Chris Kamrath

The @germnetwork.com team has been participating in the #e2eemessagingWG to figure out a way to have secure private group messaging that is compatible with ATProto.

They've shipped a proof of concept of using your account to do this!

You'll need to get on the waitlist as they slowly add people.

Some patriotic reflections on Independence Day Look at me. I’m the originalist, now.

hey, you ever re-read the Declaration of Independence? some fascinating stuff in there www.theverge.com/policy/69730...

Texas Man Born to U.S. Soldier on U.S. Army Base Abroad Deported He has no citizenship to any country, despite SCOTUS case

People born on U.S. military bases overseas being stripped of their citizenship and deported...

Jermaine Thomas was born on a U.S. base in Germany where his dad was deployed in 1986. Last week he was deported to Jamaica

Now Thomas has no citizenship, according to court documents

Computers used to scream every time they connected to the Internet. They knew. They tried to warn us. We did not listen.

ICE crossed a line in LA

'We're citizens!': Oklahoma City family traumatized after ICE raids home, but they weren't suspects A woman says her family’s fresh start in Oklahoma turned into a nightmare after federal immigration agents raided their home, taking their phones, laptops, and life savings – even though they were …

Please highlight this story.

ICE stormed into the wrong house, trashed the place, and made women/girls stand outside in the rain in their underwear. ICE also stole phones, laptops, and cash savings from the family, who moved to OKC two weeks ago.

kfor.com/news/local/w...

This is high art

Those trying to understand the tariffs as economic policy are dangerously naive.

No, the tariffs are a tool to collapse our democracy. A means to compel loyalty from every business that will need to petition Trump for relief.

1/ A 🧵 to explain his plan and how we fight back.

Two headlines, one saying that inflation was a blow for Joe Biden, another saying that Trump bets Americans will swallow higher prices.

Hey journalism school students! And profs!

Here's fodder for essay-question analyses.

Both headlines from same paper, 11 months apart. Apr 2024 on left, March 2025 on right.

Inflation rate same both times (2.9%)

Any subtle difference you see?

(I no longer think this "matters" but still)

Show Up For Our Libraries! By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration's Executive Order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions and the staff and services they offer. ALA American Library Association. #ForOurLibraries

🚨NEW🚨: Donald Trump is attempting to strip away federal support for libraries. We will NOT let that happen.

Last night the President signed an order to gut the Institute of Museum & Library Services. But together, we know we can show up & defeat it.

Full EO: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Anyone know if FOIA requests for GenAI chat logs has been tested in the US? If so, some fascinating stories might emerge. In the future, we will probably need ChatGPT logs to write the history of this moment in US government.

Dear Mr. Bezos: These Columns Are All About Liberties and Markets! I have taken the liberty of crafting two pieces for the new Washington Post op-ed page that defend personal liberties and free markets. And here they are.

Just sayin’

If you canceled your @washingtonpost.com subscription today would be a good day to subscribe to @thenewrepublic.bsky.social and donate to @theguardian.com

newrepublic.com/article/1920...

No Democrat should attend. No Republican should either for that matter, but the Democrats in Congress all need to show that nothing is normal.

Inside the Collapse at NIH Administration officials pressured NIH to avoid clear advice from the agency’s own lawyers to restart grant funding now.

By @katherinejwu.com

"The NIH... supported 99 percent of the drugs approved in the U.S. from 2010 to 2019. The agency has had a hand in “nearly all of our major medical breakthroughs over the past several decades,”

The NIH is in a struggle for its (and our) lives. This is existential to America:

I used to call it "doomscrolling" but for a while now it's really just scrolling.

Welcome, but now we want to know why you support gutting Section 230. Please, justify this decision in the context of the Trump administration’s willingness to abuse oversight of media and the desire of your Republican co-authors to restrict public discourse they don’t like.

ICONIC: Yosemite National Park workers just hung an upside-down American flag—THOUSANDS of feet up on El Capitan. That’s not decoration. That’s a distress signal. They’re telling us the country is in danger. Are you paying attention?

www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/art...

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled Federal scientists warn that Americans could feel the effects of the new administration's devastating cuts for decades to come

For decades, the US government has painstakingly kept American science #1 globally—and every facet of American life has improved because of it. The internet? Flu shot? Ozempic? All grew out of federally-funded research. Now all that's being dismantled. 1/ www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1...

Oh Canada!

Join us! Science Homecoming helps scientists reconnect with communities by writing about the importance of science funding in their hometown newspapers. We’ve mapped every small newspaper in the U.S. and provide resources to get you started. Help science get back home 🧪🔬🧬 🏠

sciencehomecoming.com

Photo of researcher at medical center with two thumbs up on a blue background with a dna strand on the bottom right. Next to the photo is the following quote: "“I study how immunotherapy can be used to treat the most aggressive brain tumors. As a cancer survivor myself, I know firsthand how desperately patients need better treatments; my research is crucial to making new breakthroughs. Aishi Zhao Junior Specialist UCSF".

Photo of researcher in blue lab coat with a pipette in hand at a lab bench on a blue background with a dna strand in the bottom right corner. Next to the photo is a quote "“I study how viral DNA passed down from ancient infections affects early embryo development. This research helps us understand how viruses, including ones like COVID-19, might impact the health of future generations.” Bo He Postdoc UC Berkeley"

A photo of a researcher on a blue background with a dna strand in the bottom right corner. Next to the photo is a quote "“I’m a researcher at UC San Diego Health, where I study how certain fats in the body affect heart disease. I work on new therapies to improve heart health for all Americans, and the funding for my research comes from an NIH training grant. Brian Trausch Postdoc UC San Diego"

Selfie of two researchers on a blue background with a dna strand in the bottom right corner. Next to the selfie is a quote: "“I study how poultry workers and consumers are exposed to bird flu and ways to reduce those risks. With bird flu strains showing increased transmission, this research is crucial for preventing future pandemics. Chris LeBoa Graduate Student Researcher UC Berkeley"

The Trump administration is attacking public research through funding freezes and budget cuts, threatening life-saving medical treatments and critical research on everything from cancer to heart disease. Meet some of the UAW 4811 members who do that critical research:

Okay, PBS is out there competing for Elon’s “state-affiliated media” tag

Yes, but it will really free up time and resources to focus on the Kennedy Center...

PSA: Here’s how to report an issue with maps

Glad you had a chance to see some snow back home, but there are a few things happening in DC that we would like you to look into….

Trump's freeze stalls federal firefighter hiring Crews helped battle the deadly Los Angeles-area wildfires, and now some worry a shortfall will weaken response capabilities as fire season approaches.

Trump's federal hiring freeze has stopped the onboarding of thousands of seasonal federal firefighters — including those who work for agencies called on to help battle the Los Angeles-area fires, creating a potential shortfall ahead of the next fire season.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

What do you need?

An unelected, erratic, ketamine-addled billionaire with far right/white nationalist views has taken control of the personnel and payment systems of the United States government. Not an exaggeration, not hyperbole.

This Hannah Arendt quote feels appropriate right now

"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty."

Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting “small town America” Good Daily, which operates in 47 states and 355 towns and cities across the U.S., is run by one person.

buckle up for this one. wild ride by @andrewdeck.bsky.social www.niemanlab.org/2025/01/insi...