Joe Germuska
@joe.germuska.com
Chief Nerd @ Northwestern University Knight Lab • Project lead @ Census Reporter • Board Member @ City Bureau • Information Design • Digital Journalism • Civic Technology
Signal: JoeGermuska.53
Signal: JoeGermuska.53
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Remember how all these republicans pretended to believe in free speech?
Newly unsealed evidence makes it even clearer that Rubio and Noem knew they were targeting students based solely on their political speech and that they knew this policy was unconstitutional. They just didn’t care. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...
January 23, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Remember how all these republicans pretended to believe in free speech?
Reposted by Joe Germuska
This must be weird news to see if you’re one of the literally hundreds or even thousands of university administrators who preemptively censored faculty, scrubbed websites, changed the names of centers, etc.
Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges. This leaves in place a federal judge's ruling that the anti-DEI effort violated the First Amendment and federal procedural rules. (Via AP) apnews.com/article/dei-... #ncpol #nced
Trump administration drops legal appeal over anti-DEI funding threat to schools and colleges
The Trump administration is dropping its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion threatening federal funding to the nation’s schools and colle...
apnews.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:45 PM
This must be weird news to see if you’re one of the literally hundreds or even thousands of university administrators who preemptively censored faculty, scrubbed websites, changed the names of centers, etc.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Weird framing. How about: "A federal judge has rejected claims by a conservative group that Northwestern University's law school discriminates against white men in faculty hiring"?
Northwestern University’s law school has persuaded a federal judge in Chicago to reject claims by a conservative group that the school discriminates against white men in faculty hiring reut.rs/3ZdoM3X
January 23, 2026 at 1:42 AM
Weird framing. How about: "A federal judge has rejected claims by a conservative group that Northwestern University's law school discriminates against white men in faculty hiring"?
Reposted by Joe Germuska
I know I don't have a ton of media followers, but I'll put this out there anyway: if you need someone to comment/offer context on the removal of the slavery exhibit at the President's House site in Philly, get in touch. I just finished an entire book on Americans' fight over Washington and slavery.
January 23, 2026 at 12:04 AM
I know I don't have a ton of media followers, but I'll put this out there anyway: if you need someone to comment/offer context on the removal of the slavery exhibit at the President's House site in Philly, get in touch. I just finished an entire book on Americans' fight over Washington and slavery.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
not surprising and yet still jarring to read ex-FBI agents describing how Kash Patel and Bongino reacted to Charlie Kirk's murder while running the agency. truly the content creator administration/podcast govt www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 22, 2026 at 10:49 PM
not surprising and yet still jarring to read ex-FBI agents describing how Kash Patel and Bongino reacted to Charlie Kirk's murder while running the agency. truly the content creator administration/podcast govt www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
The grimness of US history should encourage us. Yes, people used to send lynching postcards. And other people saw that, worked towards building a more just society anyway, and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination. There's more work to be done. What's our excuse for choosing despair instead?
I understand and appreciate the fact that for some it is genuinely uncomfortable and distracting to think about how grim US history is. yes, that is strategically relevant, and no, I wouldn't put "did you know people used to send lynching photos to each other as postcards?" on a recruitment flyer
January 22, 2026 at 7:18 PM
The grimness of US history should encourage us. Yes, people used to send lynching postcards. And other people saw that, worked towards building a more just society anyway, and succeeded beyond anyone's wildest imagination. There's more work to be done. What's our excuse for choosing despair instead?
Reposted by Joe Germuska
One of the reasons I am so insistent that everyone remember that only 22% of the US population voted for Trump is that the Christian Nationalists want the myth of a mandate in circulation.
We need to reject it. They never had a mandate, and their coalition is shrinking.
We need to reject it. They never had a mandate, and their coalition is shrinking.
The new NYT poll finds Trump 17 points underwater on immigration, and the nonwhite and young voters who went to Trump in 2024 have snapped back to Dems
It's almost as if 2024 might not have represented a seismic cultural realignment on immigration after all, despite 1,000 NYT op eds to the contrary
It's almost as if 2024 might not have represented a seismic cultural realignment on immigration after all, despite 1,000 NYT op eds to the contrary
January 22, 2026 at 5:17 PM
One of the reasons I am so insistent that everyone remember that only 22% of the US population voted for Trump is that the Christian Nationalists want the myth of a mandate in circulation.
We need to reject it. They never had a mandate, and their coalition is shrinking.
We need to reject it. They never had a mandate, and their coalition is shrinking.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
If confirmed, this really is a new low, where a state agency is altering image of real events with an intent to deceive the public.
January 22, 2026 at 5:16 PM
If confirmed, this really is a new low, where a state agency is altering image of real events with an intent to deceive the public.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
This is nice work by Elliott. Note too that the only demographic group in which Trump has majority support is white non-college-educated respondents, and there he is just barely holding on. There is no electoral downside to opposing authoritarianism.
January 22, 2026 at 1:34 PM
This is nice work by Elliott. Note too that the only demographic group in which Trump has majority support is white non-college-educated respondents, and there he is just barely holding on. There is no electoral downside to opposing authoritarianism.
When we replaced our old-school doorbell, we went with Eufy, which only sends to the cloud if you opt in. We didn’t and it still works great for us.
January 22, 2026 at 2:16 PM
When we replaced our old-school doorbell, we went with Eufy, which only sends to the cloud if you opt in. We didn’t and it still works great for us.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
NEWS: Illinois investigating allegation that South Shore apartment owner and management tipped federal officials about the presence of Venezuelan immigrants in the building in order to intimidate and coerce the building’s Black and Hispanic tenants into leaving.
January 22, 2026 at 1:53 AM
NEWS: Illinois investigating allegation that South Shore apartment owner and management tipped federal officials about the presence of Venezuelan immigrants in the building in order to intimidate and coerce the building’s Black and Hispanic tenants into leaving.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
People can say they didn’t vote for this but people are liars
January 22, 2026 at 2:10 AM
People can say they didn’t vote for this but people are liars
Reposted by Joe Germuska
One court decision, two different headlines.
Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
January 22, 2026 at 3:30 AM
One court decision, two different headlines.
Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
Guardian on the left, NY Times on the right. Which one more directly conveys information and the stakes to the reader?
Reposted by Joe Germuska
How do you pause an injunction barring cops from using retaliatory violence against **peaceful** protesters?
That's . . . already illegal.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
That's . . . already illegal.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Live: Appeals court sides with ICE over its tactics against protesters
A federal judge previously issued an injunction meant to prevent immigration agents from detaining and pepper-spraying ‘peaceful’ observers.
www.startribune.com
January 21, 2026 at 10:16 PM
How do you pause an injunction barring cops from using retaliatory violence against **peaceful** protesters?
That's . . . already illegal.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
That's . . . already illegal.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
This judge should haul Bovino in every time one of his goons violates the order.
January 21, 2026 at 9:27 PM
This judge should haul Bovino in every time one of his goons violates the order.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
This is a photo of someone being tortured, not someone being restrained
An observer arrested in Suth Minneapolis. Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 21, 2026 at 9:32 PM
This is a photo of someone being tortured, not someone being restrained
Reposted by Joe Germuska
I picked a hell of a week to visit Europe, and Switzerland, at that.l I’ve spent three days at an international gathering, and, Americans: everybody else is deep into planning a post-US world. We are only worth considering as an opponent. New alliances are being formed. We are being left behind.
January 21, 2026 at 6:35 PM
I picked a hell of a week to visit Europe, and Switzerland, at that.l I’ve spent three days at an international gathering, and, Americans: everybody else is deep into planning a post-US world. We are only worth considering as an opponent. New alliances are being formed. We are being left behind.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
🧵ICE abducts Mainers in Portland, Maine the morning of January 21, 2026.
January 21, 2026 at 4:32 PM
🧵ICE abducts Mainers in Portland, Maine the morning of January 21, 2026.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
Right on cue, here are the push alerts from the 3 major newspapers lmao
January 21, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Right on cue, here are the push alerts from the 3 major newspapers lmao
Reposted by Joe Germuska
New York Times, July 22, 1939.
January 21, 2026 at 4:42 PM
New York Times, July 22, 1939.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
it's bizarre to see both CNN and CNBC run with chyrons reporting that Trump said he won't "use force" to take Greenland, when the comments in question were clearly a threat to take Greenland by force. How naive are we at this point?
January 21, 2026 at 3:01 PM
it's bizarre to see both CNN and CNBC run with chyrons reporting that Trump said he won't "use force" to take Greenland, when the comments in question were clearly a threat to take Greenland by force. How naive are we at this point?
Gift link if you need it www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
January 21, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Gift link if you need it www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/o...
Reposted by Joe Germuska
After it’s over, really over, one of the tasks will be getting a small army of cybersecurity people & going over everything DOGE touched with a fine tooth comb and a willingness to nuke infrastructure from orbit & start fresh if necessary #civictech
While DOGE was under a TRO at SSA, they entered a "voter data agreement" with an org aiming to "overturn election results"--without review or approval.
SSA also concedes they "have not been able to determine what data [DOGE] shared" & have no way to know.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
SSA also concedes they "have not been able to determine what data [DOGE] shared" & have no way to know.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:18 PM
After it’s over, really over, one of the tasks will be getting a small army of cybersecurity people & going over everything DOGE touched with a fine tooth comb and a willingness to nuke infrastructure from orbit & start fresh if necessary #civictech
Reposted by Joe Germuska
New— An American citizen boarding flight from Boston to Lisbon just now told me after showing boarding pass, every passenger stopped on jetway by two ICE agents demanding to take their photo. When passenger asked why, ICE threatened to detain them. If they said no photo, couldn't board/TBD detained.
January 20, 2026 at 11:13 PM
New— An American citizen boarding flight from Boston to Lisbon just now told me after showing boarding pass, every passenger stopped on jetway by two ICE agents demanding to take their photo. When passenger asked why, ICE threatened to detain them. If they said no photo, couldn't board/TBD detained.
Reposted by Joe Germuska
any Democrats afraid of including threats of ICE prosecution and dissolution in campaign messaging should go get a job in retail or lawn care
1. ICE has STOPPED PAYING for medical treatment for its 73,000 detainees
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
ICE has not paid its bills to 3rd party providers since OCTOBER and the situation will likely persist for MONTHS, a Popular Information investigation reveals
Meanwhile, critically ill ICE detainees are not receiving care
🧵
ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment
ICE halted payments in October, and the situation will persist for at least several more months
popular.info
January 20, 2026 at 2:33 PM
any Democrats afraid of including threats of ICE prosecution and dissolution in campaign messaging should go get a job in retail or lawn care