MattRiffs.bsky.social
@mattriffs.bsky.social
Public health consultant. I love democracy and red wine. I detest rudeness and bigots. Co-author of Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the Sports World (Rowman & Littlefield, 2024). 🇺🇦 🏳️🌈
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said if people want to escape high inflation, they should move from Blue states to Red states.
CNBC just shared an analysis of the available data showing that inflation was *not* lower in Red states. A CNBC anchor put it this way: “The point is it’s bad everywhere.”
CNBC just shared an analysis of the available data showing that inflation was *not* lower in Red states. A CNBC anchor put it this way: “The point is it’s bad everywhere.”
November 28, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent said if people want to escape high inflation, they should move from Blue states to Red states.
CNBC just shared an analysis of the available data showing that inflation was *not* lower in Red states. A CNBC anchor put it this way: “The point is it’s bad everywhere.”
CNBC just shared an analysis of the available data showing that inflation was *not* lower in Red states. A CNBC anchor put it this way: “The point is it’s bad everywhere.”
I wish every Dem in Congress were as savvy as Congressman Raskin. His proposed resolution is both morally honorable and politically smart.
A top House Democrat pushes to oppose Ghislaine Maxwell pardon
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) introduced a symbolic measure to put House members on the record opposing a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:33 PM
I wish every Dem in Congress were as savvy as Congressman Raskin. His proposed resolution is both morally honorable and politically smart.
Scratching my head, trying to figure out how my search for NY Times recipes yielded this as one of the results. Because Trump’s hair is the same color as sweet potatoes?
November 26, 2025 at 8:39 PM
Scratching my head, trying to figure out how my search for NY Times recipes yielded this as one of the results. Because Trump’s hair is the same color as sweet potatoes?
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
🧪 This is what whooping cough looks & sounds like.
A baby tragically died of whooping cough today.
Dr. Ralph Abraham is the CDC’s new deputy director.
He:
1. Halted Louisiana's mass vaccination campaign
2. Promoted ivermectin
3. Delayed public warnings about a deadly whooping cough outbreak
A baby tragically died of whooping cough today.
Dr. Ralph Abraham is the CDC’s new deputy director.
He:
1. Halted Louisiana's mass vaccination campaign
2. Promoted ivermectin
3. Delayed public warnings about a deadly whooping cough outbreak
November 26, 2025 at 2:06 AM
🧪 This is what whooping cough looks & sounds like.
A baby tragically died of whooping cough today.
Dr. Ralph Abraham is the CDC’s new deputy director.
He:
1. Halted Louisiana's mass vaccination campaign
2. Promoted ivermectin
3. Delayed public warnings about a deadly whooping cough outbreak
A baby tragically died of whooping cough today.
Dr. Ralph Abraham is the CDC’s new deputy director.
He:
1. Halted Louisiana's mass vaccination campaign
2. Promoted ivermectin
3. Delayed public warnings about a deadly whooping cough outbreak
At an anti-vax conference, “one woman told me about curing her son’s seasonal allergies by exposing him to onions” . . . and another woman “pitched me on a copper tincture cure-all …”
“There were no question-and-answer sessions, no opportunities for attendees to clarify or contradict.” 🧪 #vaccines
“There were no question-and-answer sessions, no opportunities for attendees to clarify or contradict.” 🧪 #vaccines
Opinion | I Went to an Anti-Vaccine Conference. Medicine Is in Trouble.
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:34 PM
At an anti-vax conference, “one woman told me about curing her son’s seasonal allergies by exposing him to onions” . . . and another woman “pitched me on a copper tincture cure-all …”
“There were no question-and-answer sessions, no opportunities for attendees to clarify or contradict.” 🧪 #vaccines
“There were no question-and-answer sessions, no opportunities for attendees to clarify or contradict.” 🧪 #vaccines
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
Remember Andrew Wakefield?
Here he is with his friend RFK Jr. in 2020.
Wakefield is the guy behind the fraudulent, retracted MMR–autism study. He lost his medical license for subjecting autistic children to unnecessary invasive procedures.
Now, with Kennedy in power, he’s getting a second act.
Here he is with his friend RFK Jr. in 2020.
Wakefield is the guy behind the fraudulent, retracted MMR–autism study. He lost his medical license for subjecting autistic children to unnecessary invasive procedures.
Now, with Kennedy in power, he’s getting a second act.
November 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Remember Andrew Wakefield?
Here he is with his friend RFK Jr. in 2020.
Wakefield is the guy behind the fraudulent, retracted MMR–autism study. He lost his medical license for subjecting autistic children to unnecessary invasive procedures.
Now, with Kennedy in power, he’s getting a second act.
Here he is with his friend RFK Jr. in 2020.
Wakefield is the guy behind the fraudulent, retracted MMR–autism study. He lost his medical license for subjecting autistic children to unnecessary invasive procedures.
Now, with Kennedy in power, he’s getting a second act.
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
Trump appears to be telling Americans that prices are about to skyrocket.
November 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Trump appears to be telling Americans that prices are about to skyrocket.
This story is even uglier than the buy-a-pardon aspect.
“The lobbyists, right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, noted … that they had been convicted of telecommunications fraud in Ohio in connection with a robocall scheme designed to deter the turnout of minority voters.”
“The lobbyists, right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, noted … that they had been convicted of telecommunications fraud in Ohio in connection with a robocall scheme designed to deter the turnout of minority voters.”
The case of a felon who paid lobbyists nearly $1 million to seek a Trump pardon
Nursing home magnate Joseph Schwartz was sentenced in April to three years for defrauding the government of $38 million. Seven months later, Trump pardoned him, but the White House denies a lobbying t...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
This story is even uglier than the buy-a-pardon aspect.
“The lobbyists, right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, noted … that they had been convicted of telecommunications fraud in Ohio in connection with a robocall scheme designed to deter the turnout of minority voters.”
“The lobbyists, right-wing provocateurs Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl, noted … that they had been convicted of telecommunications fraud in Ohio in connection with a robocall scheme designed to deter the turnout of minority voters.”
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
The New York Times' story about Trump calling for the execution of members of Congress ran on Page 16 today, with an itty-bitty promo on the front about halfway down the page.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
November 21, 2025 at 2:01 PM
The New York Times' story about Trump calling for the execution of members of Congress ran on Page 16 today, with an itty-bitty promo on the front about halfway down the page.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
Millions of people will see their insurance premiums double or triple unless the Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended. And what does Trump tell GOP members of Congress this week? Don’t “waste your time and energy” extending them.
Cruelty is the one word that best defines this man.
Cruelty is the one word that best defines this man.
GOP barrels toward ObamaCare cliff as prospects dim for subsidy extensions — The Hill
Prospects look dim for Congress to agree to an extension of ObamaCare’s enhanced subsidies, as Republicans run headlong toward a December cliff without a clear plan to break their fall.
stocks.apple.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Millions of people will see their insurance premiums double or triple unless the Affordable Care Act subsidies are extended. And what does Trump tell GOP members of Congress this week? Don’t “waste your time and energy” extending them.
Cruelty is the one word that best defines this man.
Cruelty is the one word that best defines this man.
RFK Jr must be annoyed by a new study that refutes his assertions about the mineral fluoride.
The study found that U.S. children who grew up with fluoridated water did not have cognitive deficits. In fact, they performed slightly better on standardized tests. Large sample: nearly 27-k. 🧪
The study found that U.S. children who grew up with fluoridated water did not have cognitive deficits. In fact, they performed slightly better on standardized tests. Large sample: nearly 27-k. 🧪
Fluoride in drinking water does not negatively affect cognitive ability — and may actually provide benefit, study finds | CNN
The longstanding public health practice of adding fluoride to community drinking water is facing heavy scrutiny in the United States over questions about whether the benefits outweigh the potential ri...
www.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
RFK Jr must be annoyed by a new study that refutes his assertions about the mineral fluoride.
The study found that U.S. children who grew up with fluoridated water did not have cognitive deficits. In fact, they performed slightly better on standardized tests. Large sample: nearly 27-k. 🧪
The study found that U.S. children who grew up with fluoridated water did not have cognitive deficits. In fact, they performed slightly better on standardized tests. Large sample: nearly 27-k. 🧪
This Trump economic advisor has an interesting explanation for why businesses are hiring at a much slower pace. It’s “quiet time” for Corporate America, he claims. Sort of like that 30-minute, post-lunch period in kindergarten when every kid was encouraged to take a nap.
Kevin Hassett: "I think there could be a little bit of an almost quiet time in the labor market, because firms are finding that AI is making their workers so productive that they don't necessarily have to hire the new kids out of college and so on."
November 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
This Trump economic advisor has an interesting explanation for why businesses are hiring at a much slower pace. It’s “quiet time” for Corporate America, he claims. Sort of like that 30-minute, post-lunch period in kindergarten when every kid was encouraged to take a nap.
RFK Jr. and his grifter friends claim that vaccines haven’t been adequately tested. Yet they have promoted peptides, which haven’t gone through clinical trials.
They’re motivated by whim and ideology, not by #science 🧪
They’re motivated by whim and ideology, not by #science 🧪
The trend of unproven peptides is spreading through influencers and RFK Jr. allies
More Americans are turning to peptides for muscle building, skin rejuvenation, and to try and live longer even though the substances aren’t FDA approved.
apnews.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
RFK Jr. and his grifter friends claim that vaccines haven’t been adequately tested. Yet they have promoted peptides, which haven’t gone through clinical trials.
They’re motivated by whim and ideology, not by #science 🧪
They’re motivated by whim and ideology, not by #science 🧪
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire voted to move to end the shutdown. Her daughter Stefany Shaheen, a congressional candidate in their state, sharply criticized the deal. “Clearly we had different approaches here,” Stefany Shaheen said on Monday. nyti.ms/4nMq7s0
Jeanne Shaheen Faces Shutdown Blowback From Her Daughter
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire voted to move to end the shutdown. But her daughter Stefany Shaheen, a congressional candidate in their state, sharply criticized the deal.
nyti.ms
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire voted to move to end the shutdown. Her daughter Stefany Shaheen, a congressional candidate in their state, sharply criticized the deal. “Clearly we had different approaches here,” Stefany Shaheen said on Monday. nyti.ms/4nMq7s0
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
Chris Murphy: "There will be pretty substantial damage to a Dem brand that has been rehabilitated if on the heels of an election in which the people told us to keep fighting, we immediately stop... if we surrender without having gotten anything, I worry it'll be hard to get them back up off the mat"
November 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Chris Murphy: "There will be pretty substantial damage to a Dem brand that has been rehabilitated if on the heels of an election in which the people told us to keep fighting, we immediately stop... if we surrender without having gotten anything, I worry it'll be hard to get them back up off the mat"
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
This is not a deal — it's an empty promise.
Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.
Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.
Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown
Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.
www.politico.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 AM
This is not a deal — it's an empty promise.
Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.
Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Trump and his Republican Congress are making healthcare more expensive for the middle class and ending it for working families.
Time for Democrats to stand tall for affordable healthcare. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
It is neutrally worded — choice A or choice B — bullshit questions like this that (almost) make me want to take a train to NYC just so I can throw a rock at the Times building.
November 9, 2025 at 5:37 PM
It is neutrally worded — choice A or choice B — bullshit questions like this that (almost) make me want to take a train to NYC just so I can throw a rock at the Times building.
As Pelosi prepares to exit, a former nurse in the AIDS ward of a local hospital recalls her visits to the ward:
“Early on, it was not seen as a wise or popular thing to do, to champion people with AIDS . . . but she didn’t care. We were her constituents, and she went to bat for us . . .” #LGBTQ
“Early on, it was not seen as a wise or popular thing to do, to champion people with AIDS . . . but she didn’t care. We were her constituents, and she went to bat for us . . .” #LGBTQ
A Light in Very Dark Days: Nancy Pelosi and AIDS
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:06 PM
As Pelosi prepares to exit, a former nurse in the AIDS ward of a local hospital recalls her visits to the ward:
“Early on, it was not seen as a wise or popular thing to do, to champion people with AIDS . . . but she didn’t care. We were her constituents, and she went to bat for us . . .” #LGBTQ
“Early on, it was not seen as a wise or popular thing to do, to champion people with AIDS . . . but she didn’t care. We were her constituents, and she went to bat for us . . .” #LGBTQ
Horrifying what the Trump regime is doing in the name of “border security.”
72-year-old cancer patient Phillip Lewis said he was woken up and marched outside his home in his robe and underwear before federal officers even checked his ID.
Surprise surprise (not surprised), it turns out, he wasn't the guy they were looking for.
If only his story were unique.
Surprise surprise (not surprised), it turns out, he wasn't the guy they were looking for.
If only his story were unique.
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force
A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...
www.propublica.org
November 8, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Horrifying what the Trump regime is doing in the name of “border security.”
A good crowd at today’s March for Health & Science, co-sponsored by @standupforscience.bsky.social
#vaccines #science #publichealth
#vaccines #science #publichealth
November 5, 2025 at 10:58 PM
A good crowd at today’s March for Health & Science, co-sponsored by @standupforscience.bsky.social
#vaccines #science #publichealth
#vaccines #science #publichealth
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
Fox News is really fun to watch tonight. All the hosts and guests have this queasy look, like they ate shrimp that had been sitting out for 2 weeks.
November 5, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Fox News is really fun to watch tonight. All the hosts and guests have this queasy look, like they ate shrimp that had been sitting out for 2 weeks.
Live in or near the Washington DC area? Join me this Wednesday at the March for Health & Science.
We’ll gather on the Mall (near 7th St.) at 2:30 and march from there! #ACA #APHA #healthcare #respectscience
We’ll gather on the Mall (near 7th St.) at 2:30 and march from there! #ACA #APHA #healthcare #respectscience
November 4, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Live in or near the Washington DC area? Join me this Wednesday at the March for Health & Science.
We’ll gather on the Mall (near 7th St.) at 2:30 and march from there! #ACA #APHA #healthcare #respectscience
We’ll gather on the Mall (near 7th St.) at 2:30 and march from there! #ACA #APHA #healthcare #respectscience
NY Times: “[Trump] vowed to withhold as much federal funding as he could if Mr. Mamdani was elected, saying the city had ‘zero chance of success’ under him.”
This is an outrageous ploy to influence the mayoral race. I hope it hardens voters’ resolve to pick who THEY want — not who Trump wants.
This is an outrageous ploy to influence the mayoral race. I hope it hardens voters’ resolve to pick who THEY want — not who Trump wants.
Trump Backs Cuomo as N.Y.C. Mayor’s Race Nears Finish Line
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:21 AM
NY Times: “[Trump] vowed to withhold as much federal funding as he could if Mr. Mamdani was elected, saying the city had ‘zero chance of success’ under him.”
This is an outrageous ploy to influence the mayoral race. I hope it hardens voters’ resolve to pick who THEY want — not who Trump wants.
This is an outrageous ploy to influence the mayoral race. I hope it hardens voters’ resolve to pick who THEY want — not who Trump wants.
Reposted by MattRiffs.bsky.social
It would be wise for us to remember that Trump praised China for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Trump said China showed 'power of strength' in Tiananmen Square massacre, in newly resurfaced 1990 interview
‘It was a horrible thing. It doesn't mean at all I was endorsing it'
www.the-independent.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:29 PM
It would be wise for us to remember that Trump praised China for the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Nick Kristof: “Other countries have banned child marriage . . . but here in America the practice remains legal in 34 states.
“Even as the U.S. government advises other countries to end a cruel practice, at home we preserve what amounts to legally sanctioned statutory rape.”
“Even as the U.S. government advises other countries to end a cruel practice, at home we preserve what amounts to legally sanctioned statutory rape.”
Opinion | Why Do We Allow Child Marriage in America?
www.nytimes.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Nick Kristof: “Other countries have banned child marriage . . . but here in America the practice remains legal in 34 states.
“Even as the U.S. government advises other countries to end a cruel practice, at home we preserve what amounts to legally sanctioned statutory rape.”
“Even as the U.S. government advises other countries to end a cruel practice, at home we preserve what amounts to legally sanctioned statutory rape.”