TracingVRL

TracingVRL

@tracingvrl.bsky.social

By programmer-journalist A.J. Fish. The software-journalism project tracing & transcending the antivaxx infodemic. TracingVRL.substack.com

248 followers191 following1.3K posts

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Following arrests for alleged non-citizen voting, "a DHS official’s declaration appears to concede that one of the voters on the DOJ list turned out to be deceased and that four others 'might have a claim to U.S. citizenship.'" talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

talkingpointsmemo.com3 Big Losses for Trump in One Long Day of SetbacksTrump Goes 0-3 Yesterday was another extraordinary day on the political-legal front,...
TracingVRL@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Last night the @cbsnews.com crawler said the Feds arrested undocumented California residents to "crack down on voter fraud" No other context, like that seen in the LATimes ⤵️ , was given. CBS Channel 44-1 where we watch #WNBA games. www.latimes.com/california/s... #voterfraudfraud #voterfraud

latimes.comFeds arrest alleged noncitizen voters in California amid broader election fight with stateFederal authorities charge 28 people in California with alleged illegal voter registration or voting, escalating the Trump administration’s fight with state election officials.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Who here remembers @maddow.bsky.social on her book tour for "Blowout" telling audiences the revelation she had researching the book, about oil. (Paraphrasing from memory): "oh wait ... weaning off fossil fuels is going to ... change ... borders of countries!" Didn't imagine U.S.A.'s would go first.

Eric Lipton NYT@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: A Russian energy giant has secretly moved to acquire a position in a massive Alaska gas project. Its part of talks between Witkoff/Kushner & Putin. But CEO of US company resigns after learning of Russian money in the project. A wowzer of a story. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

nytimes.comIn U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project EmergesInterviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

#PowerOfThePurse The Feds withheld from California $1.3 billion in May for Medicaid, claiming alleged fraud, which they said was being investigated. Now they're withholding an additional $1.2 billion for the same allegations. www.latimes.com/politics/sto... #California #Medicaid #Healthcarer

latimes.comFeds hold back an additional $1.2 billion in California Medicaid reimbursementsIn May, the administration held back $1.3 billion in Medicaid funds over concerns about hospice and in-home care programs. Now it's deferring $1.2 billion more.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

The way things have been going, it _feels_ like the "PHP bug" causing mass-website-takedowns will turn out to be more of a false alarm than first reported.

TracingVRL reposted

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

We saw last night #Digger the climate farce starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed & John Goodman at the Rialto #movie theater in downtown Berkeley. The audience clapped & sat through the credits. Highly recommended. Gift link 🎁 to SFChronicle 's review: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

sfchronicle.comTom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ turns the coming apocalypse into a wild, unsettling comedyTom Cruise delivers one of his boldest performances in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Digger” — an ambitious climate satire, a flawed but unforgettable vision of America’s despair.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

A big deal. The N. Archives has had no Secretary in Trump's 2nd term. Anyone aiming to erase history would start here: GIFT link: www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti... "The transfer of the NARA records to Fort Worth, Texas could begin as soon as next week, the lawsuit says." #nationalarchives

sfchronicle.comCalifornia sues to block closure of Bay Area’s only National Archives facilityAttorney General Rob Bonta says transferring the facility’s records out of state would limit access for public agencies, researchers and families.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

We saw last night #Digger the climate farce starring Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed & John Goodman at the Rialto #movie theater in downtown Berkeley. The audience clapped & sat through the credits. Highly recommended. Gift link 🎁 to SFChronicle 's review: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

sfchronicle.comTom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ turns the coming apocalypse into a wild, unsettling comedyTom Cruise delivers one of his boldest performances in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Digger” — an ambitious climate satire, a flawed but unforgettable vision of America’s despair.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Palantir founder Peter Theil also sits on Meta's board. In Sarah Wynn-Williams' book "Careless People" about her time at Facebook, Meta overtly discussed Big Tobacco strategies for fending off regulators. Lawfirm Covington & Burlington defended Tobacco in the 1990s and Meta this year.

Carl T. Bergstrom@carlbergstrom.com

"AI researchers are taking up smoking because they expect AI to cure cancer, says Palantir CTO"

businessinsider.comAI researchers are taking up smoking because they expect AI to cure cancer, says Palantir CTOSome AI believers expect the technology to make smoking-related health risks like cancer a thing of the past, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar said.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

1/ The Annals of *Left Hand not talking to the Right Hand* (eye-popping story about #housing developers in California) 🆓: calmatters.org/politics/202... "YIMBY Action now supports fewer restrictions on short-term rentals, despite concerns that rentals further strain California’s housing stock."

calmatters.orgHow Airbnb is fighting for its place on California's coastResidents of cities like Pacifica want to limit the presence of visitors and corporations. Companies like Airbnb want to keep their lucrative coastal listings. That tension has led to increased attemp...
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TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

postscript/ "It feels like right now there’s kind of this historic convergence of folks who want to try to weaken the coastal commission and pare back the Coastal Act," said Deborah Sivas, director of Stanford Environmental Law Clinic. #developers v #climate continues calmatters.org/politics/202...

calmatters.orgHow Airbnb is fighting for its place on California's coastResidents of cities like Pacifica want to limit the presence of visitors and corporations. Companies like Airbnb want to keep their lucrative coastal listings. That tension has led to increased attemp...
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

1/ The Annals of *Left Hand not talking to the Right Hand* (eye-popping story about #housing developers in California) 🆓: calmatters.org/politics/202... "YIMBY Action now supports fewer restrictions on short-term rentals, despite concerns that rentals further strain California’s housing stock."

calmatters.orgHow Airbnb is fighting for its place on California's coastResidents of cities like Pacifica want to limit the presence of visitors and corporations. Companies like Airbnb want to keep their lucrative coastal listings. That tension has led to increased attemp...
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

3/ Venture capitalist and AI-must-repleace-human-doctors proponent Vinod Khosla has locked horns with the California Coastal Commission for over a decade, though he's been less visible on his beach battles since 2024. 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/t...

nytimes.comEvery Generation Gets the Beach Villain It Deserves (Published 2018)Aggressive, shameless, obsessive and optimistic, the tech billionaire Vinod Khosla is willing to litigate the California coast for the rest of his life.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

San Francisco is holding parallel elections right now. The campaign coffers are so unequal, ads *opposing* measures D, E, F and A are *hand-written sticky notes* posted at MUNI stop shelters. Not making that up. missionlocal.org/2026/09/san-... #SanFrancisco @missionlocal.org

missionlocal.orgSan Francisco's wealthiest have unprecedented control of city politicsOur city fathers (if you like them) or oligarchs (if you don’t) have never been richer, more brazen or faced weaker opposition
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Interesting #CNN is the remaining outlet left out of the #WhiteHousePressPool. An Aug 04 2026 Dana Bash interview with one man President Trump can neither control nor survive without, #RFKJr, was pivotal. A week after this, POTUS penned an #antivaxx executive order. www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-measl...

newsweek.comWhich vaccines has Robert F. Kennedy Jr. changed his mind on?Kennedy has spent decades questioning vaccine safety and helping lead the modern anti-vaccine movement.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

German newspaper Der Speigel on Sep 19 also mentioned the Aug 04 #CNN interview in which #RFKJr, under heavy questioning from #DanaBash about his contribution to the raging measles outbreaks, *relented* and recommended the measles, or MMR vaccine. www.spiegel.de/ausland/usa-... #measles #vaccine

spiegel.deUSA: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. garantiert Impfgegnern »einen Freund im Weißen Haus«Immer wieder fällt Robert F. Kennedy mit wirren Aussagen zu Vakzinen auf. Zuletzt stand der US-Gesundheitsminister bei einem Treffen von Impfgegnern auf der Bühne. Dabei fielen bemerkenswerte Sätze.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

#Flock running #SanFrancisco : missionlocal.org/2026/09/san-... "Two of the committee’s current members — Lily Ho and Trevor Chandler — work for Flock." The S.F Standard "reported that a prior version of Mar’s resolution was removed from the party’s agenda by a subcommittee chaired by Ho."

missionlocal.orgS.F. Democratic Party stands behind Flock surveillance cameras in sweeping voteTwo Democratic committee members work for Flock, but were allowed to vote regardless
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Perfect timing given our current #literacy crisis: Gavin #Newsom is deeply dyslexic. He'd *memorize* policy books. I was a #SanFrancisco daily reporter one year of his mayorship. He didn't mix it up with various reporters b4 or after a speech the way Willie Brown did. It affects how a person thinks.

Nick Field@nickfield.bsky.social

The State AGs were on pace to kill the Paramount/Warner Bros by litigation and delay until Gavin Newsom stepped in and turned the tide. Now the Trump loyalist Ellisons will control CNN and HBO. Don't ever, ever forget that Newsom stabbed us in the back www.wsj.com/business/med...

wsj.comExclusive | Newsom Expresses Concerns About State Antitrust Suit Against ParamountThe California governor has told people involved in the suit that blocking the $81 billion deal could harm Hollywood jobs.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

"the family headed by billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and RedBird Capital Partners will collectively hold the largest ​equity stake in the ​combined company and ⁠100% of the voting shares, with no other equity participant having any governance rights." #Paramount #corporateGovernance

Reuters@reuters.com

US FCC approves foreign investment in Paramount Warner merger deal reut.rs/3UNHss5

reut.rsUS FCC approves foreign investment in Paramount Warner merger dealThe Federal Communications Commission on ​Thursday said it approved ‌a Paramount Skydance request for foreign investments backing ​its acquisition of Warner ​Bros Discovery despite a ⁠group of senators ​raising concerns.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Please see my August 20th newsletter, which took me about four months to re-arrange, introduced in this thread: bsky.app/profile/trac... This edition lays some groundwork for understanding the next 12 months of news surrounding the #SEC the #FCC the #FDA #HHS #CDC #NIH #Census #FTC, etc:

TracingVRL@tracingvrl.bsky.social

1/ August 20th Newsletter: The 'Right to Petition' and the Magna Carta Americans diverted petitions to the U.S. bureaucracies in the 1940s. A June 2026 SCOTUS decision demands we talk NOW about petitioning & The Road from Runnymede Historian @jbf1755.bsky.social has talked abt "Grievances" past...

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Very good series from @talkingpointsmemo.com on what's happening at the #Census one of several institutions comprising the U.S. bureaucracy which I outlined in my Aug 20 newsletter ⤴️ everybody needs to see/read my Aug 20 newsletter, researched over 10 years ⤴️. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/exclusi...

talkingpointsmemo.comExclusive: Census Bureau Directs Staff to Keep Quiet During Comment Period for Controversial New RuleLeadership at the Census Bureau has ordered staff to halt all external...
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

A little oversimplified, of course, squeezed it into a blue sky tweet. The CEO who aspired for some aspects of China sympathized with no reich I should point out. But being unaware at this point is its own hazard

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

🧵 U of Hawaii professor confesses he's been working for Exxon by announcing his resignation from the fossil fuel oil giant, warning about the imminent climate crisis, describing the company culture in denial. #climate

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social

A common response is "if they know this, why keep drilling?" At BP, many have not internalized the stakes personally. At ExxonMobil, the stakes are well understood, but they're locked in a race for market share, believing if they don't extract it, a competitor will.

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Oh please. You talked grievances. I worked months to extend my decade-long privacy research into today's massacre of gov't *bureaucracy & introduced **petitioning**. I tagged you mult times in the 17-post thread introducing my essay. "Some newsletter jogged my memory" is too much attr 2 ask from you

Joanne Freeman@jbf1755.bsky.social

Back at my office for the first time in a long time. Some folks have been busy! For now, I'll just say cryptically: WE!!!!!!

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

[ExtremeUnderstatement] the mistreatment of #Haitians by the #antivaxx faction and our Vice President and President their loyalists et al ... makes me angry. [/EndExtremeUnderstatement] tracingvrl.substack.com/p/why-is-eng...

tracingvrl.substack.comWhy is England’s Antivaxx News Outlet Amplifying Ohio Anti-immigrant Narratives?#84 Also: How a president’s character could affect respiratory transmission of mpox
emptywheel@emptywheel.bsky.social

DHS is stealing Haitians money while they deport them. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/w...

nytimes.comHaitians Deported From U.S. Are Left Broke and Stranded (Gift Article)Hundreds have been deported to Haiti in recent weeks, and some say they have been left with no money, no protection from gangs and no place to go.
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Empowering #Zuckerberg more now is a pending #SEC #rulechange to #silence shareholder resolutions at the federal level, pushing it to states. Texas would charge $1 million to include resolution in a corporation's annual statement up from $2k. #FirstAmendment www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

BostonJoan 🏳️‍🌈 🦫@bostonjoan.bsky.social

#ZuckMustGo My new piece on why Mark Zuckerberg must resign as his decisions caused $18Billion in harm to kids. Meta can only survive what’s coming if he steps aside from leadership. #ZuckMustGo www.theguardian.com/technology/c...

theguardian.comIt’s time for Mark Zuckerberg to resign from Meta | Joan DonovanThe CEO is the throughline in a history of billion-dollar blunders that have caused real harm, culminating in last week’s settlement
TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

Please read my August 20, 2026 newsletter on the #FirstAmendment "Right to Petition" and history of #petitioning which got diverted to the government agencies in the 1940s after #SCOTUS decided "Humphrey's Executor" (a decision the Roberts court overturned this past June) : bsky.app/profile/trac...

TracingVRL@tracingvrl.bsky.social

1/ August 20th Newsletter: The 'Right to Petition' and the Magna Carta Americans diverted petitions to the U.S. bureaucracies in the 1940s. A June 2026 SCOTUS decision demands we talk NOW about petitioning & The Road from Runnymede Historian @jbf1755.bsky.social has talked abt "Grievances" past...

TracingVRL
@tracingvrl.bsky.social

The HHS directed by Secretary #RFKJr sits atop the FDA, over the Center for Medicaid & Medicare, has firing authority over the #CDC. And now those agencies aren't talking to the press. ***TRIVIA: The first cabinet secretary impeached by Congress was William Belknap, in 1876. ***

Freedom of the Press Foundation@freedom.press

🔔 Federal health agencies are stonewalling the press. Join our webinar to learn how to push for transparency, with @bobjherman.bsky.social, @caitlinvogus.bsky.social, @sherylnyt.bsky.social, @joycefr.bsky.social, and Robert King. 🗓️ Sept. 1, 2 p.m. ET RSVP: freedom.press/healthcare-t...