Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."

What makes music heavy
metal? A lead singer

I can’t remember how to write 1, 1000, 51, 6 and 500 in Roman numerals. I M LIVID

My dad asked me if I was an organ donor. He’s a man after my own heart

Some excellent dad jokes in their dataset: Why do Norwegian battle ships have barcodes painted on them? So they can Scandinavian

Willingness Toupee (McEvoy et al. 2019) has a new competitor for "Sam's favorite silly paper" in What's Brown and Sticky? (Silvia and Burnett 2025). doi.org/10.31234/osf...

Boosting government resource mobilization by improving tax compliance, detecting fraud and leakages, and strengthening revenue collection and management.

Reducing human bias in decision-making (when algorithms are designed carefully, of course).

Improving organizational efficiency by augmenting capabilities, optimizing service delivery, and automating labor-intensive processes.

Maximizing the effectiveness of frontline service providers through triaging and personalized training, freeing up their time for highest-value work.

Increasing access to relevant, personalized information, beyond the reach of in-person service providers.

Improving program targeting and needs prediction, allowing resources to reach those most in need, and enabling early action.

AI for social good! What does existing rigorous evidence tell us about the most promising opportunities for AI to fulfill its potential? On the @j-pal.bsky.social blog, we outline six pathways:

They were promised a lifeline to 'graduate' from poverty. Then it was taken away — NPR Thousands of South Sudanese refugees and impoverished locals in Uganda saw a brighter future with a new USAID-funded project. They'd get $205 and coaching to build a business. Then came the cuts.

apple.news/AH6wzdZ4ORNC...

Consider yourself lucky if this doesn't frighten you. It's a nightmare on the Northeast Regional Corridor.

Very cool! @nicolasajz.bsky.social @gregoryelacqua.bsky.social any idea when you'll have results on the impact of Kai vs. human counselors?

Recently unearthed my favorite tweet in the history of twitter, posting here so I never lose it again (hi @mosenkis.bsky.social )

How to Fix Foreign Aid USAID's former Chief Economist reflects on DOGE

www.statecraft.pub/p/how-to-fix...

This looks like a phenomenal resource!

“the food marked for destruction could have met the nutritional needs of every child facing acute food insecurity in Gaza for a week”

USAID Shutdown Costs Top $6 Billion, Internal Estimate Shows The estimate, included in a seven-page memo prepared for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, raises questions about how much President Donald Trump will ultimately save taxpayers by closing USAID and othe...

No words for this hypocrisy. These people sacrificed millions of human lives, decades of progress against the world’s toughest challenges, and our country’s soft power—all while COSTING Americans $6B.
news.bgov.com/bloomberg-go...

1. Trump's tax cuts overwhelmingly help the rich
2. His spending cuts are targeted at the poor
3. Tariffs cost the poor a larger share of their income

Roll these three regressive policies together and you get the largest redistribution from poor to rich in American history.

The anti-Robin Hood.

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: AI for Good? Evaluating the Impact of AI in Development. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Organisations looking to use AI for development are concerned about the potential for errors and biases when using AI in high-stakes situations. In this webinar, a collaboration with the Center for G...

📅 On June 12, join @hanshengchia.bsky.social, Samantha Carter, & Farhan Abrol for a @voxdev.bsky.social event exploring the potential applications of AI. W/ @cgdev.org, @j-pal.bsky.social & @agencyfund.bsky.social.

Register! ⬇️
cepr-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

(2) David issued a clear call to action for economists. Given their focus on understanding how to improve the economy, and given that AI will definitely affect the economy "we just have to roll up our sleeves and get to work" on figuring out what the future will look like.

(1) The last few minutes focus on how we should think about evaluations of AI, given that the technology changes so rapidly. David suggests that, "to remain relevant, researchers must focus on identifying underlying mechanisms that outlast any one model or interface."

Excellent podcast summarizing both a new RCT (tinyurl.com/findingtalen...) and the general discussion on "AI for the Global South." Two things I particularly liked:

The sweet taste of a new idea - MIT Schwarzman College of Computing Behavioral economist Sendhil Mullainathan has never forgotten the pleasure he felt the first time he tasted a delicious crisp, yet gooey Levain cookie. He compares the experience to when he encounters...

“Behavioral economist Sendhil Mullainathan has never forgotten the pleasure he felt the first time he tasted a delicious crisp, yet gooey Levain cookie" is an excellent lede

computing.mit.edu/news/the-swe...

A matchmaking service with a twist: Connecting big givers to programs cut by USAID A former USAID worker has a new mission. She's hoping to connect philanthropists with overseas programs that have lost — or are likely to lose — their U.S. funding.

USAID cuts have left major aid programs without funding. @cgdev.org is now hosting a team analyzing which ex-USAID programs are most cost-effective—and connecting them with donors willing to step in.

Learn more in @npr.org:
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

If it looks like the intervention you evaluated didn't work, what does that really mean? blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva... My summary of a taxonomy by Glewwe & Muralidharan #throwbackthursday

Quite the quote.