Henry Watson

@ringwiss.bsky.social Has voting by thumbs up or thumbs down always been accepted in the U.S. Senate for roll call votes? Any interesting procedural history there?

Is the YIMBY movement doomed? For decades, rising home prices have been an engine for middle-class wealth. Now a growing movement wants to slow — or even reverse — that trend. Are the politics around new housing development inhere...

Really thoughtful and nuanced work from NPR’s Planet Money!

I appreciate this analysis!

This phenomenon was the subject of my dissertation research, specifically in local politics where internal expertise can be particularly hard to come by.

This data collection is so valuable, and the qualitative work is very welcome!

One irony here: a shutdown won't shut down ICE or the Border Patrol, which got massive infusion of money last year in the GOP's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' and the White House would surely deem these operations 'essential.'

Worth remembering, when you see passages like the one below, that this was not inevitable--the WPR mechanism does not allow for a presidential veto. It is only because of the Supreme Court's Chadha opinion that the president could veto the Venezuela resolution. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...

A solid crop of books this year! I definitely recommend the Fable app to anyone who loves reading (transferring your data from Goodreads is easy!)

I don’t remember the last time I saw a (good) survey report 0% support for something, even among a small subgroup like that. Neat!

The trend is real, but this NYT analysis at the Congressional district level has big ecological bias

Poor *areas* vote Republican, but it's often the richer *individuals* within those poorer areas that are most Republican

And many poor *individuals* rich blue urban *areas* vote Dem

I think this is the exact example that was used to teach me the ecological fallacy in class

Do policymakers listen to evidence or their own biases? A new experiment with local officials across the U.S. shows that yes, strong evidence can shift attitudes.

Policymakers do listen to strong evidence & rate it more highly, regardless of ideological alignment with policy
goodauthority.org/news/do-poli...

Huge news; those barriers were hideous!

Note that terminating the emergency control of DC’s police before 30 days requires the “enactment into law of a joint resolution,” or “the end of such emergency” as determined by the President. A one-house resolution isn’t sufficient as of a 1984 amendment. code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/counci...

I believe, as amended, the law requires a joint resolution to terminate emergency control of the MPD. See
code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/counci...

Amusing, but also a useful example. If you squint, this *looks* like the diagram as requested. But it doesn’t provide reliable or useful information; it is just an imitation of similar content. Worth keeping in mind whenever you use AI to generate “information” on a topic.

One could argue this is the intention of Housing Choice Vouchers—although not often realized—and state/local SOI laws aim to promote that goal further. AFFH also comes to mind, although its history of implementation is uneven.

Reading through the NYtimes Top 100 has encouraged me to put more thought into this (although I stand by the original)

I’m glad to see information and persuasion highlighted as important pathways of influence; this was a focus of my dissertation research!

This article is now open access: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Any list of “Best Movies” is fraught, but these are ones that have stuck with me.

A large hole sits where the Library of Congress Madison Building now stands. The Capitol and the Library's Jefferson Building can be seen nearby in this photos from a ground level perspective. Thomas J. O'Halloran, photographer. 1971.

Walker Hancock works on a maquette of the marble statue of James Madison that now sits in the James Madison Memorial Hall inside the Madison Building. 1974. Photographer unknown.

Aerial view of Washington, D.C. from the U.S. Capitol Dome, showing the Library of Congress buildings: the Thomas Jefferson Building (left) and the James Madison Building (right). The Adams Building can be spotted behind the Jefferson Building. Photo by Carol Highsmith.

The front of the Madison Building, with its rectangular stone pillars and a bright blue sky above. Photo by Shawn Miller.

Two separate plans hatched in 1960 by Congress—to build a third Library of Congress building & to dedicate a national monument to James Madison—eventually converged. Nine years after excavation began, the Library's James Madison Building opened to the public on this day in 1980.

Mission Impossible very subjective Tier List:

Tier 1: Fallout, Ghost Protocol

Tier 2: Rogue Nation, Dead Reckoning, Final Reckoning

Tier 3: The OG, Mission 3

Tier 4 (Much worse): Mission 2

You asked to see how the custom boxes that house the Library’s miniature globe collection are made. Today, we are happy to show you the steps, materials and skills that go into protecting these (and many other) Library treasures. Let us know what else you’d like to see!

What better day to launch a Bluesky account than our birthday? We turn 225 today! 🎂 🥳 Here's a brief summary of the Library's history, courtesy of Dr. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress.
www.loc.gov/about/histor...

2) Persuasion: Lobbyists do better when they have an informational advantage over legislators, and we talk about the different types of information that matters (e.g. business is advantaged) and who it works on (usually ideological allies)

But of course Best Picture is really CHALLENGERS! The score, the performance, the script, the score, the cinematography, the score; it’s all pitch-perfect and thrilling and funny and exhilarating. What a fun time at the movies.

1: The Brutalist

I was lucky enough to see a 70mm screening of this and it is a gorgeous film. Brody is captivating, but Pearce is essential as his shallow, insecure antagonist. It’s an instant-classic immigrant story about the tension between art and capitalism, and it’s my favorite of these

2: Dune: Part Two

Dune is marvelous. It’s an all-star cast playing out a grand, epic story, and it doesn’t shies away from the darkness of the source material. Villeneuve’s direction is one of the biggest awards snubs of the year; this is his baby and he deserves his flowers.

3: I’m Still Here

I don’t have a clear favorite among my top 3. Torres gives a deeply affecting performance. Her anger and grief and powerlessness are keenly felt without needing a Big Awards Monologue. It hits even harder in the current political climate. It literally moved me to tears twice.