matts5.bsky.social

ICE arrested former Afghan Nat'l Army soldier—our ally against Taliban—at his home in TX. He entered legally and atty says he has no criminal record. Was applying for asylum. Appears to be casualty of Trump decision de-documenting legal Afghan immigrants www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/new...

Look at this. Representative George Whitesides sold millions in stocks on 03/24/2025, before Trump's tariff announcements. The market hit a year-to-date low after. Unusual.

Donald Trump just said Russia’s only concession in a peace deal would be to stop taking all of #Ukraine. Putin and Russia have been stomping on Ukraine’s independence ever since they invaded three years ago — 100% of Ukraine must stay Ukrainian.

This has to be the most brazenly corrupt act in the history of the American presidency. Trump is holding a contest to see who can pay him the most money and the prize is direct access to the president It is literal pay-to-play

The Loan Programs Office (LPO) is one of the most quietly effective tools the federal government has. It is the center of our industrial policy providing loans that banks won't give for energy innovation. It funds real projects. Battery factories. Nuclear reactors. Geothermal energy. Car factories.

Truly stunning. But then again, not. Trump is directly using the White House to help one of his business enterprises. This is unprecedented grift.

The White House just posted this on X.

"Mack Trucks announces layoffs at Lehigh Valley plant, blames tariffs" penncapital-star.com/briefs/mack-...

One of the many ways the current administration impacts the transportation planning field directly.

In less than one week, many Americans will no longer be able to apply for Social Security benefits over the phone, setting the stage for disruptions and upheaval. Nearly 6 million seniors live more than 46.6 miles, roundtrip, from a field office, per a new analysis. trib.al/5XSPqyL

NEW: No fewer than 10 principle scientists at NIH investigating emerging infectious diseases and neural disorders were among those fired by RFK Jr. today. One is an esteemed scientist awarded for breakthrough research into the causes of Parkinson's disease. By me and @emilymullin.bsky.social:

Don’t ask Ukraine to stop defending. Ask Russia to stop attacking.

Chamberlain appeased Hitler in 1938, when he didn't know for certain that there would be a larger war - and not three years later, when hundreds of thousands of people had already died

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON MARCH 7TH!? Head to www.standupforscience2025.org/local-event-information/ or the link in our bio to find your closest event—or add one if you're hosting one! #standupforscience2025

Here I react to the shameful encounter between American leaders and media and the Ukrainian president. No doubt there were more, but I saw five failures on our side: of hospitality, decency, democracy, strategy, and independence. Please watch and share. snyder.substack.com/p/five-failu...

Rubio terminated 5800 USAID contracts – more than 90% of its foreign aid programs – in defiance of the courts. Here’s a list of just some of the lifesaving awards that were terminated. Nearly all were Congressionally mandated. They’ve saved millions of lives. 🧵

pay the president and the government drops your case?

All my life I have studied democratization and autocratization. My 1st field trip was to newly democratic Argentina. I then added autocracies to my portfolio: Cuba, Ven, etc. I think I can recognize the stages of transition to authoritarianism. Here are the boxes Trump has already checked off.

Scoop: The databases powering DOGE.gov are insecure, and people outside the government have already pushed their own updates to the site to prove it: www.404media.co/anyone-can-p...