Penelope Wang
@pennywriter.bsky.social
Freelance writer/editor. Focus: personal finance, consumer protection, preserving civilization. Priors: Consumer Reports, Money mag. You won't believe the dream I just had.
Spotlight on Fauci Said to Boost Book Sales for Kennedy and His Publisher www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
Spotlight on Fauci Said to Boost Book Sales for Kennedy and His Publisher (Gift Article)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his son, and Senator Rand Paul have all written books criticizing Dr. Anthony S. Fauci. All were published by a company led by a close Kennedy adviser.
nytimes.com
You mean you got taken by the guy who's entire existence is a scam who has never created anything ever and is only thought of a a genius because a style reporter from the WaPo said so? Weird. I cannot believe this is happening
The Associated Press@apnews.com · yesterdaySpaceX shares are down by half from their June peak as investors worry Musk may have oversold them on its future prospects.
This is an astounding loss for the US if it comes to fruition. One of the biggest strategic losses the US has ever endured—perhaps biggest?—and all from a war the US chose to start for no reason, illegally.
Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 3h agoIran and Oman have reportedly agreed that all ships transiting Hormuz have to go through an Iran-controlled corridor, and are finalizing tolls of 3, 5, or 7%. This would close off the path outside Iranian waters the US encouraged ships to use during the MOU, then started bombing again to keep open.
Not enough that he has defaced the earth, he now has to put a pockmark on the moon. This is supposed to be accomplishment? The moon has no atmosphere. That scar will be there forever. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
SpaceX rocket hours away from crashing into the moon in unintentional collision
Piece of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket weighing four tonnes will hit the lunar surface on Wednesday at 5,400 miles per hour
theguardian.com
Daaaamn. “AI is the asbestos we're shovelling into the walls of our technological society. Our descendants will spend generations digging it out again, and the longer the bubble goes on without popping, the longer it will take to repair the damage." www.thenerve.news/p/cory-docto...
Cory Doctorow: The people who tell you ‘AI is changing everything’ are lying
It has become impossible to tell managers mesmerised by artificial intelligence that the tools are not, in fact, helpful. So employees just play along with the fiction to keep their jobs, writes our t...
thenerve.news
Dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
Michael Sainato@msainato.bsky.social · 5h agoWorkers at TSA are facing a big privatization push by the Trump administration that would force thousands of federal workers to work for private contractors for lower pay, fewer benefits, and no union contract www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
President Donald Trump’s administration has detained more than 50 spouses and parents of U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families, an AP investigation has found. apnews.com/article/mili...
AP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents
An Associated Press investigation reveals that President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops.
apnews.com
This is a 1,600 bed facility, so it will instantly become one of ICE's largest facilities. It will also be one of (if not the actual) largest ICE jail/prison in the midwest.
Project Salt Box@projectsaltbox.com · yesterday🚨ICE has awarded CoreCivic $536.2 million to operate the Prairie Correction Facility in Appleton, Minnesota as an immigration jail. The period of performance begins August 11.
The only way to square the mainstream media's decades of handwringing and complaining about how dysfunctional NYC is and this WSJ story about how business elites have historically "called the shots" on how NYC is run is to conclude that business dingbats ruined NYC and this is how you fix it.
The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · 16h agoNew York City’s business elites are long accustomed to direct access to City Hall, where even Democratic mayors felt the need to court the city’s wealthiest and most influential corporate leaders. That access is getting shredded by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Lord Byron’s grandfather (Lovelace’s great-grandfather) was one of the few survivors of the Wager shipwreck. One of those history-could-have-turned-out-very-differently moments.
Jennifer Ouellette@jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 5h agoHow Ada Lovelace, Daughter of Lord Byron, Wrote the First Computer Program in 1842–a Century Before the First Computer www.openculture.com/2026/08/how-...
Children who provide care on their own to ailing family members are largely overlooked. And they lack access to supports available to adults. 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/05/m...
The U.S. Relies on Family Caregivers. Millions of Them Are Kids. (Gift Article)
The modern health care system requires the work of caregiving to fall to whoever else lives in a household — even if they’re kids.
nytimes.com
Richard Claremont (Australian Artist, born 1965) "Midnight Reset", 2026. Acrylic on Board, 30 × 30 cm. #art #painting #artist #BlueSkyArt
Such a compassionate gesture from the government. This is unimaginable in the U.S. 🎁 access
As France’s Elders Swelter in the Heat, Postal Workers Come to the Rescue
To help prevent heat-related deaths, the French government has asked postal workers to check in on older people.
nytimes.com
Update on this: Census Bureau announces delay in release of ACS to “later this year” due to Commerce Dept order. ACS data typically released in mid September.
Edwin Park@edwincpark.bsky.social · 6d agoThis has not received enough attention but a Commerce Dept order from June threatens the availability of Census data including the American Community Survey. So it may become a lot harder to understand health coverage trends. My colleague Aubrianna Osorio explains: ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/07/30/c...
Sixty-nine million American women changed their name when they married. The SAVE Act was written knowing exactly what that means for their paperwork. actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
Tell Your Senators: Protect our Democracy, Vote NO on the SAVE Act
Contact Congress today!
actionnetwork.org
Name one other product where anyone would suggest with a straight face that a decline in sales following a 58% price increase *isn't* due to the prices. kffhealthnews.org/medicaid/aca...
Kennedy, Oz Contend Fraud Crackdown, Not Skyrocketing Prices, Led Millions To Leave Obamacare - KFF Health News
Rising premiums forced many people in Affordable Care Act plans to give up their coverage. But the Trump administration claims a huge drop in enrollment is almost entirely due to its fraud crackdown.
kffhealthnews.org
NEW/EXCLUSIVE: Deutsche Bank failed to promptly report to US authorities more than $250M in suspicious transactions tied to Epstein, including funds used to pay women in Russia & other Eastern European countries, according to a new report from @wyden.senate.gov 🎁 🧵 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, BofA Enabled Epstein, Wyden Report Says
Democrat Ron Wyden cited nonpublic documents held by the US Treasury in a report that says banks delayed reporting suspicious financial transactions and calls for tougher anti-money-laundering rules, ...
bloomberg.com
The decision to install replicas out of concern for being “disrespectful” of the architect is interesting. Might have argued that it was the architect who had disrespected the objects by creating a space where they could not be displayed safely.
Very interesting story that could probably make a mini-series, with intersecting issues of aesthetics, authenticity, personalities and money www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/a...
Yes, the Show Has Drawn Raves. But Some of the Objects Are Not Real. (Gift Article)
When the New York Historical realized that sunlight in its new wing would potentially damage some items on display, it scrambled to reproduce or remove them.
nytimes.com
For the thousands of children who come to the US alone, a government lawyer is a lifeline. But the Trump administration won't pay the bills - so it can accelerate their deportation. Are Americans really okay with doing this to powerless children? Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
Immigrant Kids Deserve to Keep Their Lawyers
The Trump administration has jettisoned the way thousands of immigrant children receive legal help. On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services ended the contract with the Acacia Center for...
bloomberg.com
U.S. has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war: Reuters
U.S. has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war: Reuters
The U.S. Army has used up much of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its war with Iran, people familiar with the data told Reuters.
cnb.cx
Lax government oversight and a regulatory loophole allowed predatory for-profit trade schools to charge veterans exorbitant prices for sketchy classes, cheating them out of career training. (gift link) wapo.st/4pW9eOt
How predatory trade schools drained $300 million from the GI Bill and failed veterans
Trade schools fleeced VA — and taxpayers — of more than $300 million, often by teaching short and easy courses, a Post investigation finds.
wapo.st
#Shameful: The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and #ArlingtonCemetery. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
Park Service Finds Trump’s Arch Could Detract From Dozens of Historic Places (Gift Article)
The 250-foot-tall edifice would alter views across Washington and Arlington Cemetery.
nytimes.com
“Ethics experts say that Mr. Kennedy, his son and Mr. Paul did not cross any legal or ethical lines, but…the secretary and the senator did cross a threshold for hypocrisy by using their platforms to sell books about Dr. Fauci while accusing the scientist of profiting from his own public service.”
Karrie Jacobs@karrieurbanist.bsky.social · yesterdayIn case you’re wondering, “Why Fauci? Why now?” It’s the charlatan version of a book tour. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
‘In the kitchen the breakfast stove gave a hissing sigh and ejected from its warm interior eight pieces of perfectly browned toast, eight eggs sunny side up, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two cool glasses of milk. "Today is August 4, 2026," said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling’
