Rural GroundGame

Dr. Craig Spencer is a public health professor and emergency medicine physician at Brown University who survived Ebola in 2014. He says it's not a coincidence that the world is seeing a new outbreak of the disease, as well as hantavirus and rising rates of measles in the United States. "If you recall, it was just over a year ago that Elon Musk gleefully declared that they were throwing USAID into the wood chipper. And you may recall that Elon Musk also sheepishly said at his first Cabinet meeting that he mistakenly canceled Ebola prevention but turned it back on. For many folks, the story ended there, but what actually happened was there was an Ebola outbreak, and DOGE and Elon Musk cut all the support that we normally would have been giving to respond to that Ebola outbreak. The result was that exactly USAID, who in the past would have been supporting things like airport screening in Uganda, was not providing that logistical or financial support. USAID and other partners would have been providing support to make sure testing was adequate, to make sure a vaccine rollout could have taken place, but we didn’t have USAID on the ground. "Similarly, CDC has long had relationships in this part of the continent, in Congo and in Uganda, and a lot of those relationships have broken down and withered over the past year, because we just haven’t been paying. Similarly, the U.S. has pulled out of the World Health Organization over the last year, which means that in normal circumstances our CDC folks are not able to even talk to World Health Organization people, something that is absolutely unbelievable and an incredible mistake for something that we should be able to do and be prepared for at all points. "And the result is what we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks with hantavirus, we’ve seen with the dramatic increase in number of measles cases in the U.S., and now Ebola in DR Congo and across the border in Kampala. This is not all just a coincidence. This is a consequence of us cutting back our support, not only here at home, but also abroad. democracynow.org/2026/5/18/ebol…

Virginia’s Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger started her term with some wins for working people. She signed a paid sick leave law, enshrined the right to contraception, fought for voting rights and more. But now,Spanberger is vetoing numerous bills passed by the Democratic legislature that would improve the lives of working people across Virginia. Thread.

NEW from me: @SpanbergerForVA veto of proposed criminal defense for those in a behavioral crisis disappoints advocates @JusticeFwdVa @rpogge @TheArcofVA @JenniferBoysko wvtf.org/news/2026-05-2…

Part 2 of our fact check of the Governor's recent veto statement and misinformation around the Affordable Medicine Act.

Workers deserve a seat at the table.

“In 2025, these data center protests successfully stalled over $100 billion worth of these facilities,” says @_KarenHao, journalist, author and co-founder of The AI Resist List. Hao adds that so many communities are able to mobilize because the issue “really does cut across political lines.”

AYD's statement and call to action on Governor Spanberger's recent vetoes.

For nearly 80 years, public workers in Virginia have been denied full union rights. This week, legislation that would have finally changed that, was vetoed. Workers deserve the freedom to have a real voice on the job. va-aflcio.org/news/virginia-…

Voting rights are workers’ rights, and we refuse to accept any state legislatures undermining the voices of working people. TOMORROW: Join America’s unions, civil rights advocates and allies in Alabama for a day of action for voting rights! mobilize.us/aflcio/event/9…

My statement regarding Governor Spanberger’s veto of HB1263 and SB378

Governor Spanberger met with workers while campaigning. She promised to support collective bargaining for public employees. She lied.

.@GovernorVA broke her promise to Virginia families by vetoing a bill to give 500,000 public service workers the freedom to negotiate for a voice on the job. This isn't over, & AFSCME members will keep fighting to give Virginia workers a seat a the table. afscme.org/press/releases…

Governor Spanberger’s decision to veto public sector collective bargaining is a betrayal to Virginia’s workers who were promised change. We’re disappointed, not deterred. We will not stop fighting until all workers in Virginia have their rights protected by law. Onward.

I asked Attorney General Jay Jones to respond to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s veto of collective bargaining for public sector employees. Here is his response:

Today, the @GovernorVA turned her back on Virginia firefighters and public sector workers across the Commonwealth. For the full statement, see the image or visit: vpff.org/news/ @SpanbergerForVA @IAFFofficial @Virginia_AFLCIO

We just learned that Georgia is moving forward with gerrymandering for 2028. There is an extreme movement in this country that will stop at nothing to hold on to power, even if it means stripping representation away from millions. I will fight this with everything I have.

Labor unions on veto: "Shame. Governor Abigail Spanberger today betrayed half a million of Virginia’s public service workers by going back on her campaign promise to support collective bargaining rights for the people who keep our Commonwealth and communities running every day."

71% of Americans now oppose data centers being built in their area. Nearly half of all Americans (48%) strongly oppose them. And just 7% strongly favor data centers being built in their area, according to new Gallup polling.

Today, we re-launch our campaign to take on billionaires and the political status quo. Whether you live in the new TN-09, the old TN-09, or anywhere that our systems have failed you, I’m running for Congress for all of US. We are still here. And we’re going to WIN!