Maya Pontone
@mayapontone.bsky.social
arts & culture journalist
signal @petridishemoji.98
email me! maya(at)mayapontone(dot)com
signal @petridishemoji.98
email me! maya(at)mayapontone(dot)com
Reposted by Maya Pontone
The hate crime charge against Alexa Wilkinson for photographing vandalism of the New York Times building is a dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Wilkinson.
Journalist or not, photography isn’t a hate crime
Gatekeeping over hate crime charges misses the forest for the trees
freedom.press
November 19, 2025 at 8:52 PM
The hate crime charge against Alexa Wilkinson for photographing vandalism of the New York Times building is a dangerous precedent, no matter what you think of Wilkinson.
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Another one www.koin.com/news/oregon/...
‘Our hearts hurt’: USDA directs Oregon grocer not to offer discounts to SNAP recipients
“You cannot treat SNAP-EBT customers differently than any other customer,” the USDA’s SNAP Equal Treatment Rule reads.
www.koin.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Another one www.koin.com/news/oregon/...
Reposted by Maya Pontone
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
November 6, 2025 at 9:27 PM
If sandwich shops don’t start offering a sandwich named “the acquittal” then what are we even doing
Reposted by Maya Pontone
By this time next week, the estimated deaths due to the illegal destruction of USAID and the shuttering of its aid efforts will breach 400,000.
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
Tracking Anticipated Deaths from USAID Funding Cuts
Brooke Nichols has launched online tracking tools that capture estimated increases in mortality and disease spread for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases as a result of the near-total...
www.bu.edu
November 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
By this time next week, the estimated deaths due to the illegal destruction of USAID and the shuttering of its aid efforts will breach 400,000.
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
More than 260,000 will be children.
Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
Reposted by Maya Pontone
The latest Pasts Imperfect is out! Stephanie Wong discusses ancient Halloween traditions, including Oaxacan pumpkins 🎃 💀 Then, reading ancient texts in Braille, AI for Chinese calligraphy, Sanskrit philosophy, the sons of Attila, new ancient world journals by @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & more!
Pasts Imperfect (10.23.25)
It is almost Halloween! Spooky season means that the internet is full of creepy content, but your editors are here to sort through the chaff and get you the best of the best from the ancient world. 🎃 ...
pasts-imperfect.ghost.io
October 23, 2025 at 10:55 AM
The latest Pasts Imperfect is out! Stephanie Wong discusses ancient Halloween traditions, including Oaxacan pumpkins 🎃 💀 Then, reading ancient texts in Braille, AI for Chinese calligraphy, Sanskrit philosophy, the sons of Attila, new ancient world journals by @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social & more!
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
October 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
And if you subscribe to Hyperallergic you'll see that we ran a report on the rise of NYC's clowning culture a whole year ago! hyperallergic.com/932760/insid...
October 8, 2025 at 12:12 AM
And if you subscribe to Hyperallergic you'll see that we ran a report on the rise of NYC's clowning culture a whole year ago! hyperallergic.com/932760/insid...
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Please use alt text when posting illustrations or photos or other images. I realize it feels like an inconvenience if you didn't ever do it at the other place, but folks who need it are a zillion times more inconvenienced every single day.
October 2, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Please use alt text when posting illustrations or photos or other images. I realize it feels like an inconvenience if you didn't ever do it at the other place, but folks who need it are a zillion times more inconvenienced every single day.
Any US-based museum workers out there interested in speaking with me about their workplace protocols for immigration enforcement-related searches, send me a message or DM me for a story! Anonymous tips welcome!!
September 10, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Any US-based museum workers out there interested in speaking with me about their workplace protocols for immigration enforcement-related searches, send me a message or DM me for a story! Anonymous tips welcome!!
Reposted by Maya Pontone
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been reluctant to abandon his reelection bid — but an influential post in Trump’s administration could incentivize him to bow out.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams faces a decision: A Trump administration post to drop his reelection campaign
The embattled New York City mayor was offered a HUD post, a person familiar with the talks tells POLITICO.
www.politico.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:32 PM
NYC Mayor Eric Adams has been reluctant to abandon his reelection bid — but an influential post in Trump’s administration could incentivize him to bow out.
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Funeral held for Anas al-Sharif and other journalists killed in Israeli strike
Funeral held for Anas al-Sharif and other journalists killed in Israeli strike
Last post from Al Jazeera’s Sharif, one of ‘Gaza’s bravest journalists’, laments world doing nothing to stop ‘massacre’ of Palestinians
*
Middle East crisis – live updates
Hundreds of mourners carried the body of the prominent Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif through the streets of Gaza City on Monday, a day after he and four colleagues were killed in an Israeli airstrike, prompting condemnation from across the world.
Sharif, one of Al Jazeera’s most recognisable faces in Gaza, was killed while inside a tent for journalists outside al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on Sunday night. Seven people in total were killed in the attack, including the Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and the camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, according to the Qatar-based broadcaster. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
August 11, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Funeral held for Anas al-Sharif and other journalists killed in Israeli strike
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 midterms became crystal clear on Wednesday, as Texas Republicans introduced a new congressional redistricting map that would give their party five new seats in the US House, making it much more difficult for Democrats to retake the chamber next November.
Trump’s Texas gerrymander Is supercharging a new war on democracy
Texas Republicans just unveiled a shocking plan to give their party five new House seats.
www.motherjones.com
July 30, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 midterms became crystal clear on Wednesday, as Texas Republicans introduced a new congressional redistricting map that would give their party five new seats in the US House, making it much more difficult for Democrats to retake the chamber next November.
Reposted by Maya Pontone
The whooping cough vaccination rate for Washington state kindergartners in 2023-2024 was 90.2%, slightly below the U.S. rate of 92.3%.
But in 4 counties, the rate for children ages 19-35 months was around 30%.
In one county, it was below 12%.
(Published April)
But in 4 counties, the rate for children ages 19-35 months was around 30%.
In one county, it was below 12%.
(Published April)
“Not Just Measles”: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline
While much of the country is focused on the spiraling measles outbreak, experts warn that whooping cough and other preventable diseases could get much worse with falling vaccination rates and Trump’s…
www.propublica.org
July 15, 2025 at 3:00 AM
The whooping cough vaccination rate for Washington state kindergartners in 2023-2024 was 90.2%, slightly below the U.S. rate of 92.3%.
But in 4 counties, the rate for children ages 19-35 months was around 30%.
In one county, it was below 12%.
(Published April)
But in 4 counties, the rate for children ages 19-35 months was around 30%.
In one county, it was below 12%.
(Published April)
Reposted by Maya Pontone
There is currently an NWS flash flood warning in effect for all five boroughs of NYC.
But no City agency has posted it on this platform.
Please help spread the word.
“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”
But no City agency has posted it on this platform.
Please help spread the word.
“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”
July 14, 2025 at 11:33 PM
There is currently an NWS flash flood warning in effect for all five boroughs of NYC.
But no City agency has posted it on this platform.
Please help spread the word.
“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”
But no City agency has posted it on this platform.
Please help spread the word.
“If you live in a basement apartment or low-lying area, be ready to move to higher ground.”
Reposted by Maya Pontone
A reminder: FEMA is no longer going door-to-door to assist disaster victims
[From our Climate Desk partner @wired.com]
[From our Climate Desk partner @wired.com]
FEMA will no longer go door-to-door to assist disaster victims
The move, says one agency worker, will “severely hamper our ability to reach vulnerable people.”
www.motherjones.com
July 7, 2025 at 2:07 PM
A reminder: FEMA is no longer going door-to-door to assist disaster victims
[From our Climate Desk partner @wired.com]
[From our Climate Desk partner @wired.com]
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Statement from @cairnational.bsky.social: "These posts represent the same Islamophobic playbook from the same bigots we see almost any time a Muslim runs for public office." (1/2)
New @motherjones.com: Conservatives are already losing their minds over Mamdani's apparent win
Elise Stefanik, Laura Loomer, and Charlie Kirk posted Islamophobic smears despite reports that Mamdani has faced threats and Islamophobic attacks prompting a police investigation
Elise Stefanik, Laura Loomer, and Charlie Kirk posted Islamophobic smears despite reports that Mamdani has faced threats and Islamophobic attacks prompting a police investigation
Conservatives are already losing their minds over Mamdani's apparent win
Elise Stefanik, Laura Loomer, and Charlie Kirk posted Islamophobic smears despite reports that Mamdani has faced threats and Islamophobic attacks prompting a police investigation.
www.motherjones.com
June 25, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Statement from @cairnational.bsky.social: "These posts represent the same Islamophobic playbook from the same bigots we see almost any time a Muslim runs for public office." (1/2)
Reposted by Maya Pontone
When the California biotech firm filed for bankruptcy, there was one looming question for customers: What's going to happen to my data?
How to delete your 23andMe data after the company filed for bankruptcy
When the California biotech firm filed for bankruptcy, there was one looming question for customers: What's going to happen to my data?
www.npr.org
March 25, 2025 at 4:33 PM
When the California biotech firm filed for bankruptcy, there was one looming question for customers: What's going to happen to my data?
read this report!! by @isafarfan.bsky.social regarding Mahmoud Khalil's imprisonment by immigration officials and its connections to his suspension by Columbia University last spring theintercept.com/2025/03/19/c...
Columbia Apologized to Mahmoud Khalil in May 2024 for One-Day Suspension
Marco Rubio justified Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest using the same protest charges Columbia brought against him that were dismissed a day later.
theintercept.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:14 PM
read this report!! by @isafarfan.bsky.social regarding Mahmoud Khalil's imprisonment by immigration officials and its connections to his suspension by Columbia University last spring theintercept.com/2025/03/19/c...
Reposted by Maya Pontone
This reads like the opening paragraph of a novel so bleakly dystopian you'd put it down after five pages
February 12, 2025 at 7:40 AM
This reads like the opening paragraph of a novel so bleakly dystopian you'd put it down after five pages
Reposted by Maya Pontone
🚨BIG SCOOP: Musk’s DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets
Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Musk’s DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets
Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.
www.bloomberg.com
February 7, 2025 at 7:44 PM
🚨BIG SCOOP: Musk’s DOGE Teen Was Fired By Cybersecurity Firm for Leaking Company Secrets
Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Edward Coristine posted online that he had retained access to the firm’s servers. Now he has access to sensitive government information.
🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what Musk did at Twitter?
New — Sources tell me OPM is preparing mass firing of probationary employees after agencies submitted lists of them last week without context. If supervisors want to keep someone on, they need to write a short justification. Directive was high level. They were told not to put any of this in print.
February 4, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this exactly what Musk did at Twitter?
Staff at Politico did not get paid for the latest pay period. The company just sent several emails to employees saying it believes there was a technical error, and is looking into how to fix the issue.
February 4, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Tariffs are taxes.
"Trump insists that tariffs are paid for by foreign countries. In fact, its is importers — American companies — that pay tariffs, and the money goes to U.S. Treasury. Those companies, in turn, typically pass their higher costs on to their customers in the form of higher prices."
"Trump insists that tariffs are paid for by foreign countries. In fact, its is importers — American companies — that pay tariffs, and the money goes to U.S. Treasury. Those companies, in turn, typically pass their higher costs on to their customers in the form of higher prices."
Trump favors huge new tariffs. How do they work?
Former President Donald Trump has proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China and a 20% tariff on everything else the United States imports. This week, he raised the ante still higher.
www.pbs.org
January 31, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Tariffs are taxes.
"Trump insists that tariffs are paid for by foreign countries. In fact, its is importers — American companies — that pay tariffs, and the money goes to U.S. Treasury. Those companies, in turn, typically pass their higher costs on to their customers in the form of higher prices."
"Trump insists that tariffs are paid for by foreign countries. In fact, its is importers — American companies — that pay tariffs, and the money goes to U.S. Treasury. Those companies, in turn, typically pass their higher costs on to their customers in the form of higher prices."
Reposted by Maya Pontone
Our latest scoop: Government tech workers are having to defend their projects to random Elon Musk bros.
A recent high school graduate and former Neuralink intern has been joining meetings to review lines of code and other work history of career public servants, sparking chaos. wrd.cm/40SsDVz
A recent high school graduate and former Neuralink intern has been joining meetings to review lines of code and other work history of career public servants, sparking chaos. wrd.cm/40SsDVz
Government Tech Workers Forced to Defend Projects to Random Elon Musk Bros
A recent high school graduate and former Neuralink intern has joined meetings to review lines of code and other work history of career public servants, sparking chaos at a major government agency.
wrd.cm
January 31, 2025 at 12:04 AM
Our latest scoop: Government tech workers are having to defend their projects to random Elon Musk bros.
A recent high school graduate and former Neuralink intern has been joining meetings to review lines of code and other work history of career public servants, sparking chaos. wrd.cm/40SsDVz
A recent high school graduate and former Neuralink intern has been joining meetings to review lines of code and other work history of career public servants, sparking chaos. wrd.cm/40SsDVz