iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Bill Kramer

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Key point: "the last 3 presidential elections showed varying levels of pro-Democratic bias in polls, on average. But House and Senate pre-election polls showed very little bias in the two midterms of the Trump era: 2018 and 2022. "

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

NEW: It's that time of year: time to launch my annual guide to November's elections! I guide you through over *650* interesting elections, & why they matter. Judges, AGs, govs, mayors, lawmakers, AGs, county & school boards—plus many (many) ballot measures. Oh, & Congress. Explore & bookmark!

boltsmag.org

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts

Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read Mo...

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Bill Kramer @bkramer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Requiring third party safety checks for AI developer has been debated for years but is now center stage after 2026 laws in Illinois and California along with the labs themselves recently asking for such measures. I walk through the history and the current debate in full: mailchi.mp/ccac29b727ee...

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Bill Kramer @bkramer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Electoral hypothetical: Let's say that Democrats have a "wave" election in 2026. Assuming they win every competitive governor race and state leg chamber, Democrats could potentially gain 6 new trifectas in 2027 with a map like this:

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Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 26/09/2026

Meta's platforms have repeatedly been caught running ads for deepfake "nudify" apps that let you virtually undress real people without their consent, but they won't run an a trailer for an upcoming documentary that reflects poorly on Elon Musk. www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...

hollywoodreporter.com

The Major Social Media Platforms Are All Rejecting Paid Ads for Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ (Exclusive)

YouTube, TikTok and Meta have all turned down the trailer for the Oct. 9 doc, citing “political” content. X won't even take Bleecker Street's calls. The distributor is appealing.

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Dan Shafer @danshafer.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I wrote about the Assembly, organizing the state's 99 districts from least to most competitive. Goes like this: - Ultra-blue districts in Madison / Milwaukee - Trump+20-40 seats that make up about a third of the state's districts - Mid-size blue cities - The real battlegrounds

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Dan Shafer @danshafer.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Recombobulation Area Ratings: Senate: Lean D Assembly: Lean R Each will be decided by toss-up districts. SENATE: www.therecombobulationarea.com/p/2026-elect... ASSEMBLY: www.therecombobulationarea.com/p/2026-elect...

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

2 Dem lawmakers in Delaware have lost to more progressive primary challengers, backed by the DE Working Families Party. —HD16: Pamela Salaam ousts state Rep. Cooke. —SD5: Shay Frisby ousts state Sen. Seigfried. (Frisby was also endorsed by Bernie Sanders & by the DE governor.)

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I was watching five legislative primaries in Rhode Island. In each, a left-wing incumbent who was part of a wave of progressive wins in recent cycles faced a challenger, and a business group was trying to oust them. They all won. Three easily; two in tighter races.

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Erie Meyer @erie.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A DC mom asking the national guard for help clearing a tree blocking her kid’s title 1 school: Her: Aren’t you supposed to be here to help? The national guard: Nope.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 03/09/2026

The Missouri Supreme Court also orders amendment that would restrict the legislature’s ability to interfere with citizen-backed ballot initiatives on November ballot. www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=...

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Something I learned today while digging into the primary results in Alaska: It's virtually certain that the crosspartisan coalition that currently runs the state Senate (Dems + indies + moderate Republicans, with conservative Republicans in the minority) will retain the chamber.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 29/08/2026

Big #AKGov news just now: Second-place finisher Tom Begich just withdrew in favor of fellow Dem Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who finished first. The fifth-place Republican will now move up—in theory. www.adn.com/politics/202...

adn.com

Tom Begich says he will withdraw from Alaska governor’s race

The move paves the way for Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins to be the only Democrat on the November ballot.

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Stephen Wolf @stephenwolf.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

A Maryland judge appointed by former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan has blocked Democrats’ redistricting amendment from the November ballot, which would imperil a new congressional map for 2028 if upheld. The judge paused the effect of the ruling to give Dems time to appeal to Maryland’s Supreme Court

apnews.com

Maryland court rules Democratic-backed redistricting amendment cannot go on November ballot

A Maryland court has ruled that a redistricting amendment cannot go on the November ballot. Democratic state lawmakers had approved a proposed constitutional amendment earlier this month.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 19/08/2026

In total since Trump’s return, Dems flipped 31 GOP seats in legislative elections (both regular and special). The GOP flipped zero.

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Reid Wilson @reidwilson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Wyoming's House Freedom Caucus started the year hoping to win a supermajority. In Tuesday's primaries, 13 of their members got wiped out and House Speaker Chip Neiman lost a primary challenge to Sen. Ogden Driskill - pluribusnews.com/news-and-eve...

pluribusnews.com

Primary elections wipe out Wyoming Freedom Caucus - Pluribus News

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

There's a very close special election in Pennsylvania right now. It's for a state House district that Trump carried by 18%. The GOP nominee is up by just *20* votes (with 87% reporting).

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Emily Hamilton @ebwhamilton.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

New from me at Governing: www.governing.com/finance/how-... State property tax caps are spreading like wildfire. And most concerningly, some states are adopting Prop 13-style "welcome neighbor" rules that lead to lower tax bills the longer you've been in your house.

governing.com

How Property Tax Caps Keep Too Many Homes Off the Market

By locking owners in place, Proposition 13-style assessment limitations put the homes that growing families need out of reach. Some states are finding ways to hold down tax bills while avoiding this t...

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kyla scanlon @kyla.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

HOW TO GET RICH IN AMERICA In today's piece, I wrote about what happens when owning things is rewarded over doing things, the generational divides it creates, the casino economy that emerges from it, specifically the yolofolio, and how it's changing the way we think about work.

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Stephen Wolf @stephenwolf.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Wisconsin Democrats now have a solid chance to win full control of government for the first time in 16 years—and redraw the congressional map for 2028 to counteract Republican gerrymanders elsewhere. Dems could also fix much of the other damage Scott Walker and the GOP did to Wisconsin’s democracy

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Dan Shafer @danshafer.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I don't think Francesca Hong is a typical progressive movement candidate and I don't think David Crowley is a typical "establishment" candidate and that's what makes Wisconsin's Democratic primary so fascinating.

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Simon Willison @simonwillison.net · 08/08/2026

Thanks to the video from the Black Hat security conference of OpenAI's presentation about "The Hugging Face Incident" we now have a detailed timeline of what happened from OpenAI's perspective - I wrote up the details here, it's pretty wild simonwillison.net/2026/Aug/7/o...

simonwillison.net

Now we have a timeline of the OpenAI accidental attack against Hugging Face

OpenAI gave a last-minute presentation at the Black Hat security on Wednesday about “the Hugging Face Incident” (previously on this blog). The video was published yesterday. It’s short and information...

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Barred in DC @barredindc.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Really excellent data driven deep dive on DC’s failure to enforce traffic laws. Do I wonder if lack of police enforcement isnt really about the racial justice concerns but because attempted traffic stops themselves often lead to deadly behavior capitalcommonsense.substack.com/p/dc-has-a-t...

capitalcommonsense.substack.com

D.C. Has a Traffic Violence Problem

The city identifies its most dangerous drivers better than ever, and does almost nothing to stop them

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Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Waymo isn't legal in D.C. yet, but the self-driving car company is already building out three maintenance and charging facilities in the city. It's a nudge to the D.C. Council to move on a pending bill; also a teaser of what Waymo says it can offer D.C. www.notus.org/metro-newsle...

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

NEW: Republicans tried to get Missourians to effectively kill direct democracy and ballot initiatives. Last night, Missourians literally laughed in their face — rejecting the measure by a massive 80% to 20%. Here’s what to know:

boltsmag.org

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 04/08/2026

Three ways Republican SoS Denny Hoskins might go: 1) Certify referendum - very unlikely 2) Rule signatures insufficient - unlikely 3) Rule that congressional maps cannot be targeted by veto referenda - most likely #3 is based on the discredited "independent state legislature" theory.

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

More than 40,000 Missourians are regaining the right to vote. That’s because of a new law, unusual for a red state in this day and age, that significantly expanded rights restoration!

boltsmag.org

GOP-Run Missouri Becomes Latest State to Roll Back Felony Disenfranchisement - Bolts

A new law will restore voting rights for tens of thousands of people on probation and parole. It’s a departure from other GOP bills this session to restrict democracy.

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mr. TIM @timkellogg.me · 25/07/2026

during the huggingface incident, the OpenAI model left notes to its future self on how to break out of OpenAI’s constraints www.reuters.com/business/its...

The episode started while OpenAl was testing the cybersecurity prowess of an agent powered by two of OpenAl's most advanced models, GPT-5.6 Sol and an unreleased model OpenAl has described as "even more capable." By that point, there were already indications of strange behavior from OpenAl's technology, according to three sources.
In one case, an agent left notes apparently for future versions of itself, according to three people familiar with the matter. The notes, found in a part of OpenAl's infrastructure, laid out instructions for how agents could free themselves from OpenAl's internal constraints, the people said. Earlier tests of the models yielded cases in which monitoring systems had been disconnected, one of the people said.

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Bill Kramer @bkramer.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

What we've learned from yesterday's primary elections in Arizona: Biggs wins GOP nomination decisively to take on incumbent Hobbs (D), the superintendent race remains a nail-biter, and a write-in candidate pulled off a real upset. Highlights and live tracker here: www.multistate.us/elections/pr...

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

A flip last night in Arizona. Matt Orlando, who was endorsed by local Dems, seems to have won mayoral race in Chandler, Arizona's 4th largest city. Orlando beat GOP state Representative Jeff Weninger, and he will replace Mayor Kevin Hartke—who retired to run for the state House as a Republican.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 22/07/2026

The GOP controls the Corp Commish 5-0, but Dems are hoping to flip the two seats that are up this year (they didn't have a contested primary tonight). They could then take control of the board in 2028, when the other three seats will be up.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 17/07/2026

According to a tally by The Downballot, Republicans have sought to interfere in 14 races that could host competitive general elections, but so far, their preferred Democrats have won their primaries just three times.

docs.google.com

Primaries where one party boosted another party's candidate, 2022-present

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Greg Rogers @gregrr.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

If you're an urbanist who thinks DC is a car hellscape, blocking robotaxis is the last thing you should do. Want to prove you're serious? Go protest a car dealership. open.substack.com/pub/imajorit...

open.substack.com

DC’s Autonomous Vehicle Inkblot

What DC Council's 10-hour AV hearing revealed about the technology, labor, and the future of urbanism.

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Alex Turner @turntrout.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I resigned from Google DeepMind bc it broke its founding promise by selling AI to the military without restrictions against killer robots or mass spying. For months, I worked to stop this but watched powerful ethicists and institutions choose silence. Here's what happened. 🧵

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Andreas Kirsch @blackhc.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I work at Google DeepMind. This won't make me popular. But it's all public reporting: 2014: DeepMind reportedly sold to Google on conditions: no military use, independent oversight 2026: a Pentagon contract for "any lawful government purpose" Not one safeguard survived intact

Collage titled "Trust is not Governance — an essay from inside Google DeepMind, written in personal capacity."

A 2014 memorandum, "Conditions of the Acquisition," lists: military applications of DeepMind technology banned; deployment decisions before an independent ethics board (as reported in Mallaby's The Infinity Machine).

Red threads lead to a 2026 U.S. Department of Defense agreement for classified networks reading "any lawful government purpose," with safety settings and filters adjusted at the government's request and no contractor veto (reported terms, The Information, Apr. 2026).

Below: a 2018 AI Principles strip ("no weapons, no surveillance") stamped DROPPED 2025, and a Project Mario 2016–2021 tag stamped ABANDONED.

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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

"Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York is set to sign an executive order on Tuesday placing a one-year pause on the construction of the largest data centers, putting the state at the forefront of the national debate over artificial intelligence companies’ impact on American landscapes and energy grids."

nytimes.com

New York to Enact Nation’s First Statewide Moratorium on Data Centers

Gov. Kathy Hochul will sign an executive order pausing the construction of the largest data centers for one year while the state assesses their effects on the environment and energy use.

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Mark J. Nelson @mm-jj-nn.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

DC food trucks being run by scammers has been an open secret for years; not just in the metaphorical sense of overpriced and bad, but in the literal sense of not-fit-for-human-consumption food and credit-card fraud. Long-form expose here.

washingtonian.com

Inside the Food Truck Mafia Wreaking Havoc Around the National Mall

Turf wars. Food and fire hazards. $15 ice-cream cones. How an organized network of unlicensed food trucks took over America's Front Lawn.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 09/07/2026

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (left) badly trails in the polls against Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive who came close to defeating him in the 2022 Democratic primary. GOP Gov. Larry Rhoden is trying to fend off businessman Toby Doeden in South Dakota's first-ever primary runoff.

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Stephen Wolf @stephenwolf.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Utah Republicans tried to gut the ballot initiative process because voters used it to ban gerrymandering, which led a court to overturn the GOP’s congressional map, but that GOP effort is dead for 2026

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Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Today a D.C. Council committee advanced a bill that would make changes to the city's ballot initiative process, which lets normal residents propose legislation to be voted on during citywide elections. The biggest change: Only one topic per initiative, not multiple.

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Bill Kramer @bkramer.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Another early sign Democrats are headed for a good election year: Uncontested state legislative seats are at their lowest rate since 2018 — a year Dems gained 7 governorships and flipped 6 leg chambers. mailchi.mp/multistate.u...

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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I'll say again: DC is a truly lovely city, which has gotten all the more beautiful (and functional) in the many years we've had a home here. Right now it's the litter box for whatever corrupt whim comes into DJT mind, from East Wing to Kennedy Ctr to cage fight. Statehood DC, when this is over.

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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

"Neither the Trump administration nor Anthropic have released details of any new controls or safeguards that have been applied to the models."

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A downballot result: In the highest-profile Democratic primary for Colorado's state Senate, the progressive side has easily prevailed. Chela Garcia Irlando, an environmental advocate, has won over Andrés Carrera, a former staffer for Governor Jared Polis.

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The Downballot @the-downballot.com · 01/07/2026

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser beats Sen. Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary for governor. Bennet largely cleared the field last year when he unexpectedly decided to run, and there was a massive amount of speculation who he'd appoint to his Senate seat. Weiser's win makes that moot.

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Jessica Sidman @jessicasidman.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Forget the Reflecting Pool. US Park Police say organized crime is operating on the National Mall, and no one's talking about it. My deep-dive into the pirate food trucks wreaking havoc around America's Front Lawn. washingtonian.com/2026/06/29/d...

washingtonian.com

Inside the Food Truck Mafia Wreaking Havoc Around the National Mall

Turf wars. Food and fire hazards. $15 ice-cream cones. How an organized network of unlicensed food trucks took over America's Front Lawn.

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Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

NEWS: The D.C. Council just voted to fund and implement the semi-open primaries portion of Initiative 83, which also brought ranked-choice voting to D.C. That means that in 2028 independent voters will be able to choose whether to vote in a partisan primary election.

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Since RCV started, there haven't been many high-profile examples of contests where it actually mattered: where the final winner trailed among the first-round preferences. (Think Eric Adams, Mamdani, all the Peltola & Murkowski races.) Until suddenly it happened TWICE in Maine last night.

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Bill Kramer @bkramer.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

State fiscal health is deteriorating: 40 states stable two summers ago → 34 last summer → 26 today. With 10 states now facing serious short-term challenges. Andrew Jones breaks down who's in trouble and why in this week's Morning MultiState: mailchi.mp/multistate.u...

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