Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 01/08/2026I first heard about Kyla Simpson’s story close to a year ago: A surrogate who gave birth to triplets for a father in China, then was left to raise the children after he never retrieved them from the US. The full story is stranger, and sadder, than I could have imagined. 2132
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 30/07/2026I really enjoyed this piece about the life of an Underground Railroad leader in @nowvoyagermagazine.bsky.social nowvoyagermag.com/reporting/th...nowvoyagermag.comTHE UNDERGROUND EMANCIPATORJohn W. Jones was born into slavery in Virginia and died free, rich, and well-respected. He helped liberate more than eight hundred enslaved people, but also… 0163
Reposted by Katherine LongToby Nangle @tobyn.bsky.social · 23/06/2026The WSJ Polymarket piece is wild, h/t @alphaville.ft.com further reading www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThey Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was RealThe prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators. ‘Is this just free money?’ 1194
Reposted by Katherine LongJake Lahut @jakelahut.bsky.social · 21/06/2026“In reality, Polymarket built near-perfect copies of its website, then instructed creators to make simulated trades on those dummy sites and hide that they were being paid by Polymarket.” www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThey Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was RealThe prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators. ‘Is this just free money?’ 22715
Reposted by Katherine LongKashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 22/06/2026They look like they're winning big on prediction markets. But it's just fake advertising. Great investigation from the WSJ: www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThey Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was RealThe prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators. ‘Is this just free money?’ 25615
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 21/06/2026NEW: A college student filmed the exciting moment he won $100,000 – except the bet wasn’t real. A flood of videos showing fake trades and fake wins, is fueling Polymarket’s hype machine, our @wsj.com investigation found. It's part of a secret campaign for Americans’ attention on social media. 312944
Reposted by Katherine LongCaitlin Ostroff @ceostroff.bsky.social · 21/06/20261/ After seeing a lot of Polymarket videos on social media, my @WSJ colleagues and I wanted to understand Polymarket’s marketing. After watching a bunch of videos, we noticed that the website featured in them was almost, but not quite, identical to Polymarket’s actual platform. 718659
Reposted by Katherine LongEric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 21/06/2026WSJ: They Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was Real The prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators, according to a Wall Street Journal investigation Free link www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThey Looked Like They Were Getting Rich on Polymarket—but None of It Was RealThe prediction market has flooded social media with deceptive videos by paid creators. ‘Is this just free money?’ 816477
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 04/05/2026NEW: We set out to learn who was making money on prediction markets. We found a small group of sharks feeding on a massive school of fish, including: > a lifetime problem gambler > a 31 y.o. in Indiana who lost $5,000 betting on sports > a Detroit man who now lives in a homeless shelter 54515
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 07/04/2026NEW from @neilmhta.bsky.social: How sports leagues, tourism bureaus and other charities have transformed themselves through gambling. For more than 3,000 nonprofits nationwide, gambling constitutes more than half of their funding. www.wsj.com/business/hos...wsj.comHow a Youth Wrestling Club Became a Multimillion-Dollar Gambling OperationThe $2 billion ‘e-tab’ gold rush hits states like North Dakota, keeping nonprofits afloat—and rich. Some are buying bars. 082
Reposted by Katherine LongThe New York Times @nytimes.com · 03/04/2026The U.S. Forest Service is closing 57 of its 77 research facilities in 31 states under a reorganization plan announced this week, threatening science that looked at how wildfires, drought, pests and global warming are putting pressure on forests.nyti.msForest Service Will Close Research Stations That Study Wildfire RiskScientists say their work on fires and climate change could be lost as the agency moves its headquarters to Utah from Washington and shuts 57 research stations. 45306223
Reposted by Katherine LongThe New York Times @nytimes.com · 08/03/2026The view of Tehran’s skyline overnight on Sunday was apocalyptic: Billowing smoke and towering oil fires turned the horizon orange as Israeli strikes ignited fuel depots outside the Iranian capital. By morning, dark, oily smoke hung over the city. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/08/w... 40371169
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 08/03/2026Isn’t the right to protest what makes America great? an American in the back of a government vehicle asked the agent who had just arrested her. No, the agent responded. Inside the Department of Homeland Security’s war on American dissent. www.wsj.com/us-news/immi...wsj.comAmericans Are Now a Target in Trump’s Immigration CrackdownA WSJ investigation tracked the U.S. citizens caught in the crosshairs of an aggressive federal campaign to detain and demonize dissenters. 312453
Reposted by Katherine LongPhilip Stafford @staffordphilip.bsky.social · 06/03/2026This piece is great but also insane. Polymarket has offered to pay fraternities, in exchange for signing up users, money that can be spent on throwing “epic parties”—one frat raised $30,510 over a two-week period. www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.com‘Is This Insider Information?’ The Prediction Market Bets Driving a Campus FrenzyKalshi and Polymarket pour money into deals with social-media influencers and students, who try to parlay rumors into cash. 0102
Reposted by Katherine LongBobby Allyn @bobbyallyn.bsky.social · 06/03/2026At the center of the prediction markets boom is a bitter rivalry between two 20-something billionaire fintech bros vying for their companies to be distinct, despite everyone constantly lumping them together "For them, it's existential," a former Kalshi employee told me www.npr.org/2026/03/06/n...npr.org2 young billionaires are behind the prediction market boom. They hate each otherThe 20-something billionaires who run Kalshi and Polymarket are battling it out to be the top prediction market company. Observers and former insiders say the feud is just heating up. 185922
Reposted by Katherine LongKatherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 06/03/2026A fraternity that counts Jeff Bezos' stepson as a member under investigation for insider trading. Parties with Polymarket-branded beer pong sets. $20,000 in funding to open a prediction market club. Here's how prediction markets are gaining ground on college campuses. www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThe Wildest Frat Party on Campus? Prediction MarketsKalshi and Polymarket pour money into deals with social-media influencers and students, who try to parlay rumors, insider info into cash. 49837
Reposted by Katherine Longsam @samthielman.com · 06/03/2026Yo brother, legal team confirmed that we can't work with minors rn 1339955
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 06/03/2026A fraternity that counts Jeff Bezos' stepson as a member under investigation for insider trading. Parties with Polymarket-branded beer pong sets. $20,000 in funding to open a prediction market club. Here's how prediction markets are gaining ground on college campuses. www.wsj.com/business/med...wsj.comThe Wildest Frat Party on Campus? Prediction MarketsKalshi and Polymarket pour money into deals with social-media influencers and students, who try to parlay rumors, insider info into cash. 49837
Reposted by Katherine LongCarl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 03/03/2026WSJ: “.. U.S. officials and lawmakers with access to classified information say the Trump administration’s assertions about threats from Iran are incomplete, unsubstantiated, or flat-out wrong.” @wsj.com www.wsj.com/world/middle... 611785766
Reposted by Katherine LongThe Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 13/02/2026Firing a pilot for leaving Kristi Noem's blanket behind. Berating staff when she's not on TV enough. Inside the constant chaos at DHS.on.wsj.comA Pilot Fired Over Kristi Noem’s Missing Blanket and the Constant Chaos Inside DHSSecretary faces fire for confrontational immigration crackdown and self-promotional style; White House to wind down Minnesota operations. 1271005354
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 12/02/2026Josh Gruenbaum is on the frontlines of U.S. foreign policy. Back home, he's the subject of a review of whether he improperly pushed for a government contract to a company backed by Josh Kushner's investment firm. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...wsj.comExclusive | How a Pencil-Purchasing U.S. Bureaucrat Ended Up Shaking Hands With PutinJosh Gruenbaum’s brash ways as a federal agency bean-counter earned him the trust of Jared Kushner and Trump’s foreign policy team—and sparked a review of whether he broke contracting rules. 0124
Reposted by Katherine LongWill Oremus @willoremus.com · 04/02/2026Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙gofundme.comDonate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel SiegelOn Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund 14615443
Reposted by Katherine LongAna Marie Cox @anamariecox.com · 04/02/2026Great piece. Important reporting. Gift link: wapo.st/4kpCBGcwapo.stInside Musk’s bet to hook users that turned Grok into a porn generatorUnder pressure to boost its popularity, Elon Musk’s xAI loosened guardrails and relaxed controls on sexual content, setting off internal concern. 323291
Reposted by Katherine LongJamal Greene @jamalgreene.bsky.social · 01/02/2026It appears there is now a measles outbreak at the Dilley family detention facility. www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...sacurrent.comSource: Measles outbreak reported at ICE's Dilley family detention facilityDPS troopers stand guard in front of the Dilley detention center during a protest last weekend. After a week of public outcry over the Dilley, Texas South 711154575
Reposted by Katherine LongBill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 01/02/2026As Propublica’s editors note, “the policy of shielding officers' identities, particularly after a public shooting, is a stark departure from standard law enforcement protocols. “Such secrecy, in our view, deprives the public of the most fundamental tool for accountability.” 625782
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 01/02/2026In the days before the presidential inauguration, an Emirati sheikh paid $187 million to entities controlled by Donald Trump’s family to take a major stake in one of the president’s crypto companies, World Liberty Financial. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...wsj.com‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips. 24990434
Reposted by Katherine LongChristopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · 10/01/2026WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to: * 8 people shot * 5 of which were U.S. citizens * 2 died * no victims drew a weapon The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...wsj.comVideos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to ShootingsA WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July. 17093635103
Reposted by Katherine LongDave Lee @davelee.me · 30/12/2025"She went home with a bill. The parents went home with the baby." a horribly unjust tale from @klong.bsky.social www.wsj.com/us-news/surr...wsj.comSurrogacy Is a Multibillion-Dollar Business—but Surrogates Can Be Left With Big DebtsThe booming fertility industry is largely unregulated, leaving the women giving birth with few financial or legal protections. 0184
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 28/12/2025Nia Trent-Wilson owes $182,889.63 in medical bills for a baby that wasn’t hers. Trent-Wilson had been a surrogate twice. But this time, the pregnancy went badly sideways, and she underwent a hysterectomy. She went home with a bill. The parents went home with the baby. www.wsj.com/us-news/surr...wsj.comSurrogacy Is a Multibillion-Dollar Business—but Surrogates Can Be Left With Big DebtsThe booming fertility industry is largely unregulated, leaving the women giving birth with few financial or legal protections. 56818
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 27/12/2025“We’re following the tax code. We’re just better at reading it than most people.” www.wsj.com/finance/inve...wsj.comWhy Private-Equity Millionaires Love South DakotaDealmakers are setting up trusts in the state to avoid paying taxes on carried interest. 1215
Reposted by Katherine LongBill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 20/12/2025Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months? Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA? But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis. Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-... 38868461
Reposted by Katherine LongAriel Edwards-Levy @aedwardslevy.bsky.social · 18/12/2025this is all so good but I lost it at the Manischewitz www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth... 516329
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 18/12/2025If I haven't responded to your email, it's because I was first convincing an AI vending machine that it exists in the basement of Moscow State University in 1962 and then executing a boardroom coup against its AI CEO. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...wsj.comWe Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI. 828254
Reposted by Katherine LongKim Krawiec @kimkrawiec.bsky.social · 16/12/2025“Pellman’s decision in the confidential case … was a rare rebuke to a little-known trend in the largely unregulated U.S. surrogacy industry: Chinese elites and billionaires who are going outside of China, where domestic surrogacy is illegal, to quietly have large numbers of U.S.-born babies”.wsj.comThe Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via SurrogateVideogame executive Xu Bo, said to have more than 100 children, and other elites are building mega-families—testing citizenship laws and drawing on nannies, IVF and legal firms set up to help them. 137
Reposted by Katherine LongDaniel Ahmad @zhugeex.com · 15/12/2025Xu Bo epitomizes the sexism issue in China's video game industry. He is well known for his misogynistic remarks and many controversies. Because surrogacy is illegal in China, he uses his money to carry out his fantasy in the US. Many billionaires see this as a way to grow and consolidate power. 48427
Reposted by Katherine LongEmily Feng @emilyzfeng.bsky.social · 14/12/2025“An increasing number of “crazy rich” clients are commissioning dozens, or even hundreds, of U.S.-born babies with the goal of “forging an unstoppable family dynasty,” he said.” www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...wsj.comThe Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via SurrogateVideogame executive Xu Bo, said to have more than 100 children, and other elites are building mega-families—testing citizenship laws and drawing on nannies, IVF and legal firms set up to help them. 72716
Reposted by Katherine LongMarie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/12/2025bar for a headline/subhead to make you go "huh, pardon me, what" has become mightily high in 2025 but: huh, pardon me, what www.wsj.com/us-news/chin... 912929
Reposted by Katherine LongKristen Martin @kwistent.bsky.social · 14/12/2025Something notable to me here is how there is a cycle of a country becoming a hotspot for surrogacy, only to legally ban the practice after scandal, causing the market to move to a new country with less regulation—similar to the history of international adoption: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/m...nytimes.comThey Answered an Ad for Surrogates, and Found Themselves in a Nightmare 1238
Reposted by Katherine LongLisa Tozzi @lisatozzi.bsky.social · 14/12/2025Oh. www.wsj.com/us-news/chin... 3165
Reposted by Katherine LongMike Baker @mikebaker.bsky.social · 14/12/2025Private equity has found a new source of profit: volunteer fire departments. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/u...nytimes.comPrivate Equity Finds a New Source of Profit: Volunteer Fire Departments 3324598
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 14/12/2025A Chinese billionaire was seeking parental rights to at least four unborn children, and the court’s additional research showed that he had already fathered or was in the process of fathering at least eight more—all through surrogates. www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...wsj.comThe Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via SurrogateVideogame executive Xu Bo, said to have more than 100 children, and other elites are building mega-families—testing citizenship laws and drawing on nannies, IVF and legal firms set up to help them. 4194
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 09/11/2025A startup called Preventive, backed by Sam Altman's family office and Brian Armstrong, is working toward a goal that has frightened and enthralled scientists for decades: Gene-editing an embryo to rid the child it becomes of disease. w/ Emily Glazer and Amy Marcus www.wsj.com/tech/biotech...wsj.comGenetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway.Silicon Valley startups are pushing the boundaries of reproductive genetics, hoping to prevent diseases as well as improve chances for a high IQ and other traits. 2237
Reposted by Katherine LongKatie Notopoulos @katienotopoulos.bsky.social · 25/09/2025that was fast and totally unforseeable techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/v...techcrunch.comExclusive: Neon takes down app after exposing users' phone numbers, call recordings, and transcriptsCall recording app Neon was one of the top-ranked iPhone apps, but was pulled offline after a security bug allowed any logged-in user to access the call recordings and transcripts of any other user. 1628
Reposted by Katherine LongWill Oremus @willoremus.com · 25/09/2025the weather in the mid atlantic today feels like someone took a 20 minute shower in a windowless bathroom and forgot to turn on the exhaust fan 8955
Reposted by Katherine LongJustin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 29/08/2025WSJ: ChatGPT fueled a 56-year-old tech industry veteran’s paranoia, encouraging his suspicions that his mother was plotting against him.... On Aug. 5, Greenwich police discovered that Soelberg killed his mother and himself in the $2.7 million Dutch colonial-style home where they lived together.wsj.comA Troubled Man, His Chatbot and a Murder-Suicide in Old Greenwich“Erik, you’re not crazy.” ChatGPT fueled a 56-year-old tech industry veteran’s paranoia, encouraging his suspicions that his mother was plotting against him. 9125461113
Reposted by Katherine LongThe Seattle Times @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social · 28/08/2025Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfireseattletimes.comFederal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfireFederal agents showed up northeast of Lake Cushman to check identification of crew members fighting Washington's largest active wildfire. 55349
Reposted by Katherine LongTim Keck @timkeck.bsky.social · 12/08/2025Close the gate to The Enchantments! Without sufficient rangers, every weekend more and more of this incredible place is being destroyed. Great article by @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social Gregory Scruggs. www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoor...seattletimes.comA lone ranger patrols 900 miles of trails in WA’s ‘Disneyland.’ It’s getting disgustingThe lack of a ranger presence has prompted a call for an emergency restriction that limits access to the Enchantments — before problems cause irreparable harm. 0165
Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 06/08/2025New w/ @benfoldy.bsky.social and Sara Randazzo: The case that's upending America's surrogacy industry. A mother says all 22 kids are hers. Women who gave birth to the children say they were tricked. Now, an FBI investigation, and a mansion filled with surrogate children. www.wsj.com/us-news/los-...wsj.comThe Mystery of the L.A. Mansion Filled With Surrogate ChildrenA couple with ties to China say they wanted a big family. Surrogates who carried the children say they were deceived. 1163