jknowles.bsky.social
@jknowles.bsky.social
Founder and President of Civilytics Consulting | Political Science Ph.D. | Specializing in data viz 📊, policy research, and data analysis of US public data with a side of public finance 💸 | 🎸 📷 🖥️ self-hoster and active de-googler | Boston, MA
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Hundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
credible modeling from impactcounter.com shows that trump and musk have killed nearly 600,000 people with their illegal cuts to date.
nearly 400,000 of them were children.
nearly 400,000 of them were children.
October 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
credible modeling from impactcounter.com shows that trump and musk have killed nearly 600,000 people with their illegal cuts to date.
nearly 400,000 of them were children.
nearly 400,000 of them were children.
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
Hard agree. "Abundance" is apparently just the "Nudge" of the 2020s - get ready for made up job titles, spinoff books, and no challenge to power or inequality and talking past all the structural barriers (inequality, concentration of power) in favor of fixating on their symptoms (regs, rules, etc.)
what if i told you the "Abundance" framing was in part an explicit effort to associate unpopular stuff like AI and crypto with popular (among Dem activists) stuff like green energy and YIMBY
It was extremely dumb for the Abundance people to try and staple thoughts on AI to normal YIMBY arguments. Normal YIMBY arguments are too important to try and smuggle in your stupid trendy fixation with them
July 15, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Hard agree. "Abundance" is apparently just the "Nudge" of the 2020s - get ready for made up job titles, spinoff books, and no challenge to power or inequality and talking past all the structural barriers (inequality, concentration of power) in favor of fixating on their symptoms (regs, rules, etc.)
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
what if i told you the "Abundance" framing was in part an explicit effort to associate unpopular stuff like AI and crypto with popular (among Dem activists) stuff like green energy and YIMBY
It was extremely dumb for the Abundance people to try and staple thoughts on AI to normal YIMBY arguments. Normal YIMBY arguments are too important to try and smuggle in your stupid trendy fixation with them
July 15, 2025 at 4:35 PM
what if i told you the "Abundance" framing was in part an explicit effort to associate unpopular stuff like AI and crypto with popular (among Dem activists) stuff like green energy and YIMBY
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
I've been working on a fun, data-centric side project this summer, identifying "statistically improbable restaurants" via big data sets. Want to know where in the US to find Afghan or African food, or understand why that might be interesting? Start here: ethanzuckerman.com/2025/07/03/s...
Stalking the Statistically Improbable Restaurant... With Data! - Ethan Zuckerman
The statistically improbable restaurant is the unexpected awesome eatery, revealing something about the local population. Find them with data!
ethanzuckerman.com
July 3, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I've been working on a fun, data-centric side project this summer, identifying "statistically improbable restaurants" via big data sets. Want to know where in the US to find Afghan or African food, or understand why that might be interesting? Start here: ethanzuckerman.com/2025/07/03/s...
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
You hear this a lot on the left but it isn't true. USAID did not "fail to tell its story to Americans," the right targeted the agency with lies and misinformation.
Ultimately this narrative turns conservative attacks into even more calls for the left to reform.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
Ultimately this narrative turns conservative attacks into even more calls for the left to reform.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
June 30, 2025 at 4:06 PM
You hear this a lot on the left but it isn't true. USAID did not "fail to tell its story to Americans," the right targeted the agency with lies and misinformation.
Ultimately this narrative turns conservative attacks into even more calls for the left to reform.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
Ultimately this narrative turns conservative attacks into even more calls for the left to reform.
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/29/o...
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
There's a debate about if Lander getting arrested was a stunt? Of course it was a stunt, and it was a good one. He's got the race's best photo op, he raised awareness that they will arrest anyone without a warrant, and most importantly he put his body on the line to do good. Nothing wrong there.
June 17, 2025 at 5:53 PM
There's a debate about if Lander getting arrested was a stunt? Of course it was a stunt, and it was a good one. He's got the race's best photo op, he raised awareness that they will arrest anyone without a warrant, and most importantly he put his body on the line to do good. Nothing wrong there.
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
DYK that the federal statistical system has a guidebook for how things are supposed to work?
The latest edition just dropped.
You can read it here:
nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/279...
The latest edition just dropped.
You can read it here:
nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/279...
Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency - 8th Edition
Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency - 8th Edition
nap.nationalacademies.org
May 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
DYK that the federal statistical system has a guidebook for how things are supposed to work?
The latest edition just dropped.
You can read it here:
nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/279...
The latest edition just dropped.
You can read it here:
nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/279...
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
There’s no reason to have a Democratic Party if it won’t go to the mat to save the Department of Education. It’s a fundamental belief that children in America deserve better futures. It’s tremendously simple. You cannot continue funding a government that would close this.
The Department of Education will begin sweeping layoffs tonight with about half of its 4,400 employees expected to be let go, sources tell CNN.
Read more: cnn.it/41IhB4h
Read more: cnn.it/41IhB4h
March 12, 2025 at 12:42 AM
There’s no reason to have a Democratic Party if it won’t go to the mat to save the Department of Education. It’s a fundamental belief that children in America deserve better futures. It’s tremendously simple. You cannot continue funding a government that would close this.
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
When it fails, in tangible terms, with job losses and spikes in food bank needs and negative growth (as soon as Q1 of this year), they're going to all hide and pretend this wasn't their primary suggestion for fiscal policy for decades. Don't let them get away with it.
March 1, 2025 at 8:33 PM
When it fails, in tangible terms, with job losses and spikes in food bank needs and negative growth (as soon as Q1 of this year), they're going to all hide and pretend this wasn't their primary suggestion for fiscal policy for decades. Don't let them get away with it.
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
I finally got what's bugged me about all these stories on the crippling of the US govt: all of them speak of "cuts" when, in fact, only Congress can 'cut' funding, and it has done nothing of the sort. The story describes illegal & unconstitutional impoundment, BUT SAYS NOT ONE WORD ABOUT IT
HUD cuts expected to worsen America’s housing crisis, staffers say
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is expected to be slashed in half, according to an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 24, 2025 at 3:18 AM
I finally got what's bugged me about all these stories on the crippling of the US govt: all of them speak of "cuts" when, in fact, only Congress can 'cut' funding, and it has done nothing of the sort. The story describes illegal & unconstitutional impoundment, BUT SAYS NOT ONE WORD ABOUT IT
This is our public statement at Civilytics about the recent cuts to research spending at the Department of Education:
civilytics.substack.com/p/the-headli...
civilytics.substack.com/p/the-headli...
February 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This is our public statement at Civilytics about the recent cuts to research spending at the Department of Education:
civilytics.substack.com/p/the-headli...
civilytics.substack.com/p/the-headli...
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
the richest man in the world has decided that your kids don't deserve special education programs
February 16, 2025 at 6:14 PM
the richest man in the world has decided that your kids don't deserve special education programs
It is a sad week for the many of you I know working to bring evidence into policymaking. We had four contracts for evaluation technical assistance and evidence review work across a variety of important and current education topics terminated as of Monday night.
February 13, 2025 at 9:06 PM
It is a sad week for the many of you I know working to bring evidence into policymaking. We had four contracts for evaluation technical assistance and evidence review work across a variety of important and current education topics terminated as of Monday night.
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
It's all illegal impoundment, it has been illegal, it continues to be illegal regardless of presumed authority. It violates the constitution, federal statute and Supreme Court precedent, and we are beginning to see it challenged as such.
www.citizen.org/wp-content/u...
www.citizen.org/wp-content/u...
February 11, 2025 at 2:23 AM
It's all illegal impoundment, it has been illegal, it continues to be illegal regardless of presumed authority. It violates the constitution, federal statute and Supreme Court precedent, and we are beginning to see it challenged as such.
www.citizen.org/wp-content/u...
www.citizen.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by jknowles.bsky.social
California DOE fires back against Trump's executive order:
"It does nothing"
"It is against federal law for the White House to dictate what educators can and cannot teach"
Will not comply.
"It does nothing"
"It is against federal law for the White House to dictate what educators can and cannot teach"
Will not comply.
January 31, 2025 at 6:50 PM
California DOE fires back against Trump's executive order:
"It does nothing"
"It is against federal law for the White House to dictate what educators can and cannot teach"
Will not comply.
"It does nothing"
"It is against federal law for the White House to dictate what educators can and cannot teach"
Will not comply.
I heartily agree with this - Mr Bates vs the Post Office is a triumph and one of the most important political dramas of our age. Anyone working in public technology needs to see it and aside from the importance of the subject, it is a moving masterpiece. I teared up nearly every 30 minutes! 🥹
Bless Gwyneth Hughes, Toby Jones & all who worked for almost nothing. Yes: it nearly didn't get made because the producers felt they couldn't sell it to America. But there's been no more politically important drama in decades.
January 31, 2025 at 12:19 AM
I heartily agree with this - Mr Bates vs the Post Office is a triumph and one of the most important political dramas of our age. Anyone working in public technology needs to see it and aside from the importance of the subject, it is a moving masterpiece. I teared up nearly every 30 minutes! 🥹
Here's another custom Zoom background I like using - an austere late winter tree lined path at Edith Wharton's mansion in the Berkshires taken by me in April of 2021 days after getting my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
November 17, 2024 at 9:38 PM
Here's another custom Zoom background I like using - an austere late winter tree lined path at Edith Wharton's mansion in the Berkshires taken by me in April of 2021 days after getting my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Fall is rapidly flying by and my feed is empty so I thought I'd share my current wallpaper/Zoom background, one of my favorite fall images from New England. #foliage #newengland
November 14, 2024 at 9:25 PM
Fall is rapidly flying by and my feed is empty so I thought I'd share my current wallpaper/Zoom background, one of my favorite fall images from New England. #foliage #newengland