Great piece from @mattdpearce.com on why America has less community than ever, especially on the left: People don't like the downsides of tight-knit groups. mattdpearce.substack.com/p/how-much-c...

What if people just prefer bowling alone?

Civic renewal in the isolation of American democracy.

mattdpearce.substack.com

"The reversals have validated advocates’ earlier fears about Newsom’s decision to let the prison system handle its own reforms, rather than imposing legislative guardrails. They come at a time of reduced judicial oversight, too." Via @psfrench.bsky.social @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/california-d...

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts

California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, four years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.

boltsmag.org

Kelly was an extraordinary, wise, inspiring, deeply compassionate reporter who made so many of us better journalists & better people, & who made so many lives richer. I can’t quite believe she’s gone. But please read this beautiful obituary by her longtime collaborator @byjeffmcdonald.bsky.social.

Kelly Davis, intrepid reporter who exposed death and despair in San Diego County jails and gave voice to the downtrodden, dies at 53

The 2023 San Diego journalist of the year beat cancer for more than a decade before being diagnosed with a new tumor earlier this year; she leaves a lasting legacy in her adopted hometown.

sandiegouniontribune.com

A general FYI if you're debating whether or not to email a journalist saying you like their article, email them. Trust me, those who don't like what we write are quick to do so. The compliments are a nice balance.

Damning detail in here: CBS had managed to secure a visa to get into Iran and Bari opted not to send anyone.

Status@status.news · 3mo ago

A major shakeup at CBS News’ London bureau comes after months of behind-the-scenes friction with Bari Weiss, Status has learned—raising serious questions about the future of the network’s international reporting. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/bari-weiss...

Who should own Liberty Station? San Diego is escalating its war to hang onto the sprawling complex of artist studios, parks, food & retail — even as a developer tries to force it to sell. As for why this is happening? Blame the aftermath of CA's dissolution of redevelopment agencies 14 years ago:

San Diego’s war over Liberty Station is coming to a head. Here’s how the city hopes to win.

The City Council is set to approve complex deals Tuesday that aim to cement city ownership, even as a management company fights to force it to sell.

sandiegouniontribune.com

"I don’t have a problem with my lab being funded by Epstein," one neuroscientist told a colleague. "Thank you for your interest & support," a neurologist wrote Epstein. Epstein's UCSD ties go much deeper than previously reported — & involve funding fringe research with autistic kids, emails show.

UCSD professors wanted money to research telepathy. They turned to Jeffrey Epstein.

‘I don’t have a problem with my lab being funded by Epstein,’ one wrote to another.

sandiegouniontribune.com

Is Darrell Issa's career in Congress over? His seat was redrawn in Dems' favor, his $$ has lagged, he hasn't yet filed, today's the deadline & yesterday, Jim Desmond, the GOP supervisor running in a nearby seat, pulled papers to switch to Issa's. Issa's response: "Don’t owe you anything nothing no."

Jim Desmond moves to run for a different seat in Congress — Darrell Issa’s

The Republican supervisor withdrew from the race in a neighboring district. Issa, a longtime GOP congressman, wouldn’t say if he’s still running for re-election.

sandiegouniontribune.com

So many other outlets get this story wrong. Long before the Supreme Court weighed in on Mirabelli v. Olson on its shadow docket, Kristen Taketa's been covering it with care for @sandiegouniontribune.com & getting it right from the beginning. Here's our story. And here's what's gotten missed... 🧵

Supreme Court sides with Escondido teachers in ongoing lawsuit over transgender student privacy, parents’ rights

A federal appeals court is still considering whether parents have a right to be informed of possible changes to their child’s gender.

sandiegouniontribune.com

This is exciting. The 2 years I lived by the future D extension (when they were tunneling between La Brea & Fairfax), this stretch of Wilshire sorely needed human-scale, integrated transit & public spaces to revive those desolate, highway-like blocks of barely-punctuated facades. So much potential!

Carter Rubin@carterrubin.com · 5mo ago

Nice work by CM Katy Yaroslavsky to get coffee kiosks in all the new Metro D Line stations opening in May! cdn.mc-weblink.sg-mktg.com/weblink/MTc3...

"These are boutique issues. If you're basing your vote solely on who treats trans people more poorly, you don't really suffer from any real problem ... What the fuck do you mean you're voting for whoever prevents whether some trans 6th grader from playing soccer with her friends?" @katelynburns.com

There Will Never Be a Sista Soulja Moment for Trans Rights

But that won't stop Democrats from trying for it anyway In the midst of the 1992 presidential election, future president Bill Clinton visited Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition conference and delivere...

burnsnotice.com

Katelyn Burns@katelynburns.com · 6mo ago

For my newsletter, I wrote about why the media is so thirsty for Democrats to have a "Sista Souljah Moment" and repudiate trans issues. www.burnsnotice.com/there-will-n...

“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,” said Margo T. Oge, who served as the E.P.A.’s top vehicle emissions regulator under three presidents and has since advised both automakers and environmental groups… “Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”

With Latest Rollback, the U.S. Essentially Has No Clean-Car Rules

nytimes.com

Under RFK, Jr., the CDC's authority has crumbled: it is no longer updating dozens of health databases, and has abandoned vaccine guidelines. But states and governors are trying to fill the void, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social writes @scifri.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/stat...

A ‘shadow CDC’ is scrambling to fill gaps in public health data

Dozens of routinely updated CDC databases have gone quiet. Here’s what states and medical societies are doing to preserve U.S. public health

scientificamerican.com

“I can’t think of any other way to describe it but an attack on the independence of the judiciary and the International Criminal Court’s independence as an institution.” Prost was sanctioned because she’d ruled to OK an investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes. www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...

‘It’s surreal’: US sanctions lock International Criminal Court judge out of daily life

Canadian judge Kimberly Prost is unable to use credit cards, transfer money or book everyday services in what she calls an attack on the independence of the judiciary

irishtimes.com

“Cuomo began renting the Sunnyside apartment in 1982 while working as a campaign manager for his father’s run for governor… After his father became governor in 1983, he worked as one of his aides, taking a salary of $1 a year.” How did the son of the then-governor pay his stabilized rent on that?

Nolan Hicks@ndhapple.bsky.social · 9mo ago

"Cuomo Blasts Mamdani for His Rent-Stabilized Unit. But He Had One, Too: Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo lived in what he once described as “a dump, just one long hallway.'" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/n...

Trans rights and the internet itself are in a moment of crisis. What happens next? Our special series, The Future of Being Trans on the Internet, is now live in its entirety. You can check out each piece in our beautiful hub, or join us on a quick scroll 🧵

The future of being trans on the internet

The internet has long been a source of information and support for transgender people. Now, trans rights and the internet itself are in a moment of crisis. What happens next?

theverge.com

The Learn4Life charter school network enrolls 20k of CA's most vulnerable teens. But its stated mission of helping students succeed may be at odds with what teachers suggest it's best at: steering public money to an obscure nonprofit. I'll explain. 1/x www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/10/05/t...

‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools

The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.

sandiegouniontribune.com

Got a tip recently about how Trump's tariffs are preventing libraries from sharing books, and causing their loaned books to get stuck or lost in other countries: www.404media.co/libraries-ca...

Libraries Can’t Get Their Loaned Books Back Because of Trump’s Tariffs

Libraries have shared their collections internationally for decades. Trump’s tariffs are throwing that system into chaos and can ‘hinder academic progress.’

404media.co

As Trump's ban on trans people in the military took effect, we spoke with some San Diego-area members about their lives, plans and uncertainty, and whether they'll leave the service quietly. Most of them won't. As one Marine said: "Come and find me." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/13/s...

Stay or go? For some transgender San Diego sailors and Marines, Trump’s ban leaves one option: ‘Come and find me’

Some who spoke with The San Diego Union-Tribune wonder how their own military community will be impacted, especially if people leave the region once they’re forced out of the service.

sandiegouniontribune.com

Who's ICE arresting in San Diego? Mainly people with no criminal records, our analysis found. "While 20% of arrests in April were of individuals without criminal convictions or charges, it rose to 62% in May and 76% in early June, according to the data." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/06/w...

What the data say about who ICE is arresting in San Diego

More than half the arrests locally this year were of people with no criminal record

sandiegouniontribune.com

This is exactly what the data in San Diego bear out, per @sandiegouniontribune.com reporting. "While 20% of arrests in April were of individuals without criminal convictions or charges, it rose to 62% in May and 76% in early June, according to the data." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/06/w...

What the data say about who ICE is arresting in San Diego

More than half the arrests locally this year were of people with no criminal record

sandiegouniontribune.com

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · last yr.

This is getting lost. When Stephen Miller shrieks orders for 3000 daily arrests, they HAVE TO go after noncriminals. It's the only way to juice the numbers. So Miller is shifting resources away from serious crimes toward that. @vermontgmg.bsky.social and me on this: newrepublic.com/article/1976...

“Palestinians arriving at the sites say they are caught between Israeli & American fire, said the contractor who shared videos with the AP. ‘We have come here to get food for our families. We have nothing,’ he recounted Palestinians telling him. ‘Why do you shoot at us?’” apnews.com/article/pale...

US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Asso...

apnews.com

It’s true! As for the immigration stances of the candidates in the race that will decide which party controls San Diego County? Lucas Robinson recently dug into what they’ve said — and refused to say — about ICE, legal aid & more. Check it out: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/10/w...

Would Aguirre repeal sanctuary rule? What’s McCann’s stance on ICE? What a supervisor race could mean for immigrants

Here’s what the District 1 candidates say — and won’t say — about protests, ICE raids, a legal aid program for detained immigrants and more.

sandiegouniontribune.com

Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · last yr.

Did you know that control of the board of San Diego County is on the line on Tuesday? The board is split 2-2, and a Dem and Republican are fighting for the fifth spot in a few days. One reason this matters: immigration policy and ties with ICE.

Kristen Taketa investigated a small charter school network with huge executive pay—& cozy ties with its top vendor. The CEO quit 2 days after our story ran. But public records reveal how she & her predecessor built a lavish lifestyle running the network. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/22/e...

Elite charter schools CEO resigns just after Union-Tribune investigation

Records show just-departed CEO Meghan Freeman and founder Brent Woodard built a wealthy lifestyle while running the small charter school network.

sandiegouniontribune.com

"For at least the part of the day that the religious leaders were inside courtrooms, there were no arrests outside. Pham and others said they witnessed ICE agents in the hallway as they entered the courtrooms, but said they then left." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/20/f...

Faith leaders stand in solidarity with immigrants at San Diego federal building

San Diego Bishop-Designate Michael Pham called on the federal government to treat migrants with “kindness, compassion, dignity and respect.”

sandiegouniontribune.com

“Obviously, [the New York Times editorial board] decided they didn’t care enough about New York City to make an editorial endorsement, and then they show up with this wimpy, disingenuous editorial basically justifying why people should vote for someone corrupt in Andrew Cuomo.”

ryan cooper@ryanlcooper.com · last yr.

this is appropriately blistering nymag.com/intelligence...

“If you go into coverage with the resources of the NYT looking for people to tell you there’s a problem, you’ll find a problem … & if you’re the NYT, more people will flock to you to ask you to tell that story — no matter how contorted the focus of your reporting becomes because of that.” Read this:

Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · last yr.

NEW: "Where is the outrage over Skrmetti?" On the far right's campaign to create uncertainty over gender-affirming medical care for minors — and the powerful institutions that helped along the way. Tonight, at Law Dork, my written equivalent of a direct-to-camera address.

This essay by @juliaserano.bsky.social — on the parallels between the Covid “lab leak” theory & conspiracy theories about the origins of transness — is so, so, so smart & succinct & necessary. juliaserano.substack.com/p/what-covid...

What Covid “Lab Leak” and “Rushing Kids into Transition” Have in Common

and more general thoughts about conspiracy theories and negativity bias

juliaserano.substack.com

If an 11,000-word story has a major, factual error in the fifth graf, it probably should be seen for the biased, hit-piece it is.

Grossmont trustees regularly talked board business (& griped about perceived political enemies) in private messages, raising questions of open meetings law violations, per records Kristen Taketa & @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social obtained. Hell of a story: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/13/g...

Grossmont school trustees regularly discussed board business in private texts and emails

The messages portray an insular political circle of select board trustees and administrators that has fought to maintain control of the district by strategizing against employees they regard as opp…

sandiegouniontribune.com