Julia Barton
@bartona104.bsky.social
Editor, podcaster, script and research consultant at RadioWright.com. Nieman Fellow '24, founding executive editor Pushkin Industries. Newsletter: https://continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/
honestly, the fact that we have made it through the atomic age *without* another use of nuclear weapons since 1945 is a miracle we don't fully appreciate
Rebecca R Helm@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 20h agoToday is the day the story There Will Come Soft Rain is set. An amazing and heartbreaking work of fiction for our modern age. Read it here:
Some times I look at editor postings at USA public radio stations just to see the salary ranges posted. And wow, I should not do that.
I'm calling it: "Start smoking" is going to be mainstream MAHA / Republican health advice by 2028. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Police using Flock to warrantless follow people across state lines is an act incompatible with our legal system--especially in a country where many things are legal in some states in criminalized in the other. First we saw it with abortion care, now we will see it with marijuana.
Cops Used Flock to Track a Man Across State Lines to Create Pretext to Search His Car for Weed
"The vehicle travels to Michigan frequently which is a known source state for marijuana as it is legal there," a probable cause justification reads.
404media.co
in 2016 Elon Musk said he would build a fully automated factory in Fremont, California for the upcoming Model 3 and he then spent on the order of $2 billion on production lines that didn't work, forcing Tesla to assemble cars by hand in a tent but sure, now he's gonna do it on the moon
My read on the situation is that Rubio has prioritized his pet projects in Latin America above all else. And to this end, he seeks to preserve his position and avoid Trump's ire by being hands off on the substance of much of US foreign policy and by not seeking to impose any policy process on Trump.
Daniel Drezner@dandrezner.bsky.social · 7h agoMarco Rubio is ostensibly neglecting his State Department duties to stay close to Trump and focus on the important stuff… except for the most important foreign policy quagmire of the day. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/why-isnt-m...
The spirit of this 1911 ad lives on in multiple podcasts and US cabinet posts
A twist on lawsuits against AI companies for training on pirated books: an Nvidia shareholder is suing the company for "adopting and implementing an unlawful business strategy" (via @publisherslunch.bsky.social ). Filing is here: lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/wp-content/u...
lunch.publishersmarketplace.com
Well, the FCC Commissioner has made the decision, first announced in an op-ed in Breitbart, stating that a regulatory body does not have to observe laws made by Congress if they don't feel like it. Every month is new and unprecedented territory. docs.fcc.gov/public/attac...
"'Today is August 4, 2026, the city of Allendale, California.' Bradbury’s future is our present, and will quickly be our past." doomsdaymachines.net/p/bomb-shado...
Bomb shadows of the future
Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950)
doomsdaymachines.net
Just after midnight in Kyiv. Once again, the city is under ballistic missile attack. Loud explosions shake the summer night.
“Of the 84 sickened people who were available for an interview, 75 said they ate at a Chipotle restaurant.”
New from Andrew Joseph Pegoda: In an attempt to overcomply with Texas law, the University of Houston will eliminate over 100 women's studies, gender and sexuality courses from the core curriculum. It won't be enough to appease extremist Republicans.
University of Houston Nixed Its Gender and Sexuality Classes. That Won’t Stop Texas’ Crusade Against Higher Ed
College administrators wrongly hope that anticipatory obedience will satisfy a GOP-run Texas Legislature that is increasingly hostile toward education.
texasobserver.org
Here’s the key takeaway from our report: Epstein couldn’t have carried out his trafficking and criminal activity without the help of the highest ranking employees and executives at the most powerful banks in the world. Wall Street is complicit in Epstein’s crimes from top to bottom.
Banks permitted millions in suspicious transactions tied to Epstein—and former 60 Minutes correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi had the story months ago. But the report would never air. trib.al/ZShZlIS
Blindingly obvious that this is targeted at “degrees we think women get.”
The New Republic@newrepublic.com · 2d agoPresident Trump is banning students majoring in degrees that don’t make enough money from taking out college loans. Degrees for social work, art, religious studies, teaching aides, and music will be hit the hardest. trib.al/aaAEu6v
Recent reporting by the Washington Post found that the Trump administration's DOGE effort last year delayed a $10 million grant that was supposed to help thin out dead trees in the Superior National Forest as a way to reduce the fire risk.
DOGE cut delayed northern Minnesota wildfire prevention funding
MPR News host Emily Bright spoke with Washington Post reporter Brianna Sacks about the DOGE cuts and their impact on the Superior National Forest.
mprnews.org
According to the FBI, at least seven states have now been targeted in a growing wave of cyberattacks on critical water infrastructure across the country. https://to.pbs.org/4wxZZ9y
What we know about the cyberattacks on water systems in 7 states
According to the FBI, at least seven states have now been targeted in a growing wave of cyberattacks on critical water infrastructure across the country. Federal officials now reportedly believe Iran ...
to.pbs.org
Resource Curse: You are all doomed, people will pay anything for oil forever and thus corrupt your leadership and economies. DOOMED I SAY. ☠️ ... ... People: This curse is stinky. Where is the curse-removal guy?
Sarah Taber@sarahtaber.bsky.social · 2d agoAbsolutely unbelievable how solar power has taken off worldwide during the Hormuz oil crisis. You don't have to hand it to him, but Trump may have done more to finally kick off a global civilization of effete librul solar users than anyone else in the West
anyway going outside into washington dc, aka the president's personal construction site, that is full of soldiers because of nonexistent crime
Jesus Fucking Christ. I fucking hate this framing. EVERYBODY HAS UNDERLYING HEALTH ISSUES! Some people don't even know they have "underlying health issues" until they are infected with something which makes those issues potentially life-ending.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2d agoBreaking News: Two deaths in Michigan have been linked to cyclospora. Both people who had the parasite also had underlying health issues.
DOD is not letting trans service members attend their own separation hearings unless they conform with Whiskey Pete's notion of their gender. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
The National Park Service is warning that Trump’s proposed “triumphal arch” would ruin just about everything near it. trib.al/adhrEFV
Park Service Delivers Brutal Verdict on Trump’s “Triumphal Arch”
The National Park Service is warning that Trump’s proposed “triumphal arch” would ruin just about everything near it.
trib.al
My own "Night of the Gun" self-fact-check is not as exciting as David Carr's but does involve public radio newscasters and sad grad-student striving. continuous-wave.beehiiv.com/p/the-gift
The Gift
In the media world, generosity and scarcity live side by side in a rather sick embrace. Scarcity has always felt like the dominant partner, and that does something to us.
continuous-wave.beehiiv.com
when people say "do your own research" they generally mean "do not trust anyone with any relevant training or experience"
Marc Veldhoen@marcveld.bsky.social · 2d agoI'm a full Professor of Immunology and fully vaccinated. I didn't get vaccinated out of obedience, but after decades of studying the immune system and evaluating all evidence. Calling that "lack of critical thinking" is not an argument. It's ideology masked as pretend intellect.
