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spenlow.bsky.social

@spenlow.bsky.social
737 followers 536 following 4.2K posts

Retired journalist

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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Many people in Boston may not be aware that the city’s Public Garden is home to several redwood trees. These Dawn Redwoods are smaller than their California cousins, but still striking.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
What's so striking about this catastrophic Trump term is that so much of the damage is intentional. Yes, they are utterly incompetent, but they behave like hooligan teens breaking into a school after hours and trashing it. Except unlike kids these are grownups and they are also stealing our money.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Your tax dollars at work. A Trump 2024 Campaign Ad Returns, Now Brought to You by the Government www.nytimes.com/2026/09/27/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s 2024 ‘Final Battle’ Ad Returns, Funded by Public Money
The ad, which ethics experts said could violate federal law, shows Mr. Trump vowing to “expel the warmongers” from the government and fight the “deep state,” even as he wages a war with Iran.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Looking forward to the day when the United States once again stands fully in support of #Ukraine.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Nice Commonwealth Mag piece by Mass transportation expert/advocate @jimaloisi.bsky.social about the irresponsible idea advocated by Governor Maura Healey and her GOP opponent to suspend the state gas tax. commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/susp...
commonwealthbeacon.org
Suspending the gas tax would be a shortsighted election year stunt
The state gas tax is the price we pay to ensure that we have safe and reliable ways to get where we need to go, with sufficient funding to build, operate, and maintain the essential transportation inf...
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As usual, James Bouie is spot on: "If A.I. promises to transform the entire society, then the entire society is entitled to have a say, even a decisive one, over the use, development and direction of the technology."
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Railroads Were Once the Octopus That A.I. Is Now
New matrix, meet the old matrix.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
OK, now comrades Trump and Vance can return to the campaign trail to deliver the message that Democrats are communists. Trump-Xi Summit Ends With Tea and Tour but Little Visible Policy Progress www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
nytimes.com
Trump-Xi Summit Ends With Tea and Tour but Little Visible Policy Progress
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Mass Governor Maura Healey's administration has made it more difficult for unemployed people to get benefits, and for the workers. Another example of poor leadership from a supposedly progressive governor. commonwealthbeacon.org/government/m...
commonwealthbeacon.org
Mass. unemployment agency ‘mismanaged’ call center performance, ‘failed’ to quickly pay claimants, auditor concludes
The auditor’s report unveils how even before the agency was thrust into turmoil with record-breaking poor performance during a time of a relatively stable job market, out-of-work Massachusetts residen...
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Would any of us be surprised by this news story: Fresh from his meeting with Chinese president Xi, President Trump announced today that he plans to construct a Trump Great Wall of America around the White House. Trump said the gold wall is necessary for national security. “It will be fabulous.”
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Reposted by @spenlow.bsky.social
Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Stupid. Pandering. Self-destructive. The #mapoli governor who thinks disinvesting is the answer to the spike in gas prices. Suspend the gas tax, make it easier to drive more, is neither sustainable nor sensible. www.nbcboston.com/news/local/g...
nbcboston.com
‘We're in a crisis': Gov. Healey filing legislation to suspend Mass. gas tax
Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday she is filing legislation to suspend the Massachusetts gas tax for two months, cutting the price of gasoline by 24 cents a gallon.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So the media is showing some backbone at last, right? Then why are so many outlets showing Trump's UN speech? So discouraging to see the free press bow to our child king, again and again.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The proper headline for this story is "George W. Bush, once a Trump foe, allies with him by working to keep Senate Red." In case anyone ever thought George Bush put country before party, this proves otherwise. What a jerk.
nytimes.com
George W. Bush and Cornyn Leave Out Paxton as They Raise Cash for Senate Candidates
The former president and Texas senator are headlining a fund-raiser in Dallas for top Republican Senate candidates. Not included: Ken Paxton, the nominee in their own state.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thank you, EU, for standing with Ukraine and for democracy at a time our country is doing neither.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It seems hard to sugarcoat just how disastrous the Panasonic-Warner merger is. I wish there was a silver lining, but I can’t think of one. This is a big victory for the far right and a huge loss for the rest of the country.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Will there be a bunker underneath?
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Wishing Robert Kraft and others in the Israel-right-or-wrong crowd in the US would read this great column by @michellegoldberg.bsky.social on the new documentary about Israel's atrocities against #Palestinians. Why Israel Fears This Searing New Documentary www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why Israel Fears This Searing New Documentary
It’s hard to tell whether Israelis are enraged by “NAZA” because they think it’s full of lies, or because they know or fear it’s true.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Meanwhile, can the world start focusing again on helping Ukraine.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Really, an AI bot could be easily programmed to write Bret Stephens' columns. Pretend you think Trump is awful, then find a way to agree with his idiocy. Trump May Not Be Entirely Wrong About A.I. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump May Not Be Entirely Wrong About A.I.
Has A.I. become death, destroyer of worlds?
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NPR’s Morning Edition today featured an interview with Steve Bannon. Why is NPR giving free air time to this nutcake? Yes, Bannon differs from Trump on AI regulation, but so do many others left and right who don’t happen to be convicted felons and far right agitators.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
So Mark, sorry but trusting META to do the right thing re: AI safety doesn’t really seem like a good idea.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Truly could be Warsaw in 1942.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Why do Republicans hate the environment? This is a serious question. I mean, isn't clear air and water, a healthy climate, protected species, something everyone would value? I honestly don't get it.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I keep wondering - why is Donald Trump so deathly afraid of Democrats retaking Congress that he is pulling out all the stops to undermine the mid-term. And I don't think it's going out on a limb to say: the Epstein Files.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Critics have rightly highlighted how #JD Vance's crank plan would hurt single mothers and undermine child care. But really, not enough is being said about how it is a direct frontal assault on the very idea of women in the workforce. It's shockingly radical and needs to be covered that way.
nytimes.com
Opinion | JD Vance Doesn’t Want to Help Married Parents. He Wants to Hurt Single Mothers.
Redistributing money from single working parents to married ones is not a pro-family policy.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
It's a bit funny that Trump seems more dead set against regulating AI than Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, and Elon Musk.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Still wonder about use of the term “arrest” when it comes to ICE seizing immigrants. I mean, even if they are undocumented, that’s really a civil offense, and “arrest” connotes someone suspected of committing a crime.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Cant get enough of these resistance stories, The media needs to really foreground them.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Will we ever hear a statement from AIPAC condemning the settler violence on the West Bank? Yeah, I know, dumb question.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Kudos to Katharine Q. Seely for this wonderful obituary of Gloria Steinhem. The opening paragraph is truly a masterpiece. Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/u...
nytimes.com
Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Feminist Movement, Dies at 92
She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is what a substantive, thoughtful answer from a lawmaker with a serious interest in real policy sounds like.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Really, could any foreign enemy come close to wreaking as much havoc on the US military than Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump? Trump Administration Live Updates: Army Secretary Resigns After Ouster of Leaders www.nytimes.com/live/2026/08...
nytimes.com
Trump Live Updates: Army Secretary Resigns and Supreme Court Allows Ballroom Construction
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Kudos to #Edgar B. Herwick, III, host of GBH radio's Curiosity Desk in Boston, for featuring in one show great segments on threat to the coffee industry from global climate change, and the depletion of soft shell clams off New England, possibly due to predator green crabs. Public radio at its best.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Can we agree that an absolute litmus test for any Dems running for President in 2028 is that they pledge to demolish the Trump ballroom within hours of taking office?
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Find it fascinating that Sam Altman continues to post on Elon Musk's website after the two just fought it out in court like hissing vipers. x.com/sama
x.com
Sam Altman (@sama) on X
The mission of OpenAI to ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I want to join Canada
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Perfect
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Really can’t summon the words to adequately condemn Google leaders for rushing to switch #Lake Ontario to Lake America on Google Maps. Really guys, was it necessary to join hands with Trump in this infantile stunt to insult Canada for not obeying his demands?
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Oddly, Joe Biden’s popularity began to fall after the messy US pullout from Afghanistan (and hysterical media coverage of it) but ironically pulling the plug on that forever war in time may be seen as one of his most enduring accomplishments.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Thanks to these forward-looking transportation experts for pointing to an issue we need to address soon... www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/...
wbur.org
With more fuel-efficient cars and EVs on the road, we need to rethink how we tax auto travel
“Electric vehicle owners create a real problem for transportation finance,” write Christopher Knittel and Gilbert E. Metcalf. “Because they do not buy gasoline, they do not pay gasoline taxes, which h...
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Kudos to @karenhao.bluesky.social for this outstanding book. An awesome feat of reporting, it takes you inside OpenAI to the point you feel you are a literal fly on the wall. Also tells the larger story of how AI has become a vast engine of wealth and power for a small few. And just great reading!
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
It's been a week and I am no closer to understanding this story. Clan someone smarter than me explain why Jeffries decided to hold a secret with Trump's slimy relative? Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/u...
nytimes.com
Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly
President Trump’s son-in-law and the man in line to be speaker of a Democratic-led House discussed how Democrats and the administration could work together.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Maybe time for a switch to touch football? Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/u...
nytimes.com
Study’s Alarming Finding: At Least 1 in 4 N.F.L. Players Gets Brain Disease
The actual prevalence, researchers said, may be much higher.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
So governor, maybe democracy is worth saving, right? Wyoming Governor Objects to ‘Very Odd’ D.O.J. Election Monitoring www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/u...
nytimes.com
Wyoming Governor Objects to ‘Very Odd’ D.O.J. Election Monitoring
Governor Mark Gordon, a Republican, said he was concerned by the behavior of election observers who visited a polling station in Cheyenne.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This administration would dig up the Garden of Eden
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
So, gee, the illegal invasion of Venezuela wasn't actually about Maduro. We are all shocked, shocked, to hear it was all about stealing their oil.
apnews.com
What we know about Trump's deal giving US access to vast oil reserves in Venezuela
There's a lot that's not immediately clear about President Donald Trump's deal giving the United States a stake in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Wait, is this lunatic still in charge of the FBI?
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
"Some of the payment would be withheld unless all states joined and other social media companies also settled." In other words, a lot of this may not happen since there's no guarantee other companies will settle. So isn't it premature to celebrate?
nytimes.com
How Meta’s $17.1 Billion Social Media Settlement Came Together
State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.
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Reposted by @spenlow.bsky.social
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Not one word here about how it’s a deal at gunpoint, how kidnapping Maduro was illegal, how this is inevitably corrupt, not one word from a critic, or an environmentalist. Three reporters who should be embarrassed. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Says U.S. Has Deal for Control of Large Share of Venezuela’s Oil
The president said an agreement between the countries involved “a partnership with private business” and more than 65 billion barrels of reserves.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Beyond words. Under Trump, Protected Wild Horses Are Going to Slaughter www.nytimes.com/2026/08/20/u...
nytimes.com
Under Trump, Protected Wild Horses Are Going to Slaughter
A legal loophole allows the government to sell mustangs on the cheap, stripping them of protections and clearing their path to destruction.
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spenlow.bsky.social @spenlow.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
So hard to find words to adequately capture the utter stinking mess of the Trump administration, but this is impressive.
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