Theo Baker
@tab-delete.bsky.social
investigations. 2022 george polk award. words in NYT, NYMag, The Atlantic, elsewhere. dm for signal. likes and rts are not endorsements. he/they
“Admired and envied, lionized and attacked, Dr. Baltimore spent most of his life in the scientific limelight, a towering figure of modern biology.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
David Baltimore, Nobel-Winning Molecular Biologist, Dies at 87
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:19 AM
“Admired and envied, lionized and attacked, Dr. Baltimore spent most of his life in the scientific limelight, a towering figure of modern biology.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/s...
Hard to think of a Stanford figure considered more beloved…
Andrew Luck “learned there were no shortcuts in turning around a program that was 1-11 when he committed and 11-2 when he left.”
Now he has to do it again.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
Andrew Luck “learned there were no shortcuts in turning around a program that was 1-11 when he committed and 11-2 when he left.”
Now he has to do it again.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
Pain took football away from Andrew Luck; what brought him back to Stanford?
Luck walked out on one locker room that needed him. He wasn't ready to walk away from another.
www.nytimes.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Hard to think of a Stanford figure considered more beloved…
Andrew Luck “learned there were no shortcuts in turning around a program that was 1-11 when he committed and 11-2 when he left.”
Now he has to do it again.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
Andrew Luck “learned there were no shortcuts in turning around a program that was 1-11 when he committed and 11-2 when he left.”
Now he has to do it again.
www.nytimes.com/athletic/654...
The Stanford Daily and @thefireorg.bsky.social have filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration's actions have unconstitutionally chilled free speech.
www.thefire.org/research-lea...
www.thefire.org/research-lea...
Complaint - Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation et al. v. Rubio et al.
FIRE sues to challenge unconstitutional provisions Secretary of State Marco Rubio uses to deport legal immigrants over their speech
www.thefire.org
August 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The Stanford Daily and @thefireorg.bsky.social have filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration's actions have unconstitutionally chilled free speech.
www.thefire.org/research-lea...
www.thefire.org/research-lea...
The Trump administration opened four investigations into George Mason University, targeting its president over diversity programs.
The faculty senate put out a statement in his defense, reaffirming, "Diversity is our strength."
Now the DOJ is investigating them, too.
The faculty senate put out a statement in his defense, reaffirming, "Diversity is our strength."
Now the DOJ is investigating them, too.
July 28, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The Trump administration opened four investigations into George Mason University, targeting its president over diversity programs.
The faculty senate put out a statement in his defense, reaffirming, "Diversity is our strength."
Now the DOJ is investigating them, too.
The faculty senate put out a statement in his defense, reaffirming, "Diversity is our strength."
Now the DOJ is investigating them, too.
Stanford has joined an amicus brief in support of Harvard, emphasizing the importance of university research.
June 10, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Stanford has joined an amicus brief in support of Harvard, emphasizing the importance of university research.
Essential and utterly damning reporting from Anna Yang in The Stanford Daily today.
"A student reported her rapist to the University. Two years later, the perpetrator was suspended."
This case is harrowing and the process at Stanford remains incredibly broken.
stanforddaily.com/2025/05/20/s...
"A student reported her rapist to the University. Two years later, the perpetrator was suspended."
This case is harrowing and the process at Stanford remains incredibly broken.
stanforddaily.com/2025/05/20/s...
Stanford's Title IX office took two years to suspend rapist
Amid a 20-month Title IX process, the reporting student navigated trauma, reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and lost access to educational opportunities.
stanforddaily.com
May 21, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Essential and utterly damning reporting from Anna Yang in The Stanford Daily today.
"A student reported her rapist to the University. Two years later, the perpetrator was suspended."
This case is harrowing and the process at Stanford remains incredibly broken.
stanforddaily.com/2025/05/20/s...
"A student reported her rapist to the University. Two years later, the perpetrator was suspended."
This case is harrowing and the process at Stanford remains incredibly broken.
stanforddaily.com/2025/05/20/s...
Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College.
This article is 1000% accurate to my experience of Stanford. Since Gen Z is already the least media literate generation by several metrics, I do think the fear of reduced critical thinking is quite real.
nymag.com/intelligence...
This article is 1000% accurate to my experience of Stanford. Since Gen Z is already the least media literate generation by several metrics, I do think the fear of reduced critical thinking is quite real.
nymag.com/intelligence...
Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College
ChatGPT has unraveled the entire academic project.
nymag.com
May 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College.
This article is 1000% accurate to my experience of Stanford. Since Gen Z is already the least media literate generation by several metrics, I do think the fear of reduced critical thinking is quite real.
nymag.com/intelligence...
This article is 1000% accurate to my experience of Stanford. Since Gen Z is already the least media literate generation by several metrics, I do think the fear of reduced critical thinking is quite real.
nymag.com/intelligence...
The Internet, far from the utopian ideal technologists envisioned, is really, truly the ultimate cesspool. Yay humanity!
Example 80000000:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/n...
Example 80000000:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/n...
‘I Have Cancer,’ the TikTok Star Said. Then Came the Torrent of Hate.
Sydney Towle’s videos have drawn an enormous audience on TikTok, where her followers praise and support her. On Reddit, an army of skeptics was determined to paint her as a fraud.
www.nytimes.com
May 1, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The Internet, far from the utopian ideal technologists envisioned, is really, truly the ultimate cesspool. Yay humanity!
Example 80000000:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/n...
Example 80000000:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/n...
Stanford is a notable holdout from this statement condemning Trump’s “political interference” and “overreach.”
The letter was signed by the presidents of more than 185 universities, including peers like Princeton, Yale, MIT, UPenn, etc.
www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
The letter was signed by the presidents of more than 185 universities, including peers like Princeton, Yale, MIT, UPenn, etc.
www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
www.aacu.org
April 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Stanford is a notable holdout from this statement condemning Trump’s “political interference” and “overreach.”
The letter was signed by the presidents of more than 185 universities, including peers like Princeton, Yale, MIT, UPenn, etc.
www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
The letter was signed by the presidents of more than 185 universities, including peers like Princeton, Yale, MIT, UPenn, etc.
www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
In the rush to publish, something may have been overlooked...
April 21, 2025 at 8:31 AM
In the rush to publish, something may have been overlooked...
Trump—in exploiting his power to force opponents to bend to his will or be effectively barred from practicing law in federal court—claims the firms “have affirmed their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”
More top law firms, including #1 Kirkland Ellis ($7.2bn in revenue last year) and #2 Latham Watkins ($5.6bn in revenue), have caved to Trump demands.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
April 11, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Trump—in exploiting his power to force opponents to bend to his will or be effectively barred from practicing law in federal court—claims the firms “have affirmed their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”
More top law firms, including #1 Kirkland Ellis ($7.2bn in revenue last year) and #2 Latham Watkins ($5.6bn in revenue), have caved to Trump demands.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
April 11, 2025 at 11:16 PM
More top law firms, including #1 Kirkland Ellis ($7.2bn in revenue last year) and #2 Latham Watkins ($5.6bn in revenue), have caved to Trump demands.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
On his first day as NIH Director, Stanford prof Jay Bhattacharya oversees an immense bloodletting.
This comes as last month alone the NIH canceled 700+ grants, began eliminating thousands of staff, scrapped its scientific integrity policy, etc.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This comes as last month alone the NIH canceled 700+ grants, began eliminating thousands of staff, scrapped its scientific integrity policy, etc.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘One of the darkest days’: NIH purges agency leadership amid mass layoffs
In shock move, four institute directors at the US biomedical agency are removed from their posts.
www.nature.com
April 2, 2025 at 5:39 PM
On his first day as NIH Director, Stanford prof Jay Bhattacharya oversees an immense bloodletting.
This comes as last month alone the NIH canceled 700+ grants, began eliminating thousands of staff, scrapped its scientific integrity policy, etc.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
This comes as last month alone the NIH canceled 700+ grants, began eliminating thousands of staff, scrapped its scientific integrity policy, etc.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reich, a veteran of the sport, became the first NFL head coach since 1970 to be fired in *two* back-to-back seasons—first from the Colts in 2022, and then from the Panthers in 2023 after a 1-10 start to the season.
Stanford has hired Andrew Luck’s former coach, Frank Reich, as interim head football coach in the wake of Troy Taylor’s firing.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
March 31, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Reich, a veteran of the sport, became the first NFL head coach since 1970 to be fired in *two* back-to-back seasons—first from the Colts in 2022, and then from the Panthers in 2023 after a 1-10 start to the season.
Stanford has hired Andrew Luck’s former coach, Frank Reich, as interim head football coach in the wake of Troy Taylor’s firing.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
March 31, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Stanford has hired Andrew Luck’s former coach, Frank Reich, as interim head football coach in the wake of Troy Taylor’s firing.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
Post-WWII, the US public-private-university partnership has been one of our great strengths. Now it's under threat.
"Research has found that every $1 invested in r&d returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that likely understates the true return."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
"Research has found that every $1 invested in r&d returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that likely understates the true return."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
Trump Science Funding Cuts May Hurt Economy, Experts Say
Since World War II, U.S. research funding has led to discoveries that fueled economic gains. Now cutbacks are seen as putting that legacy in jeopardy.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Post-WWII, the US public-private-university partnership has been one of our great strengths. Now it's under threat.
"Research has found that every $1 invested in r&d returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that likely understates the true return."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
"Research has found that every $1 invested in r&d returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that likely understates the true return."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
Stanford’s head football coach was found to have engaged in “inappropriate, discriminatory” ways in TWO separate investigations into his “hostile and aggressive behavior.”
He remains on the job.
www.espn.com/college-foot...
He remains on the job.
www.espn.com/college-foot...
Reports: Stanford coach bullied athletics staff
Troy Taylor remains on the job. In a statement released by Stanford, he said he had received counseling on "how I interact with others."
www.espn.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Stanford’s head football coach was found to have engaged in “inappropriate, discriminatory” ways in TWO separate investigations into his “hostile and aggressive behavior.”
He remains on the job.
www.espn.com/college-foot...
He remains on the job.
www.espn.com/college-foot...
So I was on a flight into DCA tonight when we had to abruptly abort our landing because, the captain said, another smaller, slower craft had been routed directly in our path. Flight logs show we were just 200 feet above the ground.
March 18, 2025 at 2:04 AM
So I was on a flight into DCA tonight when we had to abruptly abort our landing because, the captain said, another smaller, slower craft had been routed directly in our path. Flight logs show we were just 200 feet above the ground.
Reposted by Theo Baker
Earlier today the LA Times had AI-generated counterpoints to a column from @gustavoarellano.bsky.social. His piece argued that Anaheim, the city he grew up in, should not forget its KKK past.
The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
March 4, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Earlier today the LA Times had AI-generated counterpoints to a column from @gustavoarellano.bsky.social. His piece argued that Anaheim, the city he grew up in, should not forget its KKK past.
The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Notable: Stanford follows MIT in adopting a hiring freeze for nonfaculty employees, further emphasizing the uncertainty major universities are facing at the moment.
February 26, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Notable: Stanford follows MIT in adopting a hiring freeze for nonfaculty employees, further emphasizing the uncertainty major universities are facing at the moment.
Under Muir, Stanford won dozens of national championships...BUT he also oversaw
- a disastrous attempt to cut 11 sports
- the Varsity Blues scandal (he was implicated but denies participation)
- failure on NIL
- AND catastrophe with Stanford cut out of conference realignment
- a disastrous attempt to cut 11 sports
- the Varsity Blues scandal (he was implicated but denies participation)
- failure on NIL
- AND catastrophe with Stanford cut out of conference realignment
February 26, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Under Muir, Stanford won dozens of national championships...BUT he also oversaw
- a disastrous attempt to cut 11 sports
- the Varsity Blues scandal (he was implicated but denies participation)
- failure on NIL
- AND catastrophe with Stanford cut out of conference realignment
- a disastrous attempt to cut 11 sports
- the Varsity Blues scandal (he was implicated but denies participation)
- failure on NIL
- AND catastrophe with Stanford cut out of conference realignment
Larry Diamond is arguably the world’s foremost expert on democracy and one of the most well-respected members of the Stanford faculty.
Larry is not prone to hysterics; here he brings a sober (and damning) analysis of the state of American democracy.
www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...
Larry is not prone to hysterics; here he brings a sober (and damning) analysis of the state of American democracy.
www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...
The Crisis of Democracy Is Here
And it’s going to get a lot worse.
www.persuasion.community
February 17, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Larry Diamond is arguably the world’s foremost expert on democracy and one of the most well-respected members of the Stanford faculty.
Larry is not prone to hysterics; here he brings a sober (and damning) analysis of the state of American democracy.
www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...
Larry is not prone to hysterics; here he brings a sober (and damning) analysis of the state of American democracy.
www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...
In 2023, I wrote an @nytimes.com essay about how journals, institutions, scientists, and journalists have been slow to confront research integrity. With everything now, I want to reshare it.
Honest investigation can’t fall by the wayside even as bad-faith actors attack. It has to be the opposite.
Honest investigation can’t fall by the wayside even as bad-faith actors attack. It has to be the opposite.
February 17, 2025 at 12:59 AM
In 2023, I wrote an @nytimes.com essay about how journals, institutions, scientists, and journalists have been slow to confront research integrity. With everything now, I want to reshare it.
Honest investigation can’t fall by the wayside even as bad-faith actors attack. It has to be the opposite.
Honest investigation can’t fall by the wayside even as bad-faith actors attack. It has to be the opposite.
In an editorial this week, Science editor-in-chief @holdenthorp.bsky.social urges transparency in the face of increasing outside pressure.
“As difficult and scary as it is to talk to tough reporters and critics, the alternative can be far worse,” writes Thorp.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
“As difficult and scary as it is to talk to tough reporters and critics, the alternative can be far worse,” writes Thorp.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Breaking the silence
Research on science communication has largely focused on teaching scientists how to describe their studies in ways that interest the public while deepening their understanding of scientific exploratio...
www.science.org
February 16, 2025 at 10:50 PM
In an editorial this week, Science editor-in-chief @holdenthorp.bsky.social urges transparency in the face of increasing outside pressure.
“As difficult and scary as it is to talk to tough reporters and critics, the alternative can be far worse,” writes Thorp.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
“As difficult and scary as it is to talk to tough reporters and critics, the alternative can be far worse,” writes Thorp.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A sober and much-needed piece from Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus. Science is in for a real reckoning and those who have been working tirelessly to improve, correct, and defend the integrity of this field—people like Adam and Ivan—understand the risks best.
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
The Scientific Literature Can’t Save You Now
You can cite peer-reviewed research in support of almost any claim, no matter how absurd.
www.theatlantic.com
February 16, 2025 at 10:47 PM
A sober and much-needed piece from Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus. Science is in for a real reckoning and those who have been working tirelessly to improve, correct, and defend the integrity of this field—people like Adam and Ivan—understand the risks best.
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...