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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 9h

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 9h

This pic really makes the US collapse into full despotism feel real, doesn't it? Leader's dead-eyed, meritless teen son shoved into powerful role solely because Leader wills it: a marker of corrupt autocracy recognizable on every continent and in every century.

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 9h

Scared about the systematic destruction of public health under the Trump regime?

Better get organized!

Here are some ideas how we can do it.

Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 8d

How can the justice-oriented public health community build power to fight back & fight for health equity in an era of oligarchy & fascism?

I'm not sure, but here are some podcast reflections on how we at @defendpublichealth.bsky.social are trying our best:

www.infectiousdose.com/post/from-ev...

From Evidence to Power: Organizing for Public Health with Jon Shaffer, PhD

Sociologist–organizer Jon Shaffer, PhD, joins Infectious Dose to explain why organizing—not just evidence—wins public-health protections, how DPH is building state teams, and what you can do next.

www.infectiousdose.com

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 9h

"Grasping the industrial-scale deception at the core of MAGA politics is essential."

Yes. And,

Generative AI is a crucial component of shoring up that industrial-grade deception.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

The conventions of political reporting today are not well equipped to handle this concerted use of pretexts for instrumental purposes and the bottomless bad faith they employ. Grasping the industrial-scale deception at the core of MAGA politics is essential. 6/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 9h

this is beautiful.

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 13h

A group of hundreds of faith in coalition who started at a Maywood church just arrived at the detention center for a eucharistic procession.

They want to offer communion to detainees inside, but won't be able to get past the barricades and fence on Beach Street.

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 9h

"Grasping the industrial-scale deception at the core of MAGA politics is essential."

Yes. And,

Generative AI is a crucial component of shoring up that industrial-grade deception.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

The conventions of political reporting today are not well equipped to handle this concerted use of pretexts for instrumental purposes and the bottomless bad faith they employ. Grasping the industrial-scale deception at the core of MAGA politics is essential. 6/

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 20h

This is beyond bad. All of our disease defenses are down now. We are sitting ducks. This is #RussellVought #DonaldTrump. They are endangering American lives with their insane crusade. These men are hazardous to your health and dangerous to the republic.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 10h

And this:
92% of the growth in the entire country this year has been data centers. And some of that is "circular deals" that dont involve actual money

fortune.com/2025/10/07/d...

Without data centers, GDP growth was 0.1% in the first half of 2025, Harvard economist says | Fortune

Is a U.S. without data centers a country without GDP growth?

fortune.com

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 10h

The crash is going to be wild.

Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 11h

The crash is going to be brutal when it comes.

Robinhood says "it might offer "tokenized" equity in OpenAI. By "tokenized," Business Insider reports, Robinhood means "blockchain-enabled representations of securities like stocks." In reality, they have no connection to OpenAI equity whatsoever."

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 1d

Time for everyone to join @defendpublichealth.bsky.social immediately.

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 1d

as someone who worked at the CDC, the way they’ve targeted these illegal firings are pretty much what i would do to inflict maximum damage to what remains of our nation’s federal public health infrastructure. a hostile takeover of the agency

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 1d

You would not fire these people—including the staff of the hugely, HUGELY important 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'—if you cared at all about public health, if you wanted people to live.

And you would not let your thuggish henchmen fire people like this if you were a responsible president.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 1d

why not both, tho...

Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com · 1d

“The problem with billionaires isn’t that they’re hoarding money that would otherwise pay for a Scandinavian social utopia. It’s that their money has become a source of wildly distorted political power that allows a few men with extremist views to wreak havoc on the rest of us.”

Billionaires Are Hoarding Power, Not Money

Billionaire money has become a source of wildly distorted political power that allows a few men with extremist views to wreak havoc on the rest of us.

www.liberalcurrents.com

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 8d

How can the justice-oriented public health community build power to fight back & fight for health equity in an era of oligarchy & fascism?

I'm not sure, but here are some podcast reflections on how we at @defendpublichealth.bsky.social are trying our best:

www.infectiousdose.com/post/from-ev...

From Evidence to Power: Organizing for Public Health with Jon Shaffer, PhD

Sociologist–organizer Jon Shaffer, PhD, joins Infectious Dose to explain why organizing—not just evidence—wins public-health protections, how DPH is building state teams, and what you can do next.

www.infectiousdose.com

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 2d

Choosing to wear today’s desk rejection from the American Sociological Review as a badge of honor.

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 2d

liberation theology remains undefeated

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 2d

Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer. In his first teaching document Thursday, Leo confirms that he is in perfect lockstep with Pope Francis on matters of social injustice.

Pope Leo blasts economy that marginalizes poor while wealthy live in bubble of luxury

Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer.

bit.ly

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 2d

fascist states luv 2 "make the proof" for pre-existing political stances

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 3d

Let the poors get AI slop medicine.

The rich though, can be seen by a physician, say AI boosters.

Emily Moin @emilymoin.com · 3d

I have expertise in both the technical and ethical aspects of clinical AI, so one of my most frequent refrains is that we need to separately address questions of "can we?" and "should we?"

Anyway, absolutely not.

Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Partners In Health @pih.org · 4d

As global health funding faces renewed threats in Washington D.C., join PIH for an urgent virtual discussion.

Follow the 🧵 to learn more 👇

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 4d

probably won't be a problem at all for anybody.

Techmeme @techmeme.com · 4d

JPMorgan Chase reports that $1.2T of debt is now tied to AI-related companies, making it the largest segment in the investment-grade market (Caleb Mutua/Bloomberg)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Darren Dahly @statsepi.bsky.social · 4d

An 8 year-old blog post on causal thinking in epidemiology that I'm sharing for no particular reason (ICYMI).

darrendahly.github.io/post/2017-02...

Cause vs. Consequence |

Principal Statistician | Senior Lecturer

darrendahly.github.io

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 4d

Well, this sucks a lot. vtdigger.org/2025/10/06/i...

ICE plans to boost its surveillance on social media using contractors in Vermont - VTDigger

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants to hire a dozen contracted workers who would track down leads for potential deportations, among other efforts, at an office in Williston.

vtdigger.org

Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6d

I’m telling you: ridicule works. These guys are supposed to intimidate the citizenry and it’s very hard to do that when a guy in a frog suit is just staring you down and daring you to do something that makes it look like you’re afraid of a cartoon

dan sinker @dansinker.com · 6d

Portland never stops being Portland.

competentposter @competentposter.bsky.social · 7d

wizard frog is insane

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Jon Shaffer @jonshaffer.bsky.social · 6d

I just ran the PDX half marathon and I can attest that it is not, in fact, burning to the ground.

It’s actually been a beautiful weekend in the Rose City!

Picture of me and Sarah and Conor after the Portland half marathon!

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Reposted by Jon Shaffer

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 6d

primary anybody who doesn't talk like this

Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 6d

They’re using American tax dollars to fund infrastructure in Argentina because that’s where they’re all going to flee when we kick them out of office

Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 10d

After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs

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