Patrick Reis

Oops! Donald Trump’s new government A.I. chatbot says climate change is real, Americans pay the costs of tariffs, and Barack Obama was born in the U.S. slate.com/news-and-pol...

And I found reporting it really illuminating. I don’t know how Trump came across this conspiracy theory specifically—this isn’t a story about him—but I now have a better understanding of how one odd idea from one guy can spread until it reaches millions of people and the president of the US.

It’s a long read, but I'd really appreciate it if you checked out my medbed story for Slate: slate.com/news-and-pol... It was a wild ride.

I also found the man who first put it out on the internet. I expected he would be some seedy scammer or troll or something, but when I met him out in Sedona, I found a very different kind of guy. And, tbh, he seemed sorta like a victim, too. He hates medbed scammers and he hates QAnon, it turns out.

People genuinely believe this! There are people who won’t take their medications because they think it’s easier to wait for the medbeds. One person told me her aunt was so convinced they were coming in the next few days, she didn’t go to a doctor for a broken arm.

If you’ve never heard of medbeds, the basic idea is there are extremely advanced bed devices that can cure the body of literally anything. Severed limbs, cancer, aging, etc. They’re being kept secret, but soon Trump will release them for everyone.

Almost exactly a year ago, Trump posted an AI-generated video of what I then considered to be one of the absolute weirdest and cruelest conspiracy theories out there: Medbeds. (Apologies for the thread, but this one was a real journey for me.)

My latest for @slate.com: Joshua Fox told me: "I just don't wanna be known as the Black guy Chud the Builder shot." Shot 5 times outside a Tennessee courthouse by a man who built a persona hunting Black strangers on camera. Fox survived. This is first time he's spoken. slate.com/news-and-pol...

This horrifying story from the New York prison system just a few weeks ago still hasn't gotten any national attention. Just shocking how few people have seen this and discussed it. Slate's journalist on the inside tells the story: slate.com/news-and-pol...

A major Trump energy scandal is flying under the radar. It’s a twisted repeat of history. slate.trib.al/p4oo7t5

He's chief of staff to a leading GOP Senate contender. He also told a group chat—which included Nick Fuentes—that he used "the levers of the legislative branch" to help a Holocaust denier get out of jail. slate.com/news-and-pol...

SLOW BURN: BECOMING JUSTICE GORSUCH is out today! Listen to the first episode here. Learn about the mommy issues driving his attack on the administrative state. And play our game to see if you can pick Gorsuch out of a lineup of middle-aged white guys! slate.com/news-and-pol...

"A Figure From Democrats’ Recent Past May Hold the Key to Beating Donald Trump" Zachary Blau thinks so, and he thinks, based on a recent book you may have heard about, that Harry Reid can show the way: slate.com/news-and-pol...

We've got a new newsletter at @slate.com by the brilliant @shirinali.bsky.social. It's called Executive Dysfunction and the first edition is on what it would mean for Dem shutdown demands to actually happen--and what it would mean for them to fold. Please read and subscribe slate.com/news-and-pol...

We're excited to welcome @ianprasad.bsky.social as Slate's new politics writer. He wrote The Morning at the NYT, Starting Point at the Boston Globe, and once upon a time interned and freelanced right here. Welcome (back), Ian! slate.com/slate-welcom...

There isn't a perfect playbook for defeating authoritarianism, but we know from other countries that democratic resurgence is possible. I wrote for @slate.com about some of what we're seeing in Minnesota and why I believe, even now, that we will win. slate.com/news-and-pol...

10 years ago today, Trump won the New Hampshire presidential primary.

3 yrs ago I started writing a book that is in stores TODAY. It's narrative nonfiction, anti-fascist spy thriller set in Trump era. It's timely as hell & I'm proud of it. A thread of what people are saying abt it & why I hope you'll help make it a bestseller www.simonandschuster.com/books/To-Cat...

i'll be chatting with @letsgomathias.bsky.social this thursday in brooklyn about his amazing new book! come!

The 1990 classic House Party celebrated its 35th anniversary last year. A bona fide classic, it has deservedly received the @criterion.bsky.social treatment in all of its zany and energetic glory. I was lucky enough to chat w/ writer/director @reghud.bsky.social about its lasting impact and legacy.

Life on the ground in St. Paul right now, from Council Member @mollycoleman.bsky.social—including a dispatch from "day care patrol," now a feature of everyday life, when parents try to stop ICE agents from kidnapping toddlers and teachers. slate.com/news-and-pol...

The last story I did as a freelancer is finally out! For @slate.com I took a deep dive into the world of Katie Miller as she sheds her image as government attack dog and rebrands herself "trad-wife-in-chief" for her new podcast slate.com/news-and-pol...

Forgot to post this spooky story I wrote for Slate on Friday amid the Halloween shuffle: The mainstream right makes a little room at the table for Nick Fuentes slate.com/news-and-pol...

Hello here is a thread of some book tour dates I have coming up soon. Nov 5 at @busboysandpoets.bsky.social in DC with @patrickcreis.bsky.social @iamchrisscott.bsky.social @scheinman.bsky.social + @dwdavison.bsky.social (flyers by the great @tylerlittwin.bsky.social)

SCOOP: PA prosecutors were alerted to possible voting irregularities by one of MAGA's leading voices. A long paper trail shows Jack Posobiec has been living in Maryland but voting using his parent's address in Pennsylvania for years. Me with @marisakabas.bsky.social slate.com/news-and-pol...

Jack Posobiec, MAGA's voter fraud watchdog, votes in a swing state. He doesn't live in one, @marisakabas.bsky.social & @jsweetli.bsky.social report for @slate.com. slate.com/news-and-pol...

Excited to announce @patrickcreis.bsky.social is joining @slate.com as our politics editor! “He brings a thoughtful, ambitious vision for our politics coverage that’s focused on clarity, depth, and the human side of policy and power..." Read more here: slate.com/briefing/202...

Big feature out from Umair Irfan for @vox.com today about a technology that has the potential to unlock amazing potential for the renewable energy transition. If you're worried about the climate, you don't want to miss this one: www.vox.com/climate/4083...

I am autistic. I pay taxes, I have a job. I dated. I get the desire to push this narrative autistic people DO accomplish these to rebut Kennedy. But there was a time when I DID NOT have a job. And non-speaking autistic people or thise with intellectual disabilities don't. They have worth as well.

Our immigration policies, up close and in focus, are as brutal as you’d expect. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Why introverts should sometimes act like extroverts: A new excerpt from ME, BUT BETTER, out in @vox.com today! www.vox.com/advice/40230...

“After Friday night’s firings, Trump has the ability to install a handpicked group of officers to lead the world’s most powerful fighting force. Those people will be tasked with fulfilling their oaths to the Constitution, even if that means going against Trump.“ Gulp: www.vox.com/the-logoff-n...

"Climate is a big target," a former Trump NOAA appointee tells @vox.com DOGE attacks to dismantle NOAA are following the Project 2025 playbook. As the agency girds for massive cuts, Umair Irfan provides all of the context about what we stand to lose: www.vox.com/climate/4007...

As Trump reaches out to Putin and feuds with Zelenskyy, my latest for @vox.com looks at whether the nightmare scenario for Ukraine has really arrived. www.vox.com/world-politi...

I know there's a lot of overwhelming news right now but the red state criminal charges and financial penalties being brought against Dr. Maggie Carpenter are a really big deal and escalation I did my best to lay out what's going on and why it matters: www.vox.com/abortion/400...

“These agencies regulate so many facets of American life — preventing everything from predatory business practices to nuclear reactor meltdowns. If they get tied up in partisan politics, sooner or later, we’ll feel it.” www.vox.com/the-logoff-n...

My dog is going to be ok. Thanks to everyone who reached out. Very kind. May your day be as relaxed as this very high pittie.

I so enjoyed reading Yoni Appelbaum’s new book — STUCK — and have a Q&A up at Vox today about it www.vox.com/housing/3996...

NEW: Scoop about the architect of the destruction of USAID. Pete Marocco was a USAID official in the first Trump Admin. On a trip to the Balkans, he secretly met with the Serb separatist leader. That was a no-no. Caused a big diplomatic incident. www.propublica.org/article/usai...

"Zeldin’s role was obscured by BlackRock and two lobby shops, making it look like the former congressman was sharing his purported expertise in his local paper. In reality, he was getting paid to help BlackRock sway state officials halfway across the country" fieldnotes.co/investigatio...

“We are not sleepwalking into the apocalypse—we’re charging toward it with full awareness of what’s at stake.”

Friday SCOOP: @vox.com has learned that USFWS has frozen its vast portfolio of international conservation grants. This is far beyond the scope of USAID-funded work and will inevitably harm wildlife internationally and in the US. @benjij.bsky.social has the story: www.vox.com/down-to-eart...

Scooplet: The US Fish and Wildlife Service has issued stop work orders, frozen funding, and ceased communication for all of its international grants, jeopardizing critical conservation overseas. Much of this money is appropriated for Interior, not foreign aid. www.vox.com/down-to-eart...