Mike Boylan-Kolchin

OK, satire really is dead this time

OK, satire really is dead this time

Thanks, always appreciated. And I hope you can take your own advice, sometimes that’s the hard part for me…

stop doomscrolling. sleep will feel better than staying up late. I know things are super hard right now. I know how hard you are trying. Take care of yourself. One thing at a time.

It’s a small joke about getting mortgage statements, nothing more

Nothing worse than getting a mortgage statement. Oh, this is the 57th straight month you’ve paid a moderately large ransom? And you only have 303 more to go? Yaaaay

US health agency to wind down mRNA vaccine development The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday it would wind down mRNA vaccine development activities under its biomedical research unit.

I think they’ve turned against vaccines for the same reason they’ve turned against weather forecasting & broadband access & childcare tax credits: it’s an area where government investment has an obvious benefit for the public and thus must be eliminated to reduce trust in government’s abilities.

Ahh, sorry, we are getting word that he was trying to *defund* the young woman, which honestly seems much more in character. Anyway …

Ahh, sorry, we are getting word that he was trying to *defund* the young woman, which honestly seems much more in character. Anyway …

For those of you who are redistricting nerds, it’s quite a week.

Let me know what popular beliefs about gerrymandering bother you the most.

And if you are new to following this weird pernicious practice, ask anything!

In the meantime, read up at gerrymander.princeton.edu and samwang.substack.com

Now, it’s a coalition and some have more specific or focused rationales. But they all pull in the same direction of reducing the ability of the government to provide broadly useful goods and services and increasing the protection of capital, hierarchy, and individual will for the favored classes.

US health agency to wind down mRNA vaccine development The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday it would wind down mRNA vaccine development activities under its biomedical research unit.

I think they’ve turned against vaccines for the same reason they’ve turned against weather forecasting & broadband access & childcare tax credits: it’s an area where government investment has an obvious benefit for the public and thus must be eliminated to reduce trust in government’s abilities.

Columbia and Brown to Disclose Admissions and Race Data in Trump Deal

Though the article says this aspect of the deal was "widely overlooked", a lot of folks on here have rightly been focusing on it. And the article points out something else that several of us have been saying: these mandatory disclosures may expose universities to more lawsuits (public and private).

F.B.I. Is Asked to Arrest Texas Democrats in Battle Over House Seats

It’s weasel wording to use the passive voice here: Sen. Cornyn is the one who asked, and that’s an important part of the story.

A reminder that these small marginal tax increases are best thought of not as millionaires losing money but as millionaires gaining money at a very slightly lower rate. If it made sense to upend your life for something like this, millionaires would have ALREADY left for more tax-advantaged locales.

“Look, it’s easy. All you need is story, characters, emotions, tension, and resolution. Oh, and violence. I can’t believe you guys need me to tell you this!”

Both the Columbia and Brown agreements are filled with statements about how the government reserves the right to sue or bring other action against the schools in the future for a huge range of perceived transgressions. It’s hard to see how they can operate under these conditions.

F.B.I. Is Asked to Arrest Texas Democrats in Battle Over House Seats

It’s weasel wording to use the passive voice here: Sen. Cornyn is the one who asked, and that’s an important part of the story.

@mbkplus.bsky.social alluded to this on the podcast - if the Trump administration believes that Columbia has admitted too many Black and Hispanic students, it will almost certainly renege on grant funding.

Posting such comments in public is clearly white moderate behavior, I hope they delete your J. Crew accounts.

In fact, I'd argue that the disclosures almost certainly will lead to more lawsuits from the federal government unless admissions offices do away with any "holistic" evaluation, which has become an effective tool in recruiting students from historically excluded groups.

Columbia and Brown to Disclose Admissions and Race Data in Trump Deal

Though the article says this aspect of the deal was "widely overlooked", a lot of folks on here have rightly been focusing on it. And the article points out something else that several of us have been saying: these mandatory disclosures may expose universities to more lawsuits (public and private).

Boards of Regents Have More Power Due to New Law Check out the people at UT who will make decisions on curricula, hiring

A somewhat rare look at the makeup of the Board of Regents and their political connections / donations (h/t @angengea.blog)

“We polled a wide range of groups: republicans in Midwest diners, republicans who own car dealerships in the sun belt, republicans who have started their own cults in the mountain west, libertarians who own multiple pairs of Oakleys, and 18-25 year old men names Gunner.”

A reminder that these small marginal tax increases are best thought of not as millionaires losing money but as millionaires gaining money at a very slightly lower rate. If it made sense to upend your life for something like this, millionaires would have ALREADY left for more tax-advantaged locales.

A lot of the DOGE folk wielded unprecedented power, with no background checks, no Senate confirmations, no meaningful accountability. They will to back to the private sector, complaining about government, while leaving future public servants to clean up their mess.

"never heard of him"

SCOTUS rules 6-3 that you must buy 5 copies of Alito's new book, tentatively titled: "Let Your Freak Flag Fly'