Scholars & organizers: consider submitting a proposal for this special issue of @jhppl.bsky.social. Community organizing has transformative possibilities. It should be studied, understood, discussed, and highlighted as a core democratic practice. This special issue does part of that work. Submit!

Black Politics and American Democracy

We’re in a moment of democratic upheaval in the U.S., w/ race central to how many understand the crisis.

Join Katherine Tate, @coreydfields.bsky.social, & me as we talk Black politics & American Democracy.

In-person & Zoom!
May 18, 4–5:30pm PT

Info + RSVP: cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/events/black...

Every spring I do a KEY PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT for which I receive $0.00. If you garden and poison ivy is an issue, this gets 10/10 stars in our house: Tecnu Extreme Scrub. Just use after exposure or suspected exposure... you won't get a rash.

12/ This is now a high-likelihood, high-impact risk.

#AMOC collapse would devastate European agriculture, shift tropical monsoons, raise Atlantic sea levels by up to a metre, and destabilise food systems globally.

Yet it's barely mentioned in national security planning. That has to change!

11/ OBSERVATIONS - Also published just this week: data from four mooring arrays along the western Atlantic shows a consistent decline in deep overturning transport across all latitudes over the past 20 years.

The models predicted decline. We're now measuring it.

3/ What's changed isn't one alarming paper.

It's a consilience of evidence:

- Paleo records
- Basic physics
- Proxy reconstructions
- Earth system models
- Direct observations

All now converging on the same conclusion. Together, they can't be ignored.

NASA: The Thermohaline Circulation (The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt) [720p] YouTube video by djxatlanta

2/ It's called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, the #AMOC.

Warm, salty water flows north at the surface, cools, sinks, and returns south at depth.

But add enough freshwater from melting ice and rising rainfall, and that engine stalls. It's happened before.

‘Without them there is no life’: the race to understand the mysterious world of Africa’s fungi Amid growing evidence of fungi’s key role in ecosystems and storing carbon, African scientists are championing the need to preserve ‘funga’ as much as flora and fauna

“Fungi feed 90% of terrestrial plants. Without them, there is no life on the Earth.”
- Anna Ralaiveloarisoa, Malagasy mycologist 🍄‍🟫

“What an exciting time.. fungal conservation is a dynamic global movement. The challenge is to make conservation of fungi mainstream."
- Nourou Yorou, Benin mycologist

Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas not only recorded an anthem for the civil rights era – they fought for fair pay and proudly called themselves divas Classic songs ‘Nowhere to Run’ and ‘Dancing in the Street’ captured the revolutionary spirit of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

Wrote a piece about Martha and the Vandellas, civil rights, and their place in the history of Black women R&B groups. I also created a YouTube playlist (in the comments) with some of their hits

A mine despoiled the beauty of the rainforest. This Goldman Prize winner took action "We women are the land guardians and keepers," says Theonila Roka Matbob of Papua New Guinea, recognized for her efforts to repair the environmental and social harms caused by a copper and gold mine.

"We women are the land guardians and keepers," says Theonila Roka Matbob of Papua New Guinea, recognized for her efforts to repair the environmental and social harms caused by a copper and gold mine. n.pr/3QbDxTA

Our Executive Director, Jenice Fountain, joins The Intersection for a powerful conversation on the intersections of racism and healthcare.

meetattheintersection.org/podcast/reimagining-care...

Rümeysa Öztürk, Tufts University grad arrested by ICE agents last year, returns to Turkey - The Boston Globe The government and Öztürk’s legal team have jointly moved to dismiss her immigration proceedings.

America is losing a talented researcher today.
Rümeysa Öztürk, whose abduction by masked men prompted a search and her eventual release by ICE, has returned to Turkey. She wants to resume a career without "state-imposed violence and hostility."
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/17/m...

Meenu Batra is the only Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu court interpreter in Texas. She had spent most of her life in Texas, working and raising her kids. ICE detained her despite having humanitarian protection.

How to Cover Nature Crime How can journalists report on nature crime and other criminal activity that affects the environment, as well as the people who live in and depend on these ecosystems? What tools, collaborations and…

Illegal logging. Mining. Drug trafficking. Deforestation. How do journalists connect the dots?

Mongabay’s webinar How to Cover Nature Crime brings together Daniela Quintero Díaz (@mongabaylatam.bsky.social) and Richaldo Hariandja (@mongabayid.bsky.social).

📅 May 5, 2026

Learn more and register! 👇️

Code-name Renata: Army honors 102-year-old Italian woman who parachuted into history Paola Del Din parachuted into a Nazi-occupied area to bring important documents to Allied troops in the final days of the war.

Paola Del Din carried out a mission in the far northeastern corner of Italy to bring important documents to Allied troops in the final days of the wary, parachuting into the Nazi-occupied area.

Read about her legacy here:

graphic with a photo of two goats gazing into the distance together. on the bottom there is text that says "like all animals, farm animals have feelings and deserve to be treated with kindness. sanctuaries affirm the right of animals to live in peace and dignity, and we oppose their exploitation and slaughter. we support sanctuary day and the lifesaving work of sanctuaries around he world."

Today is #SanctuaryDay. A day when sanctuaries around the world come together to honor what sanctuary truly means—safety, dignity, and lifelong care. We’re proud to stand with a global community committed to compassion, protection, and hope for animals everywhere. ❤️

The GOP Just Passed a Resolution to Open Minnesota Wilderness Up For Mining The Forest Service has warned that mines like the one under consideration could cause “serious and irreplaceable harm.”…

Minnesota’s Boundary Waters comprise over a million acres of untouched forest and thousands of lakes and streams, accessible largely by canoe. On Thursday, Senate Republicans voted 50-49 to open the area up to mining.

Know the legal age to buy tobacco products in the U.S.? Many parents don’t A study finds that less than half of surveyed parents know the legal age, 21, to buy cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches and other tobacco products.

Like those under 18, those who begin smoking at 18 to 20 yrs are more likely to become dependent on nicotine and have a tough time quitting than those 21 and up. The legal age to buy tobacco products in the US increased to 21 from 18 nationwide in 2019, but less than half of surveyed parents know.

This means they are trying to prevent the possibility of any non subscription archive. This is a huge problem across the board these days, even libraries usually don’t *hold* the archives of our times, they access them through paid subscriptions that can be changed/go away at any time.

For a Boise family of medical providers, Idaho criminal trans bathroom ban was the last straw This year, Idaho Legislature approved trans bathroom ban, forcing teachers to out trans kids to parents, and re-banning LGBTQ+ pride flag displays by government

The Devitts have seen the Idaho Legislature and the governor approve a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills in recent years. Michael and Dr. Angie Devitt, both medical professionals, watched their trans daughter, Eve, testify against a bill years ago that outlawed gender-affirming care for minors. But this year’s criminal transgender bathroom ban — described by advocates as the most extreme in the nation for extending to private businesses — was the couple’s last straw. So early this month, Michael Devitt notified patients that his practice, Focus Physical Therapy, would shut down at the end of August as his family prepared to move out of Idaho. “Obviously, this law is a disaster for families like ours,” he wrote in a letter. “We can no longer take a road trip across our beloved state, or even enjoy a family night out at a restaurant, or a movie, without running the risk of Eve being charged and sent to a prison merely for using the facilities.”

A family of doctors in Idaho with a teenage trans daughter describes their decision to close their practice and leave the state after the governor signed a law last month threatening her with a felony charge and five years in prison if she uses any women's restroom

Mamdani hasn't had time to really think about all that space he now has, because he spends most of his time at City Hall and around New York City. He tries to keep a semblance of his old life by getting around the city on foot, by bike or train. "If you spend every single day driving around in a tinted window security detail, you will have a very specific view of the city," he said. "You actually meet other New Yorkers and you break out of the bubble that so many have come to expect of politics, where politicians only seem to be spending time with other politicians or the people who donated to make them politicians."

I'd say that this applies to anyone traveling in a car in any city. Being in a car versus walking, riding, or taking transit fundamentally changes how you view a place and your relationship to it. I wish more leaders set this kind of example.

www.npr.org/2026/04/16/n...

Housing Not Handcuffs - Louisiana advances bill to funnel homeless people into forced treatment and unpaid labor This bill requires homeless people to pay for the very treatment they are forced into. And if the person cannot pay the cost of treatment, this bill requires them to perform unpaid labor for the…

BREAKING: Louisiana has advanced one of the cruelest anti-homeless bills in the country. It would force homeless people to choose between jail and involuntary treatment, make them pay for it, and if they can't pay, force them to perform unpaid labor. buff.ly/d6rXj5h

Trump nominates Dr. Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general, for CDC director The CDC has had a tumultuous run during Trump's second term, and it had a permanent director for only one month last summer.

We have a new nominee for CDC Director. On paper Dr. Schwartz seems well qualified for the position. the bigger question is would she be allowed to do her job without political interference? What is her stance on vaccines and other key public health policy issues?
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Video Essay the AIDS Memorial Quilt: Origins, Legacy, Futures YouTube video by ATEC at UT Dallas

As I was wrapping up teaching And the Band Played On this morning to students who hadn't had much if any opportunity to learn about the AIDS epidemic, I decided to show this short video on the AIDS memorial quilt, which highlights the scale of this tragedy.

I cried.
youtu.be/7HsDs3YRRZg?...

Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax kills his wife and then himself, police say | CNN Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, whose tenure was marred by sexual assault allegations, shot and killed his wife, Cerina Fairfax, inside their home and then killed himself, police said.

Their two teenage children lost their Mom, Dr. Cerina Fairfax.

A dentist, she was in the process of getting a divorce. The kids were in the home. I pray they have loving extended family to wrap around them.

It never ceases to shock me that anyone can feel justified in taking a life.

"People have started to believe that having an idea is the same thing as making art... You didn't even make that by typing in the prompt. The computer did, by stealing. If you didn't make the thing, you don't get to take credit for saying what if this thing was a thing?"

Exposing a global ‘online rape academy’ that is teaching men how to abuse women and evade detection CNN exposes an online network of men encouraging each other to drug and assault their partners, and swap tips on how to get away with it.

WTF DO YOU MEAN A WORLDWIDE ONLINE RAPE SCHOOL WITH MILLIONS OF MEN?????
edition.cnn.com/interactive/...

Global carbon emissions and decarbonization in 2025 - Nature Reviews Earth & Environment Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes increased by +0.7% within 2025. However, large-scale deployment of clean electricity sources during the year avoided 10.3 Gt o...

Bad news - we'll soon blow through the carbon budget for stabilizing global temperature at 1.5C

Good news - progress on clean energy suggests it is possible to stabilize by 2C www.nature.com/articles/s41...

What does the science say? Neither is a magic threshold. Every bit of warming matters.

It’s Getting Harder to Spot AI in Contemporary Publishing. And That’s Very, Very Bad. Lately there has been a lot of hand-wringing, and rightly so, about if and how the publishing industry will deal with AI in the wake of the cancelation of the first major book deal due to suspected…

I wrote about how AI in book publishing is a labor issue. "AI paranoia is a symptom of a larger problem: a corporate culture that values quantity over quality, quick output over the very human labor of poring over a manuscript & making sure that each & every word sings."
lithub.com/its-getting-...

This whole region, one of my favorite places on earth, is on solid granite - the great lakes, some of the largest freshwater reserves on earth, will be right downstream of & incredibly vulnerable to mining pollution & spills.