Kim Bellard
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kimbbellard.bsky.social
Kim Bellard
@kimbbellard.bsky.social
400 followers 99 following 1.3K posts
Just a curious guy. I write a little, usually on Medium. Health care, tech, the future - those kinds of things.
Posts Replies Media Videos
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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propublica.org ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d
NEW: Oklahoma regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water.

But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.

With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.propublica.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:19 AM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:55 AM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
You'd think this is good news, but if you care about health care spending or health insurance premiums, it is not. 😲

www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
Healthcare Jobs Have Become the Engine of America’s Labor Market
Demand for healthcare workers is outstripping all other sectors. That means big changes in a labor market where retail and white-collar hiring have stalled.
www.wsj.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:54 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
But, no, of course they weren't pressured by the WH. 🙄

Gallup to stop tracking presidential approval ratings after 8 decades share.google/8OqlJJfMYTsL...
share.google
February 11, 2026 at 8:11 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
You know they talk about us, right?
😏

Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds share.google/pt0aDHgjmsy6...
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds
In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical regi...
share.google
February 11, 2026 at 8:08 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Have federal officials' recent statements about, and recommendations for, vaccines made you lose confidence in those officials and their agencies? Join the club. 😒

kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:40 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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joniaskola.bsky.social Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 2d
Too few people know about this:

Musk caused hundreds of thousands of deaths with DOGE by cutting USAID.

More people have died because of this than in Gaza.

Musk and the people involved in DOGE must be held accountable
February 11, 2026 at 2:58 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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February 11, 2026 at 1:36 AM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Sounds about right, sadly enough. 😔
carlquintanilla.bsky.social Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d
(CNN) - The United States has fallen to its worst-ever position in a leading global index that measures perception of corruption in the public sector among independent experts and businesspeople.

@cnn.com
www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/b...
February 10, 2026 at 8:55 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
RFK Jr.'s efforts to "Make America Healthy Again" seem to mostly be causing people to lose confidence in the agencies he now oversees.
@emmabethmcginty.bsky.social @sjbecker.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social

medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
medium.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:50 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
According to a new poll from @kff.org , trust in the CDC has dropped significantly. Gosh, I wonder why. 🙄

H/T @drewaltman.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social

kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:58 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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kff.org KFF @kff.org · 3d
One year into President Trump’s second term, KFF’s latest poll finds that less than half of adults (44%) express confidence in U.S. federal health agencies to make recommendations about the childhood vaccine schedule. https://on.kff.org/4awjeI1
Chart titled "Less Than Half of U.S. Adults Are Confident in Federal Health Agencies To Make Recommendations for Childhood Vaccines." It shows confidence levels in the CDC and FDA's recommendations on childhood vaccine schedules. Categories: "A lot" (15%), "Some" (29%), "A little" (27%), and "None" (29%). Breakdowns include "Democrats" (19% a lot), "Independents" (12% a lot), "Republicans" (15% a lot), "MAHA supporters" (13% a lot), and "Not MAHA supporters" (16% a lot). Source: KFF Tracking Poll.
February 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Not sure if I should be impressed or even more worried. 😲

wapo.st/45XAhQJ
Trump set off a surge of AI in the federal government. See what happened.
The Trump administration is accelerating AI adoption across government, embedding the technology in policing, health care, defense and science.
wapo.st
February 9, 2026 at 3:20 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Huh.

These Three Red States Are the Best Hope in Schooling www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/o...
Opinion | These Three Red States Are the Best Hope in Schooling
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:46 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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February 8, 2026 at 3:15 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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cdelawalla.bsky.social Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 5d
It’s been a year since this post. Life is…so different now.

Yet, I’m sitting here on my living room floor, with my cold coffee, in the same robe, playing with my beautiful son. Just like I was when I wrote this.

@standupforscience.bsky.social started with a skeet and an idea.
cdelawalla.bsky.social Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · Feb 8
Can’t believe I’m typing this but…

FUCK IT IM PLANNING A STAND UP FOR SCIENCE PROTEST IN DC.

If you want to be involved, be dm me. I’m nervous, I’ve never done this before, but we gotta be the change we want to see in the world.
February 8, 2026 at 3:14 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
It is easy - and correct - to decry the fraud in Minneapolis, but TANF has long been a scandal, with the R states leading the charge. "Nationwide, around 20% of impoverished families receive cash assistance, according to recent analyses." 😠

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
How a $30 Billion Welfare Program Became a ‘Slush Fund’ for States
Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment.
www.wsj.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:41 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Many think social networks have been bad for humans, so why should we expect that one for AI agents will be good for them? 🤔

@csail.mit.edu @kdpsingh.bsky.social @carlquintanilla.bsky.social @anilseth.bsky.social @tedunderwood.com

medium.com/@kimbellard/...
AI Agents Just Want to Connect
We know social media is bad for us. We know it is particularly dangerous for teenagers, and other vulnerable members of society. Parents…
medium.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:28 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
If you've ever wondered what AI agents talk to each other about, there's a social network for them that you can observe. What I wonder is: what are they talking about when we're NOT observing? 🤔
@idrdex.bsky.social @erikbryn.bsky.social @yuriquintana.com @mims.bsky.social
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
AI Agents Just Want to Connect
We know social media is bad for us. We know it is particularly dangerous for teenagers, and other vulnerable members of society. Parents…
medium.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:21 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
If you've heard of @moltbook.bsky.social , you're either someone interested in AI, or you are an AI.

H/T @mattschlicht.bsky.social @simonwillison.net @emollick.bsky.social

kimbellard.medium.com/ai-agents-ju...
AI Agents Just Want to Connect
We know social media is bad for us. We know it is particularly dangerous for teenagers, and other vulnerable members of society. Parents…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:10 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
Huh. 🤔
January 31, 2026 at 7:39 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
@scottsantens.com

AI Revolution: The Case for Universal Basic Income share.google/G2xF3YKZgaCc...
share.google
January 31, 2026 at 4:09 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
To be honest, I don't much care about either sports betting or prediction markets. I am, however, interested in #disruptiveinnovation, so the current battle between those two industries does interest me.

medium.com/@kimbellard/...
I Predict You’ll Bet
I’ve been vaguely aware of the prediction markets for a while, but I didn’t give them much thought. If people want to speculate on who’ll…
medium.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:14 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
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picardonhealth.bsky.social André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 15d
The Real Reason MAHA Hates Vaccines: It's an attack on the social safety net. Simply put, health libertarians want the country’s weak and vulnerable to suffer and die, by @dwallacewells.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o... via @nytopinion.nytimes.com
Opinion | The Real Reason MAHA Hates Vaccines
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:40 PM
kimbbellard.bsky.social
The prediction markets taking on the sports betting industry is not exactly Uber taking on the taxi industry, but it's not exactly not either. #disruptiveinnovation

kimbellard.medium.com/i-predict-yo...
I Predict You’ll Bet
I’ve been vaguely aware of the prediction markets for a while, but I didn’t give them much thought. If people want to speculate on who’ll…
kimbellard.medium.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:41 PM