"She went home with a bill. The parents went home with the baby." a horribly unjust tale from @klong.bsky.social www.wsj.com/us-news/surr...

Nia Trent-Wilson owes $182,889.63 in medical bills for a baby that wasn’t hers. Trent-Wilson had been a surrogate twice. But this time, the pregnancy went badly sideways, and she underwent a hysterectomy. She went home with a bill. The parents went home with the baby. www.wsj.com/us-news/surr...

this one small brain think thoughts

“We’re following the tax code. We’re just better at reading it than most people.” www.wsj.com/finance/inve...

Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months? Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA? But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis. Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...

this is all so good but I lost it at the Manischewitz www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...

If I haven't responded to your email, it's because I was first convincing an AI vending machine that it exists in the basement of Moscow State University in 1962 and then executing a boardroom coup against its AI CEO. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...

“Pellman’s decision in the confidential case … was a rare rebuke to a little-known trend in the largely unregulated U.S. surrogacy industry: Chinese elites and billionaires who are going outside of China, where domestic surrogacy is illegal, to quietly have large numbers of U.S.-born babies”.

Xu Bo epitomizes the sexism issue in China's video game industry. He is well known for his misogynistic remarks and many controversies. Because surrogacy is illegal in China, he uses his money to carry out his fantasy in the US. Many billionaires see this as a way to grow and consolidate power.

“An increasing number of “crazy rich” clients are commissioning dozens, or even hundreds, of U.S.-born babies with the goal of “forging an unstoppable family dynasty,” he said.” www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...

bar for a headline/subhead to make you go "huh, pardon me, what" has become mightily high in 2025 but: huh, pardon me, what www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...

Something notable to me here is how there is a cycle of a country becoming a hotspot for surrogacy, only to legally ban the practice after scandal, causing the market to move to a new country with less regulation—similar to the history of international adoption: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/m...

Oh. www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...

Private equity has found a new source of profit: volunteer fire departments. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/14/u...

A Chinese billionaire was seeking parental rights to at least four unborn children, and the court’s additional research showed that he had already fathered or was in the process of fathering at least eight more—all through surrogates. www.wsj.com/us-news/chin...

A startup called Preventive, backed by Sam Altman's family office and Brian Armstrong, is working toward a goal that has frightened and enthralled scientists for decades: Gene-editing an embryo to rid the child it becomes of disease. w/ Emily Glazer and Amy Marcus www.wsj.com/tech/biotech...

that was fast and totally unforseeable techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/v...

the weather in the mid atlantic today feels like someone took a 20 minute shower in a windowless bathroom and forgot to turn on the exhaust fan

WSJ: ChatGPT fueled a 56-year-old tech industry veteran’s paranoia, encouraging his suspicions that his mother was plotting against him.... On Aug. 5, Greenwich police discovered that Soelberg killed his mother and himself in the $2.7 million Dutch colonial-style home where they lived together.

Federal agents arrest firefighters working on WA wildfire

Close the gate to The Enchantments! Without sufficient rangers, every weekend more and more of this incredible place is being destroyed. Great article by @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social Gregory Scruggs. www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoor...

New w/ @benfoldy.bsky.social and Sara Randazzo: The case that's upending America's surrogacy industry. A mother says all 22 kids are hers. Women who gave birth to the children say they were tricked. Now, an FBI investigation, and a mansion filled with surrogate children. www.wsj.com/us-news/los-...

NEW: Amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the judiciary, some federal judges are beginning to discuss the idea of managing their own armed security force. w/ James Fanelli and C. Ryan Barber. www.wsj.com/us-news/law/...

New: The U.S. is stepping up its intelligence-gathering efforts regarding Greenland, drawing America’s spying apparatus into President Trump’s campaign to take over the island. www.wsj.com/world/greenl...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed, according to multiple people who were present or had knowledge of the discussions. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

New: I found a doge staffer whose google calendar was public, including an onboarding event with the GSA that included the names of other DOGE staff on the invite www.businessinsider.com/doge-nasa-go...

I briefly deactivated my X and Bluesky accounts on the advice of our security team. Back now. Still reporting.

I linked DOGE staffer Marko Elez to a deleted X account that advocated repealing the Civil Rights Act, backed a “eugenic immigration policy,” and wrote, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity." He just resigned. www.wsj.com/tech/doge-st...

Quick career update: Today was my last day at Business Insider. I'll be starting at the Wall Street Journal later this month. See you all at my new byline soon!

Here's how @thenewsham.bsky.social and I used public records to confirm the existence of an FTC investigation! Law enforcement agencies are very private about investigations. Records pertaining to investigations are exempt from FOIA. But we found a back door. www.businessinsider.com/publishing-d...

At risk of repeating myself: The Luddites weren’t against technology. They were against getting put out of work by a technology that did a version of their job faster but worse, in the service of increasing profits for their bosses.

This week at @businessinsider.com we launched a deep dive into the 8th Amendment, our nation's foundational protection against "cruel and unusual punishments." In analyzing nearly 1,500 cases, we found prisoners win less than 1% of the time. www.businessinsider.com/eighth-amend...

Millennials' refusal to talk to each other on actual live phone calls is leading to a golden age of lawsuit discovery.

In ONE HOUR, we'll be answering questions about our stories on how wealthy artists used COVID money to pay for private jets, designer clothes, and multi-million dollar bonuses for themselves. Join in! www.reddit.com/r/popculture...

Meet me and @thenewsham.bsky.social on Reddit for an AMA about our Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Alice in Chains story. www.reddit.com/r/popculture...

"...Scott Dachroeden, a guitar tech and tour photographer who had worked with [Alice In Chains] for years, received a cancer diagnosis in late 2022. The band, which records show did not spend grant money on benefits like health insurance, circulated a GoFundMe" Members of AIC took $3.4 million.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-ch...

“Mystery women” being a line item has me on the floor.

incredible reporting from BI www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-ch...

Lil Wayne received an $8.9 million grant from a little-known pandemic-relief program. Here's how he spent it: www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-ch...

Some readers have zeroed in on this sentence in our reporting: "Reached by text, Lil Wayne made a sexually explicit overture to a reporter and did not respond to questions." I'm going to share the text he sent, but first some backstory...

“Reached by text, Lil Wayne made a sexually explicit overture to a reporter and did not respond to questions.” www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-ch...

Incredible reporting from @thenewsham.bsky.social and @klong.bsky.social How rich musicians billed American taxpayers for luxury hotels, shopping sprees, and million-dollar bonuses www.businessinsider.com/lil-wayne-ch...

Last year @thenewsham.bsky.social and @klong.bsky.social found a COVID relief fund meant for struggling arts venues gave $200M+ to rich musicians. We didn't know HOW they spent it—until now. After reviewing thousands of pages of receipts & internal accounting docs, oh boy... 🧵

idk man there are a lot of drones in new jersey, I think it's possible that people are just having a good time in the friendly skies (map is all FAA-certified drone pilots in NJ)

"At first, he appeared jubilant — his pain was gone. But by June this year, he was castigating doctors as 'basically worthless'" www.businessinsider.com/who-is-luigi...

How did Luigi Mangione go from elite colleges and prep schools to the prime suspect in one of America's most high-profile murders? @klong.bsky.social, @jayshams.bsky.social and Grace Kay hit the phones and traced his digital footprint. Here's what we found. www.businessinsider.com/who-is-luigi...

Elon Musk just said the word "homeless" is "propaganda." The truth is: That word *is* actually frustratingly imprecise and has come to mean different things. I've covered homelessness for years and I think what we call "homelessness" is actually three things... 1/

New, w/ Grace Kay: Meet Omead Afshar, Tesla's "final boss on the way to Elon," who became a loyalist for the vehicle company after a near-fatal car crash in his early 20s. www.businessinsider.com/omead-afshar...

It's nearly Thanksgiving, so I'm thinking about Mike Dukakis's turkey carcasses again