John Carl Baker
@johncarlbaker.bsky.social
nuclear weapons, foreign policy, the left - occasional antiquity and cocktail posts
Words: Nation, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, NK News, US Institute of Peace, New Republic, elsewhere
seniores tollunt omnia
Words: Nation, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, NK News, US Institute of Peace, New Republic, elsewhere
seniores tollunt omnia
Pinned
No one is less prepared for the foreign policy of Trump 2.0 than people who think “isolationism” is an accurate description of administration policy
Reposted by John Carl Baker
Virginia lawmakers are reviving long-stalled paid sick leave and family & medical leave bills in the 2026 General Assembly as Democratic control and a supportive new governor boost chances of passage.
virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...
virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...
Va. lawmakers try again on paid sick leave and family medical leave bills • Virginia Mercury
In Virginia, there is no state policy that sets a minimum for paid sick days, so it’s up to companies whether they offer them or not. A multi-year effort to require paid sick leave for workers is up f...
virginiamercury.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Virginia lawmakers are reviving long-stalled paid sick leave and family & medical leave bills in the 2026 General Assembly as Democratic control and a supportive new governor boost chances of passage.
virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...
virginiamercury.com/2026/01/29/v...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
FOUO (For Official Use Only) is not classified in any way, it is used to restrict information that is often already public, there is already a systematic overclassification problem, media sensationalizing USG info chokepoints is a disservice to the public.
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
US cyber defense chief accidentally uploaded secret government info to ChatGPT
Congress recently grilled the acting chief on mass layoffs and a failed polygraph.
arstechnica.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:52 AM
FOUO (For Official Use Only) is not classified in any way, it is used to restrict information that is often already public, there is already a systematic overclassification problem, media sensationalizing USG info chokepoints is a disservice to the public.
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
"I don't want to drive housing prices down, I want to drive housing prices up." Pivoting to affordability very strongly, sir.
Trump: "People that own their homes -- we're gonna keep them wealthy. We're gonna keep those prices up. We're not gonna destroy the value of their homes so that somebody who didn't work very hard can buy a home."
January 29, 2026 at 6:49 PM
"I don't want to drive housing prices down, I want to drive housing prices up." Pivoting to affordability very strongly, sir.
According to this article, the Trump administration isn't even willing to *hold a meeting* with the Iranians unless they agree to zero enrichment, limits on ballistic missiles, and suspending support for proxies.
The peace president strikes again. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/28/p...
The peace president strikes again. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/28/p...
Trump weighs major new strike on Iran as nuclear discussions show no progress | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump is weighing a major new strike on Iran after preliminary discussions between Washington and Tehran over limiting the country’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production f...
edition.cnn.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:24 PM
According to this article, the Trump administration isn't even willing to *hold a meeting* with the Iranians unless they agree to zero enrichment, limits on ballistic missiles, and suspending support for proxies.
The peace president strikes again. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/28/p...
The peace president strikes again. edition.cnn.com/2026/01/28/p...
Oh give me a break - was the last attack on Iran "defensive" too? www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
January 29, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Oh give me a break - was the last attack on Iran "defensive" too? www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...
SPACECOM is going to allow private companies to join classified war games spacenews.com/u-s-space-co...
U.S. Space Command to bring commercial firms into classified wargame on nuclear threats in space
U.S. Space Command to bring commercial firms into classified wargame on nuclear threats in space U.S. Space Command to bring commercial firms into classified wargame on nuclear threats in space
spacenews.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:02 PM
SPACECOM is going to allow private companies to join classified war games spacenews.com/u-s-space-co...
Trump deserves credit for this thing that doesn't exist yet www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/ja...
Letter to the editor: Trump deserves credit for Golden Dome, other winning moves
Friends of mine from Britain have been calling me to ask what’s really happening with President Trump because they find it difficult to follow the distorted news they receive from the British media.
www.washingtontimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Trump deserves credit for this thing that doesn't exist yet www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/ja...
“Compared to the original 669-page textbook, the new version is just 267 pages.” www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Florida Introduces “Sanitized” Sociology Textbook
The volume was created after a state review found that existing course materials violated a law prohibiting general education courses from teaching about systemic inequality. So far, at least two univ...
www.insidehighered.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:18 PM
“Compared to the original 669-page textbook, the new version is just 267 pages.” www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
None of these guys actually live like this, it’s a social media aesthetic they maintain so that if their start up does make it thy can pretend it was grit instead of luck that got them there.
This is actually a model how thy want other people to live, particularly their employees
This is actually a model how thy want other people to live, particularly their employees
January 29, 2026 at 2:48 PM
None of these guys actually live like this, it’s a social media aesthetic they maintain so that if their start up does make it thy can pretend it was grit instead of luck that got them there.
This is actually a model how thy want other people to live, particularly their employees
This is actually a model how thy want other people to live, particularly their employees
Reposted by John Carl Baker
The AI boom isn’t some tech futurist utopia — it’s a dirty industrial frenzy reliant on huge amounts of new carbon emissions. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
US leads record global surge in gas-fired power driven by AI demands, with big costs for the climate
Projects this year expected to triple global gas capacity, forecast finds, as concerns grow over impacts on planet
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:26 PM
The AI boom isn’t some tech futurist utopia — it’s a dirty industrial frenzy reliant on huge amounts of new carbon emissions. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Really digging this Night Tapes album open.spotify.com/album/3J8mi0...
portals//polarities
open.spotify.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Really digging this Night Tapes album open.spotify.com/album/3J8mi0...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
Sweden is talking with France and the UK about cooperation with their nuclear weapons programs breakingdefense.com/2026/01/swed...
Sweden weighs Franco-British nuclear weapons cooperation - Breaking Defense
"I say that when we joined NATO, we are fully involved in all discussions, including those in Europe revolving around nuclear weapons," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
breakingdefense.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Sweden is talking with France and the UK about cooperation with their nuclear weapons programs breakingdefense.com/2026/01/swed...
"Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for the missile, says it is now working with the Air Force to try to re-accelerate the program, which is now years, if not decades, behind schedule." www.twz.com/nuclear/trou...
Troubled Sentinel ICBM Program Still Being Restructured Nearly Two Years After Cost Breach
A top Air Force general sees a long future for Sentinel after it enters service, but there is still a lengthy road ahead to get there.
www.twz.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:52 PM
"Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor for the missile, says it is now working with the Air Force to try to re-accelerate the program, which is now years, if not decades, behind schedule." www.twz.com/nuclear/trou...
Is that good www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Trump's Golden Dome missile shield marks one year with little progress
One year after its launch, U.S. President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile-defense initiative has made little visible progress, bogged down by technical disputes and concerns over space‑based compon...
www.reuters.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Is that good www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
The behavior of the administration toward Canada since Carney’s Davos speech continues to confirm the thesis of Carney’s speech.
Bessent: "I'd encourage Carney to do what he thinks is best for Canadians, not his own virtue signaling. We do have a USMCA negotiation coming up. He rose to power on an anti-American, anti-Trump message. That's not a great place to be when you're negotiating w/ an economy multiples larger than you"
January 28, 2026 at 4:32 PM
The behavior of the administration toward Canada since Carney’s Davos speech continues to confirm the thesis of Carney’s speech.
Need a revival of this aesthetic and its politics
January 28, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Need a revival of this aesthetic and its politics
“Gottumukkala is currently the senior-most political official at CISA, an agency tasked with securing federal networks against sophisticated, state-backed hackers from adversarial nations” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Trump’s acting cyber chief uploaded sensitive files into a public version of ChatGPT
The interim director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency triggered an internal cybersecurity warning with the uploads — and a DHS-level damage assessment.
www.politico.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:44 PM
“Gottumukkala is currently the senior-most political official at CISA, an agency tasked with securing federal networks against sophisticated, state-backed hackers from adversarial nations” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Reposted by John Carl Baker
The interim head of CISA "uploaded sensitive contracting documents into a public version of ChatGPT last summer, triggering multiple automated security warnings that are meant to stop the theft or unintentional disclosure of government material from federal networks," per DHS sources.
Trump’s acting cyber chief uploaded sensitive files into a public version of ChatGPT
The interim director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency triggered an internal cybersecurity warning with the uploads — and a DHS-level damage assessment.
www.politico.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:17 PM
The interim head of CISA "uploaded sensitive contracting documents into a public version of ChatGPT last summer, triggering multiple automated security warnings that are meant to stop the theft or unintentional disclosure of government material from federal networks," per DHS sources.
This song is so good open.spotify.com/track/2J88Gg...
Ancients
open.spotify.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:28 AM
This song is so good open.spotify.com/track/2J88Gg...
Taking her at face value, it’s fascinating to me how an editor in chief making a clear statement of a media company’s political position somehow doesn’t count as bias.
Bari Weiss, editor in chief of CBS News, told the staff that she wanted the network to appeal to political moderates.
“We’re for the center. We’re for the center-right, and we’re for the center-left,” Weiss said.
“We’re for the center. We’re for the center-right, and we’re for the center-left,” Weiss said.
Bari Weiss to CBS News staff: Without a shift in strategy, ‘we are toast’
The CBS News editor in chief said the network needs to produce journalism people want as she named a raft of new contributors from her website, the Free Press.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Taking her at face value, it’s fascinating to me how an editor in chief making a clear statement of a media company’s political position somehow doesn’t count as bias.
Reposted by John Carl Baker
“Yes, it’s expanding the surveillance state, and yes, it’s destroying the education system, and yes, it’s being trained on copyrighted work without permission, and yes, it’s being used to create lethal autonomous weapons systems…but…I forget my point, but ultimately, I think you should embrace it.”
Please Don’t Say Mean Things about the AI That I Just Invested a Billion Dollars In
“[Nvidia CEO] Jensen Huang Is Begging You to Stop Being So Negative About AI” — Headline from Gizmodo
- - —
Guys, enough is enough. Bullying is a s...
www.mcsweeneys.net
January 27, 2026 at 8:36 PM
“Yes, it’s expanding the surveillance state, and yes, it’s destroying the education system, and yes, it’s being trained on copyrighted work without permission, and yes, it’s being used to create lethal autonomous weapons systems…but…I forget my point, but ultimately, I think you should embrace it.”
North Korea is now producing art about its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...
N. Korea's Kim inspects sculptures, artwork honoring soldiers killed in Ukraine war | Yonhap News Agency
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has inspected sculptures and ar...
en.yna.co.kr
January 27, 2026 at 7:02 PM
North Korea is now producing art about its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...
Meanwhile, US-South Korea friction continues en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...
(LEAD) White House official says S. Korea made 'no progress' despite Trump's tariff cuts | Yonhap News Agency
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; ADDS more info in paras 5-8)By Song Sang-ho WASHINGTON, J...
en.yna.co.kr
January 27, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Meanwhile, US-South Korea friction continues en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2026...