1/ Over the weekend, RFK Jr. was interviewed on CNN, and as I'm sure many of you have seen, he made a number of inaccurate statements. The conversation covered Covid-19, RSV, measles, vaccines, and autism. Let's fact-check some of the biggest claims.

Had a great time at the AI and Social Research conference at Penn State. I shared our work on how insights from social science can help AI better model human moral judgments. Thanks to @dcameron.bsky.social and Bruce Desmarais for bringing this group together! www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZN2...

AI and Social Research: Empathic AI, Metascience, and Methodology - Danica Dillion

YouTube video by Penn State Social Science Research Institute

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We opened an ICU that had been shuttered for well over a decade so that a hospital that has 18 MICU beds could fit 46 patients on ventilators

Gabriel Bosslet@gbosslet.bsky.social · 3d ago

RFK Jr said these words today on national television "There were ICUs that were empty all over the country including in New York at the height (of the pandemic)" hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha You are a fucking idiot hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha <sobs silently>

If you're at #AOM2026, see the symposium Monday at 3pm "Artificial Intelligence at Work: The Effect of AI on Perceiving and Interacting with Others" by Alys Ferragamo & Elena Lee. I'll have a virtual talk on empathy & uncanniness from vocal vs. text AI with @jdweng.bsky.social @minzlicht.bsky.social

Hummingbird pit stop

Fauci is an American hero. And the Onion rightfully satirizes the attacks upon him. Thankfully, many Americans do respect science, public health, and the basic value of caring for each other in times of uncertainty.

The Onion@theonion.com · 6d ago

Congress Interrogates Fauci Over Origins Of Pie Brought To Cookout https://theonion.com/congress-interrogates-fauci-over-origins-of-pie-brought-to-cookout/

Happy Friday. British metal will see you through. youtu.be/8F4_c4s2AIc?...

CAIRISS - Nervosa (Official Music Video - Single Edit)

YouTube video by Cairiss

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If you'd like a crash course in how our lab is thinking about empathic AI, check out this video of my talk at the Mind & Machine Alignment summit hosted by @danicajdillion.bsky.social Kurt Gray @helenldevine.bsky.social. Key take-home? Don't assume too much about what people want from empathic AI

Daryl Cameron — Choosing Empathy in the Age of AI | MMA 2026

YouTube video by Deepest Beliefs Lab

youtube.com

It was great to take part in the Mind & Machine Alignment summit put on by @danicajdillion.bsky.social Kurt Gray @helenldevine.bsky.social. Some great conversations about AI alignment, pluralism, and opening our minds about empathy and morality. Collaborations enriched, grew, continued apace. Kudos!

Danica Dillion@danicajdillion.bsky.social · 7d ago

It was a huge honor to welcome everyone to the Mind & Machine Alignment Summit to discuss how to make the future of AI go well. Computer scientists, social scientists, and policy experts offered unique perspectives on steering AI toward human flourishing. 🧵

In memory of Glen Hansard. Saw this moment live and it gives chills. On finding oceans deep enough for our days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ain...

The Swell Season - Fitzcarraldo (Bonnaroo 2008)

YouTube video by ilcorvojo2

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Shoegaze classics youtube.com/watch?v=ZaUP...

Chapterhouse - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

YouTube video by KEXP

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RFK Jr. and Donald Trump have openly disregarded and disrespected people with autism. And now, they’re threatening to roll back longstanding federal protections — which could make it harder for families to access care and support.

If you need to dive into some affirmative melancholy, come with me. The first 4 tracks off Anathema 's doom metal opus from 1999 are a saga. Stay for the harmonics of forgotten hopes in the last 2 minutes. Are they hopes leaving or being galvanized through shared joy? youtu.be/PMkm4ndNQ30?...

Anathema - Deep / Pitiless / Forgotten Hopes / Destiny is Dead (Live in São Paulo)

YouTube video by Flávio M.

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I've also really enjoyed this band's catalogue, including their new album. Lots of dream pop touchstones, executed really effectively. They have a keen artistic sense in their videos as well www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0qT...

deary - The Drift (Official Video)

YouTube video by deary

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www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

Congratulations to EMP Lab graduate student @jdweng.bsky.social for being recognized for his excellent work on his master's thesis, "The AI Empathy Choice Paradox". Very well-deserved! @psuliberalarts.bsky.social @ssripennstate.bsky.social #ai #empathy #psychscisky #socialpsych

AI Hub honors 14 individuals with Penn State AI Awards | Penn State University

The Penn State AI Hub, a research hub housed under the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, has awarded 14 students, faculty and alumni with 2026 Artificial Intelligence Awards for their AI-...

psu.edu

Really enjoying this band. Verdant shoegaze, escape into the fog youtube.com/watch?v=nvjG...

she's green - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

YouTube video by KEXP

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I presented virtually this morning at the Mind and Machine Alignment Summit, on AI empathic choices and alignment. I am very interested in how effort and empathy choice intersect in offloading, and using human-AI interactions to align empathy with our long-term goals and values. Great event!

New paper out today in Social and Personality Psychology Compass! What happens when our moral values come into conflict? Our new paper explores "metamorality": the second-order principles we use to navigate conflicting moral choices. W/ Jesse Graham

Adam Potkay was one of my favorite professors as a student in English. This article is just so W&M. We enjoy the fine details and philosophical interrogations

William & Mary@wm.edu · last mo.

What did Jefferson mean by the “pursuit of happiness”? A new W&M feature explains it as eudaimonia — a life of virtue, wisdom, and service to others. In other words, happiness as flourishing, not just pleasure. A reminder that the “good life” is built, not found.

It was great to see our paper on empathy and human-AI (robots) interaction as part of this. A collaboration across psychology, philosophy, and engineering that tried to caution against simple moralisms about AI (for good or bad)

Association for Psychological Science@psychscience.bsky.social · 2w ago

In a special issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science, former Editor-in-Chief Robert Goldstone pulls together a collection featuring voices at the intersection of #psychology and #AI

An example of how the empathic AI discourse could improve by legitimately recognizing neurodiversity www.psypost.org/stanford-sci...

This is election interference.

International students are one of the main heartbeats of the university and our community. We need to defend them and advocate strongly. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Trump Administration Finalizes Limits on Student Visas

International students previously could stay as long as their program lasted. The Trump administration is ending that 1978 policy.

insidehighered.com

Before the president gets on television tonight to peddle lies and conspiracy theories, here is what you need to know: The 2020 election was not stolen. We won, and he lost.

How am I just now learning about and appreciating the French metal band Gojira? This pairs so well with coffee and a run youtu.be/3p85-KtgDSs?...

Gojira - Born For One Thing [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

YouTube video by Gojira

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this should be disqualifying to just like, be a member of society, let alone a senate confirmed government position

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3w ago

OSSOFF: Who won the 2020 election? CLAYTON: Uhm, you know, I'm not going to do this with you O: This is a job interview. You have an obligation to be honest with the committee. Who won the 2020 election? C: I'm not gonna get into that with you O: You're not being honest or forthright C: ...

Y'all need to read the psychologically rich horror by @johnlangan.bsky.social. I so enjoyed "The Fisherman" novel and its layered narratives, and "The Wide Carnivorous Sky". This week, I've had a summer savor of his first collection "Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters". Highly recommended.

I'm thrilled to be presenting on empathic choices and human-AI interaction at the Mind & Machine Alignment summit next week. @danicajdillion.bsky.social & Kurt Gray have organized an amazing lineup. Mind perception and its subjective basis (which I've worked on with Kurt) is vital for these debates.

A quick thought about empathic AI. If you find yourself saying that empathy simply couldn't be possible in human-AI interaction, that it necessarily robs value from interaction... then consider whether you are showing sufficient humility about our scientific self-understanding and pluralist values