El-Sayed: "My commitment to Jewish safety is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters. Because if there is one question of political philosophy that ought to animate us all, it's what would we do if we treated all our kids like they were all of our kids?"

The conventional wisdom is the Democrats' big climate law failed to deliver votes and then died. That's wrong. My new study finds its factories moved 2.5 million votes—more than Trump's margin. And the law's still alive. My latest in @theatlantic.com. Gift link! www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Bidenomics Was More Successful Than People Think

Conventional wisdom holds that Joe Biden’s bet on climate investment was a bust. The data suggest otherwise.

theatlantic.com

Only real heads will get this, but: The documents helpfully released today by John Solomon appear to indicate that the FBI never continued its counterintelligence investigation against Trump once Mueller was appointed www.whitehouse.gov/releases/202...

Published estimates of AI energy use per prompt (~0.3 watt-hours) appear reassuring small. But they are increasingly disconnected from how we actually use AI. Modern agentic tools use around 600 times more energy per prompt, as I discuss in my latest over at The Climate Brink www.theclimatebrink....

Trump's rollback of air pollution rules is really bad news for communities who live near the gas plants being built to power data centers. It's especially bad news for Texans, where state regulators are fast-tracking approvals at an "alarming" pace.

alright let's do real discourse: five books *by bad people* that are still good or great books V.S. Naipaul, A BEND IN THE RIVER Allison Pearson, I DON'T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT Kevin Myers, WATCHING THE DOOR Yukio Mishima, CONFESSIONS OF A MASK Neil Gaiman, BRIEF LIVES.

@ucs.org senior scientist Dr. Carly Phillips said fights over who will pay for climate damages could have been avoided if the fossil fuel industry had been honest in decades past with the public and politicians about the dangers of burning fossil fuels.

Republicans Are Trying to Give Big Oil Immunity for Causing Climate Chaos

A new report further links fossil fuel emissions to extreme weather events. States are trying to make polluters pay.

truthout.org

public libraries ftw

FLAG: Trump gets to keep tax immunity for himself, his sons, and the Trump Organization under the new 'deal' struck by Todd Blanche. The new order also reaffirms that Trump won't have to pay any taxes he might have owed the IRS.

"“Nowadays our culture tells young men that greatness is tearing other people down, is trolling and owning and dominating. But my dad showed me what real greatness looks like. He inspired me to serve,” Talarico said." it is time for gender yall www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

Republicans want to talk about James Talarico’s manhood. Talarico says let them.

Democrats’ hopes to flip the Senate may hinge on the Texas candidate’s strategy to win back male voters.

politico.com

Early on @coyotemedia.org made a list of dream bylines we'd LOVE to have on the site and @annaleen.bsky.social was one of the first on it for me. So stoked to see this piece about ~~speculative transit~~ and big dreams for the Bay Area. www.coyotemedia.org/funding-bay-...

A Modest Proposal for Funding Transit Instead of AI

In the ’60s, the Bay Area almost got a high-speed train from Marin to San Jose. What could happen if we dreamed big again?

coyotemedia.org

The speed of #climate change has accelerated dramatically in the last decade, from 0.2°C per decade from 1970 to 2015 to 0.35°C per decade over the past ten years. And politicians still fiddle while we burn. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...

Scientists detect a sharp acceleration in global warming

Global warming appears to have shifted into a faster gear. After removing the effects of El Niño, volcanic eruptions, and solar cycles, researchers found that the planet has warmed at roughly 0.35°C p...

sciencedaily.com

Dems strongly favored to take the House in our new election forecast. Senate just better than a tossup: Iowa: 41% Dem Texas: 48 Alaska: 51 Ohio: 53 Maine: 68 Michigan: 69 North Carolina: 84 Georgia: 94 www.gelliottmorris.com/p/democrats-...

Democrats strongly favored to take the House, Senate tilts Democratic in our new election forecast (crosspost)

Our brand-new election forecast for the 2026 congressional midterms puts Democrats at above even odds to take control of both chambers

gelliottmorris.com

I'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.

Sometimes it's easy to forget there can also be nice, wholesome stories that involve the internet.

ryan cooper@ryanlcooper.com · 4d ago

this owns www.inverse.com/input/cultur...

This is one deeply reported, beautifully written (or edited) story, and you should find time this Sunday morning to read every word of it. 1/2 Gift link www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...

How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee (Gift Article)

Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transform...

nytimes.com

“Trump is underwater on deportations in 34 states, including all the swing states plus Florida, Texas, Iowa, & Alaska—all states w/elections for US Senate this year.” “Not one state prefers deporting everyone once voters are given an option to give citizenship to non-criminal long-term immigrants.”

G Elliott Morris@gelliottmorris.com · 3d ago

New from Strength In Numbers: Trump’s immigration agenda and esp deportation operation is unpopular in every swing state — including Maine, where Susan Collins is trying to moderate on ICE www.gelliottmorris.com/p/even-repub...

“.. The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump's family business.” @reuters.com $COF www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Update: Google just sent me a statement saying it is “rolling back” this AI feature that let anyone make completely bullshit satellite images. Comes after our demos of the tool and those from OSINT researchers. One of the worst AI tools I’ve ever seen bsky.app/profile/jose...

Joseph Cox@josephcox.bsky.social · 5d ago

New from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...

The DSA in Wilmingotn, N.C. has created a "crisis" by putting benches at city bus stops, after literal decades of the city promising and failing to do so.

Democratic Socialists’ bus benches remain, city mum on next steps | Port City Daily

WILMINGTON — The handmade bus benches installed by the Wilmington Democratic Socialists of America have highlighted a problem nearly everyone agrees exists: most Wave bus stops have nowhere for riders...

portcitydaily.com

Have you been thinking of adopting a dog? This weekend, all fees are waived at the Oakland Animal Shelter if you adopt a big dog! (They're all spayed/neutered, have chips, and all vaccinations.) Give a good doggo a forever home. www.oaklandanimalservices.org/adopt/dogs/?...

Adoptable Dogs

How to adopt a dog from OAS The photos of our long-term residents are wrapped with red ribbons indicating the number of days under OAS’ care. To meet dogs currently in foster email  .

oaklandanimalservices.org

Their windfall, our climate and cost-of-living crises.

Lorne Stockman (@lornestockman)

Windfall for them. Climate and cost of living crises for us.

substack.com

A new bill would tackle political corruption by establishing a new federal enforcement agency — here's why that's important:

ExxonMobil and Chevron reported a combined $26.5 billion in profits Friday. But the immense profit stemming in large part from the war in Iran is fast making the companies a ripe political target. https://wapo.st/4wsxQAF

ExxonMobil and Chevron report $26.5 billion in profits, as lawmakers take aim

Exxon and Chevron earning reports fuel political debates over the Iran war and affordability

washingtonpost.com

I used to do some work on the ethical use of satellite and drone imagery for aid and disaster response, and it is genuinely hard to express in words what a dangerous, stupid thing Google is doing by making it easy to use GenAI to create faked satellite imagery:

How to plant a nuclear plant in Iran

The question is: what on earth is Google doing?

digitaldigging.org

Since this has been popping up again... www.npr.org/2026/07/29/g...

Animal spillover? Lab leak? What the science says about the origins of COVID-19

The release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's pandemic diaries has rekindled the debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Here's how scientists have weighed in.

npr.org

“A Reuters analysis found the image of the map included ⁠in the presentation contained an artificial intelligence watermark that signals it was made with OpenAI tools.”

Eric Geller@ericjgeller.com · 6d ago

"A US government map of Africa mislabeled every country during a state department presentation at a global conference in Brazil this week, causing a stir among attenders who took screenshots and posted them online."

In this context, fundraising = soliciting bribes. Trump has accepted over $800 million in bribes since returning to office. 🎁🔗

Exclusive | ‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation

Meredith O’Rourke, nicknamed ‘princess of darkness,’ carries out the president’s desire to wring hundreds of millions from companies for his projects.

wsj.com

Alexandra Fasulo runs one of the most prolific anti-solar campaigns online, regularly telling over 2 million followers renewable energy is threatening farms and wildlife. But how much of her rhetoric is actually true? @alexhannaford.com spent months parsing through the nuance for HEATED:

The influencer teaching millions to fear solar

Alexandra Fasulo says she’s protecting farms and wildlife. Her campaign is becoming a blueprint for the fossil fuel right.

heated.world

The Rolling Stones at the Oakland Coliseum, Willie Nelson at the Oakland Municipal Auditorium and Etta James taking the stage at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. These concert images from the 70s and 80s can be seen at the Rockridge Cafe through Aug. 5

Check out these never-before-seen photos of music legends performing in the East Bay

Willie Nelson in 1977, and the Rolling Stones in 1978 are among the archives than can be seen at the Rockridge Cafe through Aug. 5.

oaklandside.org