iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

I wish I didn’t have such a lousy news peg for these job postings just about every time — but if anybody just caught up in the new McClatchy layoffs is looking for their next move, well… >>

001

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Journalism job alert: I’m hiring two reporters at the @sandiegouniontribune.com — one to cover San Diego communities (this is a great beat) and one focused on investigative and enterprise reporting with our watchdog team. Here’s the watchdog job… myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/MNG/jo...

myworkdaycenter.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com

Reporter

Summary: The San Diego Union-Tribune is seeking an ambitious, accomplished, and tenacious reporter to join its Watchdog team and hold power to account in California’s second-largest city and beyond. T...

111

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

“It’s the old standard that worked perfectly fine before the transphobic panic … This policy will keep bad-faith attention-seekers at bay without giving the anti-trans activists what they want: an official definition of womanhood that doesn't include trans women & a full ban on trans women players.”

0172

Reposted by Sam Schulz

John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Bigotry and persecution against people serving honorably. “It’s in a lot of ways a public humiliation ritual,” Ms. Rashid said in an interview. “Going in, I had hoped I was paranoid, and boards’ outcomes were not predetermined. It turned out to be much worse than I thought.”

nytimes.com

Inside the Secretive Boards Deciding Trans Troops’ Fate (Gift Article)

The Pentagon is relying on closed-door hearings to kick out transgender service members. An Army Reserve lawyer is one of the few who have seen how they really work.

04421

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Great piece from @mattdpearce.com on why America has less community than ever, especially on the left: People don't like the downsides of tight-knit groups. mattdpearce.substack.com/p/how-much-c...

mattdpearce.substack.com

What if people just prefer bowling alone?

Civic renewal in the isolation of American democracy.

2320639

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

"The reversals have validated advocates’ earlier fears about Newsom’s decision to let the prison system handle its own reforms, rather than imposing legislative guardrails. They come at a time of reduced judicial oversight, too." Via @psfrench.bsky.social @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/california-d...

boltsmag.org

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts

California officials dial back the minor reforms they've made to isolation in prison, four years after Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation to rein in solitary confinement.

16023

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

A general FYI if you're debating whether or not to email a journalist saying you like their article, email them. Trust me, those who don't like what we write are quick to do so. The compliments are a nice balance.

013323

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Damning detail in here: CBS had managed to secure a visa to get into Iran and Bari opted not to send anyone.

321321339

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Who should own Liberty Station? San Diego is escalating its war to hang onto the sprawling complex of artist studios, parks, food & retail — even as a developer tries to force it to sell. As for why this is happening? Blame the aftermath of CA's dissolution of redevelopment agencies 14 years ago:

sandiegouniontribune.com

San Diego’s war over Liberty Station is coming to a head. Here’s how the city hopes to win.

The City Council is set to approve complex deals Tuesday that aim to cement city ownership, even as a management company fights to force it to sell.

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

"I don’t have a problem with my lab being funded by Epstein," one neuroscientist told a colleague. "Thank you for your interest & support," a neurologist wrote Epstein. Epstein's UCSD ties go much deeper than previously reported — & involve funding fringe research with autistic kids, emails show.

sandiegouniontribune.com

UCSD professors wanted money to research telepathy. They turned to Jeffrey Epstein.

‘I don’t have a problem with my lab being funded by Epstein,’ one wrote to another.

121

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Is Darrell Issa's career in Congress over? His seat was redrawn in Dems' favor, his $$ has lagged, he hasn't yet filed, today's the deadline & yesterday, Jim Desmond, the GOP supervisor running in a nearby seat, pulled papers to switch to Issa's. Issa's response: "Don’t owe you anything nothing no."

sandiegouniontribune.com

Jim Desmond moves to run for a different seat in Congress — Darrell Issa’s

The Republican supervisor withdrew from the race in a neighboring district. Issa, a longtime GOP congressman, wouldn’t say if he’s still running for re-election.

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

So many other outlets get this story wrong. Long before the Supreme Court weighed in on Mirabelli v. Olson on its shadow docket, Kristen Taketa's been covering it with care for @sandiegouniontribune.com & getting it right from the beginning. Here's our story. And here's what's gotten missed... 🧵

sandiegouniontribune.com

Supreme Court sides with Escondido teachers in ongoing lawsuit over transgender student privacy, parents’ rights

A federal appeals court is still considering whether parents have a right to be informed of possible changes to their child’s gender.

111

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

This is exciting. The 2 years I lived by the future D extension (when they were tunneling between La Brea & Fairfax), this stretch of Wilshire sorely needed human-scale, integrated transit & public spaces to revive those desolate, highway-like blocks of barely-punctuated facades. So much potential!

010

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

"These are boutique issues. If you're basing your vote solely on who treats trans people more poorly, you don't really suffer from any real problem ... What the fuck do you mean you're voting for whoever prevents whether some trans 6th grader from playing soccer with her friends?" @katelynburns.com

burnsnotice.com

There Will Never Be a Sista Soulja Moment for Trans Rights

But that won't stop Democrats from trying for it anyway In the midst of the 1992 presidential election, future president Bill Clinton visited Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition conference and delivere...

000

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,” said Margo T. Oge, who served as the E.P.A.’s top vehicle emissions regulator under three presidents and has since advised both automakers and environmental groups… “Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”

nytimes.com

With Latest Rollback, the U.S. Essentially Has No Clean-Car Rules

71419725

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Tanya Lewis @tanyalewis.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Under RFK, Jr., the CDC's authority has crumbled: it is no longer updating dozens of health databases, and has abandoned vaccine guidelines. But states and governors are trying to fill the void, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social writes @scifri.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/stat...

scientificamerican.com

A ‘shadow CDC’ is scrambling to fill gaps in public health data

Dozens of routinely updated CDC databases have gone quiet. Here’s what states and medical societies are doing to preserve U.S. public health

012155

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

“I can’t think of any other way to describe it but an attack on the independence of the judiciary and the International Criminal Court’s independence as an institution.” Prost was sanctioned because she’d ruled to OK an investigation into alleged U.S. war crimes. www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...

irishtimes.com

‘It’s surreal’: US sanctions lock International Criminal Court judge out of daily life

Canadian judge Kimberly Prost is unable to use credit cards, transfer money or book everyday services in what she calls an attack on the independence of the judiciary

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

“Cuomo began renting the Sunnyside apartment in 1982 while working as a campaign manager for his father’s run for governor… After his father became governor in 1983, he worked as one of his aides, taking a salary of $1 a year.” How did the son of the then-governor pay his stabilized rent on that?

000

Reposted by Sam Schulz

The Verge @theverge.com · 16/10/2025

Trans rights and the internet itself are in a moment of crisis. What happens next? Our special series, The Future of Being Trans on the Internet, is now live in its entirety. You can check out each piece in our beautiful hub, or join us on a quick scroll 🧵

theverge.com

The future of being trans on the internet

The internet has long been a source of information and support for transgender people. Now, trans rights and the internet itself are in a moment of crisis. What happens next?

12405151

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

The Learn4Life charter school network enrolls 20k of CA's most vulnerable teens. But its stated mission of helping students succeed may be at odds with what teachers suggest it's best at: steering public money to an obscure nonprofit. I'll explain. 1/x www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/10/05/t...

sandiegouniontribune.com

‘This isn’t right’: Teachers question priorities, track record of Learn4Life charter schools

The network’s model has drawn criticism of its effectiveness, and some teachers described its schools as more focused on funding than on results.

132

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Emanuel Maiberg @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social · 06/10/2025

Got a tip recently about how Trump's tariffs are preventing libraries from sharing books, and causing their loaned books to get stuck or lost in other countries: www.404media.co/libraries-ca...

404media.co

Libraries Can’t Get Their Loaned Books Back Because of Trump’s Tariffs

Libraries have shared their collections internationally for decades. Trump’s tariffs are throwing that system into chaos and can ‘hinder academic progress.’

1255112

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 14/07/2025

As Trump's ban on trans people in the military took effect, we spoke with some San Diego-area members about their lives, plans and uncertainty, and whether they'll leave the service quietly. Most of them won't. As one Marine said: "Come and find me." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/13/s...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Stay or go? For some transgender San Diego sailors and Marines, Trump’s ban leaves one option: ‘Come and find me’

Some who spoke with The San Diego Union-Tribune wonder how their own military community will be impacted, especially if people leave the region once they’re forced out of the service.

120

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Who's ICE arresting in San Diego? Mainly people with no criminal records, our analysis found. "While 20% of arrests in April were of individuals without criminal convictions or charges, it rose to 62% in May and 76% in early June, according to the data." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/06/w...

sandiegouniontribune.com

What the data say about who ICE is arresting in San Diego

More than half the arrests locally this year were of people with no criminal record

041

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

This is exactly what the data in San Diego bear out, per @sandiegouniontribune.com reporting. "While 20% of arrests in April were of individuals without criminal convictions or charges, it rose to 62% in May and 76% in early June, according to the data." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/07/06/w...

sandiegouniontribune.com

What the data say about who ICE is arresting in San Diego

More than half the arrests locally this year were of people with no criminal record

817195

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

“Palestinians arriving at the sites say they are caught between Israeli & American fire, said the contractor who shared videos with the AP. ‘We have come here to get food for our families. We have nothing,’ he recounted Palestinians telling him. ‘Why do you shoot at us?’” apnews.com/article/pale...

apnews.com

US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza

American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Asso...

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

It’s true! As for the immigration stances of the candidates in the race that will decide which party controls San Diego County? Lucas Robinson recently dug into what they’ve said — and refused to say — about ICE, legal aid & more. Check it out: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/10/w...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Would Aguirre repeal sanctuary rule? What’s McCann’s stance on ICE? What a supervisor race could mean for immigrants

Here’s what the District 1 candidates say — and won’t say — about protests, ICE raids, a legal aid program for detained immigrants and more.

010

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Kristen Taketa investigated a small charter school network with huge executive pay—& cozy ties with its top vendor. The CEO quit 2 days after our story ran. But public records reveal how she & her predecessor built a lavish lifestyle running the network. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/22/e...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Elite charter schools CEO resigns just after Union-Tribune investigation

Records show just-departed CEO Meghan Freeman and founder Brent Woodard built a wealthy lifestyle while running the small charter school network.

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 21/06/2025

"For at least the part of the day that the religious leaders were inside courtrooms, there were no arrests outside. Pham and others said they witnessed ICE agents in the hallway as they entered the courtrooms, but said they then left." www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/20/f...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Faith leaders stand in solidarity with immigrants at San Diego federal building

San Diego Bishop-Designate Michael Pham called on the federal government to treat migrants with “kindness, compassion, dignity and respect.”

010

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

“Obviously, [the New York Times editorial board] decided they didn’t care enough about New York City to make an editorial endorsement, and then they show up with this wimpy, disingenuous editorial basically justifying why people should vote for someone corrupt in Andrew Cuomo.”

030

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

“If you go into coverage with the resources of the NYT looking for people to tell you there’s a problem, you’ll find a problem … & if you’re the NYT, more people will flock to you to ask you to tell that story — no matter how contorted the focus of your reporting becomes because of that.” Read this:

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

This essay by @juliaserano.bsky.social — on the parallels between the Covid “lab leak” theory & conspiracy theories about the origins of transness — is so, so, so smart & succinct & necessary. juliaserano.substack.com/p/what-covid...

juliaserano.substack.com

What Covid “Lab Leak” and “Rushing Kids into Transition” Have in Common

and more general thoughts about conspiracy theories and negativity bias

49829

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

If an 11,000-word story has a major, factual error in the fifth graf, it probably should be seen for the biased, hit-piece it is.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court delivered a new, crushing blow, upholding Tennessee's ban in a 6-to-3 decision. In allowing Tennessee to outlaw blockers and hormones, the court not only shielded similar laws on the books in some two dozen states. It effectively closed the door on extending new constitutional protections to trans people. Some advocates fear that Skrmetti could open the door to banning medical transition for adults and perhaps other health care that some conservatives oppose, like birth control or in vitro fertilization - even vaccines. The fate of a once-obscure medical treatment could have profound consequences for American law.

141573271

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Grossmont trustees regularly talked board business (& griped about perceived political enemies) in private messages, raising questions of open meetings law violations, per records Kristen Taketa & @jemmakstephenson.bsky.social obtained. Hell of a story: www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/13/g...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Grossmont school trustees regularly discussed board business in private texts and emails

The messages portray an insular political circle of select board trustees and administrators that has fought to maintain control of the district by strategizing against employees they regard as opp…

011

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria & local Jewish groups are backing away from the city’s Pride festival over headliner Kehlani’s remarks on Israel. Gloria also told the groups that SD Pride revised the singer’s contract to bar “engaging in political speech.” www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/06/06/g...

sandiegouniontribune.com

Gloria, Jewish groups back away from San Diego Pride over headliner Kehlani’s Gaza stance

In a letter to the groups, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria called the event’s headliner ‘disappointing’ and said organizers had revised the singer’s contract to bar them from &#…

000

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

A huge step from HHS that is at odds with science showing significant risks for young children and pregnant women — and that directly contradicts *the FDA's own publication* from last week listing pregnancy as a high-risk condition that would qualify people for this fall's Covid vaccine

A tweet from HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:

Today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from @CDCgov recommended immunization schedule. Bottom line: it's common sense and it's good science. We are now one step closer to realizing @POTUS's promise to Make America Healthy Again.

22547811758

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

“The subtext of this rhetoric is menacing. It suggests that the loyalty of noncitizens should be seen as inherently suspect—and that they should be seen … as a fifth column of potential spies and saboteurs, whose sleeper-cell progeny shouldn’t be given citizenship for the security of the republic.”

0102

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

“N.W.S. staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,” the NWS leaders write in the letter. “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.”

817970

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Nolan Hicks @ndhapple.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Just coming out and saying you want to put Harvard under a federal receivership because they made Bill de Blasio an adjunct puts the lie to all the other attacks they've made on higher ed in the last few months under the guise of combating anti-semitism.

914529

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

HIV prevention. Violence against pregnant women. Autism in children. Trump's funding cuts are halting research into these issues & more in San Diego. Kristen Taketa spoke with local scientists about their work & the cuts' impacts. Here're their stories. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/30/s...

sandiegouniontribune.com

In research-rich San Diego, Trump cuts hit studies of HIV, domestic violence and more

The Union-Tribune interviewed local researchers who have had funding cut or are at risk of losing funding. Here’s what they had to say.

011

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

The two strangers were 18 years & two times zones apart. But a persistent case of mistaken identity by police cost one man his job & landed the other in jail for 7 weeks. This from @kellylynndavis.bsky.social is a Kafkaesque nightmare, & a hell of a read. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/30/a...

sandiegouniontribune.com

A case of mistaken identity kept one man in a San Diego jail for 7 weeks, and cost the other his job

They’re 18 years and two time zones apart. But repeat mix-ups by law enforcement in San Diego County have had serious repercussions for both men.

032

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

Cuomo delayed vaccines to a mass-vax site for weeks at the height of COVID & threatened to have NYC health commish “arrested over his interpretation of which first responders were eligible for early vaccines & how those vaccines would be administered,” per Politico. www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

politico.com

Cuomo held up Citi Field mass vaccine site amid beef with de Blasio

The account, shared by nine people involved in New York’s pandemic response, conflicts with the image Cuomo cultivated as a steady leader in a time of tumult.

010

Reposted by Sam Schulz

gaby :) @gabydvj.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

wrote about the common denominator in all the stories of CBP arresting, deporting, and in one case allegedly torturing legal immigrants at airports: mass surveillance www.theverge.com/policy/63284...

theverge.com

The airport panopticon is getting people deported and detained

One lawyer called it a ‘feedback loop’ of surveillance.

417166

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

“The message, consistent and unrelenting, is that trans people are a threat to the nation. The subtext is that we are not of this nation.” Essential reading from @mashagessen.bsky.social here: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | There’s a Name for What Trump Is Doing to Trans People: Denationalizing

The message is that we are a threat to the nation. The subtext is that we are not of this nation.

000

Sam Schulz @sam-schulz.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

“Most of Trump's attacks mirror the Times' past news & opinion coverage on trans issues. The paper may not have explicitly called for restrictions on trans passports or for a trans military ban, but few … have done such an efficient job at laundering transphobia.” Spot-on @katelynburns.com critique:

000

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

The idea that there should be a public debate about the appropriate medical care for a minuscule population of children remains one of the most absurd lies that these liberal transphobes, NYT edit board included, tell themselves. No there shouldn’t! It’s not an appropriate matter for public debate!

It should be recognized that society is still grappling with the cultural and policy implications of the rapidly shifting understanding of gender. There are some issues - such as participation in sports and appropriate medical care for minors - that remain fiercely debated, even by those who broadly support trans rights. There should be room for those conversations. But what shouldn't be debated is whether the government should target a group of Americans to be stripped of their freedom and dignity to move through the world as they choose. This is a campaign in which cruelty and humiliation seem to be the fundamental point.

493283829

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

SCOOP: Cats that became infected with bird flu might have spread the virus to humans in the same household and vice versa, according to data that briefly appeared online in a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but then abruptly vanished. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/h...

nytimes.com

CDC Posts, Then Deletes, Data on Bird Flu Transmission Between Cats and People (Gift Article)

The data, which appeared fleetingly online on Wednesday, confirmed transmission in two households. Scientists called on the agency to release the full report.

16044022443

Reposted by Sam Schulz

Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 31/01/2025

One impact of the NSF freeze: They fund the small nonprofit, EarthScope, that manages seismic and GPS stations used worldwide to detect and warn of earthquakes and navigate autonomous vehicles. EarthScope can maybe make payroll this week. A prolonged freeze could see stations fail.

science.org

Earthquake warning system among projects threatened by NSF funding freeze

Small nonprofit that helps manage network could soon run out of money

321612884