Important point: others are watching and learning about ‘decapitation’ strikes – Putin has tried unsuccessfully with Zelenskyy, and Xi is surely considering whether/how China could achieve the same in Taiwan. Trump is paving the way to a more chaotic world.

Useful guide to who's who in VZ. Cabello appears to be the worst, so it would be no surprise if Trump wants to work with him.

Speaking to a solid source. Keep your eyes on Maduro’s Minister of Justice, Diosdado Cabello as the new power supporter in VZ supported by Trump. Source added, “if Cabello’s in charge it will be worse than Maduro”. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diosdad...

Great article. I did not know that Maduro has been propped up by 15-30,000 Cuban security forces whose job was to police the Venezuelan army, suppress coup attempts, and preserve Cuban access to Venezuelan oil. What happens now? Conflict with Cuba?

Eloquent from Rep Raskin (who is a former law prof): SCOTUS has now become “the judicial arm of the Republican Party” after five right-wing justices were nominated by Presidents who lost the popular vote (Bush 43 and Trump 45).

We see that Bhattacharya's opinion is highly valued within HHS. "Dr. Koroshetz's performance as Director has been exceptional; however the Department of Health and Human Services elected to pursue a leadership transition." Not even the integrity for anyone (e.g. RFK, Jr.) to claim responsibility.

Genius!

Visiting family in SoCal for Xmas, and managed an overnight backpacking trip with my son to Los Padres NF before the rains arrived. We climbed Hines Peak (6703’) from near Ojai, with great views of the Topatopa Bluffs along the way.

Watch it (and download) while you can.

At NC speech, as Trump boasts about cutting the cost of drugs by 300-600%, the audience behind him—many of whom appear to be teenagers—cheer enthusiastically, unaware of their own mathematical ignorance or their susceptibility to manipulation by a lying demagogue.

14 two-year postdocs for academics of any nationality who cannot continue their research due to US politics. Do share if you know of such.

We are in trouble when the Secretary of Commerce gets called out by Fox New for lying on TV about the laws of math.

Sign me up for a $50 donation if you can find a way to project this graphic illustration of the 'RFK effect'

Example of disinformation amplified by Grok - 48.5K views when I checked it just now.

Important point: China, not US, now decides the outcome of global conflicts. When fighting starts, existing military supplies are rapidly depleted, and the side that can replenish faster wins. China’s capacity to do so (and to supply others) vastly exceeds that of any other country, including US.

I learned a lot from this very interesting discussion between Krugman and Kedrosky about the AI boom (and likely bubble).

I’ve visited Bilbao three times over 40 yr, most recently this summer with family. It’s a fantastic city, and there are many reasons to go, but more so after the the building of Gehry’s Guggenheim, which has been transformative. RIP.

He’s gesturing to a sleeping man as he says “He’s the only leader in the world who can help end [the war in Ukraine].”

Bad, but good that this story is getting attention.

In case you are wondering why Trump supports extrajudicial execution of little guys from Venuzuela while pardoning a major convicted narco-trafficker to the US—follow the money to ‘Prospera’ in Honduras, as Krugman explains. The US is not quite a narco-state yet, but we are moving in that direction.

For anyone stuck in pre-Txgiving traffic, remember it could always be worse....

Another disgusting ICE story. Coming to a college near you.

One thing that is not getting enough attention is that Trump has normalized the idea of the United States supporting the transfer of territory and millions of people from a democracy to a dictatorship. The ending of freedom for millions is now the official US position.

New name for the CDC just dropped:

I took the previous version of the test, and after I got the first 6 answers correct the immigration officer told me I had passed, but I asked to continue so that I could score 100%. But the next question was “What is one thing Benjamin Franklin famous for?”

This video may be politically moot as of a few hours ago – Trump has caved to the inevitable, since he doesn’t want to be on the losing side of the House vote – but it is compelling nevertheless.

Who would want to kill 314 ostriches? Perhaps someone who plans to make 100 ostrich pies....

On a lighter note, here’s a clinically validated diagnostic test to evaluate possible dementia in the person with their finger on the nuclear button.

This obit is both sad and inspirational – a pioneering clinical psychiatry researcher, whose own depression presumably led to his suicide but also motivated his successful search for better treatments.

How Trump Finally Lost Mr. and Mrs. Alito dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/h...

Seeing many hostile comments about Jim Watson. Most of us can agree his later political views are indefensible, as was his misappropriation of Frankin’s data. But let’s keep it in perspective – over time, the politics will fade into insignificance relative to the importance of the discovery itself.

According to the town website " Whitestown, Indiana is a safe and vibrant community that more than 13,000 residents call home." Sure, it's probably safe enough, if you are white...

ICE isn’t going after the worst of the worst. This morning, they took a preschool teacher without a warrant IN FRONT OF CHILDREN in my district. #ice #chicago

Working on a MRI grant proposal right now, and wondering whether we can include a play-based Lego MRI model in our equipment budget…

At 9.01pm the suspense is killing me!

“The Tragedy of Dick Cheney” is not a headline that I ever expected to read, but here we are – a sign of how far the US has fallen, and also a reminder to beware of what you wish for.

The only upside to Trump’s demolition of the East Wing of the White House is that we are reminded of ‘Ballroom Blitz,’ a great song that was huge in UK when I was a kid. Apparently it was inspired by an event in which the band was chased off stage by a riotous Scottish crowd throwing bottles.

Yesterday I climbed Tripyramid (a NH 4000-er), and as usual in the White Mtns, the summit is in trees, so not much view there. But the ascent via North Slide was challenging, and despite great views in perfect conditions, I was not in the mood to take pictures until we reached safety at the top.

Happy Halloween!

Just heard a great piano recital, including Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ in its original version (I previously knew only Ravel’s orchestration). Further research revealed that dancing to ‘Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks’ is a thing for preschool kids. This video will brighten your day!

Love the sense of humor from those in RFK Jr's neighborhood! Happy #Halloween.

Wellcome Leap is based on the DARPA model, with its strong emphasis on speed, but as Bishop wisely notes, “…not all delays in scientific progress are down to bureaucracy or timidity. A major obstacle to progress is time wasted trying to build on prior research findings that prove to be illusory.”

The NIH institute director firing last Friday is very bad. I made a video explainer about why. Stay for last post, w link to @science.org story from @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social 1/4 🧪

So now that it can be done in 4 hours, the rate-limiting step in whole genome sequencing will be the Boston traffic.

People travel from across the world to see New England fall colors, but we have them right outside our front door!

Imagine that the US President plans to stick his hand into the pocket of every adult into the country and steal a dollar bill. Who voted for that?

I guess it depends on your definition of 'won't interfere'. Perhaps the statement is true from the perspective of a particle physicist, although architects might see it differently.

Important point that never occurred to me. Gerrymandering means more safe seats, so national election outcomes will depend on fewer districts, which therefore become more vulnerable to partisan interference – whether from money, lawsuits, ICE raids, or whatever.

Among many great costumes at today's #NoKings protests, this guy in Boston totally nailed it!

Great turnout today for #NoKings protest in Concord MA!