Brian Mann
@brianmannadk.bsky.social
Journalist working for NPR. Live in NY's Adirondack Mountains. Often elsewhere.
The NYTimes published two articles in the last week suggesting Trump's Iran War echoes military blunders by past U.S. presidents. In fact no Democratic president has started a war since Vietnam. For 60 years this has been a GOP pattern. There's a good story here. It needs full context to be factual.
We live in a journalism culture where the most serious investigative work is increasingly defined by one outlet: the NY Times. Others get big stories, but the Times stands well apart. Question: Is this healthy? What would happen if the Times ownership began behaving more like WaPo, LATimes and CBS?
The population of American kids and teenagers fell between 3 and 6 percent in just 5 years (2020 to 2025) in every region of the US except the South. The South eked out 1 percent growth. Elderly population surging everywhere. www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...
Under Trump the US has hyper low birthrates AND hyper low immigration at the same time. This hasn't happened since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Also happening at a time when the population of young Americans was already plunging. My latest for NPR: www.npr.org/2026/06/27/n...
As Supreme Court expands Trump's immigration power, experts warn of steeper U.S. population decline
The U.S. population was already aging and tilting toward decline. After the Supreme Court confirmed Trump's power to deport hundreds of thousands of foreign migrants, population decline could accelera...
npr.org
I'm super comfortable with lots of reporting about the Mamdani wave of leftist politicians winning. But the stories should include some mention of policies actually being implemented that average Americans would consider edgy. Higher taxes for rich people and preK programs aren't communism...
Luigi Mangione's legal team is back in court in New York City this week for a key pretrial hearing. He's accused of stalking and killing an insurance CEO. Donors have given $1.5 million to support his defense. n.pr/4vhNtKW
As Luigi Mangione's lawyers head to court, support grows for the accused 'vigilante'
Luigi Mangione's legal team is back in court in New York City this week for a key pretrial hearing. He's accused of stalking and killing an insurance CEO. Donors have given $1.5 million to support his defense.
n.pr
My latest for NPR www.npr.org/2026/06/15/n...
As Luigi Mangione's lawyers head to court, support grows for the accused 'vigilante'
Luigi Mangione's legal team is back in court in New York City this week for a key pretrial hearing. He's accused of stalking and killing an insurance CEO. Donors have given $1.5 million to support his...
npr.org
NEWS: US Justice Dept OKs $111B Paramount/Warner Bros Discovery deal: "the transaction is not likely to to result in harm to competition or American consumer" would unite Paramount+, HBO, Paramount Pix, Warner Bros, CBS & CNN State AGs may sue My chat w Ailsa Chang Coming up on NPR 7.20p/4.20p
Zohran Mamdani has sometimes made an issue of political opponents mispronouncing his name. What's weird is how many of his allies (Gov Hochul, NYAG James...) do it. It's not that hard. MOM-donny is pretty close. So...what gives?
How often in my career as a journalist have I watched Democratic politicians claim they were fighting an existential campaign to save democracy and protect average Americans...only for it to turn out a significant amount of their energy was spent sexting or chasing women who were not their wives.
Just in: State officials in New York say the Salmon River district's special education program confined young children with disabilities in wooden boxes. Parents weren't notified.
Native kids with disabilities were held in wooden boxes. Sweeping reforms are coming
State officials in New York say the Salmon River district's special education program confined young children with disabilities in wooden boxes. Parents weren't notified.
n.pr
State officials in New York say the Salmon River district's special education program confined young children with disabilities in wooden boxes. Parents weren't notified. n.pr/4nrDVto
Native kids with disabilities were held in wooden boxes. Sweeping reforms are coming
State officials in New York say the Salmon River district's special education program confined young children with disabilities in wooden boxes. Parents weren't notified.
n.pr
My latest for NPR www.npr.org/2026/05/14/n...
Native kids with disabilities were held in wooden boxes. Sweeping reforms are coming
State officials in New York say the Salmon River district's special education program confined young children with disabilities in wooden boxes. Parents weren't notified.
npr.org
The core inadequacy of the American journalistic narrative about Trump: News media produce separate, strong treatments of incompetence, ethical malfeasance, lies, attacks on democratic norms and policy blunders, while almost never giving audiences a factual account of how these stories fit together.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a farm community in Italy for people with addiction is a model for wellness camps designed to ease the U.S. overdose crisis. Critics say the idea is dangerous.
RFK Jr. talked about 'reparenting' kids on wellness farms. We visit one that inspired him
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a farm community in Italy for people with addiction is a model for wellness camps designed to ease the U.S. overdose crisis. Critics say the idea is dangerous.
n.pr
Thresd: This reporting suggests that by prescribing suboxone for prison inmates *already addicted to opioids* corrections officials are addicting them to a drug and performing an experiment on inmates. In fact... 1/ Ihttps://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/pennsylvania-prisons-suboxone-use/
Is suboxone the answer? The $36M addiction treatment of choice in Pennsylvania prisons is raising questions.
Pennsylvania prisons now give suboxone to thousands of inmates, with thousands more on the waiting list.
cbsnews.com
Important reporting about NY's deeply troubled prison system. Will be interesting to see if this becomes an issue in Hochul’s bid for another term as governor. From @ncprnews.bsky.social www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
Prison guards and inmates say New York's correctional system is broken
Both guards and inmates are pleading with the state to fix what they say is a broken system.
northcountrypublicradio.org
My latest for NPR www.npr.org/2026/04/29/n...
RFK Jr. talked about 'reparenting' kids on wellness farms. We visit one that inspired him
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a farm community in Italy for people with addiction is a model for wellness camps designed to ease the U.S. overdose crisis. Crit...
npr.org
Join us on May 12 to hear @brianmannadk.bsky.social, @annezinkmd.bsky.social and @nabarund.bsky.social share insights on using data and telling stories to forefront the real people and lives affected by the opioid crisis. More symposium info here: oida-resources.jhu.edu/oida-nationa...
The Opioid Industry Documents Archive: National Symposium 2026 | OIDA Resources
oida-resources.jhu.edu
This is mostly for people who live in northern NY. Coming during my local public radio @ncprnews.bsky.social station's member drive, I want to point to this as the human storytelling that should earn your donation. Check it out and support. www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
North Country at Work: Meet the Lake George meter enforcer trying to be a "helpful busybody"
Lake George is one of the North Country's busiest summer hotspots. It means tourism dollars that drive the economy, and lots of money from parking tickets.
northcountrypublicradio.org
Will be interesting now to see if Stefanik weighs in. NY Republicans are backing Assemblyman Smullen, a retired Marine. Smullen says he'll stay on the ballot as a Conservative in November if he loses the GOP primary - which could make #ny21 even more viable for a Democratic run.
Brian Mann@brianmannadk.bsky.social · 4mo agoFrom @ncprnews.bsky.social - Trump weighs in on #ny21 Republican primary: www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
From @ncprnews.bsky.social - Trump weighs in on #ny21 Republican primary: www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/5...
Trump endorses Anthony Constantino in race to represent NY21
Trump wrote on Truth Social that, "Constantino has my Complete and Total Endorsement," to represent the North Country in Congress.
northcountrypublicradio.org
Stefanik's appearance on Tapper's CNN show State of the Union is worth a watch. She makes a strong case for her pivotal role pushing for changes in the university/higher education system. The most fascinating part is their exchange over Trump, Iran and Israel. www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK82...
Elise Stefanik Joins CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper
YouTube video by Elise Stefanik Official
youtube.com
Politico reporting about #ny21 being viewed as in play by Democrats... www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
New York Democrats are looking beyond the battleground districts
A spate of Democratic overperformances across the country have some eyeing deep-red seats in the Empire State.
politico.com
National Democrats' first true test during Trump 2.0 isn't the midterms in November. It's the primary in California in June. If in 2026 Democratic leaders can be outmaneuvered by Trump and the GOP...IN CALIFORNIA...
Went to a celebration of young people last night who've created something new and cool. They reminded me how powerful it is right now to be *doing* good things. Creating, partnering, collaborating. Voicing opinions is...fine. But if you're feeling heavy go find and help people doing positive things.
