iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

JOBS: CNBC is hiring: 1. A data viz journalist jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Versant3/744... 2. A senior editor for data viz jobs.smartrecruiters.com/Versant3/744...

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 24/09/2026

Got to help Rob Wile on this charty piece (which is *not* behind the NBC News paywall) showing how key economic indicators have changed since the Iran war started [no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

nbcnews.com

The U.S. economy before and after the Iran war, in five charts

Nearly seven months in, the conflict now casts a cloud of uncertainty — with no end in sight.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 24/09/2026

"At least six babies in Pennsylvania have been born infected with measles, with two so sick they had to be admitted to intensive care... Congenital measles is a disease that’s rarely, if ever, seen in the U.S." [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

nbcnews.com

America had wiped out measles. Now babies are infected at birth.

Congenital measles has rarely been seen in the U.S. That’s changing as vaccination declines and more pregnant women become infected.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 23/09/2026

New: Why the CDC edited a key Covid metric, and what it says about the state of the virus [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

nbcnews.com

Why the CDC edited a key Covid metric, and what it says about the state of the virus

Covid infection counts are increasing in more than half the country.

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Reposted by Joe Murphy

Linotype Pilgrim @symbo1ics.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

If you've never seen the magic of cellular automata, follow @lorenschmidt.bsky.social

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 19/09/2026

This headline! h/t @danielarkin.bsky.social www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

The doomers, the dreamers and Xi: Trump hears from all sides on AI

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 16/09/2026

U.S. gas price averages, per AAA: Regular up 4 cents from yesterday (up $1.38 / 46% since the start of the war), at $4.36. Regular is up 30 cents from a month ago. Diesel up 5 cents from yesterday (up $2.56 / 68% since the start of the war), at $6.31. Diesel up 87 cents from a month ago.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 13/09/2026

I'm in a long-running fantasy football league, and two years ago I cooked up a metric, the ”Luck Rating,” measuring how lucky each team's outcome was based on their score. Last year I started charting this data in earnest, and here's (a small part of) the dashboard I built. #dataViz

Three charts, one a steamgraph showing fantasy points per week, by team, the other showing the distribution of team scores over the season, and the final chart showing cumulative luck scores per week, over the 16-week season.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 13/09/2026

In the print edition it's right next to this sublime prediction:

What do you want your life to be like in 2050?

I want to live in a floating house.

What would that look like?

Pink and flying. There would be a slide for the stairs.

How would you go up, if there was a slide for stairs?

A trampoline.

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Reposted by Joe Murphy

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

NEW: On Trump’s $5,000 checks promise —He’s made this vow before on DOGE and tariff dividends, which never materialized; not clear why this time will be different —No detailed White House policy plan on how it’d work or how they’d pay for it. —Mixed GOP reviews. www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...

nbcnews.com

Trump’s $5,000 checks promise: Familiar, costly and impractical, experts say

Legal experts, economists and even Trump’s fellow Republicans say the plan faces a bevy of practical obstacles and long odds in Congress.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 09/09/2026

Here's @amowreader.com for @nbcnews.com with a thorough piece on international student enrollment in the U.S., and why U.S. higher education expects a significant drop in the number of international students: [paywall]

This is a column chart showing the year-over-year change in the number of international students studying in the U.S. From January 2025, international enrollment has declined, with more than 50,000 fewer international students at U.S. colleges and universities between August 2025 and August 2026, the largest such decline in the months shown. Atop the chart is the text "A year-over-year comparison of active-status international students for each month since 2025 shows a growing drop."

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Reposted by Joe Murphy

Mike Hixenbaugh @mikehixenbaugh.com · 08/09/2026

After Nebraska adopted an algorithm to assess the needs of people with developmental disabilities, more than 900 had their home care slashed—leaving families terrified their loved ones could be forced into institutions. A preview of what could soon be coming nationally after Trump’s Medicaid cuts.

nbcnews.com

A secretive computer algorithm is taking caregiving money away from disabled people

After Nebraska used a new interRAI tool to slash Medicaid funding for nearly 900 people, NBC News uncovered the hidden logic behind some of the cuts.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 08/09/2026

Canada added tariffs to several hundred U.S. imports, those tariffs went into effect today. These are three of the Canadian imports the U.S. imposed tariffs on last month, part of this @amowreader.com report on the raging trade war. [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

This is an illustrative graphic showing new tariffs on Canadian goods and how much in U.S. dollar amounts these goods accounted for in 2025. Three products that that saw significant imports in 2025 are shown: A lipstick tube ($138 million in imports), a bottle of Canadian whisky ($164 million), and a chandelier ($251 million). Atop the chart is the text "New tariffs on Canadian imports."

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 07/09/2026

"It is now the least rewarding time to be a worker in the U.S. economy since the government started keeping track... In other words, even as the economy continues to grow, worker pay comprises an ever smaller slice of the pie." [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

nbcnews.com

American workers are getting the smallest slice of the pie on record

Since 2000, the value of the S&P 500 stock index has gained about 600%. Over the same period, inflation-adjusted worker earnings have climbed just 12.5%.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 07/09/2026

A woodcut from the first Labor Day parade (Sept. 5, 1882), in NYC, as it passed the reviewing stands at Union Square Park. Holiday history: www.dol.gov/general/labo... About that particular parade: science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-...

A black-and-white woodcut of the first Labor Day parade depicts lines of participants holding signs as they pass through crowds lining the edges of Union Square Park.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 06/09/2026

This is the first time in NBC News Decision Desk polling that the percentage of Republicans who say they "strongly" approve of Trump’s job performance has dipped below 50%. [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

In the spring, 52% of Republicans and 71% of MAGA supporters said they strongly approved of Trump’s job performance. The most recent survey, conducted from Aug. 20 to Sept. 1, finds drops among those groups, with 41% of Republicans and 62% of MAGA supporters now saying they strongly approve of Trump’s job performance.

It’s the first time the share of Republicans who say they “strongly” approve of Trump’s job performance has dipped below 50% in NBC News Decision Desk polling.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 04/09/2026

Big shoutout to @amowreader.com, who just finished her internship on the Data / Graphics team here at NBC News. She'll be on the job market come January and if you're looking for a data journalist who can report, interview, write, visualize, analyze and pitch like a pro, give Ashley a holler.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 03/09/2026

NBC News’ politics team is hiring journalists to be presidential candidate campaign embeds in the upcoming 2028 election cycle. Maybe you know someone, maybe you are that someone. Pay is $80,000-$95,000/year for this contract position. Deadline is Sept. 25. jobs.smartrecruiters.com/NBCUniversal...

jobs.smartrecruiters.com

Political Campaign Embed

Company Description: NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and stre...

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 01/09/2026

Exclusive numbers on August ICE arrests from @nbcnews.com: "ICE is in the midst of a nationwide arrest surge that is not as visible as aggressive enforcement efforts from earlier in 2026..." [no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

nbcnews.com

ICE arrests 50 thousand people in August, continuing record pace

ICE is in the midst of a nationwide arrest surge that is not as visible as aggressive enforcement efforts from earlier in 2026.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 31/08/2026

I don't usually (don't ever?) post individual songs here but there is a groove in the heart of this Grant Green track and the places where that lil' groove pokes its lil' head out and dances around are just delightful. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLBT...

youtube.com

Grant Green - Ain't It Funky Now

YouTube video by nedryarson

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 28/08/2026

We took a deep dive into what is (and isn't) happening with Social Security's retirement benefits, why we are in the place we're in (demographics, mostly) and how it all could play out. Reporting, visuals and words by @amowreader.com for @nbcnews.com [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

nbcnews.com

Social Security insolvency: What it means, when it’s coming and why it’s a problem

But depending on how Congress acts, future payouts of Social Security benefits may be smaller.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 28/08/2026

Same thing was happening to me. Tons of calls a day. I started picking up the calls. On many of them there’s an option to take yourself off the list — who knows if that does anything, but I can tell you that after about a week of me picking up… the calls all pretty much stopped.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 26/08/2026

New from @amowreader.com: New data from LinkedIn shows women made up only one-quarter of new hires in AI roles in 2025 while making up half of new hires in non-AI jobs. [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

nbcnews.com

The AI boom is leaving women behind

Data shows women are less likely to hold AI jobs and more likely to be in AI-vulnerable jobs.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 25/08/2026

Two measles deaths reported in Pennsylvania, in a county that has one of the lowest rates of childhood MMR vaccinations in the state, declining from 95.5% in 2017 to 88.5% in 2024 and 87.6% in 2025 [no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

nbcnews.com

Two unvaccinated people die of measles in Pennsylvania outbreak, health officials say

The deaths are the first measles-related fatalities in the U.S. this year.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 25/08/2026

Thank you! Super helpful.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 24/08/2026

Hi Michael, I'm an editor with NBC News, you're the first person on Bluesky to post a link to this particular URL www.cdc.gov/wastewater/a... and I'm just wondering how you found / first heard about that link? This is research for a story. If you could DM me here or email me at joe.murphy@nbcuni.com

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 21/08/2026

Measles case counts are surging in Pennsylvania, the CDC has confirmed more than 200 new cases in the state since July 23.[no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

nbcnews.com

Map: Track the spread of measles in the U.S.

Measles case counts, which reached a 34-year high in 2025, have soared even higher in 2026.

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Reposted by Joe Murphy

Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

SCOOP: A Trump-aligned think tank, America First Policy Institute, has ties to a highly unusual Census Bureau report that the president is using to renew false claims of widespread voting by non-U.S. citizens in 2020, @npr.org has learned www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...

npr.org

Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting

A Trump-aligned think tank has ties to a highly unusual Census Bureau report that the president is using to renew false claims of widespread voting by non-U.S. citizens in 2020, NPR has learned.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 19/08/2026

There are 72 million children in the U.S. (per 2025 Census Bureau population estimates), more than (roughly) 10 million of those children are in families that get food stamps. Now, at least 1 million of those kids are going without SNAP (food stamp) benefits [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

nbcnews.com

‘Mom, are we OK?’ Children worry their families can’t afford food after Trump’s SNAP cuts

The Trump administration’s “big, beautiful bill” slashed spending on food stamps. Now, more than 1 million fewer children receive benefits.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 18/08/2026

Parallel investigation here, no paywall: "Vaccine exemptions for school children are rising nationwide: As many as 53% of counties and jurisdictions saw exemption rates more than double from their first year of collecting data to the most recent." www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

nbcnews.com

Data investigation: Childhood vaccination rates are backsliding across the U.S.

A monthslong NBC News data investigation finds that much of the U.S. doesn't have the protection needed to stop the spread of deadly diseases. St. Louis is a window into the problem communities face n...

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 15/08/2026

Useful: @muckrock.com released a big update to its monitor-a-web-page-for-changes tool Klaxon, which includes browser extensions ( chromewebstore.google.com/detail/klaxo... , addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo... ) and a new website ( www.klaxoncloud.org ).

klaxoncloud.org

Klaxon Cloud

Klaxon notifies you when the pages you care about change.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 14/08/2026

Digital and broadcast outlets are eligible for the award, and you can see a full list of winners here: www.rtdna.org/2026-nationa...

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 14/08/2026

The Vaccine Divide project ( nbcnews.com/specials/vac... ), which the @nbcnews.com Data / Graphics team was an instrumental part of (along with many many many in the NBC News Med Unit and from Stanford University) just won a national award, an Edward R. Murrow, for “Excellence in Innovation.”

nbcnews.com

The Vaccine Divide

Decades of immunization progress is backsliding, an NBC News data investigation reveals, threatening the safety of children in America, burdening schools and hindering public health.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 13/08/2026

Private equity's coming for the $30 trillion Americans have saved for retirement. "Trump said in an executive order last year that increasing access to alternative investments through retirement accounts would democratize finance," by @gmorgenson.bsky.social [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/business/per...

nbcnews.com

Americans have $30 trillion saved for retirement. Private equity wants a cut

President Donald Trump says retirement savers should have access to private equity and hedge funds. How one investment lost 92% of its value.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 09/08/2026

New profile photo, work commissioned from my sister @manniemurphy.bsky.social / www.instagram.com/manniemurphy/ (thanks sis!)

A deep blue watercolor and ink drawing of my face, looking slightly worried.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 09/08/2026

It's time for a new header background image of mine (texture-01683.jpg)

A digital drawing of iridescent rough pixel-ish possibly flowers maybe laid out in a diagonal grid green red yellow purple turquoise bright.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 09/08/2026

I've been making summer playlists for 15 years, and my SUMMER 2026 playlist is one of my three most-favorites. Firm voice, wide range of artists (representing nearly 30 countries), available on six music streaming platforms. Ada and I made this art for it here. Listen: joemurph.com/playlists/de...

Digital art that looks like the surface of the sun in reds and oranges and yellows all splotch and hot.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 08/08/2026

Portland Oregon's Lloyd Center mall closes to the public for good today. I worked my second job (Payless ShoeSource) and third (Copeland Sports, RIP) at that mall. Took these photos from a visit back there last June. Can't believe Hot Topic was still in operation, 30-plus years later.

Me, in 2026, in front of the now-closed Payless ShoeSource.

A hallway in Lloyd Center mall, full with empty storefronts.

The parking lot, second floor. A paining of clouds adorns the number 2.

Hot Topic... still standing, still in operation, more than 30 years later.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 08/08/2026

Had the privilege and luck to see Oneida play live last night, and they closed their set with a seven-minute (I counted) rendition of their 14-minute long psych-chant-journey-trialsong Sheets of Easter, it was sheer delight. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT26...

youtube.com

Oneida - Sheets Of Easter

YouTube video by atheathorium

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 04/08/2026

Data from the Government Accountability Office puts the tally of DOGE's federal job cuts at close to 400,000, and @amowreader.com's analysis for @nbcnews.com shows that it wasn’t just D.C. that was affected. [paywall] www.nbcnews.com/data-graphic...

This is a square map chart of the U.S. showing reductions in federal staff across the nation. Hawaii, Maine and Virginia had the largest declines. Atop the chart is the text "The DOGE job cuts didn’t just hit D.C."

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 03/08/2026

If you're interested in (free) SNL tickets for the upcoming season, the window for the lottery opened over the weekend and closes at the end of August. www.nbc.com/tickets/page...

nbc.com

Tickets and Studio Tour - NBC.com

Get tickets to the NBC Studio Tour New York and your favorite shows like The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live and more on NBC.com.

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 31/07/2026

The story: bsky.app/profile/joem...

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 31/07/2026

This story was also the Staff Pick in this morning's @nbcnews.com email newsletter: [no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

It’s no secret that the job market stinks right now. But for soon-to-be college graduates, like myself, breaking into the workforce is harder now than it used to be.

I analyzed data and spoke with experts from job platforms LinkedIn, Indeed and Handshake and found that fewer entry-level jobs are available to this year’s graduates than to their peers in previous years. And when they enter the job market, students are receiving fewer offers despite submitting more applications.

Most people hold the belief that earning a college degree is a guaranteed way to advance your career, and that’s still true for some folks. But for the class of 2026, that guarantee may take more time.

Explore more of the data and some of the factors putting a damper on entry-level hiring. — Ashley Mowreader, data graphics intern

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Joe Murphy @joemurph.com · 30/07/2026

NBC News Data / Graphics’ @amowreader.com does a segment on the NBC News podcast about what it’s like for new college grads trying to find a job: Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/1mGf... Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

open.spotify.com

The Ukraine and Iran Wars Collide in the Caspian Sea; Plus, the Entry-Level Job Slog

Here's the Scoop · Episode

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