Juan Salinas II
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4nsmiley.bsky.social
Juan Salinas II
@4nsmiley.bsky.social
A 20-something who covers politics in America’s heartland for @nebraskaexaminer.com.

| Past gigs: Texas Tribune, KERA news, and Fort Worth Report |

💌: jsalinas@nebraskaexaminer.com
Signal: x4nsmiley.91
Pinned
A thank you for allowing me an opportunity to earn your trust.

Seeing firsthand the Examiner's impact in my roughly one year here has been incredible. This year is a big year for politics – we hope you give us the chance to be your guide and help you navigate with confidence.
A Nebraska lawmaker is facing being voted out of his position due to “a demonstrated pattern of behavior”

Currently 11 lawmakers are in favor of expelling. He would be the first lawmaker to be expelled in state history.

nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/04/n...
Nebraska state senators await evidence against Sen. Dan McKeon before possible expulsion vote • Nebraska Examiner
The fate of State Sen. Dan McKeon's continued service in the Nebraska Legislature will likely be decided by yet-to-be-released evidence.
nebraskaexaminer.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Nebraska Gov Jim Pillen raised over $7.6 million in 2025. The pig farmer has $10 million cash on hand in his war chest, the governor's campaign announced

Pillen had more than $3 million in cash on hand last year, state campaign finance reports show.
January 4, 2026 at 8:54 PM
“President Trump opened a new chapter in American nation building as he declared that the United States had toppled Venezuela’s leader and would “run” the country for an indefinite period.”

Via NYTimes

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/u...
Trump Plunges the U.S. Into a New Era of Risk in Venezuela
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
Our @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social reports DOJ has posted the newer Maduro indictment. My former colleague at CQ Ryan Lucas on NPR just now reports a Maduro indictment first was in 2020.
www.justice.gov/opa/media/14...
www.justice.gov
January 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Most of the Nebraska federal delegation mentioned drugs in their statements on the U.S. “large-scale strike” on Venezuela.

the Trump administration has justified boat strikes in the Caribbean by saying the boats were carrying drugs to the U.S. — without showing evidence.
January 3, 2026 at 4:50 PM
The U.S. indictment against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

www.justice.gov/opa/media/14...
www.justice.gov
January 3, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Rep. Don Bacon said the U.S. large-scale strike on the South America country is “great for the future of Venezuelans and the region.”
January 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM
A spokeswoman for the U.S. military in Washington acknowledged the reports of explosions in Caracas but had no comment on any American role.

www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Update from Eric Schmitt
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:21 AM
I think that journalism has an overreliance on “academic experts” and institutions, and that those voices are essential can be both true.
January 2, 2026 at 9:46 PM
A thank you for allowing me an opportunity to earn your trust.

Seeing firsthand the Examiner's impact in my roughly one year here has been incredible. This year is a big year for politics – we hope you give us the chance to be your guide and help you navigate with confidence.
January 2, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Unsurprisingly, Trump’s return to the White House and his first year back in office loomed over national politics.

Nebraska politics was no different as Trump influenced the state’s political landscape throughout 2025.

My latest @nebraskaexaminer.com

nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/01/01/t...
Trump loomed over Nebraska’s top political stories of 2025 • Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska and the Omaha area prepare for national close-ups in 2026, including midterm races for governor, U.S. House and Senate.
nebraskaexaminer.com
January 1, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
Texas Tribune photojournalists captured a turbulent year in Texas, from the Capitol to classrooms, immigrant communities and a river town marked by tragedy, these images capture moments that shaped public life across the state.
Texas Tribune’s 2025 pictures of the year
Photojournalists document another year across Texas. Our photos illustrated the tense redistricting debate at the Capitol, the aftermath of the Hill County floods and more.
www.texastribune.org
December 31, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Gov. Jim Pillen’s office called McKeon’s insinuation that the governor is playing any role in the push to vote him out is “utter nonsense.”
December 31, 2025 at 4:53 AM
I love middle America!
December 31, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Nebraska State Sen. Dan McKeon tried making the case that attempts to remove him from the unicameral are a “political game" in Cairo, as the governor and others have called on him to resign.

He declined to elaborate on it.

My latest @nebraskaexaminer.com

nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/30/m...
McKeon rolls out character defenders amid groping allegation, calls to resign • Nebraska Examiner
State Sen. Dan McKeon of Amherst hinted that other lawmakers might be getting influenced by the governor to vote him out.
nebraskaexaminer.com
December 30, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Nebraska State Sen. Dan McKeon holds a press conference amid calls to resign over a groping allegation and alleged ‘pattern of behavior.’
December 30, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
I had some more thoughts about that Wall Street Journal article that said downtown Dallas faces a "crisis." If you would like to read my thoughts (some of the story is BS), I am sharing them for free: www.dmagazine.com/micropost/i/...
<I>Wall Street Journal</I> says downtown Dallas ‘faces a crisis’
%%excerpt%%
www.dmagazine.com
December 30, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon claimed that “state and local media have not reported” on Dan Osborn paying his wife through campaign funds

We did in our reporting early this year during the beginning of the race between Osborn and Sen. Pete Ricketts > nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/07/26/tea…
December 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Former Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is dying of “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer,” he announced on social media Tuesday.

Via @nebraskaexaminer.com

nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/12/23/f...
Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse announces terminal stage-four cancer diagnosis • Nebraska Examiner
OMAHA — Former Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse is dying of “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer,” he announced on social media Tuesday. “Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death...
nebraskaexaminer.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers sued another tech company with ties to China.

My latest @nebraskaexaminer.com

nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebra...
Nebraska sues Resideo alleging 'serious security risks’ of Chinese video cameras • Nebraska Examiner
Nebraska AG Mike Hilgers has sued other tech companies tied to China, including Chinese e-commerce giant Temu and camera manufacturer Lorex.
nebraskaexaminer.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
More context to the video (that is fake): www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
December 22, 2025 at 10:27 PM
More context to the video (that is fake): www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
December 22, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Founded by left-leaning news site Drop Site News in the DOJ Epstein files: a 12-second video of what appears to be Jeffrey Epstein attempting to kill himself in his cell.

www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov
December 22, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
This year reaffirmed how much Texans rely on fair, fearless reporting about decisions at the Capitol that shape our daily lives. With reader support, The Texas Tribune keeps Texans informed and connected.
How The Texas Tribune served Texans in 2025.
Together we are building trust, fostering dialogue and empowering communities and individuals to take action.
www.texastribune.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Juan Salinas II
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration policies limiting lawmakers’ access to ICE facilities
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration policies limiting lawmakers’ access to ICE facilities
A federal judge in the nation’s capital has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies limiting Congress members’ access to immigration detention facilities.
www.1011now.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:18 AM