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shannonbond.bsky.social
Shannon Bond
@shannonbond.bsky.social
14K followers 1.7K following 410 posts
🎙️NPR correspondent covering how technology, politics, power, & influence intersect. also reporting on DOGE & fed govt upheaval. send tips on Signal to shannonbond.01

https://www.npr.org/people/763523701/shannon-bond
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Reposted by Shannon Bond
sambiddle.com
Every single Wikipedia "alternative" I've ever come across works like this. IIRC even the NSA's internal Intellipedia cribs extensively from Wikipedia. The amount of work it would take it actually replace Wikipedia is just too massive (unless you wanted dubious machine-generated entries)
shannonbond.bsky.social Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 17d
"'Even Grokipedia needs Wikipedia to exist,' Lauren Dickinson, a spokesperson for the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that operates Wikipedia tells The Verge."
www.theverge.com/news/807686/...
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia contains copied Wikipedia pages
Ironic.
www.theverge.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:28 PM
shannonbond.bsky.social
other examples: apple, Genesis (band), tarot
Wikipedia apple page: "An apple is the round, edible fruit of an apple tree (Malus spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (Malus domestica), the most widely grown in the genus, are cultivated worldwide. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Eurasia before they were introduced to North America by European colonists. Apples have cultural significance in many mythologies (including Norse and Greek) and religions (such as Christianity in Europe). Apples grown from seeds tend to be very different from those of" Grokipedia apple page: "An apple is the round, edible fruit of an apple tree (Malus spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (Malus domestica), the most widely grown in the genus, are cultivated worldwide. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii , is still found. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Eurasia before they were introduced to North America by European colonists. Apples have cultural significance in many mythologies (including Norse and Greek) and religions (such as Christianity in Europe). Apples grown from seeds tend to be very different from those of their parents, and the resultant fruit frequently" Wikipedia Genesis page: "Genesis were an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, in Godalming, Surrey, in 1967. The band's longest-lasting and most commercially successful line-up consisted of keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. In the 1970s, during which the band also included singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis were among the pioneers of progressive rock. Banks and Rutherford have been the only constant members throughout the band's history. The band were formed by Charterhouse pupils Banks, Rutherford, Gabriel, guitarist Anthony Phillips and drummer Chris Stewart. Their name was provided by former Charterhouse pupil and pop impresario Jonathan King, who arranged for them to record several singles and their debut album From Genesis to Revelation in 1969. After splitting from King, the band began touring, signed" Grokipedia Genesis page: "Genesis were an English rock band formed at Charterhouse School, in Godalming, Surrey, in 1967. The band's longest-lasting and most commercially successful line-up consisted of keyboardist Tony Banks, bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and drummer/singer Phil Collins. In the 1970s, during which the band also included singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett, Genesis were among the pioneers of progressive rock. Banks and Rutherford have been the only constant members throughout the band's history. The band were formed by Charterhouse pupils Banks, Rutherford, Gabriel, guitarist Anthony Phillips and drummer Chris Stewart. Their name was provided by former Charterhouse pupil and pop impresario Jonathan King, who arranged for them to record several singles and their debut album From Genesis to Revelation in 1969. After splitting from King, the band began touring, signed with Charisma Records and shifted to progressive rock with"
October 28, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
bobbyallyn.bsky.social
Fans of the indie rock band Here We Go Magic were surprised to see they dropped a new single today, the first release since 2015.

Actually nope, it's just AI.

"It's so predatory, and so terrible," the band's singer Luke Temple told me.

www.npr.org/2025/10/27/n...
Your favorite band has a new single? It might be AI
With AI music generators widely available, scammers are uploading songs to the pages of inactive artists and dead musicians. Spotify says it is cracking down, but the practice persists.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 1:03 AM
shannonbond.bsky.social
At least 3 times in the past 2 weeks, an official Post editorial has taken on matters in which Bezos has a financial or corporate interest without noting his stake. In each case, the Post's official editorial line landed in sync with its owner's financial interests.

www.npr.org/2025/10/28/n...
'Washington Post' editorials omit a key disclosure: Bezos' financial ties
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
washingtonpost.com
Mario Guevara, an Emmy-award winning reporter, was deported to El Salvador — a nation he fled more than two decades ago. He was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.
U.S. deports journalist Mario Guevara to El Salvador, family says
Mario Guevara, an independent journalist, was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 3, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
marisakabas.bsky.social
NEW—US Department of Education sent out standard Out of Office language to employees on Wednesday in light of shutdown. Later yesterday, workers tell me they found someone had updated their auto-responses without consent to a new one blaming Democrats.

Version of original on left, updated on right:
Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the U.S. government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit ED.gov for the latest information on the Department's operational status. Thank you. Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.
October 2, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
jennamclaughlin.bsky.social
UPDATE:

At the Small Business Administration, employees were given "suggested" language for OOO email replies: blaming Senate Democrats for the shutdown and praising the "record-breaking services we are providing under the leadership of the Trump administration":

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
www.npr.org
October 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
stphnfwlr.com
The Justice Department website now has a banner that blames Democrats for the government shutdown.

More on the partisan messaging strategy pushed by the Trump administration:

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
October 1, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
stphnfwlr.com
Despite DOGE's promise that canceling contracts and terminating leases would help reverse the trend of the government spending more money than it brings in, the most recent Treasury data shows an *increase* in expenditures by hundreds of billions of dollars more than the year before.
Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut
Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.
www.npr.org
October 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
stphnfwlr.com
Agencies ordered to drastically slash their workforces over the last eight months are now hiring back hundreds of workers, as they struggle to perform basic operations or carry out some of President Trump's top policy priorities.

Read more with @shannonbond.bsky.social @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social
Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut
Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.
www.npr.org
October 1, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
stphnfwlr.com
NEW @npr.org: The so-called Department of Government Efficiency effort has failed to deliver on its outsized promises to cut costs and increase efficiency, NPR's latest analysis of federal data finds.
Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut
Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.
www.npr.org
October 1, 2025 at 10:19 AM
shannonbond.bsky.social
tfw you watched Mountainhead and learned nothing.
drewharwell.com Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · Sep 30
OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this
October 1, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
New: ICE has bought a tool that tracks the locations of hundreds of millions of phones globally, updates every single day. Usually harvested from apps and advertising

www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-t...
ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day
Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.
www.404media.co
September 30, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
oliverdarcy.bsky.social
Scoop: CBS News' corporate-installed, MAGA-loving ombudsman visited the network on Monday, visiting with senior leadership. Meanwhile, the Bari Weiss appointment is imminent.

More in @status.news: link.status.news/4nrFwyD
October 1, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
mississippifreepress.org
A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012.

The infant was less than two months old and was not old enough to receive the pertussis vaccine.

buff.ly/8epl2QS
Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough Amid Rising Cases
A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012. The baby was less than two months old—too young for vaccination.
www.mississippifreepress.org
September 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
marisakabas.bsky.social
SCOOP — The White House instructed all federal agency leadership on Tuesday to send out a mandatory message to workers blaming the impending potential government shutdown on House Democrats, The Handbasket was first to learn. Absolutely no modifications to the email were permitted.

My story:
Trump mandates all federal agencies send email blaming Dems for potential gov’t shutdown
Workers call the partisan email "a vile slap in the face."
www.thehandbasket.co
September 30, 2025 at 9:45 PM
shannonbond.bsky.social
The White House is pinning the shutdown on Democrats, in a message blasted to agencies that's raising ethical questions. HUD & VA blame the "Radical Left"/"radical liberals."

"It basically read like a campaign email," one federal worker told me.

w/ @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social & @stphnfwlr.com
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
www.npr.org
September 30, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
jennamclaughlin.bsky.social
NEW from @shannonbond.bsky.social, @stphnfwlr.com and myself:

Staffers at over 10 federal agencies (and counting) received political internal messages blaming "Congressional Democrats" for the impending shutdown. Several say it originally came from OMB.

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
www.npr.org
September 30, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
stphnfwlr.com
@npr.org EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

@jennamclaughlin.bsky.social @shannonbond.bsky.social
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
www.npr.org
September 30, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
bobbyallyn.bsky.social
NEW: The Trump admin asking TikTok investors for a multibillion-dollar payment to US is the latest extractive “fee for service” from WH.

"These are shakedown schemes…I'd even call it extortion…Privately, CEOs are horrified."

www.npr.org/2025/09/26/g...
w/ @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
Trump's TikTok deal payment criticized as 'shakedown scheme' by experts
The U.S. government will collect a multibillion-dollar fee from the American investors who will take over TikTok. Some experts call the fee and other deals like it "extortion."
www.npr.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:55 PM
shannonbond.bsky.social
remember when the Twitter files were supposed to be a big scandal showing the US govt illegally pressuring a social media platform to censor content?
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Sep 25
REPORTER: Now that Americans will have operational control of TikTok, do you want to see the algorithm suggest more MAGA-related content?

TRUMP: I always like MAGA-related. If I could make it 100% MAGA I would, but it's not gonna work out that way unfortunately.
September 25, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by Shannon Bond
melissagiragrant.com
I looked into the group and the guy pushing the FBI to create a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism”—itself a political project, meant to conflate the fact of trans people’s existence with extremism.
The Right​’s Baseless​ Project to ​Link Trans People​ With Extremism
A campaign for the FBI to adopt a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism” is less about law enforcement than politics.
newrepublic.com
September 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
shannonbond.bsky.social
in addition to alarming detail on what DOGE is doing with Social Security data, the Senate Dems report also gives a hilarious peek inside DOGE's workspace at GSA
www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/u...
Highlights • Staff visited the executive suite of GSA, which was occupied by a handful of DOGE staff and segregated from the rest of the agency by armed security guards. • GSA officials were unable to answer basic questions about which employees were working in the suite, what their roles were, and who at the agency oversees their work. Some officials were clearly seeing parts of the DOGE setup for the first time. • GSA prevented staff from taking photos or interviewing GSA employees during the visit, failed to answer follow-up questions, and refused a staff request for a follow-up visit. • The Acting Administrator does not work out of the Administrator’s office – instead, DOGE programmers do amid stacks of laptops of unknown origin. • GSA officials attempted to prevent staff from seeing cloud architecture diagrams in the DOGE workspace. • DOGE has installed a Starlink network at GSA, potentially allowing them to circumvent agency IT oversight as required under OMB guidance and agency policy, and creating a potentially significant cybersecurity risk.
September 25, 2025 at 5:25 PM