Joe Germuska
@joe.germuska.com
Chief Nerd @ Northwestern University Knight Lab • Project lead @ Census Reporter • Board Member @ City Bureau • Information Design • Digital Journalism • Civic Technology
Signal: JoeGermuska.53
Signal: JoeGermuska.53
Reposted by Joe Germuska
All of the money that changed hands in the Teapot Dome scandal totaled less than $10 million after adjusting for inflation, and it was considered so corrupt we still teach it in high school government classes a century later.
Corruption so pungent, it wafts right off the page:
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Lobbyists who do pardon deals “say their going rate is $1 million. Pardon-seekers have offered some lobbyists close to the president success fees of as much as $6 million if they can close the deal.”
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Inside the New Fast Track to a Presidential Pardon
Even some of the president’s closest advisers have been surprised by a number of the recent series of pardons.
www.wsj.com
December 27, 2025 at 9:24 PM
All of the money that changed hands in the Teapot Dome scandal totaled less than $10 million after adjusting for inflation, and it was considered so corrupt we still teach it in high school government classes a century later.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
New reporting says Don Jr. directly facilitated the pardon of a crypto whale who had promoted the Trump's family crypto. Jr. brought the pardon lawyer to the White House, and introduced him directly to his Dad. Pardon occurred right after. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/pardon-the...
December 27, 2025 at 6:14 PM
New reporting says Don Jr. directly facilitated the pardon of a crypto whale who had promoted the Trump's family crypto. Jr. brought the pardon lawyer to the White House, and introduced him directly to his Dad. Pardon occurred right after. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/pardon-the...
Just happened to listen to this week’s re-aired Code Switch podcast from 2018 and it is pretty clear this is false
overcast.fm/+AAHuutmk_K8
overcast.fm/+AAHuutmk_K8
December 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Just happened to listen to this week’s re-aired Code Switch podcast from 2018 and it is pretty clear this is false
overcast.fm/+AAHuutmk_K8
overcast.fm/+AAHuutmk_K8
Reposted by Joe Germuska
The editor of the largest mainstream news operation in Colorado that Republicans in the state tend to read and respect has come out in favor of taxpayer support for local news: www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/12/27/t...
'The canary in the democracy mine is local journalism'
The threat to local journalism and the accountability it brings to government is one of the most important issues facing Colorado right now.
www.coloradopolitics.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:30 PM
The editor of the largest mainstream news operation in Colorado that Republicans in the state tend to read and respect has come out in favor of taxpayer support for local news: www.coloradopolitics.com/2025/12/27/t...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Good article, but I think we could add that many of the current government officials & influencers spreading political point-scoring falsehoods during crisis events HAVE BECOME gov officials & influencers BECAUSE of their bullshit-spreading talents. System effects of rotten attention dynamics.
Government Officials Once Stopped False Accusations After Violence. Now, Some Join In.
www.nytimes.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Good article, but I think we could add that many of the current government officials & influencers spreading political point-scoring falsehoods during crisis events HAVE BECOME gov officials & influencers BECAUSE of their bullshit-spreading talents. System effects of rotten attention dynamics.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Funny what happens when you betray a huge slice of the buying public.
No, seriously. They eliminated DEI in their company to appease this administration and then the tariffs from this administration and worsening economic conditions for many people are pushing them to cheaper brands/chains.
No, seriously. They eliminated DEI in their company to appease this administration and then the tariffs from this administration and worsening economic conditions for many people are pushing them to cheaper brands/chains.
Target faces activist investor pressure amid sales decline, FT reports reut.rs/4s5MWua
Target faces activist investor pressure amid sales decline, FT reports
Retailer Target is facing pressure from hedge fund Toms Capital Investment Management following a sales drop and a slump in its stock value this year, according to people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported.
reut.rs
December 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Funny what happens when you betray a huge slice of the buying public.
No, seriously. They eliminated DEI in their company to appease this administration and then the tariffs from this administration and worsening economic conditions for many people are pushing them to cheaper brands/chains.
No, seriously. They eliminated DEI in their company to appease this administration and then the tariffs from this administration and worsening economic conditions for many people are pushing them to cheaper brands/chains.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
“Went viral” is an old stock phrase in journalism that really does not capture the dynamic of how X dot Com has been tuned to give people like the one specific legislator here the power to intentionally cause this kind of outcome
Texas A&M University will not reinstate a lecturer who was fired after a video of her teaching about gender identity in a children’s literature class went viral, despite a faculty appeals panel unanimously concluding that her dismissal was not justified.
Texas A&M won’t reinstate fired lecturer despite findings
A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”
www.texastribune.org
December 26, 2025 at 2:11 PM
“Went viral” is an old stock phrase in journalism that really does not capture the dynamic of how X dot Com has been tuned to give people like the one specific legislator here the power to intentionally cause this kind of outcome
Reposted by Joe Germuska
A great example of how the @nytimes.com centers white Americans and Trump supporters in its anecdotal political coverage. You never see stories like this about Black Democrats whose cities are cracked in Republican gerrymandering to give them Republican elected officials.
They Wanted a Conservative State. They Might Get a Democratic Representative Instead.
The passage of Proposition 50, which redrew California’s congressional map, means that all of the state’s conservative north is likely to be represented by Democrats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/u...
The passage of Proposition 50, which redrew California’s congressional map, means that all of the state’s conservative north is likely to be represented by Democrats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/u...
They Wanted a Conservative State. They Might Get a Democratic Representative Instead.
www.nytimes.com
December 26, 2025 at 1:13 PM
A great example of how the @nytimes.com centers white Americans and Trump supporters in its anecdotal political coverage. You never see stories like this about Black Democrats whose cities are cracked in Republican gerrymandering to give them Republican elected officials.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Chicago Christmas map by the Illinois Office of Tourism, 1982
December 25, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Chicago Christmas map by the Illinois Office of Tourism, 1982
Reposted by Joe Germuska
It really is about the notes you don’t play
Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump's name added reut.rs/3NfgBky
Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump's name added
A planned Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center was canceled, with the host of the longtime annual performance attributing the decision to the addition of Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's name to the institution in Washington.
reut.rs
December 25, 2025 at 1:30 PM
It really is about the notes you don’t play
Reposted by Joe Germuska
The Second City's first library.
December 24, 2025 at 3:53 PM
The Second City's first library.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Trans instructor: “you didn’t do this assignment”
Supervising professor: “she didn’t do the assignment”
Student: “I didn’t do the assignment”
University: “isn’t there someone you forgot to ask”
some days I just want to scream and scream
Supervising professor: “she didn’t do the assignment”
Student: “I didn’t do the assignment”
University: “isn’t there someone you forgot to ask”
some days I just want to scream and scream
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
December 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Trans instructor: “you didn’t do this assignment”
Supervising professor: “she didn’t do the assignment”
Student: “I didn’t do the assignment”
University: “isn’t there someone you forgot to ask”
some days I just want to scream and scream
Supervising professor: “she didn’t do the assignment”
Student: “I didn’t do the assignment”
University: “isn’t there someone you forgot to ask”
some days I just want to scream and scream
Reposted by Joe Germuska
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
All the Claude (Code) Things – Derek Willis
Academic and journalist
thescoop.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:45 PM
The "magic" of these coding assistants is that they seem like they can drive the bus. But you’re the one who should be behind the wheel.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Here's how I spent almost all of the $250 in Claude Code credits I got last month, and what I made and learned.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Ok. Now had a chance to check and, well, at least some docs do appear to be straight up classic redaction fail. And there are some *interesting* bits here.
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
December 23, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Ok. Now had a chance to check and, well, at least some docs do appear to be straight up classic redaction fail. And there are some *interesting* bits here.
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
www.justice.gov/multimedia/C...
even with the holiday decorations arms race, this 20-year old mini-doc about NYC xmas obsessives is still impressive.
I especially love the custom animatronics builder who has a real Gepetto vibe
www.folkstreams.net/films/kings-...
I especially love the custom animatronics builder who has a real Gepetto vibe
www.folkstreams.net/films/kings-...
Kings of Christmas | Folkstreams
The Kings of Christmas , introduces the men and women, the vast majority of whom are Italian-American, behind the biggest, brightest, and most…
www.folkstreams.net
December 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
even with the holiday decorations arms race, this 20-year old mini-doc about NYC xmas obsessives is still impressive.
I especially love the custom animatronics builder who has a real Gepetto vibe
www.folkstreams.net/films/kings-...
I especially love the custom animatronics builder who has a real Gepetto vibe
www.folkstreams.net/films/kings-...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
CBS News may not want you to see its CECOT reporting, but I'm happy to share this powerful video that our team produced this year.
“An American Nightmare”: Three Men Deported to CECOT and Their Families Reflect on Their Monthslong Ordeal
For months, Carmen, Lina and Doris awaited news about their loved ones, who were sent to a maximum-security Salvadoran prison by the Trump administration. Now that the families have been reunited, the...
www.propublica.org
December 22, 2025 at 3:46 PM
CBS News may not want you to see its CECOT reporting, but I'm happy to share this powerful video that our team produced this year.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
"Blanche’s directives, while he still owned significant crypto investments, violated the conflicts of interest law and his ethics agreement, legal experts and former federal ethics officials told ProPublica." www.propublica.org/article/todd...
Top DOJ Official Todd Blanche Shut Down Crypto Enforcement While Holding Crypto Assets
The second-highest official at the DOJ, Todd Blanche rose to prominence as Trump’s personal defense attorney. His actions violated the federal conflicts of interest law and his ethics agreement, exper...
www.propublica.org
December 22, 2025 at 2:57 PM
"Blanche’s directives, while he still owned significant crypto investments, violated the conflicts of interest law and his ethics agreement, legal experts and former federal ethics officials told ProPublica." www.propublica.org/article/todd...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
They have made enormous headway. The central issue is that driving isn't _really_ a rule-based process; the rules are codifications of social mores but fundamentally driving around other people is about theory of mind and social negotiation, which ML is largely hopeless at; here's a thing I wrote.
Driving is a social process
Photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia on Unsplash There is something very strange about automobiles. They are much faster and more dangerous than our brains are...
buttondown.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:19 AM
They have made enormous headway. The central issue is that driving isn't _really_ a rule-based process; the rules are codifications of social mores but fundamentally driving around other people is about theory of mind and social negotiation, which ML is largely hopeless at; here's a thing I wrote.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Current issue of @theonion.com nails it again.
December 21, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Current issue of @theonion.com nails it again.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
"How it started vs. How it's going"
-- Federal prosecutor, September 2
How it's going now
-- Jury which acquitted the defendant in 3 hours, December 20
www.latimes.com/california/s...
-- Federal prosecutor, September 2
How it's going now
-- Jury which acquitted the defendant in 3 hours, December 20
www.latimes.com/california/s...
December 21, 2025 at 12:45 PM
"How it started vs. How it's going"
-- Federal prosecutor, September 2
How it's going now
-- Jury which acquitted the defendant in 3 hours, December 20
www.latimes.com/california/s...
-- Federal prosecutor, September 2
How it's going now
-- Jury which acquitted the defendant in 3 hours, December 20
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
...allegiances, and they lord their decadent lifestyle over the rest of us -- is something we've known for decades. A photo won't reverse American autocracy, just hard work -- what the ICE resisters from MN to NOLA are doing, or electing anti-billionaire radicals. So let's get back to work! -30-
December 21, 2025 at 12:24 PM
...allegiances, and they lord their decadent lifestyle over the rest of us -- is something we've known for decades. A photo won't reverse American autocracy, just hard work -- what the ICE resisters from MN to NOLA are doing, or electing anti-billionaire radicals. So let's get back to work! -30-
Reposted by Joe Germuska
... it would have happened nearly 10 years ago with Access Hollywood. First of all, they were always going to cover-up, stall, etc., and today our institutions are too weak to stop them. Second, what the files do prove -- that there's a cabal of rich and powerful men that transcends political...
December 21, 2025 at 12:24 PM
... it would have happened nearly 10 years ago with Access Hollywood. First of all, they were always going to cover-up, stall, etc., and today our institutions are too weak to stop them. Second, what the files do prove -- that there's a cabal of rich and powerful men that transcends political...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
I will say this: the Epstein files are important, but they were always guaranteed to be a depressing disappointment. Too many of us can't let get of our deep-seated belief that there's a 1974 smoking gun moment, that one photo or memo is going to end this nightmare. That could never happen, or else-
December 21, 2025 at 12:24 PM
I will say this: the Epstein files are important, but they were always guaranteed to be a depressing disappointment. Too many of us can't let get of our deep-seated belief that there's a 1974 smoking gun moment, that one photo or memo is going to end this nightmare. That could never happen, or else-
Reposted by Joe Germuska
i really think there is legit political space for running on "we are going to dismantle ICE"
How it started vs. How it’s going NOW 👀
LA tow truck driver who towed ICE’s car found NOT GUILTY 🦸🏽♂️
LA tow truck driver who towed ICE’s car found NOT GUILTY 🦸🏽♂️
December 21, 2025 at 12:41 AM
i really think there is legit political space for running on "we are going to dismantle ICE"
Reposted by Joe Germuska
"In retrospect, the Court’s willingness a quarter-century later in Palmer v. Thompson to allow cities to shut down public swimming pools rather than allow Black people to use them makes a lot more sense." whew Lord
“The Supreme Court decided not to have a Christmas party for 12 straight years because the justices couldn’t agree on whether to invite the Court’s Black employees” is about as tidy an encapsulation of the Supreme Court’s whole deal as I can think of
The Alarmingly Racist History of the Supreme Court’s Canceled 1947 Christmas Party
The Court held its first-ever office Christmas party in 1946. The following year, the clerks suggested inviting Black employees. It did not go over well.
ballsandstrikes.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 10:29 PM
"In retrospect, the Court’s willingness a quarter-century later in Palmer v. Thompson to allow cities to shut down public swimming pools rather than allow Black people to use them makes a lot more sense." whew Lord