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Walker Bragman

@walkerbragman.bsky.social

He/Him. Dad. Journo tracking dark money and attacks on public health. JD, ADHD, occasional cartoonist. Co-founder of Accountability Journalism Institute. Accountabilityjournalism.org Signal: walkerbragman.44 Reporting: https://www.importantcontext.news

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Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social · 8h ago

It’s very impressive what El-Sayed accomplished, and this is true. But with a caveat: In high profile races, money does not always win, but it can make bad candidates much more viable in all races. And in low profile races, money is often the determining factor. That’s why it’s such a problem.

Burnt Texas Toast®@nailpounder.bsky.social · 8h ago

Proof that grassroots people power can overcome being outspent 10-to-1 by the establishment donor class. You just need to have the fortitude to organize and do the ground work instead of expecting to coast along on PAC money and the donor class. LET'S GO!

Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social · 16h ago

SARS-CoV-2 did not come from a lab. There is no evidence pointing to laboratory origins. There’s been a massive disinformation campaign to convince the public otherwise. It’s scary how effective that campaign has been.

Zach Hensel@zachhensel.bsky.social · 18h ago

Gold Standard Science™ Saying that Quay is "coming from the drug industry" is like saying someone is "coming from an avalanche." The dude is currently CEO of the third publicly traded company in a row that he's run into the ground.

Quay, a physician and pathologist, would be the first NIAID director coming from the drug industry, instead of from academia or the leagues of scientists at its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health. Quay also does not have formal training in infectious diseases. When the National Institutes of Health made an open call for applicants last year, Quay applied. NIH staff reviewed applications and did not advance him to the interview stage, according to one of the people familiar with the process. But Kennedy selected Quay over those finalists who were interviewed, and the NIH signed off on his hiring last week.
Zach Hensel@zachhensel.bsky.social · 18h ago

I recently read Quay's new book. Now he's reportedly been tapped to lead NIAID. Not only is his book full what are plainly lies, it also reflects a person who can't keep tabs on reality. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...

Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social · 2d ago

My special hell is watching media try to make sense of stuff happening today related to public health in America and not connecting it to stuff they ignored during the Biden years. Like the Fauci farce in the Senate, which is a continuation of the EcoHealth Alliance witch hunt.

Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social · 2d ago

There’s an inherent contradiction between wanting the party to fight harder and wanting it to move to the center against far-right opposition. IMHO polling like this doesn’t say much. People don’t know what these terms mean. Everyone wants fighters, and that’s why leftist candidates are doing well.

Josh Marshall@joshtpm.bsky.social · 6d ago

Among many other things this is a good illustration of the necessity of untethering ideology and "fight" in intra-Democratic battles. The party is very united on fight, very divided on ideology. You unite on fight, let different constituencies/states find their center of gravity on ideology.

Chad Loder@chadloder.dev · 4d ago

The diarrhea lettuce company, Taylor Farms, uses slave labor contracted from the Arizona Dept. of Corrections. The backbreaking labor is often performed by imprisoned Mexican nationals who would be otherwise ineligble to work in the US. They are paid $1.50 an hour.

The Diarrhea Lettuce Company Has Been Linked to Forced Labor

The lettuce-producing Taylor Farms was linked to the widespread use of prison labor before its involvement in a cyclospora outbreak.

futurism.com

Mrs PJ Haverstock@mrspjhaverstock.bsky.social · 4d ago

Yes, this is 100% about censorship in general, and the current anti-sexual weirdness that’s going on. But a paragraph near the end of the article is especially telling… ASMR is primarily created by women. Women doing anything will always be perceived by some as inherently sexual (excerpt in comms)

Sam Cole@samleecole.bsky.social · 5d ago

a bunch of popular ASMR artists lost their channels forever this week, after YouTube cited them for violating terms against "sexually gratifying" content: www.404media.co/youtube-asmr...

Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social · 5d ago

Mayor Erica Deuso of Downington, PA—the first openly transgender mayor in the commonwealth—just went after Haley Stevens on Threads. It’s not often you hear elected Dems talk like this on the money-in-politics issue.

haleyformi: The GOP is running ads to prop up my opponent. And not only that - Mike Rogers said it the other day: If Abdul wins, Mike would be in 'good shape' to beat him. Folks, I'm the strongest candidate in this race. The GOP is afraid to face me because they know I'm going to win. mayorericadeuso: Now, ma'am. When your campaign has a 12-to-1 outside spending advantage, accusing Abdul of being "propped up" is a little rich. The GOP may prefer an opponent. Your donors clearly purchased one. Michigan voters still get the final say. O141 Q2 G5 ••
Max Kennerly@maxkennerly.bsky.social · 6d ago

Good lord. The "conspiracy" was a bunch of emails among scientists saying "this is xenophobic bullshit and is confusing the public, we should rebut it" and they were right. The "lab leak" theory still requires far more leaps, inferences, and assumptions than the straightforward zoonotic theory.

Ernie Piper@whoisernie.bsky.social · 6d ago

Zeynep Tufekci is still completely insane over the lab leak idea. "There is a conspiracy to cover this up" is not evidence for "covid was a bioweapon that escaped from a lab". It could also be evidence for my theory, "please stop talking about this stupid idea"