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Ian Vandewalker

@ianvan.bsky.social
6.8K followers 382 following 312 posts

Policy advocacy and research on money in politics and disinformation. Senior Counsel & Manager, Brennan Center.

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
From 16,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle. "The state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen."
nytimes.com
From 15,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle
It was the Trump administration’s latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 22/09/2026
Billions in dark money are flooding the election — and voters don’t know who’s behind it. bit.ly/4d1GYVr
brennancenter.org
$1 billion in Secret Cash Is Reshaping the Midterms
We may never know where most of the money came from.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This deeply researched piece has jaw-dropping allegations of pay-to-play deals where tens of thousands in political donations are made right before a company gets tens of millions in contracts for products the DOD didn't want. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...
propublica.org
The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way
After the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini...
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 17/09/2026
The Supreme Court’s decision on mail voting means that Americans can cast their mail ballots with confidence this fall. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Supreme Court Rules Postal Service Must Deliver Mail Ballots
The ruling affirms that American citizens can vote by mail with confidence.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 16/09/2026
From false claims that large numbers of non-U.S. citizens are illegally registered to vote to attacks on mail voting, here are five election rumors circulating ahead of the midterms. bit.ly/4yDljei
brennancenter.org
Five False Election Rumors to Watch For
Voters should expect recurring false election narratives to resurface in the coming months — and familiarize themselves with the facts.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/08/21/u...
nytimes.com
Prison Firm Donated to Trump’s PAC After ICE Gave It $165 Million a Year in Contracts
The GEO Group has profited from the administration’s mass deportation campaign. A subsidiary donated more than $1.4 million to the president’s super PAC last month.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Why would anybody believe anything Trump's DHS says about voting at this point? www.npr.org/2026/08/25/n...
npr.org
DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated
The Trump administration claimed to have found 250,000 noncitizens on the voter rolls in four states. But the agency's communications with states since then indicate that data was preliminary.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Grand jury: "Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida… or had any memory of who made it." www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/g...
cbsnews.com
Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money to Hope Florida
A Florida grand jury found the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million in taxpayer money for political purposes.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Dark money: "$1 billion includes only what is publicly available.... These groups also fund political activity that is more difficult to track, such as direct mail, hiring influencers...." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/31/u...
nytimes.com
‘The Least Transparent Midterm’: How Dark Money Is Washing Over the 2026 Election
At least $1 billion from anonymous donors is flowing into the midterm elections. Dark money is not new, but it now permeates nearly every major contest.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The Census report on noncitizen voting is a hack job that clearly ignored reality to try to reach a big number. Even so, they couldn't beat the margin of error--meaning, their number, statistically speaking, is zero. econjared.substack.com/p/the-govern...
econjared.substack.com
The Government Report That Made Me Stop Trusting Our Statistical Agencies
I’ve waved people off this degree of mistrust. I no longer can do so.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Alaska: campaign contribution limits are so back. boltsmag.org/measure-1-al...
boltsmag.org
After Years of Runaway Spending, Alaskans Vote to Reinstate Cap on Campaign Donations - Bolts
Five years after a federal court ruling introduced unlimited spending in Alaska elections, voters there hit back on Tuesday, defying their Republican governor and approving new limits that restrict th...
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
How is the cyclospora outbreak a money in politics problem? @danw329.bsky.social explains... www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Cyclospora Outbreak Shows Why So Many Americans Are Angry About Corruption
Following major lobbying and campaign spending from the food industry, an important safety rule has been delayed for years.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Tessa Duvall @tessaduvall.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
🚨 Kentucky has announced the finalists in its "I Voted" sticker contest. 🚨 Per the Secretary of State: Kentuckians can vote for their favorite sticker at the SOS's booth at the State Fair from August 20-30.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 20/08/2026
cool cool
readsludge.com
Trump Convenes White House Crypto Meeting With His Own Business Partners
Many of the companies at today’s White House meeting are in business with the president's or his son's crypto ventures, and have donated millions to Trump’s political committees.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I almost died from e. coli as a kid. Hospitalized with full kidney failure for 6 weeks. Don't mess around with this stuff. www.cbsnews.com/news/blueber...
cbsnews.com
FDA upgrades recall of frozen blueberries sold at Publix to highest health risk level
Recalled frozen blueberries and mixed berries that could be contaminated with E. coli pose the most severe category of health risk, according to the FDA.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Make America Less Safe and Healthy www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
Trump 2.0 has deleted or altered nearly 400 US datasets, endangering public health, education and more
Health data appears to be most affected by administration’s attempt to wipe findings that don’t align with its priorities, tracker shows
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The Brennan Center's new home for analysis and commentary on the influence of big money in the 2026 elections: www.brennancenter.org/series/money...
brennancenter.org
Money in the 2026 Election
In the run-up to November, the Brennan Center is releasing analyses exploring key trends shaping how money flows into our elections and whose voices are heard the loudest.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 17/08/2026
Brennan Center testing found AI chatbots couldn’t recognize images their own tools had made. Co-author @larrynorden.bsky.social: “They were uniformly bad at identifying if something was AI or not,” often “crediting images as photos being taken by real people.”
techpolicy.press
How AI Is Reshaping Election Information Ahead of the 2026 US Midterms
Justin Hendrix spoke to Larry Norden, vice president of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center, about a new analysis of the subject.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
As well as in Wisconsin, in "Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Nevada — Republicans have chosen an election denier as their nominee for governor, secretary of state, or both." www.yahoo.com/news/politic...
yahoo.com
The election deniers coming to a swing state near you
Tom Tiffany said 2020 was stolen. Now he's the GOP pick for Wisconsin governor. And there are others like him.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Trump administration set to spend at least $900 million on White House construction
The price tag is much larger than what has been previously reported, according to a Post review of confidential contracts, and taxpayers would cover most of it.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"...at least 25 county-level election officials who have taken office across the country since the last major federal election in 2024 ... have aligned with the broader election-denier movement, according to a Times review of a new database from Voting Rights Lab" www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...
nytimes.com
A Growing Number of Election Deniers Hold Key Local Roles in Midterms
These officials oversee or help administer elections in counties across the nation where competitive House and Senate races will determine control of Congress.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Bolts @boltsmag.org · 03/08/2026
Ballot measures on direct democracy and data centers. Heated congressional primaries. Socialist challenges to state lawmakers. Conservative challenges to lawmakers who opposed redistricting. Buckle up for a busy Election Day tomorrow. 🗓️
boltsmag.org
110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts
A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
As the midterm congressional elections heat up, the richest political committee in the US is, of course … the super PAC controlled by a president who’s not on the ballot and is constitutionally barred from ever running again.
Table showing the top 5 political committees by cash on hand.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Sludge @sludge.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: Freedom 250 LLC doesn’t have to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid. But new lobbying filings reveal millions given by major corporate backers. readsludge.com/2026/07/31/l...
readsludge.com
Lobbying Filings Reveal What Companies Paid for Trump's Freedom 250
Freedom 250 isn't required to disclose what its corporate sponsors paid, but new lobbying filings reveal the first documented contribution amounts for some of its biggest backers.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I'll be on Texas Public Radio soon discussing dark money in elections... www.tpr.org/podcast/the-...
tpr.org
Dark money becomes a formidable force in American elections
What's known as "dark money" in U.S. elections reached a record-shattering $1.9 billion in recent federal election cycles, nearly doubling the previous record. This surge traces back to the Supreme Co...
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
State Court Report @statecourtreport.org · 29/07/2026
In an important decision, Arizona’s supreme court ruled that corporate campaign contributions are not protected speech under the state constitution — a departure from the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. Learn more by subscribing to State Court Report’s free newsletter: bit.ly/45IXZ0M
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Groundwork Collaborative @groundwork.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
While grocery prices are rising, 1.5 million kids have lost food assistance benefits since Republicans passed their budget law. Hungry kids are more likely to get lower test scores & repeat grades. New from us & @tcfdotorg.bsky.social: That's just the start of parents' budgeting woes.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 28/07/2026
The Brennan Center, @aaaj-aajc.bsky.social, FIRM, and Unidos have prepared a know your rights guide to protect your vote at the polls. Learn more about how you can prepare and what you and your community can do if armed federal agents are unlawfully at the polls during the midterm elections.
brennancenter.org
Vote Safely in 2026
Sending troops or ICE officers to the polls is illegal. Here’s how you can protect your vote and your community’s voice, even if federal agents unlawfully show up.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 23/07/2026
Americans are working more, but losing control over their time. Unlike peer countries, the US has failed to pair a two-income economy with the policies that make that model sustainable, namely affordable child and elder care and serious workplace protections around scheduling.
Infographic from the Roosevelt Institute and The Good Life stating, “The average middle-class American couple with children works a combined 600 paid hours a year more than they did in 1975.” Below the headline is a 104-square grid representing 104 weeks (one year for a couple). Dark magenta squares indicate weeks worked in 1975, black-outlined squares show the additional weeks worked by 2025, and light pink squares represent nonworking weeks. The visualization highlights that the increase in paid work is equivalent to about 15 additional 40-hour workweeks per year for a couple.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
The 50 top megadonors have given $1.6 BILLION to influence the midterm elections so far. They mostly represent the finance & tech industries (venture capital, AI, crypto, gambling), and many oppose consumer-protection regulations that impact their profits. www.washingtonpost.com/elections/in...
washingtonpost.com
Meet the megadonors pouring more than $1.6 billion into the 2026 elections
Billionaires and newly minted trillionaire Elon Musk make up the top individual donors.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
These resources review federal and state laws and regulations that may help election officials, their attorneys, and others who support them to appropriately prepare for and respond to election interference. www.brennancenter.org/series/state...
brennancenter.org
State Election Law Interference Handbooks
The Brennan Center has created resources to help local officials protect election integrity.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
New disclosures show Konstantin Sokolov gave MAGA Inc. another $1 million (for a total of $12 million) weeks before the State Dept confirmed he's leading a fund to be spent in Armenia, where Sokolov has investments. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fund
Konstantin Sokolov, who gave undisclosed sum and has not held government job before, to chair Tripp+ trade project
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
www.kjzz.org/elections/20...
kjzz.org
Arizona Supreme Court upholds anti-dark money law passed by voters in 2022
The Arizona Supreme Court upheld an anti-dark money law approved by voters but gave critics one last opportunity to prove the measure violates free speech protections by opening political donors up to...
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Eric Petry @eepetry.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
BREAKING: In NRSC v. FEC, the Roberts Court again strikes down campaign finance limits, continuing its 16-year drive to dismantle anticorruption guardrails under a radically wrong interpretation of the First Amendment.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Money in Politics Roundup — May 2026
As midterm races heat up, we review major developments in campaign finance, from dark money loopholes to new levels of entanglement between Trump’s business and his presidency.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The death of local news is harming democrac. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
News Deserts Leave Voters Vulnerable to Election Misinformation
The disappearance of local news outlets means Americans across the country turn to less reliable online sources for election information.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Musk says not a single person has died due to him axing USAID. Sadly, part of my job involves tracking aid spending. So here’s a thread with just some of the people who lost their lives because of USAID cuts
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
www.politico.com/news/2026/06...
politico.com
Outside groups are increasingly using an old tactic to hide their sources of funding
Super PACs that don’t disclose donors until after voters cast ballots have spent $48 million on House and Senate primaries so far this cycle.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Campaign finance disclosure rules were set decades ago and then torn up by Citizens United, leading to $1.9B in dark money in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation and the internet have changed how the rules affect small donors. It's time for an update. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
A Better Balance for Campaign Finance Disclosure
Transparency about the sources of political spending is a key tool in the fight against corruption.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
In case you haven't heard, some people are lying about fraud in elections. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Watch Out for False Voter Fraud Claims Fueled by SAVE Program
The federal government’s SAVE tool is prone to error, and its misuse risks disenfranchising Americans and eroding trust in elections.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Corporate sponsorships and the fight for political influence... www.opensecrets.org/news/2026/06...
opensecrets.org
Political spending rules the octagon at White House UFC event - OpenSecrets News
UFC Freedom 250 is backed by companies and executives with deep political footprints who have spent millions on political influence.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Check out the newest roundup of money in politics stories from the Brennan Center: dark money, Texas senate race, presidential profiteering, and more! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
Money in Politics Roundup — May 2026
As midterm races heat up, we review major developments in campaign finance, from dark money loopholes to new levels of entanglement between Trump’s business and his presidency.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
New from me @notus.com: The DOJ has cancelled biannual election-crimes classes for investigators. It deleted the manual that explains how to avoid tampering with votes. And it isn't prepping for the usual Election Day command center at FBI hq. www.notus.org/2026-electio...
notus.org
The Justice Department Hasn’t Taken Its Usual Steps to Protect the 2026 Election
The DOJ appears to be quietly scrapping its typical “command center” that would monitor Election Day emergencies.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Campaign finance disclosure rules were set decades ago and then torn up by Citizens United, leading to $1.9B in dark money in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation and the internet have changed how the rules affect small donors. It's time for an update. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
brennancenter.org
A Better Balance for Campaign Finance Disclosure
Transparency about the sources of political spending is a key tool in the fight against corruption.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Herb Scribner @herbscribner.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds
President Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the gifts as a boon to taxpayers, but critics of the project say the administration’s refusal to release a full list of donors creates the potential for co...
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
CBS News @cbsnews.com · 31/05/2026
More than 6,300 children have been detained by ICE during President Trump's 2nd term. 97% have no criminal records.
cbsn.ws
Children "held like criminals" inside ICE detention center
More than 6,300 children under 18 – almost all with no criminal record – have been detained by federal immigration authorities during President Trump's second term, with nearly half held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
More than 9 in 10 voters (92 percent) — including supermajorities of Republicans (90 percent), Democrats (93 percent), and independents (93 percent) — believe corruption is a big problem in politics and government. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
brennancenter.org
Poll: Voters Want Solutions for Government Corruption
Overwhelming majorities across parties see corruption as a major problem and back measures to limit self-dealing by officials and the influence of money in politics.
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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The life cycle of a ballot... www.ocregister.com/2026/05/28/l...
ocregister.com
Life of a ballot: How Orange County’s votes are counted, verified and stored
Go behind the scenes of how elections are conducted — and how your vote is counted — for the June 2 primary.
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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker
Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
1. One of the clearest examples of pay-to-play politics you will ever see in last night's MAGA Inc. FEC filing.
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Leah Feiger @leahfeiger.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
“We are so far behind in this outbreak,” a current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employee tells @wired.com. “This is a perfect storm.” new from me and @knibbs.bsky.social on how aid cuts from last year are already fueling the sudden ebola outbreak:
wired.com
‘Perfect Storm’: How Trump's Aid Cuts Are Fueling the Ebola Outbreak
One health provider who works on the ground says that basic medical equipment like masks and hand sanitizers are in short supply due to funding cuts.
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