Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
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needhibhalla.bsky.social
Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
@needhibhalla.bsky.social
14K followers 1.1K following 7K posts
Cell biologist and geneticist, Professor, mom and consumer of alcohol. Those might all be related. I grind til I own it.

She/her/hers.

ORCID: 0000-0002-6859-0073

personal account
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needhibhalla.bsky.social
Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · Oct 23
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Scaling back DEI programmes and the loss of scientific talent
Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...
www.nature.com
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
mayor.nyc.gov
Today we mourn the passing of Rev. Jesse Jackson, a giant of the civil rights movement who never stopped demanding that America live up to its promise.



He marched, he ran, he organized and he preached justice without apology.

May we honor him not just in words, but in struggle.
February 18, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social
“Jackson…tried to obtain a book needed for his studies from the white-only Greenville public library, but he was turned away…Jackson and seven Black high school students entered…for a peaceful protest…the Greenville library system became integrated in…1960”

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader, dies aged 84
A trailblazing figure in the civil rights movement and Democratic politics, Jackson championed the rights of Black, poor and working-class people with his ‘rainbow coalition’
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
socdevbio.bsky.social
SDB is sad to announce the passing of Gail R. Martin (1944-2026) after a short illness in San Francisco. Martin served as SDB President in 2007 and was the recipient the Conklin Medal in 2002 and the @FASEBorg Excellence in Science Award in 2011. bit.ly/4aIfu5d
Photo of Gail R. Martin
February 17, 2026 at 11:24 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
maxwellfrost.bsky.social
“This is not a perfect party.. We are not a perfect people. Yet, we are called to a perfect mission: Our mission, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to house the homeless, to teach the illiterate, to provide jobs for the jobless, and to choose the human race over the nuclear race.”
February 18, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
maxwellfrost.bsky.social
Difficult to find the words to describe such a giant in the world of movement, culture, & politics. The 3rd photo is from my old campaign office. His campaign flyer hung alongside Dolores Huerta. Little did I know, they would both endorse my campaign for Congress.
February 18, 2026 at 3:11 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
alt-nihscience4all.altgov.info
There is so much more than all of this. Imbedded in all the points are the attacks on DEI. The disruption of institutional memory brought on by firings, RIFs, forks, VERA, VSIP has been traumatizing, too.
February 18, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
jenna-m-norton.bsky.social
Would add to this thorough list of harms at NIH:

1) multiyear funding, Vought’s trick to fund less new research with the same amount of $

2) presidentializing of NIH, shifting toward a political agenda rather than science. More on that from @markhisted.org: open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
February 18, 2026 at 5:53 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
evanbernick.bsky.social
So (the argument runs) is that originalists can have originalism or they can have the authority of the Founders/the law of the Founding but they cannot have both.
February 17, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
evanbernick.bsky.social
The gist of it:

1. Originalists claim that the Constitution is a certain kind of thing

2. It was not originally understood to be that kind of thing

3. That is a problem for originalism, and his critics have not solved it
February 17, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
jgienapp.bsky.social
I have been waiting to post about this new essay until the symposium on my book of which it is a part is published (should be very soon!), but until then, you can check out what I have to say in response to some thoughtful esays.

Deep thanks to @evanbernick.bsky.social for this generous promotion.
evanbernick.bsky.social Evan Bernick, a finite mode with a smol hooman and a lorg floof @evanbernick.bsky.social · 18h
@jgienapp.bsky.social responds at great length to critics of his criticism of originalism. It’s a tour de force. read it. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
The Constitution and Historical Rupture 69 Pages Posted: 5 Feb 2026 Jonathan Gienapp Stanford University Date Written: January 24, 2026 Abstract This essay is a response for a symposium on my book, Against Constitutional Originalism: A Historical Critique. It responds to criticisms made against it while further developing the book's central themes. It contends that the problem of historical rupture— that the eighteenth-century U.S. Constitution presupposed a very different way of thinking about constitutionalism and law than reigns today—is the most important problem implicated by the theory of constitutional originalism, and yet remains largely neglected. It further contends that were originalists to finally confront this problem, the theory could not survive that reckoning, not without abandoning its definino features
February 18, 2026 at 4:12 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
adambonin.bsky.social
For months I've banged the drum that "not sure" has become the safe harbor answer for "Republicans who know Trump's probably wrong, but don't want to admit it."

Today's Economist/YouGov Poll: Is Donald Trump racist?
41% of Republicans have No Opinion.

d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
February 18, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
justinbaragona.bsky.social
Stephen Colbert responds to CBS disputing his claims that he was barred from airing the James Talarico interview:

"And for the lawyers to release this without even talking to me is really surprising. I don’t even know what to do with this crap. Hold on."

He then picks it up with a dog poop bag.
February 18, 2026 at 5:08 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
tymartineztmb.bsky.social
Hearing this interview between @samsanders.bsky.social and @niadacosta.bsky.social I really wonder what would be so much better is Marvels had more horror elements.
open.spotify.com/episode/2ijw...
Nia DaCosta: Why is Real Life Scarier Than Horror Films?
open.spotify.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
amygalford.bsky.social
this @samsanders.bsky.social episode was about that podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
Did Social Media Kill the Dance Floor?
Podcast Episode · The Sam Sanders Show · 01/13/2026 · 19m
podcasts.apple.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:15 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
asharangappa.bsky.social
Thrilled to have been interviewed by @msmagazine.com for Jaime Patel's series on "Redfining Power: How Indian-American Women Are Rewriting the Rules of Leadership, Identity, and Care" msmagazine.com/2026/02/17/f...
‘A Deliberate Attempt to Terrorize’: Former FBI Agent Asha Rangappa on What Real Law Enforcement Looks Like—and What ICE Is Not
‘A Deliberate Attempt to Terrorize’: Former FBI Agent Asha Rangappa on What Real Law Enforcement Looks Like—and What ICE Is Not
msmagazine.com
February 18, 2026 at 3:05 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
moryan.bsky.social
🚨 Deadloch 🚨 S2 🚨 Trailer! 🐊
February 18, 2026 at 5:24 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
lookitup.baby
With alt text, so everyone can be able to read it
UNIONS ANNOUNCE HISTORIC TWIN CITIES RENT STRIKE, DEMANDING EVICTION MORATORIUM AND $50 MILLION RENT RELIEF Minneapolis, MN- Today labor and tenant unions in Minneapolis and St. Paul announced a March 1 rent strike drive, calling on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to immediately declare an eviction moratorium and rent relief. Representing more than 25,900 workers, these five labor unions and the new cities-wide tenant union together vow to show an unprecedented expression of economic power to ensure action from the Governor. Twin Cities Tenants, a cities-wide tenant union in Minneapolis and St. Paul, joins with SEIU Healthcare MN/IA (representing 9,000 workers who live and work in the Twin Cities), SEIU Local 26 (representing 8,000 workers in the Twin Cities), Unite HERE Local 17 (representing 6,000 workers), ATU 1005 (representing 2,300 workers), and CWA 7250 (representing 600 workers) to launch the strike drive. Following decisions by their executive teams, these unions are actively organizing their membership towards the March 1 rent strike. Take Action Minnesota has committed 1,500 of their members, mostly parents and teachers, to take the strike pledge, and Unidos Minnesota is moving the pledge to its 8,000 members. The unions and community groups are joined by Minneapolis City Council Members Jason Chavez (Ward 9), Aisha Chughtai (Ward 10), Aurin Chowdhury (Ward 12), and Robin Wonsley (Ward 2). The Councilmembers have fought for a statewide eviction moratorium, and they are all tenants who have now pledged to strike on March 1. (Alt text continued on the second picture, which is of the same page. The third and the fourth picture are also the same as each other and alt text will continue between the third and the fourth picture, which I couldn’t put there because a 2000 character limit is cruel and unusual) Just 10,000 tenants withholding rent in March alone would result in a $15 million economic disruption. This would more than double the "normal" levels of rental debt across the Twin Cities. If authorized and launched, this would be the largest rent strike in the United States in the last 100 years, and the largest rent strike in Minnesota's history. The strike drive follows nearly three months of federal occupation, which has taken a painful economic toll on poor and working class tenants across the Twin Cities. Over 35,000 low-income Twin Cities households were already unable to afford the rent before the federal siege. Estimates show over $47 million in lost wages among people who have not been safe to go to work, and at least $15.7 million in additional rental assistance needed due to lost household income - leaving many of those households at imminent risk of eviction. Despite monumental efforts by community members to distribute nearly $5 million in rent relief, evictions in the Twin Cities are already spiking. In January 2026, landlords across Minneapolis and St. Paul filed 1,311 evictions; this is up 12% from December 2025, and 26% over the January average in the past few years. The top evictors under occupation include large companies like Dominum, Aeon, Roers Companies, and The Related Companies. The list also includes landlords like Sherman Associates, who have opened up hotels to ICE. Even as the federal government announces a "draw down" of Operation Metro Surge, the economic impact of the occupation will continue long after the ICE agents are gone. Because of mutual aid funds and local protections, like 30-day notice for filing in Minneapolis, tenants may have avoided court so far. but occupation evictions will be heard soon. "In the last 2 months, I've been stuck in the house. I can't work, so I can't pay rent. All we want is freedom, to feel that we belong someplace, to work. Today I’m pledging to rent strike on March 1 because I know that when we fight, we win," said Anain, a member of Inquilins Unids por Justicia & Twin Cities Tenants. "Today, I'm more scared of what's been happening than I’m scared of the risk of going on strike. I’m ready to withhold my rent, alongside my neighbors across the Twin Cities, until we win." "Tenants in MN are in a crisis. The federal invasion forced many of our neighbors to stay home & devastated our local economy," said Minneapolis City Council Member Aisha Chughtai. "We need real solutions for the cliff of rental crisis we are facing on March 1st. I will be going on rent strike on March 1 and I call on my constituents to join me, until we can get a real solution from our state government for this crisis." "Our union has always understood that no matter what we win at the bargaining table, if we don't join fights led by the community around things like keeping us safe & having an affordable place to live, we aren't materially making lives better," said Greg Nammacher, President of SEIU Local 26. "We know many of our members are like thousands of Minnesotans who’ve been facing immense challenges over the last few months because of the federal occupation, & now are facing impossible situations around paying their rent. We’re telling our members about the strike drive and encouraging them to get involved if this is an issue that’s important to them because we know that collective action is the only way to take on problems this large." "We absolutely need an eviction moratorium," said Geof Paquette, Internal Organizing Director at Unite Here Local 17. "Our members were struggling to keep up with housing costs before ICE occupied our streets. It’s now become an emergency as many of our members are behind in their rent. It's well past time for some relief."… "Our members have been deeply impacted by the presence of federal agents in MN, including organizing robust mutual aid in school communities to ensure students and families could stay home and safe during the past 2 months," said Amanda Otero, Co-Director of Take Action MN. "Many of our neighbors are at risk of losing their housing due to this crisis & we’re raising our voices to demand an eviction moratorium & rent relief. We’re ready to talk to our members about a rent strike as a strategy to ensure our demands are met." "First, we stand in solidarity with workers in all sectors," said David Stiggers, Pres of ATU 1005. "Public transit workers are tenants too, who serve the communities we live in. We’re often living paycheck to paycheck & sometimes only one small emergency away from falling short on rent. Unstable housing leads to stress which leads to poor work performance & that's detrimental to safety and reliability, which impacts the entire community. ATU represents many frontline public service workers, those driving, maintaining, & riding transit so we'll continue to fight for justice and equity in housing policies." "The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way, fighting a federal invasion and caring for their neighbors; their fight and their care continues in this historic rent strike," said Tara Raghuveer, Director of the Tenant Union Federation. "Out of deep consideration and profound seriousness, & facing Mar 1, when the rent is due & so many still can't pay, tenants & workers have decided that they have no other choice but to strike. In taking this step, they join a storied tradition of struggle. The struggle can end whenever the Gov steps in to do what's right." Twin Cities Tenants is a Cities-wide tenant union. This effort is led by Inquilins Unids por Justicia, South Minneapolis Tenant Union, property-level unions, & block groups across the Twin Cities. TC Tenants is supported by the Tenant Union Federation, a national union of tenant unions.
February 18, 2026 at 5:16 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
mjsdc.bsky.social
The horror stories rolling in from Minnesota are just the tip of the iceberg. This 20-year-old, who's lawfully present in the country, was arrested for being Latino, then jailed in a filthy cell where he couldn't even sit down. 18 days of illegal detention. democracyforward.org/wp-content/u...
On January 10, 2026, while driving back to work after getting lunch with his father and cousin, a car quickly passed O., sped up, then stopped in front of him. (Id. ¶ 3.) A few men in civilian clothes stepped out of the car and asked for his identification. (Id.) The men threatened O.—if he did not get out of the car, they would force him out. (Id.) O. exited the car and was told he was under arrest. (Id.) The men handcuffed him and did not allow him to bring his phone. (Id.) O. felt like he was being kidnapped. (Id.) The men detained O., his father, and his cousin, taking them all to Whipple. (Id. ¶ 4.) At Whipple, there was “food scattered on the floor, the floor was sticky with mud, and everything stuck to your shoes.” (Id. ¶ 5.) The space was so cramped that sometimes there was no space to sit on the floor. (Id.)
February 17, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
joaquincastrotx.bsky.social
After a discussion with their attorney, I have confirmed that Juan, his 16-month-old sister, his mom, and his dad have been deported.
February 18, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
theatlantic.com
Despite the caricature his critics created, Jesse Jackson’s “political vision was always inclusive, always multiracial, and always opposed to bigotry and prejudice of all kinds,” Adam Serwer argues.
Do Not Be Cynical About Jesse Jackson
He was never the caricature his critics wanted him to be.
bit.ly
February 18, 2026 at 1:26 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
jeremymberg.bsky.social
Of these awards, 252 were R01s, 167 were R21, 29 were R00s, 14 were K99s, 13 were R03s, and 11 were F31s.

8 were R35s, 7 from NIGMS. 1 of these was a renewal and 6 were new.

4/4
February 17, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
jeremymberg.bsky.social
New and competitive renewal awards.

The number of awards is 569 compared with more than 2200 through the same date in earlier fiscal years.

All ICs have now made awards except for NIAAA, NCCIH, NLM, FIC, and OD. NEI (Eye Institute) made its first award during the new period.

3/4
A line graph shown the number of NIH new and competitive awards funded for fiscal year 2026 (through 2/13/26) compared with fiscal years 2021-2025. The fiscal year 2026 is lagging well behind with only 569 awards made through 2/13/26 compared to >2000 for previous fiscal years.
February 17, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
jeremymberg.bsky.social
My weekly NIH update (grants funded through 2/13/26)

All projects...

1/4
A line graph shown the number of NIH projects funded for fiscal year 2026 (through 2/13/26) compared with fiscal years 2021-2025. The fiscal year 2026 is lagging behind following a slow start due to a government shutdown during October and November.
February 17, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
mayor.nyc.gov
Ramadan Mubarak
February 18, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Reposted by Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽
vanhollen.senate.gov
DHS is holding a 2-month-old BABY at a detention facility in Texas.

Last night, Juan Nicolás was rushed to the hospital after choking on his own vomit & being unable to breathe.

This demands accountability — not a blank check for more cruelty.
joaquincastrotx.bsky.social Joaquin Castro @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social · 16h
I have an update on Juan Nicolás, the 2-month-old baby detained at Dilley, and his mother.
February 18, 2026 at 12:18 AM