Dan Keating

@dtkeating.bsky.social

Data reporter at Washington Post Signal @dkeatingDC.11 https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/dan-keating/

Autistic people and their loved ones have swiftly and publicly rejected statements by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, that people with autism will never play baseball, date, pay taxes or have a job.

RFK Jr. said autistic people don’t work or play sports. They say he’s wrong.

The health and human services secretary on Wednesday suggested that autistic children would never play baseball or pay taxes, enraging those in the community.

wapo.st

The United States is “heading for a self-induced, economic nuclear winter, and we should start hunkering down,” Bill Ackman, a hedge fund billionaire who endorsed Donald Trump’s 2024 candidacy, wrote on the social media site X on Sunday.

Bill Ackman, hedge fund billionaire and key Trump ally, slams tariffs

The Wall Street mogul warned of “economic nuclear winter” as the threat of an all-out trade war triggers a global market meltdown.

washingtonpost.com

As a candidate last year, Trump promised “to unleash the power of American innovation” to super-charge U.S. scientific research.
 He’s instead unleashed cuts and chaos, researchers and scientists warn. Our look at the abrupt changes — and the consequences. With @dtkeating.bsky.social

Trump promised scientific breakthroughs. Researchers say he’s breaking science.

NIH funding for biomedical research has abruptly fallen by billions of dollars, with many grant decisions on hold. Trump officials say they’re reviewing the agency.

washingtonpost.com

A federal lawsuit filed by a Social Security Administration chief of staff, until they were forced out in February, is the first in-depth public account from a high-ranking government executive of how Musk’s team is operating as it leads a downsizing of the federal government under President Trump.

Former Social Security official describes hostile takeover by Musk team

DOGE officials also put millions of taxpayers’ private data at risk and refused to say why they needed access to it, the official says.

washingtonpost.com

Elon Musk's businesses have received at least $38 billion in government funding, helping seed the growth that has made Musk the world’s richest person. From data reporters Emmanuel Martinez & @dtkeating.bsky.social and a great team: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...

Elon Musk’s business empire is built on $38 billion in government funding

Government infusions at key moments helped Tesla and SpaceX flourish, boosting Musk’s wealth.

washingtonpost.com

As a hard-news journalist at The Washington Post, there's no shortage of important news to cover. I will keep digging in. As I've stated before: Nothing changes. We ask hard questions and hold those in power to account. That's the job, whether those in power like it or not.

My colleagues and I have been working to break news + write stories holding powerful people accountable. These are the top stories on our homepage right now, one of which I worked on. Our newsroom work is continuing. No one has ever told me what to write. If that changes, I’d speak out and leave.

BildBild

Massive encroachment by Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section - makes clear dissenting views will not be published I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know

Bild

Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service claimed this week to have saved an estimated $55 billion through a combination of layoffs, canceled contracts, lease renegotiations and other actions. But a list that it posted of contracts and leases suggests that number is inflated.

Musk’s DOGE says it has saved $55 billion. Not so fast.

A Washington Post analysis found that hundreds of the canceled contracts DOGE listed represent savings of $0 each.

wapo.st

The DOGE site initially listed the original version of a contract from FPDS with a higher $8 billion amount, when the more updated version showed only $8 million. They updated it. But we found 80 other instances of DOGE linking to earlier modified versions when newer versions exist. wapo.st/3DcnJcP

BildBild