This is dangerous. What blows my mind is the AI front of universal expertise. Like, a professional (or good friend) would might say, “this is serious, I don’t know everything about this. Let’s connect you to someone who does.” There is help - good help, live-saving help - out there.

Molly White@molly.wiki · 2w ago

alcoholic trying to get sober after a relapse tells Google's "Health Coach" about it. it tells them to drink every hour and messages them to make sure they're drinking as soon as they wake up.

Exactly this. People who want SNAP caseloads to return to where they were 25 years ago should probably explain why they want a highly effective & efficient anti-hunger program to reach a much smaller share of the people who need it.

Pam Herd@pamherd.bsky.social · 2w ago

The NYT piece notes SNAP use doubled since the early 2000s to explain cuts. But SNAP take up was artificially low. In the 90s ~80% of the eligible received benefits. This dropped to 52% by 2002. Bush admin worked on it. We were back at ~90%. We're about to see take-up among the eligible plummet.

The NYT piece notes SNAP use doubled since the early 2000s to explain cuts. But SNAP take up was artificially low. In the 90s ~80% of the eligible received benefits. This dropped to 52% by 2002. Bush admin worked on it. We were back at ~90%. We're about to see take-up among the eligible plummet.

Andrew Russeth@russeth.bsky.social · 2w ago

"Four months into an appeal, Ms. McDonald, a cancer survivor who weighs 69 pounds, bustles to food banks, stretches ground turkey with oatmeal, and skips meals to feed three teenage boys." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/u...

HR1 is making states fearful of SNAP errors, yes. But these kinds of errors - denying or delaying SNAP to eligible people - aren’t counted in the HR1 equation Don’t forget: SNAP is food. When people need it, they need it yesterday. 🛟 🥗

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2w ago

Page One. @nytimes.com

anyone else noticed how flying anywhere for any reason has become awful? never *loved* air travel but geesh this feels worse than ever

☀️🍉⚽ Happy Summer Eats Awareness Week! School’s out, and summer meals are IN. Join us in promoting this completely free, awesome program that provides nutritious meals and fun for kids across Massachusetts during summer break, all summer long.

Congressional GOP now “dunking” on advocates about SSBs and the “Nutrition” part of SNAP acronym… Should give pause to public health folks supporting restriction. SNAP is **the tool** to reduce poverty and food insecurity. These “gotcha” moments wont lead to stronger SNAP. They undermine it.

Hunger is a policy choice.

Robert Reich@rbreich.bsky.social · last mo.

Your Prime Day reminder that half of Amazon warehouse workers struggle with food & housing costs. A third have had to rely on government assistance like SNAP — which was gutted last year. If Bezos can spend $500M on a yacht, Amazon can afford to treat its workers with dignity.

Key to this judgment is that only Congress can impose SNAP restriction (though will have to see how it plays out in courts…) Don’t sleep on this: proponents are already pitching nationwide SNAP restrictions in Congress. SNAP needs protection, this is not it.

Ben Chrisinger@bchrisinger.bsky.social · last mo.

A brief observation on framing: The setup isn't "should SNAP be used to buy candy" OR "should SNAP be restricted from candy purchases." It's "should SNAP stay a straightforward program serving many different needs," or not. Even the NYT photo (candy) falls into this trap. 🥗 🛟

Your Prime Day reminder that half of Amazon warehouse workers struggle with food & housing costs. A third have had to rely on government assistance like SNAP — which was gutted last year. If Bezos can spend $500M on a yacht, Amazon can afford to treat its workers with dignity.

Key to this judgment is that only Congress can impose SNAP restriction (though will have to see how it plays out in courts…) Don’t sleep on this: proponents are already pitching nationwide SNAP restrictions in Congress. SNAP needs protection, this is not it.

Ben Chrisinger@bchrisinger.bsky.social · last mo.

A brief observation on framing: The setup isn't "should SNAP be used to buy candy" OR "should SNAP be restricted from candy purchases." It's "should SNAP stay a straightforward program serving many different needs," or not. Even the NYT photo (candy) falls into this trap. 🥗 🛟

A brief observation on framing: The setup isn't "should SNAP be used to buy candy" OR "should SNAP be restricted from candy purchases." It's "should SNAP stay a straightforward program serving many different needs," or not. Even the NYT photo (candy) falls into this trap. 🥗 🛟

Judge Blocks Bans on Using Food Stamps for Sugary Drinks and Candy

nytimes.com

"When a child born today becomes a parent, the average temperatures of summer 1976 will be normal. When they become a grandparent, they will look back and think that the summer of 1976, or even the summer of 2025, were remarkably cold." - Professor Ed Hawkins 50th anniversary of the 1976 heatwave

Ed Hawkins@edhawkins.org · last mo.

We recreated the legendary heatwave of summer 1976 in today’s climate… …and it is essentially the same as the weather forecast for this week, on the 50th anniversary. We look set to smash the June 1976 temperature record by 3°C. Written with Hayley Fowler: theconversation.com/we-recreated...

A brief observation on framing: The setup isn't "should SNAP be used to buy candy" OR "should SNAP be restricted from candy purchases." It's "should SNAP stay a straightforward program serving many different needs," or not. Even the NYT photo (candy) falls into this trap. 🥗 🛟

Judge Blocks Bans on Using Food Stamps for Sugary Drinks and Candy

nytimes.com

More complicated rules also raise risk of eligible people being declined. Seeing this powerfully now with SNAP, where states are scrambling to lower error rates (or else pay millions in benefit costs).

Daniel Payne@danielpayne.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The unwelcome surprise for some states and patients in Republicans' Medicaid work requirements: w/ @tarabannow.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/06/03/m...

Similar trends in SNAP, for some similar reasons. Plus states are fretting more about error rates (will be used to calculate benefit cost-sharing obligations - a huge financial risk). Many people who are *fully eligible* for safety net programs are not getting to them.

Joan Alker@joanalker1.bsky.social · 2mo ago

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.

So much of me wants to like what Booker is saying. But too much of me knows health behaviors are downstream results of structural issues.

Derek Beres@derekberes.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Cory Booker pitching Blue MAHA ain’t it.

New in @us.theconversation.com: What are the new rules for SNAP food retailers really about? 🥗 🛟 doi.org/10.64628/AAI...

New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire

Many convenience stores, corner markets, bodegas and other small stores will have to make changes if they want to continue to accept SNAP benefits.

doi.org

New in @us.theconversation.com: What are the new rules for SNAP food retailers really about? 🥗 🛟 doi.org/10.64628/AAI...

New SNAP rules requiring that benefits be used at stores selling healthier food could backfire

Many convenience stores, corner markets, bodegas and other small stores will have to make changes if they want to continue to accept SNAP benefits.

doi.org

The subtext to USDA's new SNAP retailer stocking rule is about participants: Where *should* SNAP participants buy food? The reality is most SNAP is spent at supermarkets, who will meet the new rule without any effort. The impact is on smaller stores. 🛟 🥗 #academicsky

The subtext to USDA's new SNAP retailer stocking rule is about participants: Where *should* SNAP participants buy food? The reality is most SNAP is spent at supermarkets, who will meet the new rule without any effort. The impact is on smaller stores. 🛟 🥗 #academicsky

Had a great discussion with FRAC's Gina Plata-Nino and Princeton's @heatherhhoward.bsky.social about the current and future challenges for SNAP. In short, massive changes, a lot of uncertainty, huge need for monitoring and evaluation. @fracposts.bsky.social @princetonchw.bsky.social 🥗 🛟

Center for Health and Wellbeing at Princeton University@princetonchw.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The Princeton Pulse Podcast explores looming threats to SNAP, a federal program that prevents millions of Americans from going hungry. Host @heatherhhoward.bsky.social is joined by @bchrisinger.bsky.social from @tufts.edu and @fracposts.bsky.social's Gina Plata-Nino. Listen: tinyurl.com/34un45ck

The Princeton Pulse Podcast explores looming threats to SNAP, a federal program that prevents millions of Americans from going hungry. Host @heatherhhoward.bsky.social is joined by @bchrisinger.bsky.social from @tufts.edu and @fracposts.bsky.social's Gina Plata-Nino. Listen: tinyurl.com/34un45ck

PODCAST: Fighting Hunger in America - The Future of SNAP and the Evolution of Food Policy

This episode of the Princeton Pulse Podcast highlights looming threats to SNAP, a federal program that prevents millions of Americans from going hungry.

tinyurl.com

Voters across the political spectrum converging on support for regulating ingredients in processed foods. And yet… it’s still regulation. Great overview of the US food policy landscape from @hbottemiller.bsky.social @foodfixco.bsky.social

too often we forget that the public-facing consumer product isn’t the end game for tech companies. like what’s the Meta/Waymo/Nest pitch to police, DoD?

What’s the time cost of disabling/getting CoPilot out of the way across all products and devices on a (seems like) daily basis?

A distinguishing feature of SNAP has been the ease of participation. That some states are eager to scrap that for some possible short-term health gains…

Civil Eats@civileats.com · 5mo ago

Individuals receiving SNAP benefits are suing the USDA over its signing of waivers restricting purchases of soda, sugar-sweetened beverages, candy, energy drinks, and more.

Years from now, there will be required research ethics trainings that cite this case as an example and warning. The avoidable suffering and clear power imbalances make it even sadder.

Experts fear ‘unethical’ vaccine trial in Africa is ‘prototype’ for US studies under RFK Jr

Danish researchers whose work on effects of vaccines has been called into question are at center of US vaccine policy

theguardian.com

I sense that somewhere, some academic is writing a think-piece, e.g., “This is ACTUALLY the Best Time in History to Be Alive”. Could we not? Thx

Giving Bluth

Matt Motta@mattmotta.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I mean this sincerely: has *anyone* in the Trump administration ever been to a grocery store before?