News continues to flow at breakneck speed and independent newsrooms continue to reveal and analyze what’s happening around the world. Highlights for us this week were @ProPublica's exposé on DOGE’s potential impact on social security, @KnowableMag's explainer on pregnancy at altitude, and a lovely interview by @thecontinent of the beloved Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed. Please check out these stories and all the others in this thread, comment, like, follow their accounts and give them your money. ⤵️
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Leaked audio from a staff meeting at the U.S. Social Security Administration suggests the agency may be in peril. Acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek, a career civil servant who was promoted to his current position by the Trump administration, told others at a closed-door meeting: “Are we going to break something?” referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” Here's more from @ProPublica.
www.propublica.org/...
If the first thing you do in the morning is check your phone and the second is wonder aloud, “What fresh hell is this?” trust us, you’re not alone. @damemagazine discusses the overwhelming fear Americans (and others) are experiencing right now, and how to mitigate it.
#Psychology #Fear #MentalHealth #USPolitics #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
Last week, Aix Marseille University in France offered funding to American scientists who feel like their work is being censored. It’s already seeing great interest from researchers at NASA, Yale and Stanford, and the program may extend through more universities across Europe. “We are witnessing a new brain drain,” Éric Berton, Aix Marseille University’s president, said in a press release. Here’s more from @emanuelmaiberg for @404mediaco
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Speaking of drained brains and France, here’s a gentle reminder from our @CultureDesk of why America doesn’t actually have a Champagne business.
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@gbhnews has a new podcast series, “Scratch & Win,” which is about the rise of America’s most successful lottery. Expect tales of organized crime, the FBI, and U.S. politics — just another day in America, in other words.
#Podcast #Massachusetts #Boston #Gambling #Lottery #Documentary #News #Media #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
School vouchers sure are good for someone — but it’s not necessarily kids. Here’s @TexasObserver on how in the Lone Star state, the push for school choice could provide a huge payday for private contractors. These certified educational assistance organizations (CEAO) will act as middlemen between the state, parents and private schools — for a fee, of course.
#SchoolChoice #SchoolVouchers #Education #Texas #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday
