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John McCracken

@jmcjmc.bsky.social
363 followers 809 following 31 posts

meat industry reporter @investigatemidwest.bsky.social // former @grist.org climate reporting fellow // he, him // john.mccracken@investigatemidwest dot com DM for Signal and encrypted email instagram.com/johnmccwrites for vidz

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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
Continuing the OSHA commission beat
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 13/08/2025
Brazil has become a major importer of beef and veal products into the United States since 2020, benefiting from a declining U.S. herd and its increased political influence from the country’s largest beef processor. @jmcjmc.bsky.social reports for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:
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Brazil surges in US beef imports, powered by JBS influence and declining domestic herd - Investigate Midwest
Brazil has soared ahead in beef imports into the United States this year, while other countries scaled back amidst ongoing federal trade and tariff negotiations. Brazil has become a major importer of…
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Jim Malewitz @jmalewitz.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
The world’s largest meat snack brand, with dual headquarters in Minong, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, has spent millions on Trump campaigns and is advocating for support in the nation’s nutrition programs. wisconsinwatch.org/2025/08/wisc... (via @jmcjmc.bsky.social)
wisconsinwatch.org
Jack Link’s beef: How the snack giant is lobbying Trump and fighting the Make America Healthy Again movement
The world’s largest meat snack brand, with dual headquarters in Minong, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, has spent millions on Trump campaigns and is advocating for support in the nation’s nutrition pro…
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 08/08/2025
Chick-fil-A buys its chicken from a company fined by the Department of Labor for employing 14-year-olds to eviscerate poultry at an Alabama packing plant. @jmcjmc.bsky.social reports for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:
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Mar-Jac Poultry, Chick-fil-A's chicken provider, fined for child labor - Investigate Midwest
One of Chick-fil-A’s major poultry providers was recently fined for repeated child labor law violations, with children as young as 13 working at an Alabama-based facility. Chick-fil-A, the nation’s…
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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Listen here & listen now: www.mprnews.org/episode/2025... @jmcjmc.bsky.social @mprnews.org #Podcast #Radio #Investigate #FoodNews
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
I'll be in Atlanta in October moderating with #ReducetarianFoundation See you then!
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 31/07/2025
Jack Link's, the world’s largest meat snack brand has spent millions on Trump campaigns and is advocating for support in the nation’s nutrition programs. @jmcjmc.bsky.social reports for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:
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Jack Link's beef: How the snack giant is lobbying Trump and fighting the MAHA movement - Investigate Midwest
Jack Link’s has poured millions into Trump campaigns and lobbying efforts to stay in school lunches and SNAP, even as the MAHA Commission pushes to restrict processed foods. The beef jerky giant now…
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FarmSTAND @farmstand.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
“Despite rising child labor violations … the U.S. Department of Labor remains silent on whether it has the staff to conduct future probes” From @jmcjmc.bsky.social‬ @investigatemidwest.bsky.social‬ investigatemidwest.org/2025/05/28/s...
investigatemidwest.org
Senator demands Tyson child labor probe. Trump’s cuts to DOL could make that difficult. - Investigate Midwest
Despite rising child labor violations and new Senate demands to investigate the nation’s largest meat processor, the U.S. Department of Labor remains silent on whether it has the staff to conduct…
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Jessica Looman, former administrator for the Wage and Hour Division under the Biden administration, said she worries ongoing cuts to staff and budgets will have a chilling effect on the division’s ability to carry out its work. - @investigatemidwest.bsky.social investigatemidwest.org/2025/05/28/s...
investigatemidwest.org
Senator demands Tyson child labor probe. Trump’s cuts to DOL could make that difficult. - Investigate Midwest
Despite rising child labor violations and new Senate demands to investigate the nation’s largest meat processor, the U.S. Department of Labor remains silent on whether it has the staff to conduct futu...
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molly taft @mollytaft.com · 05/05/2025
SCOOP: FEMA will end its longstanding practice of knocking on doors in areas hit by disasters to directly offer help to survivors, according to a memo i obtained. the practice became a political flashpoint just before the election after door knockers allegedly skipped homes with trump signs —
wired.com
FEMA Is Ending Door-to-Door Canvassing in Disaster Areas
As it shifts responsibility for recovery efforts to local authorities, FEMA workers will stop knocking on doors to provide aid to survivors in disaster areas, per a memo obtained by WIRED.
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United Farm Workers @ufw.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
On May 2nd, in Western NY, federal immigration agents stopped a bus of farm workers from Lynn-Ette & Sons Farms. They had a list of names, including UFW worker leaders who have been organizing to unionize their workplace. Those workers were detained. 1/ #WeFeedYou
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Compassion in World Farming USA @ciwfusa.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
@investigatemidwest.bsky.social's latest sheds a necessary light on the grim realities of bird flu for chickens and workers alike. Thank you to @jmcjmc.bsky.social@jmcjmc.bsky.social for this in-depth reporting. investigatemidwest.org/2025/04/30/u...
investigatemidwest.org
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Kenny Torrella @kennytorrella.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Really powerful investigation -- with new details, data, and photography -- by @jmcjmc.bsky.social into the brutal business of killing nearly 170M poultry birds during this bird flu outbreak: investigatemidwest.org/2025/04/30/u...
investigatemidwest.org
Underage workers, millions of dollars and trucks full of dead chickens — inside the business of killing in response to bird flu - Investigate Midwest
When a poultry farm tests positive for bird flu, the clock starts. Within the first 72 hours, farmers start depopulating, an industry term for killing contaminated flocks. Despite the sweltering heat ...
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
The Colorado health agency confirmed with Investigate Midwest that workers under the age of 18 were present based on self-reported answers to survey questions and conversations with farm staff. NEW from Investigate Midwest(@investigatemidwest.bsky.social) investigatemidwest.org/2025/04/30/u...
investigatemidwest.org
Underage workers, millions of dollars and trucks full of dead chickens — inside the business of killing in response to bird flu - Investigate Midwest
When a poultry farm tests positive for bird flu, the clock starts. Within the first 72 hours, farmers start depopulating, an industry term for killing contaminated flocks. Despite the sweltering heat ...
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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
More big news - a SCOOP, if you will. Oxy has acquired another direct air capture startup, Holocene Climate. Holocene is very similar to Carbon Engineering, but its unique chemistry has much lower heat requirements. heatmap.news/climate-tech...
heatmap.news
Exclusive: Occidental Petroleum Buys DAC Startup Holocene
That makes two direct air capture acquisitions for the oil and gas major.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
trying to do news where people get news. Made an Instagram for news like it's 2012. Follow along! www.instagram.com/johnmccwrites
instagram.com
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
trying to do news where people get news. Made an Instagram for news like it's 2012. Follow along! www.instagram.com/johnmccwrites
instagram.com
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 21/03/2025
Businesses, including meatpacking plants, are not obligated to fix safety problems pointed out by OSHA while the commission is reviewing appeals. @jmcjmc.bsky.social reports via @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:
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Meatpacking Companies Are Using This Maneuver to Avoid Addressing Workplace Safety Violations
Businesses, including meatpacking plants, are not obligated to fix safety problems pointed out by OSHA while the commission is reviewing appeals.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
The little-known Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission is taking longer to review appeals of OSHA fines and orders. Now the three-person commission is about to lose its only member investigatemidwest.org/2025/03/12/o...
investigatemidwest.org
OSHA fined a poultry plant after a worker died. While the case was appealed, another worker was killed. - Investigate Midwest
The chickens do not slow down. Workers hang featherless bodies upside down onto hooks, cut the limbs and wings off the birds, and automated machines separate viscera from meat, slicing through 144 chi...
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
OSHA called the teenager’s death “preventable” and fined Mar-Jac Poultry, a supplier of chicken products to wholesalers and popular fast-food chains across the country, including Chick-fil-A. The company hadn't paid a 2021 fine when the teenager died in 2023 investigatemidwest.org/2025/03/12/o...
investigatemidwest.org
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Didn't take many pictures at #NICAR25, but loved talking data with friends new and old. Thanks to all who came to the food and agriculture data talk! 🌽🐮📊
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
I'll be at @ire-nicar.bsky.social #NICAR25 this weekend speaking on a panel about data reporting in food and agriculture. Journalism pals, let me know if you are going to be there!
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Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
If you’re connected with NOAA’s GLERL, or other Great Lakes teams affected by federal cuts + shifts, I’d love to hear from you. I’m a ProPublica reporter in Michigan with a longtime interest in water. Background: www.propublica.org/people/anna-... and www.annaclark.net Signal: annaleighclark.14
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Grey Moran @greymoran.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Update: @sentientmedia.org also learned that Elon Musk benefited from this USDA lab's research and graduate student training. His company Neuralink hired a former graduate student researcher at this lab, Autumn Sorrells, as its director of animal care. sentientmedia.org/usda-farm-an...
sentientmedia.org
Exclusive: The USDA’s Farm Animal Welfare Research Lab — With Just One Scientist Remaining — Dismantled by Trump
Sentient has learned that the primary federal laboratory for farm animal welfare research has lost its probationary scientists to the mass firings.
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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Journalists @benfelder.bsky.social and @jmcjmc.bsky.social freelancer Madison Holcomb at @investigatemidwest.bsky.social appeared on @paulapoundstone.bsky.social, @wbez.org and @iowapublicradio.org to talk about the #meatindustry, #birdflu and the nation's rarely enforced #animal transport laws.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Finally, the profile Wisconsin needed.
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Rob Mentzer @robertmentzer.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
I started reporting a profile of Kirk Bangstad, the litigious owner of Minocqua Brewing Company Super PAC who is charged with criminal defamation in Oneida County.  When looked at his super PAC’s financial disclosure forms, I found some strange stuff. www.wpr.org/news/minocqu...
wpr.org
Minocqua Brewing Company owner courts controversy, donations around rare criminal defamation charge. It’s part of a yearslong pattern.
The owner of Minocqua Brewing Company is facing criminal defamation charges in Oneida County. He’s been a lightning rod for controversy — and publicity.
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Clayton Page Aldern @compatibilism.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
ICYMI, last week we published an interactive map of more than $300 billion worth of Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law funding. Enter your ZIP code or city and a search radius and find projects in your area: grist.org/accountabili...
grist.org
Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? Search our map by ZIP code.
From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Egg prices soared after bird flu, but federal price controls kept milk prices steady — at farmers' expense investigatemidwest.org/2025/02/19/e...
investigatemidwest.org
Egg prices soared after bird flu, but federal price controls kept milk prices steady — at farmers' expense - Investigate Midwest
America’s dairy industry is being ravaged by bird flu, leading to a significant decline in milk production in many states, including California, the nation’s largest dairy-producing state that hit a 2...
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Sentient @sentientmedia.org · 12/02/2025
Midwest farmers fear economic fallout as Trump’s shifting tariff policies reignite trade tensions with key partners. Many worry that new trade wars will further disrupt global markets. @mcorderos.bsky.social reports for @investigatemidwest.bsky.social:
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President Trump’s tariffs bring return of uncertainty for America’s farmers - Investigate Midwest
Bob Hemesath has spent his entire life on his Northeast Iowa farm, raising corn and hogs alongside his brother. His business depends on open global markets and stable trade agreements. But under…
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
I'm always open to tips and more when it comes to bird flu, meatpacking and antitrust behavior in the ag space. DM for Signal, john.mccracken@investigatemidwest.org And follow our newsroom at @investigatemidwest.bsky.social 🔎🌽🥩
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Sky Chadde @skychadde.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
With Brooke Rollins confirmed as ag secretary today, here's what she said about the effects of mass deportations on the ag industry, w/ @jmcjmc.bsky.social @investigatemidwest.bsky.social investigatemidwest.org/2025/01/24/t...
investigatemidwest.org
Trump ag secretary nominee says food issues from mass deportations are ‘hypothetical’ - Investigate Midwest
Farmers have begun raising concerns about the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations on their operations, but the president’s nominee for agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins,...
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
Confirmed for #NICAR25! I'll be on a panel on Saturday, and hanging around on Friday. Let me know if you are going to be there
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Grist @grist.org · 10/02/2025
Bison, not prison: Activists buy a prison site to rewild the land. A coal mine was the first to wreck the land. Now activists want to keep another extractive industry from taking root there: prisons. Written by @stopitkatie.bsky.social grist.org/justice/biso... #Climate #News #Prison #Jails
grist.org
Bison, not prison: Activists buy a prison site to rewild the land
A coal mine was the first to wreck the land. Now activists want to keep another extractive industry from taking root there: prisons.
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Kenny Torrella @kennytorrella.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Uncovered a few new bits. First: Appears Iowa Select Farms (#4 pork producer) and law firm BrownWinick created a front group to attack a local anti-CAFO group and political candidate.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
This administration will set environmental justice efforts back substantially." investigatemidwest.org/2025/02/06/e... @investigatemidwest.bsky.social
investigatemidwest.org
EPA environmental justice staff ousted amid ongoing industrial ag complaints - Investigate Midwest
President Donald Trump has significantly reduced staffing within a civil rights office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently investigating dozens of complaints, including two involving...
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Investigate Midwest @investigatemidwest.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
Check it out. Our very own reporter and meatpacking industry expert, John McCracken, joins @paulapoundstone.bsky.social on this week on her podcast! Catch his segment starting at the 42-minute mark: paulapoundstone.com/podcast/ep-3...
paulapoundstone.com
Ep 343: Packing Meat with John McCracken • Paula Poundstone
Remember when hearing about “meat packing” made you snicker because it sounded so dirty? Well, guess what? It IS. Investigative reporter John McCracken is here to blow the whole case wide open!
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
My little NPR nerd heart was overjoyed to be interviewed by Paula and the crew. Check it out
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David L. Ortega @dlortega.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
On #tariff watch? Official U.S. tariff notices will appear in one or more of these sources: 📜 Federal Register: federalregister.gov 🏛️ White House: whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions 🌎 USTR: ustr.gov 📊 Commerce Dept: commerce.gov (News headlines or reports are not official notices)
federalregister.gov
Home - Monday, February 3rd
Search, browse and learn about the Federal Register. Federal Register 2.0 is the unofficial daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as e...
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
“My concerns are that Trump has no knowledge, zero knowledge of which is important relating to agriculture, especially agricultural drainage,” Lyons said. investigatemidwest.org/2025/01/31/t... @investigatemidwest.bsky.social
investigatemidwest.org
Trump’s funding freeze chills agriculture industry - Investigate Midwest
President Donald Trump’s order to freeze most federal grants and loans has created panic and uncertainty within the agriculture sector, which relies on billions of dollars in direct government assista...
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
A bird flu pandemic is not inevitable. But a series of developments over the past few weeks indicates that the possibility is no longer remote. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/h...
nytimes.com
Bird Flu Enters a New Phase, Scientists Say (Gift Article)
A pandemic is not inevitable, scientists say. But the outbreak has passed worrisome milestones in recent weeks, including cattle that may have been reinfected.
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
I'm always open to tips and more when it comes to bird flu, meatpacking and antitrust behavior in the ag space. DM for Signal, john.mccracken@investigatemidwest.org And follow our newsroom at @investigatemidwest.bsky.social 🔎🌽🥩
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Marquis Energy has responded with millions of dollars in campaign contributions to state lawmakers, an Investigate Midwest analysis has found. Some of its largest recipients have pushed for pro-carbon capture policies... - @investigatemidwest.bsky.social investigatemidwest.org/2025/01/23/c...
investigatemidwest.org
Campaign cash flows from ethanol and corn sectors as Illinois lawmakers weigh carbon capture regulations - Investigate Midwest
Nestled along the curves of the Illinois River just outside the town of Hennepin is the country’s largest dry-mill ethanol plant, where a network of pipes, grain elevators and exhaust towers rise like...
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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @lexmcmenamin.com · 23/01/2025
hi! @teenvogue.bsky.social has been a reliable outlet for strong political journalism since at min 2016 — which was *9* years ago! you don't need to be surprised each time you're impressed by our work! (maybe other outlets would respect us more if you didn't!) signed, 1/2 of Teen Vogue Politics
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John McCracken @jmcjmc.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
deleted twitter, IG and FB might be next. Full on hermit mode.
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In These Times @inthesetimes.com · 06/01/2025
Postville, Iowa has long dealt with the fallout from Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the town’s largest employer—and the same is true in many towns near meatpacking plants. New reporting from @jmcjmc.bsky.social and @mcorderos.bsky.social. inthesetimes.com/article/meat...
inthesetimes.com
Meatpacking Plants Disproportionately Pollute Poor, Non-White Communities
Postville, Iowa has long dealt with the fallout from Agri Star Meat and Poultry, the town’s largest employer—and the same is true in many towns near meatpacking plants.
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Natalie Eilbert @natalieeilbert.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Here is the culmination of 6 months of investigating mental health disability claims. Court records show a pattern of so-called “frequent fliers,” medical reviewed hired through insurers to review patient charts to determine disability. www.jsonline.com/story/news/h...
jsonline.com
You have depression, PTSD, anxiety. Then, without even an exam, your leave is denied. How?
Insurance coverage for physical ailments has expanded steadily, while coverage for mental health issues remains out of step with advances in understanding its causes, impacts and treatment.
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Maximillian Potter @maxpotter.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
“Tyson has also asked the court to make Hinkle and others reveal any and all contacts and conversations with journalists.” This is some excellent journalism. It’s not just the Trump admin that will try to prevent Americans from getting journalism/facts—corporations are so emboldened.
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FarmSTAND @farmstand.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
"'We would expect to see an investigation like this closed or just die,' said Muraskin, citing Trump’s history of deregulation and business-friendly policies." From @jmcjmc.bsky.social in @investigatemidwest.bsky.social: investigatemidwest.org/2024/12/17/u...
investigatemidwest.org
USDA’s investigation into Tyson Foods has collected thousands of documents. Would Donald Trump end it?  - Investigate Midwest
Despite remaining tight-lipped about its investigation into Tyson Foods, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has collected nearly 18,000 related documents. However, some worry the inquiry could end und...
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