Naomi Ruff
@ruffdraft.bsky.social
Editor and writer helping scientists communicate clearly and effectively at ruffdraftwriting.com | reader, gardener, volunteer | still trying to find the best balance between facing the world and hiding with cute animal pictures
Gives me hope!
Here's a time-lapse from yesterday as thousands of people marched through downtown Minneapolis to protest ICE.
📷️: Sydney Lewis/The Minnesota Star Tribune
📷️: Sydney Lewis/The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 24, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Gives me hope!
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
people aren't protesting because they want to make a point, they're doing it because they feel like they have to. because they've been forced to. because circumstances are totally and completely intolerable
January 24, 2026 at 12:40 AM
people aren't protesting because they want to make a point, they're doing it because they feel like they have to. because they've been forced to. because circumstances are totally and completely intolerable
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Demonstrators as far as the eye can see. Current status of the march in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota for Ice Out of Minnesota. They are turning onto 3rd Street from 5th Avenue.
January 23, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Demonstrators as far as the eye can see. Current status of the march in Downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota for Ice Out of Minnesota. They are turning onto 3rd Street from 5th Avenue.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
This is not materially different from Josef Mengele. The concept is to deliberately expose people to serious harm so you can gather more data on what you already know will hurt them. It's not some big coincidence the Nuremberg Code expressly prohibits everything resembling this kind of "science."
RFK Jr. appointee Kirk Milhoan has just clearly stated, out loud, that he wants to experiment on the people of the United States by seeing what happens as vaccination coverage plummets and infectious diseases spread.
January 23, 2026 at 2:59 PM
This is not materially different from Josef Mengele. The concept is to deliberately expose people to serious harm so you can gather more data on what you already know will hurt them. It's not some big coincidence the Nuremberg Code expressly prohibits everything resembling this kind of "science."
“I looked around and nobody was saying anything, so I didn’t either.” Use your voices folks! Sometimes it only takes one to get things started.
Which was pretty out there, even compared to what LRH had been teaching them to that point. And here’s what stuck with me: one woman who was there says later, something like, “Well, it seemed pretty crazy to me. But I looked around and nobody was saying anything, so I didn’t either.”
January 21, 2026 at 3:39 PM
“I looked around and nobody was saying anything, so I didn’t either.” Use your voices folks! Sometimes it only takes one to get things started.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
I like this @angryblacklady.blacksky.app. As my colleague Tom Saenz says, “we have to use the whole Constitution.”
In which I explain that the Third Amendment—the one nobody ever talks about—allows hotels to refuse to house Kristi Noem’s ICE goons.
Opinion: Hotels Have a Constitutional Right Not To House ICE Agents
The Third Amendment prohibits the government from forcing people to “quarter” troops. ICE is essentially a paramilitary force—so why would hotels let them stay?
rewirenewsgroup.com
January 21, 2026 at 3:15 PM
I like this @angryblacklady.blacksky.app. As my colleague Tom Saenz says, “we have to use the whole Constitution.”
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
im getting disturbing reports that donald trump is doing exactly what he said he would and the results are exactly as disastrous as everyone said they would be
January 20, 2026 at 1:26 PM
im getting disturbing reports that donald trump is doing exactly what he said he would and the results are exactly as disastrous as everyone said they would be
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
ICE ended up returning the man, Saly, after realizing he’s a fucking US citizen with no criminal record, per his sister-in-law. These fucking animals.
January 19, 2026 at 5:41 AM
ICE ended up returning the man, Saly, after realizing he’s a fucking US citizen with no criminal record, per his sister-in-law. These fucking animals.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
My specific experience is with NIH, but I’ll stand up and say it:
The people who work at NIH are together one of the great wonders of the world. US biomedical science, cancer cures, dementia research all are built on their talent and dedication.
The people who work at NIH are together one of the great wonders of the world. US biomedical science, cancer cures, dementia research all are built on their talent and dedication.
For some reason, very few people these days will stand up and say it, but: the US federal bureaucracy is one of the great wonders of the world, staffed with incredibly diligent people who do their jobs well and care deeply.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
Trump's destruction of the federal apparaus was a historic crime.
The Purged
Donald Trump’s destruction of the civil service is a tragedy not just for the roughly 300,000 workers who have been discarded, but for an entire nation.
www.theatlantic.com
January 18, 2026 at 7:29 PM
My specific experience is with NIH, but I’ll stand up and say it:
The people who work at NIH are together one of the great wonders of the world. US biomedical science, cancer cures, dementia research all are built on their talent and dedication.
The people who work at NIH are together one of the great wonders of the world. US biomedical science, cancer cures, dementia research all are built on their talent and dedication.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
White Jews (esp those with structural power)
complicity with white supremacy was never going to keep us safe
it has never kept us safe
it will never keep us safe
can we all please just get the fucking memo
that solidarity is the only. way. home.
and the only way out for us all
please already?
complicity with white supremacy was never going to keep us safe
it has never kept us safe
it will never keep us safe
can we all please just get the fucking memo
that solidarity is the only. way. home.
and the only way out for us all
please already?
UPenn faculty condemn Trump administration’s demand for ‘lists of Jews’
Groups say EEOC demand for names and personal details echoes dark history and threatens safety and civil rights
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 12:47 AM
White Jews (esp those with structural power)
complicity with white supremacy was never going to keep us safe
it has never kept us safe
it will never keep us safe
can we all please just get the fucking memo
that solidarity is the only. way. home.
and the only way out for us all
please already?
complicity with white supremacy was never going to keep us safe
it has never kept us safe
it will never keep us safe
can we all please just get the fucking memo
that solidarity is the only. way. home.
and the only way out for us all
please already?
Where are all the “originalists” on the 1A protections for a free press??
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Where are all the “originalists” on the 1A protections for a free press??
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Just so people outside of MN know - a lot of the US citizens getting “arrested” by ICE never get processed at Whipple. They are roughed up during the arrest and then often dropped off miles from where they were picked up. It means we don’t know the true scale of what ICE is doing based on ICE stats
January 15, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Just so people outside of MN know - a lot of the US citizens getting “arrested” by ICE never get processed at Whipple. They are roughed up during the arrest and then often dropped off miles from where they were picked up. It means we don’t know the true scale of what ICE is doing based on ICE stats
Hah!
We should only fund research that will have huge impact and not fund research that won't. Fortunately, these are easy to distinguish.
- Populists anytime they look at government research funding
- Populists anytime they look at government research funding
January 16, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Hah!
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
You aren't actually overreacting other people are sleepwalking.
January 15, 2026 at 10:39 PM
You aren't actually overreacting other people are sleepwalking.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
This is so incredibly heart-breaking. To Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli at NIH--you have betrayed the entire scientific community. Deeply committed staff are leaving in droves--because you are destroying the institution. Shame on you. www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...
The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left
“We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.
www.statnews.com
January 10, 2026 at 2:28 PM
This is so incredibly heart-breaking. To Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli at NIH--you have betrayed the entire scientific community. Deeply committed staff are leaving in droves--because you are destroying the institution. Shame on you. www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
A presumption of malice
isn't just a runner-up title for a Scott Turow novel
It's how anyone who cares about the truth should regard any statement that comes out of the regime.
It's why now more than ever, regime comments should be served in a @george-lakoff.com Truth Sandwich.
isn't just a runner-up title for a Scott Turow novel
It's how anyone who cares about the truth should regard any statement that comes out of the regime.
It's why now more than ever, regime comments should be served in a @george-lakoff.com Truth Sandwich.
January 9, 2026 at 2:58 AM
A presumption of malice
isn't just a runner-up title for a Scott Turow novel
It's how anyone who cares about the truth should regard any statement that comes out of the regime.
It's why now more than ever, regime comments should be served in a @george-lakoff.com Truth Sandwich.
isn't just a runner-up title for a Scott Turow novel
It's how anyone who cares about the truth should regard any statement that comes out of the regime.
It's why now more than ever, regime comments should be served in a @george-lakoff.com Truth Sandwich.
It only works if we do the work.
Some folks are pissing me off by acting like this (likely, but not yet for sure) huge win is just something that coincidentally happened
And not acknowledging that it happened as a result of tireless organizing and activism by brave and dedicated colleagues
And not acknowledging that it happened as a result of tireless organizing and activism by brave and dedicated colleagues
The U.S. Congress has delivered another rebuke of President Donald Trump’s plans to slash this year’s budgets of several science agencies. https://scim.ag/49G7Zwe
January 7, 2026 at 3:10 PM
It only works if we do the work.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Good thread about thinking about audiences when giving a talk.
Since I'm putting together a talk this week and I've put together a lot of talks in the last year for a variety of groups, I'm going to opine a bit about giving scientific talks. The tl;dr is you have to think about who your audience is and what they want/need from you at every single step. 🧪
January 6, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Good thread about thinking about audiences when giving a talk.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Once again, I implore media outlets to stop saying these are CDC decisions.
These are changes being made unilaterally by RFK Jr. against the expert advice of CDC scientists.
I note that RFK Jr. no longer recommends flu vaccine for kids in the midst of a horrible influenza year.
These are changes being made unilaterally by RFK Jr. against the expert advice of CDC scientists.
I note that RFK Jr. no longer recommends flu vaccine for kids in the midst of a horrible influenza year.
CDC overhauls childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark in unprecedented move
The new U.S. guidelines recommend all children get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the 18 previously on the schedule.
www.nbcnews.com
January 5, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Once again, I implore media outlets to stop saying these are CDC decisions.
These are changes being made unilaterally by RFK Jr. against the expert advice of CDC scientists.
I note that RFK Jr. no longer recommends flu vaccine for kids in the midst of a horrible influenza year.
These are changes being made unilaterally by RFK Jr. against the expert advice of CDC scientists.
I note that RFK Jr. no longer recommends flu vaccine for kids in the midst of a horrible influenza year.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
On delayed application review, the NIH grant terminations lawsuit appears to be headed for a settlement.
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
December 29, 2025 at 11:49 PM
On delayed application review, the NIH grant terminations lawsuit appears to be headed for a settlement.
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
This was never about immigration laws; it's always been about ethnic cleansing. Miller and his Brownshirts won't be stopped by the courts; they've repeatedly told us that. The only language they know is force. If they can ignore courts with impunity, we already live in a lawless society.
"Her family has now been told she has been deported, despite US District Judge Brendan Hurson ruling Thursday that she could not be deported pending a hearing...attorneys said Monday that they have...confirm[ed] with the hospital she was born in Maryland." https://bit.ly/3MMdJvz
ICE detains woman whose lawyer insists is US citizen. DHS says she isn't
Federal agents arrested Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales on her way home in Baltimore, Maryland.
bit.ly
December 26, 2025 at 9:31 PM
This was never about immigration laws; it's always been about ethnic cleansing. Miller and his Brownshirts won't be stopped by the courts; they've repeatedly told us that. The only language they know is force. If they can ignore courts with impunity, we already live in a lawless society.
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
Relatedly, we obtained an unpublished history of Stephen Miller's ancestors' immigration to the US, written by his grandmother. People like them were attacked in terms very similar to the ones Miller and MAGA use about today's immigrants:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
December 26, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Relatedly, we obtained an unpublished history of Stephen Miller's ancestors' immigration to the US, written by his grandmother. People like them were attacked in terms very similar to the ones Miller and MAGA use about today's immigrants:
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
newrepublic.com/article/2041...
Reposted by Naomi Ruff
RFK Jr. is going to end CDC recommendations for most childhood vaccines.
It will take a few years before the deaths and disabilities ramp up to a level that even the most vile Republican cannot tolerate.
RFK Jr. will be long gone and unaccountable, as our babies die from preventable illness.
It will take a few years before the deaths and disabilities ramp up to a level that even the most vile Republican cannot tolerate.
RFK Jr. will be long gone and unaccountable, as our babies die from preventable illness.
December 20, 2025 at 1:02 AM
RFK Jr. is going to end CDC recommendations for most childhood vaccines.
It will take a few years before the deaths and disabilities ramp up to a level that even the most vile Republican cannot tolerate.
RFK Jr. will be long gone and unaccountable, as our babies die from preventable illness.
It will take a few years before the deaths and disabilities ramp up to a level that even the most vile Republican cannot tolerate.
RFK Jr. will be long gone and unaccountable, as our babies die from preventable illness.