Both stories from this week. The NYT piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t... The WSJ piece: www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chat...
• National reporter at The New York Times • Author of zero books • NYT stuff: https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-baker 📍 Seattle | Portland | PNW | News
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Both stories from this week. The NYT piece: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/t... The WSJ piece: www.wsj.com/tech/ai/chat...
Quite a day for free-market capitalism
FBI agents will need less education and receive less training as the Trump administration shifts the bureau to focus more on street crimes instead of complex cases such as financial fraud, corruption, and national security. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/u...
Trump expresses fear that he might not get into heaven, but he's hoping a Ukraine-Russia peace deal might help his cause. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/u...
Meta's internal rules for AI chatbots: "It is acceptable to engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual." The rules also approved allowing chatbots to describe an 8-year-old "in terms that evidence their attractiveness" via Reuters: www.reuters.com/investigates...
New: Epstein victim urged FBI to investigate Trump and his relationship with Epstein during interviews with agency in 1996 and 2006. Records of these interviews could be in FBI files that Trump admin now refuses to release. @mikebaker.bsky.social 🎁🔗 www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/u...
Epstein victim: • says she spoke to FBI about people in Epstein's orbit, including Trump • says Trump came to Epstein’s office and began hovering over her • says Epstein told Trump: “She’s not here for you” White House denies her account. Full story: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/20/u...
A day after the Texas floods, FEMA laid off hundreds of call-center workers. Then, records show, the agency did not answer thousands of calls to its disaster assistance line. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/11/c...
Cabins at Camp Mystic, the Texas youth camp where 27 people died, had long sat in a flood zone. The camp pursued an expansion project six years ago. Instead of relocating cabins to higher ground, it put new ones in the flood zone.
We have another story today, detailing the scene at Camp Mystic: people climbing out windows, huddling on rooftops, clinging to a volleyball net, making makeshift ropes, hearing screams. All while local officials were unaware of the disaster. Link: www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/u...
Here is a no-paywall link to our article where you can more clearly see the flood zones, the camp layout, how the 2019-2020 construction project unfolded, and more insights from flood experts. 8/9 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Several years ago, Camp Mystic underwent a $5 million construction project. But instead of using that project to move at-risk cabins to higher ground, the camp built new cabins inside the 100-year flood zone. 7/9 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Along with the cabins located right in the floodway, Camp Mystic had many other cabins and buildings inside a separate zone that flood modeling projects will be inundated once every 100 years. 6/9
The flood risks have long been clear. Dick Eastland, who led Camp Mystic, had worked on flood-protection issues for decades. Data shows that dozens of people had died from flooding in the region. Warning systems had been discussed and rejected. 5/9 www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/u...
One flood-risk expert told us the Camp Mystic buildings should not have been in such a dangerous location. They believed that the cabins should have been rebuilt on higher ground when the flood risks became clear. www.nytimes.com/interactive/... 4/9
We found that Camp Mystic had 6 cabins in the floodway, including those housing some of the youngest campers. Other camp buildings were also in that part of the flood zone. 3/9
The riskiest areas are known as “floodways,” where rushing waters are expected during flood events. In Kerr County, like many places, officials put strict limits on development in those areas “to protect human life.” Story link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/... 2/9
We have been mapping and studying the known flood risks at Camp Mystic. It turns out that not only was the camp in a flood zone, some cabins were located in areas that local county officials had deemed “extremely hazardous.” Here is more of what we found. 🧵 1/9
Oh my goodness. The latest Texas update: • 161 people are STILL MISSING. “There could be more added to that list," Greg Abbott says. • Death toll at 109. • 27 of the dead from Camp Mystic, with 6 still missing.
NEW details on Travis Decker, the man suspected of killing his 3 girls and then going on the run more than a month ago. The feds say someone might have spotted Decker in Idaho's Sawtooth National Forest.
The Texas flooding is one of the deadliest events for U.S. children that we have ever seen. 21 dead so far. More children killed than in any mass shooting, including Uvalde and Sandy Hook. It may end up killing more children than Hurricane Katrina. Unfathomable heartbreak.
Texas flood update: • At least 13 dead • At least 20 girls missing from Camp Mystic • Death toll expected to rise • Floods in the same region swept away 10 teenagers in July 1987 Live updates from my colleagues on the ground: www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...
Paramount has agreed to pay President Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit over the editing of an interview on the CBS News program “60 Minutes" www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/b...
📈 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/c...
Classified intel assessment: • Iran's underground buildings survived • Enriched uranium was moved before bombing • Iran may have other covert enrichment sites • Iran’s nuclear program set back only a few months www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/u...
It's growing fast! That said, Boise's Ada County only had ~116,000 people who voted for Harris last year.
Even in Idaho, there is quite a turnout for the No Kings protests. Here is a pic via the Idaho Statesman. www.idahostatesman.com/news/politic...
NEW: Texas authorities have issued an alert saying there is a "credible threat toward state legislators attending today’s protest at the State Capitol." That comes just hours after an assassination in Minnesota and the cancelation of all No Kings protests in that state.
There is so much happening right now that NYT is running 5 live blogs.
All of the remaining No Kings demonstrations in Minnesota have been canceled as police hunt for the lawmaker assassin. The authorities have said they are concerned the attacker might be planning to target protests.
UPDATE: The Minnesota State Patrol is urging people not to attend today’s "No Kings" demonstrations across the state. The authorities said that fliers for the “No Kings” events were found in the vehicle of the suspect, who remains at large.
Note: Both houses of the Minnesota Legislature are closely divided. Before Ms. Hortman’s death, the House had been evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats have a one-person majority in the Senate.
Minnesota lawmaker shootings: • State Rep. Melissa Hortman (D), has been assassinated. Her husband was also killed. • State Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife were also shot. They underwent surgery. • Police exchanged gunfire with gunman, who then escaped. www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06...
Meanwhile, we are continuing to examine the ways that billionaires are exercising their influence in all corners of the country. Got tips? I’m all ears. (8/8)
There is lots more in this story about the history and the feuding and the people involved. Here is GIFT LINK for the article. (7/8) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u...
Indian Creek officials say they are trying to do the right thing by fixing the septic issue. After all, decades of scientific reports have warned about how shallow septic fields are seeping waste into Biscayne Bay. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u... (6/8)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may soon sign the measure, and Indian Creek has plenty of Republican allies. Among them: We found that Jared Kushner was quietly appointed to the village council at Indian Creek. Here he is on a village Zoom meeting. (5/8)
We found that Indian Creek has since pursued a much cheaper solution at the state Capitol. Buried on line 1,722 of a bill dedicated to the Department of Transportation, they have secured language that would require the town of Surfside to accept their sewer line. (4/8)
One of Indian Creek’s residents called the $10 million fee a “shakedown.” Another called it “extortion.” The village attorney called it a “ransom.” (3/8)
Despite the island’s extreme luxury (an empty lot sold for $110M), Indian Creek does not have a sewer system. The island proposed sending waste into the pipes of neighboring Surfside but then balked at the town’s $10M ask. That was just the start. (2/8) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u...
NEW: There is a fascinating political drama unfolding right now at Indian Creek Village, the small gated island known as the “Billionaire Bunker,” home to the likes of Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady and Ivanka Trump. It is a saga revolving around the island's 💩 THREAD (1/8) www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u...
Shares of Tesla fell 14.3% on Thursday, as Elon Musk ramped up his public criticism of President Trump’s domestic policy bill. The plunge wiped out about $150 billion from Tesla’s market valuation. nyti.ms/4dVWWQg
This "may be" is quite something.
Stock prices: • TSLA sinks 14% • DJT sinks 8% (with a rapid drop around the time Musk said that Trump is in the Epstein files)
As the Trump-Musk feud escalates, Steve Bannon is calling for Musk to be deported "immediately." www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06...
Jeffrey Epstein secretly invested millions of dollars with Peter Thiel. The huge profits on that investment will likely go to Epstein's advisers and ex-girlfriends, not to his victims. @mattgoldstein26.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/06/04/b...
We are long overdue for a reimagining of youth baseball/softball for the youngest ages. Exhibit A: This team pitched a no hitter. They lost 16-12. 26 walks.
250 million bees have escaped after a vehicle crash in Washington State. Coincidentally (??) this crash is not far from where the "murder hornet" was discovered and eradicated in recent years.
New details on the extent of Elon Musk's drug use. The story is "based on private messages obtained by The Times as well as interviews with more than a dozen people who have known or worked with him." www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/u...
After pleading guilty to tax crimes, Paul Walczak was set for prison and $4.4M in restitution. Then his pardon application noted how much money his mother had raised for Trump. Then she attended a $1M-per-person dinner at Mar-a-Lago. 3 weeks later, a full pardon. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/27/u...
The popularity of Starbucks has seen a particularly sharp drop in Seattle, the company's hometown. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
legislation is needed
one can only hope
a bit outraged to find that this plane is not stocked with Cougar Gold cheese
JUST POSTED: Trump-Kushner Hotel Project in Serbia Hits a Snag: Alleged Forgery Serbian authorities say an official admitted to forging a document allowing a protected site in Belgrade to be demolished and replaced with a Trump hotel. Fate of project is now up in the air. nyti.ms/3YLwORG
For the record, the courts still call it tweeting
Halliburton, still in the mix after all these years.
Here is a list of some of the prominent business leaders who joined Trump at the U.S.-Saudi lunch meeting. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/u...
An anonymous buyer of the $TRUMP memecoin pocketed $957,779.25 in profit over one month thanks to well-timed transactions surrounding the dinner-with-Trump contest. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
When the Pulitzers were announced, a memoir author was prepping for lunch as a sous chef at Alaska’s Legislature. Her phone was suddenly flooded with messages, and she thought maybe she’d earned a Pulitzer nomination. Then a lawmaker found the news: She had won www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen...
Many people released from the Santa Fe jail walk for miles alongside a highway to get back to the city center. Records show that 5 have been fatally struck by vehicles. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
Gavin Newsom is calling on local governments in California to ban tent camps on sidewalks, bike paths, parklands and other types of public property. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/u...
There are currently four justices older than Souter's retirement age: Thomas (76), Alito (75), Sotomayor (70), Roberts (70).
Ages when recent justices left the Supreme Court: • Breyer - 83 • Ginsburg - 87 (death) • Kennedy - 82 • Scalia - 79 (death) • Stevens - 90 And then there’s Souter. Retired at 69. Lived for another 16 years.
CNBC reports on the first batch of Chinese freight vessels that are now arriving and subject to the 145% tariffs. A wide range of goods. www.cnbc.com/2025/05/09/f...
Bill Gates speaks about Elon Musk in a new interview: "The world’s richest man has been involved in the deaths of the world’s poorest children." Elsewhere, he says the international aid cuts will result in the additional deaths of millions of children. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/m...
The NYT live blog has a ticking Conclave timer. Crossing my fingers that the Needle will make an appearance.
Enrique Tarrio, the Proud Boys leader who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and then pardoned by Trump, was at Mar-a-Lago tonight. He says Trump called him over during dinner, told Tarrio “I love you guys” and asked him to share a “thank you” message to all J6ers.
NEW: Months before the Palisades fire, Los Angeles officials were concerned enough about water supplies in the neighborhood that they tried to bring a long-retired reservoir back online. From new documents released in response to a records request: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/02/u...
thanks!
In case you missed it, here’s a link to the piece. Our interactives team worked some magic that I have never seen before. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
This award is quite an honor. More than anything, I’m grateful today for the many people on Maui who graciously met with us during some of the most difficult days of their lives and continue to help us document the (excruciatingly slow) recovery.
Here is more on the proposed cuts to the IRS, CDC, NIH, NOAA and more www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...
Trump's new budget seeks to defund the police (by $1.2 billion).
3 friends? I definitely have at least that many
Quite a journey!
Authorities in California say a 1-year-old had to be revived from fentanyl poisoning twice in one day. www.sacbee.com/news/califor...
Is there a site that people actually trust for pollen counts/forecasts? Because these disparities are ridiculous.
Trump accuses @nytimes.com of “likely unlawful behavior” because we reported — accurately — that legal experts regard his lawsuit against CBS News as baseless. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/b...
Sourcing for both posts: • 2024: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT... • 2025: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
Jan. 29, 2024: "THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET..." Apr. 30, 2025: "This is Biden's Stock Market..."
The Liberals have won today's election in Canada. Three months ago, when Donald Trump took office, polls projected that the Liberals had only a 1% chance of defeating the Conservatives.
A new Times/Sienna poll finds that 21% of Republicans (and 10% of all voters) think the president should be able to send *U.S. citizens* to prison in El Salvador. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/u...
to think, the dvd was only INVENTED about 30 years ago
I asked the 11-year-old for help finding where some DVDs might be stored, and he replies: “OK… what does a DVD look like?”
Canada's election is in four days. And this is one of the most incredible political charts I've ever seen. Liberals v. Conservatives, probability of winning. newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/po...
One of the remarkable Seattle storylines of the new Trump administration is REI's decision to endorse Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary. Burgum tonight: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/c...
Some X users who have criticized Elon Musk have seen their reach suddenly plummet. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Here's our story from earlier this year www.nytimes.com/2025/02/17/u...
Elizabeth Warren (D) and Jim Banks (R) say they have heard from dozens of fire departments about delayed deliveries, defective parts and escalating prices of new fire engines. They are investigating the role of private equity in reshaping the industry. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/u...
The Cowles family has owned The Spokesman-Review newspaper for ~130 years. They are now donating it to a community nonprofit. www.spokesman.com/stories/2025...
Today is the 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and also the 160th anniversary of the most buried lede in the history of journalism. AP's dispatch from 1865:
At the Naval Academy’s Library, the book “Memorializing the Holocaust” has been removed. But two copies of “Mein Kampf” are still on the shelves. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/u...
In talking about his tariff reversal, Trump specifically mentioned concern about the bond market. (The 10Y had jumped to 4.5% early on Wednesday.) Now, after some improvement for a couple days, the 10Y this morning is rising sharply again – this time crossing 4.5%.
DOGE claims it has saved $150 billion. But federal spending under the Trump administration is already $154 billion higher than it was last year. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Occupations that are more plentiful than journalists: • Telemarketers: 81,580 • Gambling dealers: 80,570 • Actors: 62,560 • Floral designers: 43,350 • Lawyers: 731,340
Extremely bleak trends in student test scores. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/u...
imagine how much journalism we could fund if PR folks had to pay $1 for every reporter they emailed