iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Your 20s are for believing everything is structural and your 30s are for learning that actually it's often just some guy or small group of guys (gender neutral)

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Callie Freitag (she/her) @calliefreitag.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Thrilled to share our **OPEN ACCESS** paper on how raising Seattle's minimum wage affected households receiving SNAP benefits. When the minimum wage went up, SNAP benefit levels went down -- a little. But, increases to earnings more than offset SNAP losses. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.com

Minimum wage increases and SNAP participation: evidence from Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance - Review of Economics of the Household

A large and contested body of research examines how minimum wage laws affect employment and earnings for different groups of workers and industries. Far less studied are the important but ambiguous ex...

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I’m excited to share that @ksavin.bsky.social, @calliefreitag.bsky.social, and I have a new piece out summarizing our research on how the Trump admin’s attack on the public sector have made it harder to get and maintain disability benefits—which were already quite difficult to navigate.

theconversation.com

Getting disability benefits got harder after the Social Security Administration’s staff was slashed and program rules were changed by Trump

Researchers learned from dozens of interviews that the usual ways of resolving complex cases, escalating issues and holding the authorities accountable no longer work.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

I seem to have a bunch of new followers—hello, all! I hope that you’ll check out a report that @ksavin.bsky.social, @calliefreitag.bsky.social, and I wrote about how it’s gotten even harder to claim disability benefits under Trump 2.0 and DOGE. The thread below sums up key points. Thx for reading!

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

None of it is true, but as I wrote last winter, fraud is a powerful political trope. Since then, Trump's used fraudulent fraud tropes to restrict voting rights, to gut Medicaid, and to unleash masked men on American cities to kidnap people off the street and hold them in detention camps.

donmoynihan.substack.com

Musk’s Fraudulent Fraud Squad

A tired trope gets a new lease of life

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Sara Luterman @slooterman.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

States have started proposing steep reductions in disability services to cope with Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Idaho is the first to suggest scrapping home care altogether — An action with a high human cost. My latest @19thnews.org.

19thnews.org

Idaho considers an 'apocalyptic' choice for disabled people and families

Difficult budget decisions in a number of states are threatening vital programs for disabled people at home and caregivers in the workforce.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Must-read new report! It's excellent work, providing crucial insight into how service to Social Security applicants and beneficiaries deteriorated over the past year. It's especially important now that SSA leadership has removed most customer-facing metrics from public view.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Meredith Slopen @mslopen.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Social workers (and friends) attending @appam.bsky.social in Seattle: we will meet for our annual happy hour on Friday night from 5-7 at Kells' Bar. Be in touch if you need details and share with your students/new colleagues. Looking forward! @arpilarz.bsky.social @calliefreitag.bsky.social

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Denali @denali.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

This is what happens when people who hate the government run the government. There is a tremendous incentive for them to do a bad job and hurt people so that people believe the public sector is incapable of providing a basic standard of living for everyone.

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Callie Freitag (she/her) @calliefreitag.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

My job market paper is PUBLISHED! I'm so happy I could cry. I'll theoretically do a more detailed thread with findings later, but for now, here you go! www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10....

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

This is so important. The focus on job numbers ignores the fact that the BLS computes inflation (the CPI) which is directly linked to many government and non-government benefits. Any attempt at politicizing inflation numbers is very, very, very bad…

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

A core problem in American health is inequality. The richest 1% live 12 more years than the poorest 1%. Racial disparities cause Black Americans to die 4 years sooner than White Americans. Now remember: Trump's policies which will *worsen* inequality. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-trumps...

map showing racial disparities in mortality

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

If you had a sense that kicking people off of Medicaid would be bad for their health, that is only scratching the surface of how bad Trump's policies will be for public health in America. @jbarofsky.bsky.social‬ & @pamherd.bsky.social do a deep dive. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-trumps...

donmoynihan.substack.com

How Trump’s Big Bad Bill Will Kill Americans

What research tells us about how Trump policies are bad for your health

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

I learned today that researchers estimated that these rules, when implemented, would save 13,000 lives a year. But under Trump's bill, they're blocked until 2034. So that's 13,000 unnecessary deaths each year as a direct policy choice. Plus all the daily indignities that understaffing inflicts.

d197nivf0nbma8.cloudfront.net

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Monkeytime @tmorman.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

Gift link: wapo.st/3IcNOLa

Text screenshot: Homicides and nonfatal shootings dipped slightly from 2021 to 2022, but then fell off precipitously after that. In 2023, homicides fell nearly 24 percent compared with 2022, then fell another 23 percent in 2024, according to city data. In 2021, there were 726 nonfatal shootings in the city. In 2024, there were 412.

Beyond those trends, carjackings are down 15 percent so far this year, robberies are down 22 percent, and auto thefts are down 34 percent.

Scott, who recalled that “people laughed at me” when he first advocated for a community-based approach, doesn’t see it as unusual.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Final vote. 50-50. VP breaks the tie. One single GOP Senator could have stopped this abomination. Saved millions of parents from watching their child go hungry. Saved the lives destroyed when Medicaid disappears. They will all live forever with the horror of this bill.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Lena Bilik @lbilik.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

I spent the first 8 years of my career trying to convince elected officials to care about children. I wish I could tell you it was an easy sell. It wasn't. It's hard to imagine US public policy being even LESS pro-kids than it already is, but OBBB truly will make things worse. shorturl.at/77c0m

shorturl.at

What children in poverty could lose from the 'Big Beautiful Bill'

Republicans want to change or reduce key social safety net programs that provide health care, food benefits and financial assistance for millions of children.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Center for American Progress @americanprogress.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Trump promised not to touch Medicare—but that’s exactly what this “big beautiful bill” will do, to the tune of $535 billion in cuts. CAP’s Don Berwick explains the harm:

contrarian.substack.com

You Thought Medicare Was Safe? Think Again.

Sequestration threatens more than $530 billion in cuts to the program over nine years. The results will be catastrophic.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

New from me at @motherjones.com: the Senate just voted to take $930 billion from Medicaid, which could greatly impact optional Medicaid expansion and also lead to cuts of "optional" Medicaid benefits...which keep people functional. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

motherjones.com

Senate votes to cut $930 billion from Medicaid

"This bill is about caviar over kids and hedge funds over health care."

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Robin Rudowitz @robinr.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

We used monthly survey data to take a closer look at the potential implications of #Medicaid work requirements for adults without dependent children. Adults ages 50-64 are at greater risk of losing Medicaid coverage for not meeting the new requirements. www.kff.org/medicaid/iss...

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

They’re USAIDing NSF

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Jenny Hunter @jennyhunter.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Can you believe the NYT best movies thing does not have Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar as an option 🤯

My ballot for the New York Times 10 best movies of the 21st century: Crazy Rich Asians, Get Out, Children of Men, Ocean’s Eleven, Inside Out, Boyhood, The Fall Guy, Arrival, Barbie, and a blank space where Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar should be

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Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

I said what I said: "The Trump Admin has undertaken a radical restructuring [of Social Security &] claim it won’t cause damage [to] customer service. If they really believe they can serve a growing customer base w/fewer staff, they should put up or shut up." www.marketwatch.com/story/how-lo...

marketwatch.com

How long is the wait for Social Security customer service? No one knows.

The Social Security Administration has stopped publishing key customer-service metrics, which will make it more difficult to track whether performance is improving or eroding over time.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Bat 🦇 Borus @matthewborus.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

This Republican budget bill is SO bad. What it would do to health care, to education, while enshrining Trump's abuses of power... It'd legit be the worst legislation since the Patriot Act era. PLEASE, call your Rep, whoever they are. Use the link to find out who they are. Tell them to vote no.

reps.fyi

Find Your Representative

Find your representatives. Learn how to find and connect with them. Stay informed about their bills, committees, and contributions.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

It's silly to act like disabled people will be spared from Medicaid work requirements. Many disabled people are on Medicaid solely because they are poor, not because they're on SSI.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Cynthia Cox @cynthiaccox.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

NEW: Many workers, especially those who work shifts or gigs, have volatile incomes. ACA #obamacare enrollees with less predictable incomes could face coverage barriers and bigger penalties under the House GOP reconciliation package & other expected policy changes @kff.org www.kff.org/affordable-c...

kff.org

Marketplace Enrollees with Unpredictable Incomes Could Face Bigger Penalties Under House Reconciliation Bill Provision | KFF

This analysis illustrates how provisions included in the House budget reconciliation bill could expose Marketplace enrollees with unpredictable incomes to higher penalties when filing taxes if they un...

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Brendan Duke @brendanvduke.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

New @centeronbudget.bsky.social analysis of the draft GOP tax plan released yesterday: Unsurprisingly, it provides enormous tax cuts for the wealthy—including an average annual $65k cut for the top 1%—while doing little for low- and moderate-income families in 2027 (and even less by 2029).

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Heba Gowayed هبة جويد @hebagowayed.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

“An emphasis on lifestyle ultimately assigns structural and institutional problems to individual Americans to solve for themselves. In a country where wealth buys health, how many Americans can afford to insulate themselves and their families from risks of disease and disability?” 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

In a functional democracy, a policy which 85% of Americans don’t support would never have a chance of passing. In the US, our political system is extremely bad at representing popular opinion or translating our preferences into law. It’s just an entirely broken system.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Data for Progress @dataforprogress.org · 13/05/2025

There is not a single congressional district in the U.S. where more than 15% of voters support cuts to Medicaid.

Map of the U.S. showing voter support for Medicaid cuts by congressional district. Support for Medicaid cuts ranges from 5% to 11%. Created by Data for Progress and Caring Across Generations.

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Reposted by Callie Freitag (she/her)

Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

This is insane. Republicans have inserted language into the budget reconciliation bill that would ban states from regulating AI in any capacity for 10 years. from @404media.co www.404media.co/republicans-...

(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para6 graph (2), no State or political subdivision thereof
7 may enforce any law or regulation regulating artifi8 cial intelligence models, artificial intelligence sys9 tems, or automated decision systems during the 10-
10 year period beginning on the date of the enactment
11 of this Act.

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 12/05/2025

When I was pregnant with my first, I lived in a county that didn't have a hospital with labor & delivery. Well, labor progressed so fast, I ended up giving birth at home rather than risk the ~40 minute drive to the hospital where my OB was. I was lucky. Other moms won't be if these cuts go through.

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

-it’s not good that 100% of policy analysis happens within only one major party’s network -it’s not biased for scientists, researchers, or experts of any form to reject a party that entirely rejects science, analysis, and evidence

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Data & Society @datasociety.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

ChatGPT “encourages] users to rely less and less on inner resources and personal capacity at a time when most of us are already losing the equipment—our will, our instincts, our sense of purchase—with which we handle the task of being alive,” Jia Tolentino writes. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

newyorker.com

My Brain Finally Broke

Much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension.

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 12/05/2025

They want more MOMS at home. And not just because they hate women. Their *economic* model depends on unpaid labor. And the most effective way to coerce unpaid labor is to create a second class of people and teach them that they're only "naturally" suited for labor they're forced to do for free.

From the NYT:

Not Just More Babies: These Republicans Want More Parents at Home
As the Trump administration shrinks federal child care programs, Republicans are backing policies they hope will allow more parents to scale back at work.

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Kim Weeden @weedenkim.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Fabulous thread for instructors, journalists, & consumers of news. High-quality survey research is hard and expensive. Few if any dot.coms do it well. Low-quality surveys produce flashy and sound-bite worthy claims that masquerade as facts, but more often than not it's "garbage in, garbage out."

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Something I hope everyone covers this tomorrow notes is that...the President has no authority whatsoever to make trade deals without congress. None. Not even the pretext of one.

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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 08/05/2025

Had a great conversation with Terry Gross/Fresh Air to walk through the whole landscape of Trump family conflicts of interest that have emerged. Real estate. Golf clubs. Crypto, Foreign government deals. Even a $500,000-a-head private club in DC. @nprfreshair.bsky.social www.npr.org/2025/05/07/1...

npr.org

President Trump's Conflicts Of Interest : Fresh Air

New York Times reporter Eric Lipton says the Trump family businesses, including their crypto company, are capitalizing on the President's position, and creating unprecedented conflicts of interest.

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