murray waas

EXCLUSIVE: My story in the Guardian: "The DOD inspector general has uncovered evidence that Michael Flynn accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from foreign interests & governments, despite repeated warnings that his conduct might be illegal." theguardian.com/us-news/2021/a…

Morton Mintz was a consummate ‘beat journalist.’ His pioneering sense of newsworthiness, including reporting what citizen groups were doing, opened up one area of consumer, environmental, and workplace abuses after another for other reporters to follow. He was the drug industry’s consistent “hair shirt.” Many a high corporate executive looked with dread when a call came from Morton Mintz. What also made Mintz special is that he fortified ethical journalistic norms as he moved around the busy newsroom discussing topics with his colleagues. Mintz had a quiet voice with formidable strength. He resisted quaking editors and ignored pressures from corporate lawyers representing the Post’s corporate advertisers. He extended his remarkable work ethic by co-authoring or authoring historic books on corporate power in America. His family and friends may wish to establish a permanent Morton Mintz Journalism Award to extend his even more important legacy today. -R washingtonpost.com/obituaries/202…

Reading a terrific obit for Morton Mintz, a muckracking Washington Post reporter who helped expose the risks of thalidomide and battled large corporations — taking on industries that had been major advertisers. (And particularly enjoyed this quote)

RIP Morton Mintz. His 1962 story about the dangers of thalidomide, which ranked among the Associated Press’ top stories of the year. Story text: washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/washtec…

Sen. Lisa Murkowski said at a presser in AK yesterday that Elon Musk may "take the next billion dollars that he makes off of Starlink and put it directly against" her. Adds that GOP colleagues are silent because they're "afraid they're going to be taken down" or "primaried."

If you need a loan to buy a damn burger, you’re not the customer—you’re the product. @DoorDash and @Klarna aren’t helping people; they’re vultures picking at the bones of a broken economy. They know wages are stagnant. They know people are drowning in bills. Instead of fixing the problem, they found a new way to profit off desperation. “Eat now, pay later” isn’t convenience—it’s a trap. And like all traps, the people who set it aren’t the ones who get caught.

“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.”

NEWS: Ruth Marcus has resigned from the Washington Post as columnist and associate editor, citing publisher Will Lewis' decision to kill her column over owner Jeff Bezos's plans to overhaul the opinion pages to focus on his libertarian priorities. Coverage forthcoming.

On January 7th, 2025 I shared a video, after I was asked to call UnitedHealthcare from the operating room to answer administrative questions about the patient who was having surgery to treat breast cancer. Despite my efforts, they denied her stay. UnitedHealthcare didn’t stop at calling me during surgery. Now, they’ve sent me a legal threat—and even worse? They ended up denying my cancer patient’s hospital stay. Exactly what I was afraid would happen. Staying overnight after major surgery isn’t optional—it’s medically necessary. But UnitedHealthcare decided they know better than the doctors caring for the patient. When they called me while I was operating, I knew that if I didn’t step out and respond immediately, they might deny her stay—leaving her with a massive bill. So, with another surgeon in the OR, I scrubbed out and called them back. But after all of that? They denied her stay anyway. And instead of fixing their broken system, they sent me a legal threat for speaking out. I’m sharing their response in full, letting their words speak for themselves. Let me be clear: I stand by everything I said. I told the truth. I was honest about what’s happening in our healthcare system. And I will not be silenced by legal threats when it comes to advocating for my patients and my ability to care for them. Denying an overnight stay that a doctor orders is dangerous. The doctor caring for the patient should be able to make these decisions without delay, pressure, or harassment. If I don’t speak up, I lose—my integrity, my voice, and the opportunity to make a difference. And while it’s intimidating to receive a letter like this from a company as powerful as UnitedHealthcare, I know where I stand. I am a woman taking care of women affected by breast cancer. I do this work with all of my heart, and I will continue to speak up for my patients—because they deserve better. I ask you to follow along, share this story, and have these conversations in your own communities. I know I’m not the only one dealing with this, and real change will take all of us telling our stories and standing up for what’s right. I’m here for it. Are you?

Kash Patel continues to refuse to make public his federal grand jury testimony, or disclose why he invoked the Fifth Amendment before the grand jury. judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/…

Sen Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) letter to chair of Senate Judiciary Cmte, which is poised to vote on confirmation of Kash Patel: “Mr. Patel has repeatedly refused to discuss the testimony he provided to a federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s unlawful retention of classified documents, as well as his invocation of his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. We regret that you have rejected our efforts to inquire into the first-ever invocation of Fifth Amendment protection by a nominee seeking to lead the FBI”

I missed this yesterday, but new Attorney General Pam Bondi used her first day on the job to disband the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which has been a key part of government efforts to stop adversaries from meddling in U.S. democracy: bit.ly/4jK0RC5

In 2012, when I was the US ambassador to Russia, Putin shut down USAID inside Russia. Why? Because their work supported free markets, democracy, human rights —ie causes that threatened Putins dictatorship. Shutting down USAID is exactly what autocrats all over the world want.

As former national security assistant AG Mary McCord writes, the Senate needs to bring Bondi and Patel back for questions about pardons and purges for Jan 6 rioters. Unless they vow to reverse these firings, their nominations must be rejected. buff.ly/4hlGEB1

Kash Patel told @amyklobuchar he did not recall saying Trump has “every right to tell the world that in 2020, 2016, and every other election in between was rigged by our government because they were.” Here’s the clip:

Hope this refreshes your memory, @Kash_Patel!

Donald Trump's Trump Media gifted 25,946 shares of the company stock to his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel. The same amount of shares were also gifted to Linda McMahon, his pick for Education Secretary, and other members of the board of directors. This shouldn't be legal.

Under oath on Thursday, Kash Patel, vowed to follow the ordinary civil service protections and internal FBI procedures governing terminating FBI agents. Today, 88 agents were shown the door without any explanation or due process.

🚨#BREAKING: President Trumps Justice Department has just fired every January 6th federal prosecutors in the DC U.S. Attorney’s office.

How many people will stop watching @CBSNews and @60Minutes entirely if they settle with Trump, knowing full well they did nothing wrong? I will lose all respect, faith and trust in anything they have to say forever. Don't bow down to fascism and expect to keep your audience.

BREAKING: 88 FBI agents who worked on Trump cases were just physically escorted out of the Washington Field office per a source.