Brennan Barber
@brennanb.bsky.social
Fan of good reads, bikes, urbanism and SF sports teams. Longtime Hill Staffer. CA born and bred. Cat Dad. Views are my own.
(he/him)
(he/him)
Reposted by Brennan Barber
This iPhone update sucks. Why on earth would you make the buttons transparent and endlessly animated?
December 12, 2025 at 6:28 AM
This iPhone update sucks. Why on earth would you make the buttons transparent and endlessly animated?
Reposted by Brennan Barber
You can adjust the transparency, thank goodness! I myself prefer "Tinted".
How to change:
→ "Tinted" = Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass
→ "Reduce Transparency" = Accessibility > Display & Text Size
How to change:
→ "Tinted" = Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass
→ "Reduce Transparency" = Accessibility > Display & Text Size
December 12, 2025 at 6:35 AM
You can adjust the transparency, thank goodness! I myself prefer "Tinted".
How to change:
→ "Tinted" = Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass
→ "Reduce Transparency" = Accessibility > Display & Text Size
How to change:
→ "Tinted" = Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass
→ "Reduce Transparency" = Accessibility > Display & Text Size
Reposted by Brennan Barber
ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.”
We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.
➡️ This is what they wrote: https://propub.li/3MTlm33
We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.
➡️ This is what they wrote: https://propub.li/3MTlm33
December 12, 2025 at 3:15 AM
ProPublica spoke to about 150 people who had lived in homeless encampments when cities cleared them out in “sweeps.”
We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.
➡️ This is what they wrote: https://propub.li/3MTlm33
We distributed notecards so people could tell us about the toll in their own words.
➡️ This is what they wrote: https://propub.li/3MTlm33
Reposted by Brennan Barber
What makes Law Dork different?
Here's an example. In my discussion at the end of today's newsletter about the Indiana redistricting vote, I gave you a link to the bill and the actual vote. It's a little thing, but important, and so few media sources do it.
www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar...
Here's an example. In my discussion at the end of today's newsletter about the Indiana redistricting vote, I gave you a link to the bill and the actual vote. It's a little thing, but important, and so few media sources do it.
www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar...
December 12, 2025 at 3:54 AM
What makes Law Dork different?
Here's an example. In my discussion at the end of today's newsletter about the Indiana redistricting vote, I gave you a link to the bill and the actual vote. It's a little thing, but important, and so few media sources do it.
www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar...
Here's an example. In my discussion at the end of today's newsletter about the Indiana redistricting vote, I gave you a link to the bill and the actual vote. It's a little thing, but important, and so few media sources do it.
www.lawdork.com/p/abrego-gar...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
In a normal administration, this would be a career-ending, weeks-long scandal
MAGAZINER: How many veterans have you deported?
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
December 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
In a normal administration, this would be a career-ending, weeks-long scandal
Reposted by Brennan Barber
don't miss it, as it's buried in my latest analysis of the year's legislative results: where each state stands on who controls its government heading into 2026
boltsmag.org/legislative-...
boltsmag.org/legislative-...
December 10, 2025 at 9:48 PM
don't miss it, as it's buried in my latest analysis of the year's legislative results: where each state stands on who controls its government heading into 2026
boltsmag.org/legislative-...
boltsmag.org/legislative-...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
Single-stair reform up to six-stories in Baltimore now. www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Baltimore Deals a Blow to the Housing Crisis With 4 Major Reforms | Strong Towns
Baltimore just took a major step towards making housing more attainable and affordable.
www.strongtowns.org
December 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Single-stair reform up to six-stories in Baltimore now. www.strongtowns.org/journal/2025...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
December 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Brennan Barber
Not in New York, so this isn't my race but I think if Democrats take one thing from Mamdani, it probably ought to be what Lander here seems to have done: you answer the cynicism and hypocrisy of the moment with sincerity, not knowing-cleverness.
'Sincere Dork' is a good political brand.
'Sincere Dork' is a good political brand.
I’m running for Congress because we need leaders who will fight, not fold. I recognize this moment, and I’m ready to meet it. #FightDontFold #LanderForNYC #LanderForCongress
December 10, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Not in New York, so this isn't my race but I think if Democrats take one thing from Mamdani, it probably ought to be what Lander here seems to have done: you answer the cynicism and hypocrisy of the moment with sincerity, not knowing-cleverness.
'Sincere Dork' is a good political brand.
'Sincere Dork' is a good political brand.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
sex criminals stick together
🚨 New York Times reports more details than we've had before on how Donald Trump's administration pulled strings to pressure Romania to allow Andrew Tate to travel while he was charged with crimes including trafficking minors and violently beating and raping a 15-year-old girl.
December 10, 2025 at 10:37 PM
sex criminals stick together
Reposted by Brennan Barber
i asked chat gpt to fact check an article for me
December 8, 2025 at 9:33 PM
i asked chat gpt to fact check an article for me
Reposted by Brennan Barber
I feel like every day I sound more and more like a censorious, self-righteous prude, but for the record I think the way sports betting has insinuated itself into everything is another sign of societal decadence and profound moral rot.
Wtf are we doing?
"CNN partners with Kalshi to integrate prediction markets into its global newsroom. The first major news network to embrace Kalshi prediction markets."
"CNN partners with Kalshi to integrate prediction markets into its global newsroom. The first major news network to embrace Kalshi prediction markets."
December 4, 2025 at 11:47 PM
I feel like every day I sound more and more like a censorious, self-righteous prude, but for the record I think the way sports betting has insinuated itself into everything is another sign of societal decadence and profound moral rot.
This is a very smart piece, really good food for thought.
Do you find yourself in conversations with people who like to talk about how "they would never ride a bus" or who worry about "bus stigma"? I was just reminded of this 2017 article of mine, which tries to blow all that nonsense away. Hope you find it useful.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Why We Should Stop Talking About 'Bus Stigma'
Obsessing over trying to serve different economic classes on mass transit misses the point.
www.bloomberg.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
This is a very smart piece, really good food for thought.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year
www.wsj.com/health/for-f...
www.wsj.com/health/for-f...
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year
Almost a quarter of a million more children around the world are projected to die in 2025 than in 2024.
www.wsj.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:20 PM
For First Time in Decades, Child Deaths Will Rise This Year
www.wsj.com/health/for-f...
www.wsj.com/health/for-f...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
I know we could spend eternity conjuring up "should have been the end of it" moments, but fuck do I wish we hadn't memory-holed so quickly the months this fascist buffoon & his VP wannabe spent spinning the most racist & ludicrous fantasies imaginable about Haitian Americans in Ohio.
Trump, continued: "What the Somalian people have done to Minnesota is not even believable. It’s not even believable. And a lot of it starts with the governor. A lot of it starts with Barack HUSSEIN Obama, because that’s when people started coming in... They want to kiss our country good night."
December 3, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I know we could spend eternity conjuring up "should have been the end of it" moments, but fuck do I wish we hadn't memory-holed so quickly the months this fascist buffoon & his VP wannabe spent spinning the most racist & ludicrous fantasies imaginable about Haitian Americans in Ohio.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
What’s depressing isn’t the higher levels of federal expenditures & DOGE’s failure—it’s that the feds replaced expenditures on foreign assistance, research & the environment with spending on ICE personnel & national guard deployments.
Meanwhile, the rich got tax cuts so the deficit worsened.
Meanwhile, the rich got tax cuts so the deficit worsened.
November 23, 2025 at 6:42 PM
What’s depressing isn’t the higher levels of federal expenditures & DOGE’s failure—it’s that the feds replaced expenditures on foreign assistance, research & the environment with spending on ICE personnel & national guard deployments.
Meanwhile, the rich got tax cuts so the deficit worsened.
Meanwhile, the rich got tax cuts so the deficit worsened.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
DDOT continues to publish before/after analyses of safety projects. The numbers for the 9th street NW bike lanes suggest that we should be doing these projects everywhere we can. Crashes plummeted, pedestrian and bike traffic skyrocketed, and vehicle travel times dropped.
December 2, 2025 at 2:39 PM
DDOT continues to publish before/after analyses of safety projects. The numbers for the 9th street NW bike lanes suggest that we should be doing these projects everywhere we can. Crashes plummeted, pedestrian and bike traffic skyrocketed, and vehicle travel times dropped.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
US public transit advocates: Don't just envy Europe. Start by envying Canada.
Great piece on Montreal's remarkably cheap new rapid transit system.
macleans.ca/society/mont...
Great piece on Montreal's remarkably cheap new rapid transit system.
macleans.ca/society/mont...
Montreal's New Rail Line Is the Future - Macleans.ca
Canada has forgotten how to build fast, cheap transit. A new megaproject has the fix.
macleans.ca
November 30, 2025 at 9:02 PM
US public transit advocates: Don't just envy Europe. Start by envying Canada.
Great piece on Montreal's remarkably cheap new rapid transit system.
macleans.ca/society/mont...
Great piece on Montreal's remarkably cheap new rapid transit system.
macleans.ca/society/mont...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
Lower-income people are less likely to vote than higher-income people, across racial groups - and that gap has been growing.
That’s a real problem for the future of US democracy.
It’s not apathy or ignorance - for many, it’s a sense that politics is not for or about them.
In a report out in Jan +
That’s a real problem for the future of US democracy.
It’s not apathy or ignorance - for many, it’s a sense that politics is not for or about them.
In a report out in Jan +
December 1, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Lower-income people are less likely to vote than higher-income people, across racial groups - and that gap has been growing.
That’s a real problem for the future of US democracy.
It’s not apathy or ignorance - for many, it’s a sense that politics is not for or about them.
In a report out in Jan +
That’s a real problem for the future of US democracy.
It’s not apathy or ignorance - for many, it’s a sense that politics is not for or about them.
In a report out in Jan +
Reposted by Brennan Barber
I thought I mentally prepared myself for how bad this was gonna be, and then the next post in the thread bodyslammed me.
I don't think I've ever talked on Bluesky about why I hate the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl.
Don't read any further unless you're prepared for uncomfortable truths about the "Nicest Guy in Rock", and his very substantial body count & subsequent cover-up.
Don't read any further unless you're prepared for uncomfortable truths about the "Nicest Guy in Rock", and his very substantial body count & subsequent cover-up.
December 1, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I thought I mentally prepared myself for how bad this was gonna be, and then the next post in the thread bodyslammed me.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
That the richest man in the world is determined to jam fascist misinformation into mainstream discourse is an emergency. I don't know how else we can talk about it.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
November 20, 2025 at 3:24 PM
That the richest man in the world is determined to jam fascist misinformation into mainstream discourse is an emergency. I don't know how else we can talk about it.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
Reposted by Brennan Barber
It is not the end of history, but it also isn't the end of politics:
The key here is that SSDI recipients are a sympathetic group, and a picture was painted for the Commissioner: disabled people dying in the streets, but as they're doing it, they'll be telling everyone about *you*
The key here is that SSDI recipients are a sympathetic group, and a picture was painted for the Commissioner: disabled people dying in the streets, but as they're doing it, they'll be telling everyone about *you*
The Trump Administration is abandoning plans for the biggest-ever cut to Social Security Disability Insurance, which would have hit older workers hardest.
The rule would have devastated up to 1.5 million workers' financial stability, retirement security & access to health care.
wapo.st/4o48J24
The rule would have devastated up to 1.5 million workers' financial stability, retirement security & access to health care.
wapo.st/4o48J24
Social Security scraps plan to limit disability benefits after uproar
The policy would have fundamentally altered who qualifies for the two federal disability programs by eliminating or limiting a person’s age as a factor to consider.
wapo.st
November 19, 2025 at 10:36 PM
It is not the end of history, but it also isn't the end of politics:
The key here is that SSDI recipients are a sympathetic group, and a picture was painted for the Commissioner: disabled people dying in the streets, but as they're doing it, they'll be telling everyone about *you*
The key here is that SSDI recipients are a sympathetic group, and a picture was painted for the Commissioner: disabled people dying in the streets, but as they're doing it, they'll be telling everyone about *you*
Reposted by Brennan Barber
Pretty much all affordability discourse could benefit from just posting this chart.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
November 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Pretty much all affordability discourse could benefit from just posting this chart.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
worth applying to politics as well. when you're criticizing an action people take "taking the better action next time" is only one of the alternatives people will consider, and worth remembering that "not bothering at all" is another.
October 26, 2025 at 12:55 PM
worth applying to politics as well. when you're criticizing an action people take "taking the better action next time" is only one of the alternatives people will consider, and worth remembering that "not bothering at all" is another.
Reposted by Brennan Barber
MAHA!
SCOOP: CDC officials on Monday linked for the first time the measles outbreak that began in Texas with another in Utah and Arizona, a finding that could end America’s status as a nation that has eliminated measles.
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
(Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/h...
C.D.C. Links Measles Outbreaks in Multiple States for the First Time
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:58 PM
MAHA!