Chris Weber
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chrisweber42.bsky.social
Chris Weber
@chrisweber42.bsky.social
"Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future."
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas
Reposted by Chris Weber
Trump signs executive order to cut funding for public broadcasters
Trump signs executive order to cut funding for public broadcasters
President says neither NPR nor PBS presents ‘fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events’
www.theguardian.com
May 2, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by Chris Weber
What a sunset looks like from space 🌅

Video Credit: ESA/NASA
April 21, 2025 at 1:58 PM
The US Secretary of Education referred to AI as ‘A1,’ like the steak sauce

Source: TechCrunch
search.app/vQVSg
The US Secretary of Education referred to AI as 'A1,' like the steak sauce | TechCrunch
During a panel at a summit, Linda McMahon, the U.S. secretary of education, referred to AI as 'A1,' like the steak sauce.
search.app
April 10, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
The visas of seven international students at the University of Chicago have been revoked amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
Trump administration revokes visas for international students in universities across Illinois
University of Chicago officials said Wednesday that the visa terminations of three students and four recent graduates were found during an audit.
buff.ly
April 10, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Pundits are - in vain - looking to economics and politics when trying to explain Trump's behavior.

But, in reality, the central place to look if we want to understand Trump and his policies is this:

The psychology of dominance.

🧵(1/5)
April 9, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Another season of Black Mirror is coming to Netflix next week! Is anyone else excited and terrified at the same time?
a man in a suit and tie is smiling with a netflix logo behind him
ALT: a man in a suit and tie is smiling with a netflix logo behind him
media.tenor.com
April 4, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Reposted by Chris Weber
JUST IN: The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave this morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.
Entire staff at federal agency that funds libraries and museums put on leave
The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave this morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.
www.npr.org
March 31, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Donald Trump says he is ‘not joking’ over possible third term – US politics live
Donald Trump says he is ‘not joking’ over possible third term – US politics live
President tells NBC ‘there are methods’ in securing a third term despite constitutional barriers Immigration remains a strength for Donald Trump, but his handling of tariffs is getting more negative feedback, according to a poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About half of US adults approve of Trump’s approach to immigration, the survey shows, but only about 4 in 10 have a positive view of the way he’s handling the economy and trade negotiations. The poll indicates that many Americans are still on board with Trump’s efforts to ramp up deportations and restrict immigration. But it also suggests that the Republican president’s threats to impose tariffs — which have been accompanied by tumbling consumer confidence and wild stock market swings — might be erasing his advantage on another issue that he made central to his winning 2024 campaign. The economy was a drag on then-President Joe Biden, who saw the share of Americans who approved of his handling of the economy fall to a low of roughly 3 in 10 in 2023. Trump drew considerable strength in November from voters who prioritized the economy, but just before he took office in January, an AP-NORC poll found that few Americans had high confidence that he’d make progress on lowering prices in his first year. Views of Trump’s job performance overall are more negative than positive, the survey found. About 4 in 10 US adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, and more than half disapprove. Wall Street is set to join the global sell-off when trading begins in around two hours. Hopes that this week’s reciprocal tariffs would not be as harsh as feared were dashed over the weekend after US President Trump doubled down on his pursuit of using import levies to ‘make America great again’. With just a couple of days to go until the White House outlines the details of the reciprocal tariffs – the broadest set of restrictions yet to be unveiled by the Trump administration – there is a growing sense of panic in the markets about the scale and implications of the April 2 announcement. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
March 31, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
My latest story: The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations. The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary RFK Jr. www.propublica.org/article/meas...
The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the nation’s top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.
www.propublica.org
March 28, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Ever watched a reality police show like "Cops" or "The First 48" and wondered how much of the story you're actually seeing?

Read this 🧵 from @propublica.org's @jlussenhop.bsky.social 👇👇
I associated A&E's long-running cop reality show "The First 48" with re-run marathons. But when I learned that it was mentioned as a factor in the 2024 exoneration of a man convicted of murder in Minnesota, the state I live in and cover, I perked right up.

Thread 🧵
March 29, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Last month, for @newrepublic.com, I wrote about the Trump administration's coming war on the First Amendment -- a prediction based on the experiences of protesters in Georgia's Stop Cop City movement, which is looking more and more like a dire sign of things to come: newrepublic.com/article/1908...
The Coming War on Dissent
As critics focus on Trump’s attacks on the media, his administration is preparing a larger assault on the First Amendment.
newrepublic.com
March 21, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Reposted by Chris Weber
March 27, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
As the Aurora mayoral election draws near, some say campaign tactics are getting extreme in the west suburb. (via @ndblumberg.bsky.social)
Critics Accuse Richard Irvin’s Supporters of Underhanded Campaign Tactics in Aurora Mayoral Election
As the Aurora mayoral election draws near, some say campaign tactics are getting extreme in the west suburb.
news.wttw.com
March 25, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
"I find it curious that such a blue state continues to allow the closest thing the U.S. has to slavery at this time."
California Turns Down Another Chance to End Forced Prison Labor
The Proposition 6 result has been devastating to people in California prison. We continue to mostly make less than 74 cents an hour.
prisonjournalismproject.org
March 24, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law to restore Shabbona State Park, a total of about 1,500 acres, to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The land once belonged to Chief Shab-eh-nay but was seized and sold by the U.S. when the chief was visiting relatives.

www.wbez.org/communities/...
Illinois returns nearly 1,500 acres of stolen land to state's first federally recognized tribe
The land in southern Dekalb County once belonged to Chief Shab-eh-nay of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation but was seized and sold by the U.S. when the chief was visiting relatives.
www.wbez.org
March 25, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Inside Lumon Industries, Sarah Bock is “Miss Huang,” an ambitious, humorless child employee vying for power.

Outside, she is a freshman at Northwestern, performing in school theater productions, taking midterms and making dinner plans in the city.

www.wbez.org/movies-tv/20...
Yes, that’s Miss Huang on campus: Sarah Bock juggles ‘Severance’ role, classes at Northwestern
The freshman, who's getting recognized now in the college dining hall, promises a jaw-dropping season finale that premieres March 21.
www.wbez.org
March 24, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
French scientist denied US entry after officers find phone messages criticizing Trump
French scientist denied US entry after officers find phone messages criticizing Trump
France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched France’s research minister said a French scientist was denied entry to the US this month after immigration officers at an airport searched…
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the Trump administration would “absolutely” continue expelling Venezuelan immigrants from the U.S., despite a federal judge’s order temporarily halting the deportations.
Bondi Says Trump Will Defy Judge, Continue Deportations
“I don’t care what the judges think. I don’t care what the Left thinks. We’re coming,” said “border czar” Tom Homan.
truthout.org
March 18, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
A publishing company sued by Democratic Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul for improperly publicizing personal dates of birth and home addresses for hundreds of thousands of voters has settled the case without admitting criminal wrongdoing.

www.wbez.org/politics/202...
Illinois Attorney General settles its lawsuit against a company that published personal information of hundreds of thousands of Illinois voters
A right-leaning online publication had posted the birth dates and home addresses of Illinois registered voters.
www.wbez.org
March 17, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
Our tips truck has hit the road.

This week, the Education Dept. announced it would fire about 1,300 workers. If you were affected, we'll be near the Education Dept. building, ready to meet folks where they are.

You can also reach out via Signal at 917-512-0201 or go to propublica.org/tips.
March 13, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
It remains unclear whether the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office will appeal the judge’s decision.

“The fact that the State’s Attorney’s Office and Eileen Burke have decided to fight these cases suddenly is profound. It’s a repeating of Chicago’s dark history.”

thetriibe.com/2025/03/tyre...
Tyrece Williams is the 50th exoneree in wrongful conviction case tied to ex-CPD detective • The TRiiBE
“I got my name back,” Tyrece Williams said after Cook County Judge Carol Howard overturned his 1990 murder conviction on Tuesday.
thetriibe.com
March 13, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Chris Weber
NEW: The closure effectively hobbles the VA’s efforts to investigate and eliminate long-standing racial inequities that the department itself has acknowledged.

“The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching and deadly,” an advocate for Black veterans said.

By @vernalcoleman.bsky.social
The Office That Investigates Disparities in Veterans’ Care Is Being “Liquidated”
The closure effectively hobbles the VA’s efforts to investigate and eliminate long-standing racial inequities that the department itself has acknowledged. “The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching...
propub.li
March 11, 2025 at 8:41 PM