Doug Bock Clark

Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts The dramatic shift in oversight comes at a time when the U.S. has never been more reliant on foreign food, which accounts for the vast majority of the nation’s seafood and more than half its fresh fru...

NEW: Billions of pounds of food are imported to the U.S. each year.

The FDA inspects foreign producers to ensure what we're eating is safe from pathogens and dangerous manufacturing practices.

But now, after Trump's drastic staff cuts, these inspections have plummeted to a historic low.
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Red State Workers Could Lose Out on Disability Benefits as Trump Administration Rewrites Eligibility Rules Planned changes to Social Security’s disability program could leave hundreds of thousands of older blue-collar workers ineligible for aid. These changes would fall disproportionately on some of Presid...

Until now, Social Security disability benefits got easier to qualify for as a person reached 50 and above. The Trump plan would end that. www.propublica.org/article/soci...

N.C. GOP spokesman urges reporter to drop news story, citing Trump ties Communications director Matt Mercer later said in a social media post that Trump should “feed ProPublica to the USAID wood chipper.”

North Carolina GOP spox tried to get
@dougbockclark.bsky.social to kill a story, citing “connections” to the Trump administration.

It’s unclear how Trump would retaliate against @propublica.org, a nonprofit newsroom that does not receive government funding & relies on private grants & donations.

“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...

Must-read story by @dougbockclark.bsky.social. God's Chief Justice: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America

“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...

12/ But ProPublica persisted. It’s a sweeping story of how one man, who believes he was called by God, rose to the top of the NC supreme court and used it to transform his state and nation:

www.propublica.org/article/paul...

11/ “I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration and I’m sure they would be interested in this matter,” the NC GOP comms director wrote. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.”

He bolded and underlined "strongly," just in case we didn’t get the point.

10/ However, this is a story that the NC GOP Communications Director, Matt Mercer, warned ProPublica not to tell. When I sent questions to Newby’s daughter, who works at the NC GOP, Mercer responded.

9/ I reached out to Newby multiple times during the course of my reporting and was even escorted out of a judicial conference while trying to interview him. The court’s communications director and media team also didn’t respond to detailed questions.

8/ Arguably, Newby has now become one of NC’s most powerful people.

North Carolina Supreme Court clears way for partisan gerrymandering This sets up a process that allows national Republicans to expand their majority in the House.

7/ In NC, Newby’s decisions have impacted everything from voting rights to environmental regulations. By helping GOP lawmakers to strip powers from the Dem. governor, he’s played a role in cementing GOP dominance of the purple state.

www.politico.com/news/2023/04...

How Republicans flipped America’s state supreme courts State supreme courts were once dominated by Democrats. An effort by right-wing groups has changed that.

6/ That’s not all. During his two-decade rise, Newby has provided a blueprint for conservatives to seize most of the nation’s state supreme courts, which have increasingly become the final word on abortion rights, LGBTQ+ rights and, especially, voting rights.

publicintegrity.org/politics/hig...

Republicans Win Control of House, Cementing a G.O.P. Trifecta Under Trump

5/ The 6-sweat swing gave Republicans, led by Trump, control of Congress and every branch of the federal government.

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/u...

4/ This gerrymandering transformed NC’s congressional delegation from 7 GOP and 7 Democrats in 2022 to 10 GOP and 4 Democrats in 2024.

3/ In 2023, Newby led the court’s conservatives in reversing a recent decision by the court when it was led by Democrats, ruling that partisan gerrymandering was legal in NC. GOP lawmakers then gerrymandered the state.

2/ Recently, he was essential in consolidating Trump’s grip on power by delivering to Republicans trifecta control of the federal government.

Few people outside North Carolina have heard of Paul Newby, the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court.

But Newby has had a huge impact on America and his state. He’s done this with the goal of delivering what he’s called “biblical justice, equal justice, for all.”

THREAD 👇

“Biblical Justice, Equal Justice, for All”: How North Carolina’s Chief Justice Transformed His State and America Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power. Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well be...

NEW: Paul Newby, a born-again Christian, has turned his perch atop North Carolina’s Supreme Court into an instrument of political power.

Over two decades, he’s driven changes that have reverberated well beyond the borders of his state.

By @dougbockclark.bsky.social

Do you work at the Office of Management and Budget? Do you know someone who does? Are you a current or former federal worker with information that you can share about Russell Vought?

If the answer to any of these is "yes," please contact @andykroll.bsky.social

www.propublica.org/tips/

She Pushed to Overturn Trump’s Loss in the 2020 Election. Now She’ll Help Oversee U.S. Election Security. Heather Honey has been appointed to a senior position in the Department of Homeland Security. State election officials and voting experts are concerned.

Read my full story here:

www.propublica.org/article/heat...

12/ Honey has a long history of rightwing activism and election denialism that is covered comprehensively in this article by @votebeat.org‬ and @spotlightpa.org‬:

​​https://www.votebeat.org/pennsylvania/2024/02/12/heather-honey-pennsylvania-election-integrity-eric/

Leading Election Conspiracy Theorist Appointed to DHS Leadership Position Read more here.

11/ @democracydocket.com om first reported Honey’s appointment: tinyurl.com/39su7b7v

10/ DHS, the White House, and Honey did not respond to requests for comment.

9/Experts also expressed concerns about Honey’s potential access to classified information, given her history of spreading false claims about elections.

White House changes course after Trump vows executive order to ‘end’ mail-in voting - Roll Call A top official said the White House will seek a legislative end to mail-in voting after President Trump promised an executive order.

8/ Since Honey started, Trump has announced “a movement to get rid of” mail-in ballots and voting machines via executive order, though a top aide subsequently said the administration would pursue those goals through legislative action.

rollcall.com/2025/08/20/w...

7/ Former federal officials said that while it’s not clear yet what Honey will oversee, deputy assistant secretaries are typically the agency’s top experts in their subject areas. They’re often involved in drafting executive orders and crafting policies and serve as liaisons to the White House.

Becker continued: “DHS now appears poised to become a primary amplifier of false election conspiracies pushed by our enemies.”

6/ David Becker, ‪@beckerdavidj.bsky.social‬, said “The hiring of an election conspiracy theorist with no election knowledge or expertise is the culmination of” a “reversal” from the federal government.

5/ Experts warned that Honey’s appointment could erode trust between state and federal officials. “We are witnessing a dangerous trend: the elevation of known bad-faith actors like Heather Honey,” said Adrian Fontes, AZ’s secretary of state.

Heather Honey’s research has made her a right-wing election expert. Her findings are deeply flawed. Heather Honey, an election integrity researcher from Pennsylvania, has had her work cited by prominent figures on the right, including Donald Trump. But a Votebeat and Spotlight PA review has found se...

4/ Honey also promoted election conspiracy theories, including one Trump cited in a speech to his followers before they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

www.votebeat.org/pennsylvania...

Attorney On Call With Trump And Georgia Officials Resigns From Law Firm Cleta Mitchell's now-former law firm, Foley & Lardner, said this week that her involvement in the president's call with Georgia officials alleging a stolen election was "concerning."

3/ Honey is a protege of Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who tried to help Trump overturn the 2020 election results.

www.npr.org/2021/01/06/9...