Tory Stephens
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torystephens.bsky.social
Tory Stephens
@torystephens.bsky.social
Climate Storytelling | Husband, Dad, Hopeful Wu-Tang Clan Member 🤞🏾 | Publishing and curating climate fiction stories @grist.org

Former @HealthPolicyHub / Community Catalyst
Pinned
Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit, S&P says.

www.cnbc.com/2025/10/16/t...

#Tariffs #Consumers #Economy #Business #Bills
Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit, S&P says
The firm said its estimate of additional expenses for companies is probably conservative.
www.cnbc.com
Reposted by Tory Stephens
"I had not touched a cat in 15 years when an orange kitten wandered over to sit with me in the grass one day. I was left without adequate words to describe that experience. It reminded me that I am alive."
When Kittens Came to My Prison, I Had Not Petted One in 15 Years
I had not touched a cat in 15 years when an orange kitten wandered over to sit with me in the grass.
prisonjournalismproject.org
January 31, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
X is still used by 21% of U.S. adults, Pew found, only down from 23% in 2021, despite increased competition from Meta, startups, and decentralized social media.
Pew's latest social media report shows X's staying power in the U.S., despite competition | TechCrunch
X is still used by 21% of U.S. adults, Pew found, only down from 23% in 2021, despite increased competition from Meta, startups, and decentralized social media.
techcrunch.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
📢 New paper on the impacts of AMOC collapse on European hydroclimate. 🌊

We find an AMOC collapse would exacerbate drought conditions across Europe, linked to reduced precipitation. In combination with climate change droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe.

doi.org/10.5194/hess...
Changing European hydroclimate under a collapsed AMOC in the Community Earth System Model
Abstract. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is expected to weaken or even collapse under anthropogenic climate change. Given the importance of the AMOC in the present-day climate,...
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
Catching up on this vital series from @grist.org on the "Disaster Economy" - such good reporting here from @zteirstein.bsky.social on insurance bankruptcies leading to mergers and payouts for execs while families are left high and dry. grist.org/economics/in...
They survived the hurricane. Their insurance company didn't.
Hurricane Ida revealed a fragile insurance industry ill-prepared for the consequences of climate change. More than four years later, what's changed?
grist.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
🔴 Human Rights Watch says Israel has carried out largest forced displacement in the West Bank since 1967, emptying the Jenin, Tulkarem, & Nur Shams refugee camps during “Operation Iron Wall” in early 2025.

About 32,000 Palestinians were expelled at gunpoint, often w/ drones overhead & snipers...
November 20, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
I’ve spent a lot of the last three years investigating the rise of anti-trans politics. Often, it came back to the controversy over trans women athletes.

So I teamed up with @pablo.show to look into the leading figure on the issue: Riley Gaines.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202... 1/
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
Receive up to a $5,000 grant for a climate or environmental reporting project in rural communities. Open to both newsrooms and freelancers. Apply by Dec. 3 https://grist.org/updates/grist-opens-applications-for-new-rural-reporting-grants-on-climate-and-environmental-justice/
Grist opens applications for new rural reporting grants on climate and environmental justice
Applicants can request up to $5,000 per project.
grist.org
November 17, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
🌼🌒🌓🌔 HAPPY ECO EQUINOX 🌖🌗🌘🌼

ECO24: THE YEAR'S BEST SPECULATIVE ECOFICTION has been released into the world! We are honored to share these author's stories with you, and look forward to continuing the legacy of ECO for many years to come. 🍄💜 👽🖤

Order ECO24: www.apexbookcompany.com/products/eco...
November 18, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
✨ Please join SFWA in celebrating the announcement of our latest Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award: N. K. Jemisin. ✨

Learn more here about @nkjemisin.bsky.social, the Grand Master Award, and how the work goes on after the accolades for all we've already done:
www.sfwa.org/2025/11/16/p...
November 16, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
"ProPublica’s reporting debunks the idea of a ’Tren de Aragua complex' taken over by a horde of terrorists. We found no criminal convictions for 18 of the 21 Venezuelans we identified. Three of the men had been charged with offenses ... but in each case the charges were dropped."
“I Lost Everything”: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime
Authorities said Tren de Aragua “terrorists” had taken over the building. A ProPublica investigation found little evidence to back up the government’s claims. For the first time, the Venezuelans arres...
www.propublica.org
November 16, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
"Her story is a reminder that even the largest corporations can be stopped when ordinary people refuse to back down."
Diane Wilson, a fisherwoman from a small town in Texas, took on ExxonMobil.
Guess who won?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
How a Texas shrimper stalled Exxon’s $10bn plastics plant | Shilpi Chhotray
Diane Wilson recognized Exxon’s playbook – and showed how local people can take on even the most entrenched industries
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
If a man said what Megyn Kelly said, you would assume he was a trafficker.

This young lady is wise beyond her years, but she is still a “child”and she would like a word…
November 16, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
"What if one of YOUR favorite politicians/celebrities/etc is on the list?" Did you all not notice how quickly we dropped Neil Gaiman when we found out about the things he did? Do you know how beloved that guy used to be and how loathed he is now? I think that right there should answer your question.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
"They were intimate enough for her to see him flossing his teeth, his dopp kit overflowing with prescriptions.

She writes that despite being 'sober' for decades, Kennedy [RFK Jr.] told her he still uses psychedelics, and smoked dimethyltryptamine, or DMT..."

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/s...
Olivia Nuzzi Did It All for Love
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
When we talk about Jeffrey Epstein, we must keep Ghislaine Maxwell’s name in the discourse because she's just as culpable as Epstein.

My latest on Maxwell’s attempt to commute her sentence, the VIP treatment she's getting in prison, & why Todd Blanche is the worst lawyer.

youtu.be/66hLS4DU9bw?...
Trump SLAMMED Over Ghislaine Maxwell’s VIP PRISON PERKS
YouTube video by Katie Phang
youtu.be
November 14, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
just opening up the new Epstein docs at random:
November 12, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.

Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally
A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...
www.yahoo.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Israeli Spy Stayed for Weeks at a Time With Jeffrey Epstein in Manhattan

Leaked emails show Epstein working on a wire transfer to Ehud Barak's top aide, Yoni Koren, who regularly stayed at his apartment.

www.dropsitenews.com/p/israeli-sp...

#Epstein #Israel
Israeli Spy Stayed for Weeks at a Time at Jeffrey Epstein's Mansion
Leaked emails show Epstein working on a wire transfer to Ehud Barak's top aide, Yoni Koren, who regularly stayed at his apartment.
www.dropsitenews.com
November 15, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
NEW: Dinners with Peter Thiel & Steve Bannon. Friendly chats with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak & New York Times. A Bannon & Michael Wolff-signed book for Indian tycoon Anil Ambani.

Trump, Trump, Trump.

We @zeteo.com scoured the trove of 26,000 Epstein docs — and made it searchable for you:
Zeteo Scoured 26,000 Epstein Docs. Here’s What We Found
You can search and review the emails here. Read what Epstein said about Trump, and his emails with Peter Thiel, Steve Bannon, Ehud Barak, and Larry Summers.
zeteo.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
A teenager in Florida with a homeless parent wanted money for braces and ended up having sex for money with powerful men, setting off a chain of events that would have a dramatic impact on her life and help upend the political career of Representative Matt Gaetz. nyti.ms/49PSkL9
November 13, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Gift Article. This week, it was revealed that a whistle-blower gave the House Committee on the Judiciary information about the special treatment that Ghislaine Maxwell is receiving at the minimum-security federal prison she was recently transferred to.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/14/o...

#Epstein
Opinion | Why Is Ghislaine Maxwell Being Pampered in Prison?
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
Metacampanella subdendrophora growing on scotch broom in Pacific County, Washington.

#metacampanella #mycology #macrophotography #fungi #fungifriends
November 13, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Tory Stephens
The 84-year-old recovered from two bouts of COVID in 2021 and 2023 while battling a neurodegenerative disorder. capitalbnews.org/rev-jesse-ja...
Family of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Asks For Prayers as the Pioneer Is Hospitalized
The 84-year-old recovered from two bouts of COVID in 2021 and 2023 while battling a neurodegenerative disorder.
capitalbnews.org
November 13, 2025 at 9:54 PM