“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever.” — Madison Biedermann, whose entire, taxpayer-funded job is to serve as a spokesperson for the US Department of Education Via @charlesornstein.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/prop...

“Physical mail delivery has declined around the world, hurting postal carriers in Germany, Greece, Britain and elsewhere… But Denmark appears to be the first country where the longtime designated postal carrier will stop delivering letters.”

Is it that difficult to conceive of someone with actual ideological commitments, who supports unions not for transactional reasons but because they genuinely believe in workers' power? nymag.com/intelligence...

Heartbreaking news. Tatiana Schlossberg’s family has announced that she has died. Read her powerful New Yorker essay which was published in November.

DOGE cut 7000 jobs at the Social Security Admin and closed 50 field offices, and now they’re struggling to respond to up to 6 million pending cases in its processing centers and 12 million transactions in its field offices. Now they’ll say it’s broken and must be privatized.

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick founded Grapevine Health to help more people understand their health care. Grapevine creates short videos featuring Black and other doctors of color explaining everything from kidney disease to how to sign up for Medicaid.

More on the continuing purges at #NIH. Now 13 out of 27 institute directors have been gotten rid of. This is not normal. @jonathanwosen.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/12/27/n...

Possible measles exposure at two major US airports: Boston and Denver. www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news... via @nbcnews.com

Context for Trump withdrawing dozens of ambassadors *China has invested heavily in expanding diplomacy *The US has significantly degraded soft power *The US already has scores of diplomatic vacancies

Alberta government orders review after man dies of cardiac arrest in ER while waiting for care. 44-year-old, who was experiencing chest pain, died after allegedly waiting nearly eight hours to see a doctor at the ER. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... via @theglobeandmail.com

Parents and Doctors Are Left in the Dark Amid Trump Admin’s Murky Childhood Vaccine Guidelines talkingpointsmemo.com/news/parents...

🧪Some air pollutants influence patterns of human brain white matter maturation between 9–13 years old at concentrations below current U.S. standards, -> exposure to low-level pollution during adolescence may have long-term consequences.

The first lecture in @lkatfield.bsky.social's Lawfare Lecture series "The Making of the MAGA New Right" is now available to watch. Dr. Field discussed her new book, explained the intellectual movement that has emerged around Trumpism, and took audience questions. youtu.be/tW7TOt3Yw2E

’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Mar-a-Lago, President Trump assured children that Santa wasn’t a guerrilla. “We want to make sure he’s not infiltrated — that we’re not infiltrating into our country a bad Santa.”

Nosy researcher’s quest to map the world’s ‘smellscapes’

During his first Christmas Day message, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the suffering in Gaza, Yemen and among migrants, and called for peace in troubled regions like Lebanon, Ukraine and Syria. n.pr/4b6ltCy

Perfect Welsh word—my love to all who share this feeling.

As a Jew, it’s fun watching the administration post Christian nationalist messages while also saying they are doing everything they can to curb antisemitism.

“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:

J. D. Vance has "clearly made the calculation that anti-Semites are part of the Republican Party’s base, and he can’t afford to shunt them to the side as he plots his own presidential bid," Franklin Foer argues. theatln.tc/aaUENxUw

" is a mess. A claim of harm absolutely does not establish causality between getting a shot and then getting sick, much less dying," explain @artcaplan.bsky.social and I in Bioethics Today. bioethicstoday.org/blog/cut-off...

“After all, we were supposed to bring the material to the concentration camp ready to start work, not sickly and exhausted.” - Adolf Eichmann, as quoted by Life Magazine

Wrote about something a lot of young/middle aged people are experiencing: Coming home for the holidays and being concerned about older loved ones being consumed by their screens www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

My latest on @Medscape - can you successfully sue your employer for GLP1 coverage? Though plaintiffs have already tried and failed, two new developments have made a new potential case much, much stronger www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...

This means the VA won't cover abortions EVEN in the case of rape, incest, or serious threat to the health of the patient. The DOJ memo was authored by Josh Craddock, one of the chief legal advocates for fetal personhood, i.e. imposing a nationwide abortion ban through the courts.

Drug pricing watchers: CMMI has now announced its model to expand GLP-1 coverage in Part D/Medicaid. I may have more analysis later, but for now a couple of thoughts. www.cms.gov/priorities/i... 1/4

The nearly 80-year-old law that could hamper RFK Jr.’s drive to remake the childhood vaccine schedule. I wrote this for CIDRAP News as an explainer for the general public and public health folks, who may not be familiar with the legal issues involved. www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...

These declines are MASSIVE. And the comparative silence in media coverage is absolutely DAMNING. “Why are ppl always so afraid of crime?” THIS is why. When crime goes up, media trips over itself to report it. Falls to pre-war (!!) levels? Just CRICKETS.

A portrait of the kind of science we are losing, and for no reason www.statnews.com/2025/12/05/r...

Do share. And I mean do.

Immigrants ‘terrified’ of deportation with protected status set to expire www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-pre...

Bill Clinton releasing a statement saying 'release the Epstein files, you cowards' was not on my bingo list.

Watch the censored video from CBS for yourself. Democracy dies in darkness

CBS News may not want you to see its CECOT reporting, but I'm happy to share this powerful video that our team produced this year.

Republicans in Congress left D.C. without lifting a finger to stop a health care crisis they created. Over 21 million Americans now face higher premiums or lost coverage—starting January 1. They chose billionaires over working families. We won’t forget.

The big climate news of the week is the Trump administration's moves to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado. Here are our partner's takes on the loss of what has been described as "a crown jewel of our weather and climate research infrastructure." ⬇️

The Kennedy Center was established and named by an act of Congress. No media outlet should call it anything different until Congress amends or repeals that Act. Trump is not a king.

The City Bar has released a report examining a broad pattern of conduct by President Trump and his Administration that reflects an ongoing abuse of presidential power and a grave breach of the public trust, and calls on Congress to reclaim its power as a co-equal branch: bit.ly/49jfeKj

The Trump Family Business Empire Is Growing. We Mapped Out 268 Pieces of It. - WSJ www.wsj.com/politics/tru...

Trump signed an executive order to prevent states from regulating AI. He is stopping states from protecting you from unfair consumer practices like AI-fueled price gouging and data centers that are raising electricity costs. Who does this benefit other than Big Tech executives?

Massive AI data centers are driving up electricity rates across the country. But communities are pushing back—including Lewiston, whose city council just unanimously rejected a $300 million facility. One councilor said the proposal yielded “by far” the most constituent feedback he’s ever received.

A retired policeman was jailed over an anti-Trump meme. Now he’s suing. Attorneys for 61-year-old Larry Bushart say a Tennessee sheriff violated the First Amendment: “In America, we do not jail people for political speech.” wapo.st/490I014

Trump just announced he will be giving members of the military a $1776 bonus. So re-upping this shutdown piece about the dangers of a the leader of a personalist regime presenting himself as the paymaster of the armed forces. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-risks-...

Really enjoyed having this conversation about American antisemitism, Israel, and much more with @thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social and the listeners of @wnyc.org. Lots of hard questions, which is how you get the most interesting answers. Listen here:

Sorkin: Trump said that China was going to buy 12 million tons of soybeans by the end of the year. I’ve asked members of the administration: the end of the year is basically here—we’re about 15 days away. I think we’ve sold about 300,000 metric tons. So how do you get from 300,000 to 12 million?

Great contribution

House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t deny that 22 million to 24 million American health care consumers will soon suffer as a result of expiring ACA subsidies. He just doesn’t think that’s a lot of people. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The first half hour of Trump's first public event of the day, surrounded by a crowd of people, and he's falling asleep Absolutely not normal for a healthy person of any age