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Sam Gustin

@samgustin.com
423 followers 641 following 37 posts

Reporter and editor. Biz, tech, policy. Bylines @ TNR, The Nation, Vice, Time, Wired. samgustin.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 01/08/2026
@cdirksen.bsky.social holy shit
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 14/04/2026
GovExec: Trump’s federal workforce changes cost the economy more than $165.6B, analysis finds www.govexec.com/workforce/20...
govexec.com
Trump’s federal workforce changes cost the economy more than $165.6B, analysis finds
The Partnership for Public Service report includes the costs of the deferred resignation program, severance pay for laid-off civil servants and federal employees who were on paid administrative leave ...
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 01/04/2026
Shocker: Trump is delivering a giant gift to the crypto industry. trib.al/3BRjOkv By making volatile crypto products widely available to millions of Americans via their 401(k)s, Trump is delivering a desperately needed bailout to a battered industry in which he happens to be a major investor.
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 31/03/2026
Trump has spent much of his second term using the U.S. presidency as a giant ATM for himself, his family, and his cronies. Now he’s devised a way for the cryptocurrency and private equity industries to do the same. trib.al/cPlmGK0
trib.al
Trump’s New Gift to Crypto and Private Equity: Access to Your 401(k)
The president wants to open up workers’ retirement plans to his pet industries, so that he and those industries can reap a windfall while Americans shoulder the risk.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 31/03/2026
Trump’s New Gift to Crypto and Private Equity: Access to Your 401(k) newrepublic.com/article/2083... via @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com
Trump’s New Gift to Crypto and Private Equity: Access to Your 401(k)
The president wants to open up workers’ retirement plans to his pet industries, so that he and those industries can reap a windfall while Americans shoulder the risk.
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The Nation Magazine @thenation.com · 22/12/2025
In the 60 Minutes controversy, Weiss is likely doing what she always does: producing a line of propaganda masquerading as news coverage that serves the interest of her patrons–in this case, David Ellison, whose interests are served by protecting Donald Trump. bit.ly/45bGW9m
bit.ly
Bari Weiss's Counter-Journalistic Crusade Targets “60 Minutes”
The new editor in chief at CBS News has shown she's not merely stupendously unqualified--she's ideologically opposed to the practice of good journalism.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 18/09/2025
Trump’s FCC chief Brendan Carr has weaponized the agency to intimidate news organizations and media companies by threatening their broadcast licenses. @thenation.com (from June) www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Trump’s FCC Chief Brendan Carr Is Acting More Like a Mob Enforcer Than a Federal Regulator
With a new GOP majority, the incoming FCC boss aims to punish criticism, reward obedience—and screw the public.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 01/08/2025
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public @thenation.com [from March] www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public
The president and his GOP cronies want to tamper with government statistics and use deceptive budget gimmicks to lie about the impact of their massive tax and budget cuts.
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Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
I write in @thenation.com that Paramount’s recent settlement with Trump is a symptom of deep structural rot in our hyper-capitalistic media system. I argue that we should be thinking now about the structural media reforms we need for the post-Trump era as we rebuild journalism from the ground up.
thenation.com
The Media’s Profits Trump Democracy, Once Again
Paramount’s settlement with Trump is a symptom of deep structural rot in our corporate media system.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 25/06/2025
Trump’s FCC Chief Brendan Carr Is Acting More Like a Mob Enforcer Than a Federal Regulator @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Trump’s FCC Chief Brendan Carr Is Acting More Like a Mob Enforcer Than a Federal Regulator
With a new GOP majority, the incoming FCC boss aims to punish criticism, reward obedience—and screw the public.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 27/03/2025
Robert McChesney, the Great Champion of Journalism and Democracy, Has Died. Tribute from @nicholsuprising.bsky.social www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Robert McChesney, the Great Champion of Journalism and Democracy, Has Died
The academic and activist inspired generations of people to challenge corporate power and support a media reform movement that lives on.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 24/03/2025
congestion pricing is one of the most comprehensively successful policies NYC has ever seen, so of course all the worst people want to get rid of it
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Fodder for novels about our times: 1) Trump Commerce Sec H Lutnick says people won't really notice if SocSec misses a payment cycle: www.axios.com/2025/03/21/s... 2) Lutnick just bought house in DC for $25 million, all cash 3) Seller: Bret Baier of Fox www.washingtonian.com/2024/12/20/b...
axios.com
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Jessica J. González @jgo4justice.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
As FCC chair, Brendan Carr has launched multiple attacks on freedom of the press. He’s demonstrated a clear pattern of supporting Trump’s authoritarian takeover by using his government perch to quash dissent. My latest piece dissects his seven most chilling attacks on free speech.
freepress.net
How FCC Chairman Carr Has Fueled Trump's Authoritarian Takeover
Carr has undermined free speech and press freedom as he carries out Trump’s promises of retribution for those who report critically on his actions.
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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
The Federal Reserve has significantly revised down expected growth for this year and meaningfully revised up expected inflation for this year. Trump’s chaotic and harmful approach to the economy is already showing up.
Federal Reserve table showing expected macroeconomic indicators
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 19/03/2025
budgetlab.yale.edu/news/250319/...
budgetlab.yale.edu
Illustrative Distributional Effects of Policies Consistent with the House Concurrent Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2025
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
DOJ is ditching a bunch of guidelines on how businesses can accommodate people with disabilities. It's supposedly about combating high prices.
justice.gov
Justice Department Announces Actions to Combat Cost-of-Living Crisis, Including Rescinding 11 Pieces of Guidance
The Justice Department today announced that it is taking action in response to President Trump’s Presidential Memorandum “Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost...
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 19/03/2025
Redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 19/03/2025
www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public
The president and his GOP cronies want to tamper with government statistics and use deceptive budget gimmicks to lie about the impact of their massive tax and budget cuts.
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Trump's trade war will hit Trump voters hardest. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
nytimes.com
Trade War Retaliation Will Hit Trump Voters Hardest
Nearly 8 million Americans work in industries targeted by the levies and the majority are Trump voters, a New York Times analysis shows
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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Yale Budget is out w/ illustrative analysis of what following the House budget plan could look like - of what cutting Medicaid & SNAP while extending the Trump tax cuts could look like. It’d hurt the poor, be roughly neutral for the middle class, & help the rich. budgetlab.yale.edu/news/250319/...
Bar graph showing distributional analysis of the House budget resolution. The poor would be hurt while the rich would be helped.
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Ernie Tedeschi @ernietedeschi.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Important new work from my @budgetlab.bsky.social colleagues Harris Eppsteiner & John Ricco on the House budget resolution. Neutral illustrative policies consistent w/ committee deficit targets suggest the proposed tax + spending cuts are regressive: they benefit the top & hurt the bottom. 1/3
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 13/03/2025
Wrote about "current policy baseline" earlier this week. www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public
The president and his GOP cronies want to tamper with government statistics and use deceptive budget gimmicks to lie about the impact of their massive tax and budget cuts.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
A lot can happen in five months. 🇺🇸
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 11/03/2025
Trump and his GOP allies are plotting a massive budgetary gimmick designed to conceal the fact that their budget numbers don’t add up—and they know it. @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public
The president and his GOP cronies want to tamper with government statistics and use deceptive budget gimmicks to lie about the impact of their massive tax and budget cuts.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 11/03/2025
The Trump administration is looking for ways to obscure the true cost of its economic plans at a time when the US economy is already flashing warning signs of a recession. @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/econ...
thenation.com
How Trump Plans to Manipulate US Economic Data to Gaslight the Public
The president and his GOP cronies want to tamper with government statistics and use deceptive budget gimmicks to lie about the impact of their massive tax and budget cuts.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 09/03/2025
AP: Trump downplays business concerns about uncertainty from his tariffs and prospect of higher prices apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump downplays business concerns about uncertainty from his tariffs and prospect of higher prices
President Donald Trump is dismissing business concerns over the uncertainty caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of higher prices.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 08/03/2025
wapo.st/3Def9KV
wapo.st
Army Corps knew Trump order would waste California water, memo shows
The Army Corps colonel responsible for releasing reservoir water at Trump’s direction knew it wouldn’t reach Southern California as he promised, a memo obtained by The Post shows.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 08/03/2025
AP: US economic worries mount as Trump implements tariffs, cuts workforce and freezes spending apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
US economic worries mount as Trump implements tariffs, cuts workforce and freezes spending
President Donald Trump's flurry of tariffs, government layoffs and spending freezes may be doing more to harm the U.S. economy than to fix it.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 08/03/2025
Basically, a highly regressive consumption tax that would transfer huge amounts of wealth upward. Which I suppose is the point.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 07/03/2025
Trump and his Bitcoin-loving acolytes want to turn the government into their personal ATM. www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
Trump and His Crypto Cronies Have Big Plans. Be Afraid.
The incoming president and his Bitcoin-loving acolytes want to turn the government into their personal ATM.
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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
New op-ed from me: yes, House Republicans really are coming for your Medicaid and SNAP. In this piece, I explain why the Republicans who say, "oh, we're not actually going for Medicaid and SNAP" are bullshitting you. www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
msnbc.com
Opinion | The GOP’s budget plan makes it hard to conceal its lies about Medicaid and SNAP
House Republicans aim to use a procedure known as budget reconciliation, which allows the Senate to pass legislation with only 51 votes rather than the usual 60 required.
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Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
🧵 (1/4) Critics aren't the only ones that call this a gimmick. It simply is so. @bbkogan.bsky.social and Congressman Schweikert have it right; fiscal costs vanish. www.wsj.com/politics/rep... from @richardrubindc.bsky.social
wsj.com
GOP Wants $4 Trillion Tax Cut to Look Like Nothing
Republicans are mulling an aggressive move that critics call a blatant gimmick.
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Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
The DC press turns every story into a win or loss for the president. That's particularly nuts on a night like tonight when the House just voted to take food from millions of kids.
Wapo HP on house vote
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 25/02/2025
apnews.com/article/doge...
apnews.com
Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Musk's DOGE are expected to produce no savings
Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that President Donald Trump’s administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money,...
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
$DJT 10-k
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Seth D. Michaels @sethdmichaels.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
very good reporting here, at micro and macro level www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Trump's Medicaid cuts would leave millions without health care
The human cost will be brutal—unless a few Republicans develop spines.
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Helen Dickinson @hdicko.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
Important piece from @pamherd.bsky.social on what Trump's reforms mean for people with disability in public life open.substack.com/pub/donmoyni...
open.substack.com
Who is included in Trump's America?
In multiple ways, Trump is pushing people with disabilities out of public life
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 23/02/2025
CDAPress: Chaos erupts at legislative town hall in Coeur d'Alene cdapress.com/news/2025/fe...
cdapress.com
Chaos erupts at legislative town hall in Coeur d'Alene
Saturday’s Legislative Town Hall hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee turned volatile as some attendees voiced their concerns over House Bill 138 and other recent legislative ini...
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
El Capitan displays a massive American flag upside down—the traditional signal of distress or extreme emergency.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 20/02/2025
The end goal is to claim enough savings -- real or fabricated doesn't matter -- to fund the extension of Trump's 2017 tax cut, which was "skewed to the rich, expensive, and failed to deliver on Its promises." www.cbpp.org/research/fed...
cbpp.org
The 2017 Trump Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Policymakers and the public should understand that the 2017 Trump tax law was skewed to the rich, was expensive and eroded the U.S. revenue base, and failed to deliver promised economic benefits. A 20...
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 18/02/2025
Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities www.thenation.com/article/soci...
thenation.com
Donald Trump’s Next Diversity Target: People With Disabilities
The president’s disdain for disabled people—and obsession with genetic superiority—harks back to a grim past.
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Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Eliminating the ACA Medicaid Expansion Match Could: --Reduce Total Medicaid Spending by Up To $1.9 Trillion Over 10 Years -- End Coverage for 20 Million People www.kff.org/affordable-c...
kff.org
Eliminating the ACA Medicaid Expansion Match Could Reduce Total Medicaid Spending by Up To $1.9 Trillion Over 10 Years and End Coverage for 20 Million People  | KFF
A new KFF analysis finds that a congressional proposal to significantly cut federal spending on the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion could reduce total Medicaid spending by up to nearly one-fi...
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Ryan Geddie @ryangeddie.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
I just lost my job, along with most of my coworkers, due to the illegal grant freeze. I worked at an organization that -helped veterans who have lost a limb -Assisted elderly and disabled people -Helped hospitals better treat people who have lost limbs
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 01/02/2025
Trump saw Chinatown in 1974, and ever since he's been an expert in California water issues.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 31/01/2025
Paramount brass should watch The Insider again. Or maybe for the first time?
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 20/01/2025
The Nation: Trump’s Inauguration Revealed Whom He Really Serves: The Billionaires and the Crypto Bros www.thenation.com/article/poli...
thenation.com
Trump’s Inauguration Revealed Whom He Really Serves: The Billionaires and the Crypto Bros
In front of Trump stood a handful of CEOs whose combined wealth topped $1.2 trillion. They and the crypto scammers are the true beneficiaries of Trump’s second term.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 20/01/2025
Totally normal. NYT: Trump’s Cryptocurrency Surges to Become One of the World’s Most Valuable www.nytimes.com/2025/01/19/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Cryptocurrency Surges to Become One of the World’s Most Valuable (Gift Article)
The new business venture by the Trump family is generating intensifying criticism and ethics questions, even as it has turned into an overnight phenomenon, generating a windfall on paper.
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Sam Gustin @samgustin.com · 17/01/2025
AP: Bitcoin soars past $100,000 ahead of possible early action on crypto by Trump apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Bitcoin soars past $100,000 ahead of possible early action on crypto by Trump
The price of bitcoin topped $100,000 again early Friday as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry expects early action by Donald Trump when he’s sworn in as president next week.
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