Sign in

Ben Wieder

@bwieder.bsky.social
1.5K followers 117 following 37 posts

Los Angeles Times DC Investigations, ex-Miami Herald/McClatchy DC, ben.wieder@latimes.com, signal: @benwieder.51

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Corbin Hiar @corbinhiar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW — Conservative groups have filed over 100 records requests at 19 universities across the country, targeting at least 30 climate researchers since 2021. The goal: Discredit scholars who could persuade judges and juries in multi-billion-dollar climate cases. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers
A POLITICO investigation reveals more than 100 open records requests demanding documents from climate scientists nationwide.
01111
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Corbin Hiar @corbinhiar.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thanks @coveringclimatenow.org: "It’s a 'grand swing' that hits its mark, judges said, with bracing, even funny prose that manages to be both skewering and entirely fair in the face of a subject that is, as judges put it, 'at once absurd and deadly serious.'" coveringclimatenow.org/projects/the...
252
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
NEW: Michael Shvartsman pleaded guilty in 2024 to insider trading associated with Trump Media. Four months later, he helped fund a pro-Trump documentary in an effort to obtain a pardon, according to a recent lawsuit www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
Convicted Trump Media-linked fraudster funded pro-Trump film in hopes of pardon, lawsuit says
Michael Shvartsman provided funding for the documentary 'The Man You Don't Know' and attended its Mar-a-Lago premiere in hopes of winning a pardon, according to a lawsuit by an L.A. studio alleging th...
165
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 22/06/2026
AI-backed super PACs “have been among the most prolific political spenders so far in the 2026 midterm elections, splashing out more than $38 million to date.” A must-read deep dive on dark money by @bwieder.bsky.social for @latimes.com
latimes.com
'I got crushed': AI giants are funding ad wars in races across the country
In some races, the AI-backed political groups have spent more than the candidates they are backing.
37739
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Here’s what the onslaught of OpenAI and Anthropic-linked super PAC ads looks like. Fantastic visualization by @jimcooke.bsky.social based on @techoversight.bsky.social research www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
A visual representation of political ads sponsored by groups tied to the biggest AI companies
073
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
‘I got crushed’: AI giants are funding a super PAC spending boom shaping Congressional races from the Big Apple to Big Sky country www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
'I got crushed': AI giants are funding ad wars in races across the country
In some races, the AI-backed political groups have spent more than the candidates they are backing.
044
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Democrats call Bondi’s Epstein files interview a ‘sham’ www.latimes.com/world-nation...
latimes.com
Democrats call Bondi's Epstein files interview a 'sham'
Democrats said the former attorney general refused to answer numerous questions about President Trump in the closed-door session with lawmakers.
011
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
NEW: Epstein’s purported suicide note had echoes of e-mails he had sent earlier www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
Purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note had echoes of messages he had sent earlier
The note contains an apparent reference to a line from a 1931 Little Rascals short film that Epstein had used in at least two email messages.
010
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
NEW: Tom Steyer is trying to sell himself to voters as an agent of change. But perhaps the biggest change he is selling is his own. www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
Tom Steyer tries to sell voters on his own personal change
Tom Steyer has sold himself to voters as an agent of change, but will they buy the billionaire's own transformation?
000
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
NEW: Californians provided the most out-of-state cash to Democrats in nearly every hotly contested Senate race, and in several cases gave more than in-state donors, w/ @lamarrlemee.bsky.social www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
Californians are pouring money into Democrats' Senate races in other states
California donors helped Democrats in key Senate races outraise their Republican opponents, according to latest campaign filings.
020
Reposted by Ben Wieder
MS NOW Reports @msnowreports.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales both resigned from Congress. Swalwell is facing accusations of sexual assault. He has denied the allegations. @alivitali.bsky.social, @basilsmiklephd.bsky.social, Susan del Percio and @bwieder.bsky.social join @anacabrera.bsky.social. www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-...
ms.now
LA Times Reporter breaks down Swalwell scandal: 'Extensively corroborated'
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) announced their resignations from Congress just hours apart. Swalwell is facing accusations of sexual assault. He has denied the allegations. Ho...
3128
Reposted by Ben Wieder
J. David McSwane @davidmcswane.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
propublica.org
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
841777738
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
NEW: Where is Carlos? An American family caught in the immigration crackdown. Powerful reporting by Churchill Ndonwie www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
miamiherald.com
Where is Carlos? An American family caught in the immigration crackdown
A Mexican national was moved to more than a dozen detention centers in the last five months. His American wife has followed him each time.
032
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
ICYMI: With drinks, social visits Jeffrey Epstein’s high-powered lawyers sought to influence federal prosecutors even after his deal, as the financier’s cushy jail sentence raised concerns, w/@jkbjournalist amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
amp.miamiherald.com
As Epstein’s cushy jail sentence raised concerns, his lawyers went on charm offensive
The Epstein Files show how his attorneys mixed personal and business relationships with prosecutors who had agreed to settle Epstein’s case.
152
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
NEW: As Epstein’s cushy jail sentence raised concerns, his lawyers went on charm offensive, w/ @jkbjournalist.bsky.social www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
miamiherald.com
As Epstein’s cushy jail sentence raised concerns, his lawyers went on charm offensive
The Epstein Files show how his attorneys mixed personal and business relationships with prosecutors who had agreed to settle Epstein’s case.
030
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
NEW: SEC was investigating Epstein before his death, Epstein Files reveal amp.miamiherald.com/news/busines...
amp.miamiherald.com
SEC was investigating Epstein’s financial activities, new file release shows
Epstein claimed that his wealth was derived from managing money for wealthy clients, and famously bragged that he only took on billionaires.
042
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
It was certainly not his most memorable work, but I will always appreciate Rob Reiner spotlighting the work of my predecessors at what would become the McClatchy DC Bureau. When I met him soon after the film’s release he was, not surprisingly, a real mensch m.imdb.com/title/tt5540...
m.imdb.com
Shock and Awe (2017) ⭐ 6.4 | Biography, Drama, History
1h 30m | R
050
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
NEW: Jeffrey’s journalists: Epstein emails reveal cozy relationship with two reporters www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
Jeffrey’s journalists: Epstein emails reveal cozy relationship with two reporters
Emails reveal Jeffrey Epstein’s close interactions with reporters and how Michael Wolff counseled him after the Miami Herald’s South Florida investigation.
042
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Haunted by Brightline: Powerful story of a former conductor for the Florida high speed rail company plagued by memories of all the people his trains killed, via @brittanywallman.bsky.social & @semerriam.bsky.social www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a...
miamiherald.com
Haunted by Brightline: A conductor got his dream job. Then people started dying.
“What’s your body count?” someone asked the conductor on Instagram. “16,” he responded, like he was providing his shirt size.
031
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Shirsho Dasgupta @shirsho.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
NEW @miamiherald.com: Seniors in Miami-Dade — the county with the highest share of food stamp beneficiaries with one elderly member in the household — risk going hungry as federal government shutdown continues (GIFT LINK)
miamiherald.com
New shutdown problem: Miami is the U.S. capital for seniors on food stamps
Florida is warning families not to expect their EBT cards to be reloaded next month, increasing pressure on Congress to end the government shutdown.
288
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
After death, Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre describes toll of abuse — and advocacy www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
After death, Epstein victim describes toll of abuse — and advocacy
In a posthumous memoir, Virginia Giuffre recounts a lifetime of abuse and significant legal and cultural victories against her most prominent alleged abusers.
053
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
Epstein had dinners with a top Florida prosecutor on his case, docs show, via @jkbjournalist.bsky.social & Claire Healy amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
amp.miamiherald.com
Epstein had dinners with a top Florida prosecutor on his case, docs show
Matthew Menchel, who spearheaded Jeffrey Epstein’s 2007 criminal prosecution, left the DOJ in 2007 to take a job as a trial lawyer at Kobre & Kim. Epstein’s calendars show Menchel met with Epstein in ...
020
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Ryan Teague Beckwith @ryanbeckwith.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
This is why you don't even accept a small snack from a source! www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...
thecity.nyc
Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips
THE CITY reported the incident to law enforcement and was promptly contacted by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office.
033
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
A month into his detention at Alligator Alcatraz, Daniel Ortiz Piñeda faced a stark choice: continue his legal fight for asylum or give it up to hopefully put an end to his extended stay at the makeshift immigration detention camp in the Everglades. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
miamiherald.com
‘Psychological warfare’: Internal data shows true nature of Alligator Alcatraz
“Putting people in tents in the middle of the Everglades is a great tool to make them give up their cases,” said one immigration attorney
021
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Corbin Hiar @corbinhiar.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
EXCLUSIVE: A team of researchers in California drew notoriety last year with an aborted test of a cloud-making machine.   But behind the scenes, they were planning a larger and potentially riskier study of tech that could dim the sun's rays, internal documents show. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...
politico.com
Researchers quietly planned a test to dim sunlight. They wanted to ‘avoid scaring’ the public.
Hundreds of documents show how researchers failed to notify officials in California about a test of technology to block the sun’s rays — while they planned a much huger sequel.
75421
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
NEW: One-third of President Trump's nominated ambassadors hail from his adopted home state of Florida as the president sidelines career diplomats, slashes the State Department and has dismantled USAID www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
miamiherald.com
Donald Trump remakes American diplomacy in Florida’s image
One out of every three ambassador-level nominees come from Florida, top campaign donors, Mar-a-Lago regulars and personal friends of the president.
012
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Ben Penn @benjaminpenn.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Scoop: Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics chief, Joseph Tirrell. Without explanation, she removes DOJ's career ethics office director who advised the most senior political appointees (such as Todd Blanche, Kash Patel) on conflicts. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
news.bloomberglaw.com
Bondi Fires Her Personal Ethics Chief as DOJ Purge Continues
Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired her personal ethics adviser, removing the Justice Department’s top official responsible for counseling the most senior political appointees, according to two peopl...
2261932882
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
NEW: Pam Bondi changed DOJ’s policy on foreign corruption cases. Then her former client Pfizer’s investigation went away www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
miamiherald.com
Bondi made changes to DOJ policy. Her former client Pfizer might have benefited
The Justice Department changed its policy on foreign corruption cases, which might have put an end to investigations into the pharmaceutical company.
011
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 30/06/2025
Update: The Florida Bar submitted a filing last Friday saying it supports Brad Schandler's request to give up his law license. It would put an end into the investigation into the attorney following our "Rigged" project.
000
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
New: The FL Bar is seeking an emergency suspension for an attorney who was the subject of my @MiamiHerald investigation last year www.miamiherald.com/news/local/a..., via Jay Weaver
miamiherald.com
Florida Bar seeks suspension of Coral Gables attorney accused of fleecing clients
Coral Gables attorney Jay Farrow has been accused by more than a dozen clients of misconduct.
121
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
NEW: The Florida attorney who was the focus of our “Rigged” investigation last year into the manipulation of foreclosure proceedings has volunteered to give up his law license for 5 years to end a FL Bar investigation, w/Brittany Wallman www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
Attorney who was subject of Herald investigation asks to have law license revoked
The Herald’s reporting found nearly 30 cases in which the Hollywood lawyer used a series of unconventional tactics to game the foreclosure process.
110
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
Virginia Giuffre is at least the second Epstein victim to die in the last couple years. This is the story I wrote ahead of Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing on the difficult path victims faced on the way to justice www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
‘This sorority that none of us asked to join’: Victims head to NYC for Maxwell sentencing
Some have come from overseas, some from only a couple hours away. But their journey can’t be measured in the miles they have traveled. It can be measured in the mental hurdles they have overcome. The ...
086
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
NEW: The end appears to be nearing for UM booster John Ruiz's insurance claims company, w/Jay Weaver www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
UM booster John Ruiz’s company says it could close within a year
The admissions represent a stunning decline for the company, which went public in May 2022 with an eye-popping valuation of more than $32 billion.
100
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 25/03/2025
Reported yesterday that a lobbyist and government contractor bought JD Vance’s home for $170,000 over asking price Here's how we were able to determine who bought Vance's home-- 1/
forbes.com
Lobbyist And Government Contractor Bought JD Vance’s Home For $170,000 Over Asking Price
The buyer, a Trump appointee during his first term, denies any political motive—calling the $1.9 million deal purely market-driven.
19633277
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
New: Florida corporate landlord with ties to Hermès heirs settles PPP fraud case www.miamiherald.com/news/busines...
miamiherald.com
Florida corporate landlord with ties to Hermès heirs settles PPP fraud case
Thibault Adrien and Lafayette RE Management LLC , to pay the government $680,000 as part of the settlement.
010
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
M(ostly) C(losed) P(ublic) S(chools) #MCPS
000
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
If confirmed to be U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi would oversee the U.S. Department of Justice. That could pit one of her attorneys against a company that Bondi lobbied on behalf of last year. www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
miamiherald.com
Bondi lobbied for China-backed company that has active case against U.S. government
Tampa company iGas USA filed a petition against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023 which is being defended by the U.S. Justice Department.
122
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
NEW: Bondi lobbied for China-backed company that has active case against U.S. government www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...
miamiherald.com
Bondi lobbied for China-backed company that has active case against U.S. government
Tampa company iGas USA filed a petition against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2023 which is being defended by the U.S. Justice Department.
000
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
ICYMI: Prosecutors say the Alexander brothers used wealth to lure in the women they allegedly raped. Our look at how the family made its money and what it could lose, w/Jay Weaver & @shirsho.bsky.social amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
amp.miamiherald.com
How much is the Alexander family worth? Sex trafficking charges may put assets at risk
The Alexander family has already pledged $115 million in assets in a failed bid to keep one of the sons out of jail while awaiting trial.
000
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 28/12/2024
Striking difference between how the parents of the Alexander brothers made their money, and what the brothers allegedly did with that money www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
011
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 28/12/2024
NEW: How much is the Alexander family worth? Sex trafficking charges against Alexander brothers may put assets at risk
miamiherald.com
How much is the Alexander family worth? Sex trafficking charges may put assets at risk
The Alexander family has already pledged $115 million in assets in a failed bid to keep one of the sons out of jail while awaiting trial.
132
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Evan DeSimone @mediaevan.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
“In about two weeks, nearly everyone in this Atlanta conference room will be out of a job. But tonight, on November 5, the Scripps News team has an election to cover.” www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Watching the media reckoning unfold in a now-shuttered broadcast newsroom
Scripps sought to dominate national breaking news. Instead it became a paradigm of a broken industry.
001
Reposted by Ben Wieder
Brittany Wallman @brittanywallman.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Miami senator’s bill targets rigged foreclosure auctions, following Miami Herald exposé www.miamiherald.com/news/busines...
miamiherald.com
062
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
“I’m a lawyer, I know what I was doing and I know I’m gonna get away with this.” www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
020
Ben Wieder @bwieder.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
New: A Miami lawyer abandoned his clients. Then they discovered the string of arrests in his past. The Florida Bar knew, but didn’t warn them. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
020