JS
@jsplaceholder.bsky.social
US foreign assistance, infectious disease epidemiology, & a more perfect union 🫠 Bonus Texas/books/backpacking
Reposted by JS
What… the fuck?
“.. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing inside a vehicle loaded with boxes outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after the FBI executed a search warrant there.”
@reuters.com
@reuters.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:07 AM
What… the fuck?
Reposted by JS
the next democratic president should promise to rebuild 18F and give them a DHS sized budget
I would reinstate the group call the 18. The federal IT group that wrote the code for the IRS do it yourself tax preparation process. This group was the best of the best to assist government to smooth its operations.
January 28, 2026 at 11:29 PM
the next democratic president should promise to rebuild 18F and give them a DHS sized budget
Reposted by JS
after this everyone knows that "temporary protected status" or whatever other administrative workaround is valid for the next four years, at which point if a republican gets elected who the fuck knows what nightmare is gonna befall you.
people are going to demand better. they'll be right to.
people are going to demand better. they'll be right to.
January 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM
after this everyone knows that "temporary protected status" or whatever other administrative workaround is valid for the next four years, at which point if a republican gets elected who the fuck knows what nightmare is gonna befall you.
people are going to demand better. they'll be right to.
people are going to demand better. they'll be right to.
Reposted by JS
as democrats, if we want to get immigration numbers back up to a reasonable level, we're going to have to do more than just go back to "the way things were." we're going to have to provide a real, reliable, fast pathway to CITIZENSHIP.
The central failure of US immigration policy over my entire adult life is that it has always put xenophobia over facts. This is the result. And if we were talking about facts, this one would be setting off all our alarms. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/27/u...
U.S. Population Growth Slows Sharply as Immigration Numbers Plunge
www.nytimes.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:22 PM
as democrats, if we want to get immigration numbers back up to a reasonable level, we're going to have to do more than just go back to "the way things were." we're going to have to provide a real, reliable, fast pathway to CITIZENSHIP.
Reposted by JS
This is simply insane - demanding the removal of a perfectly safe preservative will require changing the entire production and distribution pipeline. For no reason whatsoever.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
Reuters reports the Trump adminstration wants to condition any future funding to @gavi.org on the organization agreeing to phase out use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. I wrote late last year about how unnecessary & impractical that would be. www.statnews.com/2025/11/19/r...
January 28, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This is simply insane - demanding the removal of a perfectly safe preservative will require changing the entire production and distribution pipeline. For no reason whatsoever.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
I've spent the past hour stalking a rabid racoon at a very well-foot-trafficked intersection right by an elementary school, I've steered off seven runners or dog walkers, you'd think I could force myself to accelerate & just put it out of its misery but 🫠
January 28, 2026 at 6:16 AM
I've spent the past hour stalking a rabid racoon at a very well-foot-trafficked intersection right by an elementary school, I've steered off seven runners or dog walkers, you'd think I could force myself to accelerate & just put it out of its misery but 🫠
Reposted by JS
Oh man the Dem Tea Party is here
January 28, 2026 at 3:42 AM
Oh man the Dem Tea Party is here
Elevating this from a thread bc it's a dynamic I haven't seen discussed. Cutting every metro up into five districts means Republican primaries are pitting urban Elon/AI/billionaire bros against, like, 9 rural veterinarians or county judges for the newly-gerrymandered seats.
The other big split here is the fascist tech bros, who have the money & Trump endorsements, versus the rural good ol boys. That's the setup in basically every Republican congressional primary right now (& one self-defeating consequence of tearing apart the cities in the new gerrymander)
January 28, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Elevating this from a thread bc it's a dynamic I haven't seen discussed. Cutting every metro up into five districts means Republican primaries are pitting urban Elon/AI/billionaire bros against, like, 9 rural veterinarians or county judges for the newly-gerrymandered seats.
Reposted by JS
Castro doing the work
Update: Confirmed visit set with Liam Conejo Ramos and his Dad at Dilley Detention Center tomorrow.
youtu.be/zW8nr114EFM
youtu.be/zW8nr114EFM
Update: Confirmed visit set with Liam Conejo Ramos and his Dad at Dilley Detention Center tomorrow.
YouTube video by JoaquinCastroTX
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 9:36 PM
Castro doing the work
Reposted by JS
listen to the whole clip - where he says also that the consequences of speaking all that’s on his mind would be too great for him as a foreigner living in the United States right now
"Every day, I wake up and see the news and I'm horrified. I think it is crazy that some people make it sound like it's acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable." - Victor Wembanyama says about the killings in Minnesota
Via DonHarris4/X
Via DonHarris4/X
January 27, 2026 at 8:26 PM
listen to the whole clip - where he says also that the consequences of speaking all that’s on his mind would be too great for him as a foreigner living in the United States right now
Hey @bencollins.bsky.social I sense a sequel to Onion Tim Duncan
It defies explanation how the Spurs land every thoughtful superstar
"Every day, I wake up and see the news and I'm horrified. I think it is crazy that some people make it sound like it's acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable." - Victor Wembanyama says about the killings in Minnesota
Via DonHarris4/X
Via DonHarris4/X
January 27, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Hey @bencollins.bsky.social I sense a sequel to Onion Tim Duncan
Some kook at interior who doesn't believe in dinosaurs definitely flagged the displays at Big Bend
January 27, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Some kook at interior who doesn't believe in dinosaurs definitely flagged the displays at Big Bend
Reposted by JS
getting feds to say shit like this on camera with their face exposed is NUTS -- you can not reform this agency, everyone involved must go, there is no practical way to root out all of these guys
"You raise your voice, I erase your voice."
ICE in Minneapolis are erasing your rights.
Please share our new video of what's happening in our city. youtu.be/W1dyNcRGRXY
ICE in Minneapolis are erasing your rights.
Please share our new video of what's happening in our city. youtu.be/W1dyNcRGRXY
January 27, 2026 at 6:10 PM
getting feds to say shit like this on camera with their face exposed is NUTS -- you can not reform this agency, everyone involved must go, there is no practical way to root out all of these guys
Reposted by JS
New at The Watch:
I dug into archival witness accounts of the British siege of Boston prior to the American Revolution.
They are remarkably similar to what we're seeing in Minneapolis.
open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...
I dug into archival witness accounts of the British siege of Boston prior to the American Revolution.
They are remarkably similar to what we're seeing in Minneapolis.
open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...
Two cities under siege
Remarkably similar scenes from Boston and Minneapolis, 260 years apart, show a federal government betraying its founding principles.
open.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 6:44 PM
New at The Watch:
I dug into archival witness accounts of the British siege of Boston prior to the American Revolution.
They are remarkably similar to what we're seeing in Minneapolis.
open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...
I dug into archival witness accounts of the British siege of Boston prior to the American Revolution.
They are remarkably similar to what we're seeing in Minneapolis.
open.substack.com/pub/radleyba...
Status update. The sandworm bean curd was a star
January 25, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Status update. The sandworm bean curd was a star
Reposted by JS
Fwiw MN01 is R+12 and MN08 is R+14, with a backlash + Klob + the disaster of Lindell/White it wouldn’t be too crazy of an idea to try in both
January 24, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Fwiw MN01 is R+12 and MN08 is R+14, with a backlash + Klob + the disaster of Lindell/White it wouldn’t be too crazy of an idea to try in both
I very seriously want at minimum 10% of attractive people to start wearing Abolish ICE swag to their big-box gyms. Ordered this bad boy today www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
January 24, 2026 at 10:37 PM
I very seriously want at minimum 10% of attractive people to start wearing Abolish ICE swag to their big-box gyms. Ordered this bad boy today www.raygunsite.com/collections/...
Reposted by JS
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
January 24, 2026 at 8:29 PM
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
But wait there's more
January 24, 2026 at 9:33 PM
But wait there's more
I've overheard someone mention Ted Cruz fleeing Texas every time I've left my house for the past 72 hours. That was five years ago! Like, what other random news story from five years ago do people still randomly bring up? But it was deep COVID & people were bored inside scrolling
It also matters that this happened when a large % of America is stuck inside on a weekend. People who have tuned out will see it.
I know they are going to try to defend this. I know they are already cooking up their arguments, and there is a hardcore 20-30% who will support this no matter what. But they are going to have a real hard time selling this to the majority of Americans.
January 24, 2026 at 9:15 PM
I've overheard someone mention Ted Cruz fleeing Texas every time I've left my house for the past 72 hours. That was five years ago! Like, what other random news story from five years ago do people still randomly bring up? But it was deep COVID & people were bored inside scrolling
It also matters that this happened when a large % of America is stuck inside on a weekend. People who have tuned out will see it.
I know they are going to try to defend this. I know they are already cooking up their arguments, and there is a hardcore 20-30% who will support this no matter what. But they are going to have a real hard time selling this to the majority of Americans.
January 24, 2026 at 9:12 PM
It also matters that this happened when a large % of America is stuck inside on a weekend. People who have tuned out will see it.
Reposted by JS
the post about this on r/nba, which is an enormous forum that gets millions of visitors a week, is full of comments from people who have seen the videos about how this was “an execution” or “murder” in case you wonder how this is playing outside of here
the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens
January 24, 2026 at 8:21 PM
the post about this on r/nba, which is an enormous forum that gets millions of visitors a week, is full of comments from people who have seen the videos about how this was “an execution” or “murder” in case you wonder how this is playing outside of here
Reposted by JS
look I don’t like it either but get him in front of more cameras saying this
January 24, 2026 at 8:52 PM
look I don’t like it either but get him in front of more cameras saying this
Reposted by JS
Union-backed Dem Taylor Rehmet nearly pulled off a stunning upset in November — almost winning a deep-red TX Senate seat over two billionaire-funded Republicans. He's now in a runoff with a fixture of the Texas far right. My latest, from Tarrant County, a bellwether and hub of Christian nationalism:
In Tarrant County, a Hub for the Far Right, a Democrat Seeks a Major Upset
In a runoff election for Texas Senate District 9, which has not elected a Democrat since 1991, Taylor Rehmet is betting his pro-labor message can flip disillusioned voters.
www.texasmonthly.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Union-backed Dem Taylor Rehmet nearly pulled off a stunning upset in November — almost winning a deep-red TX Senate seat over two billionaire-funded Republicans. He's now in a runoff with a fixture of the Texas far right. My latest, from Tarrant County, a bellwether and hub of Christian nationalism: