🚨UPDATE on Lithium plant fire near "Salad Bowl of America" (produces 70% of U.S. greens): 2 weeks later, scientists find big spike in Nickel, Manganese, & Cobalt in soil 2 miles away.

NYU toxicologist tells me at high levels, metals "can get into certain produce or fruit"

🧵 Days after the fire, a Monterey County health official said it was not "prudent" to test for soil because "we don't necessarily know what we're looking for at this time."

🚨UPDATE on CA Lithium Battery Plant fire near "Salad Bowl of America" (produces 70% of our greens)

-Residents have nosebleeds, lung burning, headache, rash, metallic mouth taste

-Health official says not testing soil bc "we don't necessarily know what we're looking for"

🧵... Other concerning developments:

-Several sources tell @StatusCoup they have observed environmental officials conducting air quality testing by slightly rolling down their car windows and sticking out a handheld device for less than a minute.

...

🧵Unlike 99% of corporate pundits bloviating that "Dems just need their own Joe Rogan," I leave the studio & have reported on-the-ground & have interviewed thousands of working class people across the U.S. for a decade...

Dem lost not bc of what podcasts they do or don't do... They also didn't lose bc their "messaging" failed—the go-to spin of wealthy, out-of-touch pundits for as long as I've covered politics. Routinely talking to working class people--on the left and right--I can tell you why Dems:

-Lost in 2016
-Nearly lost in 2020
-Lost in 2024

🧵MAJOR takeaway ignored by Dems in losing to Trump twice in 8 years:

Combined Millennial/Gen Z turnout—age 18-44—declined by 7% from 2016 (44% of voters) to 2024 (37% of voters). This was age group @BernieSanders won & galvanized—but Dems & media took him out by the knees.

... @BernieSanders 2016 (Bernie wave)

18-44
44% of voters

18-29
19% of voters

Of course, the limousine liberals on Morning Joe are concluding Harris lost bc Dems went too "woke" & push "cancel culture." REALITY why she lost:

🚨75% voters said inflation had severe or moderate impact
🚨73% voters said dissatisfied or angry about way things are going

A 🧵 🚨Contrary to decades-long corporate media propaganda of a"strong economy"—citing Wall Street, not Main Street metrics like stock market, unemployment #, GDP— 67% of voters said economy is not so good or poor

🚨45% of voters said family financial situation worse than 4 years ago

🧵BEYOND HORSE RACE: As media does post-debate narrative—Kamala strong (yet substance-less) vs Trump unhinged, here's the ACTUAL CRISES' ignored at debate:

🚨64% live paycheck to paycheck
🚨37% can’t afford $400 emergency
🚨Homelessness⬆️12%
🚨Top 1% own over 1/3 of U.S wealth 🚨Water poisoned across U.S.
🚨Growing list of environmental sacrifice zones (Flint, East Palestine, Kalamazoo, etc)
🚨U.S. life expectancy down while other countries up
🚨Record level of corporate $ purchasing politicians/elections

🧵Hate to be Debbie downer on Labor Day (shout out to all organized labor doing the hard work to revive labor), but I see the left making the same mistakes of 2020 in 2024...

Right now leftists who've decided to hold their nose to stop Trump have ZERO PLAN to push Harris left... I don't actually believe Harris—nor any corporate Dem—can be pushed left in a SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURAL WAY w/ out major OUTSIDE economic force (like economic boycotts). But right now, most leftists are essentially saying...

"We'll worry about that later, let's stop Trump..."

🧵It’s horrific an assassination attempt was made on Trump. Also true of Trump:

2016: Gins up rally crowd against protester: “I’d like to punch him in the face.”

2017: Told police “Please don't be too nice” when tossing suspects into paddy wagon.

… 2018: Praised Montana Gov for body slamming reporter. “He is my type”

2020: Tweets to Virginians protesting stay at home orders that their second amendment is “under siege.” Separately tweets: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!; LIBERATE MINNESOTA!; LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!"

…

🧵I know there's a lot going on right now, but I hope you will take a few minutes today to to mark the DECADE Anniversary—DAY 3,653—of the ONGOING poisoning of Flint. In my 8 years reporting in Flint, this moment below still gives me nightmares...

https://x.com/StatusCoup/status/1252967440662872065

6 years ago, we were knocking on doors for @StatusCoup investigating ex-MI Governor Rick Snyder's administration falsifying/manipulating water testing & data to report low water lead levels & declare the water crisis over. As I walked up to Jasmine Lee's front porch, I saw her...

🧵For the libs and journalists melting down that Katie Porter called her election “rigged.” She is absolutely right. You have just normalized the buying of elections by billionaires and Super Pacs as the normal democratic process…

https://twitter.com/kfile/status/1765545087151317177

When groups like AIPAC give $5 million to Adam Schiff, along with all the other big money he got, & he then spends it on ads to BOOST the Republican over Porter—that is not a Democratic process. It’s a rigged process skewed toward oligarchs & plutocrats. When special interests…

🧵NEWS: My latest INSIDE MI AG Dana Nessel's "Shit Show" Flint water investigation:

-Ex-Gov Snyder's chief of staff secretly testified—likely against him—but case was thrown out.

-Nessel's office ignored MAJOR legal warnings & MISLED Flint residents...

metrotimes.com/news/inside-da… -After firing the original Flint special prosecutor who was building momentum in the case— Nessel appointed "amateur" prosecutors she knew and had donated to her AG campaign.

“It was a shit show,” a source with knowledge of what transpired internally in Nessel’s office’s Flint investigation tells Metro Times. “They weren’t prepared for what was coming. If you place amateurs in there to play in the big leagues, they’re probably gonna get their asses kicked.”

😡 THREAD on crimes & coverups corp media loves to cover vs ones they bury: here u have @msnbc reveling in the "mafia" & "Gambino crime family"-esque Trump classified docs crime & cover-up.

But let me tell you about a BIGGER COVER-UP the network & rest of corp media ignored... @MSNBC A decade ago, then-MI Gov. Rick Snyder was warned by officials that if Flint used the Flint River as a water source, it would pose “an increased microbial risk to public health" & increased risk of carcinogens in the water. A year later, he allowed Flint to switch to Flint River

🧵At a wedding yesterday, I talked w/ an older conservative dude who was union electrician b4 retiring (this was 3 whiskies in). He watches Tucker Carlson & thinks transgender teens/drag queen story hour is a major threat. I asked if he made a lot more $ upon retiring vs 30s-50s. He told me he was actually making less than 20 years ago bc companies were blackballing union electricians in favor of less-skilled non-union work. He actually had to start driving Lyft in his 60s to make more bc his union gig wasn't enough to get his kids through college...

🧵on SVB: whether you think vulture capitalists and SV titans are getting a bailout or not (they are), the bigger picture here is what the IMMEDIATE govt response says about our political system: when plutocrats are threatened, govt acts in 48 hours. When ppl of East Palestine... Flint, poor Black & brown communities, and name-your-Native-American reservation are poisoned by their govt and/or corporate America--politicians hide behind bureaucracy, red-tape, and legal excuses to basically do nothing...while regurgitating BS "all clear" declarations from...

🧵FYI this is the time, after 2 weeks of coverage, when mainstream media moves off of a catastrophic story like #EastPalestineOH—when the cameras leave & coverage shifts from hourly/daily to occasional updates to abandon the story altogether. This happened w/ #FlintWaterCrisis. Mainstream media outlets typically only care when they deem an URGENCY to a catastrophe—when it's new and the flames, or poison water, or adverse health symptoms seem most dire. In my experience, once they predictably stop covering and caring, is when the REAL coverup begins...

🧵UPDATE: I just spoke with an East Palestine OH resident who’s house was deemed too toxic for her family to return to. “We are getting sicker and sicker. An entire community is being poisoned slowly in front of the nation.” #EastPalestineOH

…. Norfolk Southern has repeatedly offered her to pay for her relocation—AFTER she spoke out to national news. She told me her whole family is sick as are her neighbors throughout the town. Bronchitis, vomiting, nosebleeds, dizziness, splitting headaches to name a few symptoms…

Toxic fumes from East Palestine train explosion can be smelt 30 MILES AWAY. Hundreds of fish found dead miles away. Sick horses evacuated miles away. EPA PM2.5 particulate pollution monitor 22 miles away in Youngstown, OH spiked from 12.6 to 34.5

https://twitter.com/tardis_someday/status/1623864370252992513

https://twitter.com/wagonerachel/status/1623060996880232463

As media & Americans react w/ horror at toxic chemicals released in Ohio train explosion, here is Kalamazoo MI—where paper mill Graphic Packaging has been releasing toxic gas and chemicals in the air for over a decade. MI govt knew about it, ignored, and gave company more $! Residents in the area have CHRONIC lower respiratory diseases---7% above the U.S average

🧵Unsurprisingly out-of-touch pundits are drooling over Biden's State of the Union. But here's a short list of promises he ran on that he not only hasn't delivered on but quickly abandoned, hasn't fought for, or didn't fight to extend. Despite Resistance ghouls quick 2 make excuses for @JoeBiden, Biden could've put $15 min wage into original CARES Act reconciliation package. Parliamentarian isn't an elected official & her opinion is advisory. Trump fired his. At this point, $15 min wage is conservative position

THREAD: After 30 years of gaslighting by politicians and media, people are finally realizing the U.S. economy is not "strong" or "thriving" based on artificial #s like unemployment or GDP—no matter the pom poms from @JoeBiden. The U.S. economy is actually a massive bank robbery @JoeBiden That's why despite @JoeBiden & Dems trying to sell 💩as gold—an infrastructure deal that's privatization on steroids & an inflation reduction act that trims around the edges—Biden is polling so badly. The fed min wage is still an unconscionable $7.25 as costs for everything soar

It's clear the Twitter circus Elon Musk is creating is meant to juice up the user base-kind of like train wreck TV hooking people to keep coming back for more mess. So he's creating chaos to enrage liberals while luring the right to get their popcorn mediaite.com/tech/elon-musk… It will work for short term media coverage of Twitter, but it will eventually lure enough advertisers away that Musk will see no choice but to start shifting Twitter to a subscription service where everyone pays a monthly/annual fee--which will ultimately tank the business.