“What German Holocaust reparations started was to serve as a historical precedent for systematically addressing past atrocities and to say that a government is responsible for its actions or what actions it allows.” Via @kqednews.kqed.org

This Is the Feeling of Losing a Country. I Know It Well.

So now the FCC is policing "concerted efforts to lie to the American people"? Great! I can tell them just where to start.

Look, the obvious solution is not to engage in an all-out campaign to deport immigrant workers & inhibit new immigration. But if you're going to support that, then the other market-based solution is to <all together now> Raise. Wages. bsky.app/profile/mcop...

“Things that would normally take us years to do, like exhibit development, we’re trying to figure out how to wholesale make changes that many of us are morally opposed to in weeks,” a. park superintendent said. “It’s kind of wild.” Via @kqednews.kqed.org

Quick update now but will have blog update/livestream Mon-Tue: It's looking like a very active weather week in California once again, with burst of humid heat followed by major thunderstorm outbreak (mix of wet & dry storms) as remnants of Tropical Storm Mario move overhead.#CAwx

Many of the men deported to CECOT said they are permanently changed: struggling to sleep, drink water or leave their homes. One man broke into tears describing how he had a panic attack the first time he walked down a busy Venezuelan street.

"Lifton described a key psychological mechanism, what he called the 'thought-terminating cliché.' It’s the switch that mutes any idea that may contradict the totalist ideology. In Trumpism, Lifton believed, the Big Lie — the fiction that Trump won the 2020 election — served that function."

State lawmakers advanced a plan that would allow California colleges to offer preferential admission to students who are descended from enslaved people, part of an ongoing effort to address the legacy of slavery in the United States.

In a rare pre-litigation settlement announced Friday, @bart.gov agreed to pay $6.75 million to a Union City woman shot by one of the agency’s police officers last year and admitted that its initial public allegation that she had assaulted an officer was untrue.

"We should not be naive. Will those of us named now be branded on a government list? Will our travel be restricted? Will our email communications be surveilled?" #ucberkeley

The White House response: “This is just another hit piece from a left-wing dark money group that constantly attempts to smear President Trump’s incredible Cabinet members."

"Clearly the artist is attempting more than creating a likeness. The work here is an exercise in trying to restore dignity and humanity to those denied it at the end of their lives."

“Given the scale, complexity, and visibility of this project, these failures are not minor oversights; they are unacceptable breaches of trust."

A pro-Palestinian activist came to Oakland to practice medicine. An outrage campaign followed www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Just to say this plainly: what you're looking at here is a federal police force accountable only to the president rolling up to intimidate the governor of California as he announces his plan to counter a federal legislative coup out of Texas which will ensure their permanent presence in our streets

Community unites for Trinity River clean-up as flows are threatened by Trump biological opinion

“When a Tribal station goes dark, the silence is more than technical,” said Loris Taylor, president and CEO of Native Public Media. “These stations are not just media outlets, they are cultural infrastructure.” www.niemanlab.org/2025/08/how-... via @niemanlab.org

Meantime, data from Placer.ai, which analyzes foot traffic at office buildings across the country, shows San Francisco had the fastest growth nationwide over the past year, 21.6% (see www.placer.ai/anchor/artic...).

Never have so few commuters gotten so much attention. While the initial numbers may look modest, casual carpooling showed a pulse for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Via @kqednews.kqed.org

Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in targeted Gaza City airstrike cpj.org?p=503486

“Someone breaks into your house, they’re looking for jewelry or cash right? But in this case, what’s the purpose? It’s like someone breaks my window, and then they put a new one up.”

Just in case you haven't had your "WTF?" moment this morning.

Take a Ride on New York City’s Future Train Line www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

"One idea to shore up the wildfire fund is to have the 30 million Californians served by Edison, PG&E and San Diego Gas & Electric pay billions of dollars more into the fund. That plan could involve extending an electric bill surcharge of about $3 a month beyond its planned expiration in 2035."

"At the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, a park official raised concerns about books sold at the gift shop, 'Not sure if they’re all considered disparaging, but they are about either Malcolm X or Freedom Riders or slavery.'"

Anonymous #KQED staff members voice concerns about company's layoffs and 15% reduction in force — in "open letters" posted around the station's San Francisco neighborhood. KQED's story on layoffs here: www.kqed.org/news/1204812...

NEW: According to data not previously reported, thousands of firefighting jobs — as many as 27% of them — remain vacant as the nation enters the peak of fire season, with more than 1 million acres burning across 10 Western states. By @abestreep.bsky.social

One of California's largest, most powerful agribusinesses intends to continue huge groundwater withdrawals. sjvwater.org/boswell-sile...

Pepper-sprayed. Roughed up. Arrested. Jailed for three days. Denied permission to contact family or an attorney. Then released. No charges and no explanation.

Trump and Bondi want to turn Alcatraz back into a prison. Here’s the poop problem www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/a...

"“The planned announcement to reopen Alcatraz as a federal penitentiary is the Trump Administration’s stupidest initiative yet." Via @kqednews.kqed.org & @katiedebe.bsky.social

Blazes in Northern Ireland Recall an Old Message: You Are Not Welcome Here www.nytimes.com/2025/07/15/w...

And now, grim news about my workplace, KQED.

“My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." — Barbara Jordan, 1974, discussing the impeachment case against Richard Nixon. How far we've fallen.

"He had already served in a war for the United States, and still the country accused him of disloyalty. If America had no faith in him, why would he have faith in America?"

Why were we seeing a sign mocking Conor McGregor and his followers in Derry, a place where he won’t be running for anything? #Ireland

Anyone who drives Arizona Highway 67 to the North Rim travels through at least one major wildfire scar, complete with pullouts and interpretive signs. Fire comes with the territory, but losing a landmark structure like this is still a blow.

Emergency press conference after Homeland Security and Immigration agents target the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture in Chicago

"Enormous bravery and fortitude was shown by this patient, and all involved were impressed by her ability to remain calm, collected, and alive." #sierranevada

I have not slept in a storage unit so far myself, though I'm not ruling it out. ...

"In most places, a struggling hiker can step aside to rest and regroup without endangering others. But the Half Dome cables are unique. Climbers are entwined on a high-consequence balance beam. Each person’s decisions have the potential to ripple out and impact others above and below."

Trump and the GOP deliver what amounts to a hefty short-term bribe to Social Security recipients. Meantime, they've done nothing at all to shore up the program's deteriorating long-term finances.

“Francisco said both he and his wife supported Trump’s campaign promise to launch mass deportations. “Even though his wife was in the country illegally, Francisco didn’t believe she’d be targeted. “‘We feel totally blindsided, betrayed,’ he said. ‘I want my vote back.’”

Why Texas Hill Country, where a devastating flood killed dozens, is one of the deadliest places in the US for flash flooding theconversation.com/why-texas-hi...

It's been a bit since I've done a meteorological deep dive, but the devastating flash #flood in central Texas this July 4th/5th deserve a closer look. #TXwx Yes remnants of #Barry were involved helping enhance moisture. A remnant MCV from Mexico on 3 July also played a role. Full evolution below ⤵️

On Monday at 10am Pacific Time, I'll host a live YouTube office hour discussing the broader context surrounding the catastrophic Texas floods this weekend (including debunking some widespread misconceptions). I'll also discuss the upcoming California heat. http://youtube.com/l...

Among vacant roles in the local NWS office wer the positions of warning coordination meteorologist and science officers. Staff members in those positions are meant to work with local emergency managers to plan for floods, including when and how to warn local residents and help them evacuate.

Dramatizing a death toll that’s hiding in plain sight.