Reposted by Katie McCaskeyProf. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 14hBreaking News! Code UFB!!! For the first time in recorded history, the Niño 3.4 sea-surface temperature (SST) is above 30.0°C, reaching a preliminary SST of 30.06°C on October 5th. The Niño 3.4 SST anomaly is now 3.41°C above the 1991-2020 baseline. Everything is not fine. 46736439
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 11h“New science drives social and political change” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/o...nytimes.comOpinion | The Science That Has Oil Companies Running ScaredHowever the U.S. Supreme Court rules, the work of holding oil companies accountable for climate change has a bright future. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 02/10/2026"Describing [AI] 'superintelligence' or 'rogue models' ascribes agency to products rather than to the companies building them. This framing markets these companies’ products ... &, at the same time, helps the companies evade accountability for their actions." www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/22/1...technologyreview.comDon’t be fooled by this summer of AI hypeBreathless claims about AGI and new capabilities fall apart pretty quickly under scrutiny. 010
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 30/09/2026No Metro, Yes Problems: Can RFK’s transportation plan be saved?: ggwash.org/view/105011/...ggwash.orgNo Metro, Yes Problems: Can RFK’s transportation plan be saved?The new Commanders stadium needs to be served by hardcore bus prioritization and world-class walkability and bikeability if DC wants a chance at avoiding a traffic nightmare every Sunday. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 23/09/2026"If we made every neighborhood in the country five decibels quieter, that one change would spare Americans about 106,500 years of healthy life every year" ggwash.org/view/104939/...ggwash.orgTraffic noise can be deadly. Why don’t we act like it?Road, rail, and aircraft noise is linked to about 6,330 premature cardiovascular deaths across the contiguous United States every year. That’s because around 94.5 million Americans, or close to one in... 011
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyDigital Harms Tracker @digitalharms.bsky.social · 30/03/2026New data release: the Digital Harms Tracker now has 1,600+ policies across all 50 US states. Every policy links to incidents by harm domain and type. The goal is to learn across policies: where legal frameworks cluster. Geographic linking is on the roadmap. digitalharmstracker.org #TechPolicydigitalharmstracker.orgDigital Harms Tracker | An Open Record of Digital Harm Incidents and Related PolicyConnecting documented digital harms to the policy response, for policymakers, researchers, and civil society. 021
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyCoco Liu @cocojournalist.bsky.social · 21/09/2026NEW: With the world now set to barrel past a key global warming goal, the United Nations’ top climate official took aim at AI goliaths for their growing share of emissions. By @lilipike.bsky.social and myself for @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.com‘Energy-Guzzling’ AI Must Rein in Its Emissions, Says UN Climate ChiefLeaders of AI firms are “on thin ice” with the public as energy costs rise, said Simon Stiell. 13822
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 15/09/2026"How strong is that hate? There are more Americans who would favor a new nuclear power plant in their town than who would welcome a new A.I. data center." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/o...nytimes.comOpinion | Railroads. Highways. Data Centers. One of Those Is Unlike the Others.Neighbors of computing clusters don’t see any advantages, just costs. 011
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 14/09/2026RIP Wendell Berry www.economist.com/obituary/202...economist.comWendell Berry urged Americans to think little, local and deepThe agrarian writer, poet and activist died on August 31st, aged 92 000
Reposted by Katie McCaskeySanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 11/09/202625 years ago this moment I was sitting on the runway at National Airport waiting to take off. I remember the flight was about 6 minutes late. We took off at 8:46 AM — the same moment the first plane hit the World Trade Center. When we landed an hour later, the world would never be the same again. 527747
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 10/09/2026"Your feelings about AI on the job are likely determined by how much power you have in the workplace. [... you need ...] power over how to decide when (& not) to use it, & enough power to feel adequately insulated from job replacement, surveillance, or degradation." Brian Merchant BloodInTheMachine 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 08/09/2026“All outdoor light at night, regardless of source or intensity, is a pollutant with potential impacts on human health,” Darksky wrote in the study. www.washingtoninformer.com/dc-light-pol...washingtoninformer.comLights Out: Study Finds Wards 7, 8 Disproportionately Affected by Light PollutionA Darksky International study shows Wards 7 and 8 face disproportionate light pollution, exceeding roadway illumination standards. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 04/09/2026thanks for this @rexhuppke.bsky.social 😆 www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...usatoday.comData centers are great and we should fully embrace them | OpinionWhen I learned a data center was being built near my town or city, I stood up on my human chair and cheered. 000
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyFloodlight @floodlightnews.org · 07/08/2026Floodlight and PBS traveled to Texas to investigate one of the nation’s highest-profile AI data centers and the giant gas-powered turbines fueling it. Using special thermal drone footage, we saw what the data centers don't want you to see:youtube.comWe Saw What AI Data Centers Don't Want You to SeeWe investigated one of the world’s largest AI data centers, using thermal drone footage to reveal the hidden pollution powering the AI boom. As companies race to build the future of artificial… 16849
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 26/08/2026oh, sure, let's put all the data center agreements behind NDAs so the public won't know what's been sold off & the potential harmsnytimes.comE.P.A. Moves to Curb Public Input on Air Pollution Permits for Data CentersUnder the proposal, states would no longer need to provide public notice or solicit comments on air pollution permits for data centers and other projects. 010
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyGuardian US @us.theguardian.com · 18/08/2026Over the past year and a half, at least 28 federal datasets have been deleted and another 338 data collections have been modified, part of the Trump administration's aggressive campaign to wipe all mentions of data findings that do not align with the president's priorities. 34738
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 04/08/2026excited to see the results from this pilot program to cool streets www.popville.com/2026/08/ddot...popville.com“DDOT Launches the Cool Corridors Pilot to Fight Urban Heat, Help Keep Neighborhoods Cooler and Strengthen Climate Resilience Across the District” - PoPvilleFrom DDOT: "The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is pleased to announce the launch of the Cool Corridors pilot study, a new and environmentally friendly effort to cool District streets and... 010
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyJessica Hart @jlrhart.bsky.social · 27/07/2026This child should have been able to walk, bike, or scoot in what is essentially their home’s parking area without being hit by a speeding driver. A driver who has shown clear disdain for the law and is a danger to others. 0234
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyMichele Manos @michelemanos.bsky.social · 27/07/2026As usual, ProPublica delves into an emerging, crucial situation and explains to us that it's even worse than we imagined. @defendpublichealth.bsky.social @standupforscience.net www.propublica.org/article/fede...propublica.orgHow Trump’s “America First” Administration Could Shut U.S. Scientists Out of the Next Nobel-Worthy DiscoveryA proposed White House rule would give political appointees unprecedented control over scientific funding. One physicist, who helped discover the Higgs boson, explains how the rule would’ve stifled th... 310460
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyAlfred P. Sloan Foundation @sloanfoundation.bsky.social · 20/07/2026The Sloan Foundation recently supported a @scientistsorg.bsky.social event that asked what it takes to design initiatives centered on big, challenging goals that lead us to better science, and why many previous "moonshots" have fallen short. Read the takeaways: fas.org/publication/... 052
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyFederation of American Scientists @scientistsorg.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Even with an 80 year legacy, we’re still making history. Congratulations to FAS*United for ratifying the first collective bargaining agreement (and forming the first union) in FAS history. 151
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 20/07/2026@dexdigi.bsky.social hey, have a story that might interest you, what's your preferred submission route? Hint: it involves disappearing federal data 101
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Never met her but this makes me sad - what a loss mass.streetsblog.org/2026/07/10/l...mass.streetsblog.orgLouisa Gag, Longtime Street Safety Advocate, Identified as Thursday's Homicide Crash Victim - Streetsblog MassachusettsFamily members have identified the victim of Thursday morning's homicide crash near Roxbury Crossing as Louisa Gag, a longtime street safety advocate and transportation planner at Boston's City Hall. 030
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyHow-Sen Chong @how-sen.com · 02/07/2026Cars are one of the reasons why cities get so much hotter. An average gasoline car can produce 3.9 MJ of waste heat for *every kilometre* it drives. That’s enough to raise the temperature of a 665 sqft apartment twenty degrees centigrade.mass.streetsblog.orgExhaust Pipes Are Making Heat Waves Much, Much Worse - Streetsblog MassachusettsThe long-term climate impacts of the climate pollution from cars and trucks are well documented, but the daily short-term effects of the wasted heat energy radiating from engine blocks and exhaust pip... 1918273
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyDon Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 09/07/2026New at Can We Still Govern: DOGE failed. The civic tech community DOGE displaced have been having frank conversations about what they did right and wrong, and what should come next. From Merici Vinton, who led the building of Direct File. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-did-c...donmoynihan.substack.comWhat Did Civic Tech Learn in the Last Decade?Some Insights About How to Use Tech in Government – and What Comes Next 510738
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Dangerous heat is coming to more parts of the country than ever. @scientistsorg.bsky.social has compiled a library of remediation strategies and policies. www.governing.com/resilience/a...governing.comA Toolkit for Surviving Extreme HeatDangerous heat is coming to more parts of the country than ever. The Federation of American Scientists has compiled a library of remediation strategies and policies. 010
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyUCS Climate & Accountability Campaigns @ucsclimate.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Are you feeling the heat? 🥵🌡️ Summer's always been hot, but the summer that was is no more. But there are solutions. Read on... 🧵 23014
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026🌳 We’d scale cooling strategies across entire communities, from tree canopies to cool roofs to shade structures, & invest in their long term maintenance. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026🔌 We’d have a grid engineered to carry peak demand without buckling into a crisis, hospitals ready to surge instead of scramble, and roads and bridges designed for the temperatures we're actually experiencing. (+more) 100
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026🪭 We’d treat a cool classroom as a child’s right, not a luxury that depends on the district's budget. (+more) 100
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026🏡 We’d treat cooling as a basic condition of a safe & affordable home 🥗 We’d give the people who build our roads, manufacture our goods, & pick our food the simple dignity of a break or a sick day. (+ more!) 100
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Today @scientistsorg.bsky.social launched ☀️ HeatAgenda.us ☀️ to address brutal heat. 🧪 Here's what’s possible:heatagenda.usThe Agenda 100
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyTech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Former FTC attorney-advisors Gaurav Laroia and Charlotte Slaiman argue that a massive public education campaign—a 'Truth Campaign' for the AI era—is needed to equip everyone with the knowledge and means to live with AI.techpolicy.pressWhy We Need a 'Truth Campaign' for the AI EraA massive public education campaign is necessary to equip everyone with the knowledge and means to live with AI, write Gaurav Laroia and Charlotte Slaiman. 152
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 02/07/2026"To truly protect the public, legal and regulatory action should be paired with a massive, proactive public education campaign."techpolicy.pressWhy We Need a 'Truth Campaign' for the AI EraA massive public education campaign is necessary to equip everyone with the knowledge and means to live with AI, write Gaurav Laroia and Charlotte Slaiman. 010
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyFederation of American Scientists @scientistsorg.bsky.social · 01/07/2026WATCH: Chief Science Officer Dr. Jedidah Isler’s full opening statement before Congress on scientists as the key to American competitiveness www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6IFljG8QQMyoutube.comWATCH: Dr. Jedidah Isler’s full statement on scientists as the key to American competitivenessYouTube video by Federation of American Scientists 053
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyloreleikelly @loreleikelly.bsky.social · 02/07/2026“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re heading.” @scientistsorg.bsky.social fas.org/publication/...fas.orgFederation of American Scientists Launches Data Policy Institute to Advance Federal Data Essential to the Public - Federation of American Scientists“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re he... 084
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyMark Histed @markhisted.org · 29/06/2026Quick 🧪 and law note. The SCOTUS decision in Slaughter today has *profound* implications for US science, cancer cures and the economy. Sotomayor dissent: “Put simply, today the majority reshapes our Government… shifting tremendous power over broad swaths of American life into the President’s hands” 315190
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 26/06/2026“Yes, this is climate change,” said Friederike Otto, a professor at Imperial College London and a co-author of the study. “Yes, it’s us, no, it’s not El Nino, yes, we have the solutions, no, we’re not implementing them fast enough.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comEurope’s Heat Wave Is the Worst on Record, Researchers FindHigh night-time temperatures and humidity made June’s weather particularly dangerous, scientists said. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 18/06/2026suggest you consider a show on scientific federal data (esp the extinct or missing kind) -- one important dataset in fact relates to bats! Lemme introduce you to @denicewross.bsky.social 020
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 17/06/2026“color of brewing Yodas” lol defector.com/promises-mad...defector.comPromises Made, Promises Kept: The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Absolutely Looks Like Shit Now | DefectorIf everyone in the United States weren’t living downstream from its consequences, it would be a pretty good tragic flaw that Donald Trump wants more than anything to be seen as a brilliant man who has... 000
Reposted by Katie McCaskeykate k @kathrwn.bsky.social · 08/06/2026🚨this week @scientistsorg.bsky.social we're publish TEN action-ready policy memos to regulate artificial intelligence. from procurement guidelines, to sector-specific safeguards, to redress policies (like what to do with big tech settlement wins), these ideas put fairness at the forefront 2105
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 15/06/2026“Elon Musk proved long ago that he’s the wrong man to save the world. It’s even worse now. The world needs saving from him.”https://www.theverge.com/tech/949259/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-a-killertheverge.comThe world’s first trillionaire is a killerElon Musk’s empire of wealth is built on suffering. 000
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 05/06/2026"the more I have dug into this rule, the more I realize that scientists are not the only ones who should be alarmed. Not even close." elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/this-new-o...elizabethginexi.substack.comThis new OMB Rule Is Bigger Than Science. Much Bigger.This image was generated by Google AI (Gemini) 000
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyChris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 03/06/2026Just what I wanted for health scientists at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, fewer employment protections! 118229
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 03/06/2026"This would be the end of American science as we know it," said Cole Donovan @colesci.bsky.social, a policy analyst from the group @standupforscience.net who has been organizing to protest the change. "We're gonna make sure that it doesn't fade quietly into the night." www.npr.org/2026/06/03/n...npr.orgPresident Trump seeks control of science fundingThe White House Office of Management and Budget is moving to take more control of billions of dollars in federal grants. Critics say the proposed change would jeopardize the integrity of U.S. science. 04525
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 02/06/2026"In any other administration, when Congress appropriates money for science each year, OMB’s job is to make sure that the funds are released [...]. [Now] OMB serves as the “keeper of ‘commander’s intent,’” thereby moving power away from Congress." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...science.orgAnother red alert for American scienceAlthough research has bipartisan support in the US Congress, and trust in science is above 75% across the country, the Trump administration seems as determined as ever to mortally wound the nation’s s... 023
Katie McCaskey @katiemccaskey.bsky.social · 29/05/2026"As I said earlier this year, these people hate academia, they hate the idea of openly competitive federal funding of basic research in general, and they want to hit the entire system with shovels over and over again until it stops twitching." www.science.org/content/blog...science.orgThe Current Crisis: What's Happening to Science in America 010
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyThe_Lady_Red @theladyred.bsky.social · 24/05/2026A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking Al to write their breakup texts. So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world. What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable. 9889124352
Reposted by Katie McCaskeyMetro @wmata.com · 25/05/2026How much are you spending at the pump? 🚗⛽️ We crunched the numbers to determine the monthly cost comparison between taking Metro or driving from West Falls Church to Washington, D.C. Here are the monthly expense totals we found: 🚗 $1,100 for car, 🚇🚌 $236 for Metro. More below. ⬇️ 021237