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ence morse
@ence.bsky.social
3.4K followers 130 following 30 posts
data & politics @washingtonpost.com

texan in dc 🕯️
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ence.bsky.social
ence morse @ence.bsky.social · Apr 14
The Post identified several instances of Trump or DOGE implementing policy ideas proposed to Musk by users on X. Some proposals went from Musk's X feed to the White House Briefing Room in just hours. with @erxclau.me @azipaybarah.bsky.social & Talia Trackim

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Elon Musk gets government policy ideas from X. Here’s how.
A look at which accounts — big and small — have Musk’s ear and how some appear to have sparked action from Musk and the Trump administration.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by ence morse
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
So so excited to welcome the very talented @chrishacker.me to @wpdatateam.bsky.social!! Chris is our team's newest hire, joining us as a computational journalist embedded on the national desk. 🙌
November 11, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by ence morse
mollyknight.bsky.social
SANDWICH GUY AVOIDS TOASTER
mollyroberts.bsky.social Molly Roberts @mollyroberts.bsky.social · 4d
We have reached a verdict: Not guilty.
November 6, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jamieson.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨 The jury has reached a verdict. Sean Dunn, aka the DC Sandwich Guy, has been found NOT GUILTY of assault.
November 6, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Reposted by ence morse
tonytassell.bsky.social
quite a chart from WashPost www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 5, 2025 at 5:23 PM
ence.bsky.social
Spanberger ran up wild margins in the DC/Richmond suburbs, flipped 6 Trump counties, and cut her losses in the rest of the state — some SWVA counties moved 15-20 points to her compared to 2021 gov's race. My first election results for @washingtonpost.com ! www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 5, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by ence morse
drewharwell.com
Dems in Array
mttwls.bsky.social Matthew Wilson @mttwls.bsky.social · 6d
Looks like the Dems will pick up 12 seats in the VA House of Delegates, which will go from 51-49 to 63-37 D-R. That's an honestly shocking result.
November 5, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Reposted by ence morse
washingtonpost.com
President Trump has sought to portray Zohran Mamdani as the face of an extremist opposition, while Mamdani’s vow to resist Trump has helped unify Democrats against a common foe.
Trump and Mamdani, best of enemies, can’t stop talking about each other
The rivals see political benefit to the attacks, which could also define New York for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term in office.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by ence morse
danvock.bsky.social
Most Americans think Trump has gone too far in asserting executive power. Numbers for Guard deployment are some of the worst for Trump. Via @sfcpoll.bsky.social and the Post

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 2, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by ence morse
travismandrews.bsky.social
EXCLUSIVE: After Trump took over the Kennedy Center in Feb, he vowed to make it "hot" again. So, how's it doing? @jeremybmerrill.com and I used data from the center's ticketing website to find out. Ticket sales are lowest they've been since the pandemic.

www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Kennedy Center ticket sales have plummeted since Trump takeover
Nearly nine months into Trump’s oversight, sales for the three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been since the pandemic, according to a Washington Post analysis.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by ence morse
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
The great @dtkeating.bsky.social is retiring after 25+ years as a data reporter at the Post. He published his last story today, and true to form, it was a banger. With reporting from @arianaec.bsky.social, @lmelgar.bsky.social & Jahi Chikwendiu:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt
Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults — and few clear explanations.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by ence morse
washingtonpost.com
The largest U.S. law firms have been far less likely to challenge President Trump’s policies than they were during his first term, and smaller firms are carrying much more of the burden of high-stakes legal challenges, according to a Post analysis.
Nation’s biggest law firms back off from challenging Trump policies
The pace generated by more than 390 lawsuits challenging Trump administration actions has lawyers from many firms working around-the-clock.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Reposted by ence morse
johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
My latest, on a man who supported the war in Afghanistan, came to the U.S. legally, applied for asylum, had two kids, became a bookkeeper, bought an American flag bumper sticker.

Then ICE arrested him. If he's deported, he expects the Taliban to kill him.
wapo.st/49aGaw2
He supported the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Now he may be deported to the Taliban.
He supported America’s war, escaped Afghanistan and started a family in the U.S. Then ICE arrested him. If he is deported, he expects the Taliban to kill him.
wapo.st
October 15, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jamellebouie.net
we’ll see how his mayoral tenure shakes out but i am convinced that Mamdani has the juice. not just the charisma to win an election but the temperament to govern and the measured pragmatism of someone who genuinely believes what they’re saying and wants to accomplish real things.
Inside the Improbable, Audacious and (So Far) Unstoppable Rise of Zohran Mamdani
www.nytimes.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by ence morse
emilygiam.bsky.social
How America’s favorite sports bet is fueling sportsbook profits

Parlays are becoming more popular, accounting for an increasing share of the money wagered on sports, according to a Post analysis of betting data. Bettors lose billions a year on these bets.

www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
Americans can’t stop betting parlays. Sportbooks are cashing in.
As betting booms, parlays are accounting for an increasing share of the money wagered on sports, according to a Washington Post analysis of state data.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by ence morse
sfcpoll.bsky.social
This story is fantastic, important and difficult to execute -- proud of my colleagues @caitlingilbert.bsky.social @richardsima.bsky.social , Leslie Shapiro, @asteckelberg.bsky.social @ence.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/int...
How TikTok keeps its users scrolling for hours a day
Washington Post reporters analyzed data from over 800 TikTok users to learn how the app turns people into power users, some of whom spend hours per day scrolling.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:11 PM
ence.bsky.social
Three different people at my bus stop this morning were reading this column... and one guy had a printout of Sietsema's latest piece on appetizers in DC. Impact!
katzish.bsky.social Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · Oct 7
Tom Sietsema is stepping down from his longtime gig as WaPo restaurant critic, and showing his face. A terrific critic and absolutely lovely guy — big loss for the Post and I’m sure he will do something great next www.washingtonpost.com/food/2025/10...
Column | Food critic Tom Sietsema is stepping down — and dropping his anonymity
After a quarter-century of reviewing restaurants, donning disguises and turning down photos, The Post’s food critic is ready for his next course.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 7, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by ence morse
caitlingilbert.bsky.social
🤳EXCLUSIVE: We analyzed real data from over 800 U.S. TikTok users to reveal how the app transforms casual users into power users.

Extremely proud of this one, over a year in the making w/ @richardsima.bsky.social Leslie Shapiro @asteckelberg.bsky.social @ence.bsky.social

wapo.st/4obueib
Here’s how TikTok ‘power users’ end up scrolling 4 hours a day or more
Washington Post reporters analyzed data from over 800 TikTok users to learn how the app turns people into power users, some of whom spend hours per day scrolling.
wapo.st
October 7, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Reposted by ence morse
washingtonpost.com
In the days after a shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan, members raised money for the families of the victims — and the family of the shooter.
Mormons raise nearly $200,000 for family of gunman who attacked their church
In the days after a shooting at the LDS Church in Michigan, members of the church raised money for the families of the victims — and the family of the shooter.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jennagiesta.bsky.social
Check out our new CNN poll deep dive into who political independents are, how they engage with politics and what they think about the current political moment. The classic swing voter appears to be a thing of the past. www.cnn.com/interactive/...
What does an independent mean in politics?
New CNN poll results identify five distinct types of independents.
www.cnn.com
September 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Talked to 23 people who suddenly have to pay huge tariffs or otherwise cannot get chainmail from Pakistan, yarn from France, retro computers from Japan, metal music from the Netherlands, DVDs from Germany, cosplay supplies, sunscreen, etc.

www.404media.co/its-just-a-m...
‘It's Just a Mess:' 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby
"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."
www.404media.co
September 9, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by ence morse
davidenrich.bsky.social
NEW: JPMorgan, the largest US bank, enabled the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein.

The bank lent him money, created accounts for his victims, disregarded suspicious transactions and overruled employees who raised concerns.
@mattgoldstein26.bsky.social @jsgatnyt.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/m...
How JPMorgan Enabled the Crimes of Jeffrey Epstein
www.nytimes.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by ence morse
kevinschaul.bsky.social
Great analysis of how Grok's political bias has changed. NYT tested Grok on a political bias survey, using different versions of its system prompt. Shows much tweaking these system prompts affects model outputs. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/technology/elon-musk-grok-conservative-chatbot.html
Screenshow of a chart showing how xAI tweaked Grok
September 2, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Incredible, must-read investigation by @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social into how Tea's founder got women to join the app, how its founding story changed, how it spammed Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook groups, how it hired an influencer marketing firm to promote it

www.404media.co/how-teas-fou...
How Tea’s Founder Convinced Millions of Women to Spill Their Secrets, Then Exposed Them to the World
A 404 Media investigation reveals how the man who started Tea, the ‘women dating safety’ app, tried to hire a female ‘face’ for the company and then hijack her grassroots community.
www.404media.co
August 19, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Reposted by ence morse
jeffhorwitz.bsky.social
I’m grateful to Bue Wongbandue’s family for telling his story to me. It took courage, and they didn’t want attention.

www.reuters.com/investigates...
A flirty Meta AI bot invited a retiree to meet. He never made it home.
Impaired by a stroke, a man fell for a Meta chatbot originally created with Kendall Jenner. His death spotlights Meta’s AI rules, which let bots tell falsehoods.
www.reuters.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:23 PM
ence.bsky.social
gasped the first time i read this kicker www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Tom Petek, 54, conceded in an interview that he was a little nervous about coming to Washington from his hometown of Medina, Ohio, which has a population just shy of 26,000 people. It’s his first trip to D.C. in more than four years, when he joined protests outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He remains a Trump supporter and has seen news reports about a rise in crime and a slew of homicides, he said. He joked that he and his wife would have to wear bulletproof vests when visiting historic sites. But on Monday, their first full day in the city, Petek and his wife went to the National Archives, Arlington National Cemetery, the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument without incident. They planned to go on tours of the White House, the FBI building and the Capitol on Tuesday and remained unwary. “You hear the news, and the stuff about the murder rates and things, and you think, ‘Man, you’ve got to dodge bullets when you’re at the sites,’ but it’s safe,” Petek said. “You feel safe. You feel welcome.”
August 12, 2025 at 4:42 PM