Stephen Baines
@stephenbaines.bsky.social
Ecologist, biogeochemist, drummer and gardener interested in effective pro-people politics, and equitable climate policy. (Also a Wisconsin Badgers volleyball fanatic.) Stony Brook E&E. He/him
Opinions are my own. Also, our brains are too small.
Opinions are my own. Also, our brains are too small.
Pinned
Stephen Baines
@stephenbaines.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Nice to see so many arriving!
I have mostly studied how elemental cycles are affected by phytoplankton and the things what eats ‘em. Although I often get sidetracked!
Recently my lab has moved inland to work on nitrogen transformations and organic matter decomposition in wetlands.
I have mostly studied how elemental cycles are affected by phytoplankton and the things what eats ‘em. Although I often get sidetracked!
Recently my lab has moved inland to work on nitrogen transformations and organic matter decomposition in wetlands.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Trump unleashes a blistering campaign speech against his general election opponent, President Joe Biden.
December 18, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Trump unleashes a blistering campaign speech against his general election opponent, President Joe Biden.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
NEW: Humanitarian officials staged a last-minute plea to Trump officials at their fancy hotel to re-start food aid $ for a huge refugee camp in Kenya.
The Trumpers blew it off and babies starved.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy
www.propublica.org/article/keny...
The Trumpers blew it off and babies starved.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy
www.propublica.org/article/keny...
December 17, 2025 at 12:36 PM
NEW: Humanitarian officials staged a last-minute plea to Trump officials at their fancy hotel to re-start food aid $ for a huge refugee camp in Kenya.
The Trumpers blew it off and babies starved.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy
www.propublica.org/article/keny...
The Trumpers blew it off and babies starved.
@annamaria.bsky.social & Brett Murphy
www.propublica.org/article/keny...
Reposted by Stephen Baines
He's referring to them nationalizing their oil fields in the 70s. At the time, many US oil companies operated there.
In his mind, business trumps all, which really explains a lot about how he runs the government.
In his mind, business trumps all, which really explains a lot about how he runs the government.
December 17, 2025 at 9:04 PM
He's referring to them nationalizing their oil fields in the 70s. At the time, many US oil companies operated there.
In his mind, business trumps all, which really explains a lot about how he runs the government.
In his mind, business trumps all, which really explains a lot about how he runs the government.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
LUHAN: Is the FCC an independent agency?
CARR: I think th---
L: Yes or no
C: There's a test for this in the la---
L: It's yes or no, Brendan! On your website, it simply says, man, 'the FCC is independent.' This isn't a trick question
C: The FCC is not
L: So is your website lying?
C: Possibly
CARR: I think th---
L: Yes or no
C: There's a test for this in the la---
L: It's yes or no, Brendan! On your website, it simply says, man, 'the FCC is independent.' This isn't a trick question
C: The FCC is not
L: So is your website lying?
C: Possibly
December 17, 2025 at 4:54 PM
LUHAN: Is the FCC an independent agency?
CARR: I think th---
L: Yes or no
C: There's a test for this in the la---
L: It's yes or no, Brendan! On your website, it simply says, man, 'the FCC is independent.' This isn't a trick question
C: The FCC is not
L: So is your website lying?
C: Possibly
CARR: I think th---
L: Yes or no
C: There's a test for this in the la---
L: It's yes or no, Brendan! On your website, it simply says, man, 'the FCC is independent.' This isn't a trick question
C: The FCC is not
L: So is your website lying?
C: Possibly
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Massive defeat for Mike Johnson. Still has to clear the senate, but this is what Dems wanted all along. Johnson has essentially lost control of the gavel after Epstein and now this. Weakest speaker in history.
December 17, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Massive defeat for Mike Johnson. Still has to clear the senate, but this is what Dems wanted all along. Johnson has essentially lost control of the gavel after Epstein and now this. Weakest speaker in history.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Combating the dangerousness of the right by constantly writing about how conservatives are correct and their critics are hysterical.
These people want leftist and liberals to come back to Twitter so badly. They give all kinds of reasons, but the fact is without them the Nazi bar marinates in its own juices and they can't stand it.
December 17, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Combating the dangerousness of the right by constantly writing about how conservatives are correct and their critics are hysterical.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
“ the jail is at a horrific state right now."... “We hear stories,” Harris, the county mayor, tells me, of “individuals that are standing for 24 hours straight because there’s no room or place for them to sit down. I don’t have the words for what’s happening over there.”
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.
“It’s about as sad as you can possibly imagine."
www.motherjones.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:04 PM
“ the jail is at a horrific state right now."... “We hear stories,” Harris, the county mayor, tells me, of “individuals that are standing for 24 hours straight because there’s no room or place for them to sit down. I don’t have the words for what’s happening over there.”
Reposted by Stephen Baines
I have lots of strong feelings about this, but I'm going to lead with optimism: Apparently people think there is going to be a 2029! bsky.app/profile/thr....
Breaking: The Oscars Are Leaving ABC For YouTube Starting in 2029
Oscars Bolt from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029
The Academy announced on Wednesday:
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I have lots of strong feelings about this, but I'm going to lead with optimism: Apparently people think there is going to be a 2029! bsky.app/profile/thr....
Reposted by Stephen Baines
DC statehood now.
DC Cir. will allow the continued deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. while the litigation continues.
Decision rests on idea that D.C. has no sovereignty (or federalism interest) of its own bc it is not a state.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Decision rests on idea that D.C. has no sovereignty (or federalism interest) of its own bc it is not a state.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
![The District of Columbia, in contrast, is a federal district, not a sovereign State. From its inception, the District has been a creation of Congress. See U.S. CONST. Art. I, § 8, cl. 17 (vesting Congress with the power “[t]o exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District * * * as may * * * become the Seat of Government of the United States”). And not just a federal district, but also the Nation’s Capital—a jurisdiction in which Congress has distinctive power to provide for the defense of the operations and property of the federal government.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:24vva42nxim6zbcmnozegoef/bafkreiduu334jmbcannco2umj5xadaxgbhvpktvqbjjkdzdnwxnunung7y@jpeg)
December 17, 2025 at 4:15 PM
DC statehood now.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
there is really no difference between the current administration and having the country run by david duke
On that last post: I genuinely cannot think of any good-faith reason to bar international adoptions from those 39 countries. Under this new ban, consulates will refuse adoption visas for any baby from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nigeria, or any of the 39 other countries.
December 17, 2025 at 3:17 AM
there is really no difference between the current administration and having the country run by david duke
Reposted by Stephen Baines
NCAR is a unique & valuable asset - far more than a climate model, or observations, or technology, or training ground, or gathering space. It covers weather, space weather, data, climate, paleo-climate, and everything in-between. It's building is an icon, but it's iconic status goes far beyond that.
December 17, 2025 at 12:21 PM
NCAR is a unique & valuable asset - far more than a climate model, or observations, or technology, or training ground, or gathering space. It covers weather, space weather, data, climate, paleo-climate, and everything in-between. It's building is an icon, but it's iconic status goes far beyond that.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
very interesting that the guy who wrote the “i can’t find a job because i’m white” piece zeroed in on me as responsible for the negative response on bluesky, despite the fact that i wrote a single post about the piece well after the discourse had started.
he's now on substack complaining about mccarthyism on bluesky and blaming, of course, Jamelle
December 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
very interesting that the guy who wrote the “i can’t find a job because i’m white” piece zeroed in on me as responsible for the negative response on bluesky, despite the fact that i wrote a single post about the piece well after the discourse had started.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Oh, you mean TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet who was interviewed by the NYTimes’s Ross Douthat THIS WEEK where he talked about how much he cares about fact-based, non-conspiratorial media and Ross didn’t challenge him at all on that assertion?
Brown University released a statement about a Palestinian student that's being smeared online as the shooting suspect.
Not going to share his post because it includes the student's personal info but one of those spreading this harmful rumor was the spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet.
Not going to share his post because it includes the student's personal info but one of those spreading this harmful rumor was the spokesperson for Turning Point USA, Andrew Kolvet.
December 17, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Oh, you mean TPUSA’s Andrew Kolvet who was interviewed by the NYTimes’s Ross Douthat THIS WEEK where he talked about how much he cares about fact-based, non-conspiratorial media and Ross didn’t challenge him at all on that assertion?
Reposted by Stephen Baines
A reminder tonight that Venezuela has nothing to do with fentanyl. The vast majority of the fentanyl supply begins as precursor chemicals in China, is manufactured in Mexico, and makes it to the U.S. by land, mostly smuggled by U.S. citizens hiding it within lawful trade and traffic at entry points.
Fentanyl smuggling: Most seizures occur at ports of entry where U.S. citizens are the primary smugglers - American Immigration Council
Most fentanyl enters the U.S. through ports of entry, not via migrants. U.S. citizens are the primary smugglers, often recruited by criminal networks. Effective solutions focus on better screening at ...
www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:00 AM
A reminder tonight that Venezuela has nothing to do with fentanyl. The vast majority of the fentanyl supply begins as precursor chemicals in China, is manufactured in Mexico, and makes it to the U.S. by land, mostly smuggled by U.S. citizens hiding it within lawful trade and traffic at entry points.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
December 17, 2025 at 2:52 AM
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Incredibly funny to say you aren’t doing war crimes because George W Bush did something
Lindsey Graham: "The least of my concerns is this frickin' video. Release it, make your own decisions. This is lawful. I have every confidence that what they're doing is no different than what Bush did."
December 16, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Incredibly funny to say you aren’t doing war crimes because George W Bush did something
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Amazing how many articles are just “I’m a white guy who didn’t get the promotion I wanted and the only answer to this problem that concerns every single one of us is to re-segregate the workplace”
December 16, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Amazing how many articles are just “I’m a white guy who didn’t get the promotion I wanted and the only answer to this problem that concerns every single one of us is to re-segregate the workplace”
Reposted by Stephen Baines
One of the things that you see at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina is a Jim Crow era Coke machine that was designed to fit into a segregated bus station. One machine two sides.
The Coke cost more on the Black side.
The Coke cost more on the Black side.
Amazing how many articles are just “I’m a white guy who didn’t get the promotion I wanted and the only answer to this problem that concerns every single one of us is to re-segregate the workplace”
December 16, 2025 at 6:16 PM
One of the things that you see at the International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina is a Jim Crow era Coke machine that was designed to fit into a segregated bus station. One machine two sides.
The Coke cost more on the Black side.
The Coke cost more on the Black side.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
This is extremely important
December 16, 2025 at 12:48 PM
This is extremely important
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Reposted by Stephen Baines
It is rare that i reach out to as many trump advisers and officials that I did today and get literally no one willing to defend this, even off the record.
"Trump Dances on Rob Reiner's Grave"
BREAKING: Trump Dances on Rob Reiner’s Grave
Even for President Donald Trump, this is sickening.
zeteo.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:17 AM
It is rare that i reach out to as many trump advisers and officials that I did today and get literally no one willing to defend this, even off the record.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
i have said this before but if you are actually interested in influencing people beyond a narrow circle of too-online journalists you will be making direct to camera videos on tiktok, instagram and youtube. if you primarily post on text-based social media then you're just dicking around.
December 15, 2025 at 7:26 PM
i have said this before but if you are actually interested in influencing people beyond a narrow circle of too-online journalists you will be making direct to camera videos on tiktok, instagram and youtube. if you primarily post on text-based social media then you're just dicking around.
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.
Behind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a re...
www.propublica.org
December 15, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Reposted by Stephen Baines
Bluesky has genuinely revived my love for science communication online. After watching the same posts go nowhere on Twitter, seeing them resonate here has been such a good reminder of why I do this. Thanks for being here 🖤
December 14, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Bluesky has genuinely revived my love for science communication online. After watching the same posts go nowhere on Twitter, seeing them resonate here has been such a good reminder of why I do this. Thanks for being here 🖤