J. David McSwane
@davidmcswane.bsky.social
Reporter @propublica.org
Author, “Pandemic, Inc.”
Colorado boy. 🐏
[email protected].
Signal: 202-556-3836
Author, “Pandemic, Inc.”
Colorado boy. 🐏
[email protected].
Signal: 202-556-3836
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Our members joined the #SaveThePost rally in D.C. today to protest the mass layoffs at the Washington Post. We stand in solidarity with @postguild.bsky.social. Support laid off workers: www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t... + www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo... ✊
![Hand-made signs with cut-out letters. One says "We [heart] Post Reporters". The other uses the print newspaper section heds to write: "METRO, SPORTS, STYLE, THE WORLD PROTECT THE WASHINGTON POST"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cdv2pqnwpgqvwp7i4h6qqm3m/bafkreibt5xze7sty3i2mulq2oh6alsktwcgbtzptvcitmctt67pd3rpkbe@jpeg)
February 5, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Our members joined the #SaveThePost rally in D.C. today to protest the mass layoffs at the Washington Post. We stand in solidarity with @postguild.bsky.social. Support laid off workers: www.gofundme.com/f/standing-t... + www.gofundme.com/f/support-fo... ✊
In almost every instance, President Donald Trump’s administration blamed the injured and dead for the shooting within hours of the incident, raising questions about whether federal officials can fairly and objectively investigate their own.
“You’re Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer”
It doesn’t happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents. Legal experts say there’s a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable w...
www.propublica.org
February 5, 2026 at 4:22 PM
In almost every instance, President Donald Trump’s administration blamed the injured and dead for the shooting within hours of the incident, raising questions about whether federal officials can fairly and objectively investigate their own.
Reposted by J. David McSwane
I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.
February 4, 2026 at 4:29 PM
I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.
Reposted by J. David McSwane
I'm not sure what to make of it, but every Somali I represent in immigration court currently (8 of them) have today had their hearings cancelled and their judges reassigned. They're now all assigned to a video judge from Louisiana and scheduled for court hearing in one month. 🧵
February 4, 2026 at 8:01 PM
I'm not sure what to make of it, but every Somali I represent in immigration court currently (8 of them) have today had their hearings cancelled and their judges reassigned. They're now all assigned to a video judge from Louisiana and scheduled for court hearing in one month. 🧵
Reposted by J. David McSwane
NEWS: The cuts were so severe that at least one department head asked to leave The Post rather than be included in the planning.
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Washington Post Begins Sweeping Layoffs
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:11 PM
NEWS: The cuts were so severe that at least one department head asked to leave The Post rather than be included in the planning.
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Jeff Bezos gave $75 million to support Melania Trump's vanity film, but he doesn't have the money for the hundreds of journalists he laid off at The Post today.
Democracy dies with Bezos – unless we fight back. Here's how you can help:
newsguild.org/mass-layoffs...
Democracy dies with Bezos – unless we fight back. Here's how you can help:
newsguild.org/mass-layoffs...
Mass layoffs at Washington Post; hundreds of journalists cut as Bezos gives millions to Melania Trump | The NewsGuild - TNG-CWA
The Washington Post on Wednesday announced a devastating number of layoffs to journalists, decimating one of the most important newsrooms in the country.
newsguild.org
February 4, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Jeff Bezos gave $75 million to support Melania Trump's vanity film, but he doesn't have the money for the hundreds of journalists he laid off at The Post today.
Democracy dies with Bezos – unless we fight back. Here's how you can help:
newsguild.org/mass-layoffs...
Democracy dies with Bezos – unless we fight back. Here's how you can help:
newsguild.org/mass-layoffs...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Bezos isn't destroying the Washington Post because it isn't profitable. He's destroying the Washington Post because he's calculated that a robust free press threatens the ability of his class to warp society around their interests
February 4, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Bezos isn't destroying the Washington Post because it isn't profitable. He's destroying the Washington Post because he's calculated that a robust free press threatens the ability of his class to warp society around their interests
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Many people who think they can get news anywhere still care about sports, and sports fans want coverage focused on *their* team. For local and regional outlets, fans mean subscriptions, clicks, shares. Killing the sports desk cuts revenue and makes you just another national outlet in a sea of them.
the sports desk drives the money for the rest of the operation and killing it is a move done by people who have no clue what they’re doing or how their own business works
February 4, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Many people who think they can get news anywhere still care about sports, and sports fans want coverage focused on *their* team. For local and regional outlets, fans mean subscriptions, clicks, shares. Killing the sports desk cuts revenue and makes you just another national outlet in a sea of them.
Reposted by J. David McSwane
the $75 million Jeff Bezos set on fire for that Melania propaganda piece could have funded most independent newsrooms for literally decades
always bears repeating that this is NOT a financial decision. jeff bezos is worth over 250 billion dollars. he can afford to lose many millions and never even notice it. this is, at its core, a political and personal decision by bezos to destroy the post
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Post says one-third of its staff across all departments, not just the newsroom, is being laid off.
February 4, 2026 at 3:11 PM
the $75 million Jeff Bezos set on fire for that Melania propaganda piece could have funded most independent newsrooms for literally decades
Reposted by J. David McSwane
A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
February 4, 2026 at 2:34 PM
A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Reposted by J. David McSwane
BREAKING: The Trump administration repeatedly said the aggressive apartment raid in Chicago last fall was prompted by intel on a gang takeover.
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
www.propublica.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:47 PM
BREAKING: The Trump administration repeatedly said the aggressive apartment raid in Chicago last fall was prompted by intel on a gang takeover.
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
New docs show the real motivation was to get alleged squatters. And the landlord and manager helped them.
www.propublica.org/article/chic...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:41 PM
This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
What Bezos really, really cares about.
Blue Origin, his rocket company that he has invested billions in, needs and wants billions of dollars in DOD contracts to help pay its bills.
Here Bezos greets Defense Sec. Hegseth today at Blue Origin offices in Florida
WashPost budget is a rounding error
Blue Origin, his rocket company that he has invested billions in, needs and wants billions of dollars in DOD contracts to help pay its bills.
Here Bezos greets Defense Sec. Hegseth today at Blue Origin offices in Florida
WashPost budget is a rounding error
February 2, 2026 at 8:06 PM
What Bezos really, really cares about.
Blue Origin, his rocket company that he has invested billions in, needs and wants billions of dollars in DOD contracts to help pay its bills.
Here Bezos greets Defense Sec. Hegseth today at Blue Origin offices in Florida
WashPost budget is a rounding error
Blue Origin, his rocket company that he has invested billions in, needs and wants billions of dollars in DOD contracts to help pay its bills.
Here Bezos greets Defense Sec. Hegseth today at Blue Origin offices in Florida
WashPost budget is a rounding error
Reposted by J. David McSwane
"I do not have the words to articulate how it feels to watch this unfold in Minneapolis, a city that I have grown to know and love after moving here," our photojournalist @peterdicampo.bsky.social writes. "I knew then that walking these streets would never feel the same."
More: propub.li/4rptLKC
More: propub.li/4rptLKC
February 3, 2026 at 1:15 AM
"I do not have the words to articulate how it feels to watch this unfold in Minneapolis, a city that I have grown to know and love after moving here," our photojournalist @peterdicampo.bsky.social writes. "I knew then that walking these streets would never feel the same."
More: propub.li/4rptLKC
More: propub.li/4rptLKC
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Having a body cam is just the first step. You also gotta turn it on and release the footage.
DHS has footage of Alex Pretti's killing. Yet it won't even say whether it's own investigators have it.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
DHS has footage of Alex Pretti's killing. Yet it won't even say whether it's own investigators have it.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
February 2, 2026 at 11:08 PM
Having a body cam is just the first step. You also gotta turn it on and release the footage.
DHS has footage of Alex Pretti's killing. Yet it won't even say whether it's own investigators have it.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
DHS has footage of Alex Pretti's killing. Yet it won't even say whether it's own investigators have it.
www.propublica.org/article/alex...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Breaking News: Immigration officers in Minneapolis, and eventually nationwide, will be equipped with body cameras, Kristi Noem said.
Immigration Officers in Minneapolis Will Wear Body Cameras, Noem Says
The change comes as the federal government has provided accounts of fatal shootings that have sometimes conflicted with local officials and witness videos.
nyti.ms
February 3, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Breaking News: Immigration officers in Minneapolis, and eventually nationwide, will be equipped with body cameras, Kristi Noem said.
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Abu Dhabi poured a secret $500 million into Trump’s company.
Then Abu Dhabi got the highest end AI chips that it had coveted (which could then go to China).
& the Trumps took steps to try to cover it up.
This should rank among the greatest US scandals ever
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Then Abu Dhabi got the highest end AI chips that it had coveted (which could then go to China).
& the Trumps took steps to try to cover it up.
This should rank among the greatest US scandals ever
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
February 1, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Abu Dhabi poured a secret $500 million into Trump’s company.
Then Abu Dhabi got the highest end AI chips that it had coveted (which could then go to China).
& the Trumps took steps to try to cover it up.
This should rank among the greatest US scandals ever
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Then Abu Dhabi got the highest end AI chips that it had coveted (which could then go to China).
& the Trumps took steps to try to cover it up.
This should rank among the greatest US scandals ever
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Breaking News: President Trump said the Kennedy Center will close for two years this summer for reconstruction. The announcement came after the center has been rocked by cancellations and boycotts by performers, contributors and audience members.
Trump Says Kennedy Center Will Close for 2-Year Reconstruction Project
The president’s announcement came after the center has been rocked by cancellations and boycotts by performers, contributors and audience members.
nyti.ms
February 2, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Breaking News: President Trump said the Kennedy Center will close for two years this summer for reconstruction. The announcement came after the center has been rocked by cancellations and boycotts by performers, contributors and audience members.
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:12 PM
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Trump's Justice Department arrests Don Lemon along with another journalist and two protesters despite the refusal of a magistrate judge to issue an arrest warrant because there were insufficient grounds. @haleaziz.bsky.social Devlin Barrett @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Federal Agents Arrest Don Lemon Over Minnesota Church Protest
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Trump's Justice Department arrests Don Lemon along with another journalist and two protesters despite the refusal of a magistrate judge to issue an arrest warrant because there were insufficient grounds. @haleaziz.bsky.social Devlin Barrett @alanfeuer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation. The latest from @propublica.org's @coreygjohnson.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/todd...
Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation
The senators presented a letter demanding that top DOJ official Todd Blanche clarify the legality of his actions, pointing to ProPublica reporting that found he owned at least $159,000 in related asse...
www.propublica.org
January 29, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Six Senators Accuse Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of “Glaring” Crypto Conflict, Cite ProPublica Investigation. The latest from @propublica.org's @coreygjohnson.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/todd...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
The man, an ICU nurse, was an American citizen with no criminal record, the city police chief said.
Videos contradict the federal government’s description of the shooting, a New York Times analysis found.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Videos contradict the federal government’s description of the shooting, a New York Times analysis found.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Live Updates: Federal Agents Kill a 37-Year-Old Minneapolis Man
www.nytimes.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:48 PM
The man, an ICU nurse, was an American citizen with no criminal record, the city police chief said.
Videos contradict the federal government’s description of the shooting, a New York Times analysis found.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Videos contradict the federal government’s description of the shooting, a New York Times analysis found.
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
Thanks @democracynow.org for giving me a chance to share a new @propublica.org investigation from @mckenziefunk.com & me
Here's the story: www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Here's the story: www.propublica.org/article/vide...
A new investigation by @propublica.org has found over 40 cases of immigration agents using chokeholds and other potentially fatal breathing restrictions, including during the ICE arrest of 16-year-old U.S. citizen Arnoldo Bazan in Texas.
January 16, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Thanks @democracynow.org for giving me a chance to share a new @propublica.org investigation from @mckenziefunk.com & me
Here's the story: www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Here's the story: www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Reposted by J. David McSwane
