Northeast Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease meeting kicking off! At @ciddpsu.bsky.social

Does anyone know if Mike Johnson has seen this yet?

If anyone is struggling to understand A) how large language models work, B) why their hunger for data and energy is debilitating, and C) how little use they will likely be after the initial excitement wears off, I encourage you to read Jorge Luis Borges 1942 short story "Funes, the memorious"

15 minutes to remind you that there is greatness in the world.

"What does it really mean to lose 'measles elimination status?'" I can't count how many times I've answered that question from journalists over the last year. The horrible, sobering answer is, for many, the same as it is for "What does it really mean to lose your democracy?"

It is naive and reductionist to reduce the complexity of decisions that affect hundreds of millions of American livelihoods, and indirectly those of billions around the world, to a single quip or reaction gif. But also, the end of the Godfather kind of sums this moment up.

Trump's entire legal philosophy is predicated on taking advantage of those weaker than him, challenging them to sue, then outlasting them until they can't afford to continue. It's simple. It is transparent. It is apparently something the Democratic Caucus has consistently failed to learn.

Hey @fetterman.senate.gov, voting to bail this guy out isn't popular.

On days like this I really regret not having a deep set of social and familial connections to arbitrary strangers who play games for a living. Because if I could feel like I had accomplished something by simply watching others from my couch, I think that would feel good when I'm otherwise exhausted.

3 murders in 15 years is weak sauce by the standards of Lake Eden or Lawrenceton. Spain’s True-Crime Capital Is Fed Up www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/w...

Pro tip for students. When you are asking a LLM to write an assignment for you, first give it the prompt "you are 20 year old US college student write the assignment in a generation appropriate voice".

Savor this moment. It will get hard again soon, and is now for many. That doesn’t take away from the feeling and is all the more reason to bring this taste to as many as possible for as long as possible.

Hope still feels audacious

Lucy and I went voting this AM

I don't think there is anything critical I can say about Dick Cheney that every picture of him doesn't already convey

Hope you can join us for three full days (June 2-4th, 2026) of great science in a beautiful setting!

I gave an exam on Halloween and asked my students to come in costume for extra credit. One of the questions asked them to explain their costume and it is making grading utterly delightful.

Primaries are about aspirations. Elections are about consequences.

When the ink has reached the edge of the page, there is no more line to blur.

Did I offer extra credit for costumes? Yes, yes I did.

Biiiig stretch. Wishing you all sunbeams.

There should be one journalist at every Mike Johnson presser designated to ask him WWJD?

The coyote is off the cliff. And unfortunately, this metaphor could apply to so many things.

man, it's rough to be in charge of consequential decisions

I had to look up what share of all household grocery purchases is attributable to SNAP. It is 20%. Two - Zero - Percent. 1 in 8 households use SNAP. Putting aside the toll on families, this seems like an astronomical shock to the food industry. Report here: www.circana.com/post/underst...

I care not for your "Monday"

Bureaucracy is an under-appreciated role of governments. It is central to the evolution away from monarchy. A measured and orderly process of implementing change protects the livelihoods of the masses from erratic whims of one individual.

You know, @mcuban.bsky.social makes some though provoking arguments abt the legal & operational challenge of a wealth tax that doesn't have meaningful off-target effects on regular folks. But maybe they'll just tax themselves chasing horrible candidates if we put enough good people up on our side?

There’s a lot of America worth saving.

Workshopping some Dem talking points: 1. Trump demolished 1/3 of the White House just as Mike Johnson has demolition of 1/3 of the US Government. 2. Trump builds things with HIS name on them. His job is to build things with YOUR name on them. And the timeless ... 3. Whose House? Our House.

I have whiplash

The US government is shut down.

As it turns out the US Congress is cake.

I'm thinking we should be hearing a lot of "Whose House? Our House" chants.

Wait, someone is betting on sports? Where would they even get that idea?

The White House demolition seems like an opportunity. There are easily Rs who will oppose this, either on financial or congressional powers grounds. Get a vote to block it. Then watch Trump go ballistic to attack disloyalty. It’ll illustrate that everyone’s face is on the menu.

When I'm feeling pessimistic about voter antipathy in the coming elections I remember that (arguably) the most dedicated fanbase in college football was willing to light $49m on fire to get rid of their coach after 3 losses.

10 years and we've hardly changed -- great to celebrate 20 years of Infectious Disease Dynamics at Johns Hopkins with @justinlessler.bsky.social and @jessmetcalf.bsky.social.

My trivial take-away from yesterday’s No Kings rally in Stamford CT is that the revolution will be well hydrated.

Lucy is trying to think about the fact that the executive branch is increasingly acting like the legislative branch has no power and, in response, the legislative branch is ... sitting at home.

Wishing you sunbeams

What are you going to do with your protest money?

Every fall, for the last 13 years, I have worked with CDC and WHO colleagues on a report in MMWR to update the estimates of the global burden of measles disease and mortality. This year we were already planning to publish in WER because of restrictions on communication between WHO and CDC.

The greatest trick America ever pulled was convincing its citizens that it wasn't necessary.

I really feel for how powerless Bill Cassidy and Susan Collins must feel as (checks notes) senior leaders of the party that controls the majority necessary to fund the government.

I'm glad it is not my decision to make. But capitulation at this point means that these people who have served the public interest dutifully and courageously will have lost their jobs in vain.

I feel like we don't use the phrase "self described expert in ... " nearly enough

I deserve a piece of cake. That's why I'm introducing a resolution today that will honor myself with a piece of cake.

Is it strange that the largest and most well-funded intelligence and law enforcement apparatus in the world can't just find the main office of Antifa and shut them down?

I'm not saying it would be worth it. But I'm guessing we could get the government re-opened and the Democratic Party's demands met if Schumer and Jeffries just offered to call Obamacare "Trumpcare".