Emerging Crises
@emergingcrises.bsky.social
Tracking disasters, public health, extremism, and democracy. Examining how misinformation, mistrust, politics, and attacks on science shape preparedness.
🔗: https://emergingcrises.substack.com
🔗: https://emergingcrises.substack.com
Pinned
How do disasters, extremism, and attacks on science connect? Simple: You cannot separate the crisis from the society it hits.
A polarized, misinformation poisoned, science denying country is "brittle". It breaks faster when the storm hits. 🧵
A polarized, misinformation poisoned, science denying country is "brittle". It breaks faster when the storm hits. 🧵
"People don’t trust each other, the media or the government. Most Americans don’t feel confident their children’s lives will be better than theirs. About half the country thinks America’s best days are in the past."
In a moment where it's very needed, @nytimes.com examines the psychology of hope.
In a moment where it's very needed, @nytimes.com examines the psychology of hope.
January 1, 2026 at 4:49 PM
"People don’t trust each other, the media or the government. Most Americans don’t feel confident their children’s lives will be better than theirs. About half the country thinks America’s best days are in the past."
In a moment where it's very needed, @nytimes.com examines the psychology of hope.
In a moment where it's very needed, @nytimes.com examines the psychology of hope.
Reposted by Emerging Crises
YEAR ONE MAHA
January 1, 2026 at 4:05 AM
YEAR ONE MAHA
Reposted by Emerging Crises
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
The numbers out of CISA are insane. They've lost 1,000 staff members. That is more than 1/3 of the entire agency. The Acting Director confirmed a "40% vacancy rate across key mission areas." We stripped the capabilities of our digital infrastructure just as the threat landscape is flashing red.
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Government staffing cuts and instability, including this year’s prolonged shutdown, could be hindering US digital defense and creating vulnerabilities. www.wired.com/story/expire...
Fears Mount That US Federal Cybersecurity Is Stagnating—or Worse
Government staffing cuts and instability, including this year’s prolonged shutdown, could be hindering US digital defense and creating vulnerabilities.
www.wired.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:53 PM
The numbers out of CISA are insane. They've lost 1,000 staff members. That is more than 1/3 of the entire agency. The Acting Director confirmed a "40% vacancy rate across key mission areas." We stripped the capabilities of our digital infrastructure just as the threat landscape is flashing red.
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NY State broke its all-time weekly flu record: 71,000 cases. We lost 288 kids last season, matching 2009 levels. Now, a new variant (Subclade K) is driving 89% of samples; 49,000 hospitalizations already on the board. Holiday travel is a distribution network for this aggressive genotype.
“Hospitalizations climbed by 63% in the most recent week, increasing from 2,251 to 3,666 weekly admissions, according to data from NYSDOH” abcnews.go.com/Health/flu-c...
Flu cases on the rise amid holiday travel, gatherings, latest CDC data shows
Flu activity is increasing across the U.S. amid holiday travel and gatherings, according to the latest data from the CDC.
abcnews.go.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:01 PM
NY State broke its all-time weekly flu record: 71,000 cases. We lost 288 kids last season, matching 2009 levels. Now, a new variant (Subclade K) is driving 89% of samples; 49,000 hospitalizations already on the board. Holiday travel is a distribution network for this aggressive genotype.
"By some estimates, worldwide AI energy demand is set to surpass demand from bitcoin mining by the end of this year...The processors in data centers run hot and need to be cooled, so big tech companies are pulling from municipal water supplies to make that happen."
Billion-Dollar Data Centers Are Taking Over the World
The battle for AI dominance has left a large footprint—and it’s only getting bigger and more expensive.
www.wired.com
December 29, 2025 at 11:08 PM
"By some estimates, worldwide AI energy demand is set to surpass demand from bitcoin mining by the end of this year...The processors in data centers run hot and need to be cooled, so big tech companies are pulling from municipal water supplies to make that happen."
Reposted by Emerging Crises
How stochastic terrorism works - Trump leverages the threats he induces against even Marjorie Taylor Greene's family www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m... One important reason that so many Rs are scared to challenge him.
December 29, 2025 at 6:10 PM
How stochastic terrorism works - Trump leverages the threats he induces against even Marjorie Taylor Greene's family www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/m... One important reason that so many Rs are scared to challenge him.
He told the FBI he "snapped" bc he truly believed the 'Big Lie' conspiracy. It's obvious where that idea came from: Trump & his allies flooded the zone w/ those lies for months. FBI confirmed the bombs were viable. Reminder that VP-elect Harris was inside the DNC when they found the device outside.🧵
Justice Department says Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect believed election conspiracy theories
Justice Department says Jan. 6 pipe bomb suspect believed election conspiracy theories
The DOJ said in a new filing that the suspect was not “openly political” but believed the 2020 election had been tampered with.
dlvr.it
December 29, 2025 at 6:20 PM
He told the FBI he "snapped" bc he truly believed the 'Big Lie' conspiracy. It's obvious where that idea came from: Trump & his allies flooded the zone w/ those lies for months. FBI confirmed the bombs were viable. Reminder that VP-elect Harris was inside the DNC when they found the device outside.🧵
Everyone is so burned out on "pandemic" news that we’re ignoring the actual red lights on the dashboard. H5N1 is in over 1,000 dairy herds and 74 mammal species now. The worst part is the USDA is dragging its feet on sharing the genetic data we need to actually track this thing. We are flying blind.
The World Is Sleeping on Bird Flu, Expert Warns
There's an unwritten rule in publishing, or so I've been told: Don't write about COVID.
www.sciencealert.com
December 29, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Everyone is so burned out on "pandemic" news that we’re ignoring the actual red lights on the dashboard. H5N1 is in over 1,000 dairy herds and 74 mammal species now. The worst part is the USDA is dragging its feet on sharing the genetic data we need to actually track this thing. We are flying blind.
This shouldn't surprise most people. We are living through unprecedented historical times.
@nytimes.com asked historians to categorize the administration's recent moves. Most actions are rated as "no clear precedent."
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@nytimes.com asked historians to categorize the administration's recent moves. Most actions are rated as "no clear precedent."
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Are Trump’s Actions Unprecedented? We Asked Historians (Again).
An examination of whether his recent moves have no precedent, are relatively common or somewhere in between.
www.nytimes.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This shouldn't surprise most people. We are living through unprecedented historical times.
@nytimes.com asked historians to categorize the administration's recent moves. Most actions are rated as "no clear precedent."
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@nytimes.com asked historians to categorize the administration's recent moves. Most actions are rated as "no clear precedent."
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Wish they had this energy for actual domestic terrorists. Instead, the January 6th extremists got pardons, while citizens holding cameras get terrorism charges. They are criminalizing transparency and pardoning violence.
Justice Department says filming immigration raids is 'domestic terrorism'
A leaked Justice Department memo directs federal prosecutors to press “domestic terrorism” charges against individuals who record immigration operations.
reason.com
December 28, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Wish they had this energy for actual domestic terrorists. Instead, the January 6th extremists got pardons, while citizens holding cameras get terrorism charges. They are criminalizing transparency and pardoning violence.
All the talk about "record holiday spending" isn't a positive. Data show wages + affordability are still crushing working families. You cannot build a culture of preparedness on a foundation of poverty. When 40% of the country can't afford a $400 emergency, disasters become localized collapses.
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Over 40% of consumers are still in debt from last year’s holiday purchases
‘It’s forcing some to rely on credit cards more to make ends meet, but it’s pushing some others to look for lower-cost alternatives or to cut back shopping altogether,’ one expert said
www.independent.co.uk
December 26, 2025 at 4:42 PM
All the talk about "record holiday spending" isn't a positive. Data show wages + affordability are still crushing working families. You cannot build a culture of preparedness on a foundation of poverty. When 40% of the country can't afford a $400 emergency, disasters become localized collapses.
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DHS is the parent agency of FEMA. The agency has explicitly aligned itself with 1 faith, signaling to every other group that they are the "other." Not to mention the broader constitutional concerns. Americans “should not have to sift through proselytizing messages to access government information.”
Trump Administration Emphasizes Religion in Official Christmas Messages
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:40 PM
DHS is the parent agency of FEMA. The agency has explicitly aligned itself with 1 faith, signaling to every other group that they are the "other." Not to mention the broader constitutional concerns. Americans “should not have to sift through proselytizing messages to access government information.”
The threats, authoritarian government, political undermining of preparedness, & everything else will still be there Friday for us news junkies. For 48 hrs, the priority is local: family, food, rest. Resilience requires recovery. Focus on you and who you protect. Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!
December 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The threats, authoritarian government, political undermining of preparedness, & everything else will still be there Friday for us news junkies. For 48 hrs, the priority is local: family, food, rest. Resilience requires recovery. Focus on you and who you protect. Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas!
Sticking with the theme of technology outpacing defense from our previous post. NTI’s Munich simulation modeled a "plausible near-term risk": extremists using AI to engineer a novel virus.
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AIxBio = Big Promise + New Risks
The AI-biology convergence offers enormous benefits but also brings about risks as we’ve never seen before. Without action from multiple disciplines, the race for AI development and dominance could be...
www.nti.org
December 24, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Sticking with the theme of technology outpacing defense from our previous post. NTI’s Munich simulation modeled a "plausible near-term risk": extremists using AI to engineer a novel virus.
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Bad actors don't need a state-run lab anymore. They just need a credit card. A new report tracks 700+ companies selling synthetic DNA. Only 10% of them screen orders for dangerous pathogen sequences. A terrorist can order the genetic code for a virus and 90% of the market will just ship the box.
Where lab-made DNA is created — and barely policed
DNA synthesis is going global. The biosecurity rules aren’t keeping up.
www.vox.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Bad actors don't need a state-run lab anymore. They just need a credit card. A new report tracks 700+ companies selling synthetic DNA. Only 10% of them screen orders for dangerous pathogen sequences. A terrorist can order the genetic code for a virus and 90% of the market will just ship the box.
They talked about "family values" at 'AmericaFest.' Meanwhile, ICE is conducting raids. Literally tearing families apart. The new "Choose Love Not ICE" campaign exposes the operational reality: federal agents are traumatizing communities during the holidays. State-sponsored violence during Advent.
This holiday season, choose love, not ICE
Toward a new Great Awakening
www.ifyoucankeepit.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:47 PM
They talked about "family values" at 'AmericaFest.' Meanwhile, ICE is conducting raids. Literally tearing families apart. The new "Choose Love Not ICE" campaign exposes the operational reality: federal agents are traumatizing communities during the holidays. State-sponsored violence during Advent.
If it feels like everyone is sick, the surveillance backs you up. Wastewater data show a 390% spike in Influenza A since Nov. It’s a new drifted strain: H3N2 "subclade K" that may enable easier transmission. The UK called it "Super Flu." 4.6 million illnesses and 49,000 hospitalizations already.
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Flu season is hitting kids hard. As the holidays near, older adults are likely next.
A new strain called H3N2 subclade K has emerged, raising concerns that the body may not be able to fight it off as well. Experts say everyone should "absolutely" still get a flu shot.
www.nbcnews.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:04 AM
If it feels like everyone is sick, the surveillance backs you up. Wastewater data show a 390% spike in Influenza A since Nov. It’s a new drifted strain: H3N2 "subclade K" that may enable easier transmission. The UK called it "Super Flu." 4.6 million illnesses and 49,000 hospitalizations already.
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Reposted by Emerging Crises
!! Here’s a link to full video of the 60 Minutes segment that Bari Weiss killed last minute, via @jasonparis.bsky.social:
is.gd/paU8Ko
(It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)
is.gd/paU8Ko
(It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)
December 22, 2025 at 10:39 PM
!! Here’s a link to full video of the 60 Minutes segment that Bari Weiss killed last minute, via @jasonparis.bsky.social:
is.gd/paU8Ko
(It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)
is.gd/paU8Ko
(It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)
Recent flooding in Washington state has caused widespread damage. "The recent atmospheric river storms have forced at least 1,300 rescues and assisted evacuations, killed one person and flooded thousands of homes." Meanwhile, $31M in flood mitigation grants is just...sitting there.
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Federal grants for flood mitigation work sat on hold as storms inundated Washington state
State officials say the recent deluge highlighted the need for projects to protect communities from floods. The Trump administration has attempted to cut funding for some of them.
www.nbcnews.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Recent flooding in Washington state has caused widespread damage. "The recent atmospheric river storms have forced at least 1,300 rescues and assisted evacuations, killed one person and flooded thousands of homes." Meanwhile, $31M in flood mitigation grants is just...sitting there.
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Killing your story to appease the state is antithetical to the 1st amendment. CBS' Sharyn Alfonsi is calling it out: "If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a 'kill switch.' The media shouldn't be Trump's PR department.
December 22, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Killing your story to appease the state is antithetical to the 1st amendment. CBS' Sharyn Alfonsi is calling it out: "If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a 'kill switch.' The media shouldn't be Trump's PR department.
This post from @aidanmcl.bsky.social really hittin the Sunday scaries. The removal of information guardrails is a definitive pre-event indicator. We are witnessing the active radicalization of a segment of the population being primed for kinetic violence. These are the mechanics of instability.
December 22, 2025 at 12:23 AM
This post from @aidanmcl.bsky.social really hittin the Sunday scaries. The removal of information guardrails is a definitive pre-event indicator. We are witnessing the active radicalization of a segment of the population being primed for kinetic violence. These are the mechanics of instability.
Essential briefing from @milestaylor.bsky.social
More evidence that their talk about "terrorism" & "national security" is hypocritical. "Domestic terrorism" indicators include Anti-Capitalism and Gender Ideology among other 1st amendment protected beliefs. This does nothing for actual ntl security.
More evidence that their talk about "terrorism" & "national security" is hypocritical. "Domestic terrorism" indicators include Anti-Capitalism and Gender Ideology among other 1st amendment protected beliefs. This does nothing for actual ntl security.
Have you called Trump a "fascist?" If so, he might officially designate you a "terrorist."
Trump administration dramatically ramps up investigations of liberals and left-leaning groups under the guise of countering "domestic terrorism."
open.substack.com
December 21, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Essential briefing from @milestaylor.bsky.social
More evidence that their talk about "terrorism" & "national security" is hypocritical. "Domestic terrorism" indicators include Anti-Capitalism and Gender Ideology among other 1st amendment protected beliefs. This does nothing for actual ntl security.
More evidence that their talk about "terrorism" & "national security" is hypocritical. "Domestic terrorism" indicators include Anti-Capitalism and Gender Ideology among other 1st amendment protected beliefs. This does nothing for actual ntl security.
Reposted by Emerging Crises
Reposted by Emerging Crises
Everybody demanding immediate action by Congress, remember options narrow. A "criminal referral" of wrongdoing of DoJ goes to.. DoJ. Congress has no independent criminal enforcement authority. Sure they thought about options. Don't expect anything immediate. That is the point of an autocracy.
The House Oversight Democrats have released a statement that they are reviewing all legal options after Donald Trump and the DOJ have violated federal law as they continue covering up the facts and the evidence about Jeffrey Epstein.
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-r...
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-r...
Joint Statement by Ranking Members Robert Garcia and Jamie Raskin on Trump Administration Decision to Defy Epstein Files Transparency Act
Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the f...
oversightdemocrats.house.gov
December 20, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Everybody demanding immediate action by Congress, remember options narrow. A "criminal referral" of wrongdoing of DoJ goes to.. DoJ. Congress has no independent criminal enforcement authority. Sure they thought about options. Don't expect anything immediate. That is the point of an autocracy.