NEW: We spent 6 months digging into the cartel networks recruiting Americans as smugglers Uncovering hundreds of recruitment posts and speaking with cartel recruiters + law enforcement about their tactics With Norma Galeana, David Culver, and Evelio Contreras:

NEW: Chihuahua, Mexico's most sprawling state, is building a surveillance system. Once complete, it'll have almost 10K cameras, including some w/ facial recognition capabilities. Authorities offered to share access with US police—including Texas DPS. 🧵 www.texasobserver.org/texas-chihua...

NEW: what’s happening at one Iranian nuclear site following US airstrikes

235 people were killed in April when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub came crashing down during a packed concert. We found that for years before the collapse, structural issues and warning signs went unaddressed. w/ @stepozzebon.bsky.social and @averyschmitz.bsky.social for CNN youtu.be/H5UpgvxSc1A

NEW: How structural flaws reduced a Dominican nightclub to rubble Watch our investigation of the Jet Set club collapse which killed over 230 people in April From @stepozzebon.bsky.social, @thomasbordeaux.bsky.social, Anyi Lizardo, Maddie Araujo, and me: youtu.be/H5UpgvxSc1A?...

Amid violence in northwest Syria, some appear to be seeking protection from Russian forces there New satellite images from Maxar show throngs of people and cars crowding an entrance Khmeimim Air Base earlier today--less than 20km from central Latakia 📸: Maxar Technologies

NEW: Argentina’s military is deploying to surveil hundreds of Chinese fishing boats off its coast. Here’s why: From me, @isaacyeephoto.bsky.social, @yong.bsky.social and Betiana Fernández Martino

We are proud to announce the launch of Evident — a nonprofit news organization producing documentary journalism for the public good — here on Bluesky. Evident is building a new kind of newsroom powered by a team of journalists that is covering crucial stories for public good.

NEW: Paramilitary forces raid Sudan’s largest refugee camp "Several stray bullets flew over our heads, and a victim fell right in front of me," an eyewitness told us. From me, Aleena Fayaz, and Kaila Nichols:

NEW: We identified 18 US military flights gathering intelligence on cartels in Mexico since Jan. 28 These missions show how the Trump admin is quickly shifting national security resources to the border From Katie Bo Lillis, Priscilla Alvarez, @natashabertrand.bsky.social and me

The US military has significantly increased its surveillance of Mexican drug cartels over the past two weeks, with sophisticated spy planes flying at least 18 missions over the southwestern US and in international airspace around the Baja peninsula. www.cnn.com/2025/02/10/p...

NEW: Derek Maltz, Trump's pick to lead the DEA, formerly worked at PenLink, a Nebraska-based tech firm that has sold software that can track phone locations without a warrant to agencies like ICE and Texas DPS. www.texasobserver.org/dea-derek-ma...

Hey @lemonodor.bsky.social! Can you shoot me a DM?

“If the facts as you just stated are true, then apparently some people are above the law.” From @francescadnunz.bsky.social and @averyschmitz.bsky.social in 2024: Citizen militias are illegal in both Arizona and Texas, but in some cases police appear to be tacitly approving border vigilantism.

"LAFD Capt. Erik Scott has one of the most intense jobs in the nation right now: trying to distribute accurate public information during a historically destructive urban fire in America." Misinformation is a growing problem for frontline workers... www.wsj.com/us-news/los-...

NEW: Using visual evidence, we pieced together how the Bourbon Street attack unfolded on New Year’s Eve, killing at least 15 people From Caroll Alvarado, Elizabeth Wolfe, and me

Best of 2024: Citizen militias are illegal in both Arizona and Texas, but in some cases police appear to be tacitly approving border vigilantism. @francescadnunz.bsky.social @azcir.bsky.social & @averyschmitz.bsky.social uncover the alarming collaboration between law enforcement and militias.

A lot has been happening in Sudan but very little is talked about, which is a grave mistake given the SAF & RSF often intensify their attacks around December of every year, using the lack of media attention getting closer to the holidays. But one of the dealiest took place just 2 days ago 1/

What was the military strategy behind the takeover of Damascus? We pieced together the videos to find out. @allegragoodwin.bsky.social @averyschmitz.bsky.social @gianlucamezzo.bsky.social @isaacyeephoto.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2024/12/09/w...

Rodney Scott, Trump's pick to lead CBP, has a $50,000 consulting contract with the Texas AG's office for the DOJ Rio Grande river buoy lawsuit, I found via public records. His contract ends in August 2025.

Hey, hi, hello. It's Paweł finally appearing with what he said he would do - creating a substack. First introduction post, a short one, explaining myself a bit. Tommorow a first "meat" post, with a review of recent weeks in Sahel. Consider subscribing? open.substack.com/pub/saladina...

🚨 Special Report: Zamzam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp attacked by RSF @hrl-yalesph.bsky.social confirms munition impacts, conflict-related damage to structures in Zamzam IDP camp attacked between 1-3 December. Civilians appear to be fleeing. 🛰️: Maxar medicine.yale.edu/lab/khoshnoo...

Putin-controlled aircraft deported Ukrainian children, U.S.-backed research alleges // from @reuters.com www.reuters.com/world/europe...

REPORT: Russia engaged in systematic, intentional, widespread coerced adoption and fostering of children from Ukraine. HRL identifies 314 children placed with Russian citizens or in institutions where they were later listed for adoption and/or guardianship hub.conflictobservatory.org/portal/apps/...

We looked into the surprise rebel attack in Aleppo, Syria: how it happened and what the videos tell us. OSINT work by @allegragoodwin.bsky.social @isaacyeephoto.bsky.social @averyschmitz.bsky.social + filming by Alex Platt + editing by Oscar Featherstone www.cnn.com/2024/12/02/w...

Crucial new @hrw.org report finds US munitions were used in the Israeli attack which killed three journalists at the Hasbaya Village Club Resort in Hasbaya in southern Lebanon on October 25. @hrw.org describes the strike as an “apparent war crime” www.hrw.org/news/2024/11...

Just updated the website users guide. The search improvements today are HUGE. Could not have done any of them without the help of a very kind and talented programmer. (And really patient as well!) community.airframes....

Follow all of us at @bellingcat.com here, past and present!

📢 Are you an early career researcher examining online extremism (in its many forms) and want your work featured in a @VOX_Pol blog? Feel free to get in touch! We are dedicating a full month of the blog to your work!

Here are few interesting #OSINT resources relating to undersea cables. Semantic Net contains location and status information for undersea cables and data centres. www.semanticnet.net

My three-month investigation reveals the plans of out-of-state Christian nationalists to establish roots in a tiny Middle Tennessee county, hoping to eventually expand statewide. That’s Monday on NewsChannel 5 and newschannel5.com.

Some really, really good takeaways here 👇 "Start stories at the beginning, not in the middle... Instead of 'Trump vows to impose tariffs,' begin with 'what’s a tariff?'"

Now on @lawfare.bsky.social: Ben Wittes' personal pledge on what Lawfare will do—and won't do—as we head into the next Trump admin. If our ethos and coverage resonate, we'd appreciate your financial support to keep us afloat these next 4 years and beyond. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...

I plan to start posting on Bluesky more now. For those of you who do not know me, my work basically focuses on Russia and Iran - either individually or bilaterally - with an emphasis on nuclear and defense-related matters. I have a forthcoming book on their bilateral ties from Syria to Ukraine.

Bluesky is really coming to life. If you're new here, check out the starter packs.My crowd: DataViz: bsky.app/starter-pack... Maps: bsky.app/starter-pack... RStats: bsky.app/starter-pack... Earth Observation: bsky.app/starter-pack... Directory of starter packs: blueskydirectory.com/starter-pack...

Just joined this platform! Excited to connect with fellow journalists/investigators and anyone who wants to chat about story ideas...

New from 404 Media: got hundreds of internal Secret Service emails where it said tracking peoples' location without a warrant was okay because citizens have clicked 'accept' on app terms of service. This is the data that powers tools like Locate X www.404media.co/fyi-a-warran...

NEW: Russia’s ‘FBI’ was targeting US elections with a barrage of disinformation—just days before Nov. 5 We tracked how this network is carrying out a Russian mercenary’s vision with Clemson's Media Forensics Hub 👇👇 From @gianlucamezzo.bsky.social, Tim Lister, Saskya Vandoorne, and me:

There's a Bellingcat starter pack here for OSI-related accounts: bsky.app/starter-pack... Climate reporters: bsky.app/starter-pack... FT data and viz: bsky.app/starter-pack... Wired journalists: bsky.app/starter-pack... Some additional packs in the replies to Eliot here: bsky.app/profile/elio...

Article on the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, and fragments of it that are often found intact after it's use. armamentresearch.com/diagnostic-r...

NEW: In Arizona and Texas, far-right vigilantes are colluding with law enforcement to detain migrants and patrol the U.S.-Mexico border. Our investigation fuses #OSINT with traditional reporting to prove it. From myself and Francesca D'Annunzio, via @azcir.bsky.social and @texasobserver.org

NEW: Satellite images show the scale of widespread arson attacks which have displaced up to 200,000 people in western Myanmar   Amid a telecom blackout, we reviewed Maxar + Planet imagery to assess damage to one community   From Helen Regan and myself:

NEW: Since Jan. 10, Texas authorities have barred federal agents from accessing a small park in Eagle Pass. But there’s one group Gov. Abbott hasn’t locked out: far-right content creators. Read my latest for The Border Chronicle here:

NEW: From Uvalde to Lewiston, right-wing militias and neo-Nazis are responding to mass shootings.   My latest open-source investigation, featured in Rolling Stone:

My latest print feature for @texasobserver.org is online. Give it a read to learn how school districts that have been targeted by conservative PACs and Republican consulting firms have since hired a lawyer who serves as general counsel for Tarrant County GOP. www.texasobserver.org/school-board...

That would be the Pinal County Sheriff’s Department hanging with Kyle Rittenhouse. “Had a great time doing a ride along,” his post reads. (Censors of the Sheriff’s deputies faces done by Rittenhouse himself.)

Abbott’s seizure of border land took less than 48 hours to claim lives. Henry Cuellar says that Border Patrol observed a woman and two children in distress in the middle of the Rio Grande. Texas troops reportedly barred them from taking action so the family was swept away by the river and drowned.

On January 7, 2021, the day after the storming of the Capitol, I wrote this reflection about my frustration in trying to get people to take seriously the threats of far right extremists. We tried our best with Bundyville. open.substack.com/pub/leahsott...

I’m on MSNBC at 3 p.m. I’m dressed like an exhausted professor in a Godzilla movie. It’s the third anniversary of January 6, and while the “serious” people are debating whether the insurrection was an insurrection, fascists are conducting an historically successful campaign to take away your rights.

Hey y’all. The mother of Jake Kelly is still trying to raise money to stay in Arizona. As more court hearings come up, including one this week, it’s crucial for her to stay in town, but also financially inconvenient for her. Please help in any way you can, even just a share.