Rebecca Gates

There’s so much happening right now, I thought I’d put together a running thread on the dismantling of #climate and research and knowledge infrastructure in the United States 🧵

This is so beautifully Black!! #kendricklamar #superbowl

Reinventing rhetoric from over 10 years ago. "AI is free of ideology" "all we need is efficiency". But cynically, because this is about using tech for undemocratic control. We CS folks need to reckon with this if we don't want to go where IBM did in the 30s.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_and...

Reminder: Tariffs aren't paid by other countries.

They're eventually paid by us at the check out line.

The tariffs Trump is unleashing tomorrow on Mexico, Canada, and China — our biggest trading partners — are estimated to cost households an extra $1,250 annually.

At DOGE, Musk's Billionaire Interests Likely to Trump Public Interest | TechPolicy.Press We cannot rely on unelected tech oligarchs who stand to gain from their government appointments, write Eirliani Abdul Rahman and Anne Collier.

We cannot rely on unelected tech oligarchs who stand to gain from their government appointments, write Eirliani Abdul Rahman and Anne Collier, two former members of the Twitter Trust and Safety Council who had a front-row seat to Elon Musk's restructuring of Twitter.

New lawsuit alleges Trump admin is steering info on federal employees to person who works for Musk, not the government.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Quaker groups file suit over the end of policy restricting ICE arrests in houses of worship The suit appears to be the first from a faith-based organization challenging the change in court.

Oh, per @nbcnews.com: Quaker groups file suit over the end of policy restricting ICE arrests in houses of worship.

Note: Quakers were some of the earliest supporters of Sanctuary, even putting out a booklet on the topic in 1984 (it's still available). www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

JOURNO Friends: With the new Purdue Pharma deal announced, it's the perfect time to dig into reporting on opioid settlements.

@kffhealthnews.bsky.social can help! We're hosting a webinar to share tips on how you can use our database of 7,000+ ways state & local govts are spending the money.

ReproductiveRights.Gov Vanished, So We Brought It Back theSkimm makes it easier to live smarter. You're welcome. Get all the info you need from AM to PM, wherever you are.

The administration took down the reproductive rights website that women need access to. So The Skimm bought a url and brought the content back. Pass this on!

Go to reproductiverightsdotgov.com

Voting Laws Roundup: 2024 in Review 2024 was another extremely active year for voting legislation, and early indicators suggest little signs of a slowdown in 2025.

One thing to look out for in state voting legislation in 2025: bills that would require a passport, birth certificate, or other proof of citizenship to register or vote. Unnecessary requirements like these would disenfranchise many Americans.

As someone who increasingly relies on the blogblog for local news… I endorse this idea.

Looking to do something useful but not sure what? Write clearly? Don’t mind attending the occasional public meeting? Blogblog may be for you.

civicfutures.substack.com/p/in-the-loop

If researchers are going to do right by families and young people on the impact of AI on mental health, we need to get our act together. We need to learn from the mistakes we've made on screens, social media, and smart phones.

Quite happy to see our @oiioxford.bsky.social team's efforts published!

NIH officials assess threat of H5N1 Balancing enhanced vigilance and “business as usual.”

More on how the NIH was working to address bird flu, before the change in federal administration www.nih.gov/news-events/...

Egg prices are soaring again. Here’s why and what to expect Bird flu has killed millions of hens in recent weeks, shrinking the supply of eggs and hiking up prices at grocery stores.

The price of eggs in the US is spiking, mostly due to #H5N1 bird flu. Solving the problem requires urgent, important communications from the CDC & FDA* and rapid development of research by the NIH**

* Currently paused by Executive Order
** Grant reviews now all canceled
www.kcur.org/news/2025-01...

"It was ... a totally different city government. There were more people of color and queer people than in any other city commission, cumulatively, in Portland’s history. There were working-class people who worried about when their health insurance would kick in." @lydiakiesling.bsky.social

Never liked Clippy, now here I am trying to write with Copilot lurking. What progress!

Why do developers think their solutions are the only solution? Provide tools, make them opt-in, and useful tools will get used, perhaps even cherished and recommended.

A group of men sit in front of a chart that incorrectly spells "military" as "miltary."

GOP members complaining about reduction of military standards while using a chart that misspells the word military!

I am a climate scientist and this is correct ⬇️

A great conversation!