Michael Li (李之樸)

a football player wearing a white jersey with the number 4 ALT: a football player wearing a white jersey with the number 4

Happy CFP Announcement Day to all who celebrate!

Second Sunday of Advent

Opinion | We Rejected This Practice 60 Years Ago. We Must Do So Again Today.

Powerful NYT op-ed by @amandafrost.bsky.social
"Sixty years ago, the US abolished immigration restrictions based on nationality alone. ...we should never go back to a system that made collective judgments about the worthiness of specific nationalities to immigrate..." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...

Utah lawmakers are planning to convene in an unexpected special session this Tuesday. Why? To move the filing deadline for congressional candidates, to give the GOP more time to appeal the ruling that created a Dem seat.

www.abc4.com/news/politic...

Parfait

America is foolishly waving goodbye to thousands of Chinese boffins Hostile policies and attacks on science are driving them back into China’s arms

The full source article:

www.economist.com/china/2025/1...

Chart du jour:

With an increasingly hostile environment in the U.S., a growing number of Chinese scientists working at American companies or institutions are returning home or moving to third countries.

Changes that could be rolled back include a combined race and ethnicity question and a new Middle Eastern/North African category.

Trump official signals potential rollback of changes to census racial categories Trump officials are reviewing changes to racial and ethnic categories that the Biden administration approved for the 2030 census and other federal government forms, a White House agency official says.

Trump administration signals it may rollback planned changes to the race and ethnicity categories for the 2030 census.

www.npr.org/2025/12/05/n...

NEW: The state district court in the Utah redistricting case has denied the state defendants' request for a stay of its ruling implementing a new congressional map.

drive.google.com/file/d/1W7YN...

That said, a December decision would have been exceptionally fast, even for a re-argued case.

There were some thoughts that the Supreme Court could decide Callais fast, maybe even in December.

But the last argument week of December is next week and, so far, no opinion days are scheduled.

They could always add an opinion day, but as of now, the court is out after Wed until 1/12.

Vote was 57-41. Since there are only 30 Democratic members of the Indiana state house, it means there were significant Republican no votes.

Indiana House passes new Republican-drawn congressional map The map now moves to the state Senate, where it's unclear whether there is enough GOP support for it to pass, despite pressure from Trump.

The Indiana state house has passed the new 9R-0D congressional map.

The map now goes to the state senate but not clear yet there are enough votes there to pass it.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/ele...

Supreme Court Agrees to Review Trump Order Restricting Birthright Citizenship

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the birthright citizenship case.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/u...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the start of the Montgomery bus boycott.

Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix Enter Exclusive Deal Negotiations Move comes after the latest round of bids for the media company. Paramount and Comcast also made offers.

It looks like Netflix has won the bidding Warner Bros.

www.wsj.com/business/med...

Here’s Texas AG Ken Paxton’s statement on the Supreme Court’s staying of the lower court ruling striking down Texas’ new congressional map. #txlege

This makes no difference for the midterms (the new map would be used under either scenario given that Texas has a March primary). But it does mean one less epic redistricting case for this term. #txlege

That additional round of briefing effectively likely pushes argument to next term rather than this term. #txlege

One note about the Texas stay order:

Although SCOTUS granted the stay, it did not go ahead & note probable jurisdiction (i.e., agree to hear the case on the merits). While it is all but certain the court will take the case, there will first be another round of briefing. #txlege

#BREAKING: Over dissents from the three democratic appointees, #SCOTUS puts Texas's new House maps back into effect for (and, presumably, through) the 2026 midterms.

The three Democratic appointees, in an opinion by Justice Kagan, dissent.

I'll post the ruling shortly.

Another day, same outcome. #txlege

Missouri campaign to repeal gerrymandered map plans to submit signatures next week • Missouri Independent The campaign to repeal Missouri gerrymandered congressional map says it will turn in signatures to put the issue on the ballot next week.

Proponents of a ballot measure to repeal Missouri’s new gerrymandered congressional map say they plan to turn in signatures next week.

missouriindependent.com/briefs/misso...

Two covers this week for The Economist:

In most of the world (left), a cover on how AI is transforming childhood.

In Britain (right), a cover on how the collapse in support for the two traditional mainstream is remaking UK politics.

The Wall Street Christmas tree up but not yet lit

Okay, back in the day, there was Kai Tak in Hong Kong, but that’s been closed for a quarter of a century.

I just realized that two of three of the candidates in the Honduran presidential election are of Christian Palestinian ancestry.

There are any number of people of Arab ancestry who have been successful in Latin American politics over the years, but still 2 of 3 seems kinda of remarkable.

The approach into LGA is still unparalleled.

Now past 5:30 p.m. on the East Coast, and still no action at SCOTUS in the Texas redistricting case. #txlege