Keeley Townsend
@ktowns.bsky.social
Author, former government analyst, and current PhD candidate researching scientific integrity and bullshitting behavior in the U.S. federal government. https://www.linkedin.com/in/keeley-townsend-8962139/
Informative and horrifying conversation about past and present threats.
Excited to share my new in-depth interview with @joyannreid.bsky.social . I talk about my experience growing up as a Southern Baptist and about the through line between the old Christian Right, the Tea Party, and the MAGA Christian nationalist movement today.
www.whitetoolong.net/p/my-intervi...
www.whitetoolong.net/p/my-intervi...
My Interview with Joy Reid: Unpacking the Threat of Christian Nationalism
Plus, the latest episode of The Convocation Unscripted
www.whitetoolong.net
November 8, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Informative and horrifying conversation about past and present threats.
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
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 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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
"More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections ... have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law." apnews.com/article/vacc...
Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.
apnews.com
October 22, 2025 at 8:13 PM
"More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections ... have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law." apnews.com/article/vacc...
"... it is essential to recognize that Trump’s executive order is the culmination of long-standing efforts by congressional Republicans to attack or undermine US science in a way that is cloaked in benign and attractive terms." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Trojan gold: New US “standard” is another veiled attack on science
Transparency, reproducibility, and acknowledging uncertainty are meritorious attributes of science that differentiate it from other human endeavors, such as politics. But they can also be subverted. I...
www.science.org
October 20, 2025 at 5:37 PM
"... it is essential to recognize that Trump’s executive order is the culmination of long-standing efforts by congressional Republicans to attack or undermine US science in a way that is cloaked in benign and attractive terms." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
"As Emily Bell says, billionaires and strongmen alike understand one thing: control the media, and you control democracy." open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Could Trump’s war on the media happen here?
As Emily Bell says, billionaires and strongmen alike understand one thing: control the media, and you control democracy.
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 2:16 PM
"As Emily Bell says, billionaires and strongmen alike understand one thing: control the media, and you control democracy." open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Here’s last night’s story about Donald Trump’s war on higher education, and what a young Stephen Miller looked like. Brace yourself. youtu.be/xk94il8L820
Trump vs. Higher Education: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtu.be
September 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Here’s last night’s story about Donald Trump’s war on higher education, and what a young Stephen Miller looked like. Brace yourself. youtu.be/xk94il8L820
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
New, from me:
It was a terrible week, one that inspired some truly awful takes. The worst was the effort by Bari Weiss and The Free Press to smear universities as "the biggest culprits" to blame American political violence, with faculty training "jihadis."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-worst-...
It was a terrible week, one that inspired some truly awful takes. The worst was the effort by Bari Weiss and The Free Press to smear universities as "the biggest culprits" to blame American political violence, with faculty training "jihadis."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-worst-...
The worst takes from a bad week
The Free Press, about to take over CBS News, blames universities for American political violence
donmoynihan.substack.com
September 13, 2025 at 1:29 PM
New, from me:
It was a terrible week, one that inspired some truly awful takes. The worst was the effort by Bari Weiss and The Free Press to smear universities as "the biggest culprits" to blame American political violence, with faculty training "jihadis."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-worst-...
It was a terrible week, one that inspired some truly awful takes. The worst was the effort by Bari Weiss and The Free Press to smear universities as "the biggest culprits" to blame American political violence, with faculty training "jihadis."
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-worst-...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Breaking news: The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed eliminating a requirement that businesses report their greenhouse gas emissions, ending a program that has tracked the climate impact of major polluters since 2010.
EPA says companies shouldn’t have to report planet-warming emissions
The announcement amounts to a major rollback that would eliminate the primary means of tracking climate goals. The EPA framed it as a cost-cutting measure.
wapo.st
September 12, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Breaking news: The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed eliminating a requirement that businesses report their greenhouse gas emissions, ending a program that has tracked the climate impact of major polluters since 2010.
"By tying increasingly severe and common heat waves to specific companies, the new research could find its way into courtrooms where individuals, cities, states and countries are seeking to hold fossil fuel producers accountable for climate damages." www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/c...
Scientists trace heat waves back to individual fossil fuel companies, with potentially sweeping courtroom implications | CNN
For the first time, scientists have quantified the causal links between worsening heat waves and global warming pollution from individual fossil fuel and cement companies, pushing the boundaries of ex...
www.cnn.com
September 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
"By tying increasingly severe and common heat waves to specific companies, the new research could find its way into courtrooms where individuals, cities, states and countries are seeking to hold fossil fuel producers accountable for climate damages." www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/c...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Uncoordinated federal regulations are increasing the time researchers spend on regulatory and administrative tasks, wasting intellectual capacity and taxpayer dollars.
Our new report examines the current regulatory system and suggests ways to optimize it: buff.ly/b5rGSC0
Our new report examines the current regulatory system and suggests ways to optimize it: buff.ly/b5rGSC0
September 3, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Uncoordinated federal regulations are increasing the time researchers spend on regulatory and administrative tasks, wasting intellectual capacity and taxpayer dollars.
Our new report examines the current regulatory system and suggests ways to optimize it: buff.ly/b5rGSC0
Our new report examines the current regulatory system and suggests ways to optimize it: buff.ly/b5rGSC0
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it faced hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects last year.
(Published July 2024)
(Published July 2024)
School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget.
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, has spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it’s now facing hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state program...
www.propublica.org
September 6, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Arizona, the model for voucher programs across the country, spent so much money paying private schoolers’ tuition that it faced hundreds of millions in budget cuts to critical state programs and projects last year.
(Published July 2024)
(Published July 2024)
Could Project 2025 happen here?
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Could Project 2025 happen here?
The Christian Right that propelled Trump to power is coming for Britain, says American investigative journalist Katherine Stewart.
open.substack.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Could Project 2025 happen here?
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
New, from me:
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
The authoritarian checklist
It is time to admit that America is no longer a functioning democracy
donmoynihan.substack.com
August 28, 2025 at 1:19 PM
New, from me:
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
America is no longer a functioning democracy. It is a competitive authoritarian system, hurtling rapidly toward authoritarianism.
This was a hard piece to write but we can't move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we are.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-author...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
"This could be the difference whether your child gets cancer. Are you willing for them to die because the therapy for them is delayed?"
Powerful video with voices from top US scientists on the very real and devastating impacts of the funding cuts.
Powerful video with voices from top US scientists on the very real and devastating impacts of the funding cuts.
August 24, 2025 at 7:25 PM
"This could be the difference whether your child gets cancer. Are you willing for them to die because the therapy for them is delayed?"
Powerful video with voices from top US scientists on the very real and devastating impacts of the funding cuts.
Powerful video with voices from top US scientists on the very real and devastating impacts of the funding cuts.
Enlightening, timely essay (from 2022):
Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway; From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science. Daedalus 2022; 151 (4): 98–123. doi: doi.org/10.1162/daed...
Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway; From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science. Daedalus 2022; 151 (4): 98–123. doi: doi.org/10.1162/daed...
From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science
Abstract. Empirical data do not support the conclusion of a crisis of public trust in science. They do support the conclusion of a crisis of conservative trust in science: polls show that American att...
doi.org
August 7, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Enlightening, timely essay (from 2022):
Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway; From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science. Daedalus 2022; 151 (4): 98–123. doi: doi.org/10.1162/daed...
Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway; From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science. Daedalus 2022; 151 (4): 98–123. doi: doi.org/10.1162/daed...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
NEW: EPA to revoke 2009 finding that climate pollution endangers humans.
EPA to revoke 2009 finding that climate pollution endangers humans
The repeal of the finding on the dangers greenhouse gases pose to human health and welfare will face fierce legal challenges.
www.politico.com
July 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM
NEW: EPA to revoke 2009 finding that climate pollution endangers humans.
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Hidaya Al-Motawaq's son is a year and a half old and weighs less than 10 pounds. Doctors warn of permanent damage to children's health due to chronic malnutrition from Israel's earlier blockade.
His name is Mohammad Al-Motawaq. He is 18 months old. And he is starving in Gaza
Hidaya Al-Motawaq's son is a year and a half old and weighs less than 10 pounds. Doctors warn of permanent damage to children's health due to chronic malnutrition from Israel's earlier blockade.
n.pr
July 27, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Hidaya Al-Motawaq's son is a year and a half old and weighs less than 10 pounds. Doctors warn of permanent damage to children's health due to chronic malnutrition from Israel's earlier blockade.
"So much groundwater is now being pumped that it is filling the oceans as it drains off land, becoming one of the largest drivers of global sea level rise." www.propublica.org/article/wate...
“Staggering” Water Loss Driven by Groundwater Mining Poses Global Threat
A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid “mega” regions and causing sea levels to rise.
www.propublica.org
July 26, 2025 at 8:15 PM
"So much groundwater is now being pumped that it is filling the oceans as it drains off land, becoming one of the largest drivers of global sea level rise." www.propublica.org/article/wate...
"Science and racism share a history because scientists, science’s institutions and influential supporters of science either directly or indirectly supported core racist beliefs" - one of many reasons why DEIA is critical for (not antithetical to) scientific integrity. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Science must overcome its racist legacy: Nature’s guest editors speak
We are leading Nature on a journey to help decolonize research and forge a path towards restorative justice and reconciliation.
www.nature.com
July 25, 2025 at 8:32 PM
"Science and racism share a history because scientists, science’s institutions and influential supporters of science either directly or indirectly supported core racist beliefs" - one of many reasons why DEIA is critical for (not antithetical to) scientific integrity. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"Most people in the United States rely on federal science in their daily lives but don't realize it, a new nationwide poll of U.S. adults shows." (May 6, 2025) www.npr.org/2025/05/06/n...
Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds
Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.
www.npr.org
July 25, 2025 at 6:36 PM
"Most people in the United States rely on federal science in their daily lives but don't realize it, a new nationwide poll of U.S. adults shows." (May 6, 2025) www.npr.org/2025/05/06/n...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Severe malnutrition among under-5s in Gaza City has tripled in two weeks, charity says
Severe malnutrition among under-5s in Gaza City has tripled in two weeks, charity says
MSF says number of people needing care for malnutrition has quadrupled since May and blames Israeli ‘policy of starvation’
*
Middle East crisis – live updates
The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said that rates of severe malnutrition among children under five at its Gaza City clinic have tripled in the last two weeks as starvation in the Israeli-besieged strip worsens.
The global aid community has sounded the alarm as Gaza descends deeper into mass starvation, with daily deaths from starvation reported as Israel allows only a trickle of aid into the territory. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
July 25, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Severe malnutrition among under-5s in Gaza City has tripled in two weeks, charity says
“It’s an interesting coincidence that less than a week before Neil Jacob’s senate committee vote, the two dedicated career civil servants who investigated him for scientific integrity violations around Sharpiegate were dismissed from service"
SCOOP: Two senior NOAA officials were just placed on leave. Both led ‘Sharpiegate’ inquiry www.cnn.com/2025/07/25/w...
Two senior NOAA officials were just placed on leave. Both led ‘Sharpiegate’ inquiry | CNN
While the reasoning behind the move is not clear, the two officials affected led the investigation into whether NOAA’s scientific integrity policies were violated during the so-called Sharpiegate scan...
www.cnn.com
July 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
“It’s an interesting coincidence that less than a week before Neil Jacob’s senate committee vote, the two dedicated career civil servants who investigated him for scientific integrity violations around Sharpiegate were dismissed from service"
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Reporter: The FDA has a new AI tool that's intended to speed up drug approvals. But several FDA employees say the new AI helper is making up studies that do not exist. One FDA employee telling us, 'Anything that you don't have time to double check is unreliable. It hallucinates confidently'
July 23, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reporter: The FDA has a new AI tool that's intended to speed up drug approvals. But several FDA employees say the new AI helper is making up studies that do not exist. One FDA employee telling us, 'Anything that you don't have time to double check is unreliable. It hallucinates confidently'
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Migrants at a Miami immigration prison have been compelled to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates “like dogs,” with their hands tied behind their backs.
These ICE officials need to go straight to The Hague.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
These ICE officials need to go straight to The Hague.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
July 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Migrants at a Miami immigration prison have been compelled to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates “like dogs,” with their hands tied behind their backs.
These ICE officials need to go straight to The Hague.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
These ICE officials need to go straight to The Hague.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Keeley Townsend
Trump is closing all four climate observatory stations in Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and Antartica. Because you can't have high CO2 levels if you don't *measure* CO2 levels.
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After 7 Decades of Measurements From a Peak in Hawaii, Trump’s Budget Would End Them
www.nytimes.com
July 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Trump is closing all four climate observatory stations in Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and Antartica. Because you can't have high CO2 levels if you don't *measure* CO2 levels.
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