Charles Ornstein
@charlesornstein.bsky.social
Managing editor/local at ProPublica, past prez of AHCJ, Detroit Lions fan. Email: [email protected]. Posts are my own.
Wait, what??
1. In Tennessee, public libraries have closed for up to a week to facilitate a Trump-inspired book purge.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (R) has ordered most of the state's public librarians to remove children's books with LGBTQ characters or themes.
Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (R) has ordered most of the state's public librarians to remove children's books with LGBTQ characters or themes.
Tennessee public libraries close for Trump-inspired book purge
One hundred and eighty-one public libraries in Tennessee are reviewing their children’s collections after Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett (R) ordered them to remove books with LGBTQ themes…
popular.info
November 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Wait, what??
Government documents obtained by @kffhealthnews.org show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare. - KFF Health News
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by KFF Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health prov...
kffhealthnews.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Government documents obtained by @kffhealthnews.org show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.
Government documents obtained by @KFFHealthNews show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare. - KFF Health News
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by KFF Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health prov...
kffhealthnews.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Government documents obtained by @KFFHealthNews show the agency overseeing Medicare Advantage does little to enforce long-standing rules intended to ensure about 35 million plan members can see doctors in the first place.
Local journalism matters:
1. In 2020, investigators accuse a Connecticut DMV employee of using his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company.
2. State doesn't act.
3. @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org report it.
4. Employee fired.
1. In 2020, investigators accuse a Connecticut DMV employee of using his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company.
2. State doesn't act.
3. @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org report it.
4. Employee fired.
Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
Investigators found the longtime employee traded favors with a towing company to purchase vehicles at a steep discount, according to a termination letter.
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Local journalism matters:
1. In 2020, investigators accuse a Connecticut DMV employee of using his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company.
2. State doesn't act.
3. @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org report it.
4. Employee fired.
1. In 2020, investigators accuse a Connecticut DMV employee of using his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company.
2. State doesn't act.
3. @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org report it.
4. Employee fired.
The CDC's guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women has been off and on and now off again. But a recent study highlights the risk of COVID-19 during pregnancy, by @deldeib.bsky.social
Amid Confusing CDC Guidance About Vaccines, Study Highlights New Risk of COVID-19 During Pregnancy
A Harvard study found that the children of women who contracted COVID-19 while pregnant may be at an increased risk for autism and other diagnoses, raising new concerns about the CDC’s decision to sto...
www.propublica.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
The CDC's guidance on COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women has been off and on and now off again. But a recent study highlights the risk of COVID-19 during pregnancy, by @deldeib.bsky.social
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
Two weeks after The Blaze made the explosive claim that a former Capitol police officer was responsible for planting bombs on Jan. 6—identifying her by name and in photos—CBS News reports the FBI ruled the woman out because she has an alibi www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
How an innocent woman's name was tied to the Jan. 6 pipe bombs
The FBI has ruled the woman out as a suspect in the 2021 plot, sources said, but only after her name circulated on social platforms and a conservative news site.
www.cbsnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Two weeks after The Blaze made the explosive claim that a former Capitol police officer was responsible for planting bombs on Jan. 6—identifying her by name and in photos—CBS News reports the FBI ruled the woman out because she has an alibi www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back. @notus.com
CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back.
“I have heard that they are planning to ‘update it’ and shudder to think what that will mean,” Demetre Daskalakis, a former member of CDC leadership, told NOTUS.
www.notus.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:33 AM
CDC Quietly Turned Off Its Vaccine Search Tool. It’s Not Clear When It’s Coming Back. @notus.com
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
Breaking: Texas releases finalized rules for private school voucher program.
Texas releases final rules for school voucher program
The rules include official application dates for families and clarify that children attending private preschool programs are eligible for the full amount that most other participants will qualify for.
www.texastribune.org
November 25, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Breaking: Texas releases finalized rules for private school voucher program.
Stunning. The Trump administration has claimed the police were slow to protect federal agents on Oct. 4, but videos and audio show that their rationale conflates hours of events involving a shooting, a protest, a car crash and a police radio call. @nytimes.com
Times Analysis Finds Errors in Trump’s Supreme Court Filing That Calls for National Guard in Chicago
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
Stunning. The Trump administration has claimed the police were slow to protect federal agents on Oct. 4, but videos and audio show that their rationale conflates hours of events involving a shooting, a protest, a car crash and a police radio call. @nytimes.com
More: Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command, via @nytimes.com
Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:37 PM
More: Doctor Critical of Vaccines Quietly Appointed as C.D.C.’s Second in Command, via @nytimes.com
Top Ivermectin Prescriber Now in CDC's Second Highest Position
Opinion | Top Ivermectin Prescriber Now in CDC's Second Highest Position
Ralph Lee Abraham, MD, has a questionable public health track record
www.medpagetoday.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Top Ivermectin Prescriber Now in CDC's Second Highest Position
NEW: Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters, w/ @frontlinepbs.bsky.social
Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters
Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear g...
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
NEW: Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters, w/ @frontlinepbs.bsky.social
The Connecticut DMV has fired a longtime employee nearly FIVE years after investigators found he used his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company--but only after @propublica.org and @ctmirror.org reported on the allegations.
Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
Investigators found the longtime employee traded favors with a towing company to purchase vehicles at a steep discount, according to a termination letter.
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Connecticut DMV has fired a longtime employee nearly FIVE years after investigators found he used his position to garner steep discounts on cars he bought from a towing company--but only after @propublica.org and @ctmirror.org reported on the allegations.
ICYMI: "Today, family separations are back, only now they are happening all across the country."
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
ICYMI: "Today, family separations are back, only now they are happening all across the country."
NEW: After a @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org Investigation, Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
Investigators found the longtime employee traded favors with a towing company to purchase vehicles at a steep discount, according to a termination letter.
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 12:53 PM
NEW: After a @ctmirror.org and @propublica.org Investigation, Connecticut DMV Fires Employee Who Made Thousands Selling Towed Cars
A cracked windshield, a waiting officer, a forgotten document: The new family separations often start in the most mundane ways.
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 25, 2025 at 3:05 AM
A cracked windshield, a waiting officer, a forgotten document: The new family separations often start in the most mundane ways.
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
Trump’s health care plan in flux amid GOP backlash
Trump’s health care plan in flux amid GOP backlash
Lawmakers just have a few weeks left to reach a deal to avoid a massive premium spike for ACA enrollees.
dlvr.it
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Trump’s health care plan in flux amid GOP backlash
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social @justinelliott.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social @justinelliott.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social @justinelliott.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
@josh-kaplan.bsky.social @justinelliott.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
BREAKING: Trump is again separating kids from families
The govt isn't releasing info, but we found ICE has sent record # of kids to shelters.
One family went to govt office , only to have parents detained while the children—aged 5, 11 and 1--went to shelters
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
The govt isn't releasing info, but we found ICE has sent record # of kids to shelters.
One family went to govt office , only to have parents detained while the children—aged 5, 11 and 1--went to shelters
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
BREAKING: Trump is again separating kids from families
The govt isn't releasing info, but we found ICE has sent record # of kids to shelters.
One family went to govt office , only to have parents detained while the children—aged 5, 11 and 1--went to shelters
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
The govt isn't releasing info, but we found ICE has sent record # of kids to shelters.
One family went to govt office , only to have parents detained while the children—aged 5, 11 and 1--went to shelters
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
This year ICE has sent more immigrant children into the federal shelter system than in the PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS COMBINED! New data suggests families are being separated.
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:09 PM
This year ICE has sent more immigrant children into the federal shelter system than in the PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS COMBINED! New data suggests families are being separated.
NEW and IMPORTANT: ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Under a zero tolerance policy, the first Trump administration separated immigrant children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. New data suggests separations are happening all over the count...
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 6:08 PM
NEW and IMPORTANT: ICE Sent 600 Immigrant Kids to Detention in Federal Shelters This Year. It’s a New Record.
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
NEW: Senators have called for an investigation after a ProPublica story revealed that Kristi Noem-connected firm the Strategy Group was secretly hired as a subcontractor on a $220 million DHS ad campaign.
Lawmakers Call for Probe of How Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Got Piece of $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The demands for an investigation come after a ProPublica story revealed that the Noem-connected Strategy Group was secretly a subcontractor on the ad campaign.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:38 PM
NEW: Senators have called for an investigation after a ProPublica story revealed that Kristi Noem-connected firm the Strategy Group was secretly hired as a subcontractor on a $220 million DHS ad campaign.
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
“Public health has been turned inside out by the second administration of Donald Trump… and it is in this landscape that the comeback of Andrew Wakefield no longer feels impossible—it is underway.”
READ MORE by @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social:
www.ms.now/news/the-ret...
READ MORE by @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social:
www.ms.now/news/the-ret...
The doctor who falsely tied vaccines to autism is enjoying a comeback
Andrew Wakefield, who was once cast out for his retracted study tying autism to the MMR vaccine, is making a comeback in the second term of President Donald Trump as an ally of Health and Human Servic...
www.ms.now
November 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
“Public health has been turned inside out by the second administration of Donald Trump… and it is in this landscape that the comeback of Andrew Wakefield no longer feels impossible—it is underway.”
READ MORE by @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social:
www.ms.now/news/the-ret...
READ MORE by @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social:
www.ms.now/news/the-ret...
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented immigrants. Why? To have them deported.
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Louisiana Made It Nearly Impossible to Get Parole. Now It’s Releasing Prisoners to Deport Them.
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented imm...
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented immigrants. Why? To have them deported.
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Reposted by Charles Ornstein
NEW: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s devotion to state sovereignty has long been central to his political identity.
Yet he has helped President Donald Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
Yet he has helped President Donald Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Long a Defender of States’ Rights, Embraces Trump’s Push to Expand Presidential Power
Defending Texas sovereignty has been central to Abbott’s political identity. Yet he has helped Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s devotion to state sovereignty has long been central to his political identity.
Yet he has helped President Donald Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.
Yet he has helped President Donald Trump erode states’ authority over elections, policing and deploying the National Guard.