Robin Martin
@martinrca.bsky.social
Researcher by day, world traveller, trekker, runner for life. Staying curious and striving to be fearless.
My mom would have had to update her voter registration and prove her citizenship 8 times under the SAVE Act, counting all her moves and name changes. That's just one tiny part of Trump's project to make govt exhausting, punitive and (for him) profitable. My latest www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-is-m...
Trump Is Making Government Worse on Purpose
Instead of seeking to simplify and improve citizens’ lives, this administration keeps creating new obstacles and burdens.
thebulwark.com
The people who falsely accused an Olympian of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool are the same people telling you to trust them about the war with Iran
“…Iran is set to receive the first shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missiles (MANPADS), including QW-12 and FN-16 systems, in a deal worth $60-70 million…”
Aaron Parnas@aaronparnas.bsky.social · 4d agoNEWS: Trump allies blast Administration over court embarrassment--"A Monkey having intimate relations with a football." Epstein survivor drops major news about Blanche meeting and urges DOJ to prosecute several names. Iran war rapidly expands. Russia provides intel to Iran. China provides weapons.
How is Ken Paxton able to own at least 15 real estate properties worth around $9 million—including a $1 million property in Hawaii with an ocean view—on his government salary of $153,000 per year? Explain it to me like I’m five.
Kentucky’s largest recipient of state funds under Gov. Andy Beshear’s Medicaid policy was Addiction Recovery Care. Amid an ongoing FBI investigation, the company recently reached a $16 million settlement with the DOJ over fraud allegations. w/ @kentucky.com
Andy Beshear Set Out to Make Drug Treatment Widely Available in Kentucky. Fraud and Abuse Followed.
In 2020 as Kentucky faced a spike of deadly overdoses, Gov. Andy Beshear set out to help more people access drug treatment by loosening Medicaid spending controls. But as the costs piled up, so did th...
propublica.org
"The bill would effectively cap IRAs and 401(k)s at $10 million, a sum far beyond the basic retirement needs of most Americans." Could lower taxes on working Americans or afford more public services. www.usatoday.com/story/money/...
Breaking News: Water supplies in at least seven U.S. states were targeted by cyberattacks that officials say appear to be the work of Iran.
Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran
Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.
nyti.ms
This week hackers penetrated critical infrastructure in 7 US states. Rather than developing a plan to mitigate and counter Trump blamed.....Tim Walz? It's a searing sign of how vulnerable US has become under Trump & why we must fight now for a better path 👇 www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/trumps-ter...
Trump's Terrible Presidency Is Leaving America Weaker, More Vulnerable Now. Democrats Must Step Up And Aggressively Fight For A New And Better Way
Trump's global wrecking ball is leaving the world, and America, far less safe. We cannot wait until next year to force a course correction......
hopiumchronicles.com
The Trump administration has granted more than 180 polluting facilities nationwide a two-year pause on compliance with Clean Air Act rules. All they had to do was send an email. (Published May)
Trump Exempted Some of the Nation’s Biggest Polluters From Air Quality Rules. All It Took Was an Email.
In an unprecedented move, the administration has granted industrial facilities in 38 states and Puerto Rico a two-year reprieve from federal rules under the Clean Air Act. The president is considering...
propublica.org
I worry that most cynical among us, hopped up on 30 years of law and order rhetoric, will say "this is the system working: he didn't do anything wrong and now he's free." As if the terror and wide-scale publicity of an arrest and federal prosecution is not a horrible punishment in and of itself.
CNN@cnn.com · 5d agoThe Justice Department is admitting that a $14 million renovation on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, was flawed, and is dropping the criminal case against a former Olympian that accused him of damaging the pool, according to a new court filing. https://cnn.it/3RJJnwj
After a privately funded border wall in South Texas faced legal issues and claims of shoddy construction, President Donald Trump denounced the project. His administration has handed the company behind it billions to build more of the wall. (Pub. May w/ Big Bend Sentinel & @texastribune.org)
The Trump Administration Is Facing Scrutiny for How It’s Handing Out Billion-Dollar Border Wall Contracts
A new lawsuit alleges the Trump administration awarded the bulk of new Texas border wall contracts to two firms without “genuine competitive opportunities.” One of the chosen firms has faced legal iss...
propublica.org
“…77% of home listings are out of reach for middle-income earners. Rents have also risen faster than incomes, meaning they pay more than a third of their income for housing.”
NPR@npr.org · 6d agoHousing has long been the largest source of wealth for middle income families. But many renters cannot afford to buy as housing prices soar, which could fuel a generational divide. n.pr/4biEL77
Last year the VA abruptly ended the only low-interest rate, loan modification option for thousands of vets who are behind on their mortgages. If you're a veteran who's been struggling because of this, we want to hear your story.
Are you a veteran pushed into a higher-cost VA loan, or at risk of foreclosure?
Last year the VA abruptly ended the only low-interest, affordable loan modification option for thousands of vets who are behind on their mortgages. If you're a veteran who's been struggling because of this, we want to hear your story.
n.pr
Three days and three Russian drone attacks on Romania. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
Ukraine war latest: Putin preparing to bring 30,000 North Korean troops into battle
Ukraine's Air Force says Russia targeting Kyiv with ballistic missiles on Sunday
independent.co.uk
Trump isn’t just pushing AI data centers, he’s invested in them. Financial disclosure records show he personally owns millions of dollars in companies tied to the data center industry, including operators, hardware suppliers, and power and cooling infrastructure. It doesn’t stop there… 1/2
The New York Times reported Monday that dozens of U.S. service members were injured in three Iranian strikes last week that weren’t publicly disclosed by the Pentagon.
Pentagon Denies Hiding Injury Stats—After Report Dozens Were Hurt In Undisclosed Iran Strikes
The New York Times reported Monday that dozens of U.S. service members were injured in three Iranian strikes last week that weren’t publicly disclosed by the Pentagon.
forbes.com
NEW: @maxblau.bsky.social spent a year reporting on abuses of farmworkers. It left him wondering: Is there any way to find out whether the produce he buys at the grocery store comes from farms with a record of mistreating workers?
Do My Grocery Store Blueberries Come From Farms Where Workers Were Harmed?
Max Blau spent a year reporting on abuses of farmworkers. It left him wondering: Is the produce he buys at the grocery store part of the problem?
projects.propublica.org
NEW: President Trump’s brokers have made 29 trades of private prison stocks since he returned to office. The trades total between $281,029 and $990,000, split between two companies that have benefited massively from Trump administration policy: GEO Group and CoreCivic.
Trump has made 29 private prison stock trades since taking office - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington
Trump’s brokers have made 29 trades of private prison stocks since he returned to office, with the first purchases early in his second term.
citizensforethics.org
“Rising Costs, New Tariffs, Slower Job Growth, Fewer Benefits - …renewed war has caused Brent crude to hit $90 a barrel, gas prices to hit $4 a gallon again. Trump could have allowed his tariffs to expire, lowing prices for Americans. Instead he chose to levy new tariffs, keeping prices high.”
Simon Rosenberg@simonwdc.bsky.social · 2w ago2 months before voting begins an addled, desperate and flailing Trump is raising gas prices, levying new tariffs, losing his war, and ensuring millions lose benefits and care. No one has deserved to lose an election more......👇 www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/2-months-b...
“Maybe it’s an extraordinary coincidence that the government gutted its capacity to monitor and prevent foodborne illness, and then a year later the US experienced a titanic cyclosporiasis outbreak. But probably not.”
Noah Berlatsky@nberlat.bsky.social · 2w ago"Donald Trump is the face of hate. He is the face of war. He is the face of a pandemic. And now he is the orange, sagging face of explosive diarrhea." me at PN: www.publicnotice.co/p/cyclospori...
Fix this, and a lot of problems get fixed with it. fortune.com/2026/07/20/m...
The minimum wage is now the lowest it’s been in 70 years—making the federal wage floor ‘officially a poverty wage,’ report finds | Fortune
“We are currently in the longest period of inaction on the federal minimum wage since its inception in 1938,” economist Sylvia Allegretto wrote in a recent report.
fortune.com
Oh how the cultists used to cheer at his campaign rallies when he said this.
Crude Oil has 43 days of supply left in the U.S. — the lowest inventory in 45 years @barchart.com ⛽️
Authorities say ICE shot and killed a person this morning in Maine. www.wmtw.com/article/signific...
Person killed in shooting involving ICE in Biddeford, official says
Police closed part of busy Pool Street in Biddeford on Monday morning and there was a significant police presence.
wmtw.com
The Bureau of Land Management is rewriting rules for ranching on public lands to allow more livestock grazing in the West. Overgrazing has degraded public lands, and the overhaul would expand the practice, rangeland experts say. w/ @highcountrynews.org
The First Major Overhaul of Public Lands Grazing Regulations in a Generation Looks to Cut Out Public Involvement
For the first time since 1995, the Bureau of Land Management is rewriting its grazing regulations. The new rule, which governs ranching across 155 million acres of public lands in the West, would heav...
propublica.org
Good to re-read this classic on this day of Graham’s passing (gift article). www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
History Will Judge the Complicit
Why have Republican leaders abandoned their principles in support of an immoral and dangerous president?
theatlantic.com
The U.S. is just a few dozen measles cases away from exceeding the number of cases recorded in 2025.
U.S. Measles Cases Reach Over 2,200—Nearly Totaling All Measles Cases Recorded In 2025
The U.S. is just a few dozen measles cases away from exceeding the number of cases recorded in 2025.
forbes.com
Xbox is cutting 4,800 jobs. 20% of the entire division. Microsoft's excuse? "AI is changing work." Their spending? $176 billion on buybacks. Tax breaks? $12.5 billion last year. Please don't tell me this is about technology. It's about profits. Nothing trickles down.
