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Dan Brekke

@danbrekke.bsky.social
1.4K followers 584 following 270 posts

Transportation, history, transportation history, water, weather, water and weather, salmon and other interests of all sorts. Photography is pretty cool. Signal: danbrekke.95

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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Or AI- generated.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is too friggin’ cute for words, and hopefully not AU-generated.
substack.com
RAISINI (@raisini)
If you love goats, you’ll love this one ☺️ share it someone who loves baby goats 🐐 https://raisini.substack.com/p/our-existence-is-a-blip
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
bartfare.bsky.social @bartfare.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
🚨Exclusive Audio: A @bart.gov Train Operator Warned "Someone going to get Hurt if they don't get this Fixed" 🚆Trains are Surging and Slamming on the Brakes This is happening Repeatedly at SFO Airport Station Unedited Bart Central & TANGO audio September 22, 2026, 8:11 AM @danbrekke.bsky.social
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Wrongfully detained, wrongfully arrested, wrongfully charged. And it’s not at all clear the #SFPD officers involved will face any consequences.
nytimes.com
A Driver’s Fatal Spiral After a Police Officer’s Typo
Police thought they had caught a car thief in San Francisco. Instead, they had mistyped his license plate number, a watchdog agency said, then arrested him with excessive force.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Agree on the need to limit speeds. But the upside to the faster machines is that it's a new way to test your alertness and reflexes to stay out of their damned way.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The potential combination of high waves, high sea levels, high tides, and high rainfall this winter could lead to "considerable coastal flooding, intrusion of salt water into the groundwater, and coastal erosion."
latimes.com
El Niño could bring highest sea levels ever recorded to the California coast
A strengthening El Niño could bring the highest sea levels ever recorded to the California coast this year, raising the risk of widespread and damaging flooding.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
The Lives and Lies of 'Elias Vance,' an AI Hero for Our Times
infospigot.com
The Lives and Lies of ‘Elias Vance,’ an AI Hero for Our Times
“Elias Vance,” a fictional Georgia high school history teacher created by artificial intelligence. (Why is he walking toward the wall instead of the door?) A while ago, a friend reposte…
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Have they gotten to Tolono yet? It was just about the last place Lincoln spoke in Illinois on the way to his first inauguration. And the unreconstructed Wobbly and itinerant folk singer Utah Phillips wrote a song about it.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Republicans can’t stop talking about a California dog who voted. Here’s what really happened
sfchronicle.com
Republicans can’t stop talking about a California dog who voted. Here’s what really happened
Republicans’ fixation on the dog voter — and the voter ID measure they say it justifies — echoes President Donald Trump’s claims about the need for stricter voting requirements.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
And a Purple Air overview of the L.A. area. This spike in particulates is a regular feature of the massive illegal fireworks displays across California.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Purple Air particulate readings (PM 2.5) as our annual fireworks extravaganza winds down ... #berkeley #okaland #alameda
Color map showing air quality readings during illegal fireworks on the evening of the Fourth of July.
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Alissa Walker @awalkerinla.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
The hydration stations have been a World Cup highlight for me because they symbolize an in-reach public amenity win. And there’s an effort to install 2028 permanent hydration stations in LA city by 2028
torched.la
Hydration break
This is my ode to public H₂O
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
UC Berkeley Law School Professor John Yoo assisting Trump administration investigation into whether federal officials conspired against Trump after 2016 election. #ucberkeleylaw #ucberkeley
latimes.com
Professor known for 'torture memos' will advise conspiracy probe focused on perceived Trump foes
John Yoo, a conservative law professor known for his views on presidential power, confirms he will advise a team investigating whether officials conspired against Donald Trump
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Patrick Skinner @pmskinner.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
In addition to being an amazing human being, former President Jimmy Carter was able in 1976 to see & speak to the future. Read this & know he’s talking about us right now. And we don’t have to be this way. This fake tough garbage. It’s weakness bragging how strong it is.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Excellent piece marking the 150th anniversary of the Little Bighorn fight.
nytimes.com
For Heirs of Custer and Sitting Bull, a 150-Year-Old Battle Is Personal
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
And the company’s action is less than voluntary in the sense that it’s required to report incidents like this. It’s probably trying to pre-empt orders from regulators, who could still require the company to explain the problems and show how it has resolved them.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
“Recall” might give the impression the company has suspended operations. It hasn’t. Waymo is still running on surface streets while it tries to figure out why the cars were behaving dangerously on freeways.
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
bartfare.bsky.social @bartfare.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
BART 🚆Train Dispatch Audio: A Blown insulator near 24th St. BART Station Caused a Major Delay in Service @bart.gov workers replaced 9 insulators near 24th St. June 13, 2026, 7:07 PM @danbrekke.bsky.social youtu.be/Wn0RViB_Xwo
youtu.be
Audio Blown Insulator near 24th St Station Caused Major Delay in Service BART Replaced 9 insulators
YouTube video by Bart Fare Evaders
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
You kind of wonder how many BART days start like this one, with fare-collection and ticket vending equipment down at (at least) some stations. @kqednews.kqed.org @azul415.bsky.social
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
'The project is a “wipeout of nature,” said Joni Vorpsi, a protester and member of the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania. Taulant Bino of the Albanian Ornithological Society said the area is “extremely important” for migratory species.'
wapo.st
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s Albanian resort plan sets off days of protests
The protests, raising concerns about conservation, transparency and the project’s ties to the Trump family, began Sunday in the Albanian capital, Tirana.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
BART chief demands to know: 'Why is our new regional fare payment system so janky?' via @kqednews.kqed.org
kqed.org
‘Zero Credibility’: Major Clipper Outage Caused by Cubic’s Failure to Pay AT&T Bill | KQED
A 27-hour Clipper outage last month brought down BART ticket vending machines and caused delays at fare gates.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Yes. And Lawfare has saved most of what's been deleted: www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-... NPR and others have created archives to preserve a record of the events: apps.npr.org/jan-6-archive/ But with an administration at war with facts, truth and history, we can't regard any of this as secure.
lawfaremedia.org
The Justice Department Erases History; Lawfare Restores It
Last week, the Justice Department deleted thousands of press releases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection and other matters. Here they are.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
"It's clear there is an ongoing fight to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, because these people know if they can successfully get people to forget about Jan. 6 — or worse yet, condone it — then they will be able to convince people to accept any attack on democracy."
npr.org
Trump DOJ mass-deletes info on Jan. 6 riot cases, including violent assaults on cops
The Trump Department of Justice purged government news releases with information about prosecutions of rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol and assaulted law enforcement on Jan. 6, 2021.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
"They give birth astride of a grave. ..." #samuelbeckett #waitingforgodot
infospigot.com
Guest Observation: Samuel Beckett
The Netflix business model is brilliant if all customers are like us. We got a DVD of several Samuel Beckett plays (part of an Irish-British TV project, “Beckett on Film”) about a month…
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"Enduring such a torturous, anesthesia-free root canal required staggering willpower. Yet the tooth shows continued wear after the drilling took place, meaning the patient survived and kept using the molar."
nytimes.com
Neanderthal Dentistry, and the Scientist Glad Not to Have Experienced It
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who exposed the reach of migrant child labor during the Biden administration weighs in on gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s role and responsibility in the crisis.
kqed.org
The Journalist Who Investigated the Migrant Child Crisis Weighs in on Becerra’s Record | KQED
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who exposed the reach of migrant child labor during the Biden administration weighs in on gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra’s role and responsibility in the ...
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Thanks for that background. As far as I can tell, though, none of that responds to the criticism from McKibben.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Oil industry contributions to Becerra played a big part in @thirdactorg.bsky.social's endorsement of Tom Steyer. In a recent LAT op-ed, @billmckibben.bsky.social also noted Becerra's failure as state attorney general to join attempts to hold the industry accountable for lying about climate change.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
The Trump administration has granted more than 180 polluting facilities 2-year pause on compliance with Clean Air Act rules. The administration set up an email address through the EPA where companies simply had to send an email to make their request. Few requests appear to have been denied.
propublica.org
Trump Exempted Some of the Nation’s Biggest Polluters From Air Quality Rules. All It Took Was an Email.
In an unprecedented move, the administration has granted industrial facilities in 38 states and Puerto Rico a two-year reprieve from federal rules under the Clean Air Act. The president is considering...
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Thanks, Gabe. And thanks for "Amarillo Highway."
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
"California, Arizona and Nevada have offered to use about 1.6 million acre-feet less annually over the next two years. But the Trump administration’s plan would allow for mandatory cuts of up to 3 million acre-feet per year in the three states — as much as 40% of their combined allotments." #cawater
latimes.com
Trump administration readying a plan to impose Colorado River water cuts on Western states
The White House has told Western states it's working on a 10-year plan for the overtapped Colorado River that will allow for reassessing cutbacks every two years.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Alone on the Mother Road in the dead of winter ...
infospigot.com
The Hitchhiker: Late Night, Amarillo, 1974
Foggy Interstate 40 on the western outskirts of Amarillo, November 2025. Kate and I stopped overnight in Amarillo, on the plains of the Texas Panhandle, a few nights before Thanksgiving last fall. …
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Crossroads, Texas, north of Dallas, the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2025. I only took the picture to send to friends in California, where we pay a lot more than Lone Star drivers do. Gas Buddy shows the price at the same station today is $3.99/gal. It's fascinating what a little war will do.
Electronic roadside sign showing gas station prices.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Valley Link was supposed to ease brutal commutes across Altamont Pass. Eight years after it was announced, plan has been cut in half and projected costs have doubled. And it's still years away from breaking ground. #sfbayarea #transit
mercurynews.com
Valley Link was supposed to ease brutal commutes. Now it’s smaller, pricier and still years away
Officials have secured about $800 million but still need billions more to build the first phase, leaving commuters with no clear timeline for relief.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I can hardly wait to take our new bullet train down to Los Angeles!
npr.org
Passenger railroads see a sharp jump in ridership as gas prices climb
More Americans are turning to the train as gas prices reach their highest point since the war in Iran began. Brightline, the privately-run railroad in Florida, had its best month ever in March.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
'They call it stormy Monday, But Tuesday's just as bad. Lord and Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's oh so sad.' Friday, Saturday and Sunday are gnarly on the freeways, too. #transportation #transit
sfchronicle.com
These are the Bay Area’s worst traffic spots. No. 1 is a brutal stretch of highway along I-880
A look at the Bay Area’s top 10 traffic choke points shows a recurring theme: traffic patterns from workers commuting south for jobs in tech or aerospace.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
And here's the full story (nearly undiscoverable on KQED's site) of the 1903 journey that may count as the United States' first cross-country road trip: www.kqed.org/liveblog/bay...
instagram.com
KQEDNews on Instagram: "George A. Wyman was a Hayward native, born in 1877, who at the age of 26 made what is said to have been the first trip across the United States via motorized vehicle — in his c...
2,476 likes, 20 comments - kqednews on March 26, 2026: "George A. Wyman was a Hayward native, born in 1877, who at the age of 26 made what is said to have been the first trip across the United States ...
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 16/04/2026
After audio of two pilots communicating in cat speak was shared widely online, the FAA said that it was investigating the interaction, and that pilots were banned from “nonessential communication” below a certain altitude.
nytimes.com
Pilots Went Viral for Meowing on the Radio. The F.A.A. Was Not Amused.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
"There is no widely available public tool comparable to the Wayback Machine, and if it continues to lose access to major news sources, its preservation efforts could erode to the point where early digital records of history become much harder to access, or are even lost altogether. "
wired.com
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Join me for a live virtual office hour on Tue Mar 10 at 3pm PT to discuss potential for a genuinely extreme, and potentially even historic, March heatwave in American Southwest (including CA) later this month. I'll talk dynamics, impacts & implications.
youtube.com
Early signs of historic March heatwave for the Southwestern U.S.? (Not what we need...) - YouTube
The latest in a recurring series of live, virtual, & interactive #weather and #climate-focused "office hours" hosted by Dr. Daniel Swain. 3/9/2026 topic: I'l...
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Alexander Butterfield, who disclosed the existence of Nixon’s secret White House taping system, blowing the cover on the Watergate conspiracy and sealing the fate of the only American president to resign from office, dies at 99. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...
nytimes.com
Alexander Butterfield, Who Revealed Nixon Tapes in Watergate Scandal, Dies at 99
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Ethan Elkind @ethanelkind.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Curious about the history of the San Francisco Bay Area's now defunct electric streetcar system? Check out this deep dive by @danbrekke.bsky.social, where I try to dispel the conspiracy theory about their demise: www.kqed.org/news/12073762
kqed.org
The Rise and Fall of the Bay Area Streetcar Transit System | KQED
All nine counties of the Bay Area had robust streetcar systems at the start of the 20th century. In the East Bay, rumors swirl about how and why the Key System failed.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
In the Transbay Tube, no one can hear you scream (the Chronicle revisits a 2010 investigation on why @bart.gov is so damned loud). #transit www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...
sfchronicle.com
Why is BART still so loud?
Years after big changes, BART is still really loud. We measured just how many decibels.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
"Christy Wegener, the executive director of the Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority, said that at the current rate, with about 7,000 to 8,000 accounts upgraded per day, it would take over three years to fully transition all accounts to next-generation Clipper."
kqed.org
Ongoing Clipper 2.0 Issues Plague Bay Area Transit Agencies, Seniors and Low-Income Riders | KQED
The company responsible for Clipper’s new fare payment system said that it was making progress on resolving issues, as transit agency leaders voiced their frustration with ongoing glitches.
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
“Judge Cannon's decision to permanently block the release of this extraordinarily significant report is impossible to square with the First Amendment and the common law"
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bartfare.bsky.social @bartfare.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
@bart.gov Train Dispatch Audio BART Lost all Radio Communication with Trains in the Transbay Tube Service Stopped between Embarcadero & West Oakland February 22, 2026, 4:01 PM @danbrekke.bsky.social youtu.be/EDzBiPZth9E
youtu.be
Audio: BART has no Radio Communication in the Transbay Tube Service Stopped between SF & Oakland
YouTube video by Bart Fare Evaders
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
"To be treated worse here, at home, than people who had attacked our unit in a war zone, it’s been hard to understand."
theintercept.com
Marine Detained in Minneapolis Says Feds Copied His Phone Without a Warrant
He was observing after Alex Pretti’s killing. Feds detained him at gunpoint, sampled his DNA, scanned his face, and cloned his phone.
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Reposted by Dan Brekke
Rachael Myrow @rachaelmyrow.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Yeah, they're loud, but maybe...respect? 🙌🏼 "We should celebrate them for being successful... Like, they think about how to live with us, we need to think about how to live with them." www.kqed.org/news/1207243... via @kqednews.kqed.org @danbrekke.bsky.social
kqed.org
Is It Crow-maggedon? Why Crows Are Flocking to Bay Area Cities Each Winter | KQED
Have you seen the huge gatherings of crows near Oakland’s Lake Merritt or in downtown San Francisco? There’s an explanation for their behavior.
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Police sergeant reported working average of 100 hours a week in 2024, with total compensation north of $800,000 once regular salary and benefits were added in. One question the story doesn’t address: Who in the city administration is responsible for signing off on such an outlandish level of OT?
oaklandside.org
One Oakland police officer made $490,000 in overtime. The city can’t find records detailing much of what he did
One OPD officer logged 5,242 total working hours, racking up $490,000 in overtime pay. If he worked more than half of the time in a calendar year, why can't the city tell us what he did?
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Dan Brekke @danbrekke.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
"Before last week's fatal shooting in Minneapolis, ICE shootings involved moving vehicles at least 19 times & were connected to at least 10 deaths and six injuries. Task forces including ICE agents have shot at least three other US citizens."
wired.com
Why ICE Can Kill With Impunity
Over the past decade, US immigration agents have shot and killed more than two dozen people. Not a single agent appears to have faced criminal charges.
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