Agustin Armendariz
@agustin-icij.bsky.social
reporter @icij.bsky.social | http://icij.org
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation
Federal authorities were chided for seizing electronic devices from Tate and his brother, and told to return them, records and interviews show. Experts said the intervention was highly inappropriate.
www.propublica.org
November 18, 2025 at 11:31 AM
NEW: When Andrew Tate landed in the US, Customs & Border Protection seized his electronic devices. But @propublica.org found that a White House official told DHS to return the devices, emphasizing that the request came from the White House.
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
By @robert-faturechi.bsky.social & Avi Asher-Schapiro
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Friendly reminder that prison conditions led to the 1980 Santa Fe prison riot...
The violent uprising that killed 33 people & injured 200, grew out of long-standing issues within the prison, including overcrowding, abuse, and corruption.
The violent uprising that killed 33 people & injured 200, grew out of long-standing issues within the prison, including overcrowding, abuse, and corruption.
Power outage, smoke — but no fire — at Penitentiary of New Mexico
A power outage caused heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment to smoke, a state Corrections Department spokesperson said.
www.santafenewmexican.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Friendly reminder that prison conditions led to the 1980 Santa Fe prison riot...
The violent uprising that killed 33 people & injured 200, grew out of long-standing issues within the prison, including overcrowding, abuse, and corruption.
The violent uprising that killed 33 people & injured 200, grew out of long-standing issues within the prison, including overcrowding, abuse, and corruption.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Tracking the spread of bird flu using genetic markers, satellite imagery, property records, and more reminds me of John Snow’s Cholera investigation/map. Howe’s Hens is the modern day Broad Street Pump. Amazing work from @natlash.bsky.social & @chrisalcantara.com. www.propublica.org/article/meth...
November 18, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Tracking the spread of bird flu using genetic markers, satellite imagery, property records, and more reminds me of John Snow’s Cholera investigation/map. Howe’s Hens is the modern day Broad Street Pump. Amazing work from @natlash.bsky.social & @chrisalcantara.com. www.propublica.org/article/meth...
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
ICIJ's #CoinLaundry investigation explored the murky world of crypto-to-cash services, which have surged in major cities and allow people to cash out huge sums of cryptocurrency without touching the mainstream banking system or its safeguards.
From Dubai to Toronto, inside the crypto-to-cash storefronts fueling money laundering’s new frontier
These shadowy operations have made it easier than ever to move dirty money around the world. One man is on a mission to expose them.
buff.ly
November 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
ICIJ's #CoinLaundry investigation explored the murky world of crypto-to-cash services, which have surged in major cities and allow people to cash out huge sums of cryptocurrency without touching the mainstream banking system or its safeguards.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
I wrote this piece about 7th anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
On the costs of speaking the truth in today's world.
And how Jamal's memory still stalks Saudi Arabia--- and the Washington Post.
open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...
On the costs of speaking the truth in today's world.
And how Jamal's memory still stalks Saudi Arabia--- and the Washington Post.
open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...
Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post, and the Cost of Speaking Out
As Saudi Arabia hosts comedians and courts gamers, the silenced voice of Jamal Khashoggi still echoes.
open.substack.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:35 PM
I wrote this piece about 7th anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
On the costs of speaking the truth in today's world.
And how Jamal's memory still stalks Saudi Arabia--- and the Washington Post.
open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...
On the costs of speaking the truth in today's world.
And how Jamal's memory still stalks Saudi Arabia--- and the Washington Post.
open.substack.com/pub/karenatt...
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
💫 NEW! Passports can help unlock secret ownership of offshore companies, but finding them is often challenging.
At @icij.org, they decided to build a new detection tool to speed up this process: https://twp.ai/9PSqrP
At @icij.org, they decided to build a new detection tool to speed up this process: https://twp.ai/9PSqrP
gijn.org
Passports Are Key to Uncovering Offshore Secrecy — We Use Machine Learning to Find Them Efficiently
twp.ai
May 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
💫 NEW! Passports can help unlock secret ownership of offshore companies, but finding them is often challenging.
At @icij.org, they decided to build a new detection tool to speed up this process: https://twp.ai/9PSqrP
At @icij.org, they decided to build a new detection tool to speed up this process: https://twp.ai/9PSqrP
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
this would be the kind of scandal that demands resignation if these people had any commitment to public service!
WTH man? Real World bro also serving as Transportation Sec Sean Duffy reportedly changed his wife's flight to avoid Newark and then went on TV to broadcast it's safe to fly in and out of Newark.
@paleofuture.bsky.social w the details. ↘️
@paleofuture.bsky.social w the details. ↘️
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Changed His Wife's Flight to Avoid Newark Airport
Would you let your family fly out of Newark?
gizmodo.com
May 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
this would be the kind of scandal that demands resignation if these people had any commitment to public service!
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
The projects submitted to the Sigma Awards help us compile the best data journalism from around the world, so we’d like to thank all participants for taking part!
⬇️ Below is the Sigma Awards 2025 shortlist, separated into two submission categories: https://twp.ai/9PSiiI
⬇️ Below is the Sigma Awards 2025 shortlist, separated into two submission categories: https://twp.ai/9PSiiI
gijn.org
Announcing the Sigma Awards 2025 Shortlist
twp.ai
May 13, 2025 at 7:03 AM
The projects submitted to the Sigma Awards help us compile the best data journalism from around the world, so we’d like to thank all participants for taking part!
⬇️ Below is the Sigma Awards 2025 shortlist, separated into two submission categories: https://twp.ai/9PSiiI
⬇️ Below is the Sigma Awards 2025 shortlist, separated into two submission categories: https://twp.ai/9PSiiI
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
They’re geniuses, I tell you.
A growing number of the nation’s top tech firms have hired remote IT workers, only to discover that the employees were actually North Korean cyber operatives.
According to experts, the plot tends to follow a similar playbook 👇
According to experts, the plot tends to follow a similar playbook 👇
Tech companies have a big remote worker problem: North Korean operatives
Cybersecurity firms say that the intricate scam to amass funding for North Korea’s weapons program is happening “on a scale we haven’t seen before.”
www.politico.com
May 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
They’re geniuses, I tell you.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
in addition to him repeating insane racist conspiracy theories, it occurs to me that the reason he has time to hold long press conferences everyday is that he doesn’t actually do anything
REPORTER: Why are you creating an expedited path into the country for Afrikaners but not others?
TRUMP: Because they're being killed. And we don't want to see people be killed ... it's a genocide that's taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.
TRUMP: Because they're being killed. And we don't want to see people be killed ... it's a genocide that's taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.
May 12, 2025 at 3:56 PM
in addition to him repeating insane racist conspiracy theories, it occurs to me that the reason he has time to hold long press conferences everyday is that he doesn’t actually do anything
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Avelo Airlines has agreed to run deportation flights for the Trump administration. Commercial carriers typically avoid such work to keep away from politics, but the company's CEO said the money from ICE flights is too good to pass up.
Avelo Airlines Faces Backlash for Aiding Trump’s Deportation Campaign
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Avelo Airlines has agreed to run deportation flights for the Trump administration. Commercial carriers typically avoid such work to keep away from politics, but the company's CEO said the money from ICE flights is too good to pass up.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
The IRS has a long history of keeping tax information confidential. But a new data-sharing agreement with ICE breaks that precedence and betrays the trust of immigrant communities in ways that could bear consequences for decades.
IRS-ICE Immigrant Data Sharing Agreement Betrays Data Privacy and Taxpayers’ Trust
Weaponizing government data vital to the functioning and funding of public goods and services by repurposing it for law enforcement and surveillance is an affront to a democratic society. In addition ...
www.eff.org
May 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The IRS has a long history of keeping tax information confidential. But a new data-sharing agreement with ICE breaks that precedence and betrays the trust of immigrant communities in ways that could bear consequences for decades.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Why are there more restrictions on accessing Medicaid than there are on inheriting a billion dollars
May 12, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Why are there more restrictions on accessing Medicaid than there are on inheriting a billion dollars
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Some sad confirmation from @bcgl.bsky.social while I was at UW last week—the National Digital Newspaper Program—which builds Chronicling America—has been shut down
Historical newspapers are probably the archival material most used by the general public—for genealogy, local history—it’s such a loss
Historical newspapers are probably the archival material most used by the general public—for genealogy, local history—it’s such a loss
About this Collection | Chronicling America | Digital Collections | Library of Congress
Search America's Historic Newspaper Pages through 1963 Please Note: The Library of Congress has transitioned the longstanding Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website to this new digi...
www.loc.gov
May 12, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Some sad confirmation from @bcgl.bsky.social while I was at UW last week—the National Digital Newspaper Program—which builds Chronicling America—has been shut down
Historical newspapers are probably the archival material most used by the general public—for genealogy, local history—it’s such a loss
Historical newspapers are probably the archival material most used by the general public—for genealogy, local history—it’s such a loss
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
"This is a major victory for farm workers in NY. The workers who make A&J Kirby Farms possible have waited a long time for this moment. We urge A&J Kirby to respect their workers’ wishes and NY State law & implement this contract as swiftly as possible."
ufw.org/kirby_contra...
ufw.org/kirby_contra...
May 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM
"This is a major victory for farm workers in NY. The workers who make A&J Kirby Farms possible have waited a long time for this moment. We urge A&J Kirby to respect their workers’ wishes and NY State law & implement this contract as swiftly as possible."
ufw.org/kirby_contra...
ufw.org/kirby_contra...
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
This is bonkers: Scammers have been stealing the identities of Texas death row inmates, sometimes starting businesses or renting apartments.
In 2023, someone started a landscaping biz in the name of Ronald Haskell, who was sentenced to death for killing 6 people. www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
In 2023, someone started a landscaping biz in the name of Ronald Haskell, who was sentenced to death for killing 6 people. www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
A ripe target for identity thieves: Prisoners on death row
Death Row inmates are unlikely to receive communications that would alert them to identity theft.
www.nbcnews.com
May 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
This is bonkers: Scammers have been stealing the identities of Texas death row inmates, sometimes starting businesses or renting apartments.
In 2023, someone started a landscaping biz in the name of Ronald Haskell, who was sentenced to death for killing 6 people. www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
In 2023, someone started a landscaping biz in the name of Ronald Haskell, who was sentenced to death for killing 6 people. www.nbcnews.com/tech/securit...
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
If Christians in America were truly honest with ourselves, we would admit that far too many churches have become places where people are made to be disciples of the Religious Right rather than followers of Jesus and then we would collectively repent from this harmful allegiance.
May 12, 2025 at 2:28 PM
If Christians in America were truly honest with ourselves, we would admit that far too many churches have become places where people are made to be disciples of the Religious Right rather than followers of Jesus and then we would collectively repent from this harmful allegiance.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!
May 12, 2025 at 12:04 PM
IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!
DO YOURSELF A FAVOR!
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
PREDICTION: The jet from Qatar thing won’t happen and is a distraction from the China “deal,” which will turn out to be not a deal.
May 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
PREDICTION: The jet from Qatar thing won’t happen and is a distraction from the China “deal,” which will turn out to be not a deal.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
as someone who lives nextdoor to both supportive housing and public housing, i need people to understand that the best locations for both are going to be the central neighborhoods in a metropolitan area, where there is easy and reliable access to services and jobs.
May 12, 2025 at 3:51 PM
as someone who lives nextdoor to both supportive housing and public housing, i need people to understand that the best locations for both are going to be the central neighborhoods in a metropolitan area, where there is easy and reliable access to services and jobs.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Mom & minor daughters are citizens who just moved from MD to Oklahoma. This statement from the Mom should be read, absorbed & circulated. ICE cannot be allowed to terrorize vulnerable families. @housedemocrats.bsky.social @ericswalwell.bsky.social
kfor.com/news/local/w...
kfor.com/news/local/w...
April 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Mom & minor daughters are citizens who just moved from MD to Oklahoma. This statement from the Mom should be read, absorbed & circulated. ICE cannot be allowed to terrorize vulnerable families. @housedemocrats.bsky.social @ericswalwell.bsky.social
kfor.com/news/local/w...
kfor.com/news/local/w...
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
“The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has quietly begun cooperating with federal immigration officials to locate people suspected of being in the country illegally”
USPS law enforcement assists Trump ‘mass deportation’ effort, sources and records show
The Postal Inspection Service recently joined a federal task force to locate undocumented immigrants using data from mail and packages, according to people familiar with the effort and records obtaine...
www.washingtonpost.com
April 29, 2025 at 10:22 PM
“The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has quietly begun cooperating with federal immigration officials to locate people suspected of being in the country illegally”
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
Shit.
The UK -Rwanda trafficking arrangement has come to America.
The UK -Rwanda trafficking arrangement has come to America.
“Rwanda's primary motivation for accepting Mr. Amen and subsequent Third Country Nationals is to improve U.S. relations and show it can advance the America First agenda.”
US “relocates” Iraqi refugee to Rwanda via new diplomatic arrangement
A State Department cable indicates at least 10 more people will be subjected to the same.
www.thehandbasket.co
April 23, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Shit.
The UK -Rwanda trafficking arrangement has come to America.
The UK -Rwanda trafficking arrangement has come to America.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
In a world full of Target and Walmart, be a Marriott and a Costco.
Marriott’s CEO spoke out about DEI
The next day, he had 40,000 emails from his associates.
fortune.com
April 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
In a world full of Target and Walmart, be a Marriott and a Costco.
Reposted by Agustin Armendariz
A little over 100 high school students rallied at Portland City Hall, calling attention more aggressive climate policy on federal, state and local level
Earth Day inspires youth rally at Portland City Hall: ‘We are the ones’ to lead, organizer says
A little over 100 high school students rallied at Portland City Hall, calling attention more aggressive climate policy on federal, state and local level
www.oregonlive.com
April 23, 2025 at 12:30 AM
A little over 100 high school students rallied at Portland City Hall, calling attention more aggressive climate policy on federal, state and local level