Rachel Layne

November is confusing in New England, attire-wise.

This has been a week full of warnings for the American food supply, at least involving cheese, coffee, and now potentially radioactive shrimp. I'll provide the FDA alerts in this thread.

“Staggering” Water Loss Driven by Groundwater Mining Poses Global Threat A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid “mega” regions and causing sea levels to rise.

A looming global water crisis may be under appreciated as climate change takes hold. Today I report on a new study that finds the planet is quickly drying, with mega-regions of water loss now stretching across continents. www.propublica.org/article/wate...

This is an amazing and important graphic and close monitoring of the damage being done to #pressfreedoms and to independent media.

Analysis and deeper dive here at @justsecurity.org: www.justsecurity.org/112792/trump...

Thanks to the brilliant @bechamilton.bsky.social

What is $2.2 billion worth to the world’s richest university? - The Boston Globe Even Harvard, with its $53.2 billion endowment, is not immune to such a rapid and unprecedented cutoff of the kind of federal funds that comprise at least a tenth of its annual revenue.

What does $2 billion funding freeze mean for the country’s wealthiest college?

An explainer on how the Harvard budget works and the benefits of having an endowment bigger than the economy of Iceland for @bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/16/b...

This is the op-ed that the Tufts student, just arrested by ICE, co-wrote for her student paper last year. It's also the only evidence that Canary Mission, the doxxing site, cites as evidence for her "anti-Israel activism."

As op-eds go, it's no big deal. At all.

www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2024...

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

In partnership with @freedom.press, WIRED will make all of its FOIA-based reporting free to access for anyone. Public records should be public, and I hope to see more outlets follow suit:

freedom.press/issues/wired...

What is it like being an adjunct professor? We want to hear from you. - The Boston Globe The Globe is looking to talk to adjunct faculty about their experiences teaching at one or multiple schools, and their concerns about hiring and retention.

Adjunct professors, I want to hear from you 📚🚨

Tell @bostonglobe.com about your experience as part-time faculty for a story about what the job is like, and how universities rely on your labor: www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/13/b...

Eugene Daniels representing the White House Correspondents' Association: "In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."

Trump Order Shifts the Financial Burden of Climate Change Onto Individuals The change would effectively transfer financial responsibility from oil drillers, auto manufacturers and others and leave Americans to face greater direct costs as warming continues.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech The Associated Press is suing three Trump administration officials over access to presidential events.

BREAKING: The Associated Press sues three Trump administration officials over access to presidential events, citing the First Amendment.

Government’s wins are often invisible: Systems that avoid plane crashes; alliances that avert war; surveillance that prevent pandemics.

Government wins are often *the avoidance of loss.*

So how do we tell the story of the destruction of government? The story of future losses *not* averted?

I'm old enough to remember hearing my parents worry about Lake Erie being on fire.

My piece for @cbsnews.com on the federal workforce, as the #Trump administration cuts 200,000 probationary workers (less than 1 year on the job.)

The federal workforce is about the same size as it was in 1980, even as the US population has increased by more than 40%.

A FOIA Files SCOOP: Elon Musk’s DOGE Targets #FOIA Requests at Agency Under its Purview

DOGE also wants to be notified when there’s any attempt at oversight from Congress, inspectors general, even the Government Accountability Office.

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Some federal workers are ‘getting getting wealthy at taxpayer expense,’ says Elon Musk, whose companies have received at least $20 billion from the government Musk’s DOGE wants to cut tens of thousands of federal workers, and now it’s aiming at people he thinks are too rich.

From the excellent Irina Ivanova @fortune.com

fortune.com/2025/02/13/e...

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? Search our map by ZIP code. From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.

This tool from Grist is so useful.
grist.org/accountabili...

10% of all OnlyFans fees go to climate solution non profits?

Trump Advisers Look to Shift US Foreign Aid to Wall Street Ally President Donald Trump’s advisers have discussed shifting billions in funding from USAID to a government-run agency due to be headed up by the dealmaker son of Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon...

As Elon Musk shuts down USAID the Trump administration is looking at shifting billions in funding to a little-known agency about to be led by a Wall Street scion.

My latest for @bloomberg.com:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

‘It’s a Circus’: Trump Unleashes Chaos at Key US Science Agency Muddled directives and early-morning emails at NOAA, one of the world’s top weather and climate forecasters, have put the agency on edge.

🎁 Gift Link: ‘It’s a Circus’: Trump Unleashes Chaos at Key US Science Agency www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Your 24 seconds of soothing fish and children's voices from the New England Aquarium. You're welcome.

For those following along at home, moving in secret to kill a funded government agency is not how a democracy works.

Great one. Thanks.

A reminder that the last time Trump imposed tariffs it caused a slowdown in the US economy…

Putting together a giant list of non profit news outlets for my journalism students to follow. @propublica.org @404media.co @19thnews.org @theemancipator.org @techreviewjp.bsky.social @insideclimatenews.org @fullerproject.org Who else? Suggestions welcome. #journalism #news

Covering Trump’s proposed tariffs? 4 things you need to know The Journalist's Resource and Econofact recently hosted a webinar on covering tariffs. Watch the recording and read key takeaways.

Terrific piece and guide to covering tariffs from The Journalist's Resource, especially for local reporters. journalistsresource.org/economics/tr... #journalism #tariffs

Researchers rush to preserve federal health databases before they disappear from government websites Journalists have long relied on federal health data for their reporting. We include several tips that they can use to help researchers preserve the data.

Our latest piece. We include several tips that journalists can use to help researchers preserve federal health data.

journalistsresource.org/home/researc...

Researchers rush to preserve federal health databases before they disappear from government websites Journalists have long relied on federal health data for their reporting. We include several tips that they can use to help researchers preserve the data.

Your tax dollars paid for this data. And it's not just the CDC. It's every agency right now.

journalistsresource.org/home/researc...

This is alarming: The highest career official at Treasury is leaving after a clash w/Elon Musk allies over access to sensitive payment systems.

Those payment systems distribute ~$6 trillion in US gov't payments.

Only a few people are supposed to have access to that payment system.

Trump ousts at least 14 independent inspectors general in late-night purge The dismissals appeared to violate federal law, which requires Congress to receive 30 days’ notice of any intent to fire a Senate-confirmed inspector general.

This is firing the police.

This is a pillar of Project 2025.
"Installing lead pipes throughout the system."

wapo.st/4azdaNb