Adam Rhodes

What I see in independent media isn't a waiting replacement for legacy media, but a thousand little experiments in how to make news sustainable.

And the good thing about a thousand little experiments is that you don't need them to all be successful.

Important to note, the Trump Administration *as we speak* is barred from implementing the parts of the executive order referenced by this policy. A Reagan-appointed judge blocked the Trump administration from restricting GAC/clothing/etc for trans people. More from @chrisgeidner.bsky.social here:

The future of being trans on the internet The internet has long been a source of information and support for transgender people. Now, trans rights and the internet itself are in a moment of crisis. What happens next?

Congrats to the design team @theverge.com for their well-deserved ASME nom! The Verge is doing so much cool design pushing at the edges of what’s possible with digital publications (also, I’m in one of the editorial packages, ‘The Future of Being Trans on the Internet,’ in their nomination).

The hearing on the emergency show cause motion is starting now. The public line is working.

This arises in a class action from trans inmates who are challenging the Trump administration's denial of gender-affirming health care.

Plaintiffs say guards are retaliating against witnesses.

‘Someone loved them’: As the ICE surge continues in Minnesota, pets suffer As Minnesotans are detained and deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, volunteers and pet shelters are led to provide housing and care for the animals that are often the family members ...

Again, it's hard to convey how many facets of life in Minnesota have been affected by the federal government's surge here. My colleague @samStroozas.bsky.social writes about how people have mobilized to care for pets left alone after feds arrested people.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

thank you!!!

Blessed to ring in my 33rd year surrounded by some of my most important people. I am so lucky.

DO you mean emigrating? More Americans are emigrating, making themselves immigrants in other countries while the US vilifies immigrants at home.

What the fuck is "replanting"?

Candace Owens spun conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's death. Now she’s targeting his widow. The podcaster aired “Bride of Charlie” on YouTube and billed it as an investigation into Erika Kirk — but there is no evidence to support her fevered, fact-free claims.

I had to watch like 70 hours of Candace Owens for work. So the least you could do is read my dispatch from hell. www.ms.now/news/bride-o...

re: Kansas today, but everything generally—I don’t repeat what’s become a talking point about the number of trans people being so small to be so targeted. The number of people harmed is not a fight I want to have when that number could be one and the harm would still be wrong.

Kansas informs trans residents their driver’s licenses become invalid on Thursday Some transgender Kansans said they had received the letters from the Department of Revenue. Others hadn’t by Wednesday evening.

“‘The persecution is the point,’ said Rep. Abi Boatman, a Wichita Democrat and the only transgender member of the Legislature, who received the [Kansas Dept of Revenue] notice on Wednesday.” To underscore that: a Kansas state legislator is among those whose driver’s license will be voided. (🎁 link:)

Important to note, the Trump Administration *as we speak* is barred from implementing the parts of the executive order referenced by this policy. A Reagan-appointed judge blocked the Trump administration from restricting GAC/clothing/etc for trans people. More from @chrisgeidner.bsky.social here:

In an attempt to control the public narrative around Chicago police, CPD’s communications/pr budget has increased 700 percent over a decade.

Meanwhile, CPD’s refusal to answer Freedom of Information Act requests has resulted in 200 public records litigation cases & cost the public $3.1 million.

Fun fact, US passports did not have a gender marker until 1977, when a rising trend in unisex fashion started freaking the government out.

Courts have repeatedly ruled that prison officials cannot deny gender affirming care to incarcerated people. This is cruel by design and will have horrific, likely life threatening consequences for people behind bars.

Federal Prisons Bar Gender-Affirming Care for Trans People ‘People will die,’ an advocate warns, as standard treatments for gender dysphoria are replaced with therapy and antidepressants after Trump’s order.

The new policy denies trans people access to surgery, clothing or toiletry items that align with their gender identity. People behind bars on hormone medications will be forced to taper off them.

Instead, the primary treatments will be therapy and psychiatric medications like antidepressants.

A New York women’s prison with a history of violence hired a high-ranking official known for abuse Bedford Hills Correctional Facility’s new deputy superintendent of safety, Michael Blot, is implementing policies that endanger trans women

Yesterday, I added to the chorus of reporters covering the problems at Bedford Hills prison, in @prismreports.org: prismreports.org/2026/02/25/b...

A New York women’s prison with a history of violence hired a high-ranking official known for abuse Bedford Hills Correctional Facility’s new deputy superintendent of safety, Michael Blot, is implementing policies that endanger trans women

One trans woman who has been incarcerated at Bedford for a number of years said “the arrival of Michael Blot has sent this facility into a spiraling tailspin and human rights crisis.”

@byadamrhodes.bsky.social reports: prismreports.org/2026/02/25/b...

On Saturday, I’ll join @byadamrhodes.bsky.social for “Reporting on disappearing data about LGBTQ+ people.” Tons of government and other data about LGBTQ+ folks has gone missing in the last few years, so we’re sharing tips and tricks for filling in or circumventing the gaps. (3/4)

Cries in Chicago

Illinois officials decry proposed cuts to HIV care - Chicago Reader President Donald Trump wants to strip public health funding from four states led by Democratic leaders—including $8 million from Illinois.

My latest for @chicagoreader.com: President Donald Trump wants to strip hundreds of millions in public health funding from four states led by Democratic leaders—including nearly $8 million in funds from Illinois for HIV-prevention services.

Illinois officials decry proposed cuts to HIV care - Chicago Reader President Donald Trump wants to strip public health funding from four states led by Democratic leaders—including $8 million from Illinois.

My latest for @chicagoreader.com: President Donald Trump wants to strip hundreds of millions in public health funding from four states led by Democratic leaders—including nearly $8 million in funds from Illinois for HIV-prevention services.

Breaking News: Lambda Legal and LGBTQ+ Advocates Sue Trump Admin Over Removal of Stonewall Pride Flag.

The Stonewall National Monument is the first national monument in the U.S. dedicated to LGBTQ+ rights. In 2022, the National Park Service installed a permanent flagpole inside the federal monument and sent a representative to raise a Pride flag. Last week, without any warning or notice to the community, the Trump administration removed the Pride flag, claiming its policies prohibited its flying.

Quote from Lambda Legal that reads, "The Pride flag at the Stonewall National Monument honors the history of the fight for LGBTQ+ liberation. It is an integral part of the story this site was created to tell. Its removal continues the Trump administration's disregard for what the law actually requires in their endless campaign to target our community for erasure and we will not let it stand."

Quote from Washington Litigation Group that reads, "The government’s decision is deeply disturbing and is just the latest example of the Trump administration targeting the LGBTQ+ community. The Park Service’s policies permit flying flags that provide historical context at monuments. At best, the government misread its regulations. At worst, [it] singled out the LGBTQ+ community. Either way, its actions are unlawful."

🏳️‍🌈 NEW LAWSUIT: Today, we filed a suit on behalf of a coalition of LGBTQ+ advocates challenging the Trump admin’s abrupt removal of the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in NYC.

Learn more: tinyurl.com/42u9xkst

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to leave Trump administration The move comes as public opinion has turned on the administration’s hardline immigration policies.

Some of the most hateful, vile rhetoric that has come from DHS during Trump 2.0 can be traced directly to McLaughlin. I will follow her career very closely because I want to know who would hire such a monster.

Trump administration cutting millions in Illinois HIV prevention grants, citing 'agency priorities' In a first wave of cuts, at least $29 million in Illinois grants are on the chopping block, including city, state and other health centers' HIV prevention programs, according to a list of grants obtai...

I'm a little late to this, but woah: chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump...

With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.

have never seen popular public opinion shift so fast about a surveillance product than the fallout from ring's super bowl "search party" ad. they'll teach this in advertising courses one day. chef's kiss baby www.404media.co/with-ring-am...

What it was like to be a bush at Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance The bushes on the field during the halftime show became a meme after the internet found out they were actually human performers.

so i talked to one of the bushes at the super bowl
www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/...

One Year Ago, We Sued the US Government Today marks one year since AVAC and the Journalism Development Network worked with the Public Citizen Litigation Group to sue the US President, the State Department, the US Agency for International De...

When the US #foreignaid freeze halted #HIV & #globalhealth prms overnight, AVAC took the fight to court to defend life-saving work & decades of investments. While the case helped unlock millions in delayed assistance, the damage is real & the fight isn’t over, avac.org/blog/one-yea....

Announcement: Two Freelance Journalists Awarded $100,000 Each for Elevating Stories of Underrepresented Communities in the U.S. - Heising-Simons Foundation Kavitha Cardoza and Oliver Whang have been named the recipients of the 2026 American Mosaic Journalism Prize® The Heising-Simons Foundation announced today that freelance journalists Kavitha Cardoza a...

I'm so excited to share the winners of the 2026 American Mosaic Journalism Prize. It was my privilege as a judge to read so much outstanding reporting by freelance journalists that elevated the experiences of underrepresented groups.
But the stories by Kavitha Cardoza and Oliver Whang stood out.

Unbelievable