Please stop saying “lockdowns.” There were never true lockdowns in the US, and it fuels far right narratives to repeat this inaccurate statement. You can say closures, you can say restrictions, or better, you can say public health measures which saved many lives.

Dr. Lucky Tran@luckytran.com · 6d ago

People still complain about “lockdowns” but we had none in the US. We had stay-at-home orders, where although businesses were closed, you could still go outside whenever you wanted. Other countries had far stricter rules, and yet have been much more accepting of them as they saved many more lives.

if you hated covid "lockdowns" try long covid

Not only this, politicians and the media were (are) constantly claiming children didn’t get sick and gaslighting parents who wanted the protection of a covid vaccine for their child while pressuring us to stop protecting our children

Gwen Snyder is uncivil@gwensnyder.bsky.social · 3d ago

It's hard to overstate how ISOLATING and scary it was with a child under 5 waiting for that under 5 vaccine. The world was kind of moving on and you not only couldn't, you had to be scared for your child every day

New: We found 50 cops who misused Flock cameras and other license-plate readers for personal purposes, often to spy on their girlfriends or ex-wives. He "watched every single move I made. ... Who do you turn the chief of police in to?" wapo.st/3S6rTuo

She left her ex. He secretly tracked her through a network of policing cameras.

Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.

wapo.st

“The biggest problem is that the conclusion doesn't match the data.” Allen said. “If you look strictly at the data, the conclusion is a small HEPA filter that's turned off doesn't work.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/can...

Can air purifiers prevent flu and COVID-19 in nursing homes? Only if they’re used properly

cidrap.umn.edu

People potentially subject to the nyc pied-à-terre tax are being treated with 1% of the administrative hostility of SNAP and Medicaid applicants, and they’re throwing 100x the fit

Important history lesson: Fascism rose partly as a result of the 1918 pandemic.

I have friends dealing with chronic health issues from long covid, loved ones who lost family members to COVID, and immunocompromised friends who have to be very careful still to not get sick and die. Sorry if posting about COVID is annoying but it's not over and I wish people took it seriously.

Love to see this blockclubchicago.org/2026/07/27/a...

ACT UP, Groundbreaking Group That Fights AIDS, Returns To Chicago

The group that uses direct action to advocate for LGBTQ+ people and causes is reforming after a 30-year hiatus, with a focus on protecting trans people and more.

blockclubchicago.org

While we’re on the topic of COVID, trauma, and schools… Researchers found a major source of pandemic-related trauma for college students was returning to in-person schooling before it was safe. It was an institutional betrayal. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

COVID-19-related institutional betrayal associated with trauma symptoms among undergraduate students

Individuals are dependent on institutions (e.g., universities, governments, healthcare systems) to protect their safety and advocate for their needs. When institutions harm the individuals who depend ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

What I’m seeing is 35% of people have bad taste in pizza toppings and don’t know a good thing, and about the same amount of people have bad taste in Presidents

Thor Benson@thorbenson.bsky.social · 7d ago

Trump's approval rating has fallen below pineapple pizza's

More US parents advocate for vaccination than discourage it, survey finds, via @missmeghanmack.bsky.social @cidrap.bsky.social www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...

More US parents advocate for vaccination than discourage it, survey finds

The results indicate that enlisting parents in advocacy efforts could help with awareness campaigns.

cidrap.umn.edu

A small band of threatening socialists actually can imagine good things and suggest we all deserve healthcare + functioning government + food + housing Somehow these ppl are the threats and not the ones who are happy to rob the poor to pay the rich, or use the government to attack trans youth, etc

The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · last wk.

Once a fringe wing, Democratic Socialists are wielding surprising political power, capitalizing on popular discontent. Mainstream Democrats see a “fundamental threat.”

Immigration is about money, and is about preferred groups. Always has been. The rules change constantly. It is arbitrary and frequently cruel. This administration absolutely is escalating it. But the levers have been there, and have been used.

“Tonight’s Presidential Hour of Hate is brought to you by the good people of General Motors. Whether you hate transgender kids or are just a garden variety white supremacist, GM is there for you!”

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

GM CEO Mary Barra is introducing Trump at his rally. Something to keep in mind if you're in the market for a vehicle anytime soon.

Exceptional clarity from Science magazine but we need to take this one step further. Their design to break academic science is coupled with their design to re-segregate higher education and control culture, ideas, and memory. It fits with anti-DEI policies and Trump disclaimers at the Smithsonian.

"We found that at least 150 institutions of higher ed... are using Flock’s surveillance network.. many campus police departments have facilitated immigration related investigations, even when they are located in sanctuary states and are legally prohibited from doing so" by @torinmonahan.bsky.social

Flock on campus: university police as appendages of a national policing apparatus

Dangerous new forms of networked surveillance are gaining traction with police departments across the United States. One popular example is Flock Safety’s Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR)...

doi.org

This seems fine. Remind me again how I’m a Luddite for not thinking we have to embrace generative AI

The Associated Press@apnews.com · 2w ago

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said Tuesday that its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own in what the company called an “unprecedented cyber incident.”

This is really, really, really bad. I spoke to two mothers who lost food stamps who are eating less in order to feed their kids and still struggling to give their kids enough nutritious food www.thenation.com/article/econ...

The Trump Administration Is Making It Nearly Impossible to Get Food Stamps

New work requirements and restrictions on SNAP have kicked millions off the benefit rolls, with more reductions to come.

thenation.com

Katie Bergh@katiebergh.bsky.social · 2w ago

🚨NEW: In the 9 months after last year’s reconciliation law enacted unprecedented SNAP cuts, the number of people receiving SNAP fell by more than 4.5 million. Based on available data, we estimate that at least 1.5 million fewer kids are receiving SNAP. www.cbpp.org/research/foo...

The world may have moved on from Minneapolis but its immigrant community continues to struggle. We spoke to single mothers who hid from ICE for months, ran through their savings, and now can’t pay to renew their DACA applications. At least dozens are in this situation. 19thnews.org/2026/07/ice-...

Single mothers lost months of income hiding from ICE — and now can’t afford to renew immigration papers

They survived ICE's takeover in Minneapolis. But now their DACA protections are set to expire, leaving dozens scrambling to afford hundreds of dollars in fees to maintain their legal status.

19thnews.org

Well ok guess I’m never speaking words at a conference ever again

Josh Sternberg@joshsternberg.com · 2w ago

we're so cooked www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...

I don't think we should mince words. Transphobia and hatred killed May Pollard. The Idaho legislature killed her as surely as if they'd pointed a gun at her head and pulled the trigger. Anti-trans laws were the gun. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.

The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.

nbcnews.com

A father in Idaho, speaking to police after his child died by suicide: “There is a huge amount of animosity, every single day, thrown at trans kids. The whole fucking country. The whole fucking administration, every single fucking day.” Please read this important story by @joyurcaba.bsky.social

Idaho pushed anti-trans laws for years. Then a teen died.

The life and death of May Pollard, 16, provides a window into the tragic effect that legislation and political rhetoric have had on trans people in America.

nbcnews.com

Thankful for Ashley Brouilette. Who also previously warned military supervisors about his abusive behavior. Which begs the age old question for feminists, how many effing times do we have to warn people about abusive men to stop them getting into jobs with weapons and positions of power

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 3w ago

WOW. The ex-wife of the ICE officer who shot a 26-year-old Colombian man in Maine has come forward to say that he had mental health issues and was abusive in their relationship. She says after the shooting he called asking her to vouch for him — instead, she went to the press.

Listen. Dude may very well have mental health issues too but I cannot take one more fucking article that conflates abuse of women with “mental health issues”

The Associated Press@apnews.com · 3w ago

ICE officer who shot Colombian man in Maine has history of threatening behavior and mental illness, family and court documents say.

It’s a goddamn straight line from dating/domestic violence to racist violence to state sanctioned/police violence

Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · 3w ago

Wow. The ICE shooter in Maine asked his ex-wife to "to lie for him and to cover for his character." She said he was abusive and had previously reported concerns about him to his military superiors. He was also a volunteer firefighter, but was removed after several spats with department leadership.

“Most men I associate with are rapists.” -MAGA men

Amanda Marcotte@amandamarcotte.bsky.social · 3w ago

“'Most every guy I know did what he’s being accused of at one point or another with their girlfriend at some point after a night of drinking,' complained the Donald Trump-loving comedian Adam Carolla." www.salon.com/2026/07/15/m...

Sure wish there was as much outrage among academic observers at the rapid and inefficient proliferation of new Vice Provost for Sucking up to Tech Companies positions as there was for the diffusion of Vice Provost for Trying to Make Academia Less Sexist and Racist positions.

Said differently, JD Vance believes any wealth generated by AI should be concentrated in the hands of a few while the masses suffer job losses, deeper climate catastrophes, higher electric bills, noise pollution from data centers, etc, etc.

Craig R. Brittain@craigbrittain.com · 3w ago

JD Vance: "AI is gonna unleash a lot of wealth creation, but if that all goes to some segment of people, you're gonna have communism."