Daniel Westreich
@epidbydesign.bsky.social
Epidemiologist, writer, bon vivant. Professor @UNC (opinions my own); co-PI of STAR Cohort; "Morpheus of the Table 2 Fallacy.” He/him.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
Submitted for your consideration, for use re: the AI/LLM boom and tech utopianism in general…
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
November 8, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Submitted for your consideration, for use re: the AI/LLM boom and tech utopianism in general…
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
Schumer seems to think that politics is something that just *happens* to politicians, like the weather — rather than something that *politicians actively engage in and shape.*
MSNBC reported Schumer's office felt that the longer that shutdown went on, the more likely it was that people would start to blame the Dems.
My kingdom for Democrats that don't govern out of fear. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The American people are far braver than their reps.
My kingdom for Democrats that don't govern out of fear. I've said it before and I'll say it again: The American people are far braver than their reps.
November 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Schumer seems to think that politics is something that just *happens* to politicians, like the weather — rather than something that *politicians actively engage in and shape.*
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
November 10, 2025 at 3:16 AM
I just want everyone to have the experience of living in dignity with access to sufficient food, safe housing, needed medical care, high quality education, and time to engage with what sparks their curiosity and spirit
this should not be controversial 🫠
this should not be controversial 🫠
“Why don’t people trust the media?”
Because they hedge so much that they look like liars. They could say that he’s asleep, but instead they are double hedging, saying that he merely *appears* to be closing his eyes.
We can see the picture! His eyes are closed!
Because they hedge so much that they look like liars. They could say that he’s asleep, but instead they are double hedging, saying that he merely *appears* to be closing his eyes.
We can see the picture! His eyes are closed!
Images of Donald Trump appearing to close his eyes at an Oval Office announcement this week rocketed around social media this weekend, with the president’s opponents seizing on the footage to raise questions about Trump’s on-the-job performance.
Images of Trump appearing to close his eyes during Oval Office event spread across social media | CNN Politics
Images of Donald Trump appearing to close his eyes at an Oval Office announcement this week rocketed around social media this weekend, with the president’s opponents seizing on the footage to raise qu...
www.cnn.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:04 PM
“Why don’t people trust the media?”
Because they hedge so much that they look like liars. They could say that he’s asleep, but instead they are double hedging, saying that he merely *appears* to be closing his eyes.
We can see the picture! His eyes are closed!
Because they hedge so much that they look like liars. They could say that he’s asleep, but instead they are double hedging, saying that he merely *appears* to be closing his eyes.
We can see the picture! His eyes are closed!
Submitted for your consideration, for use re: the AI/LLM boom and tech utopianism in general…
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
November 8, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Submitted for your consideration, for use re: the AI/LLM boom and tech utopianism in general…
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
“Beware geeks bearing grifts.”
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
The Washington Post editorial board articles about Mamdani are actually disgusting. It’s hard to surprise me but my jaw dropped when they referred to him as “generalissimo” in the first paragraph.
November 8, 2025 at 5:07 PM
The Washington Post editorial board articles about Mamdani are actually disgusting. It’s hard to surprise me but my jaw dropped when they referred to him as “generalissimo” in the first paragraph.
I know this opinion might get me canceled, but "more clear" sounds more correct to me than "clearer."
I'm sorry, that's just how I feel about it.
I'm sorry, that's just how I feel about it.
November 7, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I know this opinion might get me canceled, but "more clear" sounds more correct to me than "clearer."
I'm sorry, that's just how I feel about it.
I'm sorry, that's just how I feel about it.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
I've seen this go by a few times on TikTok now and I have to say, I love this idea. We need a way to convince people to keep running even if they don't win, maybe building the loss into it as a troll move is the secret.
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 AM
I've seen this go by a few times on TikTok now and I have to say, I love this idea. We need a way to convince people to keep running even if they don't win, maybe building the loss into it as a troll move is the secret.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
heads up to anyone who holds trans kids near: amy harmon from the nyt is searching for and having a hard time finding people to interview to find out exactly what trans kids are doing when their care is limited or cut off, and for purposes of community safety, please shut the fuck up around her.
November 5, 2025 at 8:54 PM
heads up to anyone who holds trans kids near: amy harmon from the nyt is searching for and having a hard time finding people to interview to find out exactly what trans kids are doing when their care is limited or cut off, and for purposes of community safety, please shut the fuck up around her.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
A reminder, if you are anywhere in government or related industry/academia, science-related or otherwise, and you have anything you’d like to chat about or anything you think the public should know, Signal is davelevitan.26 and you can remain anonymous. My recent work here if you’re curious:
Gravity Is Gone
Independent reporting and commentary on science, politics, and policy
www.gravityisgone.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:17 AM
A reminder, if you are anywhere in government or related industry/academia, science-related or otherwise, and you have anything you’d like to chat about or anything you think the public should know, Signal is davelevitan.26 and you can remain anonymous. My recent work here if you’re curious:
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
The USDA is the fail safe for SNAP.
They have a contingency fund to ensure it’s covered in the event of a shutdown.
They’re refusing.
Grocery stores stepped up to try and help by offering discounts to any SNAP recipients and the USDA told them they had to stop.
Starvation as a policy choice.
They have a contingency fund to ensure it’s covered in the event of a shutdown.
They’re refusing.
Grocery stores stepped up to try and help by offering discounts to any SNAP recipients and the USDA told them they had to stop.
Starvation as a policy choice.
November 3, 2025 at 8:08 AM
The USDA is the fail safe for SNAP.
They have a contingency fund to ensure it’s covered in the event of a shutdown.
They’re refusing.
Grocery stores stepped up to try and help by offering discounts to any SNAP recipients and the USDA told them they had to stop.
Starvation as a policy choice.
They have a contingency fund to ensure it’s covered in the event of a shutdown.
They’re refusing.
Grocery stores stepped up to try and help by offering discounts to any SNAP recipients and the USDA told them they had to stop.
Starvation as a policy choice.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
I really can't emphasize enough that OpenAI is, as Dr. Gilliard has described in the past, a social arsonist enabling racism, and I urge colleagues in education using OpenAI's products - including ed-tech platforms that incorporate its products like Khanmigo and MagicSchool - to stop.
Again, this precise use case is why these systems exist-to proliferate people’s racist (transphobic, misogynistic…) imaginary at scale. This should not be seen as a “misuse” but rather the product being used exactly as intended.
Racist Influencers Using OpenAI's Sora to Make it Look Like Poor People Are Selling Food Stamps for Cash
Folks looking for evidence of SNAP recipients as welfare queens have no shortage of AI generated schlock to use as justification.
futurism.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:30 AM
I really can't emphasize enough that OpenAI is, as Dr. Gilliard has described in the past, a social arsonist enabling racism, and I urge colleagues in education using OpenAI's products - including ed-tech platforms that incorporate its products like Khanmigo and MagicSchool - to stop.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
This right here, this exact sentence, is THE problem in American political journalism.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
November 1, 2025 at 12:13 PM
This right here, this exact sentence, is THE problem in American political journalism.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
The IRA *was* cheap energy and good jobs! That was the whole bill! Democrats did precisely what political pundits are telling them to do and the pundits just ignore it.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
$5 billion has been allotted to keep Americans from starving. Trump would rather starve them.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump administration won't tap contingency fund to keep food aid flowing, memo says
The Trump administration says it won’t use a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep food aid flowing in November amid the government shutdown
www.washingtonpost.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:02 AM
$5 billion has been allotted to keep Americans from starving. Trump would rather starve them.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
This is the reality of Trump’s America: Your neighbors are being abducted, disappeared, and killed; free speech is an arrest-able offense; children and a FIFTH of the nation’s capitol are set to go hungry next month, and the president is busy demolishing the East Wing.
October 27, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This is the reality of Trump’s America: Your neighbors are being abducted, disappeared, and killed; free speech is an arrest-able offense; children and a FIFTH of the nation’s capitol are set to go hungry next month, and the president is busy demolishing the East Wing.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
October 26, 2025 at 9:03 PM
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
i really resent the continued assertion that there’s so much anger on both sides, as if the causes of the anger are equally legitimate. we’re angry because masked maniacs are violently snatching our family and neighbors off the street, and they’re angry because we’re calling them out for it.
October 25, 2025 at 5:57 PM
i really resent the continued assertion that there’s so much anger on both sides, as if the causes of the anger are equally legitimate. we’re angry because masked maniacs are violently snatching our family and neighbors off the street, and they’re angry because we’re calling them out for it.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
By the way if Platner was serious about his duty to the country and not just in it for the power, he'd have already stepped down. Republicans are gonna run "see they have Nazis too" ads in the general and he knows it and his team knows it but they don't care.
October 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
By the way if Platner was serious about his duty to the country and not just in it for the power, he'd have already stepped down. Republicans are gonna run "see they have Nazis too" ads in the general and he knows it and his team knows it but they don't care.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
Boycott Home Depot. You can get anything there, somewhere else at pretty much the same price. Look what boycotts have done for Target and Tesla.
The Home Depot continues to allow ICE to terrorize the communities they pretend to serve. Let’s show them the same kindness we did to target!
use the website boycotthomedepot.network and the toolkit at bit.ly/boycotthomed... to spread the word!
use the website boycotthomedepot.network and the toolkit at bit.ly/boycotthomed... to spread the word!
October 22, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Boycott Home Depot. You can get anything there, somewhere else at pretty much the same price. Look what boycotts have done for Target and Tesla.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
apparently it’s time for another reminder that straight white men also have identity politics, *even the ones on the left*, and we are seeing that very much in action with regards to the Pod Save America bros defending fellow bro Graham Platner
October 22, 2025 at 9:15 PM
apparently it’s time for another reminder that straight white men also have identity politics, *even the ones on the left*, and we are seeing that very much in action with regards to the Pod Save America bros defending fellow bro Graham Platner
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
My lab has literally pioneered methods to measure health impacts of climate change that I can't get NIH grants to put into practice; meanwhile, this guy backchannels his way to being director of NIEHS? Folks: I'm going to become the joker about this one
insideclimatenews.org/news/2110202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2110202...
Close Friend of JD Vance Skirts Normal Channels to Take Over NIH Environmental Health Institute - Inside Climate News
Despite a federal hiring freeze, the Trump administration just appointed a scientist who calls Vance one of his “closest friends” to head the nation’s key environmental health research arm.
insideclimatenews.org
October 22, 2025 at 12:51 AM
My lab has literally pioneered methods to measure health impacts of climate change that I can't get NIH grants to put into practice; meanwhile, this guy backchannels his way to being director of NIEHS? Folks: I'm going to become the joker about this one
insideclimatenews.org/news/2110202...
insideclimatenews.org/news/2110202...
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
I wrote an opinion piece about parental/family leave at UConn. I’m only ~75% happy with it but … something needed to be said. Many things actually. Loudly. Repeatedly. And with as many voices as possible.
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
Opinion: This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors
UConn currently lets every pregnant/expecting individual reinvent the wheel, cobbling together a leave plan with whatever resources and departmental grace they can muster.
ctmirror.org
October 21, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I wrote an opinion piece about parental/family leave at UConn. I’m only ~75% happy with it but … something needed to be said. Many things actually. Loudly. Repeatedly. And with as many voices as possible.
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
“This is UConn: Zero paid family leave for professors”
ctmirror.org/2025/10/21/t...
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
RFK Jr. has shut down the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, gutted funding, and derailed trials and studies.
I Am One of 20 Million in US With Long COVID. RFK Pulled the Rug From Under Us.
RFK Jr. has shut down the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, gutted funding, and derailed trials and studies.
truthout.org
October 20, 2025 at 9:30 PM
RFK Jr. has shut down the Office of Long COVID Research and Practice, gutted funding, and derailed trials and studies.
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
seems that RFK is clearing the path for his CDC to do tuskegee syphillis experiments as a matter of course. in other news, RFK is a genuine monster who relishes in the pain and suffering of those he feels he has control or dominion over
RFK is undoing human subjects protections so he can conduct placebo trials of vaccines. That means infecting people knowingly. I wonder who will “volunteer” for these trials? If history is any guide, a lot of incarcerated and other powerless people.
Dismantling the Institutional Review Board (IRB), that oversees all human subjects research, is bad. Really bad.
October 19, 2025 at 6:21 PM
seems that RFK is clearing the path for his CDC to do tuskegee syphillis experiments as a matter of course. in other news, RFK is a genuine monster who relishes in the pain and suffering of those he feels he has control or dominion over
Reposted by Daniel Westreich
Dismantling the Institutional Review Board (IRB), that oversees all human subjects research, is bad. Really bad.
The entire HR department at the CDC is gone. Everyone at the IRB, which makes sure studies are conducted ethically and rigorously, and the ethics office, which oversee conflicts of interest for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Instability and confusion’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half
Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’
www.theguardian.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Dismantling the Institutional Review Board (IRB), that oversees all human subjects research, is bad. Really bad.