On air in less than 10! 😬🫠🙂

Chicago!! (And beyond!) I will be talking about my reporting on the social media addiction trials and what addiction researchers have to say about them on WGN Radio at 6:18 pm this evening. AM 720 if you’re local, stream here if you’re not! wgnradio.com

Yoko Ono invited visitors to her current MCA exhibit in Chicago to share notes about their mothers. I was amazed to see that so many people had expressed such complex feelings on the spot. Here are some of them.

Not 10 minutes into the NYT opinion pod on cannabis regulation , I’m learning the US has… “ended the criminalization of marijuana.” As someone who reports on cannabis policy regularly, this is news to me!

The White House just sent a "Don't Panic" email. That'll do it

Is Chicago considered one of the world’s top pastry cities? Feels like it should be?

For those who don’t know why Lady Gaga performing with Bad Bunny is significant. He’s actually a massive fan of her. He’s said her album literally helped him get through a difficult time in his life.

Idk what everyone else thought but that was mesmerizing

"God Bless America:" then he lists most of the countries in the hemisphere starting with Chile I think? this rules

To many people, the obvious answer to the question of whether social media is addictive is yes. It’s clearly hard to put it down. But when you to talk to addiction researchers, you get a different story. My latest. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

Before he became HHS secretary in the US, RFK Jr. was undermining vaccine trust abroad, according to newly revealed emails. We'll likely never know how many children have lost their lives because of this man. Now he's bringing the carnage home. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I teach a science media literacy module in all my courses. It includes knowing the difference between a press release and a reported news story. Here's a really interesting new research paper about public understsanding of that difference! #SciComm 🧪 jcom.sissa.it/article/pubi...

I wouldn't wish an hour-long podcast featuring Russ Douthat and Jay Bhattacharya on my worst enemy but let's simply say that Podcast Jay still appears more concerned about perceived slights for his COVID crackpottery than with protecting US biomedical science from a full-on Trump-and-RFK onslaught.

I listened to Ross Douthat's NYT interview with Jay Bhattacharya so you don't have to. There were many glaringly obvious places where Douthat should have pushed back but didn't. 🧵

The woman who filmed Alex Pretti’s murder—clearly a key witness— has not been contacted by the FBI or the Department of Homeland Security for their investigations. HT @onsitepublicmedia.bsky.social

Parents feel an enormous weight of responsibility when it comes to protecting their children’s mental health in the digital age. But tech companies are ultimately accountable, according to new American Academy of Pediatrics guidance. My latest. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

“You got signed judicial warrant to gain access to the scene and we’re still denied access by federal agents?” “Yes, that’s accurate.” We are so cooked 🇺🇸

Academy of Pediatrics! Pay attention! Children are our future! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

A celebrated Chicago deli owner and a local Illinois dispensary dream of pairing up to make weed infused mustard packets available at Wrigley Field. My latest. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Listening to a podcast interview with the CEO of Roblox and this guy sounds like he could give a shit about children’s safety. Disturbing.

«Plutôt que d'infuser les aliments au cannabis, Loud préfère que ses invités fument certaines variétés avant de déguster leur repas. Il choisit soigneusement les accords mets-cannabis en fonction de leurs saveurs et de leurs effets» [EN] www.theguardian.com/society/2026... [Retailleau en PLS]

On forbiddingly cold days like today, “never use alone” is an especially vital message to prevent fatal overdoses. CDC may be trying to block it. My latest. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

🧪 Digital surveillance reveals hidden MMR gaps in US children under 5. This new study estimates national uptake at only 64.0%, identifying critical hotspots in Texas and New Mexico missed by traditional data. #MedSky 🛟

4/5 De la viande rouge et du gras ? Les nouvelles recommandations diététiques du ministère fédéral de la santé sous RFK Jr font polémique www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Bonjour à toutes et tous! Voici 5 articles ou reportages à propos des #USA qui ont retenu mon attention ce dimanche 18 janvier 2026 au matin. (Un fermier du Colorado avec un loup qu’il a abattu sur sa ferme, c1910/1930, Colorado History)

istanbul

Chicago

Thanks for writing about this. I noticed the discrepancy beween the pyramid and the HHS fact sheet, which is fairly reasonable www.hhs.gov/press-room/f... And as you report, the DGA text is also at odds with the top graphic. Sleazy

The visual “new food pyramid” and written guidance in RFK Jr.’s latest edition of the Dietary Guidelines for America do not match. “It’s a confusing message for Americans” says Dr. Cheryl Anderson of the American Heart Association. My latest. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Absolutely wild to live in a time where the government can decide overnight to accelerate one of the nation’s deadliest crises, then change its mind the next day.

Two stories on reversals today - the hepatitis B trial in Guinea-Bissau was cancelled, and substance use and mental health funding in the US is being restored, officials say. Now it's time for breakfast.

For women, posting any image of yourself online is a much more loaded decision than it oughta be. This Grok shit just like 10,000XD that anxiety.

Trump issued an executive order to have weed rescheduled, which would lower its criminal status. This symbolic gesture would do little for those most likely to be arrested for cannabis. Meanwhile, Trump has done much more to re-criminalize cannabis during this second term. My latest.

The number one cause of death for ICE officers is COVID19. Maybe that’s why they wear masks?

photo from the article below. caption: "Protestors block a car they believed was driven by ICE agents escorting a detainee as it exited Hartford’s Federal Building." credit: Mark Mirko /Connecticut Public

Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.

Bluesky community! This is my official NYC mayor account. I’ll be posting updates on what’s happening at City Hall and how we’re delivering for New Yorkers. It’s great to be here.

Hi from Portland, where elementary schools have had to lock down because of ICE activity outside, waiting for people to grab. Get other parents and the community outside if you can to raise noise.

Look at the glove compartment, full of stuffed animals and toys. That's the sign of a mom or an auntie who keeps little stuffies at hand for fussy kids.

The recommendations aren’t “really about aligning with peer nations. It’s about finding a justification for this predetermined conclusion. They want to do away with vaccines.” Thanks for the great reporting, @melodyschreiber.com, as always. @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Anyone have recommendations for the best ways to transfer your playlists over from Spotify?

I have reviewed, assessed, acted upon and closed 200 open browser tabs. I feel like I am making 2026 different already. #TabClosed2026

Three weeks ago I explained in @statnews.com why adopting Denmark’s vaccine schedule would leave American children unprotected. Today HHS did it anyway. www.statnews.com/2025/12/19/d...

My final story of 2025 is about how a record number of Americans believe out healthcare system is in a state of crisis, which is a pretty fitting way to sum up last year’s direction IMO. Here’s hoping, somehow, for better things in 2026. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

😂 This year on Bluesky I wrote 168 posts and 479 replies. I received 16,230 likes, whereas 1,257 was from my most popular post, and apparently I love saying "people" and 🧪! www.madebyolof.com/bluesky-wrap...

Sweeping science cuts in 2025 halted clinical trials, erased public health data and forced researchers into impossible choices. “This year nearly broke me as a scientist,” one writes. Six researchers share their stories: buff.ly/u2MHIQo 🧪

Everyone is rating their mental health worse than before, according to a new Gallup poll. And people who typically rate their mental health higher, including Republicans and college grads, are seeing the biggest declines in self rated mental health. My latest. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The Big Beautiful Bill includes incentives to increase AI adoption in rural hospitals. Experts think this could be very beneficial, if it’s done right. Do you think they’re gonna do it right? My latest. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

As Trump declares fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction” his planned cuts to Medicaid and even domestic drug interdiction will put those most vulnerable to fentanyl deaths in even more danger. My dispatch from Alaska, the new epicenter of the drug crisis. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...