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betsbarnes.bsky.social
Bethany Barnes
@betsbarnes.bsky.social
650 followers 530 following 19 posts
Deputy Investigative Editor at The Tampa Bay Times | Co-curator of the Local Matters newsletter, a weekly roundup of the best local investigative reporting in the county. Loves to talk books 📚
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Reposted by Bethany Barnes
fenitn.bsky.social
The Washington Post gutted the health team which I helped to lead despite our stories being among the most widely read, impactful and adept at reaching new audiences.
I couldn't string sentences together yesterday, Maybe that's a sign that I shouldn't have been spared when all my fantastic colleagues who unfairly lost their jobs pushed through their grief to write beautiful notes about their careers and the situation at The Washington Post. The health team lost 8 out of 13 reporters yesterday despite health listed as part of The Post's new pared down focus. Just six months after becoming an editor and having the honor to lead an all-star team covering federal health agencies and public health, I have to go back to reporting because there are barely any health reporters left to edit. I'll say more about the reporters we lost later today, but as a team, we did everything we were supposed to do under the vision for The Post to be a digital innovator that breaks news, offers hard-hitting accountability and directly address reader concerns. We landed exclusives on the CDC director's firing, plans to overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule, projections for steep ACA marketplace rate increases and more. We avoided dutiful iterative stories and covered storylines such as the expiration of enhanced ACA premiums with smart targeted angles that were widely read. We broke the mold of a traditional newspaper with clever formats including a pop-up newsletter and live chats to help readers navigate new restrictions on coronavirus vaccines, a quiz to understand new dietary guidelines and vertical videos to showcase reporter expertise. The Metro section where I started my career (and offers a clear reason for millions of potential subscribers to pay for us instead of or in addition to other national outlets!) is hollowed out. Reporters around the world wiped out after the owner set a vision for international relevance. A sports department home to journalistic legends shuttered. And so much more bleeding across the entire newsroom.
February 5, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
Minnesotans following and documenting ICE activity here have been detained, pulled out of their cars, hit with chemicals, had agents route them to their homes and take photos. Even after the killings of two observers, they aren't stopping. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Minneapolis ICE observers keep showing up despite risk of arrest and violence
Bystanders say they are determined to keep recording federal agents’ actions: ‘There will be absolutely no accountability unless people are documenting’
www.theguardian.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
drewharwell.com
New: Just how furious are Americans about ICE? Sewing influencers, bourbon vloggers and the mod of r/catbongos are all taking a political stand. "I refuse to wake up in five or 10 years and look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘You had a platform and did nothing,'" a golf YouTuber told me
Outrage over ICE has spilled into typically apolitical online spaces
Fury over Alex Pretti’s killing has flooded the internet’s most apolitical venues, reflecting a growing outrage over the Trump administration’s crackdown.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
“What are you doing?” one woman yelled. “You just shot someone and now you’re terrorizing us. What more can we take?” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘You ask us for peace, we get shot in the face’: Minneapolis in turmoil after federal agents kill second US citizen
Federal agents released chemicals into the air and arrested people after they had shot and killed a 37-year-old man
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
jeffrueter.bsky.social
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."
Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
January 25, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
atrupar.com
Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"
January 20, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
When ICE came onto campus at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis, high school journalist Lila Dominguez wrote about it. “Being a student in Minneapolis right now can be really scary,” she said. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘My hands were really shaky’: high-school journalist documents ICE raids
Lila Dominguez was working on an article as agents came on to school grounds – their presence has jolted Minneapolis’s young people
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
ericumansky.bsky.social
Back in Oct, we tallied 20+ citizens who’ve been grabbed and held for more than a day *without being able to contact a lawyer or loved one.*

These are only the cases we happened to hear about. Before Minneapolis.

The admins has released no data or details.

www.propublica.org/article/immi...
January 18, 2026 at 6:55 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
From before dawn to the middle of the night, here’s what it’s like on the ground in Minneapolis during this ICE surge - and how residents are fighting against it www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘Make no mistake, this is an occupation’: ICE’s deadly presence casts long shadow over Minneapolis
Classrooms have emptied, shops have shut, and the mood is tense – but as the federal operation has ramped up, so has residents’ response
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
nytimes.com
Breaking News: The EPA will stop considering lives saved when setting pollution limits and instead calculate only the cost to businesses.
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved by Limiting Air Pollution
In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.
nyti.ms
January 12, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
I live in the Twin Cities. I have been talking to observers for weeks, and a lot this week, about what they're seeing. I was on the scene after the shooting yesterday. Here's what it looks like to live here now www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
‘This is not normal’: Minneapolis on edge and angry after ICE killing of woman amid federal surge
City targeted by Trump has seen swarm of immigration agents on the streets – and residents say the tension is palpable
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
rachelleingang.bsky.social
Reupping this, #Minnesota - my DMs are also open. Interested in how people are providing aid to neighbors, leads on where you're seeing ICE activity, stuff on the ground that you think needs more attention
rachelleingang.bsky.social Rachel Leingang @rachelleingang.bsky.social · Jan 8
#Minnesota: I am a Guardian reporter, based here in the Minneapolis area. I want to hear about what you're seeing, hearing, feeling and want you think needs to be covered. You can find me on Signal: rachelleingang.241 or by email at [email protected]
January 9, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
thebrianlehrershow.bsky.social
ICYMI, @rachelleingang.bsky.social talks about the fatal shooting of a civilian by an ICE agent in Minneapolis and the Trump administration's focus on Minnesota:
www.wnyc.org/story/minnea...
'Minneapolis on Edge' | The Brian Lehrer Show | WNYC
Rachel Leingang, Midwest political correspondent for Guardian US, talks about how Minneapolis is "on edge" after the fatal shooting of a civilian by an ICE agent.
www.wnyc.org
January 9, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
caseynewton.bsky.social
The author of a viral Reddit thread alleging fraud at a food delivery company tried to back up his claim by sending me AI-generated documents. Today I'm publishing those documents in the hopes that it helps other reporter see what we're up against in the age of AI www.platformer.news/fake-uber-ea...
The whistleblower, for his part, worked to amp up the pressure. He told me he had shared the document with other reporters, putting me into a competitive crunch. He asked when I thought I would publish. I asked him if he could point me to any current or former coworkers of his who could help me understand the document better. “Not really,” he said. By this point, alarm bells were starting to ring. I wondered if the employee badge the whistleblower had shared with me might have been AI-generated. While AI systems are notoriously unreliable at identifying their own outputs, Google Gemini can detect SynthID watermarks embedded in images that it produces. I uploaded the badge to Gemini and asked if Gemini had made it. “Most or all of this image was edited or generated with Google AI,” it said.
January 6, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
mikebaker.bsky.social
Maria has been accused over the years of fabricating her story that she had gone to the FBI. After finding the document in the trove, I called her. She broke down in tears.

“I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
mikebaker.bsky.social
HUGE NEWS from the new Epstein files:

Records show that Maria Farmer, who worked for Epstein, filed a "child pornography" report to the FBI in 1996.

The FBI has never before acknowledged that complaint. The case went nowhere, and mass abuse followed.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/u...
Epstein Files Include 1996 Child Porn Complaint That F.B.I. Ignored
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
susien.bsky.social
NEW INVESTIGATION: Insurance companies use hidden rules to slash disaster survivors' payouts.

The @sfchronicle.com obtained hundreds of internal records showing how insurers including State Farm cut claims payments to LA fire victims.

Read more (gift link): tinyurl.com/y4fpza2p

1/
California insurers slash wildfire claims with hidden rules
California insurers use these hidden rules to slash wildfire payouts. Lawmakers are largely unaware.
tinyurl.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
pulitzercenter.org
This year’s #PulitzerStaffPicks feature 18 reporting projects supported through our Climate and Environment focus area.

The stories feature global issues on forests, mountains, and marine ecosystems, but also hyper-local stories.

Learn more! 👉 bit.ly/YIStories25
December 11, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
mikebaker.bsky.social
Private equity has found a new source of profit: volunteer fire departments.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/u...
Private Equity Finds a New Source of Profit: Volunteer Fire Departments
www.nytimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:28 PM
betsbarnes.bsky.social
During the fight to defeat amendments 3 (marijuana) and 4 (abortion) last year, Gov. DeSantis’ administration spent at least $36.2 million in taxpayer funds:

www.tampabay.com/news/florida...
DeSantis admin diverted child welfare and medical funds for consultants, ads
During the fight to defeat amendments 3 and 4 last year, Gov. DeSantis’ administration spent at least $36.2 million in taxpayer funds.
www.tampabay.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:47 PM
betsbarnes.bsky.social
In the outside world, cataract surgeries are considered minor and typically take 15 minutes. In Florida prisons, inmates can spend years waiting and go blind before they ever get surgery.

tampabay.com/news/health/...
Florida inmates were denied eye surgery for years. Some were left blind
Florida Department of Corrections and Centurion of Florida sued for failing to provide basic eye surgeries.
tampabay.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
mford.bsky.social
Reading about smoking ban proposals before the tobacco master settlement in 1998 is always a trip: www.nytimes.com/1984/02/15/u...
The nation's airlines, joining forces with the tobacco industry, urged the Civil Aeronautics Board today not to ban smoking on flights of less than two hours. The ban has been strongly pushed by opponents of smoking, prompting the board to renew its consideration of the issue after it rejected a similar proposal in 1981. Beginning two days of testimony from opponents and supporters of the ban, the industry's Air Transport Association told the board the airlines were providing ''reasonable accommodations'' to both smoking and nonsmoking passengers. ''Smoking is a fact of life,'' said Kathleen Argiropoulis, representing the association and most of the major airlines. ''It is something we must accomodate.'' But John F. Banzhaf, a spokesman for an antismoking group, Action on Smoking and Health, said that despite the practice of separating smokers and nonsmokers on aircraft, cigarette smoke ''creates a serious, documented problem for many passengers.'' The tobacco industry argued that most airline passengers opposed a ban on smoking and were satisfied with a separate, nonsmoking section. ''There is no credible scientific evidence that smoking aboard modern aircraft endangers the health of nonsmoking passengers,'' Richard Kingham, counsel to the Tobacco Institute, told the board.
December 4, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
mford.bsky.social
Public smoking bans just got in under the wire, too. Younger folks might not realize how rare they used to be and how hard they were to enact.
yeargain.bsky.social Quinn Yeargain @yeargain.bsky.social · Dec 4
it is MIRACULOUS that we got rid of lead paint and asbestos when we did. if we had tried that today, there would be people whining about how we're restricting their rights.
anthonymkreis.bsky.social Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · Dec 4
Bring back residential-use lead paint, you cowards.
December 4, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
localmatters.bsky.social
Hello! Feeling so much gratitude this week for local news 🗞️🥰

We are off for the holiday but the letter will return next Sunday!

As always, don’t be shy. Pitch us your great investigations!!

Email [email protected]

The note can be this simple: Hi! For your consideration [link]
— So-and-So
November 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Reposted by Bethany Barnes
maddioneill.bsky.social
Thank you @localmatters.bsky.social! Subscribe to their incredible newsletter here: linktr.ee/lmattersnews
November 23, 2025 at 8:32 PM