Mark Follman

Mark Follman

@markfollman.bsky.social

Author, dad, journalist at Mother Jones/CIR. My book TRIGGER POINTS is the story of expert teams who are preventing mass shootings, from K-12 schools to the FBI 👉🏻 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062973533/ DM or email for Signal 🔐

19.2K followers662 following2.1K posts

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Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Some cool news: My investigation “Lessons From a Mass Shooter’s Mother”—chronicling how a killer's mom is now trying to help stop other massacres—is a National Magazine Award finalist x 2. In profile, and 1 of 2 @motherjones.com cover stories in General Excellence www.motherjones.com/criminal-jus...

motherjones.comLessons from a mass shooter's motherA decade after her son committed a massacre, Chin Rodger is on a quest to help prevent the next tragedy.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Cheesecake Factory thing really got Trump shook... "No one appeared more insulted than Mr. Trump. In a six-minute gaggle with reporters on his way to Mississippi, the president devoted more than half his speaking time to Mr. Obama’s remarks." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/26/u...

nytimes.comObama’s ‘Cheesecake Factory’ Jab Rankles Trump on Mississippi Campaign StopFormer President Barack Obama had cast his successor as out of touch while jabbing at his extravagant sense of style. Mr. Trump responded at length.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Saw “You Can See Everything.” Extraordinary film. Lives up to the hype, and do avoid spoilers. Also don’t let it leave you too unsure about Holmes—reality check on her from my pal @johncarreyrou.bsky.social, who broke the Theranos fraud. (But see the film first!) www.nytimes.com/2026/10/17/b...

nytimes.comThe Elizabeth Holmes Documentary, Through the Eyes of the Reporter Who Exposed Her (Gift Article)Ms. Holmes handed the makers of “You Can See Everything” — and the rest of the world — a microscope with which to observe and dissect her lies.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

amazing sales pitch to all Americans who can barely fill their gas tanks right now

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "While oil prices are temporarily high ... the United States oil and gas business is making hundreds of billions of dollars"

Mark Follman reposted

Eric Lipton NYT
@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: Today at The NYT we are publishing a major investigation into how President Trump used his executive powers to expose millions of Americans to greater cancer risks. A six month-long investigation built on more than 10,000 pages of FOIA records. Read it www.nytimes.com/2026/10/24/c...

nytimes.comHow Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass (Gift Article)The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Trump's DOJ is ramping up egregiously phony attacks on the nation's electoral system. The Trump White House knows the GOP is in trouble.... but this is dangerous, destabilizing stuff (exactly what Trump wants) www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

nytimes.comTrump Officials Seek Block on Alaska Senate Race Results if the Republican Dan Sullivan LosesThe Justice Department, in a highly unusual court filing, argued that confusion over candidates with similar names could taint the election result.

Mark Follman reposted

Bill Grueskin
@bgrueskin.bsky.social

Hegseth: We are banning reporters from the Pentagon. Washpost: We have exclusive photos of the historic Dwight Eisenhower globe that was damaged in Hegseth's zeal to move it out of storage and into his office. Gift link ⤵️ wapo.st/3WF2YQo

Mark Follman reposted

Steve Rattner
@steverattner.bsky.social

Diesel prices have jumped 65% since the Iran War began — to $6.28 a gallon. That's hitting farmers, truckers, and industry hard in several states that will decide control of the Senate.

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Is anyone really surprised to see a haughty opportunist like Vivek Ramaswamy crashing out from a foolishly ugly campaign tactic? It's pretty baked into the role, bro. (He must also know Trump's triage may be a kiss of death here too)

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

“As ocean levels rise, waves crash farther inland and the coast continues to crumble, Southern California is on track to lose 30 to 70% of its beaches over the next several decades.” www.latimes.com/environment/...

latimes.comMajor loss of California beaches predicted in latest climate forecastSouthern California is on track to lose 30 to 70% of its beaches over the next several decades. Almost half of all beach cliffs are likely to retreat by 30 to 80 feet by 2100.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

The majority of this particular "rogue" AI problem, as I've documented with my investigation so far, has been with OpenAI's ChatGPT—but Anthropic is not immune (nor is Google's Gemini) This ominous case from Australia involving Claude just a few days ago... www.straitstimes.com/asia/austral...

straitstimes.comMan arrested after allegedly discussing Sydney childcare mass shooting plans with AI chatbotSydney man arrested after alleged childcare centre shooting threats in chats with AI chatbot Claude Read more at straitstimes.com.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

(Notably, it appears Anthropic handled that case appropriately with a referral to law enforcement, though few details of what happened are clear from that new reporting)

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

"Roughly a third of the draft prospectus was dedicated to risk factors, including the possibility of misaligned models causing real-world harms." Anthropic, OpenAI, et. al, frame this risk in terms of cyberattacks, hacking, etc. What about other real-world harms? www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...

motherjones.comChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation revealsOpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

WSJ: On Oct. 10, just days before Starlink speeds slowed, Trump said he told Zelensky, “‘You can do whatever you want to Russia, but don’t hit the refineries because that’s a world problem.’ And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He better damn well stop.” www.wsj.com/world/ukrain...

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

WSJ: Musk responded to a White House video of those remarks on X: “Zelensky has gone too far.” Four days later, Ukrainian drone operators reported that they were losing unrestricted access to the Starlink network for unexplained reasons, leading to the urgent requests from Kyiv for an explanation.

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Comes as little surprise to anyone who has paid attention—but still absolutely stunning and egregious. No one elected Elon Musk to do anything, let alone this. Cannot be allowed to stand.

The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com

Breaking: Elon Musk ordered the Starlink slowdown that blindsided Ukraine on.wsj.com/4sgcxkt

on.wsj.comExclusive | Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided UkraineThe SpaceX founder authorized the move and has been discussing Ukraine with Trump, but the president has denied ordering the restrictions.

Mark Follman reposted

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)
@hcrichardson.bsky.social

THEY ARE NOT POWERLESS TO STOP HIM! Go back to Washington, stand on the steps of the Capitol and demand Johnson and Thune recall the House and Senate, and impeach him. THIS IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO WORK! THERE IS LITERALLY AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL! (It's called the Constitution.)

Jon Cooper@joncooper-us.bsky.social

Republican lawmakers are incensed about Trump's dismissal of Ukraine — and powerless to stop him. That frustration hit a new peak on Monday as they sought to address Trump’s decision to purchase Russian diesel, waive sanctions on Moscow, and potentially stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine.

politico.comGOP lawmakers scramble to spare Ukraine from TrumpLawmakers are struggling to find a way to convince the president to stop cozying up to Russia.

Mark Follman reposted

Adam Klasfeld
@klasfeldreports.com

Donald Trump canceled his scheduled Oct. 16 deposition in his lawsuit against the BBC because of "matters of national importance." The BBC alerts the judge that those matters were: a rally in Dalton, Ga. and a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago.

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

48 percent of Americans say they are financially worse off since Trump returned to office, according to polling by the Washington Post, ABC News, Ipsos. Highest that percentage has been since 1986. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

washingtonpost.comTrump approval hits record low, handing Democrats a clear midterm edgeThe president’s approval is at 33 percent, with 66 percent disapproving and just over half saying they disapprove strongly. Meanwhile, midterm support for Democrats is rising.

Mark Follman reposted

Mother Jones
@motherjones.com

“Don’t use real-world locations,” ChatGPT told the shooter, later adding: “You can still be twisted. Just be clever about it.” Our investigation uncovers how OpenAI's chatbot fed a school shooter’s violent fantasies and planning for a massacre

motherjones.comChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation revealsOpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

Trump continues prioritizing golf courses, ballrooms and monuments to himself… while most Americans suffer from the horrid inflation he unleashed with his foolish tariffs and foolish war wapo.st/47qaXDm

wapo.stTrump shares plan to overhaul East Potomac golf course amid court fight over landThe historic public facility will close for about 15 months, he said. Government attorneys have stressed in court that the president’s broader redevelopment remained conceptual.

Mark Follman reposted

Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

TBH, all the focus on the armed dad who stopped the shooter is also unsettling. Yes, heroic. However: The killer was 16 YEARS OLD. Three child victims and a teacher are dead, others wounded, another community shattered. Why isn't the focus, 'How do we stop this from happening in the first place?'

Mark Follman@markfollman.bsky.social

Absolutely, the armed dad who stopped the school shooter in Bend acted heroically. So did the police who responded quickly. But this also needs to be said: "good guys with guns" and "active shooter drills" are reactive. We need much more active shooter PREVENTION www.motherjones.com/criminal-jus...

motherjones.comHere's how we can prevent the next school massacreInside a growing method that experts are using to thwart disasters like the recent Oxford High rampage.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

“I wanted to meet with Ms. Holmes to ask her about my findings. But she denied my repeated requests for an interview and instead dispatched David Boies, one of the country’s most feared litigators, to try to intimidate me and silence the whistle-blowers I had spoken to.”

Mark Follman reposted

Mother Jones
@motherjones.com

“Don’t use real-world locations,” ChatGPT told the shooter, later adding: “You can still be twisted. Just be clever about it.” Our investigation uncovers how OpenAI's chatbot fed a school shooter’s violent fantasies and planning for a massacre

motherjones.comChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation revealsOpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

‘Nathalie Harp was a key backer’… obviously shoulda been a red flag! But again, while this is a less consequential train wreck in the greater scheme of things, it seems telling of just how much Trump 2.0 is falling apart now. (Which is not something to take lightly…) www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/p...

cnn.comWhy Trump decided to fire Katie Zacharia as press secretary after just five days: ‘Did anyone vet her?’ | CNN PoliticsPresident Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia as press secretary, advisers to the president said, ending her turbulent week-long stint as the White House’s top spokesperson.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

TBH, all the focus on the armed dad who stopped the shooter is also unsettling. Yes, heroic. However: The killer was 16 YEARS OLD. Three child victims and a teacher are dead, others wounded, another community shattered. Why isn't the focus, 'How do we stop this from happening in the first place?'

Mark Follman@markfollman.bsky.social

Absolutely, the armed dad who stopped the school shooter in Bend acted heroically. So did the police who responded quickly. But this also needs to be said: "good guys with guns" and "active shooter drills" are reactive. We need much more active shooter PREVENTION www.motherjones.com/criminal-jus...

motherjones.comHere's how we can prevent the next school massacreInside a growing method that experts are using to thwart disasters like the recent Oxford High rampage.
Mark Follman
@markfollman.bsky.social

“It’s like buying a pet rock, except you don’t even get a rock.”

Steve Rattner@steverattner.bsky.social

Millions of people have lost about $4 billion on the $TRUMP meme coin. Trump and a couple dozen insiders made almost $2 billion. It's like buying a pet rock just to lose a lot of money.