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Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Jun 13

NEW: There is a fascinating political drama unfolding right now at Indian Creek Village, the small gated island known as the “Billionaire Bunker,” home to the likes of Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady and Ivanka Trump.

It is a saga revolving around the island's 💩

THREAD (1/8)

Despite the island’s extreme luxury (an empty lot sold for $110M), Indian Creek does not have a sewer system. The island proposed sending waste into the pipes of neighboring Surfside but then balked at the town’s $10M ask.

That was just the start.

(2/8)
nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/…

One of Indian Creek’s residents called the $10 million fee a “shakedown.” Another called it “extortion.” The village attorney called it a “ransom.”

(3/8)

nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/…

Read 8 tweets

Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Mar 14

Seattle’s only national park honors the grit of the Klondike gold rush, where Donald Trump's grandfather built the family's early wealth.

But the DOGE cuts have placed the park’s future at risk.

A 🧵 about the park and Frederick Trump...

There are some fascinating twists of history in this story.

Frederick Trump had his first foray into the world of hospitality as a 22-year-old in Seattle, when he opened a restaurant very close to the site of the current national park.

nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/…

In 1896, Frederick Trump made the family's first foray into U.S. politics in the mining town of Monte Cristo. In a local campaign, he apparently allied himself with William Jennings Bryan, the populist Democrat who railed against tariffs.

nytimes.com/2025/03/14/us/…

Read 6 tweets

Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Jan 30

NEW:

A preliminary FAA report says staffing in the air traffic control tower at Reagan National was "not normal" last night.

One controller was managing both helicopters in the vicinity and planes — tasks typically divided between two controllers.

More here:
nytimes.com/live/2025/01/2…

For those who haven't seen it, my NYT colleagues did an outstanding project looking at FAA records, air traffic control staffing, and a series of close calls in commercial aviation.

nytimes.com/interactive/20…

Read 4 tweets

Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Jan 10

So, did Los Angeles cut the Fire Department budget or increase it? There are lots of people trying to score political points on that question.

If you are among the exclusive group of people who care about understanding the more complicated reality, here is a brief thread.

1/6

Last year, the mayor approved a $23 million budget cut for the fire department, including:

• Eliminating 73 civilian positions
• Reducing money available to pay firefighters’ overtime by $7.9 million

BUT…

2/6
nytimes.com/2025/01/09/us/…

When the budget was signed, the city was still negotiating a new contract with the firefighters’ union. After that was settled, more money was approved, so the total fire budget is now actually $53 million more than last year.

BUT…

3/6

Read 6 tweets

Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Jan 4

NEW: We have obtained more details about Shamsud-Din Jabbar, his descent into radicalization, and some of his final words as he drove toward his attack in New Orleans.

THREAD 1/8

In one of his final messages, Jabbar told his family: “I wanted you to know that I joined ISIS.”

Then, a chilling addendum: “I don’t want you to think I spared you willingly.” He described how he had considered a fake “celebration” for them.

Story:

2/8nytimes.com/2025/01/04/us/…

Jabbar’s family members said his radicalization was a secret to them.

But they had noticed changes: He was stressed financially, upset about “genocide on both sides” in the Middle East, and expressing disgust of partying (something, we found, was once part of his life).

3/8

Read 8 tweets

Mike Baker

@ByMikeBaker

Jan 2

We spent much of today interviewing a series of people who knew New Orleans attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar, including his brother, who spoke to Jabbar recently.

“I would have never imagined him doing something like this,” he told us.

1/8

There is much more detail here in this story, thanks to reporters on the ground in New Orleans and Houston, and others digging through his history on the internet and in the military.

But I’ll also thread some of the details we learned today.

2/8nytimes.com/2025/01/01/us/…

Jabbar’s brother, Abdur, tells us the two grew up Christian but that his brother converted to Islam.

A woman who used to be Jabbar’s neighbor recalled him as someone who played with his kids and was always courteous, referring to her as “ma’am.”

3/8

Read 8 tweets

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