Anirvan Chatterjee
@chatterjee.net
Techie, public historian, and activist from Berkeley, California.
I curate the monthly Berkeley South Asian radical history walking tour — now celebrating its 12th year.
Pronouns: he/him/ও/সে
https://www.chatterjee.net/
I curate the monthly Berkeley South Asian radical history walking tour — now celebrating its 12th year.
Pronouns: he/him/ও/সে
https://www.chatterjee.net/
"As a result of Hargett’s demand for libraries to complete the [anti-DEI] review within 60 days, at least one Tennessee county has closed several of its library branches for up to a week."
popular.info/p/tennessee-...
popular.info/p/tennessee-...
Tennessee public libraries close for Trump-inspired book purge
One hundred and eighty-one public libraries in Tennessee are reviewing their children’s collections after Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (R) ordered them to remove books with LGBTQ themes…
popular.info
November 26, 2025 at 12:45 AM
"As a result of Hargett’s demand for libraries to complete the [anti-DEI] review within 60 days, at least one Tennessee county has closed several of its library branches for up to a week."
popular.info/p/tennessee-...
popular.info/p/tennessee-...
"…she pulled out her phone to record the arrest. In response, an agent pointed a gun at her. Days later, while a man was videorecording a raid outside a Home Depot, DHS agents tackled him to the ground, arrested him and held him in detention for more than twenty-four hours."
Immigration Agents are Retaliating Against People Who Record Them | ACLU
We’re filing a FOIA to find out how deep the problem goes
www.aclu.org
November 25, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"…she pulled out her phone to record the arrest. In response, an agent pointed a gun at her. Days later, while a man was videorecording a raid outside a Home Depot, DHS agents tackled him to the ground, arrested him and held him in detention for more than twenty-four hours."
“Efforts to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, in line with the goals of the Paris agreement, were also addressed in the final text, but less robustly than vulnerable countries had hoped.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
End of fossil fuel era inches closer as Cop30 deal agreed after bitter standoff
Wealthy countries should triple funds for countries to tackle climate impacts, but deforestation and critical minerals blocked from final deal
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
“Efforts to limit global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels, in line with the goals of the Paris agreement, were also addressed in the final text, but less robustly than vulnerable countries had hoped.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
"After years of struggling to find enough workers for some of the nation’s toughest lockups, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is facing a new challenge: Corrections officers are jumping ship for more lucrative jobs at Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE
Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"After years of struggling to find enough workers for some of the nation’s toughest lockups, the Federal Bureau of Prisons is facing a new challenge: Corrections officers are jumping ship for more lucrative jobs at Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
"While it’s fascinating that X actually rolled this out, it should raise questions about those who have spent the past few years stewing in that cesspool of foreign rage-bait manipulation, insisting it was somehow an accurate portrayal of public opinion."
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/24/x...
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/24/x...
X’s New Feature Reveals Why Trust & Safety Work Was Never About The ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’
For the last few years, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and their allies have spent considerable energy attacking both academic researchers studying disinformation and the trust & safety te…
www.techdirt.com
November 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
"While it’s fascinating that X actually rolled this out, it should raise questions about those who have spent the past few years stewing in that cesspool of foreign rage-bait manipulation, insisting it was somehow an accurate portrayal of public opinion."
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/24/x...
www.techdirt.com/2025/11/24/x...
"Carreto didn’t carry any proof that she had custody of the boy. She had left it in another car in her rush. She recalls officers saying her nephew would likely be released to her in a few days once she presented the proper documents. Before they drove him away, Carlos started to tear up"
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the…
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM
"Carreto didn’t carry any proof that she had custody of the boy. She had left it in another car in her rush. She recalls officers saying her nephew would likely be released to her in a few days once she presented the proper documents. Before they drove him away, Carlos started to tear up"
Perl was my first serious language, and I still miss the vibrancy of the community
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597...
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597...
What Killed Perl? | Hacker News
There are many languages still in use today that have all kinds of warts and ugliness, but they remain in use because they still have momentum and lots of legacy things built in them. So being ugly…
news.ycombinator.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Perl was my first serious language, and I still miss the vibrancy of the community
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597...
news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597...
“All his accounts with US companies such as Amazon, Airbnb, or PayPal were immediately closed by the providers. Online bookings, such as through Expedia, are immediately canceled, even if they concern hotels in France.”
How a French judge was digitally cut off by the USA
Nicolas Guillou has been sanctioned by the USA as a judge of the International Criminal Court. He notices the effects primarily in the digital realm.
www.heise.de
November 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
“All his accounts with US companies such as Amazon, Airbnb, or PayPal were immediately closed by the providers. Online bookings, such as through Expedia, are immediately canceled, even if they concern hotels in France.”
“It’s an escalation of a familiar tactic. In 2023, Georgia prosecutors listed ‘zine’ distribution as part of the conspiracy charges against 61 Stop Cop City protesters in a sprawling RICO indictment that didn’t bother to explain how each individual defendant was involved in any actual crime.”
The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine
Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.
theintercept.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM
“It’s an escalation of a familiar tactic. In 2023, Georgia prosecutors listed ‘zine’ distribution as part of the conspiracy charges against 61 Stop Cop City protesters in a sprawling RICO indictment that didn’t bother to explain how each individual defendant was involved in any actual crime.”
“For roughly four months, all of the former prisoners who were interviewed suffered ‘serious physical and psychological abuse on a virtually daily basis,’ the report states”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
What the Deported Venezuelans Went Through in El Salvador
Forty men sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration have shared disturbing accounts of abuse by a regime that America paid to imprison them.
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:15 AM
“For roughly four months, all of the former prisoners who were interviewed suffered ‘serious physical and psychological abuse on a virtually daily basis,’ the report states”
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...
“She added that Rohini was a bright student but she felt depressed over her application for J1 visa not being approved as she was already selected for a residency program in the U.S.”
indicanews.com/upset-over-n...
indicanews.com/upset-over-n...
Upset over not getting U.S. visa, woman doctor dies by suicide in Hyderabad - indica News
IANS- Upset over denial of J-1 visa by the U.S. authorities, a young woman doctor died by suicide - Upset over not getting U.S. visa, woman doctor dies by suicide in Hyderabad
indicanews.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 AM
“She added that Rohini was a bright student but she felt depressed over her application for J1 visa not being approved as she was already selected for a residency program in the U.S.”
indicanews.com/upset-over-n...
indicanews.com/upset-over-n...
“A new study suggests that children of mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy are at 29% higher risk of neurodevelopmental conditions such as speech delays, motor disorders, and autism by age 3, although the overall odds are likely low and may well have ebbed since the pandemic peak.”
Kids exposed to COVID in utero may be at higher risk for autism, other brain problems
gpointstudio / iStock
www.cidrap.umn.edu
November 24, 2025 at 12:45 AM
“A new study suggests that children of mothers who had COVID-19 during pregnancy are at 29% higher risk of neurodevelopmental conditions such as speech delays, motor disorders, and autism by age 3, although the overall odds are likely low and may well have ebbed since the pandemic peak.”
“But the CDC’s stunning reversal Wednesday—stating on its website that ‘studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism’—shows the agency can no longer be trusted, multiple doctors and public health advocates told CIDRAP News.”
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
After unprecedented autism-vaccine messaging change, scientists, advocates say CDC no longer trustworthy
James Gathany / CDC
www.cidrap.umn.edu
November 23, 2025 at 11:15 PM
“But the CDC’s stunning reversal Wednesday—stating on its website that ‘studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism’—shows the agency can no longer be trusted, multiple doctors and public health advocates told CIDRAP News.”
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
“Trials focused on infectious diseases saw the highest proportion of terminations (14.4%), followed by prevention-focused studies (8.4%)”
www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-healt...
www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-healt...
NIH grant terminations disrupt hundreds of clinical trials, affecting more than 74,000 participants
Grandbrothers / iStock
www.cidrap.umn.edu
November 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
“Trials focused on infectious diseases saw the highest proportion of terminations (14.4%), followed by prevention-focused studies (8.4%)”
www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-healt...
www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-healt...
Reposted by Anirvan Chatterjee
Rightwing MAGA Christianity has about as much relation to the gospels as MAGA politics does to the Constitution.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity | Bill McKibben
Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to America has a precedent: the evangelical perversion of Jesus’s message of radical love to one of hate and aggression
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Rightwing MAGA Christianity has about as much relation to the gospels as MAGA politics does to the Constitution.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
"He has been creating awareness about these technologies through…video-sharing platforms, and messaging apps…However, the recent blackout has had a negative impact on farmers' willingness to adopt new technologies, he says. They fear that they might encounter similar issues in the future"
The Taliban's Internet Blackouts Are Devastating Afghan Farmers
When the Afghan government shut down all communication channels for two days due to political reasons, farmers were unable to contact buyers and transporters, resulting in significant losses.
www.thexylom.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"He has been creating awareness about these technologies through…video-sharing platforms, and messaging apps…However, the recent blackout has had a negative impact on farmers' willingness to adopt new technologies, he says. They fear that they might encounter similar issues in the future"
From the abstract: “Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat when Batman was present”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect - npj Mental Health Research
npj Mental Health Research - Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect
www.nature.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:15 PM
From the abstract: “Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat when Batman was present”
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
"The exodus comes amid shortages of critical supplies, from food to personal hygiene items, and threatens to make the already grim conditions in federal prisons even worse…staff said the agency had even stopped providing basic hygiene items for officers, such as paper towels, soap and toilet paper."
As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE
Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.
www.propublica.org
November 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
"The exodus comes amid shortages of critical supplies, from food to personal hygiene items, and threatens to make the already grim conditions in federal prisons even worse…staff said the agency had even stopped providing basic hygiene items for officers, such as paper towels, soap and toilet paper."
"Hanaway’s posts echo key talking points from national Republican operatives attempting to derail direct democracy by casting ordinary petition circulators as nefarious outsiders. But her decision to add federal immigration enforcement…marks a dramatic and potentially dangerous turn."
Missouri AG Now Siccing ICE on Gerrymander Referendum Signature Gatherers
Read more here.
www.democracydocket.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:15 AM
"Hanaway’s posts echo key talking points from national Republican operatives attempting to derail direct democracy by casting ordinary petition circulators as nefarious outsiders. But her decision to add federal immigration enforcement…marks a dramatic and potentially dangerous turn."
"Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement shared information about U.S. citizens’ social media profiles and home addresses with each other after stopping them on the road…also able to determine whether vehicles were rentals and whether drivers worked for rideshare services."
Border Patrol is monitoring US drivers and detaining those with 'suspicious' travel patterns
The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious.
apnews.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:45 AM
"Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement shared information about U.S. citizens’ social media profiles and home addresses with each other after stopping them on the road…also able to determine whether vehicles were rentals and whether drivers worked for rideshare services."
"People familiar with the committee inquiry view Paul’s sprawling queries as a targeted effort to chill or discourage academic research on far-right groups, ideologies, or individuals."
www.wired.com/story/senato...
www.wired.com/story/senato...
Senators Want Extremism Researchers to Surrender Documents Linked to Right-Wing Grudges
The Senate homeland security committee's chair has asked researchers to turn over troves of documents related to the January 6 attack, vaccines, and more, according to a letter reviewed by WIRED.
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"People familiar with the committee inquiry view Paul’s sprawling queries as a targeted effort to chill or discourage academic research on far-right groups, ideologies, or individuals."
www.wired.com/story/senato...
www.wired.com/story/senato...
"Another doctrine prohibits the federal government from using funding conditions to coerce state governments…Do we legitimize these ideas by using them ourselves? Maybe a little. Does it matter? Probably not."
Turning Conservative Legal Theories Against Trump - Legal Planet
Should we use conservatives’ ideas to fight the current threat to democracy and the rule of law? Right now, I think, we can’t afford to be squeamish.
legal-planet.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:45 PM
"Another doctrine prohibits the federal government from using funding conditions to coerce state governments…Do we legitimize these ideas by using them ourselves? Maybe a little. Does it matter? Probably not."
"The oligarchs that acquired their wealth and power by ripping off New Yorkers will never truly believe that working people deserve a fair shake – but if they're sufficiently afraid of the likes of Khan, they'll damned well act like they do."
pluralistic.net/2025/11/15/u...
pluralistic.net/2025/11/15/u...
Pluralistic: Zohran Mamdani’s world-class photocopier-kicker (15 Nov 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
November 21, 2025 at 8:15 PM
"The oligarchs that acquired their wealth and power by ripping off New Yorkers will never truly believe that working people deserve a fair shake – but if they're sufficiently afraid of the likes of Khan, they'll damned well act like they do."
pluralistic.net/2025/11/15/u...
pluralistic.net/2025/11/15/u...
"Elon Musk is a better role model than Jesus, better at conquering Europe than Hitler, the greatest blowjob giver of all time…has the 'potential to drink piss better than any human in history,' and is a better porn star than Riley Reid, according to Grok"
Elon Musk Could 'Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History,' Grok Says
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
www.404media.co
November 21, 2025 at 6:45 PM
"Elon Musk is a better role model than Jesus, better at conquering Europe than Hitler, the greatest blowjob giver of all time…has the 'potential to drink piss better than any human in history,' and is a better porn star than Riley Reid, according to Grok"