Kevin Bogardus

Reporters leave Pentagon en masse after refusing to sign on to new rules After turning in their press credentials, journalists covering the Defense Department walked out rather than comply with its restrictive new policies.

NEW for @washingtonpost.com:

Pentagon reporters exited the building in unison Wednesday after turning in their badges, having refused to sign the Defense Department's press policy.

@nancyayoussef.bsky.social called it a “sad day for those who support a free press.”

Btw: If this is something you've noticed yourself -- or if the shutdown has limited your access to DMSP data, and it's affecting your own work -- I'd love to hear from you. Contact info in the bio!

For those who have been following the DMSP drama since this summer, here's my latest -- although DoD decided not to cancel its data-sharing program, some scientists report that its valuable microwave sensor data has grown spottier in recent months.
www.eenews.net/articles/sci...

POLITICO Pro: HHS explains why its CDC purge went too far A federal court has temporarily blocked the layoffs, which targeted nearly 1,000 HHS employees, most of them at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

NEW: The federal health office that runs the Title X family planning program was wiped out on Friday, but workers there remained in the dark until today because layoff notices were sent to email accounts they had already been locked out of.
subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

I just turned in my Pentagon press badge.

Back to work.

mmatishak.80 on Signal.

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

🟠 https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/us-news-outlets-reject-pentagon-press-access-policy-2025-10-14/

EPA’s climate rollback squeezes states States will have few options for fighting local air pollution if EPA repeals federal rules to limit vehicle emissions.

EPA's removal of the endangerment finding for greenhouse gas emissions (starting with vehicles) could increase state regulation of other sources. @adamaton.bsky.social and my piece : www.eenews.net/articles/epa...

E&E News: How EPA could use AI in the endangerment repeal The agency indicated that it could use the technology to sort and summarize thousands of public comments.

I'm generally interested in how EPA is making progress on regs during the shutdown -- if it is. Always welcome thoughts (Signal jchemnick.01). AI could help speed up the process some: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

Not only is there a lack of evidence, it's becoming harder than ever to get good evidence on the safety of Tylenol and many other drugs for pregnant patients -- especially in states with abortion bans. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Hundreds of CDC layoffs reversed, but biodefense preparedness staff hit More than half of the roughly 1,300 CDC layoff notices have been rescinded, but workers at health agencies who work on biodefense and mental health still lost their jobs.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

RFK Jr.’s got advice for pregnant women. There’s limited data to support it. Women of reproductive age have long been missing from clinical trials. It’s getting worse where abortion is banned.

The Trump admin's recent warnings against pregnant women taking Tylenol, Covid shots and antidepressants clash with the mainstream medical consensus. But they also highlight a dangerous data vacuum -- one that's gotten worse since the fall of Roe v. Wade.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

🧐 https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-says-weighing-massive-increase-tariffs-chinese-imports-no-reason-meet-with-2025-10-10/

E&E News: Lead pipe projects face delays amid EPA funding holdup The agency said that billions to replace lead pipes will be allotted to states soon, but health advocates said the delay is highly unusual.

EPA "keeps saying it will come soon, and we keep waiting, and now we’re in a shutdown," one environmental advocate said of the funding delay.

Some 58% of Americans - including seven in 10 Democrats and half of Republicans - think the president should send armed troops only to face external threats, a sign of unease as President Donald Trump increasingly deploys National Guard troops to police American cities, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

🧐 https://www.reuters.com/world/us/most-americans-dont-want-troops-deployed-without-an-external-threat-reutersipsos-2025-10-08/?f

‘Straining everything in our system’: Indian Health Service transfers leave leadership vacuum The four-month deployments are unusually long and target a chronic issue rather than an isolated emergency.

NEW: RFK transferred 70 public health officers to work for four months at far-flung Indian Health Service sites. Though the help is desperately needed, the deployment threatens to disrupt vital disease tracking and harm reduction work. www.politico.com/news/2025/10... w/ @mayakaufman.bsky.social

Shaheen and Collins were having a very long convo on the Senate floor this afternoon but it could have just been about the lovely fall weather in New England

FEMA canceled $11B in disaster payments to states The unannounced move came after President Donald Trump threatened to reduce FEMA aid, jarring emergency management professionals.

"The move could also complicate the government’s ability to respond to extreme weather by resulting in a large reduction in available disaster aid over the next 12 months. FEMA is effectively starting the fiscal year with an $11 billion IOU"

Today by Tom Frank:
www.eenews.net/articles/fem...

The government’s own data rebuts Trump’s claims about wind and solar prices The Trump administration has targeted renewable energy for driving up electricity prices, but POLITICO’s analysis shows states that are growing their wind and solar power typically have lower power co...

Trump & his Cabinet say wind & solar are making electricity more expensive.

Federal data say the opposite.

Our analysis showed states w/ > avg wind/solar generation & > avg acceleration of wind/solar since ‘21 were likelier to have < avg power prices.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

A gigantic inflatable black cat in the lobby of an apartment building. Based on the balcony levels in the background, you can see that it is almost three stories tall.

It hath been a week. Here is a small joy: Every October, my grandmother’s (small, adorable, usually understated) retirement home sticks this GIGANTIC inflatable cat in the lobby & it just tickles me to death. It is 2 stories tall! Its head swivels!! The skeleton rat is new this year & I am obsessed.

Snackology Review: I made the Taylor Swift-inspired Funfetti Sourdough Bread (Pillsbury’s Version) Look what this Internet trend made me do.

I acquired and baked the Funfetti Sourdough made popular by Taylor Swift. (You hear me, algorithm? TAYLOR SWIFT!) www.theomnicosm.com/i-made-the-t...

#FOIA4eva

A mock up of one of the Covid-era stimulus check that contained former President Donald Trump’s name in the memo line.

A FOIA Files flashback:

Documents I obtained via #FOIA reveal that the IRS took the extraordinary step of seeking a legal opinion on whether it was appropriate to emblazon President Donald Trump's name on millions of Covid stimulus checks in 2020.

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

Rising with the sun at Hunters Point

Today in NYC
🌡️ High 81°F
🌞 Sunny
🌇 6:56 am sunrise

Energy Secretary Wright and Interior Secretary Burgum have both cited "pollution" from offshore wind turbines as one of the reasons they need to be scrutinized or shut down.

House just made next week a recess. So unless the Senate passes the House CR (or the House changes its mind and comes back), the shutdown could stretch to October 14 at this rate

#FOIA4eva

This email sent on Sept. 14, 2022, warned that ODNI should proceed with caution. The person who sent it (their name is redacted) apparently wanted to avoid coming to any quick conclusions about the national security implications.

The emails also indicate that ODNI was actually trying to avoid conducting a full blown damage assessment. Another email sent four days later explained why Haines used the word “potential” when she responded to the lawmakers.

NEW FOIA Files newsletter is out!

I squeezed out a handful of emails from ODNI about the "damage assessment" lawmakers asked the agency to conduct after FBI found that Trump stockpiled classified docs at Mar-a-Lago

This is what was discussed behind the scenes
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Public Citizen files a Hatch Act complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleging violations by USDA and other federal agencies.

www.citizen.org/news/seven-m...

Here's what's currently on USDA's website.

How the shutdown is roiling climate programs at 6 agencies The Trump administration had tried to eviscerate climate offices before the shutdown. Now, the cuts are deeper.

www.eenews.net/articles/how...