Tom Laskawy
tlaskawy.bsky.social
Tom Laskawy
@tlaskawy.bsky.social
Publisher and Executive Director of the Food & Environment Reporting Network.
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
This would be more worrisome if Trump had booted a Secretary of Defense because he was reticent to deploy troops against peaceful protesters oh wait
Hegseth says firing of top military lawyers was about making sure "they don't exist to be roadblocks to anything that happens."
February 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Buzzkill is almost here! Check it out tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts!
ICYMI: We announced last week that our new podcast, Buzzkill, will be dropping on January 28. Well, tomorrow is the day! This is a six-part series, with new episodes dropping weekly. We hope you'll check it out! Listen to the trailer now at thefern.org/podcasts/buz....
January 27, 2025 at 8:27 PM
I suspect that there are some Dems out there who see all that but think they can coopt him into at minimum making trouble for the GOP coalition or at best backing Dem bills.
New from me: Trump is a lame duck, an old, tired, easily manipulated one, whose vanity is a useful tool. Foreign leaders like Claudia Sheinbaum are right to mock him, and American elites should uncurl from the fetal position and get in on the fun.
Poke The Bear
Donald Trump is a lame duck (not a bear)—an unusually weak one, in some ways—and he knows it.
www.offmessage.net
January 11, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
Thanks to supporters like you, FERN reached our goal! We not only received the full $27,500 in matching funds we had available but we raised over $124,000 in individual donations during NewsMatch. Thank you for your support – we could not keep watch on the food system without you.
January 8, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
ICYMI: In FERN’s latest story, a collaboration with @businessinsider.com, reporter Brendan Borrell highlights how Ocho Sur marketed palm oil to PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive as “deforestation-free.” Exclusive documents tell a more complicated story.
January 9, 2025 at 3:25 PM
This is a blockbuster of a story from @thefern.org @businessinsider.com and reporter Brendan Borrell. It's a fascinating look at all the complexities of preserving biodiversity, the Amazon, and local economies. A must-ready.
The US-backed palm oil company Ocho Sur is the largest formal employer in the Ucayali region of Peru, but many believe it is destroying the area's natural resources and forests. Strong opposition to Ocho Sur exists, from locals to the Environmental Investigation Agency. Link & photo info below. ⬇️
January 3, 2025 at 4:49 PM
The Capitol Police have a lot to answer for here. It’s one thing to respond to a call. If they did what’s alleged here, it’s indefensible to decide to arrest and detain a person with no discernible cause.
Washington Post: "The head of a foster care advocacy group is disputing allegations that one of its members assaulted Rep. Nancy Mace... saying the two merely shook hands during what appeared to be an amicable greeting."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Foster advocacy group denies that arrested member assaulted Rep. Nancy Mace
The foster advocacy group says the man simply shook hands with the congresswoman.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 11, 2024 at 6:54 PM
An enterprising DC reporter should get RFK Jr. on the record about this.

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/c...
Their Fertilizer Poisons Farmland. Now, They Want Protection From Lawsuits.
A company controlled by Goldman Sachs is helping to lead a lobbying effort by makers of fertilizer linked to “forever chemicals.”
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2024 at 4:38 PM
And there are indications here he’ll just declare victory over the non-existent crises.
November 29, 2024 at 1:49 PM
The end of an era at FERN. Chuck Abbott is retiring, and with it, we're retiring Ag Insider! thefern.org/blog_posts/e...
Editor’s Desk: A fond farewell to Chuck Abbott and Ag Insider | Food and Environment Reporting Network
By Theodore Ross Today, Chuck Abbott, FERN’s stalwart chronicler of American agricultural affairs, announced that he would be retiring from his post as lead writer on FERN’s Ag Insider news service.
thefern.org
November 22, 2024 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
“I have received some guidance to avoid terms, like ‘camps,’” because “some people think it makes us look like Nazis”
November 16, 2024 at 3:09 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
“buh when did trump ever follow the rules”

it’s not about following the rules, dipshits, it’s about whether the words carry any legal authority. there is no button he can press to make congress adjourn. congress would have to choose to do it. and that is a distinction that matters.
sorry but article ii section 3 does not say that the president can force congress to adjourn *when it does not want to* and spreading that message is doing trump’s work for him
November 13, 2024 at 10:38 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
"Trump’s was a campaign of raw anger, and voters across the country rewarded him for it. Americans have been living in an era of political anger since the bank bailouts of 2008, but the Democratic Party has not."

slate.com/news-and-pol...
If Democrats Ever Want to Win Again, They Need to Do This One Thing
The party’s current strategy will lead only to more losses. Here’s what it needs to do to survive.
slate.com
November 11, 2024 at 4:39 AM
Hey! Look who just arrived! 👋
We're new here so we thought we'd say hi and introduce ourselves. We're The Food & Environment Reporting Network (also known as FERN), a non-profit journalism org at the intersection of food, agriculture, and the environment. We hope you'll follow us here and check out our reporting at thefern.org!
February 27, 2024 at 6:45 PM
Fetterman is really good at this.
February 9, 2024 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
The trump supports striking autoworkers fake news is a grim preview of how the political press will cover the election
September 28, 2023 at 2:52 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
Always remember that people like this are a problem only because one of the two major parties is pursuing a reactionary political project that deliberately enables them as deputies of the authoritarian state and relies on them to chase down anything deemed subversive or deviant.
September 28, 2023 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Tom Laskawy
"We are going to force a shutdown unless you increase hardship for the poorest Americans" is incredible messaging. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Bending to right, McCarthy pushes safety net cuts in shutdown battle
The House speaker embraced major spending reductions to win conservative support for a government funding bill.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 26, 2023 at 7:01 PM
Is this place still cool or what?
July 11, 2023 at 2:29 AM