A weird hit piece bemoaning DEI requirements while pining for constitutional literacy popped up in my feed this morning. Deceptive nonsense: a course in American History or Political Philosophy earns DEI credit at many universities. Or would if DEI weren't being forcibly erased.

What a fantastic sign of hope today out of Hungary.

I miss the days when a president didn't threaten crimes against humanity in social media screeds. If we ever get out of this dystopian nightmare, we really need to support and sign on to the International Criminal Court.

Section 1 of the 14th Amendment is crystal clear. If the argument is that "illegal immigrants" are not "subject to the jurisdiction of the United States" it no longer makes any sense to call them "illegal." constitution.congress.gov/constitution...

The hard fact: the world already has more fossil fuels than can safely be burned given climate change—yet the U.S. Energy Secretary goes on Meet the Press today claiming this war will make global energy more secure. What we need is a world madr secure for reality checks.

Imagine a bridge is out in a storm. Now imagine someone intentionally removes the sign alerting drivers of the danger ahead. Is that person now negligent for the harms caused by their action? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

GOP AGs have outrageously succeeded in getting a judges’ guide to basic climate science scrapped as “biased.” In truth, they’ve confessed: if courts consider legitimate science, fossil fuel interests cannot win. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/c...

Here are a few of the things I've written on the topic, the first was inspired by your article, and clearly the Oct 2018 IPCC report on 1.5:

If you're wondering what sort of mischief Fox News was up to, wonder no longer. They were preemptively trying to de-fang this coming story: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/c...

Everything happening in Minnesota is a nightmare--but combined with Pam Bondi’s attempt to obtain voter rolls in Minneapolis, this story demands laser focus. 👇 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

"We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was "legal" [...] it was "illegal" to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. [...] Had I lived in Germany at that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers." —Letter from a Birmingham Jail

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Anyone else feel like an expatriate in their own country right now?

From a moral/political philosophy view, this President is utterly boring—pure ego, pure corruption. All you can do is condemn. Not philosophically interesting. The only interesting question: how did Americans put this immoral narcissist in office again?

When the arsonists control the fire-alarms: share.google/tt0O3xacExl4...

"Politicians seek to win elections, and stoking negative feelings such as fear and indignation are potent triggers of political behavior, including voting." theconversation.com/blame-the-sh...

Should (climate) polluters pay (for the damages they are knowing causing)? Of course they should. I know it, they know it, the American people know it (see below)—which is why they are using their rented friends in the White House and Congress to pass legislation to protect them from liability.

If @billgates.bsky.social were to read #ScienceUnderSiege by @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social & myself, he would know that climate change is amplifying deadly pandemics. Only someone ignorant of the science adopts the fallacy that we can treat global health and the climate crisis as separate threats

Just when Bill Gates is saying we shouldn't be aggressively dealing with climate change, scientists release a new assessment saying we're heading for ‘climate chaos.' Bad timing, Bill. www.latimes.com/environment/...

If you take the time to read the whole Gates memo (which I did), the bulk of the content was mostly solid and encouraging. Really! It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line. And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: we desperately need a greater emphasis on philosophy and the humanities as a whole in modern education if we are serious about addressing the real problems of the 21st century—from authoritarianism and disinformation to human-caused climate change.

Big, friendly, and peaceful No Kings anti-fascist turnout from all ages, with lots of veterans present, in the Rochester area once again today.

We can have no fellowship with tyrants. Rather, there can only be a clear severance of ties. -Cicero (On Duties)

Time for my yearly PSA: Columbus Day is to Italian immigrant heritage what Papa John's is to pizza—a contrived abomination. theconversation.com/how-columbus...

Jane Goodall was one of the lights of this world. There is much to be pessimistic about today, and though her passing is sad, it does us good, especially at this moment, to reflect on a life well lived and on what humanity can be at its best.

"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." -Benjamin Franklin

🚨🚨 If I could just summarize 1 sentence from the new National Academy of Sciences study on climate, boldface, flashing red, it would be: "the evidence for current and future harm to human health and welfare created by human-caused GHGs is beyond scientific dispute." BEYOND SCIENTIFIC DISPUTE 🚨🚨

COVID booster done—quick and easy at my pharmacy, thanks to New York State’s responsible governor.

It seems like a good time to remember the importance of caution in forming one's beliefs: theconversation.com/bad-beliefs-...

Watching the news, dogs sprawled out and relaxed… until a clip of RFK Jr. comes on. The moment they catch his voice and sense his awfulness, they become irritated, scanning the room for danger. RFK Jr.: distrusted by discerning dogs and humans alike.

A small sample from the long, good-humored line of protesters stretching blocks in Henrietta, NY—one of many Rochester-area suburbs showing up with demonstrations throughout the day.

I wrote this in the wake of the college protests, but it applies to all peaceful protests. There’s a formula—and it has a strong historical track record. theconversation.com/campus-prote...

Trump is an actual insurrectionist felon who abuses his office to pardon other insurrectionists. His entire presidency depends on corrupt Republican senators abandoning their oath to protect the Constitution from domestic enemies. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

The contrast between Trump’s support for the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 and his deployment of the National Guard against comparatively peaceful protests in L.A. should be a clarifying moment of hypocrisy for anyone still capable of thinking in the United States.

It seems a fitting day to repost this piece on the Laudato Si' encyclical and its lesson in public reason. theconversation.com/the-pope-as-...

👏👏👏👏👏👏

"The uniqueness of the United States is that it is a nation founded and chartered on the Enlightenment ideals of universal rights—it is a nation founded on ideas." open.substack.com/pub/ltorcell...

Headlines declaring a "victory" for Trump are overstating things. It is important not to feed the White House narrative--it is calculated to make opposition feel pointless, which is how you know they are terrified of building opposition.

In short, the fleecing of America.

A global tariff war is "medicine" the way bleach injections are medicine.

This continues to be the biggest story in the country: DOGE has already squandered half a trillion dollars in 6 weeks. Not billion. half a trillion, $500 billion talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/irs-p...

In the course of modern history. Social progress has always involved consistent protest movements. The formula is simple: 1.) Have facts on your side and be able to articulate them. 2.) Have focused demands that can be acted upon. 4.) Be psychologically prepared, peaceful, and persistent.

This! Research shows that protests 1) raise awareness, 2) empower people (especially the disadvantaged), and 3) exert pressure on elites. Anyone saying they don’t work is unfamiliar with the research and the history of movement building.

THIS is where we are? Thx, RFK Jr and the Ministers of Darkness & Ignorance. Texas children treated for vitamin A toxicity after measles hospitalizations www.usatoday.com/story/news/h... "...abnormal liver function believed to be caused by vitamin A toxicity..."

In short, fallacies of ambiguity make for bad legal philosophy. www.factcheck.org/2025/04/lega...

It’s as if Rome had elected the Vandals

The concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy is meant to expose systemic bias, but these financial institutions are adopting it as a circular rationale for unethical profiteering.

I don’t remember the last time I used the words game changer, but this, if paired with reliable wide-scale charging station infrastructure, is a game changer.