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John Palfrey
@palfrey.org
1.5K followers 260 following 170 posts

President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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John Gorham Palfrey VII is an American educator, scholar, and law professor. His areas of focus include emerging media, Internet freedom, online transparency and accountability, and child safety. In March 2019, he was named the president of the MacArthur Foundation effective September 1, 2019. Palfrey was the 15th Head of School at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, from 2012 to 2019. He was executive director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society from 2002 to 2008. .. more

Political science 28%
Business 16%
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palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 8d
It is a rare thing to be able to award a $100 million grant but today we do so @macfound.org. I’m thrilled to share the Broad Institute’s Sentinel project is @macfound 100&Change Award Recipient!

www.macfound.org/press/press-...
Sentinel Awarded $100 Million to Prevent Pandemics
www.macfound.org

Reposted by John Palfrey

schwartzesque.bsky.social
Mattathias Schwartz @schwartzesque.bsky.social · 19h
ICYMI -- We looked at the Trump admin's Supreme Court filing arguing for the legality of deploying the National Guard to Chicago.

Turns out it has a bunch of factual errors...

w/ Devon Lum, Christoph Koettl, Ainara Tiefenthäler

🎁 www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
Times Analysis Finds Errors in Trump’s Supreme Court Filing That Calls for National Guard in Chicago
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by John Palfrey

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · 1d
The International Energy Agency envisions a $1trn global geothermal investment boom by 2035. Discover how the future of clean energy could unfold
Geothermal’s time has finally come
This source of energy could become bigger than nuclear
econ.st

Reposted by John Palfrey

fieldsmeyer.com
Ami Fields-Meyer @fieldsmeyer.com · 1d
There have always been signs that tech companies were overpromising on AI, and that investors were blindly and dramatically over-indexing on its potential.

I want to reshare the essay Janet Haven and I wrote for Foreign Policy in October 2024.

A few quotes from that piece:
AI’s Alarming Trend Toward Illiberalism
Left ungoverned, the technology opens pathways to undermine democracy.
foreignpolicy.com

Reposted by John Palfrey, Greg Linden

kathleenromig.bsky.social
Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 1d
We're drowning in passwords & multi-factor authentication & chatbots & "unusually high call volume" & robots ignoring "representative!"

We should think more carefully about how Social Security uses these tools with our parents & grandparents.

donmoynihan.substack.com/p/aint-no-pa...
Ain't No Party Like an Administrative Burden Party
You are cordially invited to Admin Night - bring your paperwork
donmoynihan.substack.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 2d
How Residents In Chicago And LA Are Building Multiracial Solidarity Against ICE

blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/24/h...
How Residents In Chicago And LA Are Building Multiracial Solidarity Against ICE
Violent immigration crackdowns, looming safety-net cuts and arrests of street vendors are pushing Black and Latine residents in both cities to organize around their common ground.
blockclubchicago.org

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 3d
Love to see this -- Humanities trending!
rbtownsend.bsky.social Rob Townsend @rbtownsend.bsky.social · 3d
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
bit.ly

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Rebecca Solnit, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 13 more

rbtownsend.bsky.social
Rob Townsend @rbtownsend.bsky.social · 3d
"While other universities report that the humanities are shrinking, at Berkeley, the opposite is true. The music major is the fastest-growing major on campus. We are finding bigger classrooms because film is exploding. English is back to the numbers we saw 15 years ago. We are hiring" bit.ly/4ohKuOe
"The humanities really are a resource — a confidence for living in our times.” Dean Sara Guyer on the modern utility of humanities degrees
This interview originally appeared on the Division of Arts
bit.ly

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 3d
No, the price is not worth it and it is a bad idea overall to be doing these raids in communities across the USA -- especially the way it was done in Chicago. The evidence is overwhelming at this point. The courts and community members affected have been clear.

www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘Is the price of doing this worth it?’: North Carolina Republicans worry about Trump immigration raids
The concerns surrounding Trump’s immigration clampdown in the Tar Heel state speak to a tension at the center of the president’s immigration agenda.
www.politico.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 4d
Note especially the job in Tech and Public Policy

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Matthew Bunn, John Palfrey , and 2 more

drodrik.bsky.social
Dani Rodrik @drodrik.bsky.social · 4d
Faculty searches at Harvard Kennedy School in applied microeconomics and in technology and public policy www.hks.harvard.edu/more/about/l...
Faculty Appointments
The Academic Deans' Office recruits new faculty members who have strong teaching and research records and are intellectual leaders in their field.
www.hks.harvard.edu

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 5d
"The first man from Queens to be elected president and the first Queens resident to be elected mayor of New York City met for the first time in the Oval Office on Friday."

Now that is a first sentence for the ages.

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, John Palfrey, Scott A. Imberman , and 1 more

slotkin.senate.gov
Senator Elissa Slotkin @slotkin.senate.gov · 5d
From a spokesperson for U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin:

Reposted by David R. Miller, John Palfrey, Stacy D. VanDeveer

stevevladeck.bsky.social
Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 5d
If you had told me Mamdani and MTG would both be in the news today, and gave me eleventy thousand guesses as to why, I’d … still be guessing.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Cathy N. Davidson, Edgar Morgenroth , and 1 more

chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 5d
Let’s be clear.

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social got Trump so charmed that Trump posted two photos of the two of them with Franklin Roosevelt’s portrait behind them AND one of just Mamdani and FDR’s portrait.
Trump’s Truth social post Trump, Mamdani, and FDR. Trump, Mamdani, and FDR. Mamdani and FDR.

Reposted by John Palfrey, Mark Rice, Jason Williams , and 1 more

simko-bednarski.bsky.social
Evan Simko-Bednarski @simko-bednarski.bsky.social · 5d
The Queens Daily Eagle remains undefeated.
Queens men meet — Queens Daily Eagle
The first man from Queens to be elected president and the first Queens resident to be elected mayor of New York City met for the first time in the Oval Office on Friday.
queenseagle.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 5d
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 6d
Thank you @wsj.com for including Wired Wisdom on your list of the Best Books of 2025 on Healthy Aging!

www.wsj.com/lifestyle/20...
The Best Books of 2025 About Healthy Aging
A guide for Gen X, advice for online resources, the importance of social connections, and more.
www.wsj.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 6d
Holy smokes.

Reposted by John Palfrey

freepress.bsky.social
Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 6d
Free Press Action's Mike Rispoli delivered powerful testimony to the New Jersey statehouse about the elimination of the CPB & the collapse of local journalism.

More here: https://www.freepress.net/news/free-press-actions-mike-rispoli-testifies-new-jersey-state-senate-behalf-public-media-funding
Free Press Action's Mike Rispoli Testifies Before the New Jersey State Senate on Behalf of Public Funding for Public Media
Rispoli called on lawmakers to affirm and expand their decades-long commitment to the essential role that public broadcasting plays in the lives of their constituents.
www.freepress.net

Reposted by John Palfrey, Timothy D. McBride

barbmcquade.bsky.social
Barb McQuade @barbmcquade.bsky.social · 7d
I will confess, I have never seen a situation before where the grand jury never saw the indictment, so the remedy is unknown, but I can’t believe an unseen indictment could be valid.
Times www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
Lindsey Halligan Admits Grand Jury Never Saw Final Comey Indictment
Grand jurors have to vote on indictments to approve them, but a prosecutor told the judge in the case that only the foreperson formally approved the second charging document, a move that could…
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by John Palfrey

slulay2.bsky.social
Stephanie Lulay @slulay2.bsky.social · 7d
Several Chicago newsrooms have been quietly collaborating to bring big ICE stories to the forefront.

In this story today, we found that feds used chemical weapons on Chicagoans at least 49 times during immigration raids — even after a judge said to stop.
Feds Used Chemical Weapons On Chicagoans At Least 49 Times — Even After Judge Said To Stop
Contrary to federal claims about attacks on agents, most of these incidents appear to involve nonviolent protesters or bystanders.
blockclubchicago.org

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 7d
I think bystander awareness trainings typically cover what to do in this kind of situation. Remember the 4 Ds?

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 7d
100%

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 7d
Local news reporting: it matters, locally, nationally, historically.
southsideweekly.bsky.social South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 7d
Several Chicago newsrooms spent two months collecting and analyzing evidence of ICE & Border Patrol's use of tear gas and pepper spray in Chicago.

They found that agents deployed chemical agents nearly 50 times. Most uses occurred after a judge ordered federal agents to restrict their use.
Feds Used Chemical Agents Dozens of Times in Chicago
An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.
southsideweekly.com

Reposted by John Palfrey, Anne Norton

southsideweekly.bsky.social
South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 7d
Several Chicago newsrooms spent two months collecting and analyzing evidence of ICE & Border Patrol's use of tear gas and pepper spray in Chicago.

They found that agents deployed chemical agents nearly 50 times. Most uses occurred after a judge ordered federal agents to restrict their use.
Feds Used Chemical Agents Dozens of Times in Chicago
An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.
southsideweekly.com

Reposted by John Palfrey

charlietodd.com
Charlie Todd @charlietodd.com · 7d
Come see our NYC politics round table with very funny comedians and the Internet’s @anildash.com next week at UCB.

Cheap tix: ucbcomedy.com/show/not-in-...

Reposted by John Palfrey, Dolly Jørgensen, Jason A. Heppler

tgpeterson.bsky.social
Terrence Peterson @tgpeterson.bsky.social · 8d
Hey historians 🗃️: Do you know of presses that publish short books (around 30K words / 90 pages plus notes)? I have been working on an article project that could easily turn into an great micro-history of that length, but I'm not sure it would make it to the usual full 60-90K words...

Reposted by John Palfrey

brennancenter.org
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 8d
President Trump’s troop deployments in Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and other cities pose real threats to civil liberties and the rule of law. In our latest episode, experts discuss the legality of Trump’s actions. Listen to the The Briefing with Michael Waldman: apple.co/481M1St
Troops in American Cities
Our military is trained to defeat enemies, not to police American citizens. President Trump’s troop deployments in Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, Portland, Memphis,
podcasts.apple.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Jan W. Mueller, Elizabeth Saunders , and 38 more

karenattiah.bsky.social
Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 8d
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.

He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com

palfrey.org
John Palfrey @palfrey.org · 8d
cc: @broadinstitute.bsky.social