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Natalie Alms

@almsnatalie.bsky.social
6.1K followers 2.4K following 592 posts

journalist who covers how the government works—or doesn't—at The Washington Sun. Previously at NextgovFCW. NC native, DC resident. tips - signal at nalms.41 and nataliealms@notus.com

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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 29/09/2026
The GAO says it cannot find assurances that DOGE properly handled Americans’ data. www.washingtonsun.com/agencies/doge…
washingtonsun.com
Congress’ Watchdog Arm Is Not Assured That DOGE Protected Americans’ Data
Several federal agencies did not answer the congressional auditor’s questions about data security.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 29/09/2026
Americans will be able to use the website to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually. Services like these won’t be functional until 2027. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/tr…
washingtonsun.com
Trump Heralds a Government AI Bot That Won't Be Fully Functional Until 2027
Some administration officials previously said they hoped America.gov could be a big win ahead of the midterms.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: Americans will be able to use a new AI to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually. Services like these won’t be functional until 2027, though the administration rolled out America. gov with fanfare Tuesday. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Heralds a Government AI Bot That Won't Be Fully Functional Until 2027
Some administration officials previously said they hoped America.gov could be a big win ahead of the midterms.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
On Sept. 19th, OMB gave Customs and Border Protection $20 million. The next day, CBP awarded an ad company a contract for $20 million for a “national media campaign.” On Sept. 23rd, Trump ads start running on national tv as "paid for by U.S. government."
washingtonsun.com
CBP Got $20 Million for a ‘Media Campaign.’ Lawmakers Say It Was a Misuse of Funds.
The administration started running Trump-focused national ads that have come under ethical scrutiny for using taxpayer funds.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: The Trump administration is preparing to automatically enroll every American child in a Trump Account before the midterm elections 👀 with @jeffstein.bsky.social: www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Is Preparing to Auto-Enroll Every Child in a Trump Account
Few Americans have set up Trump Accounts on their own.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
NEW: Americans will be able to use a new AI to apply for a passport, enroll in Medicare and look at government jobs — eventually. Services like these won’t be functional until 2027, though the administration rolled out America. gov with fanfare Tuesday. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/t...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Heralds a Government AI Bot That Won't Be Fully Functional Until 2027
Some administration officials previously said they hoped America.gov could be a big win ahead of the midterms.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 28/09/2026
Experts have speculated the data collected by the White House app could be used to push campaign messaging onto users, or to report them to ICE or the Secret Service. Some think it could be used to make money. www.washingtonsun.com/whitehouse/wh…
washingtonsun.com
White House Drove Users to Official App Fraught With Trackers
The White House app became the App Store's most downloaded news app after the president barred three news outlets.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Free coffee on @washingtonsun.bsky.social this morning in Franklin Park!
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
BREAKING: SCOTUS allows DHS to use its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database with Social Security info, staying a district court order that had vacated the new policy. Justice Jackson dissents for the three Dem appointees. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun Metro @washsunmetro.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The local workforce is still reeling from the effects of federal government cuts and job loss, which have devastated the capital since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
washingtonsun.com
D.C.’s Workforce Is Still Recovering From Massive Federal Job Cuts
The effects of government layoffs can still be felt in the local economy, according to a new report.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Come for the GitHub drama. Stay for the plan to use AI to make sure the government's core web design system is accessible, something that experts say is not possible and dangerous www.washingtonsun.com/agencies/ai-...
washingtonsun.com
Inside the Freakout Over AI Testing in Government Websites
A rush of AI into government web development is worrying tech workers over accessibility.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Montanans are singular in their love for public lands. So I went to the state to ask: Can you still feel the aftermath of DOGE on federal lands? I left wondering: Does it matter that the Dem running for Congress is a smokejumper who publicly fought DOGE?
washingtonsun.com
DOGE Upended His Work. Does Montana Care Enough to Vote for Him?
Democrat Sam Forstag was a smokejumper with the Forest Service when Trump took a sledgehammer to the federal workforce.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Liz Essley Whyte @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
NEW exclusive from me: Health officials moved money out of the Office of Minority Health to help pay for the ballooning costs of RFK Jr.'s security gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
Exclusive | RFK Jr.’s Enhanced Security Was Funded With Money From Minority Health Office
The cost of the health secretary’s security grew from roughly $10 million in fiscal year 2025 to $17 million in fiscal year 2026.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I missed this article by NYT's Devlin Barrett last month, but it's an important thread in Trump's "War on Fraud." The Trump administration is focusing on small-dollar fraud in government programs as it drops charges against corporations and the wealthy. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/u...
nytimes.com
Little Thefts, Big Charges: Trump’s Justice Dept. Targets Lesser Fraud
As the Trump administration drops charges against corporations and the wealthy, it is also taking aim at small-scale fraud cases, including against the operator of a weathered food truck in California...
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
News you can use: You can subscribe to The Washington Sun for $50 for the first year! 🌞 www.washingtonsun.com/subscribe?ut...
washingtonsun.com
Subscribe to The Washington Sun
Subscribe to get unlimited access to independent journalism covering Washington's people, politics and power.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Axios @axios.com · 18/09/2026
BREAKING: Trump announces ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House
axios.com
Trump says CNN, MS NOW and Politico are banned — and more could follow
His post leaves the ban's exact scope unclear.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
David Kurtz @davidkurtz.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
EXCLUSIVE: Census Bureau ordered staff to halt all external events related to the 2030 Census amid the agency’s release of a controversial, unprecedented rule proposal aimed at excluding immigrants from the count, according to a copy of an email obtained by TPM. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/exclusi...
talkingpointsmemo.com
Exclusive: Census Bureau Directs Staff to Keep Quiet During Comment Period for Controversial New Rule
Leadership at the Census Bureau has ordered staff to halt all external...
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Scoop: Former DOGE operatives are building an AI chatbot meant to help Americans do things like get a passport or file taxes. If that last one sounds familiar: yes, this comes after the Trump admin killed a govt tax filing service, Direct File, last year. www.washingtonsun.com/trump-white-...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Aides Are Prepping an AI Takeover of Government Services
Former DOGE operatives are working on a website that could offer services like direct tax filing — similar to a Biden-era program the Trump administration killed.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Labor Department appears to be droppings its plan to require states to hand over confidential information about unemployment claims to federal officials, at least for now. It had sparked concerns amidst the Trump admin's broader effort to compel states to hand over info.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 16/09/2026
The White House's “Fraud Ledger” claims the Trump administration has uncovered hundreds of billions in misused funds. The Sun’s review of the ledger found it includes misleading and unsubstantiated claims.
washingtonsun.com
The White House’s 'Fraud Ledger' Includes Misleading and Unsubstantiated Claims
One senior official within an inspector general’s office questioned whether the public is “being bamboozled.”
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Jeff Stein @jeffstein.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Reporting from @almsnatalie.bsky.social on the White House fraud ledger www.washingtonsun.com/trump-white-...
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW: The White House is trumpeting its anti-fraud crusade in the leadup to the midterms, but it isn't saying how it crunched its numbers. The Sun’s review of the White House's "Fraud Ledger" found that it includes misleading and unsubstantiated claims. www.washingtonsun.com/trump-white-...
washingtonsun.com
The White House’s 'Fraud Ledger' Includes Misleading Claims
One senior official within an inspector general’s office questioned whether the public is “being bamboozled.”
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Something that surprised me about this story: the breadth of people that rely on the census for demographic data -- even businesses doing market research. "Procter and Gamble is not going to figure out this new breakfast cereal by talking to every single person in the country."
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
andrew van dam @andrewvandam.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
the brilliant @almsnatalie.bsky.social has alarming news out of the Census Bureau: The Trump administration wants to stop collecting race and ethnicity data in the decennial Census for the first time since it began in 1790. And they might not stop with the Census. washingtonsun.com/trump-white-...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Wants the Census to Stop Collecting Race and Ethnicity Data
The administration wants to stop collecting data widely seen as fundamental to public policy, scientific study, market research and more.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
NEW: For the first time, the federal government wants to stop collecting race and ethnicity information about Americans as part of the nation’s census, which has long been the nation's touchstone for demographic data. washingtonsun.com/trump-white-...
washingtonsun.com
Trump Wants the Census to Stop Collecting Race and Ethnicity Data
The administration wants to stop collecting data widely seen as fundamental to public policy, scientific study, market research and more.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
News: Here comes the sun! 🌞🌞Read and subscribe for amazing local, policy and political news www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/b...
nytimes.com
Politics News Site NOTUS Rebrands as The Washington Sun
A trademark dispute scuttled its plans to relaunch as The Washington Star, so the site chose a different name.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Rising stars in the Democratic Party are promoting new digital teams in a post-DOGE political landscape to show voters that they can get things done. www.notus.org/technology/d...
notus.org
Democrats Are Plotting Government Efficiency in a Post-DOGE World
Rising stars in the Democratic Party are promoting their tech modernization teams in a post-DOGE political landscape.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The Trump administration is holding nearly $2 billion in federal dollars hostage from California’s home care program — which pays family members & caregivers to feed and bathe more than 900,000 Californians who can’t do it for themselves — as part of Trump’s “war on fraud.”
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
SCOOP: Trump officials are pressuring the National Park Service to find a way to give a small piece of Yosemite to a private developer. The land would be used for a road, to give the developer rare private access to the heart of the park.
notus.org
Trump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer
The National Park Service is under pressure to make an unprecedented deal that cedes a quarter-mile strip of the park.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Federal agencies have hired more than 20,000 employees into positions matching jobs vacated through the Trump administration’s "fork in the road" www.meritalk.com/articles/age...
meritalk.com
Agencies Rehired for Over 20K Roles After Deferred Resignations, Analysis Finds
The government paid employees to leave, then hired for similar roles – often at more junior levels, according to a new Partnership for Public Service analysis.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
It's worth noting, as my colleague and I have reported before, that accurately creating lists of eligible voters as laid out in the Trump's plan would be extremely difficult. www.notus.org/agencies/usp...
notus.org
Can the Trump Administration Run a National Voter List?
President Donald Trump’s order to create eligible voter lists is facing legal and logistical challenges.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The Trump admin’s IG to the VA killed part of report that put Trump admin in bad light She’s also stopped staff from briefing Congress on coming reports The IG — formerly an independent position — says she works “for the President of the United States.” www.notus.org/agencies/tru...
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The Trump admin‘s inspector general to the VA -demanded a private bathroom be built in her office -commissioned *her own flag,* again using our $$ ”There,” she told reporters. “Take a look at that flag” www.notus.org/agencies/tru... Banana-pants piece by @almsnatalie.bsky.social & Eric Katz
The Veterans Affairs Department’s internal watchdog was set to relocate to a different Washington office space last year. That was until the inspector general decided she needed her own bathroom.

Cheryl Mason, who served as VA Secretary Doug Collins’ senior adviser before President Donald Trump fired the existing IG and tapped her to replace him, held up the move for months, citing the need for a personal lavatory in her office, three people familiar with the matter told NOTUS.She commissioned a flag for herself, telling staff she was serving in the equivalent role of a four-star general and therefore required one. One OIG employee said the flag cost more than $1,000.

“There,” Mason said, as she showed it to NOTUS over a video call. “Take a look at that flag.”
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
A month after the Trump administration declared without evidence that thousands of noncitizens had illegally registered to vote in Nevada, officials with the Department of Homeland Security were unable to substantiate the claim www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Homeland Security Made a Big Claim About Noncitizen Voting. Now It Can’t Prove It.
The Department of Homeland Security told Nevada election officials that it identified 185 “potential” noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls, not the nearly 16,000 it claimed last month.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 21/08/2026
The once-independent system that Congress established after Watergate has radically transformed in President Trump’s second term. “All the adults have left the room,” one senior Office of Inspector General official said.
notus.org
From Watchdogs to ‘Lapdogs’: Inside the Trumpification of Agencies’ Inspectors General
Between canceled reports, deleted pages and mass firings, the government is getting less oversight.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
NEW: Today is Day 3 of the Census Bureau's homepage, census.gov, featuring an unauthored report with analysis that @npr.org found was conducted not by career civil servants, but a team that included individuals affiliated with a President Trump-aligned think tank, the America First Policy Institute
npr.org
Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting
A Trump-aligned think tank has ties to a highly unusual Census Bureau report that the president is using to renew false claims of widespread voting by non-U.S. citizens in 2020, NPR has learned.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
If you're not reading my new colleagues @almsnatalie.bsky.social and Eric Katz, you are missing out on some of the best stories of this Trump administration. Here's their deep dive into the IGs handpicked by Trump, featuring a wild story about an IG who needed a private bathroom...
notus.org
From Watchdogs to ‘Lapdogs’: Inside the Trumpification of Agencies’ Inspectors General
Between canceled reports, deleted pages and mass firings, the government is getting less oversight.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
I have a new story out this morning on the Trumpification of the government's watchdog system. Featuring: the killing of reports, stonewalling from agencies & a culture of fear that's making staff afraid to speak up in a system meant to be independent
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The federal government’s landlord, is looking to increase its hiring after going through significant staffing cuts last year. “They realize they let go of too many people and were inundated, because the kids at DOGE didn’t know what they were doing,” one employee said.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) @hansilowang.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
UPDATE: The head of the data firm Data-Clear, Carolyn Carlson, was surprised to learn this week the voter file her firm provided to the Census Bureau under a 2024 contract for efforts to improve the #2030Census was used for a highly unusual report on noncitizen voting www.npr.org/2026/08/19/n...
npr.org
Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting
A Trump-aligned think tank has ties to a highly unusual Census Bureau report that the president is using to renew false claims of widespread voting by non-U.S. citizens in 2020, NPR has learned.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
The Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 12/08/2026
What happens when a deportee is dropped in a place they don't know? Rogelio Bolufé, a Cuban national, was sent to Ecuador and stripped of his ID. He’s now stuck in a dangerous cartel city and can’t escape.
notus.org
No ID, No Money, No Way Out: DHS Deports a Man to a Country He Doesn't Know
The Trump administration sent Rogelio Bolufé, a Cuban national, to a cartel city in Ecuador with no means of escape.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Future administrations won’t have a choice but to confront the way the Trump administration has disrupted how the government works. They may as well build the government into something better than the pre-Trump status quo, many former Biden officials are arguing. www.notus.org/agencies/ex-...
notus.org
Ex-Biden Officials Are Planning How to Build Back the Government Post-DOGE
Their proposals range from a new agency to overhauling federal workers’ pay.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Taylor Giorno @taylorgiorno.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Ken Paxton has been pretty quiet on data centers, which are facing bipartisan calls for tighter regulation in Texas. Meanwhile, Paxton has benefited from hundreds of thousands of dollars of data center industry money pouring into his political operation. www.notus.org/technology/k...
notus.org
Ken Paxton’s Political Operation Rakes In Data Center Donations as Texans Turn Against Industry
The Republican Senate candidate has tried to avoid data center fights. His Democratic opponent, James Talarico, has called for more regulations.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
NEW for @notus.com: The White House says DOGE employees were trained on ethics and how to manage government records, but won’t give Congress’ watchdog the receipts to back that up. www.notus.org/agencies/con...
notus.org
Congress’ Watchdog Is Still Struggling to Get Answers on DOGE
The Trump administration isn’t handing over records of DOGE staffers completing training, ethics disclosures.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Exclusive: Sen. Rand Paul published Anthony Fauci's diary entries without redacting the names or medical details of over 20 people, including people with cancer, Ebola or HIV. www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
Rand Paul’s Fauci Diary Dump Exposed Peoples’ Medical Histories
The Republican senator’s office published over 20 individuals’ health information without redaction.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
NEW: The Trump administration cut FEMA's workforce without a plan for what this would mean, leaving it at risk of being unprepared and without staff to respond to future emergencies. More 👇
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Martin Austermuhle @maustermuhle.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Have you done anything to creatively protest the National Guard's presence in D.C. over the last year? Hit me up if you want to share! martinaustermuhle (at) notus (dot) com, or maustermuhle.09 on Signal.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
NPR @npr.org · 31/07/2026
Trump officials say they found 250,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in just four states. Those states don't know where the numbers came from, and some worry what the claims may portend for the midterms.
n.pr
Trump's claims of 250,000 non-U.S. citizens on voter rolls leave some states baffled
Trump officials say they found 250,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in just four states. Those states don't know where the numbers came from, and some worry what the claims may portend for the midterms.
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Natalie Alms @almsnatalie.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: The Trump administration is in the middle of finding out that it’s very hard — maybe even impossible — to regulate perceived “wokeness” out of artificial intelligence. Proposed contracting language is "infeasible" and "impossible," tech companies say. www.notus.org/agencies/tec...
notus.org
Tech Companies Are Rejecting Trump’s Proposed ‘Woke’ AI Ban
The government’s proposed requirement for contractors’ AI systems to be “unbiased” are technically “infeasible,” businesses say.
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Reposted by Natalie Alms
Margaret Manto @margaretmanto.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Scoop: The FDA's "Simple Reform" reorg has been officially approved by the administration. Changes to the agency's inspectorate and administrative staff will go into effect on October 1, 2026. More here: www.notus.org/agencies/fda...
notus.org
The FDA Is Officially Codifying DOGE-Era Changes
The agency will stop specializing its field inspectors starting in October.
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