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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Sep 11

Utah, this year, legalized open carry of firearms on college campuses. And the FBI head in Salt Lake City, experienced in anti-terrorism, was female and from Asia so she was recently fired.

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Aug 7

What I say about this is not long, but too long for this platform. If you still have Facebook, click through. www.facebook.com/dvd.avins/po...

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Mike Petriello @mikepetriello.bsky.social · Aug 7

Wrote about Paul Skenes .. who has a 1.99 ERA career ERA in his first 46 career starts .. which is the lowest in the Live Ball era.

Feels like we're kind of just acting like that's normal.

(Fun fact: He's allowed a .574 OPS in his *losses.* It is the lowest ever.)

www.mlb.com/pirates/news...

Is it possible we're ... underrating Paul Skenes?

Paul Skenes can’t really ever be underrated, because he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft, and then barely more than a year later was named the 2024 National League Rookie of the Year. He s...

www.mlb.com

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wendy norris @wendynorris.bsky.social · Aug 7

Generative AI needs to be burned to the ground and then salted.

White hat hackers: These applications are not safe. They are not private. They can be exploited. They do harm. It's actually pretty easy to do. No code, no supercomputer needed. Just a calendar invite.

Google: Welp. Security is hard

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · Aug 6

NEW: In a likely first, security researchers have shown how generative AI agents can be hijacked to cause physical consequences.

They tricked Google's Gemini AI into turning off smart home lights, opening windows, and turning on a boiler.

They hid instructions to the AI in a *calendar invitation*

Hackers Hijacked Google’s Gemini AI With a Poisoned Calendar Invite to Take Over a Smart Home

For likely the first time ever, security researchers have shown how AI can be hacked to create real world havoc, allowing them to turn off lights, open smart shutters, and more.

www.wired.com

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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social · Jul 25

Meanwhile, the Republicans fundraise off rural Americans by painting cities as death traps.

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Jul 25

Rural Americans, especially men, die younger.

New research shows a 60-year-old rural man is expected to live two years less than his urban peer – and the gap is widening.

Rural Americans don’t live as long as those in cities − new research

The study shows rates for smoking, obesity and chronic conditions such as heart disease are comparatively higher in rural areas, leading to shorter life expectancy.

theconversation.com

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Jul 24

Even this year, he’s +2 runs so far. If the decline continues, he’ll become a liability. But taking an average weighted toward recency, he still looks comfortably above average.

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Jul 24

Below average hitting for all players. Above average hitting on his career for shortstops. And well above average defensively for shortstops.

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Jun 25

This was part of AOC clapping back at Trump, who had insulted her. But I don't think Trump was the only Queens boy she had in mind. It seems likely Andrew Cuomo's electoral career is finally done.

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Jun 18

Stanton should be high on that list as soon as he stays off the DL long enough to have 80 batted balls.

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Arno Rosenfeld @arnorosenfeld.bsky.social · Jun 18

📊The new Quinnipiac poll asked voters about antisemitism — and it turns out the more that a group believes antisemitism is a serious issue, the less likely they are to approve of how Trump is approaching it.

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Jun 18

I agree wrt legislators. I think they do accomplish a good bit of what they're supposed to with executive positions, and many of New Jersey's municipalities would be less corrupt would better serve those residents not participating in the political machines if term limits applies to mayors here.

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BSD @davidhsiegel.bsky.social · Jun 17

Lander doing the right thing.

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · Jun 17

Here's a longer video of Brad Lander's detention just now inside 26 Federal Plaza as he tried to walk a man out of immigration court, by masked federal agents.

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Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · May 26

The government is surveilling US senators and the phone companies are illegally failing to report it

www.politico.com/live-updates...

Phone companies failed to warn senators about surveillance, Wyden says

Government surveillance of lawmakers, though legal, raises concerns that members of Congress cannot effectively legislate when they are being spied on.

www.politico.com

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Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · May 22

“He sat back in his chair and he had a slight smile on his face with his hand up to his chin ... It looked to me like, I don’t know, like he was proud of what he did.”

via @invisible.institute / @propublica.org

Chicago Police Dismissed a Recruit’s Claims That a Colleague Sexually Assaulted Her. Then He was Accused Again and Again.

The Invisible Institute and ProPublica reviewed over 300 complaints accusing Chicago officers of sexual assault and misconduct. Time and time again, the police department downplayed or ignored claims,...

www.propublica.org

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · May 18

wapo.st/3YS8Kwx

Trump Justice Dept. considers removing key check on lawmaker prosecutions

The Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section is charged with ensuring cases against elected officials are not politically motivated. The Trump administration is considering changing that.

wapo.st

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ProPublica @propublica.org · May 17

Read more about Christopher Young, a political adviser to Musk who also serves in DOGE, helping to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Musk Adviser May Make as Much as $1 Million a Year While Helping to Dismantle Agency that Regulates Tesla and X

Records show that Chris Young is simultaneously working as a political adviser to Musk while serving in the Department of Government Efficiency, helping to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...

www.propublica.org

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ProPublica @propublica.org · May 17

Those accused of housing discrimination “know that we don’t have those resources anymore,” one HUD official said. “They also feel emboldened that this administration will not consider the things that they are doing to be illegal.”

By @jessecoburn.bsky.social‬

How the Trump Administration Is Weakening the Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws

Starting with cases involving sexual orientation and identity, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is hobbling enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Said one HUD attorney: “People are…

www.propublica.org

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Saleh Waziruddin صالح وزيرالدين @salehw.bsky.social · May 8

"Celgene had kept the price of Thalomid low when it was initially intended for AIDS patients...as the company “didn’t want huge numbers of people demonstrating in front” of its office.

That wasn’t a problem with cancer patients. There was “plenty of room for very substantial increases”..."

ProPublica @propublica.org · May 8

New from @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social:

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked even me.

The Price of Remission

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked ...

www.propublica.org

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · May 5

Hey! Press covering Trump!

The statute that lets him impose tariffs at will? It EXPLICITLY excludes movies.

He has no authority to do this. Not just bc of an absence of authorization, but bc the law says “you CANNOT do this.”

Do NOT say “Trump has imposed movie tariffs,” bc he did not. He CANNOT.

Downpuppy @downpuppy.bsky.social · May 5

to wit -

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karmaatwrk.bsky.social @karmaatwrk.bsky.social · May 5

"The people who’ve been able to get back out of the pit of despair and disinformation have all described one thing that was critical to allowing them to do so: a friend.

Having someone in their life who was willing to give them the space to come back with dignity and not be treated as a fool..."

Donie O’Sullivan @donie.bsky.social · May 3

Why it’s time we change how we talk about conspiracy theories

www.cnn.com/2025/05/03/p...

Why it’s time we change how we talk about conspiracy theories | CNN Politics

CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, who interviews people with crazy beliefs, reflects on some of his own.

www.cnn.com

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · May 4

Ahem. Maybe he saw your posts and got mad.

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Scott Lemieux @lemieuxlgm.bsky.social · Apr 26

Particularly degenerate homophobia at the highest court in the land this week

Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · Apr 25

I wanted to try and figure out how Neil Gorsuch concluded that 'Pride Puppy', an ABCs book about a lost dog at a pride parade that he insists he read, exposes kids to "bondage" and "sex workers." The answers are somehow even dumber than you can imagine. A brief thread:

I Think Neil Gorsuch Is Lying About a “Religious Freedom” Case Again

Why did Gorsuch claim that ‘Pride Puppy’, an alphabet book about a lost dog, introduces kids to bondage and sex workers? Let’s find out!

ballsandstrikes.org

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Apr 24

@kateshaw.bsky.social please consider.

Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Apr 24

I have rarely seen the shortcoming of Democratic/left messaging worse than seeing "due process" over and over and over and almost never "a fair hearing" or "facts presented to a court."

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Dvd Avins @dvdavins.bsky.social · Apr 16

wapo.st/4jzXeha

Some DOGE staffers hold high-powered jobs at multiple federal agencies

The practice, which has been questioned by ethics experts, may give Elon Musk’s allies influence well after he formally leaves the White House.

wapo.st