Sign in

David Eads

@eads.bsky.social
139 followers 144 following 124 posts

"If we would serve science, we must extend her limits, not only as far as our own knowledge is concerned, but in the estimation of others." -- Rudolf Virchow recoveredfactory.net

PostsRepliesMedia
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
We launched a newsletter yesterday about the US immigration system. It uses a cocktail of search, LLMs, code, and human elbow grease to sweep news coverage, find primary sources, and unearth evidence + context. Go deeper: recoveredfactory.net/en/daybook/2...
recoveredfactory.net
Immigration Daybook, Aug. 6, 2026: Who represents immigrant children?
A new $150 million contract hands the legal representation of unaccompanied children to a politically connected firm · Judge allows TPS to end for Haitians while the lawsuit continues · States and loc...
000
Reposted by David Eads
Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
ATLiens, Aquemini, Stankonia (with the double fourth album just for fun)
0778
Reposted by David Eads
Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 01/08/2026
Are you saying the DOJ withdrew that pool vandalism indictment… upon reflection?
533151901803
Reposted by David Eads
Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I think Yglesias is basically right that audience capture is an exceptionally powerful force, far more than commonly acknowledged; the problem is that one of the best extent examples of this is Yglesias himself.
2998581
Reposted by David Eads
Adam Isacson @adamisacson.com · 28/07/2026
The departure of a careful, credible numbers guy who served under both parties is a blow to DHS's credibility. A few years into Hugo Chávez’s presidency, Venezuela stopped reporting even inflation and homicide statistics. DHS now faces a “don't turn into Venezuela challenge.”
39140
Reposted by David Eads
Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
We're about $1,000 away from our goal! We have ONE day left. Triple your impact. Please quote repost this, if you can, and share why you support Prison Journalism Project or why you've donated before.
33741
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The long-tail of immigration enforcement: More than a quarter of all 287(g) agreements are barely three months old. The latest wave of expansion consists mostly of tiny departments signing on to Task Force Model agreements. recoveredfactory.net/en/287g-netw...
recoveredfactory.net
More than a quarter of all 287(g) agreements are barely three months old
The ever-expanding network of immigration enforcement is quickly adding the smallest police departments in the South.
100
Reposted by David Eads
Adam Sawyer @adamjst.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
We have updated DetentionReports.com. Facility populations on this site reflect the average number of people ICE detained at each location between April 3-July 9, 2026.
A screenshot of the homepage of DetentionReports.com
14627
Reposted by David Eads
Adam Sawyer @adamjst.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I'm just going to note a few of my personal observations based on reading the facility population averages reported by ICE compared to Interval ADP...
13417
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
To go on a bit of a tangent: There's a certain kind of journalist who wants the biggest, scariest number in order to "make a splash" and is willing to ignore evidence that would require them to temper their findings. How are those reporters and editors going to handle the encounter with AI?
100
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My first co-byline with a machine. I used PromptQL, grounded in a mix of news, DHS press releases, and data from the Deportation Data Project (🙏), to generate the analysis, charts, and text that show ICE arrest + detention patterns. recoveredfactory.net/en/ice-jails...
A headline that says "ICE jails nearly everyone it arrests and deports most of them" with David's byline along with PromptQL.
010
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Why we're naming the officials who signed 287(g) agreements. And shoutout to Tory Lysik for building out the pipeline. recoveredfactory.net/en/naming-28...
recoveredfactory.net
Why We're Naming the Officials Who Signed 287(g) Agreements
The public deserves to know who signed their local police agreement with ICE — and how to reach them.
000
Reposted by David Eads
Erin Kissane @kissane.myatproto.social · 08/07/2026
Definitely staff writers at prestige publications should keep writing looong articles about how the children will never read, do it, yessssssss
3373
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
287(g) Watch has some powerful new features: We're extracting the provided agency contact information from the agreements with ICE. And we're using an LLM grounded in the source data and a broad sweep of new sources to write smooth, highly accurate news summaries. 287g.recoveredfactory.net
287(g) agreement details, including signer contact information.Automated news summaries of 287(g) activity for Texas.Automated news summaries of 287(g) activity for Texas.
021
Reposted by David Eads
Al Shaw @shaw.al · 30/06/2026
A seniority-based layoff system is the cornerstone of most union contracts and it ensures the company can't use layoffs as a shortcut around Just Cause, but @propublica.org management still isn't agreeing to this basic protection. Support us 👇
0177
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We're publishing automated, data-driven videos about the growth of 287(g). Share and follow: youtube.com/shorts/_V5P9...
youtube.com
287(g) agreements across the U.S. (data as of 2026-06-24)
YouTube video by Recovered Factory
000
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Share our videos about the growth of 287(g)! www.instagram.com/p/DZ_btVIg6cY/
instagram.com
recoveredfactory on Instagram: "287(g) agreements across the U.S. - data as of 2026-06-24.This is our new semi-automatically publishing informational video. Explor…"
287(g) agreements across the U.S. - data as of 2026-06-24.This is our new semi-automatically publishing informational video. Explore the full tracker at 287g.recoveredfactory.net#287g #ICE #immigration
000
Reposted by David Eads
Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
What if a handful of Congressional primaries were not deciding the entire fate of a national political party? What if they were, in fact, deciding on a party's nominee for that district specifically?
3033346
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Our #missouri traffic stops tool rolls on with our first big analysis. Check it out here. A few key points ahead in this thread... vsr.recoveredfactory.net/en/analysis/...
vsr.recoveredfactory.net
First impressions of the 2025 Missouri Vehicle Stops Report
A first look at the 2025 Missouri vehicle stops data: why ~90 agencies dropped out of the 2024 report and returned in 2025, plus Hispanic stop share, racial disparities, declining searches, and the co...
100
Reposted by David Eads
Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 16/06/2026
Here is a public service announcement filmed by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1980s, and I promise that you would not correctly guess who pops up at the end if I gave you 10,000 tries
43548641248
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
As I emerge from the messed-up world of prestige journalism, I'm troubled by the philanthropic underpinnings. "SC Group" is connected to the Standard Chartered bank, stars of the FinCen files & reportedly payers of over $1bn in settlements due to investigations into their role in money laundering.
110
Reposted by David Eads
Bolts @boltsmag.org · 05/06/2026
Even when local police have no formal contracts with ICE, some departments still provide critical help to ICE agents. But in many jurisdictions, 911 call records are subject to public records law—providing watchdogs a tool for tracking ICE activity.
boltsmag.org
How State and Local Leaders Are Responding to ICE: Your Questions Answered - Bolts
How are states restricting ICE activity? Can local prosecutors charge federal officers? How can local leaders prepare for ICE deployments? We provide answers about local responses to the immigration crackdown.
28121
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Here's a cool and useful thing. Download our animated 287(g) timeline map and use as you wish (with attribution). Updates whenever ICE releases new data. In English + Spanish. 287g.recoveredfactory.net/en/use-the-map
000
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Ok, I hope this one blows up: Tory Lysik and I just launched 287(g) Watch. We're cataloging agencies with agreements with ICE and mapping the dramatic growth of the program. 287g.recoveredfactory.net/en
287g.recoveredfactory.net
287(g) Watch — ICE's Local Enforcement Partnerships
1,544 local law enforcement agencies have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE, authorizing officers to enforce federal immigration law. We tracked all of them.
122
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
We just added MCP to the #missouri vehicle stops tool. Connect an AI tool and get data with context, caveats, and guardrails. Ask about 287(g) participation, trends over time, draw maps, and download the data you need for your analysis. vsr.recoveredfactory.net/en#mcp
vsr.recoveredfactory.net
Missouri Vehicle Stops
Who gets stopped? why? What happens next? This tool reveals how traffic enforcement varies across Missouri's agencies.
210
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Traffic stop profiles of #missouri police agencies participating in #287g. While this data is a bit old and doesn't speak directly to immigration enforcement, it's still important because traffic stops are a critical vector for ICE detention and deportation. www.youtube.com/shorts/5YfCk...
youtube.com
Learn the Missouri police agencies participating in 287(g)
YouTube video by Recovered Factory
200
Reposted by David Eads
Mike X. Nichols @mikexnichols.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
i often think about this review
Letterboxd screenshot
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
Watched by Branson Reese 28 Apr 2022

Abrams isn't a man so much as he's an avatar of cultural entropy. If you make something popular enough eventually you will die or sell it off and and a person in thick rimmed glasses whose main artistic vision is that he loves to have meetings will take it and sandblast it until it's nothing. I hate to see this happen here but maybe it's good that this happened. Maybe every franchise should collapse into a version of itself that makes shareholders nod and shake each others' hands. We should learn to speak in a language that rich people who don't dream can't comprehend.
134149294124
Reposted by David Eads
Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 18/05/2026
If you're reading this, my cat and I have boarded a one-way flight out of the United States. The Trump administration wrongfully denied my work permit renewal; after months of demanding that they follow the law, we have run out of legal recourse, and I have no choice but to leave the country. (🧵)
giveinmay.org
Support Alex's Emergency Relocation + Next Steps on Give In May
Alex is leaving the US after his work permit renewal was wrongfully denied by Trump's USCIS.
13935181500
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
End of an era! I rode the old school version of this train last year and sort of figured there might not be many journeys left. Love the new trains though, it needed an upgrade.
010
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
My #missouri vehicle stops tool now tracks the traffic stop profiles of agencies that participate in the #287g program: vsr.recoveredfactory.net/en/287g
vsr.recoveredfactory.net
Traffic Stop Profiles of Missouri Agencies Participating in 287(g)
Stop data, ICE 287(g) agreement details, and demographic breakdowns for every Missouri law enforcement agency in the program.
000
Reposted by David Eads
Forest Gregg @bunkum.us · 13/05/2026
from @eads.bsky.social's latest recoveredfactory.net newsletter. "the work is figuring out how to do journalism well in the venues you actually have, not the one you wish you had."
screenshot from the may 12, 2026 recoveredfactory.net newsletter

During my last year in a traditional newsroom, several reporters of roughly my vintage told me that they didn’t get into journalism just for LLMs to regurgitate their work, much less to optimize their writing for people using chatbots. Valid. It doesn’t feel great if your craft is writing destination stories for the web.

The thing that shook me is that the folks saying this got into the business around the same time I did in the 2010s — they took the jobs of people who said they didn’t get into journalism to have their storytelling boiled down to a tweet or an IG post.

The complaint recurs because the venues keep moving. The work is figuring out how to do journalism well in the venues you actually have, not the one you wish you had. That means treating the web as what it is now — a place where things get built and prepared and made remixable, where transactions happen, where the technology glues together other systems — and treating the platforms downstream of it as where the work, finally, gets seen.
152
Reposted by David Eads
Derek Willis @dwillis.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Really like this from @eads.bsky.social: recoveredfactory.net/en/webs-not-...
recoveredfactory.net
The Web Isn't Dying, It's Becoming Infrastructure.
Should you worry about the death of the web? Only if you’re thinking of it as a destination.
141
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Important open data release.
010
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Harvest Of The Nile - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn2P... + whatever I could pull down on Napster
youtube.com
Civilization II : Harvest Of The Nile (Soundtrack)
YouTube video by Nostalgic People
010
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
In addition to the Nazis and problematic business model, last I checked, it also lacks support for multilingual publishing or offer adequate developer integration tools. I'm happy with my hybrid custom site w/ @kit.com for email + Stripe for payments solution. recoveredfactory.net/en/multiling...
recoveredfactory.net
How and Why We Made Recovered Factory Multilingual
Invest in production and don't worry about parity. Here's the stack and the thinking behind a multilingual independent publication.
000
Reposted by David Eads
Justin Ellis @justinellis.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
We are in the market for new director of revenue! This is a truly hands-on job to steer how defector’s business grows and help solve for the unknowns of being a cooperative media company
0105
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
New post at recoveredfactory.net. We started by talking about going fast, now we're rapping about going slow and seeing your audience as more than a consumer. Inspiration from nature this time is Utah's Pando aspen clone, thought to be 16,000 years old. recoveredfactory.net/en/why-go-slow
recoveredfactory.net
Why Go Slow? + Follow Us On Instagram and YouTube
Sidestep the information economy circus by playing a different game.
000
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Heyyyyy! New video about Missouri traffic stops data. We added 20 years of data, which is all of the information collected under the law passed in 2000. So many stories to tell here. #missouri #trafficstops www.youtube.com/shorts/do5Tn...
youtube.com
Announcing 25 Years of Missouri Vehicle Stops Data
YouTube video by Recovered Factory
022
Reposted by David Eads
Jill Castellano @jillcastellano.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
TODAY: Join @themarshallproject.org for a conversation about pregnancy criminalization. I'll be talking about our data analysis that found 70,000 cases where new parents were referred to law enforcement over drug use allegations. See you there! www.themarshallproject.org/events/how-t...
themarshallproject.org
How to Investigate Hospital Drug Testing and the Policing of Pregnancy
In this training webinar, three Marshall Project reporters will share key takeaways from their coverage of pregnancy surveillance.
046
Reposted by David Eads
Bolts @boltsmag.org · 20/04/2026
Defendants who accept plea deals that waive their Fourth Amendment rights can lose their legal recourse for warrantless police searches for years. As of 2020, 96 percent of people living under these waivers in Richmond, Virginia were people of color.
boltsmag.org
Virginia Governor Vetoes a Ban on Plea Deals That Waive People’s Constitutional Rights
Abigail Spanberger blocked a bill to bar prosecutors from pressuring Virginians to waive protections against unreasonable police searches as a condition of pleas.
25916
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
We have updated our the #Missouri Vehicle Stops report with 20 more years of data. See long term trends, download the data + join on Census geoid. We'll have plenty more to say about this soon! vsr.recoveredfactory.net
100
Reposted by David Eads
jon ben-menachem @jbenmenachem.com · 07/04/2026
"Where disadvantages are highly correlated and mutually determining, a fixation on causal inference may be misplaced. The thought experiment of manipulating a single condition lacks realism. Social scientists cannot and should not control away that which society has stitched together."
annualreviews.org
Poverty in America: New Directions and Debates
Reviewing recent research on poverty in the United States, we derive a conceptual framework with three main characteristics. First, poverty is multidimensional, compounding material hardship with huma...
2173
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Traffic stops are the most common way Americans interact with law enforcement. My first native social data video as an independent data journalist! www.youtube.com/shorts/Oboc3... Our #missouri vehicle stops tool is quickly improving w/ cool improvements in the works -- vsr.recoveredfactory.net
youtube.com
Hello Missouri Vehicle Stops
YouTube video by Recovered Factory
000
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Researching multilingual newsletter platforms, I discovered that Matthew McConaughey and I came to the same conclusions: Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing, so be careful what you get good at. And if you need a multilingual newsletter, @kit.com is one of the few workable options.
100
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
New post! How and why we made Recovered Factory multilingual. recoveredfactory.net/en/multiling...
recoveredfactory.net
How and Why We Made Recovered Factory Multilingual
Invest in production and don't worry about parity. Here's the stack and the thinking behind a multilingual independent publication.
100
David Eads @eads.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Let's all take a moment to admire this platform weaponization. This is an apparently algorithmic robo email from Glassdoor to me based on my preferences. Great job hacking the algorithm, Segment Manager!
A robotic email from Glassdoor asking whether CBS could cut costs by getting rid of Bari Weiss.
000
Reposted by David Eads
Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 23/03/2026
The US government collected over $1 billion in immigration fees then refused to process the applications. No denials. No refunds. Just silence. This is the largest fee fraud in the history of the American immigration system. Here's what's happening. 🧵
8279613842
Reposted by David Eads
Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
The Supreme Court refuses to review an odious 5th Circuit decision granting qualified immunity to Texas officials who arrested a citizens-journalist in retaliation against her posing questions to public officials. Sotomayor has an appropriately furious dissent: www.supremecourt.gov/orders/court...
JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR, dissenting from the denial of certiorari.
Petitioner Priscilla Villarreal is a reporter who was arrested for doing something journalists do every day: posing
questions to a public official. Specifically, Villarreal twice
texted with a police officer to corroborate information Villarreal already knew about events that had occurred within
her community. That officer voluntarily provided the information Villarreal sought, and Villarreal published those
facts, consistent with her role as a journalist. Six months
later, Villarreal was arrested for asking those questions.
Making matters worse, Villarreal alleges that the arrest followed a months-long effort by a police department and district attorney’s office to retaliate against her because they
disliked much of her reporting on their activities. Of course,
that reporting was often critical of them.
It should be obvious that this arrest violated the First
Amendment. Yet the Fifth Circuit held that the officials
were entitled to qualified immunity, and now Villarreal is
left without a remedy. The Court today makes a grave error
by declining to hear this case.
6025801063
Reposted by David Eads
MuckRock @muckrock.com · 20/03/2026
MuckRock and @themarshallproject.org led a session to talk about their work on investigating book bans in prisons across the country. Learn about the history of these bans and learn how to request and examine banned-book lists in their community.
youtube.com
Investigating with Sunlight: Investigating Prison Book Bans with MuckRock and The Marshall Project
Journalists, researchers and volunteers interested in examining book bans in prisons across the country are invited to join this hands-on event. Attendees will hear about the history of these bans…
056