Exactly! The added context is that this is where and when our neighborhood’s 4th of July parade takes place. Mostly families, many with small children. Local elementary schools march in the parade, dance troupes and soccer teams, the high school marching band, and local businesses. This is vile.

We all know there was a computational propaganda campaign to make it uncool to use BlueSky, right? ~1 yr ago, it was growing in popularity, then a bunch of BlueSky-curious people abruptly started scoffing at idea of being on the site. But when pressed why, couldn’t quite articulate any good reason.

Well, this is odd. NPR almost immediately retracted this story after publishing it. (www.npr.org/2026/06/30/n...) Thoughts and theories on this encouraged!

Wow! Zuck has had another totally original, totally cutting-edge idea (checks notes)… gambling? Brilliant stuff! Definitely not one of the world’s oldest vices.

Whenever I see this sort of thing, I think how lazy these comedians are. Punching down at the marginalized & whining about liberals” is lazy. These people don’t want to make the effort or admit the world has left them behind. So they blame society. Talented comedians don’t need these gimmicks.

Absolutely spot on & great read. The author also rightly observes that “they’re acting like the 2024 election represented the end of politics, and therefore the end of any need…to modulate their behavior.” This is an essential point, but it needs more attention. 1/3 publiccomment.blog/p/hyperfascism

@davekarpf.bsky.social, just putting this here for no particular reason...

One thing I am guessing that they did not consider when they decided to primary out these Republicans (Massie, too) is now they have even less incentive to toe the line. And, oh yeah, they’ve still got 7 months left.

I thought this was satire. You'd think I've learned by now.

Unearthed reports reveal that RFK Jr. fired every full-time CDC cruise ship sanitation inspector ahead of the Hantavirus cruise ship outbreak. www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-cru...

Walking on campus yesterday, overheard a student say to her friend, "My microbiology professor... yeah, he's one of those professors who is known for ChatGPTing everything, so I had low expectations to begin with..." Not sure if I find this more encouraging or depressing.

Members of the House/Sen donate to each others' campaigns. So Pelosi/Jeffries/Schumer--there's a reason they have a stranglehold on their party, & how they've defanged most of their co-partisans. More evidence why $ in politics (or $ in politics in politics) drives officials further from the people.

Computer/Data sciences | computational social sciences | Social sciences

I think about this passage a lot lately (Pantazi et al 2021) 🧵: "...that every citizen bears in themselves a degree of gullibility & a degree of vigilance may help depolarize the political discourse around political fake news and misinformation. This discourse often involves Manichaean views of...

I’m confident the would-be shooter is real, but the scolding I’m seeing of people ?ing it reminds me of the problem many Dems & pol scientists share. Not everything’s a conspiracy theory—actual conspiracies do exist. The compulsion to appear so rigidly analytical can create some major blind spots.

i know the situation in kansas right now is dangerous and terrifying. that said, i'm hoping to speak to someone who's had their license invalidated. i will do absolutely everything to protect your anonymity and maintain your safety. i can be reached securely via signal at marisakabas.04

Popularist: The glass is both half full, and half empty… until a public opinion poll tells me otherwise.

Even more than the idea of an oligarchy-assisted state surveillance system at our front doors disturbs me, how tone deaf Bezos is to think that pushing this sort of thing in this political moment is a good idea is mind melting. Also, using lost dogs to pimp it is just bargain basement manipulation.

I keep thinking about the fact that Minneapolis consistently ranks highly in quality of life metrics, like how healthy and happy a city is. Not just because it shows how ridiculous the admin‘s rhetoric is, but more for what it says about the power of social cohesion. The same factors that enable…

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

Name a film containing a memorable elevator scene.

Even 2024 me seems so quaint now…

2016: Gee, the prestige media seems ill-equipped to do its job in the current political climate. Hope they learn from this. 2023: So, the media’s perfectly aware of what it’s doing… they’ve just chosen their profits. 2024: Oooh, the media is willing and complicit in the destruction of US democracy.

Cowards die many times before their deaths, The valiant never taste of death but once.

And in the end, it was the frog that saved us all.

Interesting timing for this to be popping up on people’s feeds…

Looked at my data collections for state-backed activity. If the report were a picture:

This is the take. I am sad for his family and for the tragic loss of life to violence. But that does not prevent us from being clear-eyed about who he was & the effect he had, especially on the vulnerable populations who were his primary targets. You can hold both in your heart and mind.

Curious to know about where IDDP is headed? In a Q&A with GW Today, @catiebailard.bsky.social and @ethanvporter.bsky.social spoke about their vision for the Institute. Read it at gwtoday.gwu.edu/q-new-co-directors-gws-institute-data-democracy-and-politics.

Our first post! And what better way to mark this occasion than by announcing the start of a new chapter at IDDP. Last month @catiebailard.bsky.social and @ethanvporter.bsky.social stepped in as the Institute's Co-Director's. Read their full statement at iddp.gwu.edu/about.

Purely speculative theory: He’s the one the police were called about after an incident with a woman, he fled when the police arrived, the police gave chase, and they ended up hitting him from behind in a tactical maneuver. Only thing that makes that non-sensical statement make sense.

Yes, Newsom’s a power-seeking vessel who’s willing to do or become whatever’s politically expedient. (And, someone who’d throw one marginalized community under the bus would do the same to another.) But, I don’t get too caught up in the voting for him debate. (Btw, always vote against fascists.. 1/2

Ahem… Democratic leadership. Turns out you’re not entirely beholden to what the polls say—you can also lead public opinion. In this case, by providing the needed context and facts about a matter that people don’t know much about. Wild stuff, I know!!

‪Very happy to share that, as of this week, @ethanvporter.bsky.social and I have taken the reins as co-directors of GW's Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics. You can read the full statement here, ‬https://iddp.gwu.edu/about.

Slightly diminish a band: Passable Middle-aged Cannibals.

Taps the sign

I never want to go back to the system we had before, though I’ll happily cherrypick the still-useful parts. 🍒 Imagining the what-next is how we stay hopeful and inspired during these dark days. But before we build the future, it’s high time we reckon with the past. For real this time. Listen…

@davekarpf.bsky.social, I didn’t know there was a song!?!

Yes, Trump’s freaking out because he knows what is in the files is damning. But, he’s also freaking out because he is well aware of how deeply this issue matters to a not-insignificant portion of the MAGA base.

long term we don't want Hunter Biden filling the leadership vacuum but it is a substantial vacuum

Now THIS has legs.

MERKLEY: How do you feel about being responsible for hundreds of thousands of kids dying because of your sudden interruption in these key programs? VOUGHT: I reject the assertion MERKLEY: I find your response both ignorant & callous. Few Americans have had a more devastating & disastrous impact

The fires may have uniquely prepared LA for this moment. Coming together to help each other, a strengthened sense of community, building connections that expand & strengthen networks. None of this bolds well for Miller/Trump in trying to make LA a test-case for their attempted fascist takeover.

(I would appreciate it if you shared this because it feels weird to write something like this and then have no one read it)

LA’s very sad attempt to get in on the action?

Missed call from the CDC, voicemail said they were conducting a nat’l poll about childhood immunization and asked if we have any children in the house between 6mo and 17yr. Couldn’t have imagined even a few months ago that a simple message from the CDC would feel so menacing.

I see a merch opportunity here, "I told you so" or "We saw this coming" T-shirts and mugs, with proceeds going to opposition organizers.