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dougsteiger.bsky.social

@dougsteiger.bsky.social
81 followers 168 following 56 posts
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 5h
Brilliant idea there, Alex Adams! Let's have pregnant moms open child welfare cases to get help. More surveillance! If you think expecting parents should get substance abuse or home visiting help, let's improve access and funding for those services instead. acf.gov/press/press-...
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Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Congress directed USDA to issue regulations to strengthen the security of EBT cards, but the Trump administration pushed back the expected timeline from March 2025 to January 2026, then to "by September 30, 2026." (They did not issue those regulations by September 30, 2026.)
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Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 28/09/2026
The GOP is an opposition party even when it's in power, the idea that they are the perpetual underdog is central to their internal mythology and can't be disturbed by facts or the results of elections. It's also why they're bad at, you know, governing.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
One last journey with Bernie Gunther, possibly my favorite fictional detective as he grapples with 20th century Germany. RIP Philip Kerr.
Cover of “Metropolis” by Phillip Kerr
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Seconding Edwin's post. @brucelesley.bsky.social does an excellent job responding to the partisan hacks at Paragon.
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Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 23/09/2026
This month's @motherjones.com cover is astounding. Reposted with alt text:
Cover of the September-October issue of Mother Jones Magazine: a white background with the words "50 years of fearless journalism" in black print, centered above the name/logo of the magazine in large Bright Red. Below that in black, the words "the southern strategy — jim crow was dead and buried. Then came the Roberts court."

And then, framing those words, there are two sets of robes: to the left, the simple black robes of the Judicial Branch of the United States Government, as a Supreme Court Justice might wear; to the right, the white robes and hood of the KKK.

A white person's hand with cuff of business suit and shirt visible, reaches into the scene from the right, poised to grab the Klan robes.
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Michael Ian Black @michaelianblack.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I've had life insurance for years. Haven't used it once.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New from Lauren Supplee at Can We Still Govern? The US government had gradually become better at producing and using evidence. This evidence-based infrastructure is largely invisible, important, and one more thing gutted by Trump. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-system...
donmoynihan.substack.com
The System for Using Evidence to Improve Federal Programs Has Been Gutted
Here’s How We Fix It
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Wright Thompson on a football rivalry and, as usual, a whole lot else. www.espn.com/college-foot...
espn.com
Thompson: LSU-Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin and an old fight made new
The LSU-Ole Miss rivalry is long, with two fanbases deeply intertwined. The line between love and hate is thin, and Lane Kiffin's return brings those memories to the surface.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“It’s like watching a car crash before it happens, knowing it’s going to happen.” @adrianna.bsky.social on Medicaid work requirements that will kick in next year. Reports that 1 in 5 of people she has surveyed say they have not received renewal packages. @fordschool.bsky.social in Detroit
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A great way to imbibe Eastern philosophy while reading about medieval Germans. The chapters where Goldmund wanders a plague-ridden land will haunt my memory for a long time.
Photo of the cover of Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
There is good research on this that aligns with common sense: work requirements kick eligible people off programs because most people who can work are working. But we also have a industry of bogus analyses designed to reach the opposite conclusion. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-trump-...
donmoynihan.substack.com
The Trump Administration’s Dubious Case for Work Requirements
Cherry-picked studies and unrealistic assumptions define a new government report
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Strange how this keeps happening.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
If you’re curious how George RR Martin felt about the sixties and would like a plot involving resurrecting a rock band and a graphic murder, find a copy of this.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Watching Kurosawa’s “Ran” and it’s still amazing after all these years. The battle scene with the first gunshot after all the time with music the only sound. IYKYK.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
You are going to see a push for block granting SNAP and Medicaid because Trump has made the programs inaccessible for the public and costly for states. When you do, remember this is an invitation for corruption, waste, and abuse. (See also TANF). bsky.app/profile/solo...
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public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
40% of disabled cancer patients die during the wait period to enroll in medicare — and the rate is rising
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Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I drove across Memorial Bridge in DC today. Saw Trump’s gold-plated bridge ornaments. Free business idea: A tour company that offers “Corruption Tours” of DC where you see all the places Trump has effed with.
A photo taken from a car, driving across a bridge, Lincoln Memorial in the distance, and a gold-plated statue on the right.
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Roger Sollenberger @sollenbergerrc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Stage 1: Start an access journalism newsletter
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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Great piece on the largely imaginary shoplifting surge: I do think one thing the piece misses is that a bunch of major police departments started years-long work slowdowns in 2020 where they refused to do their jobs (often falsely claiming their hands were tied by woke prosecutors)
dannykatch.substack.com
We used to be able to buy things in this country
Locking up toothpaste was a warning sign that our executive class was crazy
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Mark Schmitt @mschmitt9.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Maybe everyone knew this, but I didn't: That for fifty years, 1937-1987, Rockefeller to Gates, there was not a single billionaire in the US. (from Ray Madoff's new book, The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy)
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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
The Constitutional Crisis started in 2000. You've been living through it your entire adult life. The reason politics feels hopeless is by design — conservatives broke our democratic form of government to guarantee that the people cannot act against them and are continuing to break it.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
As with some other things, i suspect if we have another dem president we will discover that the court did not so much transfer power to the executive as to themselves, ie they will find novel bullshit reasons to block a dem president the same way the find novel bullshit reasons to enable trump
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Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 27/06/2026
HHS: “We want more gold-standard science!” Also, HHS: *long political review that delays funding and halts life-saving new discoveries if you mention a “recruitment plan” in your grant proposal*
A bunch of words that usually signals thoughtful science, I highlighted “recruitment plan”, which is necessary for conducting any clinical trial…
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
"Fraud" as a trope to explain intended policy failure
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 20/06/2026
Children weren’t the target of federal food program changes, but they’re increasingly “collateral damage,” one expert said. The drop in the number of children receiving SNAP benefits is a “public health crisis” in the making, said another expert.
propublica.org
More Than 770,000 Children Are No Longer Receiving SNAP Benefits After Trump Changes Federal Food Program
Republican backers of Trump’s signature domestic policy bill repeatedly claimed that revisions to the food benefits program wouldn’t affect the most vulnerable. But reports from a dozen states show ch...
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The less visible damage of the Trump Administration: www.notus.org/health-scien...
notus.org
The Trump Administration Is Holding Up Billions in HHS Funding
Newly implemented political reviews have delayed funding for suicide hotlines, outbreak response and more.
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Abu Aardvark @abuaardvark.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Never seen an entire agency leaking so hard trying to get rid of someone
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
New at Can We Still Govern: The Trump admin released a report saying that Medicaid work requirements will increase work and reduce poverty. There is a technical term for this: malarkey. Actual experts @chloeneast.bsky.social & @adrianna.bsky.social break it down. open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
open.substack.com
The Trump Administration’s Dubious Case for Work Requirements
Cherry-picked studies and unrealistic assumptions define a new government report
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
2 million fewer children were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP as of April 2026, as compared to January 2025 when President Trump took office. ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/05/28/t...
ccf.georgetown.edu
Two Million Fewer Children are Enrolled in Medicaid Since Trump Took Office
Child uninsured rate likely on the rise Our state-by-state Medicaid/CHIP enrollment tracker now indicates that 2 million fewer children were enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Pr...
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Politico @politico.com · 31/05/2026
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch
dlvr.it
States balk at the high price of Medicaid work requirements amid budget crunch
States dealing with budget shortfalls are facing tens of millions of dollars in new costs ahead of the federal Jan. 1 deadline.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
www.theatlantic.com/science/2026...
theatlantic.com
The Trump Administration Is Done With Social Science
The National Science Foundation division that covers social, behavioral, and economic sciences is in the crosshairs.
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Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Counterpoint: No I will not
wired.com
Even If You Hate AI, You Will Use Google AI Search
The search giant’s AI-crafted answers are so convenient, you’ll be sucked in—to the detriment of the web and the artists and thinkers behind it.
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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 12/05/2026
The Purcell Principle means it always too late for courts to fix something racist and never too late for states to do something racist
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 23/04/2026
Still feel like "Musk and his crew of incels destroyed a bunch of stuff they didn't understand and thereby hastened the deaths of millions of children" did not get the public attention it warranted.
wired.com
USAID Whistleblower Says It Was Even Worse Than People Knew
Political appointees wanted a quiet drawdown, the whistleblower says. DOGE wanted an execution.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
In the last year many public servants have had their lives ruined. People who knew less than they did pushed them out of work they loved with no real plan. Many were defamed and "put in trauma." But that is not who Palantir is referring to. It views criticizing the tech bros as intolerable.
18. The ruthless exposure of the private lives of public figures drives far too much talent away from government service. The public arena—and the shallow and petty assaults against those who dare to do something other than enrich themselves—has become so unforgiving that the republic is left with a significant roster of ineffectual, empty vessels whose ambition one would forgive if there were any genuine belief structure lurking within.

19. The caution in public life that we unwittingly encourage is corrosive. Those who say nothing wrong often say nothing much at all.
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John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Their involvement should haunt every moment the rest of their lives. They were careless people - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15/04/2026
i can't help but think about 10 or 11 years ago when conservatives insisted that obama was uniquely anti-catholic because his administration thought that catholic-led orgs could just fill out a form if they didn't want to cover contraceptives in their health plans for employees.
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James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Uninsured rate for children, by state. Texas accounts for a quarter of all children without health insurance in America.
Map showing the following data: 
Children's uninsured rate by state, 2024 (ACS, under 19):
Alabama 4.3%, Alaska 8.8%, Arizona 9.3%, Arkansas 7.7%, California 3.1%, Colorado 6.0%, Connecticut 2.6%, Delaware 5.8%, Florida 8.5%, Georgia 7.9%, Hawaii 2.9%, Idaho 8.1%, Illinois 3.6%, Indiana 6.1%, Iowa 3.8%, Kansas 7.0%, Kentucky 5.0%, Louisiana 4.1%, Maine 4.5%, Maryland 4.6%, Massachusetts 2.1%, Michigan 3.5%, Minnesota 3.7%, Mississippi 5.8%, Missouri 6.6%, Montana 7.7%, Nebraska 5.3%, Nevada 8.0%, New Hampshire 2.3%, New Jersey 4.7%, New Mexico 6.1%, New York 2.7%, North Carolina 5.5%, North Dakota 6.7%, Ohio 5.6%, Oklahoma 8.5%, Oregon 2.7%, Pennsylvania 5.4%, Rhode Island 3.7%, South Carolina 5.9%, South Dakota 8.0%, Tennessee 6.5%, Texas 13.6%, Utah 6.6%, Vermont 2.6%, Virginia 5.2%, Washington 3.9%, West Virginia 2.8%, Wisconsin 4.2%, Wyoming 9.0%. National average: 6.0%.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 14/04/2026
More than 400,000 Arizonans have lost their SNAP benefits since July — the largest decline in the nation by a wide margin — after the state implemented changes called for in Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
propublica.org
“The Alarm Bell”: Arizona's Drop in SNAP Participation Signals Potential Nationwide Impact of Trump Legislation
Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act imposes stricter food stamp work requirements and shifts a larger share of the costs to states. Arizona's swift implementation has made it more difficult to apply and caused nearly half of recipients to lose benefits.
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James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
DOGE turbocharged the deficit. budgetlab.yale.edu/research/wea...
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Drew McKevitt @drewmckevitt.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My thinking on this case is that Clarence Thomas should have been removed from office immediately when we found out his wife had plotted to overthrow our constitutional republic
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
rax ‘levon honkers’ king‬
 ‪@raxkingisdead.bsky.social‬
· 25m

imo the theme of the second trump administration (and the COVID year of the first one!) is super rich guys being genuinely surprised when they can’t buy their way out of physical, material reality




‪ryan cooper‬
 ‪@ryanlcooper.com‬
· 24m

possible connection there. the oligarchs went insane having to deal with constraint for the first time, put billions into electing the senile maniac again as their avatar of impunity restored, and now he's well and truly fucked up

‪Nicholas Slayton‬
 ‪@nslayton.bsky.social‬
· 6m

"That's not fair!" a class of people who never heard the word "no" before shouted, to the detriment of the world
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Philip Bump @pbump.com · 18/03/2026
At this point Trump might as well just authorize a grant to Solyndra at the rate he’s overseeing things he once complained about incessantly.
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Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
This is an incredible documentation of the systematic, intentional collapse of American health science, by Elizabeth Ginexi. open.substack.com/pub/elizabet...
open.substack.com
I Wrote Research Funding Announcements for NIH for 22 Years. This Year They’ve Published 14
How NIH went from 756 funding announcements to 14 in two years — and what it means for every disease that depends on federal research
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
All of this incredibly obvious and infuriating welfare fraud happened under the first Trump administration and I don't recall them ever threatening to block funding to the state of Mississippi as a result.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
At a high school event where kids are doing karaoke to kill time and a group just did Bowie’s “Starman.” The kids are alright.
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dougsteiger.bsky.social @dougsteiger.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
19thnews.org/2026/03/idah...
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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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
OFFS. When Iran tried to interefere in 2020, researchers caught them and called them out. Then the Benz-Weiss-Taibbi-Musk-Jordan-Trump axis labeled those researchers "censors" ... and set about defunding them and dismantling their organizations.
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