Anita Cheng
@anitaycheng.bsky.social
Making permits make sense, at least in San Francisco. DOGE'd from 18F.
🍿
NEWS
Elon Musk and others LOSE their bid to duck depositions in DOGE litigation.
Judge doubts protections for "high-ranking government officials" for multiple reasons. It's unclear they ever had that status, and Musk "left government service."
Doc buff.ly/uhpSOTz
Elon Musk and others LOSE their bid to duck depositions in DOGE litigation.
Judge doubts protections for "high-ranking government officials" for multiple reasons. It's unclear they ever had that status, and Musk "left government service."
Doc buff.ly/uhpSOTz
February 5, 2026 at 3:23 AM
🍿
Reposted by Anita Cheng
I was a White House ethics lawyer.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
Foreign countries are bribing our president to sell out the American people.
Trump family businesses made $187 MILLION from this deal, and just months later he gave the UAE some of our most top-secret AI tech.
They are selling our national security to the highest bidder.
Trump family businesses made $187 MILLION from this deal, and just months later he gave the UAE some of our most top-secret AI tech.
They are selling our national security to the highest bidder.
February 2, 2026 at 7:28 AM
I was a White House ethics lawyer.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
I used to advise people not to even accept a free cup of coffee from someone who had interests before them. And staff followed those rules.
I can’t even find the words to describe the scale of Trump’s corruption here.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
It's official: the Trump admin is making American government dumber.
*11 times more STEM PhDs were lost than gained in 2025
*3 times the rate of STEM PhDs left in 2025 compared to 2024
*-17% decrease in STEM PhDs across 14 agencies
www.science.org/content/arti...
*11 times more STEM PhDs were lost than gained in 2025
*3 times the rate of STEM PhDs left in 2025 compared to 2024
*-17% decrease in STEM PhDs across 14 agencies
www.science.org/content/arti...
January 28, 2026 at 2:37 AM
It's official: the Trump admin is making American government dumber.
*11 times more STEM PhDs were lost than gained in 2025
*3 times the rate of STEM PhDs left in 2025 compared to 2024
*-17% decrease in STEM PhDs across 14 agencies
www.science.org/content/arti...
*11 times more STEM PhDs were lost than gained in 2025
*3 times the rate of STEM PhDs left in 2025 compared to 2024
*-17% decrease in STEM PhDs across 14 agencies
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Anita Cheng
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Reposted by Anita Cheng
I've been here 24 hours, but already with what I've seen, well, I genuinely believe we're going to win. People here are well aware that what happens here impacts the entire country, that it sets the tone for resistance. ICE is angry, ICE is terrified, of how deeply unpopular it is.
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
I've been here 24 hours, but already with what I've seen, well, I genuinely believe we're going to win. People here are well aware that what happens here impacts the entire country, that it sets the tone for resistance. ICE is angry, ICE is terrified, of how deeply unpopular it is.
Horrifying.
I really want ppl w/o Minneapolis connections to understand
You might've heard that Mpls public schools went hybrid bc so many families are in hiding. Well, a coworker just told me that today, during his kid's hybrid class, a kid's apt building was raided onscreen
*Everyone has stories like this*
You might've heard that Mpls public schools went hybrid bc so many families are in hiding. Well, a coworker just told me that today, during his kid's hybrid class, a kid's apt building was raided onscreen
*Everyone has stories like this*
January 14, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Horrifying.
I always like to consider what kind of horrible accident led to a certain rule. Because there are quite a lot of ways that people (or things that people use) could accidentally kill other people.
Yes, I’ve been working on permitting, why do you ask. 😬
Yes, I’ve been working on permitting, why do you ask. 😬
Some people forget the reason we have food safety regulations is because companies used to do things like add chalk to spoiled milk so it looked normal.
Regulations don't exist because governments enjoy them. They exist because pure, unadulterated capitalism would kill us.
That's my TED talk.
Regulations don't exist because governments enjoy them. They exist because pure, unadulterated capitalism would kill us.
That's my TED talk.
January 14, 2026 at 3:28 AM
I always like to consider what kind of horrible accident led to a certain rule. Because there are quite a lot of ways that people (or things that people use) could accidentally kill other people.
Yes, I’ve been working on permitting, why do you ask. 😬
Yes, I’ve been working on permitting, why do you ask. 😬
Reposted by Anita Cheng
This is a good question. Let's talk about it!
Why do civil servants resign in protest? Couldn't they have done more good on the inside? 🧵
Why do civil servants resign in protest? Couldn't they have done more good on the inside? 🧵
Sincerely wanting to understand why is honest people resigning, being considered an act of bravery or somehow fruitful. It’s one thing if the admin felt embarrassed by the resignations & rectified course. But that’s not happening, so now our institutions are just left with fewer people of integrity.
Breaking: NYT now says *six* federal prosecutors in Minnesota have just resigned over the Justice Department's push to investigate the widow of Renee Good and the department's reluctance to investigate the ICE agent who shot Good, according to people with knowledge of their decision.
January 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM
This is a good question. Let's talk about it!
Why do civil servants resign in protest? Couldn't they have done more good on the inside? 🧵
Why do civil servants resign in protest? Couldn't they have done more good on the inside? 🧵
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Pretty telling that the inevitable attempt to smear her boils down to "she wasn't rolling over and cowering in fear as we invaded her community"
The woman killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week served on the board of her son’s school, which linked to documents encouraging parents to monitor ICE and directing them to training. https://cnn.it/49yoNEa
January 14, 2026 at 2:32 AM
Pretty telling that the inevitable attempt to smear her boils down to "she wasn't rolling over and cowering in fear as we invaded her community"
Reposted by Anita Cheng
I've seen refugee aid efforts defeat multi-year occupations by regional / national police forces who deployed 30x the amount of resources. Hell I've been part of that.
It is *very* possible.
ICE's budget has a limit.
Make them use it.
ICE's morale has a limit.
Make them lose it.
It is *very* possible.
ICE's budget has a limit.
Make them use it.
ICE's morale has a limit.
Make them lose it.
January 8, 2026 at 10:28 PM
I've seen refugee aid efforts defeat multi-year occupations by regional / national police forces who deployed 30x the amount of resources. Hell I've been part of that.
It is *very* possible.
ICE's budget has a limit.
Make them use it.
ICE's morale has a limit.
Make them lose it.
It is *very* possible.
ICE's budget has a limit.
Make them use it.
ICE's morale has a limit.
Make them lose it.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
This breakdown confirms what anyone who looked at the video could see: that the DHS account was an obvious lie.
*The agent put was not in her path, was not in danger.
*He also fires *after* the car is moving away from him.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
*The agent put was not in her path, was not in danger.
*He also fires *after* the car is moving away from him.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
Video: Videos Contradict Trump Administration Account of ICE Shooting in Minneapolis
An analysis of footage from three camera angles show that the vehicle appears to be turning away from a federal officer as he opened fire.
www.nytimes.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:26 PM
This breakdown confirms what anyone who looked at the video could see: that the DHS account was an obvious lie.
*The agent put was not in her path, was not in danger.
*He also fires *after* the car is moving away from him.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
*The agent put was not in her path, was not in danger.
*He also fires *after* the car is moving away from him.
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Today in Oh Hell No
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Health, encouraging users to connect their medical records
But it’s “not intended for diagnosis or treatment.”
buff.ly
January 7, 2026 at 10:36 PM
Today in Oh Hell No
Reposted by Anita Cheng
ICE isn’t welcome here. ICE shouldn’t exist. Every elected official must be clear-eyed about the fact that ICE is a threat to our entire country and must be abolished. As we in the Twin Cities know too well, our taxes are going to fund an entity that is attacking our neighbors; this has to end.
January 7, 2026 at 10:51 PM
ICE isn’t welcome here. ICE shouldn’t exist. Every elected official must be clear-eyed about the fact that ICE is a threat to our entire country and must be abolished. As we in the Twin Cities know too well, our taxes are going to fund an entity that is attacking our neighbors; this has to end.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
It was amazing to watch the journalists who built this tool at work. Months and months of painstaking effort, careful reporting behind every decision.
It's the kind of work that ProPublica does best.
It's the kind of work that ProPublica does best.
NEW: The FDA won’t tell Americans where their generic drugs are made, so ProPublica did it instead.
Use information from your prescription label to locate the factory and see if the plant has a history of inspection violations.
Use information from your prescription label to locate the factory and see if the plant has a history of inspection violations.
Where Was My Generic Prescription Drug Made? - Rx Inspector - ProPublica
The FDA won’t tell Americans where their generic drugs are made, so ProPublica did it instead. Use information on your prescription label to locate the factory and see inspection reports.
projects.propublica.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
It was amazing to watch the journalists who built this tool at work. Months and months of painstaking effort, careful reporting behind every decision.
It's the kind of work that ProPublica does best.
It's the kind of work that ProPublica does best.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
2026 needs to be the year of Fuck You, Make Me as a lifestyle and a philosophy.
It's amazing how so fucking many institutions complied with fascism when pretty much every time someone goes "fuck you, make me" the government goes "oh no we made an oopsie, we didn't mean to say that, birthday boy did a lil poopsie oopsie"
December 31, 2025 at 11:13 PM
2026 needs to be the year of Fuck You, Make Me as a lifestyle and a philosophy.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
my 2025 year in review
January 1, 2026 at 1:08 AM
my 2025 year in review
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Speaking as someone who just wrote a book on the Manhattan Project, I can assure you that refugee immigrants were the *entire* reason the US mastered the atom first. The most chilling part of writing my book was reading about them fleeing fascism … abroad. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/fleeing-on...
December 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Speaking as someone who just wrote a book on the Manhattan Project, I can assure you that refugee immigrants were the *entire* reason the US mastered the atom first. The most chilling part of writing my book was reading about them fleeing fascism … abroad. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/fleeing-on...
Reposted by Anita Cheng
This administration is going to crash, and we are going to get ONE CHANCE to fix things with massive structural reform. We have to start building support for that now. If we miss this moment more competent fascists will take power in the election after Dems win, and there will be no coming back.
theyre just all so far in over their heads, its astounding
December 22, 2025 at 4:38 AM
This administration is going to crash, and we are going to get ONE CHANCE to fix things with massive structural reform. We have to start building support for that now. If we miss this moment more competent fascists will take power in the election after Dems win, and there will be no coming back.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
PODCAST JAY
And this will drive him *crazy*.
December 18, 2025 at 3:40 AM
PODCAST JAY
Reposted by Anita Cheng
This tweet from Big Balls says the new “Tech Force” website is their first using the “America Design System.” Here are just a few reasons why that sucks. 🧵
December 15, 2025 at 7:29 PM
This tweet from Big Balls says the new “Tech Force” website is their first using the “America Design System.” Here are just a few reasons why that sucks. 🧵
How about uh, talking to other parents (or a pediatrician??) about this whole parenting thing? Even my super introverted hermit dev husband realized he needs a village to do this parenting thing properly, especially with a social kid.
I swear, these AI tech bros hate people so much.
I swear, these AI tech bros hate people so much.
Jimmy Fallon: "And do you use ChatGPT when raising your baby?"
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
Sam Altman: "I cannot imagine figuring out how to raise a newborn without ChatGPT."
December 10, 2025 at 3:04 PM
How about uh, talking to other parents (or a pediatrician??) about this whole parenting thing? Even my super introverted hermit dev husband realized he needs a village to do this parenting thing properly, especially with a social kid.
I swear, these AI tech bros hate people so much.
I swear, these AI tech bros hate people so much.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Effectively closes our borders. Feature, not a bug I guess.
December 10, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Effectively closes our borders. Feature, not a bug I guess.
Reposted by Anita Cheng
Gotta admit "the font is DEI" is a stage of absurdity I could not have predicted
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri
The secretary of state called it a "wasteful" diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
www.huffpost.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Gotta admit "the font is DEI" is a stage of absurdity I could not have predicted
Reposted by Anita Cheng
The ICE secret police have kidnapped and disappeared this child. It's unconscionable what these sadistic racists are doing to children and their families.
A 6-year-old boy is missing after ICE arrested him and his dad in NYC last week and shipped them off to separate facilities. www.thecity.nyc/2025/12/02/i... @thecity.nyc @gwynnefitz.bsky.social
ICE Arrested and Separated Chinese Father From 6-Year-Old Son, Advocates Say
The father and son were detained at an ICE check-in on Nov. 26, advocates say. The son’s location is currently unknown, while the father is being held at an upstate ICE facility.
www.thecity.nyc
December 3, 2025 at 7:07 AM
The ICE secret police have kidnapped and disappeared this child. It's unconscionable what these sadistic racists are doing to children and their families.