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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 12h

OMB head Russ Vought says RIFs have begun. In litigation challenging OMB's ability to RIF during a shutdown, OMB must provide more details by 3pm PT/ 6pm ET.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Russ Vought
@russvought
The RIFs have begun.

The Court hereby ORDERS defendants to file a response to the motion for a TRO no later than October 10, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. PDT. In their response, defendants SHALL address: (1) the status of any currently planned or in-progress RIF notices to be issued during/because of the government shutdown, including the earliest date that those RIF notices will go out; (2) which of the defendant agencies anticipate issuing RIF notices during/because of the government shutdown and the estimated number of employees at the defendant agency who will receive such RIF notices; and (3) whether any employees at the defendant agencies have been ordered back to work during the government shutdown in order to effectuate the issuance of RIF notices. Defendants shall provide evidence (declarations, exhibits, etc.) in support of the above information.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Rachel Levinson-Waldman @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social · 12h

This is a terrific piece, with really important insights on the state of defense AI contracting. Here's a tl;dr - but you should read the whole thing!

This year’s NDAA risks repeating past mistakes with a new generation of military contracts. The Department of Defense inspector general has issued more than 20 reports since 1998 documenting contractors overcharging the Pentagon. Weakening acquisition safeguards will not only pave the way for more waste; it also undermines the Pentagon’s ability to discern the proper role of AI and other emerging technologies in filling critical capability gaps, particularly at a time when claims about what these technologies can accomplish do not always stand up to scrutiny.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 21h

Like a canary in coal mine…

More than half of world’s bird species in decline, as leaders meet on extinction crisis

Biodiversity losses are growing, the IUCN reports as summit opens, but green turtle’s recovery ‘reminds us conservation works’

www.theguardian.com

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

Also fixed:

"In the 1980s and ’90s, the Caribbean was the main route for smugglers taking cocaine to the United States.
[THEN PLAN COLOMBIA HAPPENED.]
Now, most of that traffic moves through the Pacific."

Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

Fixed it:

"Why Blowing Up [insert literally anything] Won't Stop the Flow of Drugs."

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 2d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

I'm sure there's a time & place for such an approach,

but if you are reinforcing an evidence-free, ultimately disadvantageous (in terms of outcomes...but also politically!) approach, then I think this is not one of those times.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

Can a person making this argument find research suggesting that any interdiction effort--up to & including bombing--results in desirable/meaningful changes to the supply of illegal drugs?

I think this is one of those--I'd rather be clever than intelligent; tactical rather than strategic--choices.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

Personally I detect a few flaws in the "you're bombing in the wrong place to find illegal drugs" argument.

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 1d

I'll not forget Liz Cheney telling the Democratic caucus re: impeachment that the Republicans will hurl insights & fight you either way, so you might as well *not* dilute the report or run away from its inescapable conclusions.

Liz Cheney.

Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 2d

he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity

Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Sharon Machlis @smachlis.bsky.social · 3d

This is a professor at Rutgers who teaches a class on the history of anti-fascism. He also teaches about human rights. He has received multiple death threats and been doxed. He is relocating to Europe for his safety. This is where we are in the US now. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Ethan Mollick @emollick.bsky.social · 2d

I think people are still unprepared for a world where you cannot trust any video content, despite years of warning.

Even when Google & OpenAI include watermarks, those can be easily removed, and open weights AI video models without guardrails are coming. www.404media.co/sora-2-water...

Sora 2 Watermark Removers Flood the Web

Bypassing Sora 2's rudimentary safety features is easy and experts worry it'll lead to a new era of scams and disinformation.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Claire Adida @claireadida.bsky.social · 2d

"Many of the CEOs I spoke with didn’t care about democracy per se. For them, democracy wasn’t a moral good. It was a source of volatility. What they wanted was stability... "

But "The evidence is overwhelming: countries that weaken democracy do not gain more stability and security, they lose it."

The Illusion of Order:

Business leaders think a little autocracy might bring stability. History and data say the opposite.

barbarafwalter.substack.com

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 2d

there is a structural element here, in that Catholic Charities is a major player & in receipt of a lot of gov $$

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 2d

"expand your efforts, don’t retreat"

Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson on How America’s Story Should Be Told

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: Trump is moving to kill all funding for proposed Texas and Louisiana mega-hubs to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere

The bipartisan-backed hubs represented a rare clean tech industry where the US was on the cutting edge

by @emilypont.bsky.social for @heatmap.news

heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Cancel Direct Air Capture Hubs in Texas, Louisiana

A new list of grant cancellations obtained by Heatmap includes Climeworks and Heirloom projects funded by 2021 infrastructure law.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Philip Bump @pbump.com · 3d

In the vast majority of states, guns that came from other states and were recovered from crime scenes mostly came from red states. www.pbump.net/o/the-red-st...

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 3d

If the National Governors Association chooses to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization.

We should be standing as one against the idea that Donald Trump can call up the National Guard against our will.

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 3d

"Tear induction during onion cutting has long vexed the culinary community."

www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1...

"high-speed visuals, we found that an onion does not release tear-triggering fluid in one burst"

"a practical fix: Keep knives sharp and cut gently"

Droplet outbursts from onion cutting | PNAS

Cutting onions often leads to tear-inducing aerosol release, yet the underlying mechanics remain poorly understood. In this work, via high-speed ch...

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 4d

Old: OLC Torture Memo

New: OLC Murder Memo

Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 4d

The Senate Judiciary Committee needs to get a copy of this OLC memo publicly released.

www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/p...

Exclusive: Classified Justice Department opinion authorizes strikes on secret list of cartels, sources say | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, according to multiple peop...

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 4d

Attn. civil servants — For a curated list of resources for current and former feds to help navigate attacks on the federal workforce by visit our resources page below: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/resources-for-civil-servants/

Resources for civil servants

If you are still employed as a federal civil servant, there are some initial steps you can take to make things slightly simpler if you are separated from employment.

protectdemocracy.org

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Jason K Pargin, author @jasonkpargin.bsky.social · 4d

It is SUCH a formative experience the first time your favorite artist releases a bad album. I envy all the kids going through it this week, you’re about to learn so much about the world! You’re learning how to let go!

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Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

The Lancet @thelancet.com · 5d

On this week’s cover of The Lancet, a new letter: “Gaza’s healthocide: medical societies must not stay silent”.

Read the letter and more in our latest issue: tinyurl.com/5n85x448

Cover of The Lancet's Oct 4, 2025 issue. Cover quote reads: "Most medical and surgical societies worldwide have remained silent or issued vague statements about Gaza's healthocide [...] Staying silent while pretending to be neutral is, in effect, a form of complicity."

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Kathleen J. Frydl @kfrydl.bsky.social · 4d

Not unexpected, but most unwelcome

Ex-Prime Minister Set to Return to Power in Czech Republic

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Kathleen J. Frydl

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 4d

“No one man can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.” -Edward R. Murrow

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