Charles Heck
@charlesheck.bsky.social
Reposted by Charles Heck
Broke: America is a violent, expansionist empire but we tell ourselves we're not
Woke: Damn straight we're a violent, expansionist empire and we're not not going to hide it anymore
Woke: Damn straight we're a violent, expansionist empire and we're not not going to hide it anymore
January 4, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Broke: America is a violent, expansionist empire but we tell ourselves we're not
Woke: Damn straight we're a violent, expansionist empire and we're not not going to hide it anymore
Woke: Damn straight we're a violent, expansionist empire and we're not not going to hide it anymore
Reposted by Charles Heck
like 75% of dem messaging right now should be “the party led by epsteins best friend is breaking into pre-k childcare centers so they can record your toddlers and put the videos on internet”
uhhh yeah I can see why these childcare properties weren't eager to let in some rando dudes asking "where are the kids?"
January 1, 2026 at 2:49 PM
like 75% of dem messaging right now should be “the party led by epsteins best friend is breaking into pre-k childcare centers so they can record your toddlers and put the videos on internet”
Reposted by Charles Heck
Devastating. Yesterday, a 5-year-old boy died from the flu.
Dr. Oz was spewing advice earlier this week where he downplayed the importance of vaccines and recommended “getting sunlight”.
I don’t know whether Micah was vaccinated, but of the kids who died from flu last year, 90% were not.
Dr. Oz was spewing advice earlier this week where he downplayed the importance of vaccines and recommended “getting sunlight”.
I don’t know whether Micah was vaccinated, but of the kids who died from flu last year, 90% were not.
Influencer Paul Kim's Son, 5, Dies After Contracting Severe Case of the Flu
Influencer Paul Kim’s 5-year-old son, Micah, died on Dec. 31 after contracting a severe case of influenza, which led to the child suffering seizures and sepsis.
people.com
January 1, 2026 at 10:19 PM
Devastating. Yesterday, a 5-year-old boy died from the flu.
Dr. Oz was spewing advice earlier this week where he downplayed the importance of vaccines and recommended “getting sunlight”.
I don’t know whether Micah was vaccinated, but of the kids who died from flu last year, 90% were not.
Dr. Oz was spewing advice earlier this week where he downplayed the importance of vaccines and recommended “getting sunlight”.
I don’t know whether Micah was vaccinated, but of the kids who died from flu last year, 90% were not.
Reposted by Charles Heck
It's 1958 & a group of conservatives in California, fed up with the liberalism of both the GOP & the Democratic Party, have nominated for governor a white nationalist antisemite named William Potter Gale who leads a neo-Nazi paramilitary organization. They've garnered many high-profile endorsements.
January 1, 2026 at 6:05 PM
It's 1958 & a group of conservatives in California, fed up with the liberalism of both the GOP & the Democratic Party, have nominated for governor a white nationalist antisemite named William Potter Gale who leads a neo-Nazi paramilitary organization. They've garnered many high-profile endorsements.
Reposted by Charles Heck
I find myself thinking about historian Robert Paxton’s 2004 definition of fascism far too often than I’d like these days. Note that these sentences were written back when Donald Trump was a NYC playboy libertine who donated to Democrats.
June 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I find myself thinking about historian Robert Paxton’s 2004 definition of fascism far too often than I’d like these days. Note that these sentences were written back when Donald Trump was a NYC playboy libertine who donated to Democrats.
Reposted by Charles Heck
‘I Hope You Like Measles’: U.S. Measles Cases Hit Three-Decade High a Year After Jake Tapper’s Prediction About RFK Jr. Leading HHS
‘I Hope You Like Measles’: U.S. Measles Cases Hit Three-Decade High a Year After Jake Tapper’s Prediction About RFK Jr. Leading HHS
The U.S. surpassed 2,000 measles cases this year for the first time since 1992 under the public health stewardship of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The post ‘I Hope You Like Measles’: U.S. Measles Cases Hit Three-Decade High a Year After Jake Tapper’s Prediction About RFK Jr. Leading HHS first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
December 31, 2025 at 2:42 AM
‘I Hope You Like Measles’: U.S. Measles Cases Hit Three-Decade High a Year After Jake Tapper’s Prediction About RFK Jr. Leading HHS
Reposted by Charles Heck
NEW: The bill emerged in response to a ProPublica investigation exposing how Microsoft used China-based engineers to service Defense Dept.’s computer systems for nearly a decade, leaving sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from a leading cyber adversary.
Trump Signs Defense Bill Prohibiting China-Based Engineers in Pentagon IT Work
The measure, which emerged in response to a ProPublica investigation, bars Microsoft engineers in China and other adversarial countries from servicing sensitive Pentagon cloud computing systems.
www.propublica.org
December 31, 2025 at 1:00 PM
NEW: The bill emerged in response to a ProPublica investigation exposing how Microsoft used China-based engineers to service Defense Dept.’s computer systems for nearly a decade, leaving sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from a leading cyber adversary.
Reposted by Charles Heck
Fox Contributor Reminds Colleagues Minnesota Fraud Ringleader Is a ‘White Woman’ Who Is ‘Already in Prison’
Fox Contributor Reminds Colleagues Minnesota Fraud Ringleader Is a ‘White Woman’ Who Is ‘Already in Prison’
Leslie Marshall pushed back on the narrative surrounding Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and the alleged billions of dollars taken by fraudsters in the state
The post Fox Contributor Reminds Colleagues Minnesota Fraud Ringleader Is a ‘White Woman’ Who Is ‘Already in Prison’ first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
December 30, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Fox Contributor Reminds Colleagues Minnesota Fraud Ringleader Is a ‘White Woman’ Who Is ‘Already in Prison’
Reposted by Charles Heck
Who actually gets help after a climate disaster? As public recovery systems erode, access to rebuilding increasingly depends on wealth, connections — and a few private companies.
@vox.com via our partners @grist.org / @climatedesk.org: www.vox.com/climate/4735...
@vox.com via our partners @grist.org / @climatedesk.org: www.vox.com/climate/4735...
In America, surviving a disaster increasingly depends on what you can afford
Disaster capitalism isn’t theoretical anymore.
www.vox.com
December 30, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Who actually gets help after a climate disaster? As public recovery systems erode, access to rebuilding increasingly depends on wealth, connections — and a few private companies.
@vox.com via our partners @grist.org / @climatedesk.org: www.vox.com/climate/4735...
@vox.com via our partners @grist.org / @climatedesk.org: www.vox.com/climate/4735...
Reposted by Charles Heck
Does fact-checking matter anymore? Today on the pod, @josephcox.bsky.social speaks with @craigsilverman.bsky.social, co-founder of indicator.media about fact-checking and if it actually changes people's minds as Trump "floods the zone with shit."
Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmj4...
Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmj4...
December 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Does fact-checking matter anymore? Today on the pod, @josephcox.bsky.social speaks with @craigsilverman.bsky.social, co-founder of indicator.media about fact-checking and if it actually changes people's minds as Trump "floods the zone with shit."
Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmj4...
Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lmj4...
Reposted by Charles Heck
Both of the homes Trump claimed as principal residences in the ’90s were used as investment properties and rented out, according to an interview with his longtime real estate agent — exactly the sort of scenario he’s pointed to as evidence of fraud.
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing ...
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Both of the homes Trump claimed as principal residences in the ’90s were used as investment properties and rented out, according to an interview with his longtime real estate agent — exactly the sort of scenario he’s pointed to as evidence of fraud.
Reposted by Charles Heck
And yet still too few are wearing a mask to reduce viral spread.
NYC school attendance drops, parents freak out as flu season foils Christmas plans https://gothamist.com/news/nyc-school-attendance-drops-parents-freak-out-as-flu-season-foils-christmas-plans
NYC school attendance drops, parents freak out as flu season foils Christmas plans
Doctors urged parents to vaccinate their kids amid a surge in flu, COVID and other illnesses.
Educators reported lots of absences as the nation’s largest public school system limped into the holidays. [ more › ]
gothamist.com
December 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
And yet still too few are wearing a mask to reduce viral spread.
Reposted by Charles Heck
Those who need therapy often have to pay out of pocket or go without care, even if they have health insurance.
Hundreds of mental health providers told us they fled networks because insurers made their jobs impossible and their lives miserable.
(Published Aug. 2024)
Hundreds of mental health providers told us they fled networks because insurers made their jobs impossible and their lives miserable.
(Published Aug. 2024)
Why I Left the Network
Those who need therapy often have to pay out of pocket or go without care, even if they have health insurance. Hundreds of mental health providers told us they fled networks because insurers made thei...
projects.propublica.org
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Those who need therapy often have to pay out of pocket or go without care, even if they have health insurance.
Hundreds of mental health providers told us they fled networks because insurers made their jobs impossible and their lives miserable.
(Published Aug. 2024)
Hundreds of mental health providers told us they fled networks because insurers made their jobs impossible and their lives miserable.
(Published Aug. 2024)
Reposted by Charles Heck
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
Published Oct. w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
Published Oct. w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social
Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It.
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drin...
www.propublica.org
December 27, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, keeps shooting out of the ground in Oklahoma.
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
Published Oct. w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social
Experts say it means even more wastewater is spreading underground, poisoning the state’s water supply.
Published Oct. w/ @readfrontier.bsky.social
Reposted by Charles Heck
Today on Volts: you've probably heard that Australia has cheap rooftop solar power. You've probably also heard some rumors & myths about it. (Is it destabilizing the grid?) I called my favorite Australian energy expert to clear it all up. This is a fun one!
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
What's the real story with Australian rooftop solar?
Saul Griffith joins me to debunk the myths surrounding Australia's massive influx of solar energy.
www.volts.wtf
December 26, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Today on Volts: you've probably heard that Australia has cheap rooftop solar power. You've probably also heard some rumors & myths about it. (Is it destabilizing the grid?) I called my favorite Australian energy expert to clear it all up. This is a fun one!
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
www.volts.wtf/p/whats-the-...
Reposted by Charles Heck
Explains a LOT.
"Americans for Prosperity has thrown its political weight behind legislation that hobbles renewables in favor of oil, gas and coal
The Koch political group
$20m ads
>1,500 meetings with lawmakers,
>475,000 phone calls,
>100,000 letters to Congress
www.desmog.com/2025/12/11/t...
"Americans for Prosperity has thrown its political weight behind legislation that hobbles renewables in favor of oil, gas and coal
The Koch political group
$20m ads
>1,500 meetings with lawmakers,
>475,000 phone calls,
>100,000 letters to Congress
www.desmog.com/2025/12/11/t...
The Koch Network Is Pushing Trump to Accelerate AI, Documents Show
Right-wing political group Americans for Prosperity, backed by oil and gas billionaire Charles Koch, sees data centers as part of a larger pro-fossil fuel agenda.
www.desmog.com
December 27, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Explains a LOT.
"Americans for Prosperity has thrown its political weight behind legislation that hobbles renewables in favor of oil, gas and coal
The Koch political group
$20m ads
>1,500 meetings with lawmakers,
>475,000 phone calls,
>100,000 letters to Congress
www.desmog.com/2025/12/11/t...
"Americans for Prosperity has thrown its political weight behind legislation that hobbles renewables in favor of oil, gas and coal
The Koch political group
$20m ads
>1,500 meetings with lawmakers,
>475,000 phone calls,
>100,000 letters to Congress
www.desmog.com/2025/12/11/t...
Reposted by Charles Heck
In 1932, FDR was elected with 57.4% of the vote. He brought us the New Deal.
In 1964, LBJ was elected with 61.1% of the vote. He brough us the Great Society.
In 2025, Trump was elected with 49.8% of the vote. He's attempting to destroy everything FDR & LBJ built.
The rest is commentary.
In 1964, LBJ was elected with 61.1% of the vote. He brough us the Great Society.
In 2025, Trump was elected with 49.8% of the vote. He's attempting to destroy everything FDR & LBJ built.
The rest is commentary.
December 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
In 1932, FDR was elected with 57.4% of the vote. He brought us the New Deal.
In 1964, LBJ was elected with 61.1% of the vote. He brough us the Great Society.
In 2025, Trump was elected with 49.8% of the vote. He's attempting to destroy everything FDR & LBJ built.
The rest is commentary.
In 1964, LBJ was elected with 61.1% of the vote. He brough us the Great Society.
In 2025, Trump was elected with 49.8% of the vote. He's attempting to destroy everything FDR & LBJ built.
The rest is commentary.
Reposted by Charles Heck
Every 3 years, China builds a brand-new "Total US Grid" from just additions to its solar capacity
Another one of my charts to the year
Another one of my charts to the year
December 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Every 3 years, China builds a brand-new "Total US Grid" from just additions to its solar capacity
Another one of my charts to the year
Another one of my charts to the year
Reposted by Charles Heck
Using fossil fuels to power data centers is bad for your lungs & wallets, especially if the fossil fuels are burned behind-the-meter with aeroderivative turbines (jet engines) & diesel generators. But developers can't wait for grid connections & modern turbines, so brace yourselves.
Data centres turn to aircraft engines to avoid grid connection delays
Supply chain shortages drive developers to use smaller and less efficient power sources to fuel AI power demand
www.ft.com
December 27, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Using fossil fuels to power data centers is bad for your lungs & wallets, especially if the fossil fuels are burned behind-the-meter with aeroderivative turbines (jet engines) & diesel generators. But developers can't wait for grid connections & modern turbines, so brace yourselves.
Reposted by Charles Heck
Tariffs as a % of GDP are at the highest level in more than 100 years amidst Trump's trade war—even though tariff rates are still lower than in the 1930s, they have a much higher impact because trade volumes are much larger than in the past
December 27, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Tariffs as a % of GDP are at the highest level in more than 100 years amidst Trump's trade war—even though tariff rates are still lower than in the 1930s, they have a much higher impact because trade volumes are much larger than in the past
Reposted by Charles Heck
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
December 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
Reposted by Charles Heck
Previously, I posted that Na-ion batteries were likely to reach Li-ion battery energy density faster due to the prior advances and experience from Lithium work. Well, that’s appears to be the case. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋 www.uh.edu/news-events/...
Breakthrough New Material Brings Affordable, Sustainable Future Within Grasp
Researchers have developed a new material for sodium-ion batteries, sodium vanadium phosphate, that delivers higher voltage and greater energy capacity than previous sodium-based materials. This break...
www.uh.edu
December 25, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Previously, I posted that Na-ion batteries were likely to reach Li-ion battery energy density faster due to the prior advances and experience from Lithium work. Well, that’s appears to be the case. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨💧🔋 www.uh.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Charles Heck
Some of my stories this year included:
- how the gas industry pushed state bills to redefine gas as “clean” energy
- how the DOE partnered with plastics lobbyists
- how Exxon is building CO2 pipelines through communities after Trump withdrew safety regs
More: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxonknews...
- how the gas industry pushed state bills to redefine gas as “clean” energy
- how the DOE partnered with plastics lobbyists
- how Exxon is building CO2 pipelines through communities after Trump withdrew safety regs
More: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxonknews...
ExxonKnews: The year in review
This year, ExxonKnews reported on Big Oil targeting its critics, pushing false solutions, and encouraging political allies to help the industry escape accountability.
www.exxonknews.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Some of my stories this year included:
- how the gas industry pushed state bills to redefine gas as “clean” energy
- how the DOE partnered with plastics lobbyists
- how Exxon is building CO2 pipelines through communities after Trump withdrew safety regs
More: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxonknews...
- how the gas industry pushed state bills to redefine gas as “clean” energy
- how the DOE partnered with plastics lobbyists
- how Exxon is building CO2 pipelines through communities after Trump withdrew safety regs
More: www.exxonknews.org/p/exxonknews...
Reposted by Charles Heck
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
December 23, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
Reposted by Charles Heck
We at ProPublica obtained internal government data in May that showed the Trump administration knew the vast majority of Venezuelans sent to El Salvador had not been convicted of violent crimes. Our reporting is featured in Frontline. Read our full coverage: www.propublica.org/series/depor...
December 23, 2025 at 1:41 AM
We at ProPublica obtained internal government data in May that showed the Trump administration knew the vast majority of Venezuelans sent to El Salvador had not been convicted of violent crimes. Our reporting is featured in Frontline. Read our full coverage: www.propublica.org/series/depor...