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Ben Bellows

@benbellows.bsky.social
3.6K followers 3K following 2K posts

Cofounder & CBO, Nivi Inc A Michigan farm kid a long time ago. Husband, dad, researcher, neighbor, founder. pubs: orcid.org/0000-0001-9205-6623 #UMich #Econ #PeaceCorps #Ecuador 🇪🇨 #CDC #UCBerkeley #Epi #PopCouncil #Kenya 🇰🇪 #Zambia 🇿🇲 #digitalhealth #AI

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Reposted by Ben Bellows
Peter Green @petergreen.bsky.social · 10h
Worth remembering that if it costs the government $4.5b to reverse the gender pay tax, then it costs the women affected $4.5b to leave it in place.
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 9h
An optimist’s guide to the bond market ft.trib.al/pS8f6Ix | opinion
ft.trib.al
An optimist’s guide to the bond market
It could be a lot worse. Really!
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Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 12h
Is it?
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Laura Seay @texasinafrica.bsky.social · 10h
"The state of Tennessee has shown the world it cannot be trusted to implement capital punishment in a way that preserves human dignity and the rule of law. This has to stop now.”
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Julie DiCaro @juliedicaro.bsky.social · 10h
Capital punishment is cruel and unusual punishment and has no place in a civilized nation. But even if you don’t object to it on moral grounds, the number of times we have botched convictions AND executions should be enough to convince you that it should be abolished.
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Something remarkable is happening: James Talarico is running an expansively pro-immigrant campaign in Texas, a state Trump won by 14 points, speaking in Biblical terms about our duty to "the stranger." And it's resonating. That's seismic. 1/ (new piece) newrepublic.com/article/2160...
newrepublic.com
In Texas, Something Seismic Is Happening—and It’s All Trump’s Fault
Thanks to the economy and ICE, Trump has lost Texas Latinos. And James Talarico is developing a humane pro-immigrant message that’s resonating—even in this ultra-Trumpy state.
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Anne Helen Petersen @annehelen.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is *the* piece. Kate Manne, professor of philosophy at Cornell, speaks truth to the totality of failures at the university — and why students protesting the war in Gaza have faced far harsher consequences than any of the Cornell 7: www.thecut.com/article/what...
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 30/09/2026
"A future impeachment would be different—and not just because there might be more Democrats. So many of Trump’s open abuses of power over the last two years are easy to comprehend and have played out right in the open. It would simply be a matter of congressional Democrats picking their favorites."👇
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onekade @onekade.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Every company that sells SaaS spyware to cops is currently like oh shit they’re coming for our market share
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Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Leaving aside Anthropic's incentives for publishing this research, there is no doubt that open weights models will soon create the same security threats that closed source models have been demonstrating, except without guardrails. We are close, so plan accordingly. www.anthropic.com/research/glm...
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Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 29/09/2026
"The story of immediate post-Nazi Germany's adult population was overwhelmingly one of continuity. They supported Hitler once; they couldn't be trusted not to make a similar choice in the future. The true miracle is that their children rejected them so thoroughly."
liberalcurrents.com
Editor's Notes: Your Local Fascists
We know what to do with Trump and his stooges. The harder question is what to do with the ordinary Americans we will have to live alongside afterwards.
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump and Co. conducted a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States out of its presidential election — ie attempted an autogolpe, or "self-coup" — was in the public record. The facts and the law were never in question. Only if America would follow them.
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Nick Carnes @carnes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“inevitable” tech
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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The movie “Don’t Look Up” is playing out in real time, replete with Silicon Valley villains who have completely lost the plot
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Hilda Bastian @hildabast.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
My latest nextgen Covid vax update is online: * New feature* Combined flu & Covid vaccines — the first one has been approved for people 50 & over, and a massive effectiveness trial is beginning in Denmark & Spain ... 1/2 vaxtracker.wordpress.com/2026/09/29/t...
vaxtracker.wordpress.com
Flu-Covid combo vax & monthly update of nextgen Covid vax news
Moderna has the first combined flu-Covid vaccine to cross the finish line. An overview of that race plus an update on nextgen Covid vaccine news.
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 29/09/2026
A reminder that America cannot have a multiracial, multicultural democracy if the United States Supreme Court is allowed to continue to exist in its current form
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Josh Busby @busbyj2.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
These sound like sensible ideas from Brian Deese to selectively crowd in Chinese foreign investment and licensing so American firms can learn. www.foreignaffairs.com/china/case-l...
foreignaffairs.com
The Case for Letting China In
American businesses need more foreign capital and know-how.
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Lorenzo Salgado, jr. @oznezol.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
One step closer to justice for my dad, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
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Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russ Vought needs to be criminally prosecuted and likely jailed when all is said and done
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James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We should raise taxes
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Michele Bogart @urbaninsideout.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If you see something, say something: two more days to comment on this overscaled arch, which would destroy views from Arlington Cemetery to major DC monuments like Lincoln Memorial. (And vice versa). See below for more info. savingplaces.org/monumental-a...
savingplaces.org
Monumental Arch | National Trust for Historic Preservation
Members of the public have the opportunity to provide input on a proposed Monumental Arch at Memorial Circle on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, near Arlington National Cemetery and along the P...
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When I say we desperately need a Democratic doctor in the US Senate I mean it.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"The Indian Question" now joins "The Jewish Question" as a shorthand for a dream of ethnic cleansing. As with the mass purge of Haitians, Christopher Rufo again seeks to play a central role in this descent into ethnonationalist fascism.
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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
To use the flawed metaphor of robot gods: It looks like, in using AI models to help us build ideas, we seed the robot god's dreams with our discoveries, which it later outputs as its own, striking the earth as a thunderclap...but only to the naive. The tiny tribe of builders recognizes the theft.
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Garnet Henderson @garnethenderson.com · 28/09/2026
Gavin Newsom: I have to do some transphobia to win over Republicans The Democratic governor of a “red” state:
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En Buen Ora @enbuenora.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
my god the direct use of the hot dog guy sketch from I Think You Should Leave in a political ad
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Massimo (mirror) @rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When a Long Island woman accidentally threw away an envelope with $5000 cash intended for her mortgage, sanitation workers sifted through tons of trash until they found it. They refused to accept a reward. Original post
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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
While the news & white papers breathlessly cover the idea of a threat of a future AI bioweapon, an Ebola outbreak is escalating, having killed nearly 4,000 people so far. The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...
who.int
Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo
Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded further, with two additional health zones af...
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Adrian Hiel @adrianhiel.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I spoke to @euronews.com about the future gold mine that is used EV batteries working as storage for the grid. www.euronews.com/2026/09/28/a...
euronews.com
How old EV batteries could transform Europe’s struggling energy grid
Repurposing retired EV batteries could lower Europeans’ energy bills and prevent wind and solar farms from being switched off.
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Astra Taylor @astra.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Wow what a nice review.
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Eli Friedman @elifriedman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"Two Day Weekend Shopping" 双休购 is an app that allowed Chinese consumers to shop at businesses that provide workers with a real two day weekend, based on worker-provided info. The app blew up, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with overwork. Then it was banned.
bbc.com
「雙休購」的爆紅與下架:一個網購平臺如何撬動中國勞工權益討論 - BBC News 中文
提倡雙休的民間自發平台「雙休購」曇花一現後快速被下架,中國打工人開始在社交媒體上要求雙休正當權利。學者指這樣的消費抵制是正向的發展。
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
He fled genocide in Myanmar. ICE detained him in Louisiana. Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker, had his life upended after spending seven weeks inside an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
veritenews.org
He fled genocide in Myanmar. ICE detained him in Louisiana.
Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker, had his life upended after spending seven weeks inside an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
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Nancy Levine Stearns @nancylevinestearns.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Sen. Wyden: Trump "has been going out of his way to endanger migrant children and leave them at risk of falling into horrific cycles of trafficking," and ICE Alexandria is "another black box location for the Trump administration to disappear migrant children" www.thequeenzone.com/exclusive-to...
thequeenzone.com
Exclusive: Top Senate Dem Responds to Christian Faith Group's Plea for Oversight of New ICE Facility for Kids
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, has responded to a Christian faith group that...
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SMcDonnell @smcdonnell.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In our name and with our resources 73,000 people are held in detention centers and thousands more have been deported. To be in denial is to lose our present and our future. Please keep speaking up.
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Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Mrs. Tetiana plays the piano in the ruins of her destroyed home Ukraine, August 30, 2026 📹: Iryna Shev/Facebook
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Lisa Guerrero @lisaguerrero.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Former NFL/NBA/MLB national network sportscaster here: Gambling has absolutely fucking killed sports. RIP
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 28/09/2026
Even Navatek’s executives were surprised at how far their money went in D.C. “It was eye-opening for me, frankly. ‘Oh my God, all of it is for sale. It’s all for sale,’” said one.
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
You know when public attention can reverse a prosecutorial decision like this you almost get the sense that the decision to shrug it off in the first place was not based on an assessment of the quality of the evidence so much as an assessment of the seriousness of the crime.
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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 28/09/2026
"One Democratic lawmaker even quipped to me that there’s a very large pool from which to draw talent for this purpose. He was referring to the mass exodus of lawyers from the Department of Justice during Trump 2.0." ICYMI:
lnk.thebulwark.com
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the Democratic Party’s Trump Oversight Plans
Lawmakers are already gearing up to tackle the widespread corruption.
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William Gill🌻 @williamrgill.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It’s incomprehensible to me, even at this late stage, that we have a president stupid and venal enough to make such an offer and that his ambassador to Beijing is so incompetent as to breezily volunteer the information as if it’s somehow reassuring.
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SMcDonnell @smcdonnell.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Another NYT headline, "A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer" It wasn't quiet it just wasn't covered. This is an era defining event that the mainstream media has ignored. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/u...
nytimes.com
A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer
A review of dozens of incidents caught on camera sheds new light on a largely invisible crackdown.
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is about as upset as a NYT reporter is allowed to get:”An admission that the American president offered to sell arms to China is extraordinary.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Offered to Sell Arms to China, U.S. Ambassador Says
President Trump made the offer to Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said David Perdue, the ambassador to China. The White House later said the U.S. had no plans for such a sale.
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Kung Hei FYat Choy!-Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Good time to sign up to be a poll worker for November (if you can spare the time) www.eac.gov/help-america...
eac.gov
Become a Poll Worker | U.S. Election Assistance Commission
The EAC encourages those interested in becoming poll workers at the polls on Election Day to learn more about what is required and how to sign up to work with your local election office.
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Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It’s very annoying to read this story again and again. The companies that train & task agents should be liable for the hacking. Same as if you’re operating heavy machinery & you destroy something. You can’t say “the tractor did it! It rolls so fast! Had no idea it would do what it was made to do!”
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 27/09/2026
What an odd moment in United States history. A U.S. president is running an overtly political camaign advertisement, right before midterm elections, paid for by the U.S. government. Trump appears to believe he is immune from any kind of legal limit. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
A Trump 2024 Campaign Ad Returns, Now Brought to You by the Government (Gift Article)
The ad, which ethics experts said could violate federal law, shows Mr. Trump vowing to “expel the warmongers” from the government and fight the “deep state,” even as he wages a war with Iran.
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samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 27/09/2026
another day, another bit of evidence that the scientists who willingly hand over proprietary information to AI firms may experience some consequences
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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“This is a disease that can be eliminated through vaccination of domestic pets.” “This single case should not be of great concern because it is an infrequent occurrence in domestic pets,” Mitchell said. “However, this should be a reminder of why it’s so important to have dogs and cats vaccinated.”
wafb.com
Louisiana confirms first rabies case in a dog since 2014
The Louisiana Department of Health has confirmed the first case of rabies in a Louisiana dog since 2014. It is the fifth rabies diagnosis in a Louisiana dog in the past 20 years.
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Denmark is trolling Trump.
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Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
In case you were in any doubt that they're Nazis.
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Ben Bellows @benbellows.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
If Thiel were Satan, would he talk any differently?
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