John Emerson
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John Emerson
@backspace.com
Design, code, human rights.
Reposted by John Emerson
I got permission to share this, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

The Onion got this letter from one of our subscribers in Alaska. She works with dementia patients and decided to leave a copy in the car for each one.

This email made my year. Read it and you'll see what I mean. People are good.
July 1, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
Reuters documented at least 470 targets of retribution under Trump’s leadership. They range from federal employees and prosecutors to universities and media outlets reut.rs/49B2UWt
November 26, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by John Emerson
New from 404 Media: X has shown where accounts are actually being run from, revealing many MAGA accounts are actually grifters in Eastern Europe, Asia, etc. But the situation is much, much worse. Entire guides specifically on how to squeeze US audiences with AI.

www.404media.co/americas-pol...
America’s Polarization Has Become the World's Side Hustle
The 'psyops' revealed by X are entirely the fault of the perverse incentives created by social media monetization programs.
www.404media.co
November 24, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
11 years ago today, 12 year old Tamir Rice was gunned down by police officers on Cleveland’s west side.

The officer shot him within seconds of arriving at the park he was playing in.

Tamir’s life mattered. It still does. My thoughts are with his family today.
November 22, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
I used to handle interlibrary loans for a public library. ILL is a magnificent expression of the idea that readers deserve books, and books deserve readers. It’s libraries everywhere pooling their resources for the benefit of everyone.

Killing IMLS could have killed ILL.

This is great news. 📚
November 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM
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Behind this important reversal is a member of the Coast Guard who saw what was happening and had the courage to leak it to the press. That person deserves serious praise.
November 21, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
JUST IN: A federal judge says one of the Venezuelan men — illegally deported to El Salvador in March before he was swapped back to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange — is now missing, possibly a victim of the violence he was seeking asylum from. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 21, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by John Emerson
I’m howling.
November 20, 2025 at 2:16 PM
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New: Reuters has tallied job losses, suspensions and investigations stemming from the reaction to Charlie Kirk's Sept. 10 assassination. Its findings: More than 600 Americans have been punished, and the figure is likely to be an under-count.

www.reuters.com/investigatio...
November 19, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by John Emerson
A student wrote me to say she will be late for class due to subway issues and my two suggested replies from google were ”so cute!” And “yum!” This is definitely a technology we want to rest our entire economy on.
November 19, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
KEEP SHARING YOUR STORIES about increased ACA premiums due to the disappearance of subsidies. The stories clearly are having an impact, they help people feel less helpless, and they create solidarity that leads to action.

Mine went from $395→ $821. What happened for you?
November 18, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
How Many People Has the U.S. Killed in Boat Strikes?

@theintercept.com is keeping count of all publicly declared U.S. attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.

theintercept.com/2025/11/17/t...
How Many People Has the U.S. Killed in Boat Strikes?
The Intercept is keeping count of all publicly declared U.S. attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean and the number of civilians killed.
theintercept.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.

And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*

Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
BREAKING: A Bangladesh court convicted ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of crimes against humanity, concluding a months-long trial that found her guilty of ordering a deadly crackdown on a student-led uprising last year reut.rs/3LJP9L8
November 17, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by John Emerson
💔 Kostyantynivka…
November 16, 2025 at 7:59 PM
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THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
Sixty-five years ago today, four first-graders desegregated New Orleans's public schools: Ruby Bridges at William Frantz Elementary School, and Leona Tate, Tessie Provost, and Gail Etienne at McDonogh 19 Elementary School. They faced violent mobs and threats to their lives. They were 6 years old. 🗃
November 14, 2025 at 1:51 PM
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Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming before vanishing day to all those who celebrate.
November 14, 2025 at 6:56 AM
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November 14, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
For many years conflict has asphyxiated Myanmar, this map shows spots of political violence reported by ACLED mhinfographics.github.io/maps —A personal project for the #30daymapchallenge
November 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
"Since 2000, more than 1,800 apartments—many of them affordable units—have been built in complexes that combine new housing with new libraries. These projects can both address a communities’ housing needs + improve local infrastructure by replacing aging library complexes..." (see also: Inwood)
November 11, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by John Emerson
a new genre of photo in the last year is federal agents working for ICE pointing guns directly at photographers
November 11, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Reposted by John Emerson
Chicagoans are making, sharing, and printing designs for whistles that can warn people when ICE is in the area. The goal is to “prevent as many people from being kidnapped as possible.”
The Latest Defense Against ICE: 3D-Printed Whistles
Chicagoans are making, sharing, and printing designs for whistles that can warn people when ICE is in the area. The goal is to “prevent as many people from being kidnapped as possible.”
www.404media.co
November 11, 2025 at 2:30 PM