@markpalko.bsky.social
The job description says data scientist, but still just a simple country statistician at heart. Blogging at observationalepidemiology.blogspot.com
Andrew Gelman: "There's something wrong with the world that [Palko's] blog doesn't have a million readers."
Andrew Gelman: "There's something wrong with the world that [Palko's] blog doesn't have a million readers."
Pinned
Immigration was a winning issue for Trump in 2024, but no issue is so popular that it can't be turned toxic by sufficient evil, overreach, and incompetence.
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-b...
Reposted
big tea leaf takeaways from what we know so far about Muskworld merger madness:
-SpaceX IPO is probably not going as well as hoped, and merger talk is a trial balloon to move the needle
-xAI talent, which is currently expensive and highly in demand, needs a liquidity event to stick around
-SpaceX IPO is probably not going as well as hoped, and merger talk is a trial balloon to move the needle
-xAI talent, which is currently expensive and highly in demand, needs a liquidity event to stick around
January 29, 2026 at 10:42 PM
big tea leaf takeaways from what we know so far about Muskworld merger madness:
-SpaceX IPO is probably not going as well as hoped, and merger talk is a trial balloon to move the needle
-xAI talent, which is currently expensive and highly in demand, needs a liquidity event to stick around
-SpaceX IPO is probably not going as well as hoped, and merger talk is a trial balloon to move the needle
-xAI talent, which is currently expensive and highly in demand, needs a liquidity event to stick around
In case you're keeping track, when we last saw Berger, he was writing a credulous puff piece for the lunar hotel start-up.
hi folks, serious journalist here, it's important to understand that this all makes perfect sense if you've completely cooked your brain on Elon fanboy bullshit for the last decade
January 30, 2026 at 5:31 AM
In case you're keeping track, when we last saw Berger, he was writing a credulous puff piece for the lunar hotel start-up.
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Holy shit, there's an open carry #2A protest of ICE happening in Douglas County Colorado -- a very wealthy and very red suburb county of Denver. (I lived there for 16 years.) The Trump Administration pissing off committed gun owners sufficiently for them to join the protests against ICE is wild.
January 28, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Holy shit, there's an open carry #2A protest of ICE happening in Douglas County Colorado -- a very wealthy and very red suburb county of Denver. (I lived there for 16 years.) The Trump Administration pissing off committed gun owners sufficiently for them to join the protests against ICE is wild.
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Here's what you need to know ahead of Tesla's fourth quarter earnings call:
-lol nothing matters
-magic is real, if you believe it in your heart
-knowledge is a burden
-chaos reigns!
-repeated blows to the head can help anyone understand modern markets
-don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling
-lol nothing matters
-magic is real, if you believe it in your heart
-knowledge is a burden
-chaos reigns!
-repeated blows to the head can help anyone understand modern markets
-don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling
January 28, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Here's what you need to know ahead of Tesla's fourth quarter earnings call:
-lol nothing matters
-magic is real, if you believe it in your heart
-knowledge is a burden
-chaos reigns!
-repeated blows to the head can help anyone understand modern markets
-don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling
-lol nothing matters
-magic is real, if you believe it in your heart
-knowledge is a burden
-chaos reigns!
-repeated blows to the head can help anyone understand modern markets
-don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling
Reposted
one of the least-appreciated own-goals happening right now is the deliberate sabotage of our knowledge/research sector www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Texas Halts Hiring of H-1B Workers at State Colleges, Agencies
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions, curtailing a program that has also been overhauled by President Donald Trump.
www.bloomberg.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:06 PM
one of the least-appreciated own-goals happening right now is the deliberate sabotage of our knowledge/research sector www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted
HOME DEPOT TO CUT 800 CORPORATE JOBS, REQUIRE FULL-TIME RETURN TO OFFICE – AJC
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 PM
HOME DEPOT TO CUT 800 CORPORATE JOBS, REQUIRE FULL-TIME RETURN TO OFFICE – AJC
Not sure how much play this clip is getting, hopefully a lot. There is no way to spin these this couple as dangerous radicals or paid agitators.
A retired Minneapolis couple who had guns pointed at them by ICE in a church parking lot.
"They were obviously not trained at all. I've known many police officers in my life. These people were right off the streets."
"They had the professional demeanor of criminals."
ht: @paulgraham.bsky.social
"They were obviously not trained at all. I've known many police officers in my life. These people were right off the streets."
"They had the professional demeanor of criminals."
ht: @paulgraham.bsky.social
January 29, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Not sure how much play this clip is getting, hopefully a lot. There is no way to spin these this couple as dangerous radicals or paid agitators.
Reposted
“.. The $35 million for marketing is 10 times what some other high-profile documentaries have received.”
@nytimes.com #$AMZN
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/b...
@nytimes.com #$AMZN
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/b...
January 28, 2026 at 11:11 PM
“.. The $35 million for marketing is 10 times what some other high-profile documentaries have received.”
@nytimes.com #$AMZN
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/b...
@nytimes.com #$AMZN
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/b...
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Fetterman’s calling for Kristi Noem to be fired:
January 27, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Fetterman’s calling for Kristi Noem to be fired:
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I’ve been saying on this site and on the old one for years that pundits are great, opinion-slinging is a noble profession, but none of them could eat without journalists providing facts on which to opine. Weiss is firing the sharks and hiring more remoras.
January 27, 2026 at 2:41 PM
I’ve been saying on this site and on the old one for years that pundits are great, opinion-slinging is a noble profession, but none of them could eat without journalists providing facts on which to opine. Weiss is firing the sharks and hiring more remoras.
Reposted
Elon Musk's very own private bankers at Morgan Stanley are absolutely eviscerating Tesla's pathetic "robotaxi" performance in their analyst notes.
This is a massive shift for some of Musk's most dedicated cheerleaders, and one of the strongest indications the wheels are coming off this stock scam.
This is a massive shift for some of Musk's most dedicated cheerleaders, and one of the strongest indications the wheels are coming off this stock scam.
January 27, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Elon Musk's very own private bankers at Morgan Stanley are absolutely eviscerating Tesla's pathetic "robotaxi" performance in their analyst notes.
This is a massive shift for some of Musk's most dedicated cheerleaders, and one of the strongest indications the wheels are coming off this stock scam.
This is a massive shift for some of Musk's most dedicated cheerleaders, and one of the strongest indications the wheels are coming off this stock scam.
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You don't usually hear language this stark from the business-oriented Conference Board:
"Confidence collapsed to the lowest point since 2014, surpassing pandemic depths..."
"well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead..."
www.conference-board.org/topics/consu...
"Confidence collapsed to the lowest point since 2014, surpassing pandemic depths..."
"well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead..."
www.conference-board.org/topics/consu...
January 27, 2026 at 5:48 PM
You don't usually hear language this stark from the business-oriented Conference Board:
"Confidence collapsed to the lowest point since 2014, surpassing pandemic depths..."
"well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead..."
www.conference-board.org/topics/consu...
"Confidence collapsed to the lowest point since 2014, surpassing pandemic depths..."
"well below the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead..."
www.conference-board.org/topics/consu...
Reposted
Reposted
Abundance y’all
January 27, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Abundance y’all
Reposted
I guess he just got lucky.
January 27, 2026 at 4:29 PM
I guess he just got lucky.
Reposted
This is huge.
Deep red Montana takes to the streets to protest ICE.
Montanans protest ICE, Trump’s immigration policies montanafreepress.org/2026/01/26/m...
Deep red Montana takes to the streets to protest ICE.
Montanans protest ICE, Trump’s immigration policies montanafreepress.org/2026/01/26/m...
Montanans turn out en masse to protest Trump’s immigration policies
Members of Montana’s all-GOP federal delegation have called for an investigation into Alex Pretti’s death.
montanafreepress.org
January 27, 2026 at 7:24 PM
This is huge.
Deep red Montana takes to the streets to protest ICE.
Montanans protest ICE, Trump’s immigration policies montanafreepress.org/2026/01/26/m...
Deep red Montana takes to the streets to protest ICE.
Montanans protest ICE, Trump’s immigration policies montanafreepress.org/2026/01/26/m...
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Related and significantly important... warontherocks.com/2026/01/bett...
Betting on War: Prediction Markets and the Corruption of National Security
Prediction markets have proven remarkably effective at aggregating dispersed information across many domains. From technology product launches to election
warontherocks.com
January 27, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Related and significantly important... warontherocks.com/2026/01/bett...
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Genuinely interesting. Kristi Noem is snitching that Stephen Miller is the one who made up the bullshit about Alex Pretti.
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
January 27, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Genuinely interesting. Kristi Noem is snitching that Stephen Miller is the one who made up the bullshit about Alex Pretti.
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
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"It's my boot." I'm licking my own boot! lol
Tim Pool: “I’m not licking the boot. It’s my boot. I voted for it. I’m the one stomping…”
This mindset is genuinely pathetic.
It’s an alpha fantasy: watching state violence and imagining you’re exercising power rather than the one submitting to it.
/1
This mindset is genuinely pathetic.
It’s an alpha fantasy: watching state violence and imagining you’re exercising power rather than the one submitting to it.
/1
January 27, 2026 at 10:49 PM
"It's my boot." I'm licking my own boot! lol
Reposted
Iowa farmer: 27% of farmers across this country are on the ACA—and they’re looking at significant increases. It’s not uncommon to see premiums quadruple. There are farmers out there who are deciding to go without health insurance because of that.
January 27, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Iowa farmer: 27% of farmers across this country are on the ACA—and they’re looking at significant increases. It’s not uncommon to see premiums quadruple. There are farmers out there who are deciding to go without health insurance because of that.
COOK POLITICAL: “.. views of Trump’s handling of immigration, and of the actions of ICE in particular, had already been decaying for months. .. Since January 2025, opinions of Trump’s handling of immigration have dropped 24 points ..”
@cookpolitical.com
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/nat...
@cookpolitical.com
www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/nat...
January 28, 2026 at 2:48 AM
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By “China”, he means “Congress.”
By “Iceland”, he means “Greenland.” 🤡
By “Iceland”, he means “Greenland.” 🤡
Trump: "China will be sending me a bill very shortly supporting year round E15 to my desk, and I will sign it without delay"
January 28, 2026 at 1:08 AM
By “China”, he means “Congress.”
By “Iceland”, he means “Greenland.” 🤡
By “Iceland”, he means “Greenland.” 🤡