iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“I will do it tomorrow,” said Toad. “Today I will take life easy.”

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 22/09/2026

🚨 A long-overdue win for thousands of incarcerated people in Texas who are forced to endure the state's sweltering heat behind bars with no relief.

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 18/09/2026

"Since 2002, more than 1,200 counties have invested more than $42 billion to expand their carceral footprints" The U.S.'s commitment to jail construction is an absolute financial and moral failure.

vera.org

The Scale of Jail Construction Across the United States, 2002–2022

Vera works closely with government and civic leaders to urgently build and improve justice systems that ensure fairness, promote safety, and strengthen…

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 15/09/2026

It's National Voter Registration Day A common misconception is that anyone with a past criminal conviction is barred from voting, a myth that creates de facto disenfranchisement for many impacted by the system In reality, it varies from state to state: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Screenshot of U.S. map showing states with criminal disenfranchisement laws

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 04/09/2026

A call center is paying incarcerated people in Oklahoma just $2/hour to do a political party’s bidding. Here's the kicker — that ridiculous wage is still 3,900% higher than the wages of other incarcerated workers in the same state prisons.

oklahomavoice.com

Oklahoma prison inmates operated political, insurance calls centers behind bars • Oklahoma Voice

Contracts obtained via an open records request confirm that a company called HBW Leads and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections have established several call centers since January.

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Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

23% drop in student visas to US in 2025 57% drop from India alone catastrophic for research and learning, here and abroad www.insidehighered.com/news/global/...

Graph of visas issued to students per month in 2024 and 2025

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Michael Karanicolas @karanicolas.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Elite universities, particularly American ones, are a vacuum which pull in the brightest and most ambitious young talent from around the world to their host countries. It is, without exaggeration, the greatest long-term advantage America has. And they decided to turn that system off because racism.

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Tom Dudchik @ctcapitolreport.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Challengers' Night: Bermudez Defeats Moore, Sabin Defeats Dillon In State Rep Primaries... go.ctcapitolreport.com/4zdDvfK

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 08/08/2026

Private prisons are bad, but they’re a small part of the system. Mass incarceration is driven by public policy & spending — choices made by your elected officials.

Pie chart showing that less than 9% of confined people are held in private prisons: 13,000 held for local jail systems, 6,000 held for youth systems, 43,000 held of ICE & Office of Refugee Resettlement, 33,000 held for BoP & USMS, and 75,000 held for state prison systems.

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Holy corruption and degradation of the FDA mission. The FDA was *specifically* set up to protect the public and prevent these type of patent medicine scammers from getting access to the market via the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1096

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

This is the first main part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act kicking in. The second part, restricting Medicaid, is timed to happen after the midterms.

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Jeff Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

You might get sick of hearing this but if he keeps doing it I'm gonna keep saying it: this is an unconstitutional impoundment, violating both Congress' Article I spending authority and the 1974 Impoundment Control act, and immediately impeachable.

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

“For the past 40 years, it’s been illegal in the U.S. for emergency departments to turn away patients because of an inability to pay. But that only applies to hospitals that contract with Medicare. Houston-based Nutex Health… has opted not to at most of its hospitals, so it’s not bound by that law.”

statnews.com

The ERs that can turn patients away — and are reaping millions

The hospital operator Nutex enriched itself by exploiting loopholes in laws meant to protect patients, STAT found.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 25/06/2026

John Roberts' Constitution forbids any attempt to proactively ameliorate racial discrimination and racial inequality, but permits open racial discrimination as long as there is a facially neutral explanation available, even if it isn't remotely plausible. This, my friends, is "Colorblindness."

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

MOTAA 2.0 is dropping today. The push to radically improve access to methadone treatment for opioid addiction is back & the hope to bring it into the mainstream of medical care. www.statnews.com/2026/06/25/b...

statnews.com

Bipartisan bill seeks to allow direct prescribing of methadone for opioid addiction

Methadone for opioid addiction has been available only at specialty clinics. A bipartisan bill would greatly expand access.

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

NEW: As states hollow out their mental health care systems, what's happening is that they're using their jails as mental health providers. Jail is where people with mental illness cycle in and out of, basically as a state's public policy. We just reported on how that's working out in Colorado.

boltsmag.org

The Jail That Replaced Boulder’s Mental Health System - Bolts

Colorado’s dysfunctional system for restoring competency for defendants with serious mental illness leaves people cycling in and out of jail, where harsh conditions can further erode their mental heal...

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 22/06/2026

Incarcerated people aren't shielded from the outrageous costs of healthcare either (contrary to popular belief). In some carceral facilities, copays for a single medical visit cost more than an entire week of prison wages.

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 09/06/2026

As food insecurity runs rampant in the U.S., hunger is being used as punishment. Most U.S. states have restrictions on SNAP benefits for people with probation violations — potentially leaving many vulnerable folks behind:

U.S. map showing that most states have probation violation-related disqualifications for SNAP benefits

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Vera Institute of Justice @vera.org · 08/06/2026

Over the past several decades, the US has undergone a quiet but colossal jail building boom. Since 2002: ➡️ More than 1200 counties invested more than $42B to expand their carceral footprints ➡️ Nearly every state funded at least one jail expansion or new facility

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

How many people knew about Erin Stewart's loose ethics around abusing city finances and said nothing? It's crazy to me that she left office & was like, gimme $120,000, and didn't think that it'd come up as she ran for governor. ctmirror.org/2026/06/04/r...

ctmirror.org

Report: Erin Stewart received more than $120,000 in severance

A new investigative report shows former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart demanded more than $200,000 in unused time off as she left office.

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

The @nytimes.com now giving the events at Delaney Hall a lot of coverage. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/03/n...

nytimes.com

See the Clashes Between ICE and Protesters in New Jersey

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Scarlet Rose @scarlet-rose.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

It was then Minnie finally confessed to Mickey she has been in a love triangle between him and Daisy Duck all this time.

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National Homelessness Law Center @homelesslaw.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

BREAKING: The Louisiana Senate passed a disturbing anti-homeless bill that pushes homeless people into jails, forced treatment, and unpaid labor. Hours earlier, the same lawmakers voted to give themselves $1,000 to cover housing expenses, recognizing housing is too expensive.

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elizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule. Russell Vought is going destroy American Science. elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/summary-of...

elizabethginexi.substack.com

Summary of Key Changes in OMB’s Proposed Federal Financial Assistance Rule

Russell Vought is going destroy American Science

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onion person @junlper.beer · 28/05/2026

why am i just finding out about ICE terrorizing this city and people? why is no one in the media talking about this beyond independent outlets? this is horrifying

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Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Our updated @georgetownccf.bsky.social tracker finds that 16 months into President Trump’s 2nd term, Medicaid is covering 2 million fewer children. This is very bad news b/c the child uninsured rate is likely going up as a result. And this is before HR 1 Medicaid cuts kick in.

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Just insane. New Jersey Gov Mikie Sherrill says DHS just denied state health inspectors full access to Delaney Hall. She's calling for it to be shut down.

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

I would have thought federal agents tear gassing a sitting US Senator (from the tristate area!) would have made the front page news, but what do I know… @nytimes.com

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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 24/05/2026

❌ MYTH: Some people need to go to jail to get treatment and services. ⚠️ REALITY: Time & time again, people trapped in the system are left worse off because they cannot get the treatment they need. Jails and prisons are designed for punishment, not care.

Graph showing that over half of people in state prisons report mental health problems, but only 1 in 4 has received professional help in prison

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Hugh Bailey @hughsbailey.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

You live in maybe the highest-opportunity location in the state and all you can think is that the chance for more people to live there is going to make your commute three minutes longer.

greenwichtime.com

Construction begins on 120 apartment units in central Greenwich, raising neighborhood concerns

“The extra traffic and congestion, that’s the biggest complaint I’ve heard in the past decade," said Fred Lee.

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Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · 22/05/2026

With the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy, the U.S. continues to incarcerate more people than any other country. Nearly 2 million people are locked up in the U.S., according to @prisonpolicy.org’s 2026 report.

eji.org

U.S. Remains World Leader in Number of People Incarcerated

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

A little more wonky than some other actions, but more damage to processes that support rigorous science to benefit patients and population health. Whatever your good faith problems with USPSTF, all this action does is further degrade our federal health infrastructure. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/w...

nytimes.com

Kennedy Fires Leaders of Key Health Task Force

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

*** NEW RESEARCH *** Images of ICE targeting US cities have been commonplace in since January 2025. What's the economic effect of this new immigration enforcement regime on businesses, both workplaces and retailers, in targeted areas? Thread... 🧵

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🜲 @fresh72.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I just watched a vid on fragmentation & how it effects local property taxes youtu.be/hF2gUdG9kU0?...

youtu.be

Why Tax Base Fragmentation Is a Serious Problem

YouTube video by Ray Delahanty | CityNerd

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Recap of health policy changes in CT legislative session, what they don't mention is that two opioid overdose prevention bills didn't make the cut. Overdose prevention centers made it out of committee & died and effort to improve ED-based MOUD access got watered down. ctmirror.org/2026/05/15/c...

ctmirror.org

CT health legislation: Vaccines, Medicaid rates, private equity

Connecticut lawmakers tackled several long-standing healthcare issues during this year's legislative session. Here's what they passed.

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

We've become numb to this stuff, but a president accusing a journalist of treason -- a capital crime -- for reporting on an ongoing war is not normal, and we should never accept it as normal.

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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

This is depressing and shameful but I want to highlight @raskin.house.gov's dissenting vote in Committee. He gets it, and I'm glad he put in the time to fully assess this bill and put this on the record. His full dissent is here, at the bottom: www.congress.gov/committee-re...

Unaffordable bail does not keep dangerous people in jail;
it keeps poor people in jail. Without the help of organizations
willing to help by providing free bail assistance, whether
designated as a bail fund, church, or other nonprofit, people
who cannot afford bail might languish in jail for weeks,
months, or even years, while they are waiting for trial. In
that time, they can lose their jobs, their homes, their medical
coverage, access to medical care or medication, or even custody
of their children.
We know that sometimes the most effective tools for justice
are local, nimble, and born from the communities they serve.
H.R. 6260 is aimed directly at those very tools. It is intended
to sever a lifeline for thousands of low-income Americans,
leaving only a potential windfall for the for-profit commercial
bail industry. It is yet another example of misguided,
unnecessary federal meddling into policies that should be left
to the states by the so-called ``party of states' rights.'' My
Republican colleagues pay lip service to values they claim to
hold like limited government regulation, fiscal responsibility,
and personal liberty. Yet they champion this legislation that
openly betrays those values.

This bill does nothing to promote public safety. Instead,
it would stretch federal criminal laws intended to regulate the
insurance industry to reach nonprofit bail funds. There is no
legitimate basis to move the goalposts on the American people
the way this bill does. Nonprofits already are subject to
strict oversight by the Internal Revenue Service. And while
bail funds are not insurance companies, they are subject to
federal prohibitions against wire fraud, money laundering, and
misuse of funds. Adding additional nonsensical layers of
bureaucracy will not make our communities safer, but it will
make it harder for nonprofits to help people in need.
The vast majority of the bonds that these state and local
bail organizations post are for non-violent crimes, and these
organizations are already regulated by their own states. I
challenge my Republican colleagues to explain how subjecting
these groups to federal insurance regulations and federal
criminal penalties will reduce violent crime. I doubt that they
will. The evidence certainly does not support that argument. My
Republican colleagues instead attempt to justify this bill
through purely anecdotal evidence.

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UCSF Benioff Homelessness & Housing Initiative @ucsfbhhi.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Drug-free housing requirements can keep people outside. Berkeley’s RV program shows another approach: reduce barriers, offer voluntary services, and create easier paths indoors. ➡️ Among 54 eligible residents, 41 entered shelter. Read our eval for lessons learned: ow.ly/BRG050YVf5C

Flexible, low-barrier shelter + services helps people move inside.

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 10/05/2026

The important lesson to take away from this is not that we are all going to die of Hantavirus. We aren’t. It’s that the United States has zero pandemic prevention capacity at the present because of deliberate sabotage by the president and his appointed lackeys.

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Ben Howell @howellben.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

This has to be the most obvious result of broad AI adoption. Critical thinking - via training in the humanities - will rise to the top & the shallow, short-sighted move by Universities to focus on STEM at the expense of broad liberal arts education will be revealed for what it was all along.

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Albert Pinto @70sbachchan.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

now thats an anecdote with a punch, from Gillian Tett www.ft.com/content/c0ae...

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KFF Health News @kffhealthnews.org · 07/05/2026

Trump's deals with pharmaceutical companies are “one-off agreements made for publicity purposes,” said a Harvard professor who studies drug prices. "They don’t change anything about the way drugs are priced."

kffhealthnews.org

Trump Promised Cheaper Drugs. Some Prices Dropped. Many Others Shot Up. - KFF Health News

For all Trump’s showmanship, the share of Americans his policies will likely help remains slim, even if some patients do come out ahead.

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Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

On its third attempt tonight, Marblehead Town Meeting approved an “MBTA Communities–compliant” district largely centered on the 125-year-old Tedesco Country Club, meeting 3A requirements on paper while all but assuring no new housing would be built. This comment says it all.

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