Brian Wasik
@brianrwasik.bsky.social
Virologist. Evolutionary biologist.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
EXCLUSIVE: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social & I have spent the last year collecting school+county-level vaccination data from across the US and found that only about 28% of counties now have herd immunity for kindergartners from measles—that leaves about 5.2mn kids unprotected.
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Look up where your school stands.
Take a look to see what the kindergarten measles vaccination rates are in your area.
wapo.st
December 31, 2025 at 2:29 PM
EXCLUSIVE: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social & I have spent the last year collecting school+county-level vaccination data from across the US and found that only about 28% of counties now have herd immunity for kindergartners from measles—that leaves about 5.2mn kids unprotected.
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
Gift link: wapo.st/49zDc43
Reposted by Brian Wasik
I'm not immune to the occasional bout of Poster's Madness but I try to live my online life in ways that present fewer potential portals to that outcome, because getting mad at strangers is one of the worst things you can do for your mental health and quality of life
December 31, 2025 at 1:28 AM
I'm not immune to the occasional bout of Poster's Madness but I try to live my online life in ways that present fewer potential portals to that outcome, because getting mad at strangers is one of the worst things you can do for your mental health and quality of life
Reposted by Brian Wasik
This is the second pediatric #flu death I've seen in 2 days. I'm so sorry for the pain their families must feel. Unclear if either was vaccinated but odds are they were not, as most such deaths are in unvaccinated children.
‘He was loved by all’: 14-year-old dies after suffering complications from the flu
An Alabama community is mourning the loss of a teenager who died due to reported complications from the flu.
www.fox19.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:34 AM
This is the second pediatric #flu death I've seen in 2 days. I'm so sorry for the pain their families must feel. Unclear if either was vaccinated but odds are they were not, as most such deaths are in unvaccinated children.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Breaking:
Emails just released by a federal judge show that Justice Department leaders pushed to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia — raising serious questions about whether Department officials had misled a judge in telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego.
Emails just released by a federal judge show that Justice Department leaders pushed to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia — raising serious questions about whether Department officials had misled a judge in telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego.
Justice Dept. Leaders Pushed to Charge Abrego Garcia, Emails Show
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Breaking:
Emails just released by a federal judge show that Justice Department leaders pushed to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia — raising serious questions about whether Department officials had misled a judge in telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego.
Emails just released by a federal judge show that Justice Department leaders pushed to charge Kilmar Abrego Garcia — raising serious questions about whether Department officials had misled a judge in telling him that local prosecutors had acted alone in charging Abrego.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
An absolutely wonderful, versatile, powerful and powerfully funny actor who enlivened everything he was in, and a huge loss. I'm not going to say the word, but we're all thinking it in his honor. RIP Isiah Whitlock. deadline.com/2025/12/isia...
Isiah Whitlock Jr. Dies: ‘The Wire’ Actor & Frequent Spike Lee Collaborator Was 71
Actor Isiah Whitlock Jr., known for his roles in The Wire, Veep, Your Honor and The Residence and a number of Spike Lee movies, passed away Dec. 30.
deadline.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:10 PM
An absolutely wonderful, versatile, powerful and powerfully funny actor who enlivened everything he was in, and a huge loss. I'm not going to say the word, but we're all thinking it in his honor. RIP Isiah Whitlock. deadline.com/2025/12/isia...
Reposted by Brian Wasik
This conspiracy theory is specifically designed to incite violence against Somalis and immigrants more generally. The way that you can tell is the appeal to vulnerability and purity (children, pets, etc).
BREAKING
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
December 30, 2025 at 11:52 PM
This conspiracy theory is specifically designed to incite violence against Somalis and immigrants more generally. The way that you can tell is the appeal to vulnerability and purity (children, pets, etc).
Reposted by Brian Wasik
We don't have a government. We have a bunch of guys who heard things on social media.
We don't have due process. We have entire groups being punished for the alleged actions of a few.
We don't have due process. We have entire groups being punished for the alleged actions of a few.
BREAKING
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
December 30, 2025 at 11:43 PM
We don't have a government. We have a bunch of guys who heard things on social media.
We don't have due process. We have entire groups being punished for the alleged actions of a few.
We don't have due process. We have entire groups being punished for the alleged actions of a few.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
The constitutional remedy for a president who uses collective punishment against people for the crimes of a few is impeachment, removal, and disqualification, followed by a criminal trial.
BREAKING
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
The Trump administration says it has frozen all childcare payments to Minnesota in the aftermath of allegations of fraud by some in the Somali community.
Important: allegations along these lines have existed for years, which has resulted in prosecutions starting with the Biden DOJ.
December 30, 2025 at 11:54 PM
The constitutional remedy for a president who uses collective punishment against people for the crimes of a few is impeachment, removal, and disqualification, followed by a criminal trial.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Just gonna note that the US has a HUGE child care shortage: 4.2 million kids don't have access to child care slots, and it's even more extreme in rural areas and for disabled and medically complex children.
childcaregap.org
childcaregap.org
December 31, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Just gonna note that the US has a HUGE child care shortage: 4.2 million kids don't have access to child care slots, and it's even more extreme in rural areas and for disabled and medically complex children.
childcaregap.org
childcaregap.org
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Trump guys are about to Comet Pizza every third daycare center because they think they are all fronts for Somali money laundering. They're only doing this near cities with progressive mayors. This is straight up Government by LibsOfTikTok.
December 30, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Trump guys are about to Comet Pizza every third daycare center because they think they are all fronts for Somali money laundering. They're only doing this near cities with progressive mayors. This is straight up Government by LibsOfTikTok.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
just out and out blood libel style scapegoating against somalis at this point
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration says it's freezing child care funds to Minnesota after a series of fraud schemes in recent years.
December 30, 2025 at 11:25 PM
just out and out blood libel style scapegoating against somalis at this point
Reposted by Brian Wasik
"I wish I knew what Norman Rockwell might have said about Trump’s theft of his life’s work in service of state-sponsored terror. But even more than that, I wonder what he would have painted." ICYMI @crampell.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4pU1xY5
The MAGAfication of Norman Rockwell
Trump uses the artist’s work—like other cultural icons—to promote Gestapo tactics and nativist ideas.
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"I wish I knew what Norman Rockwell might have said about Trump’s theft of his life’s work in service of state-sponsored terror. But even more than that, I wonder what he would have painted." ICYMI @crampell.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4pU1xY5
Reposted by Brian Wasik
probably not a great sign that Trump's assistant AG for civil rights uses a slur for people with disabilities
December 30, 2025 at 7:24 PM
probably not a great sign that Trump's assistant AG for civil rights uses a slur for people with disabilities
Reposted by Brian Wasik
“DHS has used or adapted Rockwell’s art multiple times this year to promote its messages, horrifying the artist’s granddaughter Daisy Rockwell, reported The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell, who interviewed her at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts.”
www.mediaite.com/media/news/n...
www.mediaite.com/media/news/n...
‘Norman Rockwell Was Antifa’: Artist’s Granddaughter Bashes Trump Admin for Hijacking His Art
Norman Rockwell's granddaughter lambasted the Trump administration for its use of his iconic paintings, pointing out that the famous artist was well known for being "angry at unjust prejudices" and ex...
www.mediaite.com
December 30, 2025 at 7:26 PM
“DHS has used or adapted Rockwell’s art multiple times this year to promote its messages, horrifying the artist’s granddaughter Daisy Rockwell, reported The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell, who interviewed her at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts.”
www.mediaite.com/media/news/n...
www.mediaite.com/media/news/n...
Reposted by Brian Wasik
A wonderful writer and person who used her dying days to speak out against her cousin RFK Jr.’s plan to kill everyone with vaccine misinformation and cuts to cancer research.
May her memory be a blessing.
May her memory be a blessing.
BOSTON (AP) — Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of late President John F. Kennedy, has died, family says.
December 30, 2025 at 7:24 PM
A wonderful writer and person who used her dying days to speak out against her cousin RFK Jr.’s plan to kill everyone with vaccine misinformation and cuts to cancer research.
May her memory be a blessing.
May her memory be a blessing.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts.
George, Edwin and Josephine Moran
Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory
George, Edwin and Josephine Moran
Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory
December 30, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Our beautiful Tatiana passed away this morning. She will always be in our hearts.
George, Edwin and Josephine Moran
Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory
George, Edwin and Josephine Moran
Ed, Caroline, Jack, Rose and Rory
Reposted by Brian Wasik
I wrote this last winter. I so wish I was wrong about where all this would lead. So much suffering, so much sickness and death because of this man. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/o...
Opinion | When ‘Just Asking Questions’ About Science Turns Into 300,000 Dead
www.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I wrote this last winter. I so wish I was wrong about where all this would lead. So much suffering, so much sickness and death because of this man. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/o...
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Real "oh my god, she admit it" moment here. Trump is treated as an uninteresting figure without agency so we can dump endless criticism on liberals for how they react to his "natural disaster." He "doesn't participate in moral frameworks" lmfao
December 30, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Real "oh my god, she admit it" moment here. Trump is treated as an uninteresting figure without agency so we can dump endless criticism on liberals for how they react to his "natural disaster." He "doesn't participate in moral frameworks" lmfao
Reposted by Brian Wasik
TOP TEN TOP TEN LISTS OF 2025:
Top Ten Things I Wish I Had Worn To This Party Instead
Top Ten Times I Thought I Had Gingko Berries On My Shoe
Top Ten Starbucks Restroom Codes
Top Ten Times I Tried To Typw wHull i wss drviing
Top Ten Things I Should Have Said When I Saw
Leslie
Top Ten Things I Wish I Had Worn To This Party Instead
Top Ten Times I Thought I Had Gingko Berries On My Shoe
Top Ten Starbucks Restroom Codes
Top Ten Times I Tried To Typw wHull i wss drviing
Top Ten Things I Should Have Said When I Saw
Leslie
December 30, 2025 at 6:36 PM
TOP TEN TOP TEN LISTS OF 2025:
Top Ten Things I Wish I Had Worn To This Party Instead
Top Ten Times I Thought I Had Gingko Berries On My Shoe
Top Ten Starbucks Restroom Codes
Top Ten Times I Tried To Typw wHull i wss drviing
Top Ten Things I Should Have Said When I Saw
Leslie
Top Ten Things I Wish I Had Worn To This Party Instead
Top Ten Times I Thought I Had Gingko Berries On My Shoe
Top Ten Starbucks Restroom Codes
Top Ten Times I Tried To Typw wHull i wss drviing
Top Ten Things I Should Have Said When I Saw
Leslie
Reposted by Brian Wasik
A perfect illustration of @larryglickman.bsky.social’s point about how reporters treat aggressive campaigns of white resentment as natural phenomena that have no agency or agenda behind them.
Backlash politics is a fact of life! Let’s focus on how liberals must accept it and adjust, like we have!
Backlash politics is a fact of life! Let’s focus on how liberals must accept it and adjust, like we have!
Real "oh my god, she admit it" moment here. Trump is treated as an uninteresting figure without agency so we can dump endless criticism on liberals for how they react to his "natural disaster." He "doesn't participate in moral frameworks" lmfao
December 30, 2025 at 6:33 PM
A perfect illustration of @larryglickman.bsky.social’s point about how reporters treat aggressive campaigns of white resentment as natural phenomena that have no agency or agenda behind them.
Backlash politics is a fact of life! Let’s focus on how liberals must accept it and adjust, like we have!
Backlash politics is a fact of life! Let’s focus on how liberals must accept it and adjust, like we have!
Reposted by Brian Wasik
If the damage being done wasn't so serious, it'd be kind of funny how his whole deal is "no this isn't like Dred Scott" and then he keeps haphazardly bumbling into reinventing Dred Scott from scratch.
Did I bang my head this morning, because this seems to be egregiously inaccurate:
December 30, 2025 at 6:49 PM
If the damage being done wasn't so serious, it'd be kind of funny how his whole deal is "no this isn't like Dred Scott" and then he keeps haphazardly bumbling into reinventing Dred Scott from scratch.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
This is not hard. Artists are not responsible for ensuring the Kennedy Center remains relevant and successful. The center’s board is responsible for that, in a fiduciary way. All of this energy being directed at artists should be re-directed at the board.
December 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
This is not hard. Artists are not responsible for ensuring the Kennedy Center remains relevant and successful. The center’s board is responsible for that, in a fiduciary way. All of this energy being directed at artists should be re-directed at the board.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
This isn’t fully true! You can request a manual postmark at a post office, you just need to know to do it. Just another thing to educate mail-in voters about.
nstp.org/article/usps...
nstp.org/article/usps...
December 30, 2025 at 3:58 AM
This isn’t fully true! You can request a manual postmark at a post office, you just need to know to do it. Just another thing to educate mail-in voters about.
nstp.org/article/usps...
nstp.org/article/usps...
Reposted by Brian Wasik
Border czar Tom Homan didn't receive a normal background check for his role while his bribery probe was still ongoing:
Justice officials felt sure Homan would not be able to obtain a security clearance based on the evidence gathered. It remains unclear how Homan was eventually granted clearance.
Justice officials felt sure Homan would not be able to obtain a security clearance based on the evidence gathered. It remains unclear how Homan was eventually granted clearance.
Border czar Tom Homan didn’t receive normal background check during bribery probe
President-elect Trump initially balked at submitting names of likely nominees to the FBI for background checks, a basic step intended to flag possible financial conflicts or ethical problems.
www.ms.now
December 30, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Border czar Tom Homan didn't receive a normal background check for his role while his bribery probe was still ongoing:
Justice officials felt sure Homan would not be able to obtain a security clearance based on the evidence gathered. It remains unclear how Homan was eventually granted clearance.
Justice officials felt sure Homan would not be able to obtain a security clearance based on the evidence gathered. It remains unclear how Homan was eventually granted clearance.
Reposted by Brian Wasik
From today’s Star Tribune:
“Brown said each of the centers has been visited in the past six months, but none of those unannounced visits turned up evidence of fraud. She said the department has not yet found problems that warrant pausing payments to any of the centers.”
“Brown said each of the centers has been visited in the past six months, but none of those unannounced visits turned up evidence of fraud. She said the department has not yet found problems that warrant pausing payments to any of the centers.”
December 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
From today’s Star Tribune:
“Brown said each of the centers has been visited in the past six months, but none of those unannounced visits turned up evidence of fraud. She said the department has not yet found problems that warrant pausing payments to any of the centers.”
“Brown said each of the centers has been visited in the past six months, but none of those unannounced visits turned up evidence of fraud. She said the department has not yet found problems that warrant pausing payments to any of the centers.”