April Urban
@aprilurban.bsky.social
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Data janitor at heart. Believer in the power of community and that data + information = power.
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April Urban
The Tennessee Holler
about 2 months ago
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"your work is also part of a system that needs public support and trust, which it earns by demonstrating not just its usefulness, but also its openness, transparency, and accountability" â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ Yup!
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5 months ago
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April Urban
Katie Mack
5 months ago
Chatbots â LLMs â do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When theyâre ârightâ itâs because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. Thatâs all.
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The New Yorker
5 months ago
âThere is a vast chasm between the concept of freedom inscribed on paper and the reality of freedom in our lives.â Revisit Jelani Cobbâs piece, from 2020, on Juneteenth and the meaning of freedom.
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Juneteenth and the Meaning of Freedom
Emancipation is a marker of progress for white Americans, not black ones.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/06/29/juneteenth-and-the-meaning-of-freedom?utm_medium=social&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=bluesky&mbid=social_bluesky&utm_brand=tny
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Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett
6 months ago
Trump cut staffing at the VA, and now Dallas vets are waiting months for care. Surgeries are being delayed. Vets are being left without mental health care. Iâve called for an investigationâbecause if you claim to support veterans, act like it.
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Take a moment to submit a comment on the proposed restrictions to COVID vaccines. I'm personally pretty sure getting the COVID boosters along with the annual flu shot has helped my family stay healthier during peak disease season that's lately been swarming with RSV and so many other viruses.
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6 months ago
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ProPublica
6 months ago
âNo one is watching, no one will hold them accountable, so they can just do what they want,â said one HUD attorney. âThe civil rights laws that people marched for and fought for, ... itâs not happening. And people are really being harmed by it.â By
@jessecoburn.bsky.social
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How the Trump Administration Is Weakening the Enforcement of Fair Housing Laws
Starting with cases involving sexual orientation and identity, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is hobbling enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. Said one HUD attorney: âPeople areâŚ
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-hud-weakening-enforcement-fair-housing-laws?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-bsky&utm_content=5-18
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April Urban
Phil Lewis
7 months ago
"Our parent company, Paramount, is trying to complete a merger. The Trump administration must approve it. Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways"
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April Urban
Eviction Lab
7 months ago
We're hiring! Join the Eviction Lab as a Data Engineer and help build powerful, scalable data tools that inform housing research and policy nationwide. Apply now:
tinyurl.com/evictionlab2025
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April Urban
Data Rescue Project #DataRescue
7 months ago
ERICA to the Rescue! Read about our volunteer efforts to rescue & revive ERIC, Dept of Ed's research repository.
www.datarescueproject.org/erica-to-the...
Thanks to crizzo,
@archive.org
&
@safeguardingdata.bsky.social
for all of the hard work. Check out more rescued data on our Data Rescue Tracker!
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ERICA to the Rescue!
ERIC, the research repository of the Department of Education, was defunded this week. The ERIC catalog lists over 2 million education-related publications. More than 500,000 of these publications are ...
https://www.datarescueproject.org/erica-to-the-rescue/
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April Urban
Ryan Marino, MD
7 months ago
Toxicologist here! This will improve the health of zero Americans. Current synthetic food dyes are not causing health problems, and are often times used because they are actually safer than natural food dyes. Reminder that guns are the #1 cause of death of children but we are going to ban food dyes.
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We just brought Data Days over to Bluesky-- follow us at
@datadayscle.bsky.social
. Take our survey to let us know how Data Days CLE can best help you with
#data
and
#civictech
in 2025. Go to
datadayscle.org
for the survey.
7 months ago
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April Urban
ProPublica
7 months ago
FDA inspectors found serious problems at a Glenmark factory in India that manufactured the recalled drugs. Another medication made there has been tied to deaths of U.S. patients. By
@sheinvestigates.bsky.social
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An Indian Drugmaker, Investigated by ProPublica Last Year, Has Recalled Two Dozen Medications Sold to U.S. Patients
FDA inspectors found serious problems at a Glenmark factory in India that manufactured the recalled drugs. Another medication made there has been tied to deaths of U.S. patients.
https://www.propublica.org/article/glenmark-recalls-two-dozen-drugs?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-bsky&utm_content=2
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Why do we build the wall, my children, my children, why do we build the wall?
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8 months ago
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April Urban
Simon P. Couch
8 months ago
New on my blog: OpenAI dropped a trio of models yesterday that they claim result from "focusing closely on real-world developer needs." I was curious whether this might mean stronger
#rstats
coding performance.
www.simonpcouch.com/blog/2025-04...
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April Urban
Protect Democracy
8 months ago
We filed suit today to compel the Office of Management & Budget to resume disclosing key federal spending plans called âapportionments,â which tell federal agencies how and when to spend federal funds. The law requires this disclosureâand the public has a right to know:
protdem.org/4ijKGJV
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April Urban
Hunter Walker
8 months ago
It was very frustrating to watch reporters in the Oval allow Bukele's assertion these people are "terrorists" to go unquestioned
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If I were a writer, I'd start on a short story where former US citizens shipped to El Salvador by a traitorous US President and tech oligarchy end up building the new mecca in El Salvador while the US and it's weird remaining cult-enraptured citizens crumble.
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8 months ago
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April Urban
ProPublica
8 months ago
Spurred by ProPublicaâs reporting, Democrats have introduced a measure designed to block a right-wing strategy to disallow ballots after they were cast. Itâs being used to try to upend the results of a key state Supreme Court race. By
@dougbockclark.bsky.social
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N.C. Lawmakers Move to Stop Votes From Being Discarded Based on Postelection Rule Changes
Spurred by ProPublicaâs reporting, Democrats have introduced a measure designed to block a right-wing strategy to disallow ballots after they were cast. Itâs being used to try to upend the results ofâŚ
https://www.propublica.org/article/north-carolina-supreme-court-election-discarded-votes-legislation?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-bsky
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Patricia Callahan
8 months ago
NEW: Whooping cough is killing babies. Itâs not just measles cases that are soaring as vaccine rates decline. And the Trump administration recently cut $11 billion from state and local agencies on the front lines of protecting Americans from outbreaks.
www.propublica.org/article/whoo...
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âNot Just Measlesâ: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline
While much of the country is focused on the spiraling measles outbreak, experts warn that whooping cough and other preventable diseases could get much worse with falling vaccination rates and Trumpâs ...
https://www.propublica.org/article/whooping-cough-measles-outbreak-vaccine-hesitancy-trump
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Yet again we put more work on schools and kids. So ridiculous.
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8 months ago
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April Urban
stephen fowler
8 months ago
NEW on
@npr.org
: A DOGE staffer working in the Social Security Administration has been pushing questionable claims about noncitizens voting â apparently using data that court records suggest DOGE shouldn't have. More on the claims and the latest in DOGE access concerns:
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How DOGE may have improperly used Social Security data to push voter fraud narratives
A DOGE staffer working in the Social Security Administration has been pushing questionable claims about noncitizens voting â apparently using data that court records suggest DOGE shouldn't have.
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/11/nx-s1-5352470/doge-musk-social-security-voting
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April Urban
8 months ago
For
@propublica.org
: measles vaccination rates were *below herd immunity* in most states in the 2023-24 school year. Read the story on vaccine hesitancy & rising cases of measles and whooping cough by
@deldeib.bsky.social
:
www.propublica.org/article/whoo...
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Seriously.
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8 months ago
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April Urban
Waldo Jaquith
8 months ago
I'm making an
ID.me
account (a private identity vendor selling its services to government), required to log into my
IRS.gov
account, and their privacy policy says I'm also creating an "an
ID.me
Rx Account," and consent to this company collecting my health information. *What*?
www.id.me/privacy
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April Urban
Dan Diamond
8 months ago
Trump, Musk and DOGE have touted the short-term savings from their cuts. What they donât mention: the long-term consequences of shrinking food inspections, disaster response and other federal safety efforts. Me +
@hannahnatanson.bsky.social
on Trumpâs big shift of risk to everyday Americans.
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Worries grow over risks to Americans as Trump cuts health, safety agencies
The chorus of experts issuing warnings include Republican lawmakers, former Trump officials and civil servants who worked under GOP and Democratic presidents.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/06/worries-grow-over-risks-americans-trump-cuts-health-safety-agencies/
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April Urban
Jonathan Cohn
8 months ago
The ability of people to access federal programs should not be a function of whether federal administrators personally like or dislike a state's governor.
www.huffpost.com/entry/janet-...
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Emails Confirm Social Security Administration Canceled Maine Contracts As Political Payback
Acting commissioner Leland Dudek called Maine Gov. Janet Mills a âpetulant childâ for defying Donald Trump.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/janet-mills-social-security-maine-leland-dudek_n_67ed2d99e4b0b937ab8f135c
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April Urban
Marie Vibbert
8 months ago
Ohio peeps, get on the horn to your state reps, they're trying to cut the budget for our public libraries. Tell them to restore the Public Library Fund (PLF) to 1.75% of the Ohio General Revenue Fund!
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April Urban
Waldo Jaquith
8 months ago
This is profoundly ignorant stuff.
www.wired.com/story/doge-d...
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April Urban
Alt18F
8 months ago
We've been busy rescuing our old blog so that it can continue to serve as a resource for anyone who wants it. We'll be spotlighting a few top posts over the coming weeks, but wanted you to know that this content is availableâalong with our guides to agile development, accessibility, and more.
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18F: Digital service delivery | 18F blog archive
https://18f.org/blog/
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April Urban
ProPublica
8 months ago
NEW: The move â along with the CDCâs explanation â is a sign that the nationâs top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines. By
@sheinvestigates.bsky.social
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The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
The move â along with the CDCâs explanation â is a sign that the nationâs top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.
https://propub.li/4235sas
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April Urban
Alt18F
8 months ago
â'Itâs a move to cut the brakes guarding against reckless government technology spending,' said one former 18F employee. With 18F out of the picture, Musk 'and other private corporations who want to basically take advantage of taxpayer money can get in with less scrutiny.'"
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Musk Is Firing Federal Workers Who Prevent Bloated Tech Contracts
Employees at the federal tech unit 18F say that their role in preventing overspending put a Musk-sized target on their back.
https://theintercept.com/2025/03/19/18f-tech-federal-workers-musk-trump-doge/
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Imagine you're a parent who has actually lost a child, and you see this. Sick.
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8 months ago
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April Urban
Andrew Lawrence
8 months ago
well, ive taken a good long look under the hood and the only way to save civilization is for the government to give my companies tens of billions of dollars while simultaneously kneecapping my competitors
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April Urban
Laura Bassett
8 months ago
Roses are red Violets are blue
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Ummm... Does OP think that the "all people are created equal" quote is only from the musical Hamilton?
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8 months ago
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April Urban
Alt18F
8 months ago
Boosting this opportunity to share your perspective on privacy issuesâyou don't need to live in
@trahan.house.gov
's district to participate. (đ§ľ for some of the questions, to get you thinking!)
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April Urban
Oliver Willis
9 months ago
need you to constantly remind yourself that the average normal person has no idea that any of the stuff we are rightly getting upset about is going on. they dont know. and we need to do everything we individually can to make them know.
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April Urban
AltUSCustoms
8 months ago
If the White House continues to scoff at court orders instead of complying with them, what recourse do the courts have? Any one of the rest of us would be forcibly hauled back to court, fined, sentenced to jail, ordered to do community service, etc. Can the judiciary do that to a sitting president?
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April Urban
The Tennessee Holler
9 months ago
Shot, chaser
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Eviction Lab
8 months ago
The U.S. has a shortage of rental housing for its lowest-income renters. Whatâs the gap in your state? â¨Find out more via @nlihc.bsky.social's âThe Gapâ 2025:
https://nlihc.org/gap
#housing+
#urbanism
#urbanism+
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The GAP | National Low Income Housing Coalition
The U.S. has a shortage of more than 7.1 million rental homes affordable and available to extremely low-income renter households. Find out more. #TheGap25
https://nlihc.org/gap
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April Urban
Jay Rosen
8 months ago
Meanwhile,
@wired.com
"will no longer put articles that primarily use public records obtained by FOIA behind its paywall." From Reliable Sources:
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/174...
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WIRED
8 months ago
They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with
@freedom.press
to offer this for our new coverage.
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Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow
As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy
https://freedom.press/issues/wired-is-dropping-paywalls-for-foia-based-reporting-others-should-follow/
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AltUSCustoms
9 months ago
Keep it up! Weâre seeing real results!
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George Conway âď¸đşđ¸
9 months ago
What. Is. This. Garbage.
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The Tennessee Holler
9 months ago
Hey look â DOGE found dead people on social security and cut off their benefits⌠one problem: THEY ARE ALIVE. đ
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
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Barbra Streisand
9 months ago
The DOGE staff has no experience at all in government. They have ignored institutional expertise and have practiced ideological incompetence to a predictable disastrous result. They have invaded Americanâs privacy and likely added proprietary software to government databases.
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ProPublica
9 months ago
Over the past several weeks, ProPublica has identified dozens of people who worked for DOGE.
#ICYMI
: We just added 20 names to our tracker, bringing the total to 66.
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Elon Muskâs Demolition Crew
Elon Musk, the worldâs richest man, has been unleashed on federal agencies. ProPublica is attempting to document who is working with him and what they are doing.
https://propub.li/3XSpH9m
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Craig Harrington
9 months ago
The executive branch of the U.S. government is in open defiance of BOTH other branches of the government. Whatâs that called?
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