Mark Thomson
@mrkthomson.bsky.social
Lawyer at MWPP, long-suffering Timberwolves fan, and proponent of public lands. Occasional stuff here on law, sports, and media. Not the Australian Mark Thomson. #AbolishThePoliticsDesks
Haven’t been this excited about a law-review article in a long, long time. (Said as someone who’s been excited about literally dozens(!) of law-review articles.)
New Paper 🚨:
In this thread I teased a new paper with @briandfeinstein.bsky.social that brings hard empirical evidence to bear on emerging critiques of public participation's role in administrative decisionmaking.
The paper is now public on @ssrn.bsky.social: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
In this thread I teased a new paper with @briandfeinstein.bsky.social that brings hard empirical evidence to bear on emerging critiques of public participation's role in administrative decisionmaking.
The paper is now public on @ssrn.bsky.social: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
December 7, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Haven’t been this excited about a law-review article in a long, long time. (Said as someone who’s been excited about literally dozens(!) of law-review articles.)
Behold the corruption singularity.
December 6, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Behold the corruption singularity.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
The era of managed retreat is underway.
'Iran’s capital must be moved because the country “no longer has a choice,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday in remarks carried by state media, warning that severe ecological strain has made Tehran impossible to sustain'
#Iran 🇮🇷
#Iran 🇮🇷
Iran president says capital move now a necessity as water crisis deepens
Iran’s capital must be moved because the country “no longer has a choice,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday in remarks carried by state media, warning that severe ecological strain has mad...
www.iranintl.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The era of managed retreat is underway.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
RFK Jr had committed to Bill Cassidy, as a condition to win his vote, that he would keep website language.
Cassidy in February: “If confirmed… CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Note the language in second photo.
Cassidy in February: “If confirmed… CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Note the language in second photo.
November 20, 2025 at 2:42 AM
RFK Jr had committed to Bill Cassidy, as a condition to win his vote, that he would keep website language.
Cassidy in February: “If confirmed… CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Note the language in second photo.
Cassidy in February: “If confirmed… CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism.”
Note the language in second photo.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
The monkeys may eventually write Hamlet, but they will break the network infrastructure & drown us in their word salad drafts before they do.
November 18, 2025 at 11:53 PM
The monkeys may eventually write Hamlet, but they will break the network infrastructure & drown us in their word salad drafts before they do.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Bad content drives out good.
Stereogum says Google's switch to AI Overviews reduced its ad revenue by *70 percent* www.theverge.com/entertainmen...
Stereogum soldiers on in the era of streaming and AI
Stereogum Founder Scott Lapatine on the importance of independent media in the age of AI slop and algorithms.
www.theverge.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Bad content drives out good.
First 11 paragraphs: Bombshell development as prominent originalist, on whom Republican-appointed Justices have all relied, authoritatively debunks the unitary executive theory!
Paragraph 12:
Paragraph 12:
October 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
First 11 paragraphs: Bombshell development as prominent originalist, on whom Republican-appointed Justices have all relied, authoritatively debunks the unitary executive theory!
Paragraph 12:
Paragraph 12:
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Like, the '90s version of this is so much better. If it doesn't sound like Kevin Eubanks should be playing it then get it out of my face!!!!!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbP1...
NCAA on CBS - Classic College Basketball Theme Music 1993-2003
YouTube video by AztecVision
www.youtube.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Like, the '90s version of this is so much better. If it doesn't sound like Kevin Eubanks should be playing it then get it out of my face!!!!!! www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbP1...
Reposted by Mark Thomson
"[A]gents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face.... I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, 'you’re free to go.'" #KavanaughStop
I’m a US citizen and a veteran. ICE arrested me for no reason.
Jailed for three days without an explanation or ability to notify anyone, George Retes argues the only path to healing starts with the government taking accountability for its actions.
newsletter.ofthebrave.org
October 5, 2025 at 9:01 PM
"[A]gents engulfed my car in tear gas, smashed my driver-side window, and pepper-sprayed my face.... I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. No explanation. No charges. No apology. One day, I was just told, 'you’re free to go.'" #KavanaughStop
What DHS pulled in Chicago on Tuesday is wildly unconstitutional. They smashed down almost every door in the building, dragged entire families into the street, and detained people for hours ("Kavanaugh stops").
Ms. Fisher was held for five hours and another senior citizen was held for three hours.
Ms. Fisher was held for five hours and another senior citizen was held for three hours.
![Rodrick Johnson, 67, is one of many residents who were detained by federal agents during the South Shore raid. A U.S. citizen, he said agents broke through his door and dragged him out in zip ties.
Johnson said he was left tied up outside the building for nearly three hours before agents finally let him go.
“I asked [agents] why they were holding me if I was an American citizen, and they said I had to wait until they looked me up,” Jones said. “I asked if they had a warrant, and I asked for a lawyer. They never brought one.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreib66z6racbfo5llgukbvmldxq44zaa7nqetkcs5cwxfez6xcec5oy@jpeg)
October 2, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Reposted by Mark Thomson
ABOLISH THE POLITICS DESKS.
This is always the pattern: the subject-matter expert journalists call out BS bc (1) they have the expertise to do it, (2) don’t need to play The Access Game nearly as much, and (3) are self-selected to care abt substance, not Politics As A Game.
This is always the pattern: the subject-matter expert journalists call out BS bc (1) they have the expertise to do it, (2) don’t need to play The Access Game nearly as much, and (3) are self-selected to care abt substance, not Politics As A Game.
September 23, 2025 at 2:26 AM
ABOLISH THE POLITICS DESKS.
This is always the pattern: the subject-matter expert journalists call out BS bc (1) they have the expertise to do it, (2) don’t need to play The Access Game nearly as much, and (3) are self-selected to care abt substance, not Politics As A Game.
This is always the pattern: the subject-matter expert journalists call out BS bc (1) they have the expertise to do it, (2) don’t need to play The Access Game nearly as much, and (3) are self-selected to care abt substance, not Politics As A Game.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Greg is one of the worst offenders blurring the lines between state censorship and “cancel culture,” which has contributed substantially to what the state censors have achieved.
September 20, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Greg is one of the worst offenders blurring the lines between state censorship and “cancel culture,” which has contributed substantially to what the state censors have achieved.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mark Thomson
A good opportunity to repeat one of my favorite points: the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy would overwhelmingly pay for itself *purely through reduced air & water pollution*, even if climate change didn't exist.
August 27, 2025 at 8:31 PM
A good opportunity to repeat one of my favorite points: the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy would overwhelmingly pay for itself *purely through reduced air & water pollution*, even if climate change didn't exist.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Researchers (including some fantastic people at UW) found that chatbots can persuade people on political issues, and that they often do so by shifting the frames of the debate: www.washington.edu/news/2025/08...
With just a few messages, biased AI chatbots swayed people’s political views
University of Washington researchers recruited self-identifying Democrats and Republicans to make political decisions with help from three versions of ChatGPT: a base model, one with liberal bias and....
www.washington.edu
August 9, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Researchers (including some fantastic people at UW) found that chatbots can persuade people on political issues, and that they often do so by shifting the frames of the debate: www.washington.edu/news/2025/08...
Would love for the good folks at @heatmap.news to find some #ACP members and ask them whether they're pleased with the results of the group's years-long campaign to cozy up to Republicans and "depoliticize" renewables.
Trump: "The other thing I say to Europe: We will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States. They are killing us."
July 27, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Would love for the good folks at @heatmap.news to find some #ACP members and ask them whether they're pleased with the results of the group's years-long campaign to cozy up to Republicans and "depoliticize" renewables.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
No editor ever has won a Pulitzer for spiking a misbegotten story. Maybe we need to fix that.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/n...
Mamdani Identified as Asian and African American on College Application
www.nytimes.com
July 4, 2025 at 5:57 PM
No editor ever has won a Pulitzer for spiking a misbegotten story. Maybe we need to fix that.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/n...
Reposted by Mark Thomson
As I've been saying www.readtpa.com/p/the-grok-w...
June 21, 2025 at 1:08 PM
As I've been saying www.readtpa.com/p/the-grok-w...
Breaking: Frog looks forward to working with scorpion as they journey across the river.
June 17, 2025 at 1:58 AM
Breaking: Frog looks forward to working with scorpion as they journey across the river.
Reposted by Mark Thomson
Tyler Childers could put out an album entirely of old songs that haven’t received studio versions yet and people would lose their mind
June 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Tyler Childers could put out an album entirely of old songs that haven’t received studio versions yet and people would lose their mind
Reposted by Mark Thomson
But if a few people in masks start lighting stuff on fire? Then you have news. This creates an *enormous* attentional advantage towards the most violent and chaotic kind of protest.
June 10, 2025 at 8:10 PM
But if a few people in masks start lighting stuff on fire? Then you have news. This creates an *enormous* attentional advantage towards the most violent and chaotic kind of protest.
Very much looking forward to this.
June 7, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Very much looking forward to this.