Matthew Cunningham-Cook
@matthewccook5.bsky.social
reporting at the Center for Media and Democracy, organizing in the labor movement
Pinned
Elon Musk and His DOGE Bro Have Cashed In on Americans' Retirement Savings
Antonio Gracias is helping Musk gut the government and the Social Security program at DOGE, as they benefit from Americans’ retirement savings.
www.rollingstone.com
my first byline in Rolling Stone (!) edited by the amazing @andrewperez.bsky.social. How exactly does Musk's privately held empire run? on the backs of retired teachers, firefighters, cops and bus drivers www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Make these companies household names: Geo Group, CoreCivic. There's been a lot of crying about how their stock is down, but stock prices do not determine whether these profiteers get millions in government contracts. Geo Group's profits are up 800 percent. EIGHT HUNDRED
February 13, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Make these companies household names: Geo Group, CoreCivic. There's been a lot of crying about how their stock is down, but stock prices do not determine whether these profiteers get millions in government contracts. Geo Group's profits are up 800 percent. EIGHT HUNDRED
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Postal workers are uniquely positioned to have a deep understanding of the harms that armed, masked federal agents have been inflicting on Minnesotans, and have been demanding "protect our routes, get ICE out." Read Isabela Escalona's reporting.
"Protect Our Routes, Get ICE Out": Postal Workers Rally in Minneapolis - Workday Magazine
Twin Cities postal workers with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 9 gathered at the post office on Lake Street in South Minneapolis on January 18 to demand U.S. Immigration and...
workdaymagazine.org
February 13, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Postal workers are uniquely positioned to have a deep understanding of the harms that armed, masked federal agents have been inflicting on Minnesotans, and have been demanding "protect our routes, get ICE out." Read Isabela Escalona's reporting.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
if it's 2026 and you're already insisting everyone throw their support behind literally any idiot democrats nominate no matter what, you are telling everyone that not only do you have zero principles but that you just want to be told what to do and how to vote bc thinking for yourself is too hard
February 13, 2026 at 7:02 PM
if it's 2026 and you're already insisting everyone throw their support behind literally any idiot democrats nominate no matter what, you are telling everyone that not only do you have zero principles but that you just want to be told what to do and how to vote bc thinking for yourself is too hard
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
im obviously in the "aoc should run" camp and i def think she can win. but i have a hard time with the people who insist she cannot win. after these cycles with improbable/surprise winners over and over (both obama and trump), i dont understand how you can say the outcome w such certainty.
February 12, 2026 at 8:19 PM
im obviously in the "aoc should run" camp and i def think she can win. but i have a hard time with the people who insist she cannot win. after these cycles with improbable/surprise winners over and over (both obama and trump), i dont understand how you can say the outcome w such certainty.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
The labor movement isn’t just weak, it’s approaching an event horizon: the point at which unions become so small they lose the political, cultural, and institutional mass to successfully reverse their own decline. 🧵 jacobin.com/2026/02/unio...
Unions Are Going to Die Unless Something Big Changes Soon
The labor movement isn’t just the weakest it’s been in a century. Without a radical and aggressive shift in organizing, US unions could effectively cease to matter in the very near future.
jacobin.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:06 AM
The labor movement isn’t just weak, it’s approaching an event horizon: the point at which unions become so small they lose the political, cultural, and institutional mass to successfully reverse their own decline. 🧵 jacobin.com/2026/02/unio...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
🚨 New from me
I spoke with 3 healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente.
“It is not the same Kaiser… This is no longer a place to get your care. This is now an investment firm that dabbles in hospitals.”
@therealnews.com
open.spotify.com/episode/7d1a...
I spoke with 3 healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente.
“It is not the same Kaiser… This is no longer a place to get your care. This is now an investment firm that dabbles in hospitals.”
@therealnews.com
open.spotify.com/episode/7d1a...
Massive strike at Kaiser Permanente enters third week
open.spotify.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:23 AM
🚨 New from me
I spoke with 3 healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente.
“It is not the same Kaiser… This is no longer a place to get your care. This is now an investment firm that dabbles in hospitals.”
@therealnews.com
open.spotify.com/episode/7d1a...
I spoke with 3 healthcare workers on strike at Kaiser Permanente.
“It is not the same Kaiser… This is no longer a place to get your care. This is now an investment firm that dabbles in hospitals.”
@therealnews.com
open.spotify.com/episode/7d1a...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
I can't even THINK about this without crying uncontrollably. Do not watch the video if you're in any sort of state, it will destroy you.
If anyone knows of any sort of fundraiser for this beautiful woman please point me to it so I can boost it.
We need to be better humans than this.
If anyone knows of any sort of fundraiser for this beautiful woman please point me to it so I can boost it.
We need to be better humans than this.
I demand this dudes head... ON GOD. 😡😡😡
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
KARE 11 Investigates: Evicted, homeless, paying the price for Minnesota’s fraud crisis
Evicted as “Jane Doe”: Vulnerable adult thrown out of her apartment by deputies as her caregivers face fraud scrutiny.
www.kare11.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:08 AM
I can't even THINK about this without crying uncontrollably. Do not watch the video if you're in any sort of state, it will destroy you.
If anyone knows of any sort of fundraiser for this beautiful woman please point me to it so I can boost it.
We need to be better humans than this.
If anyone knows of any sort of fundraiser for this beautiful woman please point me to it so I can boost it.
We need to be better humans than this.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
I demand this dudes head... ON GOD. 😡😡😡
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
KARE 11 Investigates: Evicted, homeless, paying the price for Minnesota’s fraud crisis
Evicted as “Jane Doe”: Vulnerable adult thrown out of her apartment by deputies as her caregivers face fraud scrutiny.
www.kare11.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:19 PM
I demand this dudes head... ON GOD. 😡😡😡
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
The police evicted this autistic woman, this program she was enrolled in stopped paying her rent, while she was paying them. This is GROSS
www.kare11.com/article/news...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Every single time a story like this is reported, we must assume that there are many many more that do not.
CBP didn’t give her or anyone any water; she asked 3 times accg to other reports. CBP killed a 7yr old.
“8 hours after the girl & her father were taken into custody, she began having seizures & her body temperature was measured at 105.7 degrees by emergency medical technicians. shorturl.at/d2OTJ
“8 hours after the girl & her father were taken into custody, she began having seizures & her body temperature was measured at 105.7 degrees by emergency medical technicians. shorturl.at/d2OTJ
7-Year-Old Migrant Girl Dies Of Dehydration And Shock In U.S. Border Patrol Custody
The girl's death underscores the crisis precipitated by large groups of families seeking asylum where there are inadequate facilities to detain them.
shorturl.at
February 13, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Every single time a story like this is reported, we must assume that there are many many more that do not.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
There has been no draw down today. ICE snatched someone off Central Ave out of his car because he looked Latino before then letting him go a couple hours later. They were stopping people in Blaine on highway 65, they were all around Fridley, and were in the parking lot of the St Anthony liquor store
February 12, 2026 at 11:53 PM
There has been no draw down today. ICE snatched someone off Central Ave out of his car because he looked Latino before then letting him go a couple hours later. They were stopping people in Blaine on highway 65, they were all around Fridley, and were in the parking lot of the St Anthony liquor store
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Roses are red
School funding is over due
Governor Pritzker,
Fully fund our schools
💌 The best way to show love to our students, educators, and school communities is by fully funding our schools.
School funding is over due
Governor Pritzker,
Fully fund our schools
💌 The best way to show love to our students, educators, and school communities is by fully funding our schools.
February 13, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Roses are red
School funding is over due
Governor Pritzker,
Fully fund our schools
💌 The best way to show love to our students, educators, and school communities is by fully funding our schools.
School funding is over due
Governor Pritzker,
Fully fund our schools
💌 The best way to show love to our students, educators, and school communities is by fully funding our schools.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Uh, mission accomplished?
Operation Metro Surge Ending? Months-Long Campaign of Death, Terror, Destruction in MN Spun as 'Success.' - Racket
Plus MN bands drop agency with Epstein ties, a cool Southdale Center vid, and La Mama needs our help in today's Flyover news roundup.
racketmn.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Uh, mission accomplished?
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
There's only one state in the country that voted for Kamala Harris, & voted for a Dem governor, and where a state agency has any sort of contract with ICE's infamous 287(g) program.
Massachusetts.
The MA Gov says she supports it (even days after Spanberger ended Youngkin's same agreement in VA).
Massachusetts.
The MA Gov says she supports it (even days after Spanberger ended Youngkin's same agreement in VA).
Inside ICE’s Only Contract with a Blue State - Bolts
As part of a 287(g) contract between state officials and ICE, Massachusetts continues to release prisoners into deportation—even as state lawmakers look to ban other forms of ICE collaboration.
boltsmag.org
February 12, 2026 at 11:34 PM
There's only one state in the country that voted for Kamala Harris, & voted for a Dem governor, and where a state agency has any sort of contract with ICE's infamous 287(g) program.
Massachusetts.
The MA Gov says she supports it (even days after Spanberger ended Youngkin's same agreement in VA).
Massachusetts.
The MA Gov says she supports it (even days after Spanberger ended Youngkin's same agreement in VA).
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
How Trump's withdrawal from Minneapolis is being covered abroad.
In Le Monde, the lead French daily, the homepage article starts with:
"Two people dead, thousands arrested, two cities shaken, and Donald Trump defeated."
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
In Le Monde, the lead French daily, the homepage article starts with:
"Two people dead, thousands arrested, two cities shaken, and Donald Trump defeated."
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
February 12, 2026 at 11:09 PM
How Trump's withdrawal from Minneapolis is being covered abroad.
In Le Monde, the lead French daily, the homepage article starts with:
"Two people dead, thousands arrested, two cities shaken, and Donald Trump defeated."
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
In Le Monde, the lead French daily, the homepage article starts with:
"Two people dead, thousands arrested, two cities shaken, and Donald Trump defeated."
www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
While the C-suite celebrated their big 2025, three Black men in Geo's Tacoma, Wa. immigrant prison filed a grisly lawsuit alleging repeated assaults and sexual abuse by Geo employees. They say Geo uses video of some assaults as training material to show guards "how to teach detainees a lesson."
February 12, 2026 at 11:11 PM
While the C-suite celebrated their big 2025, three Black men in Geo's Tacoma, Wa. immigrant prison filed a grisly lawsuit alleging repeated assaults and sexual abuse by Geo employees. They say Geo uses video of some assaults as training material to show guards "how to teach detainees a lesson."
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
There's been some hand-wringing over how far private prison company stock has fallen lately, but don't worry, annual profit at Geo Group is still up up up. New from me in @prospect.org
ICE Boosts Income at Private Prison Company GEO Group by 800 Percent - The American Prospect
The company’s year-end earnings call came just days after a lawsuit alleges guards in the company’s Washington state immigrant prison assaulted immigrants.
prospect.org
February 12, 2026 at 10:50 PM
There's been some hand-wringing over how far private prison company stock has fallen lately, but don't worry, annual profit at Geo Group is still up up up. New from me in @prospect.org
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
We have received numerous credible reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. #txlege
February 10, 2026 at 6:47 PM
We have received numerous credible reports of torture, killing, and inhumane treatment of detained individuals at the Camp East Montana migrant detention facility, located within Fort Bliss. #txlege
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Here come the pro-AI PACs, which actually have more money than the pro-Israel PACs, into Illinois.
IL02 has competing PAC support, as the pro-Israel PAC $ is supporting Donna Miller, while the pro-AI PAC is supporting Jesse Jackson Jr.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale is a major pro-AI PAC donor.
IL02 has competing PAC support, as the pro-Israel PAC $ is supporting Donna Miller, while the pro-AI PAC is supporting Jesse Jackson Jr.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale is a major pro-AI PAC donor.
AI dollars boosting Jackson, Bean
www.politico.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Here come the pro-AI PACs, which actually have more money than the pro-Israel PACs, into Illinois.
IL02 has competing PAC support, as the pro-Israel PAC $ is supporting Donna Miller, while the pro-AI PAC is supporting Jesse Jackson Jr.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale is a major pro-AI PAC donor.
IL02 has competing PAC support, as the pro-Israel PAC $ is supporting Donna Miller, while the pro-AI PAC is supporting Jesse Jackson Jr.
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale is a major pro-AI PAC donor.
this is horrible. all darkly funny given that I met @jay.bsky.team at a Marxism conference
palestinian journalist posting on twitter that his bluesky account was immediately taken down purely because he was in gaza. all palestinian accounts are assumed to be spam.
![Tamer Nahed 𓂆🇵🇸
@Tamer_Alnoaizy
BlueSky is one of the worst platforms I have ever dealt with. Within seconds of creating a second account, after my first one was shut down just two days after it was created, my account was closed again. This happened despite the fact that I hadn’t posted anything or followed anyone. I was only in the process of adding a profile photo, yet I received an email claiming that my account was “spam” and that it was “causing harm.” What kind of logic is this?
The painful truth is that the account was shut down the moment it became clear it was created from inside Gaza. It seems we are no longer allowed to write or speak about what is happening to us here. They are not afraid of content itself, but of our voices and the reality we carry with us.
Millions are spent to silence these voices and to erase the truth. I am exhausted by this platform and by how our photos and videos, which document real suffering, are treated as “violations of community standards,” as if pain itself has become a crime.
What is happening is not simple moderation or policy enforcement. It is an attempt to erase our existence and bury the truth. And honestly, this is shameful and unbearably painful.
[the original poster has included two screenshots showing the email from bluesky admin informing him that his account has been taken down for being 'spammy, inauthentic or disruptive to users'. it's the standard boilerplate you get when they take moderation action.]
2:45 PM · Feb 10, 2026
https://twitter.com/Tamer_Alnoaizy/status/2021234178461704409](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2l6seozmjsqc4kfukjejat77/bafkreiga45xjdal6lfcqt2zmambaymeoelxafbrlt7fi2nmoahpbqj3cja@jpeg)
February 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
this is horrible. all darkly funny given that I met @jay.bsky.team at a Marxism conference
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
palestinian journalist posting on twitter that his bluesky account was immediately taken down purely because he was in gaza. all palestinian accounts are assumed to be spam.
February 11, 2026 at 5:26 PM
palestinian journalist posting on twitter that his bluesky account was immediately taken down purely because he was in gaza. all palestinian accounts are assumed to be spam.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
🌟 Sex workers at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, are unionizing with the Communications Workers of America @cwaunion.bsky.social
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
Sex workers at Pahrump brothel are unionizing, alleging unfair contracts and conditions - The Nevada Independent
In the last week, the brothel has fired three workers who challenged a new contract that they say is unfair. Lawyers have filed an injunction with the federal labor board.
thenevadaindependent.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:33 AM
🌟 Sex workers at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, are unionizing with the Communications Workers of America @cwaunion.bsky.social
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
*starts humming solidarity forever*
🌟 Sex workers at Sheri’s Ranch, a legal brothel in Pahrump, Nevada, are unionizing with the Communications Workers of America @cwaunion.bsky.social
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
Last week, management fired several pro-union workers—including the union’s primary organizer, Jupiter Jetson
thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...
Sex workers at Pahrump brothel are unionizing, alleging unfair contracts and conditions - The Nevada Independent
In the last week, the brothel has fired three workers who challenged a new contract that they say is unfair. Lawyers have filed an injunction with the federal labor board.
thenevadaindependent.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:20 PM
*starts humming solidarity forever*
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
February 11, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Gallup will no longer measure presidential approval after 88 years thehill.com/homenews/med...
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Pharrell Williams is a multifaceted American musician, producer, songwriter, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. He's produced and written for artists like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake, and has won 13 Grammys. Williams is also the lead singer of N.E.R.D.
February 11, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Pharrell Williams is a multifaceted American musician, producer, songwriter, fashion designer, and entrepreneur. He's produced and written for artists like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Britney Spears, and Justin Timberlake, and has won 13 Grammys. Williams is also the lead singer of N.E.R.D.
Reposted by Matthew Cunningham-Cook
Very glad to read this press release and see Mamdani's commissioner for the Office for People with Disabilities has "lived experience as a person with disabilities." As the slogan says, There's Nothing About Us Without Us. www.nyc.gov/mayors-offic...
Mayor Mamdani Announces Key Appointments to Three City Agencies and Offices, Including Chief Technology Officer
www.nyc.gov
February 11, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Very glad to read this press release and see Mamdani's commissioner for the Office for People with Disabilities has "lived experience as a person with disabilities." As the slogan says, There's Nothing About Us Without Us. www.nyc.gov/mayors-offic...