Joe Rojas-Burke
@rojasburke.bsky.social
I'm a #ScienceWriter based in Arizona (most of the time) and in Brooklyn. Sharing stuff about science, journalism, politics, beloved plants and animals, #RockClimbing, #Bicycling, #Gardening...
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
NEW: Howard Lutnick, the billionaire who serves as President Trump’s commerce secretary, planned a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012.
Lutnick previously claimed that he was so revolted by Epstein that he had cut ties with him years earlier.
1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Lutnick previously claimed that he was so revolted by Epstein that he had cut ties with him years earlier.
1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Planned Trip to Epstein’s Island
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:26 PM
NEW: Howard Lutnick, the billionaire who serves as President Trump’s commerce secretary, planned a visit to Epstein’s island in 2012.
Lutnick previously claimed that he was so revolted by Epstein that he had cut ties with him years earlier.
1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Lutnick previously claimed that he was so revolted by Epstein that he had cut ties with him years earlier.
1/6
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
I’m once again shedding a tear for Lil B and how (mostly white) people destroyed what he meant by “based”
January 30, 2026 at 9:36 PM
I’m once again shedding a tear for Lil B and how (mostly white) people destroyed what he meant by “based”
Incredible how readily #AI is colonizing the minds of young people. Alarming when you connect these findings with Anthropic's new study identifying the "amplifying factors" making AI users more vulnerable to harm.
Survey of UK teens' use of #AI:
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
Do AI Companions Understand report.pdf
drive.google.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Incredible how readily #AI is colonizing the minds of young people. Alarming when you connect these findings with Anthropic's new study identifying the "amplifying factors" making AI users more vulnerable to harm.
Survey of UK teens' use of #AI:
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
Do AI Companions Understand report.pdf
drive.google.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Survey of UK teens' use of #AI:
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
• Nearly 1/3 use AI chatbots most days
• >50% have confided in one about something serious.
• 56% believe chatbots can “think”
• AI isn’t replacing friendships, but for a small group it’s becoming more satisfying than human interaction drive.google.com/file/d/1dNte...
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
I get tired of saying it, but I’ll say it again: the nature of oppression in America is that they workshop it first on Black, Latino, Asian & Native people.
But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
The arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are a test for every MSM member with a platform. If you are not voicing your outrage at this blatant violation of the First Amendment, you are utterly discredited as a journalist.
January 30, 2026 at 4:46 PM
I get tired of saying it, but I’ll say it again: the nature of oppression in America is that they workshop it first on Black, Latino, Asian & Native people.
But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Most media headlines right now are like "We are laying off 2/3 of our staff and also the president is our ombudsman now" but somehow David Brooks got two new jobs in one day
January 29, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Most media headlines right now are like "We are laying off 2/3 of our staff and also the president is our ombudsman now" but somehow David Brooks got two new jobs in one day
Way too often, considering how many people are routinely use chatbots. Note the "amplifying factors" making users more vulnerable: experiencing a crisis or life disruption; having a close attachment to the bot; being dependent on AI for day-to-day tasks; treating the bot as a definitive authority
January 29, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Way too often, considering how many people are routinely use chatbots. Note the "amplifying factors" making users more vulnerable: experiencing a crisis or life disruption; having a close attachment to the bot; being dependent on AI for day-to-day tasks; treating the bot as a definitive authority
Are you talkin to me?
January 29, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Are you talkin to me?
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 3:32 PM
"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
(Despite the weapons and heavy gear, they were amateurs.) (Amateurs are terrifying.)
January 29, 2026 at 3:15 PM
(Despite the weapons and heavy gear, they were amateurs.) (Amateurs are terrifying.)
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Anne Frank was killed in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by epidemic typhus, a virus spread by human body lice in conditions where people cannot bathe and change clothes.
This new account from a Texas concentration camp shows the Trump regime is setting up conditions where typhus will thrive.
This new account from a Texas concentration camp shows the Trump regime is setting up conditions where typhus will thrive.
From the stateofMN community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the stateofMN community
www.reddit.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Anne Frank was killed in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by epidemic typhus, a virus spread by human body lice in conditions where people cannot bathe and change clothes.
This new account from a Texas concentration camp shows the Trump regime is setting up conditions where typhus will thrive.
This new account from a Texas concentration camp shows the Trump regime is setting up conditions where typhus will thrive.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
I will simply never recover from reading this sentence:
"Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."
"Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."
Today, Luke Farrell (@lukef.bsky.social) explains how complex eligibility requirements have turned America’s safety net into a lucrative revenue stream for monopolistic private contractors.
The Means-Testing Industrial Complex
As Republicans tightened work requirements and eligibility rules for Medicaid and SNAP last year, Equifax’s CEO openly celebrated the profits to be made from administering this deprivation.
lpeproject.org
January 28, 2026 at 4:33 PM
I will simply never recover from reading this sentence:
"Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."
"Since Georgia implemented work requirements in 2020, they have spent twice as much on Deloitte consultants and administrative costs as on healthcare for people."
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Hilariously, a coyote walked behind a San Francisco reporter as she was doing a segment on the mountain lion. 🤣
January 28, 2026 at 2:13 AM
Hilariously, a coyote walked behind a San Francisco reporter as she was doing a segment on the mountain lion. 🤣
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Trump’s fundraisers are now using the threat of dispatching ICE against citizens as an email engagement tactic.
January 28, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Trump’s fundraisers are now using the threat of dispatching ICE against citizens as an email engagement tactic.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law.
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
January 28, 2026 at 1:41 PM
In Printz v. United States, #SCOTUS held that the Constitution bars the federal government from forcing or otherwise compelling local or state governments to enforce federal law.
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
The liberal squish who wrote the majority opinion in that case? Justice Antonin Scalia:
tile.loc.gov/storage-serv...
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Join us in Bologna, Italy, 4–6 Nov 2026 for Visualising Climate — the first global conference fully dedicated to climate data visualization and its power to transform public understanding of a changing planet. Come see the data.
visualisingclimate.org
#VisualisingClimate2026 #DataVis #ClimateCrisis
visualisingclimate.org
#VisualisingClimate2026 #DataVis #ClimateCrisis
January 28, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Join us in Bologna, Italy, 4–6 Nov 2026 for Visualising Climate — the first global conference fully dedicated to climate data visualization and its power to transform public understanding of a changing planet. Come see the data.
visualisingclimate.org
#VisualisingClimate2026 #DataVis #ClimateCrisis
visualisingclimate.org
#VisualisingClimate2026 #DataVis #ClimateCrisis
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
2. ICE is buying your private location data from sleazy data brokers through a legal loophole. I've had a bill to stop this since 2021. I'm renewing my push to get it passed into black letter law as soon as possible.
Wyden, Paul and Bipartisan Senators Reintroduce the Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
www.wyden.senate.gov
January 27, 2026 at 9:28 PM
2. ICE is buying your private location data from sleazy data brokers through a legal loophole. I've had a bill to stop this since 2021. I'm renewing my push to get it passed into black letter law as soon as possible.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
1. ICE is using Palantir apps to collect biometric data on protestors. I'm working closely with @markey.senate.gov to stop this.
Wyden, Merkley and Markey Demand ICE Stop Using Mobile Facial Recognition App | U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon
www.wyden.senate.gov
January 27, 2026 at 9:28 PM
1. ICE is using Palantir apps to collect biometric data on protestors. I'm working closely with @markey.senate.gov to stop this.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
One thing I do enjoy about this list is the down home Harvard professors, and the everyday Stanford fellows fulfilling Tony Dokoupil's promise to CBS viewers and readers:
"We put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you." www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-new...
"We put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you." www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-new...
CBS News names 19 new contributors
CBS News has significantly expanded its knowledge base and on-air presence with the addition of 19 new contributors who cover the worlds of politics, national security, health, happiness, arts, food, ...
www.cbsnews.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:42 PM
One thing I do enjoy about this list is the down home Harvard professors, and the everyday Stanford fellows fulfilling Tony Dokoupil's promise to CBS viewers and readers:
"We put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you." www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-new...
"We put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you." www.cbsnews.com/news/cbs-new...
This report from Minneapolis, by @adamserwer.bsky.social, just *nails* it repeatedly. example:
January 27, 2026 at 6:53 PM
This report from Minneapolis, by @adamserwer.bsky.social, just *nails* it repeatedly. example:
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
Attention folks in the weather, climate, disaster, wildfire, and Earth science communities: NSF has just published a new "Dear Colleague" letter inviting feedback (by Mar 13) on the proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). www.nsf.gov/funding/...
January 23, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Attention folks in the weather, climate, disaster, wildfire, and Earth science communities: NSF has just published a new "Dear Colleague" letter inviting feedback (by Mar 13) on the proposal to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). www.nsf.gov/funding/...
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
"Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, a billionaire backer of the president," writes Neil Young. “The president's international policies and his support of ICE, make it impossible for me to ignore his actions.”
He also announced that anyone in Greenland can access his entire catalog for free at his site.
He also announced that anyone in Greenland can access his entire catalog for free at his site.
Neil Young Reasserts Amazon Boycott, Gifts Entire Catalog To Greenland
In October, Neil Young pulled his catalog from Amazon Music and called for a boycott. “BUY LOCAL. BUY DIRECT. BEZOS SUPPORTS THIS GOVERNMENT. IT DOES NOT SUPPORT YOU OR ME,” he wrote. Now, he’s reasse...
stereogum.com
January 27, 2026 at 12:38 AM
"Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, a billionaire backer of the president," writes Neil Young. “The president's international policies and his support of ICE, make it impossible for me to ignore his actions.”
He also announced that anyone in Greenland can access his entire catalog for free at his site.
He also announced that anyone in Greenland can access his entire catalog for free at his site.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
They are wounded and flailing. Press the advantage.
January 27, 2026 at 12:08 AM
They are wounded and flailing. Press the advantage.
Reposted by Joe Rojas-Burke
