Sign in

Joe

@joefender85.bsky.social
176 followers 274 following 568 posts

Journalist. Univ of Iowa grad. Opinions are my own. I have cats and a dog living together. Yes, it is mass hysteria.

PostsRepliesMedia
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Failure @ The Showbox in Seattle, Oct 3 Incredible show.
Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards of Failure at the Showbox in Seattle.Road case for the band FailureThe Showbox marquee for Failure on Oct 3Failure on stage at the Showbox
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Among the White House's arguments for its press ban, a WH official told me reporters do not need access to WH grounds to report. Reporters and First Amendment experts note that the ability to question officials directly is a key function of the press corps. The saga continues.
upi.com
White House not obligated to press access but ban stands on shaky ground - UPI.com
The White House press ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico brings the tension between the president and press to new heights while courts push back.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The 2026 midterm elections will be consequential, not only because of party control on Capitol Hill but also because of the issues that will be on ballots across the country. Among those ballot questions is a measure that, if passed, would require children to undergo sex verification to play sports
upi.com
Voter ID, abortion and bans on trans athletes on ballots in November - UPI.com
Election laws, abortion access, healthcare for transgender youth and a requirement for sex verification for children are on state ballots in November.
100
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
President Trump took to primetime to again air unfounded claims that U.S. elections are not secure. He also claimed that documents he declassified support his position. After reviewing those documents. the president's claims again fall short.
upi.com
Trump’s declassified election documents fall short of primetime claims - UPI.com
The 2026 midterm elections are fast approaching and President Donald Trump has launched a multipronged effort to change how they are administered.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
It's a Supreme Court heavy day today in the news. These are the stories I'm on today. 1) Supreme Court expands presidential power to fire without cause, overturning 90 years of precedent
upi.com
Supreme Court allows Trump FTC firing, blocks Lisa Cook's firing - UPI.com
The Supreme Court ruled Congress' restriction of the president from firing an FTC member without cause violates the separation of powers.
100
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
The Department of Education has entered multiple interagency agreements to move some of its duties to other agencies in Linda McMahon's so-called "Final Mission."
upi.com
'Final Mission': Education Department shuffling under other agencies - UPI.com
A flurry of interagency agreements are moving parts of the Education Department to other federal agencies, breaking it down without Congress.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
I pursued a writing career bc of 2 teachers at community college: Amy Jurrens and Stephen Gibbons. Gibbons wrote me an email early on telling me I had a skill. Prior I felt I had no talent. I printed that email and posted it next to my bed. You don’t know what an ounce of encouragement can do.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
The end of the SAVE plan means monthly student loan payments are about to increase for millions of borrowers. In some cases, the next most affordable repayment option will be double, triple or far more than that.
upi.com
Student loan borrowers confused as SAVE plan end looms - UPI.com
The SAVE plan for student loan repayments is coming to an end and borrowers enrolled in the program will face stark increases in monthly payments.
100
Reposted by Joe
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
196133276753
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
It took decades to beat back the New World screwworm and contain it in the Darien Gap. In just a couple years it has recolonized throughout Central America and returned to the United States.
upi.com
Texas entomologist: 'We will win this battle' with New World screwworm - UPI.com
The New World screwworm has returned to the United States after being eradicated decades ago but experts say they are prepared to push it back again.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
The Trump administration has targeted people who have crossed Donald Trump for investigations through his 18 months back in office. The list continues to grow.
upi.com
Justice Department investigating several who have clashed with Trump - UPI.com
The Justice Department has opened investigations into multiple people who have previously clashed with President Donald Trump in some way.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
President Trump's endorsement wasn't enough to get Sen. Randy Feenstra through the Iowa Republican primary for governor. It will be Zach Lahn representing the party against State Auditor Rob Sand in November.
upi.com
Trump pick loses in Iowa; Karen Bass advances to L.A. mayoral runoff - UPI.com
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will be part of a runoff election in November while the president's pick for Iowa governor lost his primary.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Today is a big day for primary elections, especially in my home state of Iowa with a new governor and senator on the way.
upi.com
Democrats eye key primaries in Iowa, California, Montana - UPI.com
Democrats will determine their candidates to try to flip Iowa's governor and a Senate seat blue Tuesday as Republicans look to hold open seats.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Dr. Amadou Bocoum, country director for CARE, shared insight from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Ebola outbreak with me. Read how the withdrawal of U.S. aid funding and the spread of misinformation have created challenges for aid responders.
upi.com
Response to Congo Ebola outbreak faces shortfall of aid support - UPI.com
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading and aid responders are grappling with a lack of funding and resources.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The Trump admin’s Anti Weaponization Fund faces legal challenges on multiple fronts as plaintiffs question the process of its creation, lack of oversight and the impact of paying out to Jan 6 rioters.
upi.com
Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund faces mounting legal challenges - UPI.com
Two lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration over its nearly $1.8 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund created to pay Jan. 6 rioters.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Congress is mulling several bills to protect the safety of children online. The challenge is balancing the online safety of children with the privacy and free speech rights of all.
upi.com
Multiple bills highlight challenge protecting children online - UPI.com
Lawmakers are considering more than a dozen bill proposals to protect children online with many carrying speech and privacy challenges.
000
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
President Donald Trump's multipronged plan for ensuring only eligible citizens vote in elections leans on a system that experts say is flawed. Last week's executive order and the SAVE ACT in Congress aim to curb noncitizen voting, which is already a rare occurrence.
upi.com
Trump's election order, SAVE Act, rely on 'flawed' system - UPI.com
President Donald Trump's multipronged plan for ensuring only eligible citizens vote in elections leans on a system that experts say is flawed.
100
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
After attending the Supreme Court hearing over his attempt to end birthright citizenship this morning, President Trump claimed no other country has birthright citizenship. That's not true. About 30 countries recognize it, including most of the Western Hemisphere.
upi.com
Supreme Court to hear arguments in birthright citizenship case - UPI.com
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a case on Wednesday that could reshape what it means to be a U.S. citizen.
100
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
It cost the U.S. in the millions to bomb an elementary school in Iran and kill at least 165 people, most of whom were children. The exact cost of the U.S. war with Iran remains unclear, underlining a growing lack of transparency in defense spending.
upi.com
Transparency in war spending lacks as Pentagon asks for $200 billion - UPI.com
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth plans to request $200 billion in funding from Congress as the cost of the United States' war in Iran grows.
100
Reposted by Joe
Holly McCall @jhollymc.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
"After being held in isolation for about five days. Rodríguez was forced to strip naked in a shower while an officer "poured some kind of chemical liquid on her head, which seemed to be something used to clean floors and burned her eyes,” the filing read."
tennesseelookout.com
Nashville journalist arrested by ICE granted bond, remains detained while feds considers appeal • Tennessee Lookout
Estefany Rodríguez, the Nashville reporter arrested by ICE, was granted a $10,000 bond Monday but remains detained in Louisiana.
451643839
Reposted by Joe
Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
So if anybody -- state attorneys general, Democratic politicians, sentient beings -- doesn't understand why Paramount Skydance's takeover of Warner Bros./CNN is a huge problem, Pete Hegseth is here to explain it to you. Stop the propaganda. Block this merger.
201238384
Reposted by Joe
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
NEW: More evidence that those who tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election are working with Trump administration officials to set the rules for the 2026 midterms. @dougbockclark.bsky.social
propublica.org
Trump Officials Attended a Summit of Election Deniers Who Want the President to Take Over the Midterms
The meeting’s participants included Kurt Olsen, a White House lawyer charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election, and Heather Honey, the Department of Homeland Security official in charge of electi...
331062531
Reposted by Joe
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 11/02/2026
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
photo of Pam Bondi testifying in the foreground as a group of 7 women and 1 men raise their hands
13474018813643
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
I have nothing to add to this one right now
upi.com
Attorney General Pam Bondi says focus on stock market during House hearing over Epstein files - UPI.com
Pam Bondi told members of Congress that they should be focused on the stock market during a hearing over her handling of the Epstein files.
000
Reposted by Joe
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11/02/2026
NEGUSE: AG Bondi, that man works for you now, right? The man in that video from J6 yelling 'kill them!' at cops. His name is Jared Wise. BONDI: He does work for us, yes. I believe he was pardoned NEGUSE: And you expect hard-working police officers to believe you take law enforcement seriously?
9303297911130
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and pressure to end birthright citizenship and temporary protected status are making the future less clear for students in immigrant and mixed legal status families in the United States.
upi.com
Immigration policies closing doors for undocumented students - UPI.com
About 90,000 undocumented students reach the end of high school annually and researchers say their opportunities in higher education are shrinking.
100
Reposted by Joe
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10/02/2026
KENNEDY: The Census Bureau is under your jurisdiction & responsible for defining what it means to be poor, is that right? LUTNICK: I don't know K: Well you need to look, bc it does. What's the % of Americans who live below poverty level? L: I don't know K: It's around 11%. It's been constant
1225104383293
Reposted by Joe
ProPublica @propublica.org · 09/02/2026
1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken. Hundreds of kids are still detained. We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵
203115177371
Reposted by Joe
hannah gais @hannahgais.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
This article is a very good example of why "more training" and "more vetting" isn't the answer. Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez joined Border Patrol in 2018 and 2014 respectively. These aren't new agents. www.propublica.org/article/alex...
propublica.org
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
14654211729
Reposted by Joe
Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Arresting journalists. Good God.
421247453
Reposted by Joe
Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Seems like a good video for his trial
1667188939439
Reposted by Joe
Matt McDermott @mattmfm.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Video from this morning shows ICE agents deploying tear gas outside a Minneapolis preschool as parents shout, “This is a preschool! There’s kids here!”
47877284127
Reposted by Joe
Greg Olear @gregolear.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
One of the best things I’ve read in a while:
412869310665
Reposted by Joe
jerome i guess. @jeromecylin.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Alex Pretti - who DHS labeled a domestic terrorist - honoring a veteran that passed away in the ICU.
24927283
Reposted by Joe
Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 23/01/2026
Tomorrow's front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 24, 2026
146100143921
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
ICE detained a 5-year-old boy in Minnesota on Tuesday and sent him to a detention facility in Texas. Liam Ramos is one of four children from the same school district to be detained by ICE. School officials say agents used him as bait to try to detain others he lived with.
upi.com
ICE detains 5-year-old, 3 other children in Minnesota school district - UPI.com
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained four children from the same Minnesota school district this month, including a 5-year-old boy.
000
Reposted by Joe
Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 22/01/2026
SEEING IS BELIEVING DHS claims the car being chased rammed the ICE vehicle. The video shows the opposite. 📌 A father and son, a US citizen, are chased. The teen is beaten and seriously injured. The father is deported. DHS lied. The video tells the truth. Excellent reporting by Antonia Hylton.
653162628946
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Incident reports from emergency responders say Renee Good had a pulse when they arrived to the scene of the shooting last week. Prior to their arrival, a bystander identifying themselves as a physician tried to attend to Good but was blocked by ICE agents.
upi.com
Incident reports show Renee Good sustained four gunshot wounds - UPI.com
Police and emergency operators released 60 pages of 911 calls and incident reports late Thursday, detailing Renee Good's killing and aftermath.
000
Reposted by Joe
Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 04/01/2026
The New York Times has just confirmed that 40 civilians died in President Trump's invasion. This is the aftermath in one area
29254063072
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
I’m gonna need Swerve Hangman going for the tag titles in 2026 #AEWDynamite
082
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The Senate is expected to vote on a Democratic proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline. Failing to act is projected to cost about 4 million people coverage in the next decade and increase the burden on moderate and low-income families
upi.com
Consumers make health decisions as Congress mulls tax credit expiration - UPI.com
The deadline is approaching for Congress to extend the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits and organizations are urging action.
020
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
This is just not true. They've passed very little legislation, long recesses, government shutdown. This Congress will be lucky to surpass the 118th assembly, which was historically inactive in 2023.
010
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
The lethal strike on survivors of a U.S. attack on a Venezuelan boat alleged to be trafficking drugs is a textbook example of an illegal order, experts told UPI.
upi.com
Venezuelan boat strike on survivors ‘textbook example’ of illegal order, experts say - UPI.com
Military law experts say the U.S. military's lethal strike on Venezuelans clinging to debris is a textbook example of carrying out an illegal order.
120
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
President Donald Trump's calls to ramp up nuclear weapons testing last week have put nuclear watchdogs and world leaders on alert while experts say the United States has little to gain.
upi.com
Experts warn explosive nuclear testing would trigger escalation - UPI.com
President Donald Trump's calls to ramp up nuclear weapons testing have put nuclear watchdogs on alert while experts say the United States has little to gain.
010
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
More than 40 million people may be without access to adequate food beginning Saturday if the government shutdown continues.
upi.com
Food banks feeling strain ahead of potential SNAP lapse - UPI.com
Local food banks and pantries across the country are seeing increases in need due to layoffs and government workers being furloughed during the shutdown.
110
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Winter is coming for farmers in the Midwest and the long, cold months will be filled with questions about how to keep producing. The beef market has been the bright spot for farmers but that may change with President Trump's plan to purchase from Argentina and rhetoric blaming ranchers for prices.
upi.com
Shutdown, Trump's beef deal compound troubles for farmers - UPI.com
American farmers are facing difficult operating decisions as winter approaches due to tariffs, U.S. trade policies, high input costs and global competition.
010
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
The push for "energy dominance" by opening up public lands to more drilling runs counter to the way the energy industry is moving, experts told me while putting this story together. There are not solid answers about what happens to the land when the drilling stops.
upi.com
Most public land already open to energy production; Trump wants more - UPI.com
The Trump administration has vowed to open up public land to usher in an age of American energy dominance but in the West there is little frontier left.
010
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Doctors expect to continue prescribing acetaminophen as usual for pain and fever management during pregnancy. The Trump administration's position that there is a link between Tylenol use and autism has caused fear and confusion among patients, despite no new evidence supporting the claim.
upi.com
Doctors can continue recommending Tylenol despite FDA announcement - UPI.com
Healthcare professionals maintain that acetaminophen is safe to use at recommended doses during pregnancy, despite the Trump claiming it is linked to autism.
010
Reposted by Joe
Till Eckert @tilleckert.com · 30/09/2025
1/ DEVELOPING: A journalist was rushed to New York-Presbyterian Hospital following another incident with an ICE agent at 26 Federal Plaza, an immigration court in NYC. The last I heard, he was getting X-rays for his lower back.
42894304478
Joe @joefender85.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
The deal to keep TikTok available to users in the U.S. seems on the surface to meet the requirements laid out by Congress last year: U.S. ownership, operation and oversight. It also raises new concerns about propaganda and misinformation. But potentially serving new propagandists.
upi.com
TikTok deal answers some concerns, raises others - UPI.com
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to keep TikTok active for 170 million U.S. users with U.S. investors owning 80% of the company.
010