Judd Legum

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

@AOC 6. The S&P 500 index declined 19.4% in 2022. But Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman each saw their stock price increase in 2022 by more than 35%. https://t.co/IIaDXoFnmM — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

5. Only one House Democrat (@AOC) voted against the omnibus bill, citing excessive military spending. Many Republicans voted against the bill because they thought there was too much spent on domestic priorities and not enough on the military https://t.co/oPpLnbk9oQ — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

4. In the 2022 cycle, defense industry PACs and executives donated $18.9 million to federal candidates. The money was spread relatively equally between Republicans ($10.3 million) and Democrats ($8.6 million). — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. In 2022, the defense industry employed 770 federal lobbyists. That's almost 2 lobbyists for every member of Congress. In the first three quarters of 2022, the defense industry "spent over $101 million on federal lobbying." — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. More than HALF of all military spending ($452 BILLION) will go to private defense contractors https://t.co/DybN8niKKV — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. More than HALF of all military spending ($452 BILLION) will go to private defense contractors — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. A few days ago, Congress and Biden approved $858 BILLION in military spending with almost no public discussion or debate. That's $858,000,000,000 Follow along for FACTS about HOW this money is spent and WHY 🧵 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

"The Arizona Department of Corrections is inducing the labor of pregnant prisoners against their will, according to three women currently incarcerated at the Perryville prison in Buckeye, Arizona." https://t.co/F4Y2qUFnuk — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

Even if media predictions were correct, they represent a style of political reporting that is dysfunctional. Campaign coverage is increasingly focused on anticipating who will win through polling analysis. But politics is unpredictable. https://t.co/8NeI2Q7tQ3 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

"When [elections] break, they usually break in one direction," NYT reporter Blake Hounshell wrote. "And right now, all the indicators on my political dashboard are blinking red — as in, toward Republicans." https://t.co/8NeI2Q7tQ3 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

On October 19, 2022, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, "Democrats’ Feared Red October Has Arrived." The purpose of the story was to explain why the Democrats will lose badly in the midterm election, which was still nearly three weeks away https://t.co/8NeI2Q7tQ3 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

On October 19, 2022, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, "Democrats’ Feared Red October Has Arrived." The purpose of the story was to explain why the Democrats will lose badly in the midterm election, which was still nearly three weeks away https://t.co/ZFrWEmQLTJ — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

We could keep writing these long explanations of "what went wrong with the polls" after every election OR we could simply devote much less attention to these polls in the first place. Votes matter. Polls do not. https://t.co/ZFrWEmQLTJ — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

RT @JuddLegum: 1. The conventional wisdom is that independent newsletters do not produce original reporting I believe the conventional wis… — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

15. We plan on breaking more news in 2023. Subscribe to get independent accountability journalism in your inbox. It's free to sign up. https://t.co/TfpCItdVSo — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

14. You can read more about Popular Information's reporting in 2022 at the link below. Not all original journalism has to take place at outlets owned or controlled by billionaires. We frequently cover stories other outlets overlook. https://t.co/axDHqGGeRx — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

13. You can read more about Popular Information's reporting in 2022 at the link below. Not all original journalism has to take place at outlets owned or controlled by billionaires. We frequently cover stories other outlets overlook. https://t.co/axDHqGGeRx — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

13. Two days later, the College Board announced that it was parting ways with Huston, who also serves as Indiana's House Speaker In the wake of the controversy, the bill stalled in the Indiana legislature https://t.co/ZaJa0lLxi3 https://t.co/OS7GDwziZd — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

12. In February, Popular Information exposed how a top executive at College Board, Todd Huston, was behind a controversial Indiana bill that "limit[s] what teachers can say regarding race, history, and politics in Indiana classrooms." https://t.co/Kg6OchRZ4b — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

11. After being informed of Popular Information’s plan to publish the story, United for Clean Power immediately deactivated a six-figure advertising campaign on Facebook and Google. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

10. In August, Popular Info published a report on United for Clean Power’s ad campaign against Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. We revealed the group has extensive ties to a network of Republican operatives who use non-profit groups to manipulate issues https://t.co/EVAQFYnTGJ — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

9. A day after Popular Info’s report, Disney CEO Bob Chapek announced the company was “opposed” to the bill. (He previously said Disney was neutral) A few days later, Chapek also announced that the company was suspending all political donations in Florida. https://t.co/0qSn2509Jr — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

8. In April, Popular Information broke the news that Disney donated $249,126 to members of the Florida legislature that voted for the "Don't Say Gay" legislation and $50,000 to DeSantis. https://t.co/dOdiqyS7qu — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

7. The info in the brochure, however, was false. The benefits listed were not available to the migrants lured onto a private jet. Days after the Popular Information report, the brochure was cited in a class action lawsuit filed against DeSantis. — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

6. In September, Popular Information obtained a brochure that was given to migrants who agreed to board flights chartered by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The brochure promised migrants a long list of benefits if they traveled to Massachusetts https://t.co/Hqcpqg1Nzi — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

5. On April 21, under increasing pressure, Koch Industries announced that it was halting business operations in Russia. https://t.co/iSPRFZKwUG — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

4. Initially, Koch Industries defended its decision, and Popular Information revealed that a network of pundits and groups publicly arguing against the imposition of economic sanctions on Russia were receiving funding from Charles Koch. https://t.co/OAxyrlr1Q4 — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

3. In March, Popular Information broke the news that Koch Industries, the conglomerate run by billionaire Charles Koch, was continuing business in Russia following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/xHSgnFIt4M — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

2. The point of this thread is not that large media organizations aren't essential. They are absolutely essential. And there are some stories that require a huge infrastructure. But independent outlets can make real contributions. https://t.co/axDHqGGeRx — PolitiTweet.org

Judd Legum @JuddLegum

1. The conventional wisdom is that independent newsletters do not produce original reporting I believe the conventional wisdom is wrong So I want to highlight a few stories we broke this year on Popular Information Newsletters aren't just for rants 🧵 https://t.co/axDHqGGeRx — PolitiTweet.org