JDub

Our nation has a homelessness crisis caused by a shortage of housing.

President Trump’s response is to criminalize homelessness while slashing the affordable housing programs that actually help get people off the streets.

It’s both cruel and completely ineffective.

Nearly 2 million Americans on unemployment, highest since pandemic era Continuing unemployment claims jumped to 1.97 million in late July, according to a Labor Department report, highlighting a weakening labor market.

The number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for at least a week rose to the highest level since late 2021, according to Labor Department data.

Vaccines made using whole viruses require growing large amounts of virus in eggs or cell culture. This means they take months longer to produce than mRNA vaccines. RFK Jr acknowledges that rapid viral evolution is a problem, but is killing our speediest, most effective platform for dealing with it.

The stories we tell matter. I know this not from watching but from memory. I was just a child, held behind barbed wire in a U.S. internment camp, when an atomic bomb obliterated Hiroshima—killing members of my family.

We just heard from federal court staff that's dealing with the sealed documents hack. Thing are very bad and there's a mad scramble to get things figured out.

Have some patience and kindness for court staff. They're working incredibly hard right now under insane pressure.

Big thanks to SF MOHCD & SF HSH for recognizing our housing team!

Our Spanish-speaking rental assistance program is keeping families housed and communities strong.

Join us to support rental subsidies for immigrant families!
www.larazacrc.org/donate

#HousingJustice #ImmigrantRights #SanFrancisco

Stopping vaccine development is another example of "eugenics is everywhere."

Expecting survival of the fittest when one gets infectious disease and cancer is eugenics.

Screen grab of a section of the HHS press release which is black text on white background. The wind-down affects a range of programs including:Termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech.De-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus.Rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) and VITAL Hub.Restructuring of collaborations with DoD-JPEO, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with AAHI, AstraZeneca, HDT Bio, and Moderna/UTMB.

I'm seeing a lot of big accounts missing the mark on this story. HHS through BARDA is cancelling contracts for mRNA vaccine research related to viral respiratory illnesses. This does not affect mRNA cancer research by NIH and Moderna.

It's still bad news but let's try to keep our facts straight.

The mRNA vaccine platform has already been assessed across diverse clinical indications, many with remarkable progress:
—cancer neoantigen vaccines [in patients with refractory disease (e.g. pancreatic)]
—more than 15 infectious diseases
—autoimmune diseases
—rare disease for genome editing

Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research Vaccine experts and people steeped in pandemic preparedness expressed horror at the news that RFK Jr. has shut the door in U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research.

Pandemic preparedness in the US has been leveled a crippling blow with the cancellation of multiple #BARDA contracts to help develop mRNA vaccines. No other vaccine platform produces vaccine so quickly; without mRNA, Americans will have a long wait for pandemic vax. www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/m...

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities...."

cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy

New non-profit law firm in DC aims to challenge Trump’s executive power | CNN Politics A group of well-known Washington lawyers is opening a law firm focused on challenging President Donald Trump’s executive orders and agency actions as he strives to dramatically reshape the federal gov...

A group of well-known Washington lawyers is opening a law firm focused on challenging President Donald Trump’s executive orders and agency actions as he strives to dramatically reshape the federal government during his second term.

An easy thing to do from home is to send a note of appreciation when an organization or institution refuses to comply.

Budget Bill Massively Increases Funding for Immigration Detention The influx of money comes as the administration is resisting congressional oversight of conditions at ICE facilities.

Brennan Center for Justice Analysis: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

What's in the 2025 Reconciliation Bill So Far?  - American Immigration Council Both the Senate and the House have proposed significant immigration and border related spending measures as part of the reconciliation process.

American Immigration Council (AIC) report: www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/fact-sheet/h...

The Anti-Immigrant Policies in Trump’s Final “Big Beautiful Bill,” Explained Learn how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slashes access to health care, nutrition, and tax credits, expands immigration enforcement, and harms low-income and immigrant communities—putting the U.S. eco...

National Immigration Law Center (NILC) explainer: www.nilc.org/resources/th...

Explainer of Trump's Budget Bill: How Congress Codified Extreme Policies - National Immigrant Justice Center The massive reconciliation budget bill signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025 presents a generational threat to democracy and our collective health and

National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) explainer: immigrantjustice.org/research/exp...

Violates Human Rights & Government Oversight

- Indefinite detention of children & families
- Undermines protections for asylum seekers, families, unaccompanied minors
- Expands detention under weak standards
- Physical exams of children
- Restricts congressional access to detention facilities

Undermines Legal Protections & Due Process:

- Max immigration judges 800, worsening delays
- Expands expedited removal, bypassing legal representation & due process
- Strips lawfully present immigrants of health & nutrition care
- New & higher fees for asylum, TPS, parole, humanitarian protections

Balloons ICE & Border Enforcement Budgets:

- $45 billion detention, a 265% increase (+116,000 beds)
- expands contracts with private prisons, state/local jails.
- $75 billion for surveillance & enforcement operations (including $47B for the border wall)

Guess what?

The League of Women Voters @lwvus.bsky.social wants us all to push back against the increase of funding for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Do you know why?

The threat of political violence is keeping parents out of elected office Persistent harassment and threats of violence may be impacting who decides to become an elected official or candidate — especially for parents of young children.

Persistent harassment and threats of violence may be impacting who decides to become an elected official or candidate — especially for parents of young children.

GOOD NEWS! For the FIRST time ever, and after MORE THAN 30 YEARS of HIV vaccine clinical trials, researchers have developed a vaccine that has SUCCESSFULLY generated TIER 2 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV and BLOCKS viral infection in vaccinated PEOPLE. Let’s talk about that! 🧪🧵⬇️

Red poster with Writer's Pleasure Club across the bottom, a quote in script that says, "A place for cultivating pleasure," and an illustration of a pen nib and a lightbulb.

Write with me this time next week 📝
Writer's Pleasure Club, my online meeting for overcoming suffering and embracing pleasure, 💖 starts next Sunday 8/10 930amPST. One part writing lesson. Two parts mutual support. Pleasure twist. 🍸 Sip weekly for three Sundays together. SexyGrammar.com for details

a little girl in a red and purple shirt is holding a toy and saying leave me alone . Alt: a little girl in a red and purple shirt is holding a toy and saying leave me alone .

I get that nonprofits are always trying to up engagement, but I really hate being opted-in to new email subscriptions to get around that I’d previously opted out of everything but legally required communication.

Map of the eastern coast of Russ near Kamchatka. There are a lot of white yellow, orange and red dots that mark the location of earthquakes.

There have been more than 600 earthquakes of M4+ off the coast of Russia. Is this unusual? Should people be worried?

No.

Here’s what’s happening…. 1/ 🧪

'Confusion' over who's in charge of Alligator Alcatraz underlies lawsuit hearing A federal judge said he wants more clarity on "who is running the show" at Alligator Alcatraz, following a lawsuit over attorney access to clients detained at the immigration detention center in the E...

“This is unprecedented. We have not ever seen a situation where hundreds of people are held without charge ... under legal authority that has not been explained," ACLU attorney Eunice Cho said on Monday.

"I’m a freaking expert on the law & I can no longer tell you if the latest thought bubble out of Trump’s mouth is constitutional [...] I can perhaps tell you how the Supreme Court will make whatever thing Trump wants to do legal. What I can’t tell you is what would happen if the court told Trump no"

we don't actually know what's going to *work* so we need to try many different kinds of things and that means that a lot of what people are trying will not be your choice of action.

William M. Palmer, II and Xóchitl Carrión are excused.

Unfortunately I can't live post today, but encourage everyone to watch for themselves. I'm listening while I finish work.

sanfrancisco.granicus.com/player/camer...