pick For Ambassador To South Africa Actively Opposed Fight To End Apartheid talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trumps-...

Adding immediately www.wired.com/story/chrome...

Save the date! www.ias.edu/sss/conferen...

Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani on Thursday announced Sherif Soliman, a veteran of municipal government and the chief financial officer of the City University of New York, will lead the Office of Management and Budget.

Ireland has one of the world's highest concentrations of data centers. The expansion has reshaped the grid & deepened fossil fuel use. As the EU pushes to triple data center capacity, Ireland offers a warning, writes Louis Boyd-Madsen. Read our investigation with @algorithmwatch.org:

Thrilling. Nicole Chung selects THE TROUBLE OF COLOR as 2025’s #2 memoir of the year, for Time. time.com/7340943/the-...

"Among those granted clemency was Jared Wise, a former FBI agent himself. According to bodycam footage submitted in court, Wise urged rioters to kill police during the Capitol siege. Wise now serves in the Trump administration." www.reuters.com/investigatio...

The video that made YouTube.

And you can watch (rewatch) the full film here. Do it. And one semester I’ll include it in my Cities, Power, and Cinema seminar. RIP Christine Choy and Vincent Chin 🙏🏾

“Her film “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” earned an Oscar nomination in 1988 and was inducted into the National Film Registry for its cultural significance.” The film is powerful. Highly recommend it.

This past Sunday, from 8am to 8pm, New Yorkers from every corner of our city traveled to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria to share their dreams, their worries, the change they want to see across New York. It was an honor listening to each of them.

My latest: Contrary to popular perception, American antisemitism is not primarily a partisan problem—it is a generational one. "The research collectively suggests that America is becoming more anti-Semitic because its young people are becoming more anti-Semitic." Gift link:

Proud to join California’s Innovation Council to help shape AI that works for people 👏 https://bit.ly/3MxDq2T @nabiha.bsky.social @governor.ca.gov

Since 2020, our team has iterated on a model for “rapid research” to help surface, analyze, & resolve rumors about election administration. This work demonstrates an innovative role for researchers to support public sensemaking during rapidly unfolding events. uw.pressbooks.pub/rapidresearc...

A recurring theme: Fire sci and tech experts, including some on public service leave from the private sector. Announce policy goals requiring expertise. Realize you don't have the institutional capacity to govern. Create a new program to recruit those same experts back into government.

🧵 NSF is reducing external review requirements and eliminating routine expert panels, citing staff shortages that this administration implemented. This change expands program officer authority. But the solution to flawed accountability isn't less public accountability.

January 1st, 2026

I only recently learned that the first significant antisemitic massacre in Europe was in France and the Rhineland, 1096 by Crusaders who took a detour on their way to the Holy Land to slaughter 2000 Jews. We keep thinking it’s past history but it never seems to be. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinela...

🗑️

A good guy without a gun stops a bad guy with a gun. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Among those murdered in Sydney is Rabbi Eli Schlanger.  Earlier this year, Rabbi Schlanger’s son Nossen became bar mitzvah, reading from a Torah that tied his family back generations, both to devastating loss and to Jewish resilience. www.australianjewishnews.com/an-incredibl...

"For those asking the public to trust their AIs, it doesn’t help that systems based on related technology are causing harm in ways all of us hear about daily, from suicide-encouraging chatbots to image generators that devour jobs and intellectual property." www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-d...

Heartbroken and outraged. At least 11 people in Australia celebrating Hanukkah were murdered in an antisemitic attack. Families came together in joy and celebration and were met with hatred and violence—carried out in broad daylight, with horrifying boldness. Antisemitism is a threat to us all.

Brown has canceled all remaining classes and exams for the Fall semester.

“Approximately 140 students are still hiding in the building” Absolutely horrifying

“But unlike so many other epidemics, we possess the cure.” Congress can and must act to end the epidemic of gun violence.

Brown’s student newspaper is posting updates about the shooting at its campus. www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025...

It needs to be said. It's the guns. It needs to be said over and over until we finally do something to stop the corruption that has led to this insanity.

I am a student at Brown in communication with a friend at RIBC. There is an urgent need for blood donations to support RI. Donations in NY, NJ, MN, NB, DE or NJ can help supply RI. Spread the word. www.ribc.org/donate-blood/

Yup

For a Trump post, you need money. Not qualifications. Twelve billionaires held roles in the Trump administration this year, making it the wealthiest White House in modern history. Their extensive holdings and potential conflicts of interest pose an ethics nightmare.