Joshua G. Schraiber
@jgschraiber.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist, computational biologist, statistician. I like to develop mathematical models of evolutionary process and see how they fit to data. I also like cities where building apartments is legal.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
I wrote that siding with Trump on this “would not be a difference of opinion, an alternative path, or even a politicized decision. It would be a decision effectively overturning a key portion of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it would need to be treated as such.”
Birthright citizenship, firing powers, the National Guard, and Trump's made-up "peace prize"
A Trump era Friday in December is not a normal Friday in December.
www.lawdork.com
December 7, 2025 at 6:47 AM
I wrote that siding with Trump on this “would not be a difference of opinion, an alternative path, or even a politicized decision. It would be a decision effectively overturning a key portion of the Fourteenth Amendment, and it would need to be treated as such.”
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Is there an argument that Congress can decide this by simple majority vote, without presidential signature or the normal impeachment process
December 7, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Is there an argument that Congress can decide this by simple majority vote, without presidential signature or the normal impeachment process
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
It opens the door to other means of ending Trump's presidency. Perhaps with even just a majority.
Not entirely sure if that's a good thing, but seems both possible and arguably necessary.
Not entirely sure if that's a good thing, but seems both possible and arguably necessary.
December 7, 2025 at 4:18 AM
It opens the door to other means of ending Trump's presidency. Perhaps with even just a majority.
Not entirely sure if that's a good thing, but seems both possible and arguably necessary.
Not entirely sure if that's a good thing, but seems both possible and arguably necessary.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
That this SCOTUS used it to justify striking affirmative action bc it discriminated against WHITE people and now thinks their might be a colorable argument about the birthright part shows only that they are confused about whether the good team won the Civil War. (2/3)
December 5, 2025 at 10:57 PM
That this SCOTUS used it to justify striking affirmative action bc it discriminated against WHITE people and now thinks their might be a colorable argument about the birthright part shows only that they are confused about whether the good team won the Civil War. (2/3)
I think it's worse than this tbh: Trump is clearly only partially in charge at best. It's a license for literally whoever to kill outside the law anybody they label as terrorist. Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, whoever wants to can kill whoever they want if they say Trump said to do it.
One of the many reasons for concern about the killing spree at sea is that the administration is effectively asserting a license for POTUS to kill outside the law those he labels “terrorists.”
A term this administration also applies to domestic political opponents.
A term this administration also applies to domestic political opponents.
🚨Pam Bondi is ordering the FBI to “compile a list" of Americans who may be extremists, per signed memo leaked to me:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/leak-fbi-l...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/leak-fbi-l...
December 7, 2025 at 4:55 AM
I think it's worse than this tbh: Trump is clearly only partially in charge at best. It's a license for literally whoever to kill outside the law anybody they label as terrorist. Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, whoever wants to can kill whoever they want if they say Trump said to do it.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Redirecting
doi.org
December 6, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
still poleaxed by the idea that you could oppose birthright citizenship and still think of yourself as a liberal in any sense of the term.
December 6, 2025 at 5:35 PM
still poleaxed by the idea that you could oppose birthright citizenship and still think of yourself as a liberal in any sense of the term.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
I cannot imagine the brain that believes their own citizenship is cheapened by the growth of the American citizenry.
That’s a goddamn triumph. That’s us winning.
That’s a goddamn triumph. That’s us winning.
Ezra Klein even like "well we can agree 'birth tourism' is a problem," and no, I cannot. My group texts are about sports and kids.
still poleaxed by the idea that you could oppose birthright citizenship and still think of yourself as a liberal in any sense of the term.
December 7, 2025 at 2:15 AM
I cannot imagine the brain that believes their own citizenship is cheapened by the growth of the American citizenry.
That’s a goddamn triumph. That’s us winning.
That’s a goddamn triumph. That’s us winning.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Probably just as glaring: Trump has normalized ableist slurs. His use of the word "retarded" was not even a one-day story. (Though part of that is the right and many on the left have begun using that slur for a while now).
Here's a better headline for Axios: "How Trump has normalized racism and racist slurs." Why can't some journalists just call a thing what it is? https://loom.ly/hiKWr58
How Trump flipped America's race conversation
Language that once was disqualifying is now a fixture of national political discourse.
www.axios.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Probably just as glaring: Trump has normalized ableist slurs. His use of the word "retarded" was not even a one-day story. (Though part of that is the right and many on the left have begun using that slur for a while now).
Red state public universities are in for a very bad time
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
BREAKING: ‘This hurts’: UNL eliminates 4 programs despite faculty, student pleas
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln eliminates the Earth and atmospheric sciences 8-0, educational administration 7-1, statistics 7-1, textiles, merchandising and fashion design 7-1 programs.
www.dailynebraskan.com
December 7, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Red state public universities are in for a very bad time
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Studying the earth is political. It always has been and it always will be. The difference is that there is now a political party made up of people whose worldviews are threatened by the very existence of a scientific process.
It's over.
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut.
www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
BREAKING: ‘This hurts’: UNL eliminates 4 programs despite faculty, student pleas
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln eliminates the Earth and atmospheric sciences 8-0, educational administration 7-1, statistics 7-1, textiles, merchandising and fashion design 7-1 programs.
www.dailynebraskan.com
December 6, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Studying the earth is political. It always has been and it always will be. The difference is that there is now a political party made up of people whose worldviews are threatened by the very existence of a scientific process.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
A neat thing about birthright citizenship is how it tests whether a person cares at all about the Constitution. There's no argument against it, birthright citizenship is the unambitious text, the obvious intent of the drafters, and the undisputed way it was followed for the past 150+ years.
I continue to think that Matty coming out against birthright citizenship a few months ago should have been taken as a major warning sign that the group chats have already decided to surrender on this.
December 6, 2025 at 9:47 PM
A neat thing about birthright citizenship is how it tests whether a person cares at all about the Constitution. There's no argument against it, birthright citizenship is the unambitious text, the obvious intent of the drafters, and the undisputed way it was followed for the past 150+ years.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Anyone who tells you that mass deportations are a solution to the housing crisis is lying to you.
December 6, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Anyone who tells you that mass deportations are a solution to the housing crisis is lying to you.
What an absolutely insane comparison
She compares the boat strikes to Jesus breaking the sabbath to heal someone.
December 6, 2025 at 9:51 PM
What an absolutely insane comparison
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Stephen Miller is one of the worst Americans to ever live. His equals are slavers and Confederates.
Stephen Miller thinks it’s terrible that I can vote
December 6, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Stephen Miller is one of the worst Americans to ever live. His equals are slavers and Confederates.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
We Should Have Finished Reconstruction: A Brief History Of American Politics, 1865-2025
While the outcome should be clear from the plain text of the Constitution, the central project of this court and Administration, together, is to nullify the reconstruction amendments
The Supreme Court Friday agreed to decide whether President Donald Trump can unilaterally limit the constitutional right to citizenship granted to virtually every person born in the United States. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
December 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM
We Should Have Finished Reconstruction: A Brief History Of American Politics, 1865-2025
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Gerrymandering is terrible, a blight on democracy, blah blah blah. We all know this song. It is a true song, but stop for a moment.
The point I am making is that drawing a gerrymander in this case will hurt Indiana legislators' *self-interest*. I believe this is a new argument!
The point I am making is that drawing a gerrymander in this case will hurt Indiana legislators' *self-interest*. I believe this is a new argument!
Will Hoosiers shoot themselves in the foot? If the Indiana Senate approves the state House's draft, Republicans gain two seats...but lose any chance of power in a Democratic Congress in 2027.
My latest, at Fixing Bugs in Democracy: samwang.substack.com/p/will-hoosi...
My latest, at Fixing Bugs in Democracy: samwang.substack.com/p/will-hoosi...
Will Hoosiers shoot themselves in the foot?
A look ahead at 2026 suggests that Indiana legislators would be wise to hedge their bets.
samwang.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Gerrymandering is terrible, a blight on democracy, blah blah blah. We all know this song. It is a true song, but stop for a moment.
The point I am making is that drawing a gerrymander in this case will hurt Indiana legislators' *self-interest*. I believe this is a new argument!
The point I am making is that drawing a gerrymander in this case will hurt Indiana legislators' *self-interest*. I believe this is a new argument!
I'm gonna put this out there: birthright citizenship is not going to change, it's going to be a 9-0 decision against Trump.
December 6, 2025 at 6:20 PM
I'm gonna put this out there: birthright citizenship is not going to change, it's going to be a 9-0 decision against Trump.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
It’s significant that Wong Kim Ark resolved the issue and not some guy named Hans Schmidt - to my knowledge there was no question *at any point* whether the 14A applied to present non-citizens who were nonetheless eligible for eventual citizenship
finally, not one of the contrarians has stood up and said that they think the EO is constitutional. Not one. Maybe, partially, possibly, they say. and not one of them has seriously grappled with the statutory question.
December 6, 2025 at 6:15 PM
It’s significant that Wong Kim Ark resolved the issue and not some guy named Hans Schmidt - to my knowledge there was no question *at any point* whether the 14A applied to present non-citizens who were nonetheless eligible for eventual citizenship
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
what follows immediately after the birthright clause? the privileges and immunities and due process clauses? and what follows them? the equal protection clause. all of this is explicitly to say, "the declaration is the constitutional law of the land"
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
what follows immediately after the birthright clause? the privileges and immunities and due process clauses? and what follows them? the equal protection clause. all of this is explicitly to say, "the declaration is the constitutional law of the land"
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
the birthright clause was not just written to wipe dred scott off of the books, it was written to repudiate the *idea* behind dred scott, you might say the larger *ideological project* of dred scott. and the whole of section 1 of the 14th amendment is a constitutional statement of political equality
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
the birthright clause was not just written to wipe dred scott off of the books, it was written to repudiate the *idea* behind dred scott, you might say the larger *ideological project* of dred scott. and the whole of section 1 of the 14th amendment is a constitutional statement of political equality
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
dred scott, in their minds, established the united states as a place of tiered citizenship and permanent inequality among americans. it was a ruling that said, in effect, that all men *were not* created equal and would *never* be treated as such.
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
dred scott, in their minds, established the united states as a place of tiered citizenship and permanent inequality among americans. it was a ruling that said, in effect, that all men *were not* created equal and would *never* be treated as such.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
Always great to be at the Bay Area Population Genomics meeting! One of the highlights of my professional life.
December 6, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Always great to be at the Bay Area Population Genomics meeting! One of the highlights of my professional life.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
WOW! AN HONOR! — GCN
December 6, 2025 at 4:16 AM
WOW! AN HONOR! — GCN