Matt Novak
@paleofuture.bsky.social
Reporter at @Gizmodo.com.
I’ve been writing about the history of futurism at @Paleofuture.com since 2007.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: mattnovak.11
I’ve been writing about the history of futurism at @Paleofuture.com since 2007.
Email: [email protected]
Signal: mattnovak.11
Pinned
I’m at the Otay Mesa concentration camp in San Diego, where protesters and community organizers gather every Sunday.
Reposted by Matt Novak
I was so impressed with this story about measles in the Atlantic -- the depth of reporting it would take to weave in all these details so fluidly.
Turns out, it was a work of fiction. She researched the effects of measles, but lots of fiction writers do research. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
Turns out, it was a work of fiction. She researched the effects of measles, but lots of fiction writers do research. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig on her “hypothetical,” heavily reported measles essay
"We were attracted to the idea of providing a play-by-play of the progression of measles in granular detail."
www.niemanlab.org
February 14, 2026 at 6:14 PM
I was so impressed with this story about measles in the Atlantic -- the depth of reporting it would take to weave in all these details so fluidly.
Turns out, it was a work of fiction. She researched the effects of measles, but lots of fiction writers do research. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
Turns out, it was a work of fiction. She researched the effects of measles, but lots of fiction writers do research. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/the-...
Back in 2020, Jake Tapper was blurring the faces of Trump’s secret police.
He doesn’t need to do that anymore now that they wear masks.
He doesn’t need to do that anymore now that they wear masks.
February 14, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Back in 2020, Jake Tapper was blurring the faces of Trump’s secret police.
He doesn’t need to do that anymore now that they wear masks.
He doesn’t need to do that anymore now that they wear masks.
Reposted by Matt Novak
The drawing Kamilla made at Dilley while I spoke to her parents over Zoom this week.
It shows her near the lone tree that stands on the detention center’s grounds, butterflies fluttering around it — one of the few places, her mother said, where children sometimes see something alive and colorful.
It shows her near the lone tree that stands on the detention center’s grounds, butterflies fluttering around it — one of the few places, her mother said, where children sometimes see something alive and colorful.
February 14, 2026 at 3:48 PM
The drawing Kamilla made at Dilley while I spoke to her parents over Zoom this week.
It shows her near the lone tree that stands on the detention center’s grounds, butterflies fluttering around it — one of the few places, her mother said, where children sometimes see something alive and colorful.
It shows her near the lone tree that stands on the detention center’s grounds, butterflies fluttering around it — one of the few places, her mother said, where children sometimes see something alive and colorful.
Reposted by Matt Novak
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
Sick Detainees Describe Poor Care at Facilities Run by ICE Contractor
“People with injuries often wait days or weeks to receive X-rays, diabetes patients lack regular access to insulin and people hoping to see outside specialists such as cancer doctors or dentists are frequently denied…”
“People with injuries often wait days or weeks to receive X-rays, diabetes patients lack regular access to insulin and people hoping to see outside specialists such as cancer doctors or dentists are frequently denied…”
Sick Detainees Describe Poor Care at Facilities Run by ICE Contractor
www.nytimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Sick Detainees Describe Poor Care at Facilities Run by ICE Contractor
“People with injuries often wait days or weeks to receive X-rays, diabetes patients lack regular access to insulin and people hoping to see outside specialists such as cancer doctors or dentists are frequently denied…”
“People with injuries often wait days or weeks to receive X-rays, diabetes patients lack regular access to insulin and people hoping to see outside specialists such as cancer doctors or dentists are frequently denied…”
“She overheard one immigration officer tell another that if she had been 10 years old, they would have been able to keep her separated from her mom.”
Read this: How a Planned Disney World Vacation Turned Into Four Months in Immigration Detention, by @micarosenberg.bsky.social
How a Planned Disney World Vacation Turned Into Four Months in Immigration Detention
A 9-year-old shares her story of being held at the nation’s only operating detention center for immigrant families in Dilley, Texas.
www.propublica.org
February 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
“She overheard one immigration officer tell another that if she had been 10 years old, they would have been able to keep her separated from her mom.”
We murdered three more people in a boat today
February 14, 2026 at 12:36 AM
We murdered three more people in a boat today
Reposted by Matt Novak
you: AI-upscaled and colorized Truman isn't real, he can't hurt you
me:
me:
February 14, 2026 at 12:00 AM
you: AI-upscaled and colorized Truman isn't real, he can't hurt you
me:
me:
Reposted by Matt Novak
⚠️ “The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack…in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.”
Exclusive: US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran operations
The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious ...
www.reuters.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:25 AM
⚠️ “The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack…in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.”
Reposted by Matt Novak
“People feel it in their guts, on the streets. Abolish them, because otherwise they will execute us.”
NEW — I spoke with Rep. Delia Ramirez (@ramirez.house.gov) about her calling DHS leaders "inheritors of the Klan hood and the slave patrol," the prospect of one day seeing them behind bars, and what it's like to see the public [finally] embrace her long-held dream to abolish ICE.
Our conversation:
Our conversation:
"The day of accountability will come": Rep. Delia Ramirez on abolishing and prosecuting DHS
The Handbasket spoke with the congresswoman who called out ICE long before it was popular.
www.thehandbasket.co
February 13, 2026 at 11:42 PM
“People feel it in their guts, on the streets. Abolish them, because otherwise they will execute us.”
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:29 PM
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid
Exclusive | Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid
The use of the model through a contract with Palantir highlights the growing role of AI in the Pentagon.
www.wsj.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Pentagon Used Anthropic’s Claude in Maduro Venezuela Raid
“Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said. He once cried for hours after a small toy airplane was confiscated.”
This post is really taking off. I know the Thanksgiving detail is grabbing, but I would encourage everyone to also read the full article about this family’s struggle at Dilley.
They’ve been locked up for 130+ days.
I spent hours with them on Zoom this week, and their story deserves to be heard.
They’ve been locked up for 130+ days.
I spent hours with them on Zoom this week, and their story deserves to be heard.
'Even in Russia, they don't treat children like this': A family's nightmare in ICE detention
A Russian couple and their children sought asylum in the U.S. In a Texas detention center, they say they endured worms in the food and hourslong waits for medicine.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:38 PM
“Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said. He once cried for hours after a small toy airplane was confiscated.”
Does Ro Khanna not have staff that can research this stuff for him? Because this sloppiness undermines everything.
Four men in unredacted files named by Ro Khanna have no ties to Epstein
The men appeared in a photo lineup assembled by the southern district of New York and had no apparent connection to the late sex offender
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:35 PM
Does Ro Khanna not have staff that can research this stuff for him? Because this sloppiness undermines everything.
Reposted by Matt Novak
US Troops killed all the guards at Dachau for this kind of shit.
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
US Troops killed all the guards at Dachau for this kind of shit.
Reposted by Matt Novak
Getting my roommate to take out the kitchen trash by searching the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted
February 13, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Getting my roommate to take out the kitchen trash by searching the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted
Reposted by Matt Novak
You’re laughing. He has searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated and you’re laughing.
“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”
February 13, 2026 at 10:09 PM
You’re laughing. He has searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated and you’re laughing.
Reposted by Matt Novak
I really don't care about anyone's "he can't do this because states run elections!" argument.
This is an explicit pledge to rule lawlessly by the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military, who is also currently constructing a nationwide system of detention camps.
This is an explicit pledge to rule lawlessly by the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military, who is also currently constructing a nationwide system of detention camps.
“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”
February 13, 2026 at 9:55 PM
I really don't care about anyone's "he can't do this because states run elections!" argument.
This is an explicit pledge to rule lawlessly by the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military, who is also currently constructing a nationwide system of detention camps.
This is an explicit pledge to rule lawlessly by the commander-in-chief of the world's most powerful military, who is also currently constructing a nationwide system of detention camps.
“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”
February 13, 2026 at 9:44 PM
“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”
Reposted by Matt Novak
Police departments across the US are quietly leveraging school district security cameras to assist Donald Trump’s mass immigration enforcement campaign, an investigation by @the74.bsky.social reveals.
February 13, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Police departments across the US are quietly leveraging school district security cameras to assist Donald Trump’s mass immigration enforcement campaign, an investigation by @the74.bsky.social reveals.
Reposted by Matt Novak
#NIH to deprioritize pandemic preparedness and biodefense research, @nature.com reports, saying director Jay Bhattacharya wants to focus on known diseases, not possible future threats.
What could possibly go wrong?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What could possibly go wrong?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
February 13, 2026 at 7:54 PM
#NIH to deprioritize pandemic preparedness and biodefense research, @nature.com reports, saying director Jay Bhattacharya wants to focus on known diseases, not possible future threats.
What could possibly go wrong?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What could possibly go wrong?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Matt Novak
America 2026. www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/f...
ICE raid at apartment complex causes elementary students to run from their bus stop in NJ Thursday
Students were seen running away from their bus stop on Thursday morning as ICE agents conducted an operation at an apartment in Lindenwold, NJ.
www.nbcphiladelphia.com
February 13, 2026 at 9:06 PM
America 2026. www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/f...
Reposted by Matt Novak
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
Reposted by Matt Novak
"'She is dead,'" Officer Auderer told Officer Solan, before bursting out laughing.
"'No, it’s a regular person,' Officer Auderer said, adding: 'Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'"
"'No, it’s a regular person,' Officer Auderer said, adding: 'Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'"
Seattle to Pay $29 Million to Family of Woman Fatally Struck by Police S.U.V.
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:56 AM
"'She is dead,'" Officer Auderer told Officer Solan, before bursting out laughing.
"'No, it’s a regular person,' Officer Auderer said, adding: 'Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'"
"'No, it’s a regular person,' Officer Auderer said, adding: 'Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'"
Replacing the pledge of allegiance with a performance of Sprout and the Bean in its entirety each morning
Yeah, I support Newsom. I appreciate the harp, and I think she and Andy Samberg are just such a power couple
February 13, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Replacing the pledge of allegiance with a performance of Sprout and the Bean in its entirety each morning