Michael Brownstein

Overheard at the sledding hill: “you have to wear your hat because your brain shrinks in the cold!” Snow days are so educational.

Defend markets, ignore everything else Alex Pretti and the one true omnicause

Very good piece from @jerusalem.bsky.social

The Golden Age of Protest Is Now Collective action in the U.S. is surging. Recognizing our shared momentum may be key to saving democracy.

Re-upping this piece @madva.bsky.social and I wrote, now that the brave people of Minnesota are making the point even clearer. Thank goodness for them and their compassion.

@mitpress.bsky.social

Timberwolves hold a moment of silence for Alex Pretti

Woman on the right was using her walker to advance into the tear gas

Let us all have the courage displayed by the residents of Minneapolis.

A group, one of many, holding candles in honor of a community member executed by an unaccountable paramilitary invasion force

This is Minneapolis.

Literally every corner along Lake St. packed with people holding candles, many singing, honoring a person who by all accounts was an absolute gem of a human, whose life was tragically stolen by a fascist, paramilitary occupation force.

top story at the nyt right now

We reached the state of affairs in which Schools are sending message to parents and guardians to protect them from our own government.

"Minnesota is deeply grounded in the values of community, compassion, dignity, and solidarity. The violent actions of federal agents have had profound effects on families and communities across our city and state, creating an environment of chaos, fear, and disruption in our neighborhoods. This federal operation has made life difficult for many residents to shop for groceries, go to work, take their children to school, or keep their small businesses open. When residents are brutalized and profiled, families are torn apart, and children are arrested, our communities are not any safer. We continue to demand that ICE, and all federal agents leave our state immediately. Minnesotans have a long tradition of activism, protest, and civic engagement during significant inflection moments in our state. A broad coalition of labor organizations, faith communities, community-based organizations, students, small businesses, and workers have called for a statewide Day of Truth and Freedom as a time for solidarity, community, mutual aid, and protest. The Minneapolis City Council fully supports this action as a time to exercise your constitutional rights, to express support for our neighbors, and demand the end of this federal occupation. We acknowledge and respect the diverse ways individuals, families, essential workers, students, and businesses may choose to observe this day and support our community. Together, with our community, the City Council reaffirms our commitment to civic expression, community safety, and our immigrant neighbors. We will continue the work of ensuring justice, freedom, and dignity for all during and beyond this occupation."

Statement from the entire Minneapolis City Council in support of a General Strike and Day of Truth & Freedom on January 23rd.

Not exaggerating when I say that the collective action in Minnesota will be studied for generations if not centuries to come

Everyone in America should have to see these cases and think about what they mean for the kind of society we are becoming. They killed a mom in her minivan. And now they have grabbed this poor sweet kid, used him as bait to grab his dad, and sent him to a detention center in Texas.

Maine and everywhere else, let's take notes

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Jenny Odell’s “How to Do Nothing” next to “Somebody Should Do Something” by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel Kelly

The duality of man

@jennitaur.bsky.social @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social

@mashagessen.bsky.social is consistently one of the best writers out there about where we are as a country.

Opinion | One Year of Trump. The Time to Act Is Now, While We Still Can.

"The only way to keep the space from imploding is to fill it . . . to claim all the room there still is for speaking, writing, publishing, protesting, voting. It’s what the people of Minnesota appear to be doing, and it’s something each of us needs to do — right now, while we still can."

Super fun talk with Blaine Bartlett about social change on
Soul of Business Office Hours a few weeks ago about

Was a genuine pleasure to be on The Michael Brian Show!

"Creating True Social Change"

linktr.ee/michael_mcdo...

A serious honor to join the @casbsstanford.bsky.social podcast with @dryan149.bsky.social. Thanks a million to Damon Centola for asking great questions and to Mike Gaetani for setting it up. @madva.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

No notes

10,000 people honoring Renee Nicole Good
at the site of her murder

YouTube video by The Lean to the Left Podcast How Small Actions Spark Big Social Change in a Broken System

Probably doing a little more than leaning to the left here. Thanks for a fun interview @bobgatty.bsky.social!
@madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social

A reminder - before Trump, MAGA, Musk and Fox rewrote history - that this is what the entire country agreed had happened five years ago today:

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Votes to Shut Down Executives debated whether to allow the corporation to lie dormant after federal funding ended last year, but decided against it.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funded NPR, PBS and hundreds of local radio and TV stations across the U.S. for more than a half-century, said on Monday that its board of directors had voted to dissolve the organization because Congress cut off its federal money.

Description of the two task forces organized by Mandami, LIFT (use city owned land to develop housing) and SPEED (identify what slows down and drives up the costs on affordable housing)

Holy shit it's real

Mayor Mamdani has nullified every executive order issued by Eric Adams after he struck his corrupt bargain with Trump to secure dismissal of the indictment against him.

A 2025 highlight ⚡

View below the cover images of books entered into CASBS's Ralph W. Tyler Collection in 2025. Such books are conceived, initiated, completed, or otherwise undertaken by fellows during their residence and acknowledge the Center.

Much more on the Tyler Collection: bit.ly/3JUl5vV

Specifically, enjoying my continued read of @sgj.bsky.social's Buffalo Hunter Hunter, finished North Woods by Daniel Mason, reading some SF shorts, and savored the opening chapters of Somebody Should Do Something by @dryan149.bsky.social @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social & Alex Mavda