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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · 9h

When you assume that 1 a.m. call from an international number is spam, then, when the phone rings again, put it on "do not disturb" and go back to sleep.

She didn’t believe she won the Nobel — until a photographer showed up at her Seattle door

That random number ringing your phone is probably junk — but not always.

www.seattletimes.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · 13d

This remembrance of Susy Carroll, a great investigative journalist, by Lise Olsen, another great investigative journalist, says so much about the people who do this work.

I miss Susy, and I'm grateful to Lise for finding such a fitting way to honor her work & memory.
@liseolsen.bsky.social @ire.org

Honoring longtime IRE member and mentor Susan Carroll - Investigative Reporters & Editors

Lise Olsen writes about her friend and late IRE member Susan Carroll — and how a new fellowship program aims to honor her legacy.

www.ire.org

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 27d

EXCLUSIVE/BOMBSHELL: @bloomberg.com has obtained **18K** previously unreported emails from Jeffery Epstein's personal Yahoo account. The emails are disturbing & revelatory & reveal new details about Ghilaine Maxwell's role

FREE to read

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

“Question,” Epstein wrote to Maxwell on May 23, 2008. “Which one do you prefer,,, lewd and lscivious conduct ,, or procuring minors for prostituion.”

At the time, he and his star-studded team of defense lawyers were closing in on a generous plea deal with federal and state officials in Florida, and Epstein was trying to negotiate the state charges to which he’d plead guilty. Maxwell’s response was matter-of-fact:

From: gmax <gmax[REDACTED]>
To: J. Epstein <jeeproject@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, May 23 2008 3:22 PM
Subject: Re:
I suppose Lewd and lecivious conduct..I would prefer lewd and lescivious conduct w/a prositute if possible

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · 27d

Philip Gourevitch looks back on a 9/11 photo taken by Gilles Peress:

"We see them standing in that ashen pall, like the last survivors of a lost time..."

"There it is: ashes to ashes, dust to dust, no metaphors."
@pgourevitch.bsky.social @newyorker.com

Philip Gourevitch on Gilles Peress’s Photo from September 11th

Peress reached the World Trade Center just as the second tower collapsed.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 28d

EXCLUSIVE: @bloomberg.com has obtained more than 100 previously undisclosed emails between UK Ambassador Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein from 2005 through 2010 that reveal Mandelson's steadfast support for Epstein after Epstein was charged with sex crimes

🎁 www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

UK Ambassador Told Epstein ‘I Think the World of You,’ Emails Reveal

Peter Mandelson, the prominent Labour politician who was named British ambassador to the US this year, expressed steadfast support and offered to discuss Epstein’s now-infamous 2008 case with his cont...

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Brooke Jarvis @brookejarvis.bsky.social · Sep 7

Such a breathtaking confluence of societal failures in this Hannah Dreier story. You've got crippling healthcare costs, lack of worker protections, worsening climate-fueled wildfires, poverty, lack of opportunity for young men... www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/u...

‘If I Live to 25, I’ve Lived a Good Life’

www.nytimes.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 27

Top three stories on @propublica.org right now

The Leader of Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has a Troubled Legal and Financial History

Trump’s Pick to Help Run the FBI Has a History of Prosecuting Influential Democrats

She Pushed to Overturn Trump’s Loss in the 2020 Election. Now She’ll Help Oversee U.S. Election Security.

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 24

“I can see how this looks strange,” Greco's attorney said.

Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips

THE CITY reported the incident to law enforcement and was promptly contacted by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office.

www.thecity.nyc

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 24

I love reading how writers edit themselves, so to read how E.B. White revised and revised to write this, "a single perfect paragraph," is delightful. (Also? I had no idea that anyone had ever been labeled a "paragrapher.")
@nathanheller.bsky.social @newyorker.com
link.newyorker.com/view/5be9f03...

by E. B. White

The moon, it turns out, is a great place for men. One-sixth gravity must be a lot of fun, and when Armstrong and Aldrin went into their bouncy little dance, like two happy children, it was a moment not only of triumph but of gaiety. The moon, on the other hand, is a poor place for flags. Ours looked stiff and awkward, trying to float on the breeze that does not blow. (There must be a lesson here somewhere.) It is traditional, of course, for explorers to plant the flag, but it struck us, as we watched with awe and admiration and pride, that our two fellows were universal men, not national men, and should have been equipped accordingly. Like every great river and every great sea, the moon belongs to none and belongs to all. It still holds the key to madness, still controls the tides that lap on shores everywhere, still guards the lovers who kiss in every land under no banner but the sky. What a pity that in our moment of triumph we did not forswear the familiar Iwo Jima scene and plant instead a device acceptable to all: a limp white handkerchief, perhaps, symbol of the common cold, which, like the moon, affects us all, unites us all.

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Science Magazine @science.org · Aug 8

Larry Richardson appeared to be an early-career mathematician with potential, racking up more than 130 citations in 4 years.

It would all be rather remarkable—if the studies weren’t complete gibberish. And if Larry wasn’t a cat. #InternationalCatDay scim.ag/4lg3wTp

How easy is it to fudge your scientific rank? Meet Larry, the world’s most cited cat

“Exercise in absurdity” reveals flaws in Google Scholar’s productivity metrics

scim.ag

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · Aug 4

Just folded everything.

Kid went to camp with 12 PAIRS of socks.

Came home with 3.

Not three pairs. Three. Total. 1.5 pairs. But all three mismatched.

I almost admire the skill, given that he never does this intentionally.

That’s talent. Unmarketable, but a talent.,

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · Aug 4

How does a kid come back from a three-week sleep-away camp with literally HALF the clothes we sent him with?

And then seems genuinely puzzled when you ask where they ended up?

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Kenny Jacoby @kennyjacoby.bsky.social · Aug 1

Unlike the NFL, NBA and MLB, a few NHL teams are intimately involved in running the youth levels of their sport.

In Dallas, the Stars spent decades turning youth hockey into a vehicle for profit, bullying families in the process.

New investigative reporting:

www.usatoday.com/story/news/i...

‘They control everything’: How the Dallas Stars monopolized Texas youth hockey

Ice is power in the lucrative world of youth hockey. In North Texas, the Dallas Stars hold almost all of it.

www.usatoday.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 4

What would the "exploitation phase" of AI-driven airfare pricing look like?

"Taking a relatively simple pricing structure and replacing it with a head-spinningly complex one, featuring many more fare classes with prices that swing wildly from one moment to the next."

Max Chafkin @chafkin.bsky.social · Aug 4

Get ready for the “exploitation phase” of AI driven pricing www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

AI Flight Pricing Can Push Travelers to the Limit of Their Ability to Pay

Airlines, including Delta, are testing artificial intelligence in pricing. Get ready for what one startup calls the “exploitation phase.”

www.bloomberg.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 3

"Hiroshima," published in 1946, changed journalism, Jane Mayer writes.

It "was a model of what might be called the ethical exposé. It was built on rigorous reporting and meticulously observed details, and, through its quiet, almost affectless voice, the reader became another eyewitness."

Jane Mayer on John Hersey’s “Hiroshima”

His monumental report changed history, journalism, and me.

www.newyorker.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Aug 3

Thank you, @thesundaylongread.bsky.social, for making this @bloomberg.com @businessweek.bsky.social story a top pick for the week.

And congratulations on your 500th edition!

(Story by Susan Berfield, @margimurphy.bsky.social @jasonleopold.bsky.social)

The Sunday Long Read @thesundaylongread.bsky.social · Aug 3

Yes, the future of the United States government was very much influenced by the decisions of a 23-year-old from Lincoln, Nebraska. But there is much more to the Luke Farritor story. One of @jacobfeldman.bsky.social & @dvnjr.bsky.social's top picks via @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

Luke Farritor could have been an artist, or a builder, or someone dedicated to seeing a great historical mystery through. Instead he wound up at the Department of Government Efficiency, slashing, dism...

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · Aug 1

NEW FOIA Files SCOOP: The FBI redacted Trump’s name—and the names of other prominent public figures—from the Epstein files under two privacy exemptions before DOJ & FBI concluded “no further disclosure” of the files “would be appropriate or warranted.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The FBI Redacted Trump’s Name in the Epstein Files

The bureau’s FOIA team tasked with conducting a final review of the records blacked out the names before higher-ups said last month that releasing the documents ‘would not be appropriate or warranted....

www.bloomberg.com

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jul 30

If you hit a paywall, here's a gift link for this @bloomberg.com @businessweek.bsky.social story:

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · Jul 29

NEW investigation: DOGE-Pilled

The full story on the transformation of 23 year-old Luke Farritor and how he ended up at the Department of Government Efficiency--slashing, dismantling, undoing--wielding a résumé that "didn’t pass muster”

NO PAYWALL!

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Luke Farritor. Portrait of a Young DOGE Coder Dismantling America’s Institutions

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jun 18

DHS Sec. Kristi Noem directed FEMA to prepare a memo on how to abolish itself & create a re-branded org.

When the memo came back, it proposed 4 possible new names, including ... National Office of Emergency Management, or NOEM.
@zhirji.bsky.social
@jasonleopold.bsky.social
‪@laurenthal.bsky.social

‘Abolishing FEMA’ Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency

In a newly revealed March memo, officials proposed ways to dramatically curtail the US government’s disaster response role, such as by ending aid for smaller disasters and cutting housing funds for su...

www.bloomberg.com

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

ProPublica @propublica.org · Jun 16

The new @lastweektonight.com piece on juvenile incarceration featured several @ProPublica stories.

First up was our 2021 investigation with @wpln.bsky.social about young Black kids in Tennessee jailed for a crime that doesn't exist:

www.propublica.org/article/blac...

Still of Last Week Tonight. John Oliver is talking about an Oct. 8, 2021 ProPublica/WPLN investigation titled "Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn't Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge."

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jun 16

www.propublica.org/article/blac...

Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge.

Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversees a juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, Tennessee, with a staggering history of jailing children. She said kids must face consequences, which rarely seem t...

www.propublica.org

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jun 16

Thank you, @lastweektonight.com, for highlighting this @wpln.bsky.social @propublica.org story on tonight's show on juvenile justice.

And yes, these children were jailed on a charge that is not an actual charge. That was just one of the ways in which the system broke down.

For link to the story ⬇️

Screen grab from this week's "Last Week Tonight," showing John Oliver alongside a story by WPLN and ProPublica headlined: "Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn't Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge." Beneath this is written, "It's not an actual charge."

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jun 12

From an Oregon State Police email recruiting members for its SWAT unit:

“Are you jonesing to fire 40mm less lethal rounds and gas munitions through windows, gables, cameras, and at fleeing suspects?”

"Anyone want to shoot some pepperball into vehicles...?"
@maxbernstein.bsky.social @oregonian.com

Are you ‘jonesing to fire less lethal rounds’ and ‘launch gas canisters’? Oregon State Police SWAT email misses mark

Oregon State Police tried to conceal this controversial SWAT recruitment email when The Oregonian/OregonLive requested it. Now state police are distancing themselves from it.

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by Ken Armstrong

Sarah Smith @sarahesmith23.bsky.social · Jun 10

(scream)

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Ken Armstrong @bykenarmstrong.bsky.social · Jun 7

Weekend read: This business story is a wild ride, featuring an elite hacker consistently underestimated by men; a party-loving day trader with a safe and a karaoke room; and the SEC, which, upon being embarrassed, reassures the public that it knows what it’s doing.
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling

When a notorious gang of Ukrainian cybercriminals hit a crucial database, the regulator quickly downplayed the breach. One of the hackers says the system is still a soft target.

www.bloomberg.com

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