Jake Wertz
@jakewertz.bsky.social
Living + gardening just west of Chicago. PhD sociologist doing research + transformation in a large suburban public school district. 🏡🪴🌉📈📊👨🏫
Appears that Punxsutawney is in the tiny area of the country that did actually experience a noticeably colder winter.
January 2026 temperature rankings compared to all Januarys since 1895.
February 3, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Appears that Punxsutawney is in the tiny area of the country that did actually experience a noticeably colder winter.
Chicagoans love their city so much there becomes this collective amnesia, where despite the fact that every year it is miserable from January through March, (except maybe 3-5 nice days between 2/15 and 3/15), they all convince themselves that THIS year is unusual.
According to a monthly climate summary issued by the National Weather Service, January finished with an average temperature of 21.9 degrees, or 3.3 degrees below normal, as recorded at O’Hare Airport, the city’s official weather station.
https://to.wttw.com/4rwhpkb
https://to.wttw.com/4rwhpkb
January 2026 Wasn’t One for the Weather Record Books, But It Had Some Wild Highs and Lows
January 2026 was notable for two significant departures from temperature norms in Chicago — in opposite directions.
to.wttw.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:41 PM
Chicagoans love their city so much there becomes this collective amnesia, where despite the fact that every year it is miserable from January through March, (except maybe 3-5 nice days between 2/15 and 3/15), they all convince themselves that THIS year is unusual.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
These are pretty striking/jarring photos, even after everything, of northern Gaza's destruction from a UN fact-finding mission in early 2024. Suppressed by U.S. officials at the time
The photos from a UN fact finding mission to northern Gaza which were part of a diplomatic cable suppressed by the US Ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, have been released by Drop Site News. These are the genocidal conditions in Gaza that Lew specifically tried to hide from the White House and public.
Look at the photos. The thing I heard often working on the USAID Gaza response from our partners in Gaza was the field of dead bodies - men, women, children - that fanned out around IDF checkpoints in the Netzarim corridor. Shot by IDF soldiers for no reason (unless "for fun" counts as a reason).
February 2, 2026 at 7:53 PM
These are pretty striking/jarring photos, even after everything, of northern Gaza's destruction from a UN fact-finding mission in early 2024. Suppressed by U.S. officials at the time
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Not that it wouldn't be bad regardless, but worth noting that some 91% of Somalis in Minnesota are US citizens. This is a US president calling for the removal of an entire group of US citizens on the basis of their ethnicity. Grounds for instant removal.
minnesotareformer.com/briefs/most-...
minnesotareformer.com/briefs/most-...
Most Somali people in America and Minnesota are citizens • Minnesota Reformer
Apart from Minnesota’s biting cold this week, one complication in Trump’s plan to deport Somalis from Minnesota through immigration enforcement is that the vast majority of Americans and Minnesotans o...
minnesotareformer.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Not that it wouldn't be bad regardless, but worth noting that some 91% of Somalis in Minnesota are US citizens. This is a US president calling for the removal of an entire group of US citizens on the basis of their ethnicity. Grounds for instant removal.
minnesotareformer.com/briefs/most-...
minnesotareformer.com/briefs/most-...
Reposted by Jake Wertz
You’re either with Bad Bunny and Liam Conejo Ramos or you’re with Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
February 2, 2026 at 3:18 AM
You’re either with Bad Bunny and Liam Conejo Ramos or you’re with Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
It didn't take very long for it to seem entirely reasonable for a mom to hide her identity while speaking to reporters in order to protect her child's school from being targeted by the secret police.
www.youtube.com/shorts/iud0W...
www.youtube.com/shorts/iud0W...
February 1, 2026 at 11:01 PM
It didn't take very long for it to seem entirely reasonable for a mom to hide her identity while speaking to reporters in order to protect her child's school from being targeted by the secret police.
www.youtube.com/shorts/iud0W...
www.youtube.com/shorts/iud0W...
Reposted by Jake Wertz
this is, i kid you not, a real thing
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
February 1, 2026 at 10:47 PM
this is, i kid you not, a real thing
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Even for people who have been in academia for decades, this really is eye-opening stuff. The idea that your literary agent would email some dodgy rich dudes to get career advice just seems incredibly odd.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
February 1, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Even for people who have been in academia for decades, this really is eye-opening stuff. The idea that your literary agent would email some dodgy rich dudes to get career advice just seems incredibly odd.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Inside a high school gym for Little League tryouts today, saw this poster in the hallway advertising a new course.
The selling points of an AP course today are “super-easy A” “only requiring Algebra” and “GPA booster”
The selling points of an AP course today are “super-easy A” “only requiring Algebra” and “GPA booster”
February 1, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Inside a high school gym for Little League tryouts today, saw this poster in the hallway advertising a new course.
The selling points of an AP course today are “super-easy A” “only requiring Algebra” and “GPA booster”
The selling points of an AP course today are “super-easy A” “only requiring Algebra” and “GPA booster”
Ahead of the Grammys tonight, let me tell you the best album, Record, and song, in Rock or any genre, were all by Sam Fender who was bizarrely not nominated for anything. youtu.be/5cXCUp6j5M8?...
Sam Fender - People Watching (Official Video starring Andrew Scott)
YouTube video by SamFenderVEVO
youtu.be
February 1, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Ahead of the Grammys tonight, let me tell you the best album, Record, and song, in Rock or any genre, were all by Sam Fender who was bizarrely not nominated for anything. youtu.be/5cXCUp6j5M8?...
Incredible. Note that this reporting is absolutely silent regarding the methods by which the reporters obtained this information. That’s OpSec. If you don’t already contribute to ProPublica, please consider doing so today.
BREAKING: The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Incredible. Note that this reporting is absolutely silent regarding the methods by which the reporters obtained this information. That’s OpSec. If you don’t already contribute to ProPublica, please consider doing so today.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
February 1, 2026 at 4:00 PM
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Nothing has changed and these masked, armed federal paramilitaries are just as aggressive and lawless as ever.
This morning, federal agents staged at the Powderhorn Park Recreation Center lot and began to throw chemical irritants at observers. They also kidnapped an observer. Our parks are meant for our children, youth, and neighbors. They should never be militarized zones meant to separate families. 1/
February 1, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Nothing has changed and these masked, armed federal paramilitaries are just as aggressive and lawless as ever.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
"Under penalty of perjury, a witness told the FBI back in 2016 that they had “personally witnessed” President Donald Trump threaten to “disappear” a girl and have her entire family killed, according to a document released by the Justice Department on Friday."
www.rawstory.com/trump-epstei...
www.rawstory.com/trump-epstei...
Witness told FBI Trump threatened to ‘disappear’ girl and have her ‘whole family killed’
Under penalty of perjury, a witness told the FBI back in 2016 that they had “personally witnessed” President Donald Trump threaten to “disappear” a girl and have her entire family killed, according to...
www.rawstory.com
February 1, 2026 at 1:29 PM
"Under penalty of perjury, a witness told the FBI back in 2016 that they had “personally witnessed” President Donald Trump threaten to “disappear” a girl and have her entire family killed, according to a document released by the Justice Department on Friday."
www.rawstory.com/trump-epstei...
www.rawstory.com/trump-epstei...
Reposted by Jake Wertz
these are senator james talarico numbers
February 1, 2026 at 4:44 AM
these are senator james talarico numbers
Reposted by Jake Wertz
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
The FBI was able to access Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Signal messages because she used Signal on her work laptop. The laptop accepted Touch ID for authentication, meaning the agents were allowed to require her to unlock it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 1, 2026 at 12:08 AM
I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Made a pilgrimage that I've been meaning to make for awhile - to Dwight, Illinois, where two recent retirees turned their hobby collection of unloved '80s cars into a museum.
Probably the only place where you're going to see an Isuzu I-Mark Diesel, a Mitsubishi Cordia, or a Mercury LN7 these days.
Probably the only place where you're going to see an Isuzu I-Mark Diesel, a Mitsubishi Cordia, or a Mercury LN7 these days.
February 1, 2026 at 3:25 AM
Made a pilgrimage that I've been meaning to make for awhile - to Dwight, Illinois, where two recent retirees turned their hobby collection of unloved '80s cars into a museum.
Probably the only place where you're going to see an Isuzu I-Mark Diesel, a Mitsubishi Cordia, or a Mercury LN7 these days.
Probably the only place where you're going to see an Isuzu I-Mark Diesel, a Mitsubishi Cordia, or a Mercury LN7 these days.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly sexually abused girls in the US Virgin Islands through 2018 | CNN
Jeffrey Epstein allegedly transported underage girls to his secluded homes in the US Virgin Islands and forced them into sex work from 2001 through 2018, according to a lawsuit filed by the Attorney G...
www.cnn.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Jeffrey Epstein did not stop raping children after his 2008 conviction. Jeffrey Epstein did not stop facilitating the rape of children after his 2008 conviction. He kept doing it.
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
That is the context of people treating him as a normal person after his conviction.
/1
www.cnn.com/2020/01/15/u...
Reposted by Jake Wertz
This is a good point re: Portland today
This wasn't on federal land
It wasn't when agents were claiming to do any enforcement activity
It was federal agents shooting gas at children and union families in the streets
Im not a lawyer, but I dont see how qualified immunity counts here
It's assault
This wasn't on federal land
It wasn't when agents were claiming to do any enforcement activity
It was federal agents shooting gas at children and union families in the streets
Im not a lawyer, but I dont see how qualified immunity counts here
It's assault
People need to understand that this protest was approved by city. The fact that the public still got gassed & flash bangs shows that city does NOT have the public’s back.
February 1, 2026 at 3:25 AM
This is a good point re: Portland today
This wasn't on federal land
It wasn't when agents were claiming to do any enforcement activity
It was federal agents shooting gas at children and union families in the streets
Im not a lawyer, but I dont see how qualified immunity counts here
It's assault
This wasn't on federal land
It wasn't when agents were claiming to do any enforcement activity
It was federal agents shooting gas at children and union families in the streets
Im not a lawyer, but I dont see how qualified immunity counts here
It's assault
The problem with the Chicago Bears quarterback has never been their quarterback, it has always been their ownership. Caleb Williams has shown flashes of brilliance and should be looking for the exit.
The Baltimore Ravens hired the Chicago Bears' 29-year-old offensive coordinator on Friday, leaving the Bears to find a new coordinator after the team made huge gains across the board on offense this year.
Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle takes job as Baltimore Ravens play caller
Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson supported Declan Doyle pursuing a job that offered the chance to call plays, and in Baltimore he’ll work with QB Lamar Jackson.
trib.al
February 1, 2026 at 3:28 AM
The problem with the Chicago Bears quarterback has never been their quarterback, it has always been their ownership. Caleb Williams has shown flashes of brilliance and should be looking for the exit.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
This shit is really hard to read. Girls crying hysterically during interviews as they tell PBPD that Epstein had molested them over and over and over again.
2005. He was 51-52 at the time. It is all monstrous. And Trump was still his best friend.
2005. He was 51-52 at the time. It is all monstrous. And Trump was still his best friend.
January 31, 2026 at 9:14 PM
This shit is really hard to read. Girls crying hysterically during interviews as they tell PBPD that Epstein had molested them over and over and over again.
2005. He was 51-52 at the time. It is all monstrous. And Trump was still his best friend.
2005. He was 51-52 at the time. It is all monstrous. And Trump was still his best friend.
Reposted by Jake Wertz
Epstein is the most garish and harrowing manifestation of this but oligarchy makes life miserable in a thousand other ways. A core point of democracy is that no one should have so much power that they can make themselves everybody's problem. We should have a political party that believes that
The Epstein emails should really end the debate over whether society should have billionaires. "Do you want there to be a class of people so powerful they can fuck your kids and no one will even try to do anything" seems like an easy sell if everyone in politics wasn't trying to get on their payroll
January 31, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Epstein is the most garish and harrowing manifestation of this but oligarchy makes life miserable in a thousand other ways. A core point of democracy is that no one should have so much power that they can make themselves everybody's problem. We should have a political party that believes that
Reposted by Jake Wertz
it’s not necessarily that all these people in the epstein files participated in the raping of girls it’s that none of them cared and if he hadn’t been arrested and died they’d still be out there trying to be his friend
January 31, 2026 at 5:45 PM
it’s not necessarily that all these people in the epstein files participated in the raping of girls it’s that none of them cared and if he hadn’t been arrested and died they’d still be out there trying to be his friend
Reposted by Jake Wertz
As a side note, it’s funny to see so many of these emails with thirsty academics repeatedly enact Marx’s bit in the 1844 Manuscripts about the power of money. “Oh Mr Epstein, your house in New York is enormous and, unrelatedly, your questions at dinner were so intelligent, so insightful, so deep.”
![That which is for me through the medium of money - that for which I can pay (i.e., which money can buy) - that am I myself, the possessor of the money. The extent of the power of money is the extent of my power. Money's properties are my - the possessor's - properties and essential powers. Thus, what I am and am capable of is by no means determined by my individuality. I am ugly, but I can buy for myself the most beautiful of women.
Therefore I am not ugly, for the effect of ugliness - its deterrent power - is nullified by money. I, according to my individual characteristics, am lame, but money furnishes me with twenty-four feet.
Therefore I am not lame. I am bad, dishonest, unscrupulous, stupid; but money is honoured, and hence its possessor. Money is the supreme good, therefore its possessor is good. Money, besides, saves me the trouble of being dishonest: I am therefore presumed honest. I am brainless, but money is the real brain of all things and how then should its possessor be brainless? Besides, he can buy clever people for himself, and is he who has [In the manuscript: is. - Ed.] power over the clever not more clever than the clever? Do not I, who thanks to money am capable of all that the human heart longs for, possess all human capacities? Does not my money, therefore, transform all my incapacities into their contrary?](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:myqic77tkmdhmaufgkvj43hr/bafkreidpuxbx764xh7vobavcnvs3v2lo5fnfi6dukfrmk3ygxmseznkyxi@jpeg)
January 31, 2026 at 4:05 PM
As a side note, it’s funny to see so many of these emails with thirsty academics repeatedly enact Marx’s bit in the 1844 Manuscripts about the power of money. “Oh Mr Epstein, your house in New York is enormous and, unrelatedly, your questions at dinner were so intelligent, so insightful, so deep.”
Reposted by Jake Wertz
It makes you sound crazy to say this out loud, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the United States government has been effectively toppled by a group of overt pedophiles
Barely a few hours after President Donald Trump named him as the next nominee to chair the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh was revealed to be in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files.
Trump's Fed chair pick named in Epstein files just hours after his nomination
Barely a few hours after President Donald Trump named him as the next nominee to chair the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh was revealed to be in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case files.According to The New Republic, "Warsh’s name appears to be on an emailed list of guests to 'St. Barth’s Christm...
bit.ly
January 31, 2026 at 12:15 AM
It makes you sound crazy to say this out loud, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the United States government has been effectively toppled by a group of overt pedophiles