Daniel Melling
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danielmelling.bsky.social
Daniel Melling
@danielmelling.bsky.social
150 followers 200 following 110 posts
Who dares, wins. Los Angeles
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Reposted by Daniel Melling
davidho.bsky.social
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
danielmelling.bsky.social
Parish goldeneye in Andreas Canyon outside Palm Springs
Parish goldeneye bush outside in a canyon on a bright January day
January 19, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
sammyroth.bsky.social
The Trump administration is suing California to overturn a law banning new oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, schools, playgrounds and hospitals: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @hayleysmith.bsky.social
Trump administration sues California over law keeping oil wells from homes, schools
Senate Bill 1137 establishes a 3,200-foot minimum distance between new oil wells and homes, schools, hospitals, parks and other places where people live, work and gather.
www.latimes.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
ianjames.bsky.social
An invasive beetle responsible for killing hundreds of thousands of oak trees in Southern California has now expanded into Ventura County. To prevent further spread, some experts are calling for regulations limiting the movement of firewood. @lilaseidman.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...
'It is scary': Oak-killing beetle reaches Ventura County, significantly expanding range
The goldspotted oak-borer, an invasive beetle responsible for killing 200,000 trees in Southern California, is now present in Ventura County. It's the northernmost reach of the insect.
www.latimes.com
January 12, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
federalreserve.gov
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
cshalby.bsky.social
One year ago, a fire ripped through my hometown. I wrote about the loss, the resilience of the community and the future of my Altadena in a piece that's part reporter's notebook, part tribute to a place I didn't realize how much I loved until it was gone
A year after the Eaton fire, the loss of Altadena is still raw
A reporter reflects on the loss of her hometown, Altadena, remembering what it was and imagining what it will become.
www.latimes.com
January 7, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
weatherwest.bsky.social
On the anniversary of the devastating Palisades & Eaton fires in Los Angeles, I wanted to share this @ichotiner.bsky.social Q&A published in the immediate aftermath. The lightly edited transcript reflects my initial reactions, but remains relevant even a year later.
How Did the Los Angeles Fires Get So Out of Control?
A climate scientist discusses how to think about and weigh the variables that led to the current disaster.
www.newyorker.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
evanlgeorge.bsky.social
“Left primarily to their own devices in rebuilding, the fire-impacted communities are moving forward, but predictably, the outcomes look much different depending on individual survivors’ access to resources.
It didn’t — and doesn’t — have to be this way.” legal-planet.org/2025/12/23/o...
A Year After the LA Fires, Who’s Accountable for a Resilient Recovery? - Legal Planet
Altadena and the Palisades are moving forward but outcomes depend on survivors’ access to resources. It doesn’t have to be this way.
legal-planet.org
December 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
afreedma.bsky.social
Perspective on the news about the Trump administration seeking to break up the NSF NCAR - The National Center for Atmospheric Research from the ground at the AGU meeting. www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/c...
Climate scientists face the loss of a critical research center — and vow to fight back | CNN
The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to shut down the National Center for Atmospheric Research, an organization responsible for everything from improved weather models to tools that aid hu...
www.cnn.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
katharinehayhoe.com
NCAR is quite literally our global mothership.

Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources.

Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet.

Unbelievable.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
www.usatoday.com
December 17, 2025 at 2:59 AM
danielmelling.bsky.social
Time is calling

@ Minuteman Press in Hollywood
A glass door with a print of a man in green trousers, no jacket, and a white dress shirt with red tie, with hands on hip. His head is a clock.
December 12, 2025 at 6:28 PM
danielmelling.bsky.social
Driving home on Sunset Blvd. yesterday and the confluence of LA traffic, digital billboards, and award season meant I had to stare at an animated close-up of Pennywise the clown for ~10 mins straight
December 12, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
cmonstah.bsky.social
I always forget: here's a gift link!
www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
Frank Gehry’s Best Work Was Not His Flashiest
If you really want to understand the late architect’s transformative genius, look past the titanium showpieces that made him a household name.
www.theatlantic.com
December 9, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
maxtani.bsky.social
amazing q&a with paul krugman
June 25, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
cmonstah.bsky.social
Tryin to imagine a Waymo merging onto the Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena in heavy traffic.
November 13, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
sammyroth.bsky.social
NEWS: CBS News gutted its climate team as part of the big Paramount layoffs this week. These journalists had been doing incredible reporting on extreme heat, flooding, clean energy investments and more.

I've got details for Climate-Colored Goggles: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/cbs-news-g...
CBS News just gutted its climate team
Paramount and Bari Weiss aren't off to a great start. Here's why David Ellison should change course.
www.climatecoloredgoggles.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:55 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
katharinehayhoe.com
If you take the time to read the whole Gates memo (which I did), the bulk of the content was mostly solid and encouraging. Really!

It was the FRAME that was off--very off, from the first line.

And when your framing is off, then how you make decisions and set priorities is off. THAT'S the problem.
My quote from an Axios interview, stating that: People often think of climate change as a separate bucket at the end of a long row of other buckets of problems we're trying to fix that are wrong in the world," Hayhoe told Axios. This includes poverty, disease and access to clean water. "Climate change is not a separate bucket," Hayhoe said. "The reason we care about climate change is that it's the hole in every bucket."
October 30, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
evanlgeorge.bsky.social
Great to see attention to this from @sammyroth.bsky.social. We surveyed 610 LA Times stories from Jan-Feb and found that only 13-15% of stories included a mention of “climate change” or “global warming” during those two months. Full survey is here: law.ucla.edu/news/missed-...
October 28, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
greenlawchina.bsky.social
None of NYT, WaPo, LAT, and WSJ have a story about the fire at this South Carolina judge's home yet. time.com/7323442/sout...
House of South Carolina Judge Criticized by Trump Administration Burns Down
Authorities are investigating a fire at the home of a South Carolina judge who had reportedly received death threats in what could be the latest incident of political violence across the country.
time.com
October 6, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
davidakaye.bsky.social
every word of erwin's oped is 🎯 - a must read. and good for @governor.ca.gov in taking such immediate action. gift link --> www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...
Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion
www.nytimes.com
October 3, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
blakeprof.bsky.social
The University of California, the jewel of American public education, is going to lose so much talent and dignity if it keeps down this path.
Give In or Fight Back? Colleges Are Torn on How to Respond to Trump.
www.nytimes.com
September 27, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
jaweedkaleem.bsky.social
BREAKING: A federal judge has ordered Trump to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA NIH grants. The same judge, Rita F. Lin, previously ordered all UCLA NSF grants reinstated. Lin has now nearly entirely reversed Trump's July de-funding of UCLA research: www.latimes.com/california/s...
Federal judge orders Trump to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA medical research grants
A San Francisco-based federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to restore all National Institutes of Health grants to UCLA, roughly $500 million, that the government suspended in July.
www.latimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
latimes.com
Protesters flood Hollywood over 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' suspension, calling for an end to censorship
Protesters flood Hollywood over 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' suspension, calling for an end to censorship
More than 100 locals and visitors took to Hollywood Boulevard outside of El Capitan Theatre — where 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!" is filmed — to protest what they see as the Trump administration's role in the indefinite suspension of the program.
www.latimes.com
September 19, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
tomscocca.bsky.social
When Karl Rove is more ready to call bullshit than ABC is
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Sep 18
ROVE: “.. Using Charlie’s murder to justify retaliation against political rivals is wrong and dangerous. It will further divide and embitter our country. No good thing will come of it.”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/opinion/they...
September 18, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Reposted by Daniel Melling
awalkerinla.bsky.social
I simply cannot believe that in the year 2025 we're tearing out 41 mature shade trees to build a brand-new palm-lined freeway overpass
A wider shot of the new LACMA building which looks like a freeway overpass set with black glass as it rises up and over Wilshire, with office towers in the back. In the front two pedestrians walk their dogs across fresh asphalt that has no shade because the city let LACMA plant dozens of palm trees. Caption: The broad sidewalk in front of LACMA’s curving David Geffen Galleries is visually interesting with its new corridor of palms, but pedestrians walking the block from the La Brea Tar Pits east of the museum to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to the west won’t find much in the way of shade. (Juliana Yamada / Los Angeles Times) In the case of LACMA, the museum agreed to pay $120,590 into the fund after it got permission from the city’s Board of Public Works to remove 41 mature trees to build the Geffen Galleries.
September 4, 2025 at 1:48 PM