Yousef Baig
@yousefbaig.bsky.social
California Voices Editor @calmatters.org | NorCal ATLien | journalistic master of none | signal: ybaig.32
Reposted by Yousef Baig
Breaking: Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional gerrymander in 2026 midterms.
Federal court blocks new Texas congressional map for 2026
The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and nationally, who pushed through this unusual mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump.
www.texastribune.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Breaking: Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional gerrymander in 2026 midterms.
Reposted by Yousef Baig
I wrote about how Culver City became the first municipality in California (and likely the last for now) to ditch the ubiquitous two staircase requirement for mid-rises. As YIMBYs turn to impediments to construction beyond zoning, Culver City is an early test case.
calmatters.org/housing/2025...
calmatters.org/housing/2025...
One California city’s idea to tackle the housing crisis: Take the stairs
For champions of more housing development, ditching the extra staircase has become a buzzy cause in fighting California's housing crisis.
calmatters.org
November 17, 2025 at 5:42 PM
I wrote about how Culver City became the first municipality in California (and likely the last for now) to ditch the ubiquitous two staircase requirement for mid-rises. As YIMBYs turn to impediments to construction beyond zoning, Culver City is an early test case.
calmatters.org/housing/2025...
calmatters.org/housing/2025...
Reposted by Yousef Baig
this is so well said by elias and really what i was trying to get at in my story earlier this week. those emails just feel like the final nail in the coffin re: 'the ruling class'
this is excellent and utterly outrageous and further confirmation we are living through a period of extreme decadence and corruption by a relatively small clique that i think it’s fair to describe as leading members of the ruling class
Jeffrey Epstein Leaned on His Elite Network for Help as Investigators Closed In
A cache of 18,000 messages shows the elite support the disgraced financier got in his “hour of terror.”
www.bloomberg.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:38 AM
this is so well said by elias and really what i was trying to get at in my story earlier this week. those emails just feel like the final nail in the coffin re: 'the ruling class'
The Epstein emails are another gross reminder of how a lot of old, rich white men are just rizzless weirdos that want to live out fantasies they think they’re entitled to because of money and power.
November 16, 2025 at 7:32 PM
The Epstein emails are another gross reminder of how a lot of old, rich white men are just rizzless weirdos that want to live out fantasies they think they’re entitled to because of money and power.
When we play Texas
a boxer is talking to another boxer in a boxing ring .
ALT: a boxer is talking to another boxer in a boxing ring .
media.tenor.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:46 AM
When we play Texas
Reposted by Yousef Baig
NEW:
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules.
The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet.
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules.
The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet.
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules
A federal judge ruled Donald Trump cannot demand that UCLA pay a $1.2 billion settlement that would have restricted academic freedoms.
calmatters.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:18 AM
NEW:
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules.
The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet.
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules.
The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet.
State hackers are officially using American built AI for cyber ops. And ironically Anthropic is one of the few actually supportive of regulations that could prevent more of this in the future www.axios.com/2025/11/13/a...
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's AI agent to automate spying
Claude Code carried out 80-90% of the attack on its own, according to Anthropic.
www.axios.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:42 PM
State hackers are officially using American built AI for cyber ops. And ironically Anthropic is one of the few actually supportive of regulations that could prevent more of this in the future www.axios.com/2025/11/13/a...
I took my old dog to rural Yuba County to avoid July 4 fireworks, and in Marysville got a (bogus) traffic ticket. I did traffic school to avoid the insurance hit but Yuba initially rejected it. The reason? I hadn’t paid a “certificate collection” fee. What a racket! Do other counties charge these?
November 14, 2025 at 1:52 AM
I took my old dog to rural Yuba County to avoid July 4 fireworks, and in Marysville got a (bogus) traffic ticket. I did traffic school to avoid the insurance hit but Yuba initially rejected it. The reason? I hadn’t paid a “certificate collection” fee. What a racket! Do other counties charge these?
The levels of cope we’re seeing in conservative media these days show you just how low this movement has to go in order to survive.
Megyn Kelly: "I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls…He wasn't into like 8 year olds…There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old."
November 13, 2025 at 5:53 PM
The levels of cope we’re seeing in conservative media these days show you just how low this movement has to go in order to survive.
Reposted by Yousef Baig
California likes to think of itself as a nation — and this week, it’s acting like one. Gov. Gavin Newsom, top state officials and legislators are leading a delegation to the United Nations’ 30th Conference of Parties this week in Belém. bit.ly/3LVPo5N
📸 Wagner Meier
📸 Wagner Meier
November 11, 2025 at 5:25 PM
California likes to think of itself as a nation — and this week, it’s acting like one. Gov. Gavin Newsom, top state officials and legislators are leading a delegation to the United Nations’ 30th Conference of Parties this week in Belém. bit.ly/3LVPo5N
📸 Wagner Meier
📸 Wagner Meier
Reposted by Yousef Baig
Today's the day! Or ... is it? The Trump administration's deadline looms for Colorado River negotiators to at least agree to make a deal. So -- how real is this deadline, really? And what does it mean for California?
calmatters.org/environment/...
calmatters.org/environment/...
Colorado River talks hit crunch time. What's at stake for California water?
Western states in the Colorado River basin are racing a federal deadline to hash out how to share the overtapped river. As the clock ticks down, two questions looms large: Just how real is this deadli...
calmatters.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Today's the day! Or ... is it? The Trump administration's deadline looms for Colorado River negotiators to at least agree to make a deal. So -- how real is this deadline, really? And what does it mean for California?
calmatters.org/environment/...
calmatters.org/environment/...
Reposted by Yousef Baig
I wrote about Elon's corny new stunt contract and why the media spent the last five days doing free PR work for him
Why Elon Musk Got the Most Ridiculous Pay Package in the History of Humanity
Did Tesla just make Musk the world’s first trillionaire? Almost certainly not. But that’s not what his colossal new deal is really about.
www.theringer.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I wrote about Elon's corny new stunt contract and why the media spent the last five days doing free PR work for him
Reposted by Yousef Baig
President Trump is pursuing a policy of climate-change acceleration. His actions are fueling global warming—and may leave places in the United States uninhabitable by mid-century, Vann R. Newkirk II writes.
What Climate Change Will Do to America by Mid-Century
Many places may become uninhabitable. Many people may be on their own.
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 PM
President Trump is pursuing a policy of climate-change acceleration. His actions are fueling global warming—and may leave places in the United States uninhabitable by mid-century, Vann R. Newkirk II writes.
Reposted by Yousef Baig
Under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department and IRS are issuing rules that provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to big companies and the ultrarich. Here's how.
How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are issuing rules that provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax relief to big companies and the ultrarich.
nyti.ms
November 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department and IRS are issuing rules that provide hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to big companies and the ultrarich. Here's how.
Reposted by Yousef Baig
Los Angeles County fire survivors, frustrated about delayed and denied insurance claims, want CA insurance regulator Ricardo Lara to resign. They also accuse him of being too cozy with the industry. Would his exit make a difference in the state's insurance market?
calmatters.org/economy/2025...
calmatters.org/economy/2025...
'We feel alone': L.A. fire survivors call for California's insurance commissioner to resign
“We feel alone, we feel forgotten,” one L.A. fire survivor said as she called for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to step down. The elected Democrat counters that his reforms need time to work.
calmatters.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Los Angeles County fire survivors, frustrated about delayed and denied insurance claims, want CA insurance regulator Ricardo Lara to resign. They also accuse him of being too cozy with the industry. Would his exit make a difference in the state's insurance market?
calmatters.org/economy/2025...
calmatters.org/economy/2025...
There are a lot of unsettling ways newsrooms are incorporating AI into their journalism, but it’s nice to see my guy Ryan Sabalow’s stellar Digital Democracy reporting and the work @calmatters.org is doing in this space highlighted as one of the positive use cases www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/b...
A.I. Sweeps Through Newsrooms, but Is It a Journalist or a Tool?
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:52 AM
There are a lot of unsettling ways newsrooms are incorporating AI into their journalism, but it’s nice to see my guy Ryan Sabalow’s stellar Digital Democracy reporting and the work @calmatters.org is doing in this space highlighted as one of the positive use cases www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/b...
Reposted by Yousef Baig
CFR President Michael Froman discusses the latest from the civil war in Sudan with CFR Africa expert Michelle Gavin.
Read their full conversation ⬇️
Read their full conversation ⬇️
The Forgotten War in Sudan
CFR President Michael Froman discusses the latest from the civil war in Sudan with Michelle Gavin, senior fellow for Africa policy studies.
www.cfr.org
November 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
CFR President Michael Froman discusses the latest from the civil war in Sudan with CFR Africa expert Michelle Gavin.
Read their full conversation ⬇️
Read their full conversation ⬇️
Reposted by Yousef Baig
NEW: A provocative idea, if Trump’s EPA abandons climate policy, could California take over on greenhouse gases? calmatters.org/environment/...
If Trump’s EPA abandons climate policy, could California take over on greenhouse gases?
California, the state that helped define U.S. clean-air policy, is once again considering how far it can go without Washington’s permission.
calmatters.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
NEW: A provocative idea, if Trump’s EPA abandons climate policy, could California take over on greenhouse gases? calmatters.org/environment/...
As shady and unsurprising as this is, even in deficit times, I’m equally as disturbed that incoming Senate President Monique Limon seems to have a bad habit of sneaking in giveaways & state law exemptions for the wealthy few in her district calmatters.org/politics/202...
California lawmakers sent millions to their districts while making budget cuts elsewhere
Millions went to pet projects even as lawmakers made deep budget cuts. Here’s how they sent money back home to help get re-elected.
calmatters.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:12 PM
As shady and unsurprising as this is, even in deficit times, I’m equally as disturbed that incoming Senate President Monique Limon seems to have a bad habit of sneaking in giveaways & state law exemptions for the wealthy few in her district calmatters.org/politics/202...
Reposted by Yousef Baig
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startups and crypto companies.
Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off for Silicon Valley.
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startup...
www.propublica.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startups and crypto companies.
The only people sad about this news are all the retail traders who make money by mirroring Pelosi’s stock portfolio calmatters.org/politics/202...
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi will retire from Congress at the end of her term
The San Francisco representative, who’s best known for her political prowess and leader of national Democrats, won’t run for reelection.
calmatters.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The only people sad about this news are all the retail traders who make money by mirroring Pelosi’s stock portfolio calmatters.org/politics/202...
Reposted by Yousef Baig
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
November 5, 2025 at 3:15 AM
A sneak peek at the cover of next week’s issue, which celebrates Zohran Mamdani’s historic win. #NewYorkerCovers
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/451hFM
In case you’re wondering 👉🏽 www.didprop50pass.com
Did Prop. 50 pass?
Find out if Prop. 50 passed and see how redistricting could shift congressional representation in California and nationwide
www.didprop50pass.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:56 AM
In case you’re wondering 👉🏽 www.didprop50pass.com
Reposted by Yousef Baig
Listen: CalMatters has teamed up with Latino USA to tell the story of Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and the aggressive immigration raids he’s leading in California and beyond. bit.ly/3XaRxNo
🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit
🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Listen: CalMatters has teamed up with Latino USA to tell the story of Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and the aggressive immigration raids he’s leading in California and beyond. bit.ly/3XaRxNo
🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit
🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit
“As a result, insurance companies will be able to raise rates and offload billions of dollars in costs and liabilities to ratepayers while taking on few, if any, new customers in high fire-risk areas.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...
California Promised Insurance Relief, But Delivered Loopholes
www.nytimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:09 PM
“As a result, insurance companies will be able to raise rates and offload billions of dollars in costs and liabilities to ratepayers while taking on few, if any, new customers in high fire-risk areas.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/u...