The people didn’t want this. But the corporate donors did. Guess who got their way?

To put a Republican +8 hold in TN in perspective: using the Cook PVI model there are roughly 99 GOP held seats in Congress that are closer to midpoint than this (2025 PVI R+10) district. In MN that includes MN-06 (Emmer, PVI R+10), MN-08 (Stauber, R+7), MN-01 (Finstad R+6). Huh.

Kat Rohn@rohnkat.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I don't know how this TN race is going to turn out, but even a close outcome is an unmitigated *disaster* for Republicans in a formerly +22 seat. Run good candidates, everywhere. Elections alone won't save us, but they are an essential tool if we are going to move through and out of this moment.

AI for social good

Jake Johnson@jakejohnsonmn.bsky.social · 9mo ago

AI can be a helpful educational tool. For example, if you’re trying to figure out who spearheaded the largest cut to SNAP, it gives you a pretty clear answer.

I was a SNAP kid. Now I'm running for Congress against the guy who gutted SNAP.

I’ve been a public school teacher for 20 years. My wife is a paraprofessional who works with deaf and hard-of-hearing students. So let me tell you why these cuts to special education will be absolutely devastating 🧵 www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...

I'm running the Madison Marathon this fall to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention @afspnational.bsky.social Here's the link if you'd like to donate! www.gofundme.com/f/support-am...

Donate to Madison Marathon for Suicide Prevention, organized by Nikhil Marda

We're a group of friends who grew up together in Rochester, Minnesota. On Novembe… Nikhil Marda needs your support for Madison Marathon for Suicide Prevention

gofundme.com

We raised more money than Congressman Brad Finstad last quarter, and we did it without any corporate PAC donations. No one has ever beat him like this in a fundraising quarter, and we’re just getting started. #MN01

We had an incredible time at the Rochesterfest parade yesterday! Over 50 volunteers turned out and marched with us.

I'm fired up to start a new job as the campaign manager for @jakejohnsonmn.bsky.social, my high school math teacher who is running for Congress in MN-01! This used to be Tim Walz's district. Today, it's repped by a founding member of the DOGE caucus. He's going to flip this seat again.

I’m a teacher, union leader, and father, and I'm running for Congress in southern Minnesota. I grew up poor here, so I know what high prices and gutted public programs mean to working families. Meanwhile, Brad Finstad is jacking up prices and won't listen to us.

I was pleased to join others in the research community in signing this scientific consensus statement on bias and discrimination in AI. www.aibiasconsensus.org

Nik Marda@nrmarda.bsky.social · last yr.

Over 100 researchers are issuing a statement today that reiterates the scientific consensus that AI can exacerbate bias and discrimination. The last three U.S. Administrations — including the first Trump Administration — and 192 other nations have recognized this basic fact.

Over 100 researchers are issuing a statement today that reiterates the scientific consensus that AI can exacerbate bias and discrimination. The last three U.S. Administrations — including the first Trump Administration — and 192 other nations have recognized this basic fact.

We released a letter with 16 of our closest friends telling the Trump Administration: Transparency is essential for public trust. It is imperative you maintain the federal agency AI use cases inventories at the current level of detail. Read more ➡️ fas.org/publication/omb-ai-use-case-inventories/

Turns out if you keep "harnessing the benefits and mitigating the risks" of tech on the margin, you won't do enough to prevent the owners of that tech from amassing this much power

"guardrails so basic that any engineer should be ashamed to release a product without them" This is exactly what OMB's guidance on AI (m-24-10 & 18) put in place for fed gov use of AI. But it's now being revised. Glad consumer and tech groups are speaking up! www.cnbc.com/2025/01/30/t...

Tech and consumer groups urge Trump White House to keep 'key rules' in place for AI

A joint letter from the Consumer Federation of America and Mozilla implored the White House to keep "key rules" in place for AI testing and transparency.

cnbc.com

We have built a state that relies on nonprofits and industry to do its basic tasks. Pausing funding breaks in this framework breaks the current us social safety net. Though the legality of this directive is quite suspect, it goes WAY beyond research.

Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · 2y ago

I am begging the national media to start taking this seriously. Stop buying the claims that the framing of "temporary" or "pause." They are altering the review processes of federally funded scientific research from merit-based peer review processes to political screening by ideologues.

The new order says that AI systems should be "free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas." While an AI-focused order from Trump 1.0 pointed to civil rights/liberties protections, the latest order makes no such reference www.nextgov.com/artificial-i...

Trump signs AI executive order

The order calls for the development of an AI action plan and sets up a process for revoking actions taken under President Biden’s previous AI executive order signed in October 2023.

nextgov.com

President Trump’s Executive Order re: DOGE is not the most important nor most inhumane EO from yesterday, but here’s a thread about it. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... 1/

Establishing And Implementing The President's "Department Of Government Efficiency" – The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.

whitehouse.gov

The scope of the birthright citizenship executive order is broader than some rumors had it. The denial of birthright citizenship would apply not just to U.S. born children of *undocumented immigrants* but to anyone who did not have a parent who was at least a permanent resident.

New article by @andrewrchow.bsky.social on the potential ethics issues and well oligarchy, (my term not his) raised by the David Sachs appointment as AI czar. With quotes from @nrmarda.bsky.social and me, among others. time.com/7200518/davi...

What Trump's New AI and Crypto Czar Means For Tech Industry

David Sacks campaigned hard for Trump, and will now likely attempt to grow both the AI and crypto industries.

time.com

This press release from Ted Cruz is very concerning. It's a standard authoritarian move (I've seen this in India) to start tracing money trails as a way to harass NGOs and others doing work in a space. 1/2 www.commerce.senate.gov/2024/12/cruz...

Cruz Calls Out Potentially Illegal Foreign Influence on U.S. AI Policy

commerce.senate.gov

best spam message i've ever gotten

I would like to meet one (1) person who user tested the new iOS photos app just to confirm that they actually exist

Can't wait for BART service alerts to be rebranded as State-of-the-Bart Performance

mrd@mrd.news · 2y ago

kinda wild to see all these YC people involved in SF politics. Bilal Mahmood was a YC founder and will soon be D5 supervisor, YC CEO Garry Tan is on the board of GrowSF and now Sam Altman, ex YC president, will co-chair SF Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie’s transition team

Hello world!