J. David McSwane

Reporter, @propublica. “Laugh out loud funny” - WashPo. Author, PANDEMIC, INC. Order here: DM for signal. [email protected]

[J. David McSwane @davidmcswane]

Let me tell you a story – one of the more haunting I’ve seen in 20 years of journalism. It’s about greed, death and denial. It took two years to unravel one doctor’s myth, a hospital’s complicity in creating it, and a documented trail of suspicious deaths… 🧵

[J. David McSwane @davidmcswane]

We don’t need a conclave. Hear me out. @ConanOBrien

[Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein]

NEW: “They don’t want oversight. They don’t care about civil rights and civil liberties.”
Trump’s Shuttering of DHS Civil Rights Office Freezes 600 Cases https://t.co/jcfpR9wGNv @davidmcswane @HannahAllam

[Keri Blakinger @keribla]

What a headline, ooof.

[J. David McSwane @davidmcswane]

Oh, hi, Texas! Sure miss y’all #txlege https://t.co/YHBHRJ4y1V

[ProPublica @propublica]

New: The Montana hospital that fired Dr. Thomas C. Weiner turned over thousands of pages of documents, but members of the board say they were unaware of them. https://t.co/oG6SAhBnEc

[ProPublica @propublica]

In October, we published secret recordings of Russell Vought discussing plans to eviscerate entire agencies and decimate the morale of federal workers if Trump won a second term.

It's hard to imagine a more prescient piece of journalism.
https://t.co/LG9HwH7RjB

[ProPublica @propublica]

Documents obtained by ProPublica detail the sophistication and intrusiveness of Cambridge’s work for the gun industry in 2016. The firm’s campaign aimed to help elect Donald Trump and keep industry-friendly politicians in the Senate.
https://t.co/s1TJAMMFHv

[Brett Murphy @BrettMmurphy]

ProPublica just obtained a remarkable directive to those remaining at USAID: Empty the safes with the classified and personnel records and then ...

"Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break."

[Ken Herman @kherman]

End of an error.

Gannett can't spell name of paper it just sold.

It's the Austin American-Statesman. Not the Austin-American Statesmen.

Glad to see Gannett leave town. Expecting better things from new owner Hearst.

@statesman

https://t.co/8E34lWh3F7

[ProPublica @propublica]

An effort by Senate Republicans to shut down projects they call “woke” would end not just diversity programs but vast fields of research on social science, climate change and medicine.

One scientist called the censorship “very frightening.”
https://t.co/avpIDDNh8G

[Ursula Perano Helsel @UrsulaPerano]

DC is a funny place. One day, you're 21, living in a group house in georgetown. You've got a 40-something year old random roommate and you're not quite sure why he lives there? but he's out of town a lot

Fast forward, he's the head of USAID. And the trips suddenly make sense

[Pamela Colloff @pamelacolloff]

.@keribla's astonishing short documentary film, I AM READY, WARDEN, is up for an Oscar tonight.

So proud of you, Keri!! 🏆

https://t.co/2WU5rdTX9Z

[ProPublica @propublica]

Gun lobbyists gave Cambridge Analytica a trove of data on gun owners derived from warranty cards, voter rolls, hunting licenses and other sources.

Here’s how Cambridge used the info to drum up support for the gun industry’s preferred candidates.
https://t.co/7rnU4i9Ilu

[Debbie Hiott @dhiott]

Hearst cannot arrive in Austin soon enough to wrest the Statesman away from Gannett formerly known as GateHouse. Using once robust local newspapers to create viral click farms to sell networked digital advertising is not an audience-focused strategy.

[Amanda Eggert @amandaleggert]

Strong piece by Seely Swan Pathfinder editor (& former @mtfreepress wildfire reporting intern) @keelyinezlarson about some of the wildfire mitigation projects halted in NW MT due to the fed funding freeze & @MontanaDNRC's stop work order. $450k in that area alone. #mtpol #mtnews

[Ryan Gabrielson @ryangabrielson]

By the time 15-yr-old Jázmin Pellegrini was found dead in an SF driveway last April, Chronicle reporters Cynthia Dizikes and Joaquin Palomino had spent months investigating for-profit psychiatric hospitals.
They soon found her story epitomized the crisis inside these facilities.

[J. David McSwane @davidmcswane]

Honestly, it's nice to work for a news organization that doesn't do opinion at all.

[Jeff Bezos @JeffBezos]

I shared this note with the Washington Post team this morning:

I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.

We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets. We’ll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.

There was a time when a newspaper, especially one that was a local monopoly, might have seen it as a service to bring to the reader’s doorstep every morning a broad-based opinion section that sought to cover all views. Today, the internet does that job.

I am of America and for America, and proud to be so. Our country did not get here by being typical. And a big part of America’s success has been freedom in the economic realm and everywhere else. Freedom is ethical — it minimizes coercion — and practical — it drives creativity, invention, and prosperity.

I offered David Shipley, whom I greatly admire, the opportunity to lead this new chapter. I suggested to him that if the answer wasn’t “hell yes,” then it had to be “no.” After careful consideration, David decided to step away. This is a significant shift, it won’t be easy, and it will require 100% commitment — I respect his decision. We’ll be searching for a new Opinion Editor to own this new direction.

I’m confident that free markets and personal liberties are right for America. I also believe these viewpoints are underserved in the current market of ideas and news opinion. I’m excited for us together to fill that void.

Jeff

[J. David McSwane @davidmcswane]

Some news on the Dr. Thomas Weiner story. I've confirmed that a criminal inquiry is underway. Still, the state of Montana has renewed his medical license. w/ @mtfreepress

[ProPublica @propublica]

New: Questions about whether oncologist Dr. Thomas Weiner would be permitted to continue practicing medicine intensified after a ProPublica investigation exposed a trail of patient harm tied to his practice. https://t.co/zPwLjt990Z

[ProPublica @propublica]

ProPublica obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing.

(Pub. 2021)
https://t.co/fLmj98TPZU

[ProPublica @propublica]

Our Supreme Connections database tracks who’s paid the Supreme Court justices, reimbursed their travel expenses or given them gifts. We just added Justice Samuel Alito’s 2023 filing and newly uncovered Justice Clarence Thomas filings from the 1990s.
https://t.co/uQojH4495G