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  1. @peter_mcmahan If some researchers and evaluators can't be bothered to write the questions, analyze the data, and report findings

    - and all of these are things I've heard researchers publicly crowing in pride about -

    then why should people bother responding?

    #evaluation #research #LLMfail #RealEvalTalk

  2. My difficulty accessing on my server after fixing the HVM issue appears to have been a problem in . I realized that I could load the admin UI from Safari on a different device. Clearing site data didn’t help. Relaunching the browser finally resolved it.

  3. Relatedly: if anyone you know needs some extra help with equitable evaluation or research projects (data collection, analysis, study design) or strategic planning, I'd greatly appreciate contacts or connections!

    My website has a sampling of my previous collaborators - mostly in the glam and nonprofit sector. I'm most proud + humbled that I learned from and worked with the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, and I'd like to put that to work!

    #EquitableEvaluation #glam #museum #nonprofit #advocacy

  4. CW: privacy in evaluation practice

    Over the last three-four years, I've seen so many more trackers (pixels, cookies, API calls, and other identifiers) in so called "anonymous surveys." Nevermind the triangulation questions. I've had to all but yell at other companies - all of which should know better - to attempt stop this nonsense. Most of the time, I get a pat on the head and told not to worry.

    #data #privacy #evaluation #EquitableEvaluation

  5. #Introduction #Migration Hey everyone. I'm trying out a couple instances to see where my main social home should be now. I'm an evaluator, ethnomusicologist, and quasi-museum person.

    Unapologetically for equitable evaluation practices and direct talk about our assumptions and biases in research and evaluation.

    Also, as of December looking for new projects!

    #evaluation #museums #nonprofits #EquitableEvaluation #DataAreNotNeutral

  6. While waiting to distribute it to specific lists, here is a Fediverse call to archaeologists and related professions to respond to my PhD research survey on archaeologists' use of #3D, with a focus on geospatial data.

    It will only take 10 to 15 minutes and can be found here: forms.mapper.space/?r=junarka_

    Thanks in advance for sharing and participating!

    (See journals.openedition.org/pm/44 for a more complete presentation of my PhD project)

    #junarka #geospatial #archaeology #survey #opensource

  7. Yoder Lab grad student Pryce Millikin's work organizing collection of Joshua tree flowering observations through iNaturalist makes the campus news service

    CSUN Master’s Student Calls on Public to Help Collect Joshua Tree Data

    newsroom.csun.edu/2025/02/18/c

    #science #data #crowdsourcing #ecology #JoshuaTrees #mutualism

  8. 3 appels à projet à venir à partir de 2025 :
    - Data : Février 2025, 12 projets, 60K € par projet,
    - Engagement & collaboration : Automne 2025, 20 projets, 30K € par projet
    - Data & Vertical Applications : Automne 2026, 18 projets, 60K € par projet

    #JC3DHN2024

  9. America’s deepening affordability crisis summed up in 5 charts – CBS News

    MoneyWatch

    America’s deepening affordability crisis summed up in 5 charts

    By Aimee Picchi, Mary Cunningham

    Updated on: November 19, 2025 / 5:27 PM EST / CBS News

    Although inflation across the U.S. is far cooler than in the post-pandemic years, millions of Americans say they still feel the pinch of rising prices, struggle to pay the bills and express concern about their financial prospects. 

    Price increases are nowhere near the level reached in June of 2022, when the Consumer Price Index hit a 40-year high of 9.1%. Yet many people feel squeezed by the cost of simple daily necessities, including the ability to afford healthy food, and by long-term increases in the cost of essentials such as housing and health care.

    This affordability crisis is rooted in a combination of both longstanding economic issues dating back decades and more recent developments. For instance, housing costs have surged partly due to a lack of available homes, a result of cutbacks in construction following the Great Recession, while more recently steep new U.S. tariffs have fueled inflation.  

    Inflation and the economy now rank as Americans’ top national concerns, according to an October CBS News poll

    “Everything is going up in price very quickly,” said Jeremy Tolbert, a 47-year-old web developer in Lawrence, Kansas.

    With his family’s monthly health care premiums set to rise 18% to $2,600 next year, he’s planning to cut back in other areas. “Our food budget is going to go down — we’re not talking about eating beans and rice, but going from a comfortable middle-class lifestyle to eating how we did when we first got out of college,” Tolbert said.

    Here are five key categories of spending that many Americans are struggling to afford.

    Food

    Almost half of Americans say it’s harder to afford groceries today than it was a year ago, according to a September survey by Axios and the Harris Poll. Only 19% said food prices are cheaper than a year earlier, with roughly a third seeing no change. 

    Editor’s Note: See the PRICE CHECKER in the online version only. Cannot add here.. –DrWeb

    Growth in food prices has eased considerably, although it is still rising, with the latest CPI report showing grocery prices rose 2.7% in September on an annual basis, a sharp contrast to the 11.4% increase in 2022. Overall, however, food prices as of September were more than 18% higher than in January of 2022, according to the CBS News price tracker

    Shoppers don’t assess food costs the same way economists do. They focus on their day-to-day spending — which keeps climbing — and compare their out-of-pocket spending today with what they paid several years ago, according to research from the University of Florida. 

    In other words, people’s experience of inflation and how they measure it in their daily lives may not mesh with official economic measures that paint a more optimistic picture. 

    Meanwhile, other recent signals underscore the difficulty many Americans have simply putting food on the table. Roughly 14% of U.S. households reported food insecurity on average between January and October, up from 12.5% in 2024, according to data from Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability.

    In New York City, for example, 40% of local families can’t afford their weekly food costs, according to new data from charitable organization Robin Hood and Columbia University.

    Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

    Continue/Read Original Article Here: America’s deepening affordability crisis summed up in 5 charts – CBS News

    Tags: 2025, Affordability, Affordability Crisis, America, Annual Child Care Costs, CBS, CBS News, Donald Trump, Economy, Education, Electricity and Utility Costs, Five Charts, Food, health care, History, Housing, Inflation, Library of Congress, Moneywatch, Online Version has charts, Opinion, Politics, Resistance, Trump, Trump Administration, United States

    #2025 #affordability #affordabilityCrisis #america #annualChildCareCosts #cbs #cbsNews #donaldTrump #economy #education #electricityAndUtilityCosts #fiveCharts #food #healthCare #history #housing #inflation #libraryOfCongress #moneywatch #onlineVersionHasCharts #opinion #politics #resistance #trump #trumpAdministration #unitedStates

  10. "La ministre de la Santé a annoncé jeudi matin la sélection de Scaleway, filiale du groupe iliad, par la Plateforme des données de santé. Ce fameux « Health Data Hub », qui doit notamment faciliter l’accès aux données de santé à des fins de recherche, était précédemment hébergé par Microsoft."

    next.ink/234893/scaleway-rempo

    #souverainetéNumérique #Microsoft #santé #donnéesPersonnelles

  11. This song is released under the GPL-2.0 license as part of the Battle for Wesnoth game and the music is located at

    github.com/wesnoth/wesnoth/tre

    Also described at:

    wiki.wesnoth.org/Available_Mus

    Title:
    Nunc Dimittis

    Author:
    Jeremy Nicoll

    official filename:
    nunc_dimittis.ogg

    Time to upload: 26 seconds

    If you like this song maybe you want to follow @wesnoth

    #wesnoth #WesnothMusic #GameMusic #music #soundtrack #WesnothSoundtrack #FediMusic #JeremyNicoll #NuncDimittis

  12. Wednesday Reads: Trump’s Middle East Adventure and Other News

    Good Afternoon!!

    Trump is touring the Middle East, looking for graft as president and grift for his family business. Most presidents choose to visit a U.S. ally like Canada or Great Britain as their first foreign trip, but Trump goes directly to the richest, most corrupt, least democratic countries where he can score lucrative deals for himself. On the trip, the big story is that he wants to accept the gift of an airplane from the Emir of Qatar. This would of course be wildly unconstitutional and unethical.

    Trump was in Saudi Arabia yesterday. Here’s Lawrence O’Donnell’s commentary from last night.

    Reuters: Trump says US to lift Syria sanctions, secures $600 billion Saudi deal.

    RIYADH, May 13 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S.

    The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House which called it the largest “defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done.

    The end of sanctions on Syria would be a huge boost for a country that has been shattered by more than a decade of civil war. Rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December.

    Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh at the start of a deals-focused trip that also brought a flurry of diplomacy, Trump said he was acting on a request to scrap the sanctions by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    “Oh what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said, drawing laughs from the audience. He said the sanctions had served an important function but that it was now time for the country to move forward.

    Jamal Kashoggi

    Of course one of the things he did for the crown prince was to overlook the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

    Trump and the Saudi crown prince signed an agreement covering energy, defense, mining and other areas. Trump has sought to strengthen relations with the Saudis to improve regional ties with Israel and act as a bulwark against Iran.

    The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies for areas including air and missile defense, air force and space, maritime security and communications, a White House fact sheet said.

    It was not clear whether the deal included Lockheed F-35 jets, which sources say have been discussed. The Saudi prince said the total package could reach $1 trillion when further agreements are reached in the months ahead.

    AP: Trump’s Middle East visit comes as his family deepens its business, crypto ties in the region.

    It’s not just the “gesture” of a $400 million luxury plane that President Donald Trump says he’s smart to accept from Qatar. Or that he effectively auctioned off the first destination on his first major foreign trip, heading to Saudi Arabia because the kingdom was ready to make big investments in U.S. companies.

    It’s not even that the Trump family has fast-growing business ties in the Middle East that run deep and offer the potential of vast profits.

    Instead, it’s the idea that the combination of these things and more — deals that show the close ties between a family whose patriarch oversees the U.S. government and a region whose leaders are fond of currying favor through money and lavish gifts — could cause the United States to show preferential treatment to Middle Eastern leaders when it comes to American affairs of state.

    The Trump sons have been seeking out deals for the familiy business

    Before Trump began his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. had already traveled the Middle East extensively in recent weeks. They were drumming up business for The Trump Organization, which they are running in their father’s stead while he’s in the White House.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

    Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai, the UAE’s largest city. He also attended a recent cryptocurrency conference there with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and son of Trump’s do-everything envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff.

    “We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” Eric Trump said last month in announcing that Trump Tower Dubai was set to start construction this fall.

    The presidential visit to the region, as his children work the same part of the world for the family’s moneymaking opportunities, puts a spotlight on Trump’s willingness to embrace foreign dealmaking while in the White House, even in the face of growing concerns that doing so could tempt him to shape U.S. foreign policy in ways that benefit his family’s bottom line.

    Syria has also “offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus” before their new president met with Trump and before Trump lifted sanctions. From The Independent:

    Damascus courted Donald Trump with a range of incentives, including the potential for a Trump Tower in the Syrian capital, before a meeting between the United States president and his Syrian counterpart.

    The strategic pitch also included the possibility of a detente with Israel and US access to Syrian oil and gas reserves, according to sources familiar with the effort.

    Jonathan Bass, a pro-Trump activist, met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for four hours in Damascus on April 30, alongside Syrian activists and representatives from Gulf Arab states.

    That formed part of a broader push to broker a meeting between the two leaders, which occurred on Wednesday.

    It was the first time in 25 years that the leaders of the US and Syria had met, and came after a surprise announcement from Trump that the US would lift all sanctions on Syria.

    In Riyadh, Trump also embarrassed himself by saluting Saudi generals.

    Newsweek: Donald Trump Salutes Saudi Arabian Generals During Riyadh Visit.

    President Donald Trump saluted Saudi Arabian generals as they lined up to greet him during his visit to Riyadh, the first stop in his four-day tour of the Middle East.

    There has been a discussion in recent years about the proper etiquette for presidents saluting the military, particularly those from other nations.

    A returned salute by Trump to a North Korean general during his first term sparked criticism, with some saying he should not have shown respect to a hostile nation. Others said it was courteous to return the gesture.

    The salute has not sparked the controversy that followed the emergence of video that showed the president saluting the North Korean general during his first term.

    But it comes as Trump leads a large delegation of top officials from his administration and leaders in the business world, as he seeks to discuss peace in the Middle East and improving trade and investment.

    Trump’s inappropriate behavior doesn’t shock people anymore; it’s expected that he’ll be an embarrassment to the country wherever he goes.

    Today Trump is in Qatar.

    CNN: Trump announces $200 billion Boeing deal with Qatar.

    Qatar signed an agreement Wednesday to purchase 160 jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing for Qatar Airways.

    The agreement was signed by both President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during Trump’s visit to the Gulf Arab country.

    Trump said the deal was worth $200 billion and included 160 jets.

    “So it’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the Jets, that’s fantastic,” Trump said.

    “So that’s a record, Kelly, then congratulations to Boeing,” he added, directing to his comments to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who was in the room.

    Boeing could certainly use the help. Orders last year effectively ground to a halt after a door plug blew off of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max at the beginning of 2024, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. Even with a rebound in orders toward the end of 2024, Boeing’s gross orders were just 569 for all of last year — down a stunning 60% from 2023.

    Also not helping Boeing was a massive strike in the fall. About 33,000 machinists hit the picket lines in September, and Boeing didn’t restart production until early December. That sank Boeing’s deliveries to just 348 planes last year, down 34 percent from 2023.

    And that was before Trump’s tariffs hit.

    Of course the big issue today is the plane that Trump wants to accept from Qatar.

    The Guardian: Donald Trump doubles down on luxury aircraft gift from Qatar.

    Donald Trump has doubled down on why he wants to accept a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar, a country where he traveled to today to negotiate business deals, with the US president portraying the $400m aircraft as an opportunity too valuable to refuse.

    “The plane that you’re on is almost 40 years old,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during an Air Force One interview on the Middle East trip, where he is also visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    “When you land and you see Saudi Arabia, you see UAE and you see Qatar, and they have these brand-new Boeing 747s, mostly. You see ours next to it – this is like a totally different plane.”

    Clearly irritated by questions about the ethical criticism of accepting such a lavish gift as president, Trump insisted American prestige was at stake. “We’re the United States of America. I believe we should have the most impressive plane.”

    The timing of Trump’s visit has raised eyebrows, coming just weeks after the Trump Organization secured a deal with Qatar for a luxury resort and golf course development outside the capital, Doha, called Trump International Golf Club & Villas….

    But the idea of accepting a plane from Qatar has triggered alarm across the political spectrum. The Democratic representative Ritchie Torres condemned it as a “flying grift” that violates the constitution’s emoluments clause, which explicitly prohibits federal officials from accepting valuable gifts from foreign powers without congressional approval.

    Even staunch Trump allies have broken ranks, including the Texas senator Ted Cruz, who warned that the aircraft deal “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems”, while the West Virginia senator Shelley Moore Capito said bluntly she’d “be checking for bugs”.

    Steve Benen at MaddowBlog: Among the problems with Trump’s ‘free’ luxury jet from Qatar: It’s not actually free.

    On Sunday night, as the public first learned about Donald Trump’s plan to accept a superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from his friends in Qatar to be used as Air Force One, the president was eager to defend the arrangement. The plane, the Republican argued online, would be “FREE OF CHARGE.”

    Trump returned to the point a few days later, asking why taxpayers should be “forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars” for a plane “when they can get it for FREE” from Qatar. He added soon after that only “a stupid person [would] say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

    Even if the luxury jet were free, this arrangement would still be a legal, ethical and political mess. But there’s a related problem: The “free” plane wouldn’t be free. NBC News reported:

    “Converting a Qatari-owned 747 jet into a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump would involve installing multiple top-secret systems, cost over $1 billion and take years to complete, three aviation experts told NBC News. They said that accepting the 13-year-old jet would likely cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over time, noting that refurbishing the commercial plane would exceed its current value of $400 million.”

    Politico had a related report that noted it “could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars” to retrofit Qatar’s “gift” into a makeshift Air Force One.

    “This isn’t really a gift,” said Rep. Joe Courtney told Politico. The Connecticut Democrat, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and helps oversee its panel on executive airlift, added, “You’d basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One. It’s a massive undertaking — and an unfunded one at that.”

    In other words, when Trump says the jet from Qatar would be “FREE OF CHARGE,” it’s true that it would be free for him — the president wouldn’t have to reach for his own wallet — but it wouldn’t be free to us, the American taxpayers.

    I wonder if anyone is going to be able to talk Trump out of this madness.

    Even if the luxury jet from Qatar were free, this "gift" would still be a legal and ethical mess. But there's a related problem:The free plane would cost American taxpayers a fortune.

    Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-14T12:53:41.846Z

    From the Bulwark, William Kristol, has some thoughts on Trump’s trip: Autocrats, Kleptocrats, Plutocrats… Oh My!

    What a spectacle! There they were yesterday, assembled in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, autocrats and plutocrats and kleptocrats, gathered to enjoy each other’s company under the benevolent patronage of their host, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Saudi Arabia was an appropriate destination for Donald Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term as president. He chose to visit not a democracy but a despotism; not a free nation but one of the world’s most unfree; not a land of tolerance but of repression.

    And Trump made it clear yesterday that he did not consider these features unfortunate or undesirable aspects of life under the House of Saud. There was not a hint of criticism or even of hesitation in the fulsome praise Trump heaped upon his hosts. The American president admires the Saudi achievements in autocracy, plutocracy, and kleptocracy.

    And so Trump paid homage to his “friend,” Mohammed bin Salman, who rules without consent and who brooks no dissent. “I like him a lot. I like him too much,” the president said. So much for the late Jamal Khashoggi. As to the kingdom over which bin Salman rules, Trump said the United States has “no stronger partner.” So much for the free nations with whom we are allied.

    And Trump emphasized that the achievements of Saudi Arabia that he admires have nothing to do with democratic principles or ideas of freedom. Quite the opposite. He disparaged those who supported efforts at democratization and liberalization in the region—“the so-called nation builders, neocons, or liberal nonprofits.” [….]

    Once upon a time, when American presidents still believed in the principles of the American republic, they accepted that they still had to work with despotisms like Saudi Arabia. Still, they mostly tried to move them along, even if slowly, toward the goal of a freer society….

    No longer. The very word “liberalization” now seems antique. In the era of Trump and Putin and Xi and bin Salman and many others, autocracy, plutocracy, and kleptocracy are the way of the world….

    More than two dozen American titans of business participated in a business lunch with bin Salman and Trump. They no doubt paid appropriate homage to the two autocrats, hoping to walk away, as Trump said, “with a lot of checks.” One doubts any of them uttered the words “freedom” or “democracy” or “consent of the governed.” One assumes none defended the importance of free speech or of dissent.

    In other news, a few more items:

    House Republicans are still determined to use massive cuts to Medicaid to pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the ultra wealthy. Here’s the latest:

    The New York Times (gift link): House Republicans Push Forward With Tax and Medicaid Cuts.

    House Republicans on Wednesday pushed forward on their sweeping domestic policy bill, slogging through marathon drafting sessions that began Tuesday and stretched into the night as they haggled over Medicaid and tax cuts.

    The meetings in three key committees, a crucial part of advancing what President Trump has labeled the “one big beautiful bill” carrying his agenda, came as Republican leaders raced to push the legislation through the House before a Memorial Day recess that begins at the end of next week.

    Republicans are seeking to extend Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cut and temporarily enact his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay. They want to partly offset the roughly $3.8 trillion cost of those tax measures — as well as plans to increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement — by making cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and subsidies for clean energy.

    But even as they moved toward winning committee approval of the plan, House Republican leaders faced pushback in their own ranks that could delay or derail passage. Conservative lawmakers have argued the proposed cuts to Medicaid, which stopped short of an overhaul in an effort to protect vulnerable Republicans from political blowback, do not go far enough in restructuring and slashing costs of the program. They are unhappy that the largest reduction included — new work requirements for beneficiaries — would not take effect until 2029, putting off any savings until then, after the next presidential election.

    And Republicans from high-tax states like New York were furious about a provision that would increase the limit on the state and local tax deduction to $30,000 from $10,000, a cap they regard as far too low and which was still being negotiated.

    Democrats, who are expected to oppose the package en masse, have aimed most of their criticism at the bill’s health care provisions, which are estimated to cause more than 8 million Americans to lose insurance coverage, and which they believe will be politically damaging.

    This Is going to be a disaster. I hope the Senate won’t accept these health care and food assistance cuts.

    House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that will leave millions without care

    Matt McDermott (@mattmfm.bsky.social) 2025-05-12T12:19:18.728Z

    Politico: CBO: 7.6 million would go uninsured under GOP Medicaid bill.

    The Medicaid portions of the GOP megabill would lead to 10.3 million people losing coverage under the health safety net program and 7.6 million people going uninsured, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

    Republicans released the partial estimates Tuesday less than a half hour before the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark up its portion of the legislation central to enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda on taxes, the border and energy.

    The panel has been tasked with finding $880 billion in savings, and the CBO confirmed the committee is on track to meet that target. CBO also projects that many of the major Medicaid policies would account for $625 billion in savings, though the scorekeeping office didn’t calculate the impacts of all provisions.

    Work requirements would produce the biggest savings in the bill, accounting for nearly $301 billion over a decade — deeper than what had been initially anticipated. Overturning Biden-era rules on the program would save nearly $163 billion, and a moratorium on new taxes that states levy on providers to help finance their programs would recoup roughly $87 billion.

    Republicans have argued that the changes will streamline Medicaid and allow it to better focus on serving the most vulnerable beneficiaries.

    Democrats have argued the changes will lead to devastating impacts on health care access and have made the case — including by pointing to previous CBO estimates — that work requirements would simply remove people from coverage rather than motivate beneficiaries to find jobs.

    From Strength In Numbers: New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House.

    Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president and favor Democratic U.S. House candidates for the 2026 midterms by 6 points, a new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll finds. In a survey experiment, support for the president’s immigration agenda falls when respondents are informed of mistaken deportations, such as the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

    Adults say the economy and inflation are their top priorities, but do not think either party is prioritizing the issues enough. A majority opposes making budget cuts to social programs, such as Medicaid, in order to extend tax cuts and shrink the deficit. If the 2024 election were held today and non-voters were allowed to participate, the electorate would lean toward Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by 5 points, 47% to 42%.

    Methodology note: Verasight conducted this poll among 1,000 U.S. adult residents from May 1-6, 2025. It has a margin of error of 3.2%. The survey was weighted to match the political and demographic characteristics of the U.S. adult population according to the March 2025 Current Population Survey, as well as recent benchmarks for partisanship and past vote.

    Verasight uses mail, SMS text, and the internet to recruit a sample using both probability-based and non-probability techniques. Verasight handled recruitment, interviewing, and weighting. Strength In Numbers had input on questions but did not participate in other methodological decisions, and conducted all analysis, including creating the topline document.

    You can download a pdf of the poll at the link.

    Speaking of health, RFK Jr. will be testifying in Congress today.

    The Washington Post: RFK Jr. faces Congress on budget cuts, measles response.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where the nation’s top health official is expected to be quizzed on his handling of the measles outbreak, the firing of thousands of federal health workers and major cuts to the health agencies he oversees.

    Kennedy is appearing before a House Appropriations subcommitteeWednesday morning and will move to the Senate health committee in the afternoon. The pair of hearings marks Kennedy’s first time testifying before Congress since being sworn in as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in mid-February.

    Since then, the Trump administration has moved to reshape the nation’s public health infrastructure through eliminating roughly 20,000 jobs, ousting top career officials, threatening billions of dollars in federally funded scientific research and proposing a major reorganization of the health department. Such actions have been deeply divisive, with Democrats and public health experts expressing strong concern that the changes will damage the nation’s public health infrastructure, and Kennedy and his allies countering that they are necessary to refocus the federal government on addressing chronic disease.

    In his opening remarks before the House panel, Kennedy said he is focusing on “fighting debilitating disease, contaminated food, toxic environments, addiction, mental health, and illness [affecting] families across every race, class and political belief.”

    The hearings are being billed as Kennedy’s opportunity to defend the Trump administration’s budget proposal released earlier this month, which proposed a 26 percent reduction to the department’s $127 billion budget of discretionary spending. But lawmakers typically capitalize on the moment to ask a wide range of questions, particularly demanding answers over the most controversial issues facing the nation’s sweeping health department.

    Finally, DOGE really doesn’t seem to have saved the government any money to speak of, despite illegally firing thousands of government workers and illegally closing agencies.

    David A. Fahrenthold and Jeremy Singer-Vine at The New York Times: DOGE Removes Dozens of Resurrected Contracts From Its List of Savings.

    Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is no longer claiming credit for killing dozens of federal contracts after The New York Times reported last week that they had already been reinstated.

    The Times had identified 44 revived contracts, and 43 of them were still featured on the group’s online “Wall of Receipts” as of last week. Then, late Sunday, Mr. Musk’s group deleted those claims for 31 of the contracts from its website, eliminating $122 million of the savings it claimed to have achieved by cutting federal contracts.

    Those savings had actually disappeared days or weeks before, when federal agencies reversed cancellations they had made at the behest of Mr. Musk’s group. One revived contract, which DOGE said was worth $108 million, was restored by the Department of Veterans Affairs after eight days. Mr. Musk’s group still listed it as “terminated” for two months after that.

    The presence of revived contracts on DOGE’s list of “terminations” was the latest in a series of data errors that have inflated its success at saving money. In the past, the group has deleted other errors from its “Wall of Receipts” site after new reports found that they were double-counting the same cancellations or claiming credit for killing contracts that had ended decades before.\

    On Sunday night, Mr. Musk’s group also added more than 800 new terminated contracts and raised its overall savings estimate — across all government activity, not only contracts — to $170 billion from $165 billion. The group did not delete all of the resurrected contracts identified by The Times. It left 12 on the site, still claiming that terminating those had saved taxpayers $121 million.

    That’s all I have for you today. What’s on your mind?

    #CrownPrinceMohammedBinSalman #graft #grift #JamalKashoggi #LawrenceODonnell #QatarGiftPlane #TrumpOrganization

  13. Wednesday Reads: Trump’s Middle East Adventure and Other News

    Good Afternoon!!

    Trump is touring the Middle East, looking for graft as president and grift for his family business. Most presidents choose to visit a U.S. ally like Canada or Great Britain as their first foreign trip, but Trump goes directly to the richest, most corrupt, least democratic countries where he can score lucrative deals for himself. On the trip, the big story is that he wants to accept the gift of an airplane from the Emir of Qatar. This would of course be wildly unconstitutional and unethical.

    Trump was in Saudi Arabia yesterday. Here’s Lawrence O’Donnell’s commentary from last night.

    Reuters: Trump says US to lift Syria sanctions, secures $600 billion Saudi deal.

    RIYADH, May 13 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf on Tuesday with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the U.S.

    The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House which called it the largest “defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done.

    The end of sanctions on Syria would be a huge boost for a country that has been shattered by more than a decade of civil war. Rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December.

    Speaking at an investment forum in Riyadh at the start of a deals-focused trip that also brought a flurry of diplomacy, Trump said he was acting on a request to scrap the sanctions by Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    “Oh what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said, drawing laughs from the audience. He said the sanctions had served an important function but that it was now time for the country to move forward.

    Jamal Kashoggi

    Of course one of the things he did for the crown prince was to overlook the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Kashoggi.

    Trump and the Saudi crown prince signed an agreement covering energy, defense, mining and other areas. Trump has sought to strengthen relations with the Saudis to improve regional ties with Israel and act as a bulwark against Iran.

    The agreement covers deals with more than a dozen U.S. defense companies for areas including air and missile defense, air force and space, maritime security and communications, a White House fact sheet said.

    It was not clear whether the deal included Lockheed F-35 jets, which sources say have been discussed. The Saudi prince said the total package could reach $1 trillion when further agreements are reached in the months ahead.

    AP: Trump’s Middle East visit comes as his family deepens its business, crypto ties in the region.

    It’s not just the “gesture” of a $400 million luxury plane that President Donald Trump says he’s smart to accept from Qatar. Or that he effectively auctioned off the first destination on his first major foreign trip, heading to Saudi Arabia because the kingdom was ready to make big investments in U.S. companies.

    It’s not even that the Trump family has fast-growing business ties in the Middle East that run deep and offer the potential of vast profits.

    Instead, it’s the idea that the combination of these things and more — deals that show the close ties between a family whose patriarch oversees the U.S. government and a region whose leaders are fond of currying favor through money and lavish gifts — could cause the United States to show preferential treatment to Middle Eastern leaders when it comes to American affairs of state.

    The Trump sons have been seeking out deals for the familiy business

    Before Trump began his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. had already traveled the Middle East extensively in recent weeks. They were drumming up business for The Trump Organization, which they are running in their father’s stead while he’s in the White House.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

    Eric Trump announced plans for an 80-story Trump Tower in Dubai, the UAE’s largest city. He also attended a recent cryptocurrency conference there with Zach Witkoff, a founder of the Trump family crypto company, World Liberty Financial, and son of Trump’s do-everything envoy to the Mideast, Steve Witkoff.

    “We are proud to expand our presence in the region,” Eric Trump said last month in announcing that Trump Tower Dubai was set to start construction this fall.

    The presidential visit to the region, as his children work the same part of the world for the family’s moneymaking opportunities, puts a spotlight on Trump’s willingness to embrace foreign dealmaking while in the White House, even in the face of growing concerns that doing so could tempt him to shape U.S. foreign policy in ways that benefit his family’s bottom line.

    Syria has also “offered to build a Trump Tower in Damascus” before their new president met with Trump and before Trump lifted sanctions. From The Independent:

    Damascus courted Donald Trump with a range of incentives, including the potential for a Trump Tower in the Syrian capital, before a meeting between the United States president and his Syrian counterpart.

    The strategic pitch also included the possibility of a detente with Israel and US access to Syrian oil and gas reserves, according to sources familiar with the effort.

    Jonathan Bass, a pro-Trump activist, met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for four hours in Damascus on April 30, alongside Syrian activists and representatives from Gulf Arab states.

    That formed part of a broader push to broker a meeting between the two leaders, which occurred on Wednesday.

    It was the first time in 25 years that the leaders of the US and Syria had met, and came after a surprise announcement from Trump that the US would lift all sanctions on Syria.

    In Riyadh, Trump also embarrassed himself by saluting Saudi generals.

    Newsweek: Donald Trump Salutes Saudi Arabian Generals During Riyadh Visit.

    President Donald Trump saluted Saudi Arabian generals as they lined up to greet him during his visit to Riyadh, the first stop in his four-day tour of the Middle East.

    There has been a discussion in recent years about the proper etiquette for presidents saluting the military, particularly those from other nations.

    A returned salute by Trump to a North Korean general during his first term sparked criticism, with some saying he should not have shown respect to a hostile nation. Others said it was courteous to return the gesture.

    The salute has not sparked the controversy that followed the emergence of video that showed the president saluting the North Korean general during his first term.

    But it comes as Trump leads a large delegation of top officials from his administration and leaders in the business world, as he seeks to discuss peace in the Middle East and improving trade and investment.

    Trump’s inappropriate behavior doesn’t shock people anymore; it’s expected that he’ll be an embarrassment to the country wherever he goes.

    Today Trump is in Qatar.

    CNN: Trump announces $200 billion Boeing deal with Qatar.

    Qatar signed an agreement Wednesday to purchase 160 jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing for Qatar Airways.

    The agreement was signed by both President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during Trump’s visit to the Gulf Arab country.

    Trump said the deal was worth $200 billion and included 160 jets.

    “So it’s over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the Jets, that’s fantastic,” Trump said.

    “So that’s a record, Kelly, then congratulations to Boeing,” he added, directing to his comments to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who was in the room.

    Boeing could certainly use the help. Orders last year effectively ground to a halt after a door plug blew off of an Alaska Airlines 737 Max at the beginning of 2024, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the plane. Even with a rebound in orders toward the end of 2024, Boeing’s gross orders were just 569 for all of last year — down a stunning 60% from 2023.

    Also not helping Boeing was a massive strike in the fall. About 33,000 machinists hit the picket lines in September, and Boeing didn’t restart production until early December. That sank Boeing’s deliveries to just 348 planes last year, down 34 percent from 2023.

    And that was before Trump’s tariffs hit.

    Of course the big issue today is the plane that Trump wants to accept from Qatar.

    The Guardian: Donald Trump doubles down on luxury aircraft gift from Qatar.

    Donald Trump has doubled down on why he wants to accept a luxury Boeing 747 from Qatar, a country where he traveled to today to negotiate business deals, with the US president portraying the $400m aircraft as an opportunity too valuable to refuse.

    “The plane that you’re on is almost 40 years old,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity during an Air Force One interview on the Middle East trip, where he is also visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    “When you land and you see Saudi Arabia, you see UAE and you see Qatar, and they have these brand-new Boeing 747s, mostly. You see ours next to it – this is like a totally different plane.”

    Clearly irritated by questions about the ethical criticism of accepting such a lavish gift as president, Trump insisted American prestige was at stake. “We’re the United States of America. I believe we should have the most impressive plane.”

    The timing of Trump’s visit has raised eyebrows, coming just weeks after the Trump Organization secured a deal with Qatar for a luxury resort and golf course development outside the capital, Doha, called Trump International Golf Club & Villas….

    But the idea of accepting a plane from Qatar has triggered alarm across the political spectrum. The Democratic representative Ritchie Torres condemned it as a “flying grift” that violates the constitution’s emoluments clause, which explicitly prohibits federal officials from accepting valuable gifts from foreign powers without congressional approval.

    Even staunch Trump allies have broken ranks, including the Texas senator Ted Cruz, who warned that the aircraft deal “poses significant espionage and surveillance problems”, while the West Virginia senator Shelley Moore Capito said bluntly she’d “be checking for bugs”.

    Steve Benen at MaddowBlog: Among the problems with Trump’s ‘free’ luxury jet from Qatar: It’s not actually free.

    On Sunday night, as the public first learned about Donald Trump’s plan to accept a superluxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet from his friends in Qatar to be used as Air Force One, the president was eager to defend the arrangement. The plane, the Republican argued online, would be “FREE OF CHARGE.”

    Trump returned to the point a few days later, asking why taxpayers should be “forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars” for a plane “when they can get it for FREE” from Qatar. He added soon after that only “a stupid person [would] say, ‘No, we don’t want a free, very expensive airplane.’”

    Even if the luxury jet were free, this arrangement would still be a legal, ethical and political mess. But there’s a related problem: The “free” plane wouldn’t be free. NBC News reported:

    “Converting a Qatari-owned 747 jet into a new Air Force One for President Donald Trump would involve installing multiple top-secret systems, cost over $1 billion and take years to complete, three aviation experts told NBC News. They said that accepting the 13-year-old jet would likely cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars over time, noting that refurbishing the commercial plane would exceed its current value of $400 million.”

    Politico had a related report that noted it “could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars” to retrofit Qatar’s “gift” into a makeshift Air Force One.

    “This isn’t really a gift,” said Rep. Joe Courtney told Politico. The Connecticut Democrat, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and helps oversee its panel on executive airlift, added, “You’d basically have to tear the plane down to the studs and rebuild it to meet all the survivability, security and communications requirements of Air Force One. It’s a massive undertaking — and an unfunded one at that.”

    In other words, when Trump says the jet from Qatar would be “FREE OF CHARGE,” it’s true that it would be free for him — the president wouldn’t have to reach for his own wallet — but it wouldn’t be free to us, the American taxpayers.

    I wonder if anyone is going to be able to talk Trump out of this madness.

    Even if the luxury jet from Qatar were free, this "gift" would still be a legal and ethical mess. But there's a related problem:The free plane would cost American taxpayers a fortune.

    Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-14T12:53:41.846Z

    From the Bulwark, William Kristol, has some thoughts on Trump’s trip: Autocrats, Kleptocrats, Plutocrats… Oh My!

    What a spectacle! There they were yesterday, assembled in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, autocrats and plutocrats and kleptocrats, gathered to enjoy each other’s company under the benevolent patronage of their host, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

    Saudi Arabia was an appropriate destination for Donald Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term as president. He chose to visit not a democracy but a despotism; not a free nation but one of the world’s most unfree; not a land of tolerance but of repression.

    And Trump made it clear yesterday that he did not consider these features unfortunate or undesirable aspects of life under the House of Saud. There was not a hint of criticism or even of hesitation in the fulsome praise Trump heaped upon his hosts. The American president admires the Saudi achievements in autocracy, plutocracy, and kleptocracy.

    And so Trump paid homage to his “friend,” Mohammed bin Salman, who rules without consent and who brooks no dissent. “I like him a lot. I like him too much,” the president said. So much for the late Jamal Khashoggi. As to the kingdom over which bin Salman rules, Trump said the United States has “no stronger partner.” So much for the free nations with whom we are allied.

    And Trump emphasized that the achievements of Saudi Arabia that he admires have nothing to do with democratic principles or ideas of freedom. Quite the opposite. He disparaged those who supported efforts at democratization and liberalization in the region—“the so-called nation builders, neocons, or liberal nonprofits.” [….]

    Once upon a time, when American presidents still believed in the principles of the American republic, they accepted that they still had to work with despotisms like Saudi Arabia. Still, they mostly tried to move them along, even if slowly, toward the goal of a freer society….

    No longer. The very word “liberalization” now seems antique. In the era of Trump and Putin and Xi and bin Salman and many others, autocracy, plutocracy, and kleptocracy are the way of the world….

    More than two dozen American titans of business participated in a business lunch with bin Salman and Trump. They no doubt paid appropriate homage to the two autocrats, hoping to walk away, as Trump said, “with a lot of checks.” One doubts any of them uttered the words “freedom” or “democracy” or “consent of the governed.” One assumes none defended the importance of free speech or of dissent.

    In other news, a few more items:

    House Republicans are still determined to use massive cuts to Medicaid to pay for Trump’s tax cuts for the ultra wealthy. Here’s the latest:

    The New York Times (gift link): House Republicans Push Forward With Tax and Medicaid Cuts.

    House Republicans on Wednesday pushed forward on their sweeping domestic policy bill, slogging through marathon drafting sessions that began Tuesday and stretched into the night as they haggled over Medicaid and tax cuts.

    The meetings in three key committees, a crucial part of advancing what President Trump has labeled the “one big beautiful bill” carrying his agenda, came as Republican leaders raced to push the legislation through the House before a Memorial Day recess that begins at the end of next week.

    Republicans are seeking to extend Mr. Trump’s 2017 tax cut and temporarily enact his campaign pledges not to tax tips or overtime pay. They want to partly offset the roughly $3.8 trillion cost of those tax measures — as well as plans to increase spending on the military and immigration enforcement — by making cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and subsidies for clean energy.

    But even as they moved toward winning committee approval of the plan, House Republican leaders faced pushback in their own ranks that could delay or derail passage. Conservative lawmakers have argued the proposed cuts to Medicaid, which stopped short of an overhaul in an effort to protect vulnerable Republicans from political blowback, do not go far enough in restructuring and slashing costs of the program. They are unhappy that the largest reduction included — new work requirements for beneficiaries — would not take effect until 2029, putting off any savings until then, after the next presidential election.

    And Republicans from high-tax states like New York were furious about a provision that would increase the limit on the state and local tax deduction to $30,000 from $10,000, a cap they regard as far too low and which was still being negotiated.

    Democrats, who are expected to oppose the package en masse, have aimed most of their criticism at the bill’s health care provisions, which are estimated to cause more than 8 million Americans to lose insurance coverage, and which they believe will be politically damaging.

    This Is going to be a disaster. I hope the Senate won’t accept these health care and food assistance cuts.

    House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that will leave millions without care

    Matt McDermott (@mattmfm.bsky.social) 2025-05-12T12:19:18.728Z

    Politico: CBO: 7.6 million would go uninsured under GOP Medicaid bill.

    The Medicaid portions of the GOP megabill would lead to 10.3 million people losing coverage under the health safety net program and 7.6 million people going uninsured, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

    Republicans released the partial estimates Tuesday less than a half hour before the House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to mark up its portion of the legislation central to enacting President Donald Trump’s agenda on taxes, the border and energy.

    The panel has been tasked with finding $880 billion in savings, and the CBO confirmed the committee is on track to meet that target. CBO also projects that many of the major Medicaid policies would account for $625 billion in savings, though the scorekeeping office didn’t calculate the impacts of all provisions.

    Work requirements would produce the biggest savings in the bill, accounting for nearly $301 billion over a decade — deeper than what had been initially anticipated. Overturning Biden-era rules on the program would save nearly $163 billion, and a moratorium on new taxes that states levy on providers to help finance their programs would recoup roughly $87 billion.

    Republicans have argued that the changes will streamline Medicaid and allow it to better focus on serving the most vulnerable beneficiaries.

    Democrats have argued the changes will lead to devastating impacts on health care access and have made the case — including by pointing to previous CBO estimates — that work requirements would simply remove people from coverage rather than motivate beneficiaries to find jobs.

    From Strength In Numbers: New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House.

    Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president and favor Democratic U.S. House candidates for the 2026 midterms by 6 points, a new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll finds. In a survey experiment, support for the president’s immigration agenda falls when respondents are informed of mistaken deportations, such as the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

    Adults say the economy and inflation are their top priorities, but do not think either party is prioritizing the issues enough. A majority opposes making budget cuts to social programs, such as Medicaid, in order to extend tax cuts and shrink the deficit. If the 2024 election were held today and non-voters were allowed to participate, the electorate would lean toward Kamala Harris over Donald Trump by 5 points, 47% to 42%.

    Methodology note: Verasight conducted this poll among 1,000 U.S. adult residents from May 1-6, 2025. It has a margin of error of 3.2%. The survey was weighted to match the political and demographic characteristics of the U.S. adult population according to the March 2025 Current Population Survey, as well as recent benchmarks for partisanship and past vote.

    Verasight uses mail, SMS text, and the internet to recruit a sample using both probability-based and non-probability techniques. Verasight handled recruitment, interviewing, and weighting. Strength In Numbers had input on questions but did not participate in other methodological decisions, and conducted all analysis, including creating the topline document.

    You can download a pdf of the poll at the link.

    Speaking of health, RFK Jr. will be testifying in Congress today.

    The Washington Post: RFK Jr. faces Congress on budget cuts, measles response.

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is testifying Wednesday on Capitol Hill, where the nation’s top health official is expected to be quizzed on his handling of the measles outbreak, the firing of thousands of federal health workers and major cuts to the health agencies he oversees.

    Kennedy is appearing before a House Appropriations subcommitteeWednesday morning and will move to the Senate health committee in the afternoon. The pair of hearings marks Kennedy’s first time testifying before Congress since being sworn in as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in mid-February.

    Since then, the Trump administration has moved to reshape the nation’s public health infrastructure through eliminating roughly 20,000 jobs, ousting top career officials, threatening billions of dollars in federally funded scientific research and proposing a major reorganization of the health department. Such actions have been deeply divisive, with Democrats and public health experts expressing strong concern that the changes will damage the nation’s public health infrastructure, and Kennedy and his allies countering that they are necessary to refocus the federal government on addressing chronic disease.

    In his opening remarks before the House panel, Kennedy said he is focusing on “fighting debilitating disease, contaminated food, toxic environments, addiction, mental health, and illness [affecting] families across every race, class and political belief.”

    The hearings are being billed as Kennedy’s opportunity to defend the Trump administration’s budget proposal released earlier this month, which proposed a 26 percent reduction to the department’s $127 billion budget of discretionary spending. But lawmakers typically capitalize on the moment to ask a wide range of questions, particularly demanding answers over the most controversial issues facing the nation’s sweeping health department.

    Finally, DOGE really doesn’t seem to have saved the government any money to speak of, despite illegally firing thousands of government workers and illegally closing agencies.

    David A. Fahrenthold and Jeremy Singer-Vine at The New York Times: DOGE Removes Dozens of Resurrected Contracts From Its List of Savings.

    Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is no longer claiming credit for killing dozens of federal contracts after The New York Times reported last week that they had already been reinstated.

    The Times had identified 44 revived contracts, and 43 of them were still featured on the group’s online “Wall of Receipts” as of last week. Then, late Sunday, Mr. Musk’s group deleted those claims for 31 of the contracts from its website, eliminating $122 million of the savings it claimed to have achieved by cutting federal contracts.

    Those savings had actually disappeared days or weeks before, when federal agencies reversed cancellations they had made at the behest of Mr. Musk’s group. One revived contract, which DOGE said was worth $108 million, was restored by the Department of Veterans Affairs after eight days. Mr. Musk’s group still listed it as “terminated” for two months after that.

    The presence of revived contracts on DOGE’s list of “terminations” was the latest in a series of data errors that have inflated its success at saving money. In the past, the group has deleted other errors from its “Wall of Receipts” site after new reports found that they were double-counting the same cancellations or claiming credit for killing contracts that had ended decades before.\

    On Sunday night, Mr. Musk’s group also added more than 800 new terminated contracts and raised its overall savings estimate — across all government activity, not only contracts — to $170 billion from $165 billion. The group did not delete all of the resurrected contracts identified by The Times. It left 12 on the site, still claiming that terminating those had saved taxpayers $121 million.

    That’s all I have for you today. What’s on your mind?

    #CrownPrinceMohammedBinSalman #graft #grift #JamalKashoggi #LawrenceODonnell #QatarGiftPlane #TrumpOrganization

  14. @cartodata Congrats! I believe you're the only one to have made so many maps for #mapFailbruaryChallenge this year, so massive respect :)

    Pinging @datagistips (who's at the source of the challenge but has not been around Mastodon much recently)

  15. @cartodata Congrats! I believe you're the only one to have made so many maps for #mapFailbruaryChallenge this year, so massive respect :)

    Pinging @datagistips (who's at the source of the challenge but has not been around Mastodon much recently)

  16. @cartodata Congrats! I believe you're the only one to have made so many maps for #mapFailbruaryChallenge this year, so massive respect :)

    Pinging @datagistips (who's at the source of the challenge but has not been around Mastodon much recently)

  17. @cartodata Congrats! I believe you're the only one to have made so many maps for #mapFailbruaryChallenge this year, so massive respect :)

    Pinging @datagistips (who's at the source of the challenge but has not been around Mastodon much recently)

  18. @cartodata Congrats! I believe you're the only one to have made so many maps for #mapFailbruaryChallenge this year, so massive respect :)

    Pinging @datagistips (who's at the source of the challenge but has not been around Mastodon much recently)

  19. "Disability ID and Disability Deaths" Conclusion: "Justice for Elijah McClain" (2 of 2)
    CONTENT WARNING (CW): the details and videos of this event may be disturbing to some.

    The winds of change began to blow in the summer of 2020. A change.org petition compiled over 2 million signatures, seeking justice for Elijah McClain. On June 10, 2020, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told the public, Atty Gen Phil Weiser would be investigating the death of McClain. Also that June, protesters shut down a section of Interstate 225, demanding accountability for his death. In the series of peaceful demonstrations, protesters were also targeted by police. During those protests, when heavily militarized police arrived, the legendary chant began, "WHY ARE YOU IN RIOT GEAR! WE DON'T SEE NO RIOT HERE". Finally, there was momentum in the battle for some form of justice.

    In September, 2021, over two years after the crime, a 32 count grand jury indictment charged the five first responders for their actions. The forensic pathologist who was part of the grand jury investigation, concluded the cause of death was "homicide". The individuals named in the grand jury indictment were: officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. All five were charged with "Manslaughter" and "Criminally negligent homicide" among other charges. Roedema, Rosenblatt and both EMTs were additionally charged with "Second-degree assault" and "Crime of violence". The trial of officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, being tried together, was scheduled to start on July 10 but, was postponed, with no new date set at that time.

    The indictment was followed by a series of other events. In September 2022, well after the grand jury indictment, Adams County announced, the original 2019 autopsy report had been amended. It now stated the means as "COMPLICATIONS OF KETAMINE ADMINISTRATION FOLLOWING FORCIBLE RESTRAINT". However, the cause of death was still listed as "UNDETERMINED", rather than "homicide". Interestingly enough, in November 2021, the city of Aurora agreed to pay the family of Elijah McClain, $15 million to settle a federal civil rights action.

    Next week, the first of the three trials is set to begin, as paramedics Cooper and Cichuniec have a court date on August 7. Nathan Woodyard, the first Aurora officer on the scene, will stand trial alone beginning on September 18. The judge that pushed back the Roedema and Rosenblatt case, expressed hopes for a rescheduling by October. Four years will have elapsed since Elijah McClain's death, before any proceedings against police will begin. That fact alone underscores other findings of "implicit bias" in regard to racial and disability justice. Unfortunately, that problem is not limited to Colorado.

    It's reported that over 1100 people were killed by police in 2022, other reports say, "half of people killed by police have a disability". It seems to be a dangerous time if someone decides another is different, especially if that someone has authority. People with disabilities are not a "new thing", and represent about 26% of the US population. Why should it be necessary to teach those sworn to "serve and protect", basics like: understanding, accommodation, proper communication, and preservation of dignity, when it comes to invisible disability? Can things like human decency, actually be taught with "adequate training"? Considering Elijah and the story of Christian Glass, is it any wonder many individuals with invisible disabilities, are afraid to call police for help? How many such crimes are covered up or not reported? Will an ID card really change anything? More importantly, why did so many have to suffer, before anyone heard them call... "I'm just different. I'm just different, that's all".

    OutOfExile_IDR © 2023

    Elijah McClain's last words: CW
    "I can't breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That's my house. I was just going home. I'm an introvert. I'm just different. That's all. I'm so sorry. I have no gun. I don't do that stuff. I don't do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don't even kill flies! I don't eat meat! But I don't judge people, I don't judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I'll do it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me. I'm a mood Gemini. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Ow, that really hurt! You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work. [after vomiting] Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do that. I just can't breathe correctly."

    PART ONE: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART TWO: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART THREE; kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART FOUR – Christian Glass: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/half-

    Six minute video analysis of Elijah McClain's: youtube.com/watch?v=dGlHMZQtO7

    Full 3 hour video including multiple officers body cam footage and Elijah McClain's mother attempting to get answers: youtube.com/watch?v=q5NcyePEOJ

    Adams County Sheriff – no charges in the death of Elijah McClain: kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/

    Adams County coroner amendments autopsy report: youtube.com/watch?v=w6WPP3-8Aw includes video of the incident

    Timeline, analysis of body cam footage in Elijah McClain case: 9news.com/article/news/local/e

    Police mock the death of Elijah McClain: youtube.com/watch?v=giOB3LJj_g

    Accused killers plead not guilty: youtube.com/watch?v=TUU-xE-uou

    Protesters targeted: thecut.com/2021/10/how-aurora-

    "Hundreds of Officers That Have Been Labeled Liars. Some Still Help Send People to Prison": usatoday.com/in-depth/news/inv

    Example of Aurora PD's racial profiling: sentinelcolorado.com/metro/pol

    Legal analysis by Wolfberg and Wirth: ems1.com/legal/articles/legal-

    Wikipedia page containing a link to the 911 call and police body camera: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of

    #Justice4Elijah #ActuallyAutistic #BLM #InvisibleDisabilityRights #EndAbleism #POC #EndRacism #change #disability #accommodation #understanding #DisabilityCommunity #SpeakUp4Change #DisabilitySolidarity #MentalHealth #DisabilityRights #decency #dignity #SocialJustice #EndBigotry #PoliceViolence #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #TearDownTheWall
    @disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistics

  20. "Disability ID and Disability Deaths" Conclusion: "Justice for Elijah McClain" (2 of 2)
    CONTENT WARNING (CW): the details and videos of this event may be disturbing to some.

    The winds of change began to blow in the summer of 2020. A change.org petition compiled over 2 million signatures, seeking justice for Elijah McClain. On June 10, 2020, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told the public, Atty Gen Phil Weiser would be investigating the death of McClain. Also that June, protesters shut down a section of Interstate 225, demanding accountability for his death. In the series of peaceful demonstrations, protesters were also targeted by police. During those protests, when heavily militarized police arrived, the legendary chant began, "WHY ARE YOU IN RIOT GEAR! WE DON'T SEE NO RIOT HERE". Finally, there was momentum in the battle for some form of justice.

    In September, 2021, over two years after the crime, a 32 count grand jury indictment charged the five first responders for their actions. The forensic pathologist who was part of the grand jury investigation, concluded the cause of death was "homicide". The individuals named in the grand jury indictment were: officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. All five were charged with "Manslaughter" and "Criminally negligent homicide" among other charges. Roedema, Rosenblatt and both EMTs were additionally charged with "Second-degree assault" and "Crime of violence". The trial of officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, being tried together, was scheduled to start on July 10 but, was postponed, with no new date set at that time.

    The indictment was followed by a series of other events. In September 2022, well after the grand jury indictment, Adams County announced, the original 2019 autopsy report had been amended. It now stated the means as "COMPLICATIONS OF KETAMINE ADMINISTRATION FOLLOWING FORCIBLE RESTRAINT". However, the cause of death was still listed as "UNDETERMINED", rather than "homicide". Interestingly enough, in November 2021, the city of Aurora agreed to pay the family of Elijah McClain, $15 million to settle a federal civil rights action.

    Next week, the first of the three trials is set to begin, as paramedics Cooper and Cichuniec have a court date on August 7. Nathan Woodyard, the first Aurora officer on the scene, will stand trial alone beginning on September 18. The judge that pushed back the Roedema and Rosenblatt case, expressed hopes for a rescheduling by October. Four years will have elapsed since Elijah McClain's death, before any proceedings against police will begin. That fact alone underscores other findings of "implicit bias" in regard to racial and disability justice. Unfortunately, that problem is not limited to Colorado.

    It's reported that over 1100 people were killed by police in 2022, other reports say, "half of people killed by police have a disability". It seems to be a dangerous time if someone decides another is different, especially if that someone has authority. People with disabilities are not a "new thing", and represent about 26% of the US population. Why should it be necessary to teach those sworn to "serve and protect", basics like: understanding, accommodation, proper communication, and preservation of dignity, when it comes to invisible disability? Can things like human decency, actually be taught with "adequate training"? Considering Elijah and the story of Christian Glass, is it any wonder many individuals with invisible disabilities, are afraid to call police for help? How many such crimes are covered up or not reported? Will an ID card really change anything? More importantly, why did so many have to suffer, before anyone heard them call... "I'm just different. I'm just different, that's all".

    OutOfExile_IDR © 2023

    Elijah McClain's last words: CW
    "I can't breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That's my house. I was just going home. I'm an introvert. I'm just different. That's all. I'm so sorry. I have no gun. I don't do that stuff. I don't do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don't even kill flies! I don't eat meat! But I don't judge people, I don't judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I'll do it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me. I'm a mood Gemini. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Ow, that really hurt! You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work. [after vomiting] Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do that. I just can't breathe correctly."

    PART ONE: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART TWO: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART THREE; kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART FOUR – Christian Glass: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/half-

    Six minute video analysis of Elijah McClain's: youtube.com/watch?v=dGlHMZQtO7

    Full 3 hour video including multiple officers body cam footage and Elijah McClain's mother attempting to get answers: youtube.com/watch?v=q5NcyePEOJ

    Adams County Sheriff – no charges in the death of Elijah McClain: kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/

    Adams County coroner amendments autopsy report: youtube.com/watch?v=w6WPP3-8Aw includes video of the incident

    Timeline, analysis of body cam footage in Elijah McClain case: 9news.com/article/news/local/e

    Police mock the death of Elijah McClain: youtube.com/watch?v=giOB3LJj_g

    Accused killers plead not guilty: youtube.com/watch?v=TUU-xE-uou

    Protesters targeted: thecut.com/2021/10/how-aurora-

    "Hundreds of Officers That Have Been Labeled Liars. Some Still Help Send People to Prison": usatoday.com/in-depth/news/inv

    Example of Aurora PD's racial profiling: sentinelcolorado.com/metro/pol

    Legal analysis by Wolfberg and Wirth: ems1.com/legal/articles/legal-

    Wikipedia page containing a link to the 911 call and police body camera: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of

    #Justice4Elijah #ActuallyAutistic #BLM #InvisibleDisabilityRights #EndAbleism #POC #EndRacism #change #disability #accommodation #understanding #DisabilityCommunity #SpeakUp4Change #DisabilitySolidarity #MentalHealth #DisabilityRights #decency #dignity #SocialJustice #EndBigotry #PoliceViolence #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #TearDownTheWall
    @disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistics

  21. "Disability ID and Disability Deaths" Conclusion: "Justice for Elijah McClain" (2 of 2)
    CONTENT WARNING (CW): the details and videos of this event may be disturbing to some.

    The winds of change began to blow in the summer of 2020. A change.org petition compiled over 2 million signatures, seeking justice for Elijah McClain. On June 10, 2020, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis told the public, Atty Gen Phil Weiser would be investigating the death of McClain. Also that June, protesters shut down a section of Interstate 225, demanding accountability for his death. In the series of peaceful demonstrations, protesters were also targeted by police. During those protests, when heavily militarized police arrived, the legendary chant began, "WHY ARE YOU IN RIOT GEAR! WE DON'T SEE NO RIOT HERE". Finally, there was momentum in the battle for some form of justice.

    In September, 2021, over two years after the crime, a 32 count grand jury indictment charged the five first responders for their actions. The forensic pathologist who was part of the grand jury investigation, concluded the cause of death was "homicide". The individuals named in the grand jury indictment were: officers Randy Roedema, Nathan Woodyard, Jason Rosenblatt, and paramedics Jeremy Cooper and Peter Cichuniec. All five were charged with "Manslaughter" and "Criminally negligent homicide" among other charges. Roedema, Rosenblatt and both EMTs were additionally charged with "Second-degree assault" and "Crime of violence". The trial of officers Randy Roedema and Jason Rosenblatt, being tried together, was scheduled to start on July 10 but, was postponed, with no new date set at that time.

    The indictment was followed by a series of other events. In September 2022, well after the grand jury indictment, Adams County announced, the original 2019 autopsy report had been amended. It now stated the means as "COMPLICATIONS OF KETAMINE ADMINISTRATION FOLLOWING FORCIBLE RESTRAINT". However, the cause of death was still listed as "UNDETERMINED", rather than "homicide". Interestingly enough, in November 2021, the city of Aurora agreed to pay the family of Elijah McClain, $15 million to settle a federal civil rights action.

    Next week, the first of the three trials is set to begin, as paramedics Cooper and Cichuniec have a court date on August 7. Nathan Woodyard, the first Aurora officer on the scene, will stand trial alone beginning on September 18. The judge that pushed back the Roedema and Rosenblatt case, expressed hopes for a rescheduling by October. Four years will have elapsed since Elijah McClain's death, before any proceedings against police will begin. That fact alone underscores other findings of "implicit bias" in regard to racial and disability justice. Unfortunately, that problem is not limited to Colorado.

    It's reported that over 1100 people were killed by police in 2022, other reports say, "half of people killed by police have a disability". It seems to be a dangerous time if someone decides another is different, especially if that someone has authority. People with disabilities are not a "new thing", and represent about 26% of the US population. Why should it be necessary to teach those sworn to "serve and protect", basics like: understanding, accommodation, proper communication, and preservation of dignity, when it comes to invisible disability? Can things like human decency, actually be taught with "adequate training"? Considering Elijah and the story of Christian Glass, is it any wonder many individuals with invisible disabilities, are afraid to call police for help? How many such crimes are covered up or not reported? Will an ID card really change anything? More importantly, why did so many have to suffer, before anyone heard them call... "I'm just different. I'm just different, that's all".

    OutOfExile_IDR © 2023

    Elijah McClain's last words: CW
    "I can't breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That's my house. I was just going home. I'm an introvert. I'm just different. That's all. I'm so sorry. I have no gun. I don't do that stuff. I don't do any fighting. Why are you attacking me? I don't even kill flies! I don't eat meat! But I don't judge people, I don't judge people who do eat meat. Forgive me. All I was trying to do was become better. I will do it. I will do anything. Sacrifice my identity, I'll do it. You all are phenomenal. You are beautiful and I love you. Try to forgive me. I'm a mood Gemini. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Ow, that really hurt! You are all very strong. Teamwork makes the dream work. [after vomiting] Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to do that. I just can't breathe correctly."

    PART ONE: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART TWO: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART THREE; kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    PART FOUR – Christian Glass: kolektiva.social/@OutOfExile_I

    Half of People Killed by Police Have a Disability: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/half-

    Six minute video analysis of Elijah McClain's: youtube.com/watch?v=dGlHMZQtO7

    Full 3 hour video including multiple officers body cam footage and Elijah McClain's mother attempting to get answers: youtube.com/watch?v=q5NcyePEOJ

    Adams County Sheriff – no charges in the death of Elijah McClain: kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/

    Adams County coroner amendments autopsy report: youtube.com/watch?v=w6WPP3-8Aw includes video of the incident

    Timeline, analysis of body cam footage in Elijah McClain case: 9news.com/article/news/local/e

    Police mock the death of Elijah McClain: youtube.com/watch?v=giOB3LJj_g

    Accused killers plead not guilty: youtube.com/watch?v=TUU-xE-uou

    Protesters targeted: thecut.com/2021/10/how-aurora-

    "Hundreds of Officers That Have Been Labeled Liars. Some Still Help Send People to Prison": usatoday.com/in-depth/news/inv

    Example of Aurora PD's racial profiling: sentinelcolorado.com/metro/pol

    Legal analysis by Wolfberg and Wirth: ems1.com/legal/articles/legal-

    Wikipedia page containing a link to the 911 call and police body camera: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of

    #Justice4Elijah #ActuallyAutistic #BLM #InvisibleDisabilityRights #EndAbleism #POC #EndRacism #change #disability #accommodation #understanding #DisabilityCommunity #SpeakUp4Change #DisabilitySolidarity #MentalHealth #DisabilityRights #decency #dignity #SocialJustice #EndBigotry #PoliceViolence #NoJusticeNoPeace #StopKillingUs #ICantBreathe #TearDownTheWall
    @disabilityjustice @disability @actuallyautistics