Reposted by Brian Wasikjamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1hthe funny thing about this of course is that "athenian democracy" was a cautionary tale to the framers, who saw it as unstable and prone to demagogues and tyrants like the one rubio works for 742484389
Reposted by Brian WasikCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 5hIf we do not immediately eliminate the death penalty in the United States we are not only a barbaric nation but a willfully vicious and bloodthirsty one with a "pro-life" court whose hypocrisy puts Robespierre to shame.nytimes.comChrista Pike, Confused After Failed Tennessee Execution, Is at Center of Legal Storm (Gift Article)Her awareness and condition deepen ethical and legal questions after Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her for murdering a classmate decades ago. 726954
Reposted by Brian WasikAdam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3hAbsolute trash, by trash people who are not scientists 1417650
Reposted by Brian WasikAngie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 22hWill Russian lab leak plague (?) become a pandemic? Is it a bioweapon? Is it even plague? WHO KNOWS?!? Fantastic epi @gidmk.bsky.social & I broke down what little we do know about the situation rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/a-plague-u...rasmussenretorts.substack.comA Plague Upon SiberiaThere was a lab leak at a plague research lab in Irkutsk. Does this mean the Black Death is back? 47223
Reposted by Brian WasikFinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 2hBLASTS RATTLE RIYADH, SAUDIS HIT BY DEADLIEST HOUTHI ATTACKS SO FAR - NYT 710537
Reposted by Brian WasikJames McInerney @jomcinerney.bsky.social · 3hI have put this program online. I use it mostly for teaching about alignments, though it is a genuine aligner wrapper, as well as having a ProbCons-like aligner itself. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zljs...youtube.comCRAIC FeaturesYouTube video by James Talks Genetics 177
Reposted by Brian WasikGregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 2hWhat a great piece by Gigi Kwik Gronvall! www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Here’s What Worries Me About the Russian Plague Scare (Gift Article)America is not prepared for a major disease outbreak. 33815
Reposted by Brian WasikMicah @rincewind.run · 11hTrump: *says horrible thing* the media: he didn’t actually mean it Trump: no I definitely one hundred percent meant it 443743904
Reposted by Brian WasikKathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 11hIt is unacceptable that public officials in charge of our health are not commenting on this. “Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to requests for comment about the initiative. A spokesman for Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the N.I.H. director, declined comment.”nytimes.comRFK Jr. Plans Vaccine Injury Initiative, Drawing Wary Eye From ExpertsVaccine safety experts say more research into the side effects would be welcome yet question whether the health secretary’s effort will be grounded in science. 04916
Reposted by Brian WasikDavid Burbach 🇺🇸 @dburbach.bsky.social · 11hYarvin is basically one hop from the tech billionaires shaping US policy, and has been praised by VP Vance 39428
Reposted by Brian WasikWill Ratcliff @wcratcliff.bsky.social · 16hOut today in @nature.com: our review on how single cells evolve into multicellular organisms. With Ozan Bozdag, @kaitong25.bsky.social, Peter Yunker, and @matthewherron.bsky.social. rdcu.be/9ZuiKow9twKa For an overview, check out the video below. 722198
Brian Wasik @brianrwasik.bsky.social · 12hAgain, heed Grant, re: Lee. "Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do." 010
Brian Wasik @brianrwasik.bsky.social · 12hInteresting to learn that maybe Tillis is retiring less because of his cowardice - than he is an idiot who does not know the Constitution, Article I. Johnson will have no such authority or power. Just 1 schmuck among 435. The House is not a continuing body! 172
Reposted by Brian WasikChris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 14hNo AI for kids. Full stop. 1894364739
Reposted by Brian WasikBen McAdams (The Resurrection Arc) @purrtah.bsky.social · 21hOne of the Republican Senators that blocked redistricting in Indiana and was then primaried is endorsing Dem Bayh for Indiana Secretary of State 310418
Reposted by Brian WasikWill Thorne @wbthorne.bsky.social · 07/10/2026This graph is a good reason to introduce my new paper: By Generation and by Design: A Review of the Empirical Rent Control Literature. This paints a (somewhat) misleading picture of rent control evidence because it groups all rent control together regardless of design feature. 517053
Reposted by Brian WasikKai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 07/10/2026"Information from Russia has been incomplete, confusing, and contradictory." My colleague @martinenserink.bsky.social on what we know so far about the possible plague death in Russia and the implications. 🧪science.orgPossible plague death at a Siberian lab baffles scientistsMuch is unclear about the tragedy, but plague researchers say there is “zero” chance of an epidemic 27542
Reposted by Brian Wasikrax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 06/10/2026a little louder for the cheap seats in the back 3254531877
Brian Wasik @brianrwasik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Determined to mix up that Discourse today, huh? Haha 000
Reposted by Brian WasikJames O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 07/10/2026Holy shit. Someone has decompiled the Adobe suite, rebuilt it in Rust and released it as open source. Either all software is dead or the US copyright laws are about to receive an update. getartcraft.com/appsgetartcraft.comCrafting Apps: open-source creative toolsImage editing, vector illustration, video, photography, PDFs, motion graphics and page layout: seven native, open-source apps from the ArtCraft team, built in Rust and free to use. 19242591201
Reposted by Brian Wasikryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 07/10/2026a “banana republic” is precisely when the political system is dominated by overweening corporate interests 351565261
Reposted by Brian WasikPatrick Wyman @patrickwyman.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Trump and his allies have spent most of the past decade doing the administrative equivalent of ripping bundles of wiring out of the walls. When everything's trundling along, you don't necessarily notice the missing wiring. When something goes very wrong, suddenly the damage becomes apparent. 538688
Reposted by Brian WasikDr. Nahid Bhadelia @bhadeliamd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026We have issued a late breaking update to this report based on US and WHO statements, at end of report. RFI and follow up: Russia reports anti-plague institute researcher died from pneumonia of unknown etiology, unrelated to lab work via @beaconbio.bsky.social - beaconbio.org/en/report/?r...beaconbio.orgBEACONTrack biological threats, share vital information, and collaborate on solutions for community protection and preparedness. 02813
Reposted by Brian WasikThe Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Sometimes my wife and I like to send each other text messages as though they’re democratic fundraising messages, and I believe she has produced the jewel of the form. 184108661812
Reposted by Brian WasikChris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Also, no, I am not letting Sam Alito’s not-even-in-an-opinion rants — many of which are years-old speeches reiterating the same grievances he’s been making constantly to anyone who will listen — lead to the exact coverage now that he clearly so desperately craves. 545730
Reposted by Brian WasikSAG-AFTRA @sagaftra.org · 06/10/2026We celebrate Eva Marie Saint, who died today at 102. A #SagAftraMember since 1947, Saint won an Oscar for her film debut in 'On the Waterfront' and starred in 'North by Northwest.' An advocate for organized labor, she leaves an enduring example for generations of union members. 101352331
Reposted by Brian Wasikonion person @junlper.beer · 06/10/2026one of the deepest sicknesses in the world are the people who feel personally attacked over other people getting the same rights as them 8685501689
Brian Wasik @brianrwasik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Yeah, impeaching Bove off the bench and making an example of him has to be near top of 2027 agenda. 081
Reposted by Brian WasikJane Coaston @janecoaston.bsky.social · 06/10/2026they're all just lying, it is tremendous lying, but it is just lying 182539289
Reposted by Brian Wasikjamelle @jamellebouie.net · 06/10/2026interesting that conservatives were militantly “we must reward hustle” when the target was affirmative action at elite universities and now, when faced with the success of south asians and other groups, it is “i think we are too meritocratic” 19269571092
Reposted by Brian WasikBoo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 06/10/2026Every thing the President does is going to be interpreted in an official capacity, which is why the President must speak clearly and thoughtfully at all times. If the President does not do that, it is not on us to bail him out, he is failing at doing his job. 423730
Reposted by Brian WasikDan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Another thing to tear down in 2029: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...nytimes.comInside Trump's Plan to Fence Off a Historic Protest SiteThe president’s proposal to enclose a park in Washington could alter how the space has been used for generations. 1625080
Reposted by Brian WasikThe Associated Press @apnews.com · 06/10/2026BREAKING: Former Deputy AG Sally Yates will lead a review of Cornell's handling of sexual assault and harassment reports, the university said.bit.lyCornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school’s handling of sex assault claimsCornell University trustees have announced that former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will review how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints. 33969219
Reposted by Brian WasikAlan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I wrote about the Cornell rape case, specifically about how MAGA responses to it highlight the male supremacism on the American right. www.liberalcurrents.com/the-illusion...liberalcurrents.comThe Illusion of Consent: A Rape at Cornell and the MAGA RightFor the new right, when a man is accused of rape, he is first and foremost a victim of feminism. 16503154
Reposted by Brian WasikRyan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 06/10/2026First on @nbcnews.com: www.nbcnews.com/politics/jus...nbcnews.comFBI whistleblower says White House pushed unconstitutional probe of protestersThe former analyst says supervisors were told not to put things in writing, so many of the directives came in face-to-face meetings. 6271147
Reposted by Brian WasikDavid Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I want this lying, sundowning grifter to continue speaking off-the-cuff, emptying his hollow soul into microphones in every swing state he can reach in the next month. I want him out there every day, revealing some fresh thread of malignant, fatuous idiocy. I think he's now a political plague. 23804108
Reposted by Brian WasikTPM @talkingpointsmemo.com · 06/10/2026Despite her recent statements, she has, over the past year and a half — through the Trump administration's countless illegal impoundments, funding freezes and pocket rescissions — done little to actually rein the executive branch in.talkingpointsmemo.comSusan Collins Voted to Confirm Russ Vought. Is She Having Second Thoughts?In recent weeks, as the Office of Management and Budget Director Russ... 3129263
Reposted by Brian WasikGeoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The IceCube neutrino detector has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in physics. The Trump administration has proposed slashing its budget in half in 2027. 382012706
Reposted by Brian WasikBill @bill-of-lefts.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I think parts of the right are radicalizing further *precisely because* Donald Trump is a failure—they have no positive outcome to point to, so they can only maintain their ego by imaging the left as a literally satanic force 313322
Reposted by Brian WasikBoo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 06/10/2026Nobody has ever said “cortisol” and made a point that didn’t make me worried they weren’t vaccinating their children 412711
Reposted by Brian WasikMina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Me when my parents rented DEEP IMPACT from Blockbuster 1348851948
Reposted by Brian WasikJoel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Seems like if you're going to make a national story out of Hasan Piker, who campaigned a few times with the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, saying Israel causes antisemitism, you should also make a national story out of the favorite intellectual of the US Vice President supporting Hitler. 322930638
Reposted by Brian WasikElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Pennsylvania has now reported: -At least 1004 measles cases -198 hospitalizations -Five deaths Only four of the cases had been vaccinated. Sure, we’ve got some numbers here, but the damage from RFK Jr.’s malicious treachery is actually incalculable.wbaltv.comPennsylvania measles cases reach more than 1,000. Track outbreaks in your stateMeasles cases have surged in 2026, and Pennsylvania reported more than a thousand cases as of Monday. 46737339
Reposted by Brian WasikDan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 05/10/2026First Birth Cohort Eligible for Chickenpox Vaccine Had a Sharp Drop in Shingles Cases www.epicresearch.org/articles/fir...epicresearch.orgFirst Birth Cohort Eligible for Chickenpox Vaccine Had a Sharp Drop in Shingles CasesThe share of adults diagnosed with shingles between 2019 and 2026 rose steeply with age, from about 7 per 10,000 among those born between 2006 and 2008 to 182 per 10,000 among those born between 1968 ... 45819