Annie Lowrey
@annielowrey.bsky.social
40K followers 91 following 59 posts
Writer on economic policy, bureaucracy, household finances, and the human relationship with animals, among other stuff, at The Atlantic. Ping me on [email protected] and annielowrey.25 on Signal.
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Whelp. I'm back from leave, and revving up my reporting on DOGE and bureaucracy again. If you work in government or your job and/or contracts are affected, I'm on [email protected] and annielowrey.25 on Signal.
My friend Anne found out she has an aggressive form of breast cancer on the same afternoon that DOGE fired her from the CFPB. As she started chemo, she got rehired. Then fired again. Then rehired again... www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
A Real Cancer in Washington
The quiet heroism of my friend in government
www.theatlantic.com
Nothing to see here, just the Middle East envoy's son traveling the world, hat in hand, accepting "investments" in a crypto project directly benefiting President Trump.
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
🚨Just published 🚨

The Atlantic’s latest cover story, by @ashleyrparker.bsky.social and @michaelscherer.bsky.social, is the deeply reported story of Donald Trump, how he returned to power, and what he is going to do next

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...
Donald Trump Is Enjoying This
The president explains how he plans to change America forever.
www.theatlantic.com
Budget Lab on the new tariff rates. $4,400 per household.
just checkin' in on my hedges
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
Cars from Mexico and Canada are being hit with tariffs *now*, even if they are compliant with the USMCA. US officials saying don't worry, trust us, we'll refund you the amount associated with any US content when we all work out how to calculate it.

Trust us...

on.ft.com/4cvyVPi
If the tariffs stay in place, it's not just that stuff is going to get more expensive. Some things won't be available; the variety of consumer goods we're used to is going to collapse.

Cars feel like the obvious item in the first category; clothing and textiles the second.
the line is going up, do not worry bsky.app/profile/cwar...
this is a peak social media experience: seeing charts like this that (personally speaking) you have zero idea how to interpret but still having a gut feeling of ‘ohhhh shit’ and scrolling on. aand that’s why we play the game!
10-year yield going vertical here. Something’s gonna break.
Minor thing I keep thinking about: Free trade agreements are notoriously excruciating to negotiate. Hundreds of unions and special-interest groups go to the mattresses over a thousand finicky provisions in a dozen+ rounds of negotiations. Takes years!

Trump unilaterally torched 14 FTAs last week.
From Bellingham to Calais, American border towns are already in a downturn thanks to tariffs + reduced visits from our Canadian neighbors. A look at what might be coming for many other communities across the country: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Here Are the Places Where the Recession Has Already Begun
Towns near the Canadian border are suffering.
www.theatlantic.com
Border towns with Canada are already in a downturn thanks to tariffs + reduced visits from our neighbors to the North. A look at what might be coming for many other communities across the United States:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/recession-tariffs-canada-trump/682297/
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
American war planning usually takes place in highly secure facilities. But the Trump administration planned its strikes on the Houthis using a group chat—and accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. theatln.tc/IuULQFiY
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
theatln.tc
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
TN bill would make it a crime to hide or harbor undocumented immigrants is making its way through the state legislature in Tennessee. This could endanger mixed-status families as well as churches/non-profits that traditionally help people no matter their status tennesseelookout.com/2025/03/20/t...
Tennessee bill to criminalize ‘harboring or hiding” immigrants without legal status advances • Tennessee Lookout
A bill making it a crime to harbor or hide individuals without lawful immigration status cleared a Tennessee House subcommittee Wednesday.
tennesseelookout.com
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
New — I wrote about the armed break-in at the US Institute of Peace and the subsequent court hearing that showed Trump and DOGE's threats of violence may be influencing legal decisions.
The Trump administration's 'assault' on Peace
The violent attack on the US Institute of Peace is a heavy-handed metaphor for this administration's goals.
www.thehandbasket.co
Reposted by Annie Lowrey
I don’t know if Facebook trying to legally stop an ex-employee from promoting her tell-all book about the company will end up as a true Streisand Effect situation but it did just make me order a copy immediately in case they manage to get it pulled from stores too lol
Bit of a fine needle to thread, but anyone know someone who just had a baby or is about to have a baby in Maine? (I have some questions about the birth registration / Social Security process!)
To be clear: These are cuts. If you make programs hard or impossible to access, that is a cut. And these cuts fall hardest on people with health problems, disabilities, literacy challenges, connectivity challenges, rural folks. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Social Security, facing pressure from DOGE, weighs big cuts to phone service
Agency considers ending phone program that helps with claims processing and is used by millions of elderly and disabled Americans.
www.washingtonpost.com
Recessions aren't a diet. They aren't a Hard 40. They aren't chemotherapy. This isn't a no-pain, no-gain thing.

Rich folks will mostly be fine. Poor families, including poor kids, won't.
Recessions kill people. They cause foreclosures, bankruptcies, homelessness. They lower *lifetime* earnings trajectories. They make it harder for young, old, and disabled workers to find jobs, as well as people with criminal records. They reduce entrepreneurship. www.cbsnews.com/news/lutnick...
Lutnick says Trump's policies are "worth it" even if they lead to recession
The president's tariff announcements have rocked the stock markets and fueled concerns of an economic downturn.
www.cbsnews.com