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Rebecca Plevin

@rebeccaplevin.bsky.social
2.5K followers 199 following 106 posts

California journalist tracking labor and AI for @proofnews.bsky.social

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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Nicole Foy @nicolefoy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I often say local news has some of my favorite immigration reporting. @bostonglobe.com is a perfect example. They consistently interview people I've wanted to hear from & flag issues early. Plus a solid immigration newsletter A sobering, very relevant interview: www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/24/m...
bostonglobe.com
An ICE agent shot and killed her partner in Maine. Now, she wants justice. - The Boston Globe
In her first sit-down interview with a newspaper, Martha Karolina Rojas Alvarez called for justice to be carried out for the killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, her partner and father of their ...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Capital & Main @capitalandmain.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: In interviews, dozens of farmworkers reported suffering from nausea, burning eyes or irritated throats due to chemical-laced fields. Most said they didn’t report the problems because they feared retaliation or lacked confidence in the regulatory system.
capitalandmain.com
Haphazard Pesticide Enforcement puts Farmworkers in California at risk
Serious health and safety violations are penalized differently across counties, and regulatory actions are enforced inconsistently.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Inside Seattle’s deal with a tech platform to expand therapy to 55,000 teens and young people. With @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Jeff Horseman @jeffhorsemanscribe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
2.1 million square feet of warehouses OK’d for Bloomington — again tinyurl.com/yck2tee6
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And city council is taking notice!
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Can therapy be scaled like software? Inside Seattle’s deal with a tech platform to expand therapy to 55,000 teens and young people. By Proof News' @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social & Jayati Ramakrishnan in partnership with @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social 🔗 www.proofnews.org/millions-spe...
proofnews.org
Millions Spent, Few Served: Seattle’s Talkspace Deal for Youth Therapy Falls Short
Amid a mental health crisis, Talkspace pledged to expand young people’s access to therapy. Company data shows few were served while the tech platform raked in millions.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The “largest theft of labor in human history.” That’s what Microsoft employees called the massive scraping of content to build AI in docs revealed in the @nytimes.com case. Our investigation shows it's YouTube videos too. @colbertlateshow.bsky.social @jimmykimmel.com @mkbhd.com @lastweektonight.com
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Is the Trump family profiting from war? Proof News investigative reporter @anniegilbertson.bsky.social examines SEC filings, defense deals, and corporate mergers tying Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. to AI-powered drone manufacturer XTEND. Read the full story at proofnews.org
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
suhauna hussain @suhauna.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
With more layoffs today in the five alarm fire that is the dissipating news industry, re-upping my story about a California bill sitting on Gov. Newsom’s desk that would create refundable tax credits for newsrooms that advocates describe as a lifeline www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
Bill to aid California newsrooms now on the governor's desk
Assembly Bill 2222 would create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ, which in practice would provide direct cash infusions to ...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · 10/09/2026
New from me: McClatchy laid off 12 journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader and a majority of its positions, as a part of its deep, nationwide layoffs.
lpm.org
McClatchy guts Lexington Herald-Leader newsroom, among nationwide layoffs
McClatchy laid off 12 journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader, a majority of its positions, as a part of its deep, nationwide layoffs.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Nicole Foy @nicolefoy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
McClatchy, controlled by a hedge fund, doesn't want you to talk about all the journalists they're laying off today around the country!
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Melissa Daniels @melissamdaniels.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Recent missile strikes in Ukraine are destroying supply chains for businesses as Russian attacks target logistics infrastructure. For the latest @modernretail.bsky.social Supply Chain Weekly, I spoke w/a startup apparel brand who lost their entire collection: www.modernretail.co/operations/m...
modernretail.co
Missile strikes on warehouses are threatening Ukraine's consumer brands
A Ukrainian apparel startup is rebuilding after losing an entire collection in a recent Russian missile attack on a logistics facility.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 10/08/2026
Turns out robots are really bad at being security guards. @proofnews.bsky.social with a deep dive on how many security robots that were rolled out a few years ago have been deep-sixed. Its also our first collab with the great @404media.co ! www.proofnews.org/the-roboguar...
proofnews.org
The Roboguard Revolution is Short-Circuiting
Knightscope and other robotics companies are rethinking automated security amid canceled contracts. One pivot? Human guards.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Kids in the tiny Imperial Valley town of Calipatria are pushing through their asthma to play Little League baseball, even as the dying Salton Sea spews more hazardous dust into the air: capitalandmain.com/near-the-sal... via @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social
capitalandmain.com
Near the Salton Sea, Little League Players Struggle to Breathe
Pediatric asthma is common in Calipatria, where young athletes compete despite extreme heat and air pollution. Some worry a lithium boom could make things worse.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Check out my latest dispatch from Imperial County for @capitalandmain.bsky.social, with photos and additional reporting by Zoe Meyers!
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
ProPublica @propublica.org · 23/07/2026
How do you know if the fruits and vegetables you buy at the grocery store come from farms where workers were harmed? Read this thread by our reporter @maxblau.bsky.social 🧵
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Polluting mega-dairies continue to expand in California's Central Valley, often in conjunction with state policies that spur demand for manure biogas: insideclimatenews.org/news/0507202...
insideclimatenews.org
Dairy Farms’ Expansion Plan Worries California Families Who Once Had a ‘Little Piece of Heaven’ - Inside Climate News
The battle in the Central Valley is just one of many happening against dairy farms and new manure digester projects in the state. Farmers say they are trying to be better neighbors.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Great reporting and a great read from @sammyroth.bsky.social!
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Ian James @ianjames.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
"We have tens of thousands of dollars flowing through shadowy companies to elect some of the most consequential people in Western water." @sammyroth.bsky.social investigates dark money in elections for the powerful Imperial Irrigation District board: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/dark-money...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Exclusive: Dark money floods the Colorado River
Follow me down an Imperial Valley rabbit hole, if you dare.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Mental health professionals told Proof News there’s a difference between using AI transcription to record conversations about physical maladies and mental health struggles. My latest story for @proofnews.bsky.social: www.proofnews.org/why-ai-scrib...
proofnews.org
Why AI Scribes, Widely Embraced By Doctors, Spook Therapists
As one of the nation’s largest health systems embraces AI scribes, some Kaiser Permanente therapists say the technology is a Trojan horse for potentially higher caseloads and privacy risks.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 12/06/2026
"Saying goodbye to Moxi, the AI-powered robot" ICU Nurse Atalia Lapkin tells @proofnews.bsky.social about her experience with the robot that was so high maintenance that it required a human handler. Eventually the robot was retired and the nurses wrote an obituary for it.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
What do the folks living closest to the Salton Sea think of "Lithium Valley"? Two great journalists (and lovely friends of mine) parked themselves at the only restaurant in Niland to find out: capitalandmain.com/californias-... via @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social
capitalandmain.com
California’s Lithium Valley Dreams Meet Reality at the Only Restaurant in Town
How Vicky Hernandez and her customers at the Buckshot Deli & Diner in Niland view plans to turn Imperial Valley into a green energy hub.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
We spent two days at the Buckshot diner — the only restaurant in the desert hamlet of Niland, pop. 1,116 — to gauge residents’ sentiments about plans for Lithium Valley. Our dispatch for @capitalandmain.bsky.social Imperial Divide series: capitalandmain.com/californias-...
capitalandmain.com
California’s Lithium Valley Dreams Meet Reality at the Only Restaurant in Town
How Vicky Hernandez and her customers at the Buckshot Deli & Diner in Niland view plans to turn Imperial Valley into a green energy hub.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Automation is creeping into the lives of hotel housekeepers, as hospitality industry leaders invest in workforce management software that pledges to increase profitability, reduce labor costs, and track worker productivity My first story for @proofnews.bsky.social: www.proofnews.org/hotel-housek...
proofnews.org
More Stress, Fewer Breaks: Hotel Housekeepers Reveal What It's Like Working for an App
Promising productivity, HotSOS Housekeeping tells workers when and where to clean and is now used by most global hotel brands.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 19/05/2026
If you’d like to see more groundbreaking reporting from the front lines of AI & the workplace then please consider donating to support our work. We’re aiming to show a groundswell of support from small donors who see this coverage as vital. Any amount helps! www.proofnews.org/donate/
proofnews.org
Join us in making believable, trustworthy, verifiable information the new baseline.
Your support enables Proof to investigate the social impacts of AI. Click here to donate Proof is a fiscally sponsored project of Aspiration, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, s...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 19/05/2026
So much AI coverage is about a speculative future. But we are focusing on how AI is transforming work right now. Today's story by @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social is about a loss of worker autonomy and a rise in worker surveillance. www.proofnews.org/ai-isnt-just...
proofnews.org
AI Isn’t Just Taking Jobs. It’s Transforming Them.
Hello world, AI hasn’t taken Elsa Roldan’s job as a hotel housekeeper. But it has taken some of her autonomy.  Roldan began working as a hotel housekeeper nearly two decades ago, using a clipboard t...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Julia Angwin @juliaangwin.com · 19/05/2026
Hotel housekeepers used to track their work on a clipboard. Now they work for an app that docks points if a room cleaning takes too long. “You have a device telling you, ‘move here, move there,’ like if you were a robot." The latest from @proofnews.bsky.social: www.proofnews.org/hotel-housek...
proofnews.org
More Stress, Fewer Breaks: Hotel Housekeepers Reveal What It's Like Working for an App
Promising productivity, HotSOS Housekeeping tells workers when and where to clean and is now used by most global hotel brands.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Proof News @proofnews.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
She confided it to her therapist. Every word ended up in court. Proof investigates how a database of 140 million message exchanges on a telehealth platform is being used to build an AI therapy companion – and what that means for patients. www.proofnews.org/womans-talks...
proofnews.org
Woman’s Talkspace therapy app sessions exposed in court
Talkspace has amassed “one of the largest mental health data banks in the world,” according to reports to investors, containing 140 million message exchanges. The end goal: training a soon-to-be-relea...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
I'm in the New York Times today with some opinions about the Colorado River crisis. Yes, we need to solve the alfalfa problem eventually. Also the climate crisis. But right now the biggest obstacle to sustainable solutions may be the state of Colorado. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Water Conflict a Century in the Making
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
NPR @npr.org · 31/01/2026
NPR's Adrian Florido has been buying fruit from the same fruit-cart vendor in his LA neighborhood for years. On Tuesday, Florido was there when federal immigration agents whisked him away.
n.pr
Reporter's Notebook: He was my fruit vendor for years. I saw immigration agents take him
NPR's Adrian Florido has been buying fruit from the same fruit-cart vendor in his LA neighborhood for years. On Tuesday, Florido was there when federal immigration agents whisked him away.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Stuart Leavenworth @sleavenworth.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
“It is no longer the same Mexico of my childhood,” said Ramírez, 45, one of those deported. “There was more joy, more freedom. But that’s not the case anymore.” www.latimes.com/world-nation...
latimes.com
Deported to danger: Returning migrants discover a Mexico transformed by cartels
Deportees returning to Mexico find they must learn how to live in a land often controlled by cartels.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Pretty weird for me how the guy I spent two years investigating at my first local newspaper job was just arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, and it’s a national tabloid story… Appreciate everyone linking to my 2018 investigation, which you can read here: www.desertsun.com/in-depth/tec...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Btw, follow my newsletter for new reporting on Mike Abatti, and events preceding his wife’s death. I suspect I’m going to have stuff you won’t find elsewhere. Part 1 last week: www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/mike-abatt...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Death in the Desert, Part 1: Who Killed Kerri Abatti?
An Imperial Valley murder mystery, with a helping of climate change.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Sammy Roth @sammyroth.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
The Imperial Valley grows your winter vegetables, drains the Colorado River and generates tons of solar. Also public corruption runs rampant and a farm baron's wife just got killed under mysterious circumstances. Did someone say climate murder mystery? www.climatecoloredgoggles.com/p/mike-abatt...
climatecoloredgoggles.com
Death in the Desert, Part 1: Who Killed Kerri Abatti?
An Imperial Valley murder mystery, with a helping of climate change.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Melissa Gomez @melissagomez.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"ICE officers had begun stopping staff members, all of whom have legal status, and school officials worried about drawing more unwelcome attention. In California...child-care facilities have experienced months of increased absences among students and staff." www.latimes.com/world-nation...
latimes.com
Trump immigration raids take toll on child-care workers in California and nationwide
President Trump’s crackdown has had an outsize effect on the child-care field, which is heavily reliant on immigrants and already strained by a worker shortage.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Yousef Baig @yousefbaig.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
“If you want to gauge the health of California's economy, start with its community colleges.” calmatters.org/education/hi...
calmatters.org
More adults return to college in California as inflation and job fears rise
With unemployment and consumer prices climbing, community college enrollment is increasing as students look to gain new job skills.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump administration’s claims that it only detains immigrants. @nicolefoy.bsky.social
propublica.org
Immigration Agents Have Often Grabbed and Mistreated Citizens, Congressional Investigators Find
Prompted by ProPublica’s reporting, an investigation by Senate Democrats documented the experiences of nearly two dozen citizens wrongly detained by immigration agents, contradicting the Trump adminis...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
St. John Barned-Smith @stjbs.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
NEW: Trump’s chief immigration enforcer honed his controversial tactics in California -- w/ @saralibby.bsky.social www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
sfchronicle.com
Trump’s chief immigration enforcer honed his controversial tactics in California
Gregory Bovino’s efforts have landed him at the center of multiple lawsuits accusing him and his officers of excessive force and violating the rights of residents in Illinois, Oregon and...
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Kevin Rector @kevrector.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
NEW: ‘I’m terrified’: Hunger looms as millions prepare to lose food aid amid shutdown California and other states are suing to free funds as local officials, advocates brace for deluge of need (w/ @jennyagold.bsky.social Ana Ceballos @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social): www.latimes.com/politics/sto...
latimes.com
'I'm terrified': Hunger looms as millions prepare to lose food aid amid shutdown
Federal and state officials warn that November SNAP funds will not be issued without a resolution to the ongoing federal shutdown and there is no sign of a breakthrough in Congress.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Melissa Gomez @melissagomez.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
In Altadena, a grassroots dining club to help restaurants has grown to more than 1,300 online followers, helping local businesses while giving neighbors a chance to meet and discuss recovery from the Eaton fire. my latest --> www.latimes.com/california/s...
latimes.com
Restaurants that survived the Eaton fire are struggling. This club hopes to change that
The Altadena Dining Club was formed to help local restaurants stay afloat after the Eaton fire, while simultaneously bringing neighbors together to discuss the recovery.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
“This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees,” Rockwell said. “It’s that last refuge.”
latimes.com
Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species
The 20-acre fire is burning in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park, an important region where experts say the trees are best suited to survive and reproduce in a warming climate.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
The government’s own data, which was obtained by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and a team of journalists from Venezuela, showed that officials knew that only 32 of the deportees had been convicted of U.S. crimes and that most were nonviolent offenses, such as retail theft or traffic violations.
propublica.org
Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes
Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
President Trump may seek to deport hundreds of thousands of immigrants who recently entered the United States under a two-year grant of parole, the Supreme Court decided Friday.
latimes.com
Supreme Court says Trump may end legal parole given to 532,000 migrants from four countries
Trump revoked two large-scale Biden policies that extended temporary protection to migrants. "The court plainly botched this," Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in a dissent.
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Reposted by Rebecca Plevin
Laura J. Nelson @laurajnelson.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
It's true -- we are having another round of layoffs at the L.A. Times, the second this month. The vast majority of this cash is already in the pipeline to folks who lost their jobs in early May. I'm hoping we can all dig a bit deeper to support the community journalists laid off this morning.
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Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · 28/05/2025
Column: Are plans for the Joshua Tree Art Museum a desert mirage?
latimes.com
Column: Are plans for the Joshua Tree Art Museum a desert mirage?
A foundation announced the groundbreaking for the Joshua Tree Art Museum, but public records reveal a more complicated picture.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
In 2023, a Mexican girl with a life-threatening medical condition was allowed to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds. The Trump administration has now ordered her and her parents to leave the country. Her says that if her treatment is interrupted, “this could be fatal within a matter of days.”
latimes.com
4-year-old Bakersfield girl facing deportation could die within days of losing medical care
In 2023, a Mexican girl, 4, was allowed U.S. entry for lifesaving medical care. She and her parents, who live in Bakersfield, have been told they must leave.
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Earlier this year, St. John's Community Healthy began surveying patients and found that hundreds were canceling appointments “solely due to fear of being apprehended by ICE.” It launched a home visitation program in March. @melissagomez.bsky.social
latimes.com
Health clinics that service immigrants are making house calls on patients too afraid to leave home
St. John’s Community Health launched its home visitation program after learning that hundreds of patients were skipping appointments because they're afraid of getting caught up in federal immigration ...
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
The courthouse arrests escalate the administration’s efforts to speed up deportations. @melissagomez.bsky.social and @racheluranga.bsky.social
latimes.com
Father ripped from family as agents target immigration courts, arresting people after cases dismissed
The Department of Homeland Security is asking to dismiss its own deportation cases, after which agents arrest immigrants as they leave the courtroom and pursue expedited removals, which require no hea...
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Rebecca Plevin @rebeccaplevin.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Federal workers describe struggling with panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts. “Why doesn’t anyone care?”
washingtonpost.com
White House officials wanted to put federal workers ‘in trauma.’ It’s working.
Federal workers describe struggling with panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts. “Why doesn’t anyone care?”
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