Ben Zipperer
@benzipperer.org
7.6K followers 670 following 580 posts
Economist at @epi.org https://www.epi.org/people/ben-zipperer/
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benzipperer.org
tried Claude code for a few things and it was useful... but what a potential security nightmare!!

What are folks doing in their daily work to sandbox these tools or to minimize bad stuff from happening?
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
ucblaborcenter.bsky.social
The UC Berkeley Labor Center mourns Kent Wong, our longtime colleague and friend. A passionate champion for workers—especially immigrants—and students, Kent dedicated his life to justice. Our hearts are with our colleagues at the UCLA Labor Center.
Photo of Kent Wong, smiling and looking into the camera, in front of a building with a Labor Center logo.
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
carlzimmer.com
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
aaronsojourner.org
If you give this administration a presumption of honesty, you are acting like a credulous sucker.
bsky.app/profile/nyto...
nytopinion.nytimes.com
“Regardless of what the president says, Portland is not a crime-ridden city that needs help,” Elizabeth Darby writes from Portland, Ore. “It is a lovely city.”
Opinion | Pushback at Trump and Troops in Portland
Readers object to President Trump’s use of the military in American cities. Also: ICE at the Super Bowl.
nyti.ms
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
marthagimbel.bsky.social
Hi all! We're still waiting on the official posting - but @budgetlab.bsky.social is looking for a new macro hire to add to our team! We're agnostic on level (Recent PhD, decades of experience, MA+ research experience, who knows?) - we care more about flexible thinking and curiosity
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
dlknowles.bsky.social
I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
kristinacooke.bsky.social
I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
epopppp.bsky.social
This is a really good conversation on "is it fascism," by two opponents who are no longer very far apart.
benzipperer.org
finally watched Z, easily the best political thriller I've ever seen
scene from the movie Z (1969), in which Manuel is running from a car chasing him down a street
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
alexjungle.bsky.social
Breaking news: ICE stops family at gunpoint—smash car window on top of newborn baby.

"I was screaming that there was a baby. But they didn’t care," cried mother.

“I covered my baby with my body—I was so scared he was going to be hurt because glass was landing on him."
benzipperer.org
leftover beef stew taco lunch still very high on the delicious:difficult scale
a couple of beef tacos on a green plate with some apple slices on the side
benzipperer.org
and does that mean he is also going to use Windows full-time more often? 😭
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
davidzipper.bsky.social
A great way to keep kids safe: Place automatic traffic cameras near schools.

After cameras were installed in Toronto:
🔹 Share of vehicles speeding ⬇️ 45%
🔹 85th percentile speed ⬇️ 10.7 km/h

Droivers speeding the most were most likely to slow down.

injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/inju...
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
anjalienjeti.bsky.social
My god.

“Watson said she saw agents dragging residents, including kids, out of the building without any clothes on and into U-Haul vans. Kids were separated from their mothers…’It was heartbreaking to watch…seeing kids coming out buck naked and taken from their mothers, it was horrible.’”
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.
chicago.suntimes.com
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
walterolson.bsky.social
“ABC7 spoke to Pertissue Fisher, a woman who lives in the building. She said ICE agents took everyone in the building, including her, and asked questions later….’They was bringing the kids down, too, had them zip tied to each other.’”

It can’t happen here, you say. But it is happening.
ICE agents raid South Shore apartments; Trump says Chicago could become military training ground
ICE agents raided a South Shore apartment building overnight as the city braces for a possible military deployment.
abc7chicago.com
benzipperer.org
Nice analysis by @ashwu.bsky.social of likely government payroll reductions by agency over the last several months

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in particular may have already shrunk by 11% relative to 2024
Table showing employment levels by subagency in the Department of Labor on September 2024 and recently, and the associated percent change
benzipperer.org
the date breaks convenience function is a great idea
benzipperer.org
Nice #RStats package to facilitate downloading and plotting US macroeconomic data
mtkonczal.bsky.social
Folks we are live. Still very initial version, but the first thing I actually got around to pushing to CRAN.

pkgdown website coming eventually (I know I know).
Reposted by Ben Zipperer
davidjbier.bsky.social
Whatever they do to immigrants, they will do to us because, Trump's right, it is "no different" to deny human rights to US citizen versus a noncitizen