iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Soraya Nadia McDonald @soraya.press · 07/10/2026

This is sexual violence as a form of terrorism. It is political violence and it is chilling and horrific, and AOC was absolutely right to be terrified that the goons (now pardoned) laying siege to the capital would rape her if they found her. Small changes won't fix this. FLIP THE TABLE NOW

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

one thing I remember thinking about during the NYT's wall to wall coverage of Claudine Gay's fake plagiarism scandal is how regularly the NYT denies credit to the work of local, independent, and/or student journalists

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Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 28/09/2026

Here’s the most incredible story you’ll read today. A small plane with four people aboard crashes in a field. Another pilot witnesses it. That pilot happens to be flying a bunch of skydivers. They offer to jump to assist, are given permission. The skydivers happen to be EMTs. Everyone survives.

wisn.com

Skydivers alert emergency crews, assist after plane crashes near East Troy airport

Four people were aboard the single-engine plane when it went down in a cornfield near Carvers School Road in East Troy at about 1:30 p.m.

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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

AI transcriptions are like washing machines. Both technologies help solve a problem, but create new problems and new expectations about productivity. Washing machines are more efficient in many cases, but some items still need to be hand washed or dry cleaned.

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Here's a good test case for our framework, demonstrating how a real incident can be turned into a false "rigged election" rumor or narrative. Here the DOJ highlights a case where a postal worker discarded mail that included ballots, and uses that to suggest voter fraud and untrustworthy elections.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Hahaha! My husband's first words when he woke up today were, "It's Christmas morning!" He even gleefully rubbed his hands together.

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ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 12/09/2026

i am incredibly excited to share our research about how paying people’s rent through mutual aid made an impact on minnesota this year we accidentally collected more data than anyone ever has for an effort like this, and can very seriously say we prevented an eviction bubble that everyone expected

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Spectrum News NY1 @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The last speaker at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony lost his father to the attacks.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It's also what happens after. I was pregnant again almost immediately and I'm sure that made things easier. I was too terrified to enjoy any part of being pregnant. But the loss was easier to bear. I have friends who werevery open about how difficult it was for them. It helped that I wasn't alone.

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Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 23/08/2026

See, it's just *not that hard.*

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

That would be so great! People who don't even read news would read local news because their grandkid won an award at high school that's only covered by the local site!

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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A professor writes: (Jason Stanley) The problem is that journalists failed to do basic journalism. Not a single reporter seems to have checked’ Jason Arday’s citations. The ‘quantifiable metrics’ of his work. Prof Stanley did: ‘Arday is easily comparable to the leading scholars in the field’

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Cheri @lottelink.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

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Collins Watch @collinswatch.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Susan Collins pulls into town in a bus full of her supporters; then they all get off the bus; and then she addresses the folks who were on the bus with her as if they were regular Mainers; and legacy media covers this, pretending it isn't deeply bizarre. (Notice the guys with cameras.) #MEpolitics

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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

This shows what a filthy stew our justice industrial complex is – the only incentives are 1) pleasure derived from violence and domination 2) personal advancement. Not just cops. Prosecutors knew he was the wrong guy. They spent 14 mos. trying to convict him. He lost virtually everything he owned.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I think we should look at Scott Bessent's FinCEN decision as akin to Todd Blanche's bid to immunize Trump and the failsons. Even just Trump Org has hundreds of beneficial orgs. Imagine how many the crypto corruption has? Now, poof! All gone. www.fincen.gov/news/news-re...

fincen.gov

FinCEN.gov

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is issuing a final rule that permanently removes the requirement for U.S. companies and U.S. persons to repor...

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brasidas @brasidas.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

That's probably within expected levels for a primary, but the data you would want is which candidate is benefitting from people who haven't voted in a primary before. Are primary regulars going for the DSA and polls are missing invisible normies, or the other way around?

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Did they have to be in the room? Couldn't they have just not gone? Or left after the awards and before his speech?

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Jes Staley, ex-Barclays CEO to Jeffrey Epstein: '“You want to know why we are not São Paulo, watch the TV adds [sic] on the Super Bowl...Its all about hip Blacks in hip cars with white women. The group that should be in the streets, has been bought off. by Jay Z.” www.theringer.com/2026/07/23/m...

theringer.com

This Has Always Been Jay-Z’s Blueprint

Jay-Z said 2026 will be a year of “all offense.” Here’s what that really means.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

This whole thread is great. Makes me wish I knew more about the submarines and dinosaurs commonly found in the Great Lakes!

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Max Blau @maxblau.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

So if you’re not an investigative reporter, how can you know if the people picking your fruit are being mistreated? I spoke with experts who said the gold standard for preventing worker abuse is the Fair Food Program: www.propublica.org/article/h-2a...

propublica.org

Employers Have Exploited and Abused H-2A Farmworkers for Years. It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way.

The seasonal visa program has failed to protect migrant farmworkers from wage theft, forced labor, violence and death. Experts, lawyers and advocates say there are ways to reduce and even stop the har...

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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

There's an OMB rule change that would require political oversight of scientific grants, and could pull any that don't "reflect presidential priorities" Another country has tried this before! It was the USSR and it was called Lysenkoism. By @thsaey.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/omb-...

sciencenews.org

Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science

Proposed federal rules would rely on political appointees to decide how a lot of U.S. science gets done. History shows the consequences of such actions.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I love these threads! They make me chuckle, but it's also somewhat comforting to know that many of the new terrible things are kind of the same as the old terrible things, and they're probably not really that terrible.

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Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I don’t mind paying taxes when they pay for roads and schools and healthcare and libraries and post offices and fire services. I don’t like paying taxes when they pay for Trump enrichment schemes or golden ballrooms or bombs to drop on girls’ schools.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I mean, I'm glad insurance covered me when I got rear-ended. An electric car made it an expensive repair! But yes - would VERY much have preferred not getting hit in the first place!

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Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Some thoughts on the latest actions by Secretary Hegseth and the effects on a command I know well www.thebulwark.com/p/what-happe...

thebulwark.com

What Happens When the Country Loses a General

It takes a long time to build up a leader.

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

After reading this, I feel like I actually understand what's up with the whole El Nino thing. All the science - but in a way that non-science people (like me!) could understand. If you live on the west coast, or just want to know what's going on, it's worth the read. Longish, but no filler.

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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

We’re the bad guys.

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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

In a statement to @benmullin.bsky.social, Scott Pelley disputes what Bari Weiss said in this morning's editorial meeting, claiming he was never offered "a way back" as she claimed. "These executives cannot gain the trust of the staff with lies. This is antithetical to everything we stand for..."

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Ugh! This is so true! And demoralizing. When the only difference between D and R is the one says out loud that they don't like Trump, but they both enact the same general policy decisions, it does start to feel like you're a gullible idiot to keep thinking it matters.

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Daniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I know there is a lot going on, and not all of this is new, but numerous aspects of this OMB proposal are highly alarming and would, if enacted, effectively force American scientists receiving federal funding (which is...most of them in some capacity or another) to stop engaging with the public.

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 01/05/2026

I hope @nickjudin.bsky.social doesn’t mind me saying this, but I got a peek behind the scenes this week and can tell you he put his whole heart—and his considerable reporting chops—into helping this family tell the world what ICE did to them. NYT repeated his work w/o care or credit. Infuriating.

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Kory Stamper @korystamper.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

A wholesome story for nerds: On Saturday, I was signing books at a local bookstore for Independent Bookstore Day. The store had a signing-palooza with new authors every hour; toward the end of my hour, a woman came up and asked what my book was about. "Dictionaries," I said, and she lit up. 1/n

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HELL Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 22/04/2026

Priceless post from the official White House social media

Margo Martin
@MargoMartin47
X.com
Congratulations, Georgia Women's Tennis!

The photo shows Trump and five white dudes in red ties standing in front of and completely blocking 10 young women

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Joshua Rivera @jmrivera.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

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Disillusioned Optimist @jenmiwri.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

The weather was perfect for lunch outside this afternoon!

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T. Greg Doucette @gregdoucette.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

Periodic reminder: if you were to break down the Bill of Rights clause-by-clause, more than half of them make it harder to investigate, arrest, prosecute, and punish people for crimes It is the most profoundly anti-law enforcement document the Government has ever had And that's a good thing

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Bradford Pearson @bradfordpearson.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

ICE officers getting paid for standing around doing nothing while TSA employees work without pay is a pretty succinct summation of where we're at right now

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This is Benjamin Netanyahu's draft-age son lounging by the pool at his luxury condo in Miami. He is not headed for Iran. Barron Trump is lounging in luxury somewhere else. He is also not headed for Iran. Don't let political opportunists sacrifice your children to distract from their corruption.

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 18/03/2026

I just heard back from the reporter, and I am genuinely speechless. Is “we don’t care” the business model?

Hi Gillian,
Thank you for reaching out.
If you have concerns about my article, you can reach out to my managing editor: managingeditor@independent.co.uk.
Best,
Ariana Baio
US News Reporter | The Independent

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Megan Wachspress @meganwachspress.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

If he's going to get a national profile on the strength of a younger woman's campaign, I'm going to come out and say it: during his short-lived tenure as a math professor, Biss had an inappropriate romantic relationship with one of his undergraduate students. I was that student.

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

If it costs 300 million Americans more to go about their daily lives, but 250 thousand already-rich oil executives and investors get to experience another boom—this is good for the economy.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

I just sent this email to the news director at NBC4 Washington about the unprofessional and disrespectful way they handled publishing the body camera footage of the DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace that was obtained via my FOIA lawsuit:

My name is Marisa Kabas, and I'm an independent journalist who publishes The Handbasket. I'm reaching out about a matter that involves your team and that continues to trouble me.

In June of last year, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and I filed a FOIA lawsuit against the DC Metropolitan Police Department to compel them to release body camera footage from the March 17, 2025 DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace. What followed was months of back and forth with their lawyers, arguing why it was in the public interest to release the un-redacted footage in its entirety. Though tiny segments were handed over, that wasn't enough: We wanted all of it.

On February 18, 2026, a DC judge ruled in our favor, and your reporter Mark Segraves sent a kind note of congratulations that day. Then on Monday, March 2nd, the footage was handed over to me and excitedly announced I'd received it and would be reviewing it in the coming days and sharing what I learned. When Segraves emailed me this past Thursday asking for my phone number, I didn't think much of it. But when he called me just before 2pm on Friday to let me know NBC4 Washington would be airing a segment at 5pm, I grew concerned.

Segraves said he'd obtained some of the footage via a FOIA request that week after he heard the footage had been released to me. He said he'd credit the work of RCFP and me, but it was little comfort. I asked if he'd known the day before when he emailed me for my number, why didn't he tell me then? He didn't have a good answer for that. He acknowledged all the hard work I'd done getting this footage released. I asked him if he could hold the story until Monday, to which he replied that he's "not just a blogger" (implying that that's all I am, presumably) and that he'd have to check with his editor. I said fine. Nearly an hour later he called back to say his editor refused to hold the story, but that they were happy to interview me via Zoom to add to the package, and I said I would.

What followed was two hours of furiously writing and posting clips of the footage to Youtube so I could get something published before the 5pm broadcast, and in the midst of that, recording a quick Zoom interview with a person who was about to take credit for my work. At 4:59pm ET, The Handbasket published a piece titled "Police body cam footage shows DOGE knew Institute of Peace was private property during raid." Then I tuned into NBC4 Washington via your website to catch the broadcast, and my instinct to rush to get something out first was proven right.

"It's a story you're seeing first on News4," your newscast began. "For the first time we're getting an inside look at what happened the day the Trump administration took over the US Institute of Peace. News4 obtained more than four hours of police body camera video from that day." What followed was more than six minutes of clips and commentary from Segraves, but it's not until six minutes and 21 seconds into the piece that he mentions my name (mispronounced though he asked for the correct pronunciation on Zoom), "The Handbasket blog," and the RCFP's foundational role in bringing this footage to light. I was angry, but didn't feel there was much I could do.

Then I saw the version NBC4 posted to Instagram and TikTok—the video itself made ZERO mention of the RCFP or my work, only briefly acknowledging it in the written caption on Instagram, and not even bothering to do that on TikTok. An average viewer with no background on the case is lead to believe that this footage was released because of your efforts. When I saw that, I decided I couldn't let this go.

It's difficult to explain what it's like to spend nearly a year working on a story only to have another reporter and outlet surreptitiously take credit for it; months of work and personal risk only to have another reporter lying in wait to swoop in. What NBC4 did was immoral, unethical, and to be frank, just truly sucked.

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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

1/10 If the last few days of Iranian strikes on Dubai have proven anything, it’s that a massive number of people completely despise the city and those living there. And honestly? There are very good reasons to despise them. A thread on the city of hypocrites 🧵👇

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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

People tend to think of functional illiteracy as just being unable to read words aloud or such. What it *really* means is such as not being able to perceive subtext, context, understand who the audience of something may be, etc. Media illiteracy is fundamentally part of functional illiteracy.

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Esheru @esherukweku.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

One of my favourite sides of politics/media.

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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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