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Walker Bragman

@walkerbragman.bsky.social

31K followers 930 following 7.4K posts

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

www.importantcontext.news

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · Jun 2

NEW: Important Context spoke with a dozen people working at NIH about Director Jay Bhattacharya.

The descriptions were universally unflattering, painting the health economist as ineffectual, dishonest, ideological, arrogant, and uncommitted to science.

www.importantcontext.news/p/out-of-his...

“Out Of His Depth,” “Sold His Soul,” “Clueless”: NIH Staffers Speak Out About Director Bhattacharya

Widespread dissatisfaction over the NIH’s “continuous free fall” has people speaking out.

www.importantcontext.news

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Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social · 13h

Some of these people have now been fired and rehired TWICE since January. The current state of dysfunction is mind boggling.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 15h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 13h

Also: if you work for ICE, even if you’re not one of the ones arresting citizens or tackling 15-year-olds or zip-tying kids together and segregating them by race, you’re part of the mechanism making it happen, and you should suffer long-term social and post-regime-change consequences.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 14h

Some weirdo on Twitter has been absolutely melting down for like 36 straight hours because I posted:

When this is over, do not forget what ICE did, and what ICE is. And do not make room for them in society. Make sure they know that they are, and will continue to be, reviled and beneath contempt.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Of course, this comes as bird flu cases tick up again.

Just a total disaster administration. Destructive, vengeful, and completely ignorant and incapable of what it takes to lead.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

This is why Democrats need to keep the shutdown going indefinitely.

The administration is acting lawlessly. There’s no check from Congress and no effort to find a middle ground.

Refusal to cooperate is the only response.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

If I were actively trying to destroy the United States from within, going after and dismantling its public health would be like the first thing I’d do.

Just pointing that out.

This is beyond dangerous. It’s leaving us vulnerable in a way we can’t really fathom until it’s too late.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Kid Rock looking like a doofus in a white fur coat, Oakley sunglasses, and a white fedora at Woodstock ‘99.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Meanwhile, his administration is doing this. It’s so completely cynical and wantonly destructive.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Because Donald Trump knows that the vaccines are safe and effective and that they save lives.

And he doesn’t want to die from COVID or the flu.

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell.bsky.social · 1d

President Trump got an updated Covid vaccine & flu shot at Walter Reed today www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/p...

Trump received Covid vaccine and flu shot during second physical of the year | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump received a Covid vaccine and flu shot during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, his physician said in a memo released by the White House.

www.cnn.com

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

The president says there are very few stores left in Portland, Oregon, and the ones that are left are made of plywood.

I know we’re numb to this, but in any other time he’d have been removed by the 25th Amendment by now

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "Portland, I mean -- every time I look at that place it's burning down. There are fires all over the place. When a store -- there are very few of them left -- but when a store owner rebuilds a store they build it out of plywood. They don't put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up."

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Karl (sad trombone noise enthusiast) @brainnotonyet.bsky.social · 1d

Reminder that MAHA is an explicitly socially Darwinian, supremacist, eugenics movement that is building the infrastructure for social murder at scale under the mantle of “public health”

MAHA is explicitly inverting public health into eugenics and preventable mass death.

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s all you need to know about her without the sanity filter of WaPo editors:

www.importantcontext.news/p/trumps-new...

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Means literally called the pandemic a “Darwinian moment.” Pretty sick statement.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s all you need to know about her without the sanity filter of WaPo editors:

www.importantcontext.news/p/trumps-new...

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Letting it rip didn’t work

Emily Johnson @emilyrj.bsky.social · 1d

Bird flu cases are spiking, thanks to migration season.

“More than 4 million poultry birds were culled in the last month, in states including Minnesota and Iowa, after flocks tested positive for the virus, called H5N1.

States officials brace for a tough autumn. www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...

After a summer respite, bird flu is back

Bird flu is spreading again as water fowl migrate. In poultry, cases are spiking earlier than expected, so some state officials are bracing for a challenging autumn.

www.nbcnews.com

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

Democrats has a trifecta in 2021 and did not do any of these things. Maybe Dems should be taking notes on power politics here.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Thune: "If the Democrats had won the majority, they probably would've tried to nuke the filibuster. And then you'd have four new senators from Puerto Rico and DC, you'd have a packed Supreme Court, you'd have abortion on demand ... "

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

American “conservatism” has never truly been nonviolent.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Something the political Right needs to hear more from the Left:

This is our fucking country.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Hate, resentment, and big money are the foundations of the so-called conservative movement.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

The New Deal Era and subsequent Democratic dominance, the successes of the consumer protection movement, the passage of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Act, etc. all taught the political Right that time is not their ally in a democracy.

So they abandoned democracy. They hate it.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

This is why right-wingers and Republicans are constantly trying to do end-runs around democracy.

They stacked the SCOTUS and unleashed political spending.

They weaponized congressional and state legislative redistricting.

They impose barriers on mail-in voting and voter registration…

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

The Right hates American democracy and freedom because it recognizes that those things tend to foster policies and cultural shifts they don’t want—consumer protections, environmental regulations, progressive movements, etc.

The right-wing agenda is deeply unpopular. And again, they know it.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

These people fear progress and there have always been those on their side willing to kill to stop it. And they know that.

The goal of framing this march as supporting terrorism against America, or whatever, is to inspire these elements to mobilize. To threaten. To get the event canceled bc of fear

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Violent oppression and intimidation have always been the tools of the political Right in lieu of cultural currency.

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Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 1d

Again, these people want violence. They want their supporters radicalized and ready to commit it.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Emmer: "This is about one thing and one thing alone -- to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week."

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 2d

It’s very much Not Great to have GOP leadership describe a planned non violent march as being in service a the “terrorist wing”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Emmer: "This is about one thing and one thing alone -- to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week."

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