Dr. Rabbithole

Yep, the Supreme Court really is just a House of Lords—a purely political branch with bizarre veto power, wielded capriciously and without accountability. Time for massive reform.

#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.

Sigh

Is it worth rebutting this complaining mischaracterization of how NIH review works?

The peer review NIH does is incredibly valuable and constructive. Compare the NIH BRAIN initiative to the European Brain initiative — which added peer review after an open letter of serious complaints.

Also, is the occasional nit picked? Of course. But peer review guards against bad or dangerous science being funded and protects tax dollars against cronyism. The scientific community understands this and knows that they have a duty to participate. I am so grateful to everyone who reviews.

I buy my reviewers bagels or donuts & bring candies & sparkling water out of my pocket. I'm not alone, though this isn't universal. I absolutely wish we could pay more than $200/d. But regardless of what the pay and refreshments are, I can assure the original poster that we get incredible scientists

I will indulge the fuck out of a merch table if you come back to DC, haha

L'Oreal suspends production of irresistible 2 step lip color stick after lab rat seduces way out of facility

people, you have the chance to put my book ahead of Olivia Nuzzi’s on the bestseller list. put aside all other considerations and think how objectively funny this would be. #1, that Mountain Goats guy. #2, Antivax Man Has My Heart. funniest list of the century. We can do this if we try

The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine (Gift Article) A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.

@aatishb.bsky.social got me on the record. “My colleagues did an outstanding job to work their butts off to approve things.” I swear it's true. It's still true at #NIH.

oh they gave me a blue check now I can say how I REALLY feel!!! trans rights free Palestine housing is a human right universal health care for all six hour day for eight hours pay mandatory minimum wage raises that track to rent & cost of living protect the oceans & the rivers and bring back Jujubes

Renowned antivaxxer, they mean.

AD HOC REVIEWERS BEWARE. "There is no additional 2-week late window."
If you were counting on that as a perk for reviewing this round, it's gone. Your SRO had no say in this.

Agency layoff rules to get an overhaul under nearly finalized Trump administration proposal OPM’s reduction in force revamp plan will put performance ratings over tenure and strip some employees of protections.

After illegally firing 100s of thousands of federal workers, OPM head Vought proposes a new performance ratings system to make it easier to fire more. The new system deprioritizes job type, length of service, and veterans preference (because they hate veterans). 1/2
www.govexec.com/management/2...

I doubt the legal argument of duress will hold here (though who knows), but the $790 million being illegally withheld from education and scientific research at Northwestern was essentially them being held at gunpoint.

Just sooooo fucked up that our government is doing this.

(this isn't to say what Northwestern did wasn't cowardly or bad but it was a decision made under duress. If someone tells you "sign over the deed to your house or else I'll kill your family" the transaction is not considered valid.)

Horrible, but honestly surprised they lasted as long as they did given the amount of funding at stake (denial of $ by the regime poses an existential threat to Northwestern). This is why academic institutions need to band together to resist en bloc. It's so disappointing that they have not done so.

Northwestern Folds to Pressure, Betraying Trans Students — Assigned Leading Off: Northwestern University reached an agreement with the Department of Education on Friday to restore federal funding which would remove virtually all protections for transgender students an...

Northwestern University offered bland reassurance to trans students and faculty after signing a deal with the Trump administration that sacrificed them for restored funding.

More here from the peerless @valorievandieman.bsky.social:

www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

I'd say the bigger FA/FO we are dealing with is our failure to close the regulatory loophole for the wellness industry, which has forever allowed "supplements" to be sold w/ zero regulation (unlike their natural [food] and man-made [drug] counterparts). Now we are run by wellness industry grifters

My Baker Institute article

www.bakerinstitute.org/research/rea...

Trump Frees Fraudster Just Days Into Seven-Year Prison Sentence

He scammed over 1,000 people, most of whom were not wealthy - veterans, farmers, teachers, nurses, small businesses owners. Some lost everything. But he’s a rich Republican, so Trump let him get away with it. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/u...

I would maybe eat the green beans and the Pillsbury crescent rolls but would pass on everything else, even if I was trying to eat my feelings while sitting thru Thanksgiving w Karoline Leavitt.... 😬

r/Teachers 37m ago TheOne4Figures Being in College for Education right now is Horrifying Another AI / ChatGPT Post 🤖 I am a student observer (I student teach next fall) for high school history ed. Right now in college, we have a full class dedicated to using technology in the classroom. However the entire semester was almost fully dedicated to using ai in the classroom. Using ai to make lessons, being told it’s ok to write research papers with them, being told ChatGPT IS a valid source TO CITE, being told to create our college lesson plans using ai, basically being told to use ai for everything. On top of this, our professor has told us she uses ai all the time, including for writing research papers and making our assignments. Every time we pointed out the mistakes ai makes, she would tell us how ai isn’t perfect so just double check it. Oh yea, our professor? She’s our DEAN OF EDUCATION AT OUR COLLEGE. It’s just so infuriating to see. For those asking, SIUC, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

chat are we cooked

Introduce yourself with 5 animals you've seen in the wild:

Moray Eel
Northern Pacific Sea Star
Bottlenose Dolphin
Elk
About a million Norway rats, if the metro counts as the wild

Today I am grateful for all of the current and former federal workers and allies who are standing up to this regime and defending our Constitution. I am also so grateful to my family and friends for their incredible support.

Illustration of federal employees, in their work wear, who issued statements opposing their agencies' harmful policies: NIH, NSF, EPA, USAID, CDC, FEMA, NASA.

Among the things I am thankful for is the courage and patriotism of all the federal workers who blew the whistle on agency policies that harm Americans, and those who support us. #CourageIsContagious Art by @drrabbithole.bsky.social

The two shot National Guard troops never should have been in DC. More troops is no answer. The violence is horrible and unacceptable. Trump, Pete Hegseth, and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey never should have put the troops in this position.

NEW: The two shot National Guard troops never should have been in DC. More troops is no answer.

The violence is horrible and unacceptable. Trump, Pete Hegseth, and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey never should have put the troops in this position.

Tonight, at Law Dork:

Cool, let's destroy our tourism industry completely!

3 infant #pertussis deaths this year in Kentucky. "Of the three infant deaths reported over the past 12 months, all three were not vaccinated, nor were their mothers."

We first tested maternal vaccination for whooping cough over 80 years ago. It's safe & effective & might have saved these babies.

We are now selling tickets to 27 uNIHted’s Dec. 12 fundraiser!

actionnetwork.org/ticketed_eve...