Equinox Pod

We need to face hard truths about how our crimes in the Middle East will come back to us. The media is failing us on that front. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

Twice in less than five years I've had police bust through my door with guns raised.The first time because I wouldn't be silent while DeSantis lied about COVID, lies that led to the preventable deaths of tens of thousands of Americans.The second time was for refusing to stay quiet about the manufactured hysteria around the murder of a podcaster in Utah a few weeks ago.This time the police showed up to protect us. That doesn’t erase the pattern.Rape threats. Death threats. A home invasion. I won’t pretend these are abstract dangers — they’re real, and they’re aimed at people who speak out.Don’t expect MAGA to condemn this. Don’t be surprised if their allies rationalize it, deny it, or fold it into their larger propaganda. They’ve normalized violence and fear — and then pointed fingers at the people they themselves put at risk.I refuse to be silenced. I also will not put my family in more danger. So I’m logging off for a few days while the police investigate. I’m leaving town. I’ll be back when it’s safe.If you want to help: amplify this. Every time a MAGA politician spreads lies about how “dangerous” the left is, call out what their people are doing in real life. Share this. Hold them accountable.Look out for one another. America’s slide toward authoritarianism is happening faster than many expected. Dissenters are being targeted. They’ve made hit lists. They’re breaking into homes. History is clear about what follows — and we must act like we know the ending we’re trying to avoid. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

Chaya Raichik (of Libs of Tiktok) put me on her public hit list of people she's calling “Charlie's Murderers.”I spent most of today at the police station reporting death threats because of it. Those threats have escalated and my family is in danger.While MAGA adds people like me to lists of people to “hunt down,” the lives of the people they’re targeting (for the crime of not mourning a white supremacist Christian nationalist) are completely turned upside down.Travel costs, time off work, the repeated stress of meeting with the police and reporting every vile threat issued against you and your family.Our system protects the people making those threats. A system people like Chaya helped build. A system that perpetuates violence. You can help me by not allowing yourself to be silenced by these people, by demanding jail time for people who threaten people, and by never backing down in the face of violent threats. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

As someone who was fired for refusing to manipulate public health data to suit a political narrative, I am deeply disturbed—but not surprised—by the removal of Dr. Erika McEntarfer from her post as Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Dr. McEntarfer is a highly respected economist and public servant whose only “offense” was doing her job—reporting accurate employment data that happened to reflect poorly on those in power. The decision to fire her is not just an attack on her personally, but on the integrity of our national statistical institutions, and on every civil servant who has committed their life to truth, accuracy, and public accountability.When data becomes inconvenient, authoritarian leaders reach for the same tools: censorship, retaliation, and intimidation. This is what I lived through in Florida. This is what scientists, economists, and public officials across the country are now experiencing at the federal level. The dismissal of Dr. McEntarfer is a signal—loud and clear—that no number, no fact, no dataset is safe if it conflicts with a campaign slogan.Americans deserve to know the truth about their economy, their health, and their future. Firing experts who tell that truth doesn’t change reality—it just obscures it from the public eye. We cannot afford to normalize the purging of truth-tellers from government service.I stand in solidarity with Dr. McEntarfer and every public servant who refuses to bend the facts for political gain. The integrity of our democracy depends on people like her. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

I joined a WPI Conference Panel featuring with John Kirlakou, Ted Blickwedel, and Jackie Garrick for Whistleblowers of America, where we discussed how whistleblowers can take control of their story. Listen to the episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

More than 1,000 inmates are currently battling wildfires as part of California’s Conservation Fire Camp Program.California’s prisoners make up 30% of the state’s entire fighting force, though sentencing and prison reforms have cut the number of participants in half since last year.Participants are low-risk inmates who are paid a maximum of $26 a day and get two days off their prison sentence for each full day they serve.The program has been a source of controversy for years, as inmates are eight times more likely to be seriously injured and are often given used and inadequate tools.They can’t sue if they’re injured due to neglect, and their family’s can’t receive death benefits if they’re killed in service.Worse still, they can’t even get jobs as firefighters once they’re free — even if they spent years on the frontlines. First, they would have to get their records expunged — a time-consuming and often expensive process that takes months to years.Here’s a five-minute rundown on the key points. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

In 2018, Cameron Herrin was street racing when he hit a 24-year-old woman and her baby, who both died.Herrin was speeding at 102 mph down Bayshore Blvd in Tampa - which boasts the second-longest continuous sidewalk in America - when the car he was racing swerved left to avoid the victims and then Herrin swerved right, striking and killing both of them.The other driver pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years plus 15 years probation for his part in the crash, even though he neither hit nor killed anyone. The other driver was a minor at the time of the crash.Herrin was found guilty by a jury, and entered an open plea, which let the judge determine sentencing. The judge sentenced Herrin to 24 years in prison.Herrin spent the time between his trial and his sentencing (nearly three years) out on bail. He became an internet personality and apparently made quite a bit of money off it. At the time he was sentenced, he had two million followers on Tikok for an account that has since been removed.Last year, on Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook, accounts with suspicious activity and origins started popping up trying to get support for a reduction in Herrin's sentence, which was appealed and rejected in December 2022.In previous reporting, Shelby Grossman from the Stanford Internet Observatory said that Twitter activity about Herrin appears to be a mix of authentic opinions that Herrin’s sentence was too harsh, and suspicious accounts strongly resembling those used by Middle East digital marketing firms.The director of the Collaboratorium for Social Media and Online Behavioral Studies at University of Arkansas noted that unusual websites published articles about Herrin, including a hastily put together Arabic site which was for a time a top Google search result about Herrin.The director, Agarwal, said that is a strong indication of an inexpensive hired campaign.Other sites about Herrin shared IP addresses with a Chinese company, and another company in Switzerland, where there are no regulations on who can buy or operate a website.Twitter suspended around 900 accounts that posted about Herrin for violating the company’s platform guidelines, thereby erasing around 90,000 of the 100,000 tweets supporting Herrin.Herrin's mother called his newfound social media attention "almost like an obsession, an unhealthy obsession."Additionally, several of his supporters landed him in solitary confinement, Herrin claims, after tracking down the phone numbers of prison guards and harassing them at home.There’s nothing necessarily wrong with PR campaigns to advocate for specific causes or people, but it’s the conspiracy theories that we look at in these campaigns that are of concern, and the means and methods used to deploy them.And this case is full of them.The fake sites and accounts claim evidence against Herrin was fabricated.They claim Herrin pleaded guilty to save his brother from street racing charges since he was also in Herrin's vehicle, even though Herrin was convicted by a jury.They claim evidence exonerating him was “ignored” or hidden. No such evidence was presented to the court to be denied.They even claim he wasn’t even street racing at the time of the crash. But this wasn’t the first or even the most egregious street racing Herrin was caught in. Data extracted from the vehicle showed him racing at 162 mph on I-75 three days before the accident, and logged six instances of speeding in excess of 85 mph in the three days before the crashThey claimed he was “too cute” for prison” using digitally altered photographs that make him look, well… prettier.They claim the judge was too harsh because he sentenced Herrin to 24 years, but the other driver, who was a minor, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six plus 15 years probation, even though the other driver neither hit nor killed anyone.They claim it’s the county’s fault because the road is so dangerous. But crash data in Hillsborough County shows that Bayshore doesn’t even make the top 20 most accident-prone streets in that county.They blame the victims for allegedly crossing illegally, even though police, witnesses and video evidence showed she was making a lawful crossing.Some even suggested that the victim was trying to kill herself and her baby.They falsely claim the prosecutors asked for the same sentence as the other driver, but it was Herrin’s defense attorneys who made that argument.Herrin was given the minimum sentence for killing the mother, which was nine years, and the maximum sentence for killing the child, which was 15 years.They’ve attacked the victim’s husband/dad viciously online because Herrin’s mother fought to make sure the insurance company paid the maximum benefit to the victim’s families - $5 million.Fake news sites fawning over him invent stories, use passive language like “tragic accident,” make him out to be some sort of saint.The first sentence on one site reads, “Cameron Herrin is a big name on the TikTok platform and has won the hearts of millions across the globe.”They even have things like “Fun Facts” about him, listing him as being a “car enthusiast” and close to his brother. He’s a Christian and a Virgo, it says, complete with baby pictures.Relevant links:https://medium.com/the-partnered-pen/justiceforcameronherrin-isnt-pretty-privilege-it-was-bots-ffs-64a85a8e4c19https://people.com/crime/florida-street-racer-cameron-herrin-who-killed-mom-infant-garners-cult-social-media-following/https://www.thedailybeast.com/tiktok-accounts-swarm-street-racing-killer-cameron-herrin-urging-release-of-too-cute-for-prisonhttps://www.insider.com/cameron-herrin-tiktok-viral-videos-prison-free-too-cute-2021-8https://meaww.com/justice-for-cameron-herrin-trends-months-after-sentencing-experts-say-bots-fake-campaignhttps://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/cameron-herrin-trending-twitter-accounts-could-be-bots/67-1af030d5-1a3d-44ec-873e-a1f108e2bfd3https://people.com/crime/florida-street-racer-cameron-herrin-who-killed-mom-infant-garners-cult-social-media-following/FAKE sites:https://briefly.co.za/facts-lifehacks/celebrities-biographies/116888-who-cameron-herren-age-fiance-family-full-story-tiktok-profiles-worth/https://www.thewikifeed.com/cameron-herrin/https://www.quora.com/Do-you-feel-like-Cameron-Herrin-s-sentence-of-24-years-is-excessive-considering-his-age-intent-etchttps://patrickjcolliano.medium.com/what-is-fair-4ff7d36d3cc1https://uvebruce.medium.com/is-this-american-justice-480229a1d075https://patrickjcolliano.medium.com/the-cult-of-cameron-part-iii-d2672d08113fhttps://www.famouspeople.io/people/cameron-herrin This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

You can hear this podcast and check out all of our nominees at DataHeroAwards.org. Dr. Theresa Chapple has dedicated the last 13 months to combating misinformation about COVID-19, building her science communication skills to teach the public about Covid-19 prevention approaches, and advocating for data-driven public policy to address the pandemic.Since June, she's worked with 27 school districts across the country to aid in Covid-19 data and research interpretation, setting data related metrics for reopening and closings, and identifying and training on risk mitigation approaches.She has also utilized platforms such as social media and traditional media to share public health prevention messages and translate research into language understandable by the masses.Her thought-provoking and thoroughly researched messages on school reopening challenged narratives being pushed by economists who intentionally misled the public about the risks associated with in-person learning during the pandemic. She breaks the data down, offers analysis and context, and is one of the most responsive experts for COVID-19 information on Twitter."There’s a reason Dr. Chapple put this [COVID-19 outbreaks in schools and childcare settings] exhaustingly long list together, and why it’s still growing," Karen Johnson wrote in Yahoo! News last August. "She wants us to realize and truly understand that this is what happens when people gather in groups. When adults gather in groups. When teens gather in groups. And when children gather in groups. Camps, daycare centers, and how it will be schools."A few words from those who nominated Dr. Chapple:"Dr. Chapple may be the most courageous woman I've encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic. She unabashedly challenges misinformation in a confident and assertive way that doesn't come off as talking down to people.""When a lot of junk science about schools came out from people with no subject-matter expertise, Dr. Chapple confronted them with the realities of what the real science and data showed, and by doing so likely saved many lives."Click here to follow Dr. Chapple on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe

Click here to see Dr. Amber Schmidkte’s nomination page at DataHeroAwards.org.The Specialists Cohort (Georgia)Click here to listen to the early release of our interview with Dr. Amber SchmidtkeAt the start of the COVID-19 pandemic Dr. Amber Schmidtke recognized there was a large gap between the way that scientists communicate and how non-scientists receive information. So she made it her mission to reach out to other experts, journalists and the public to work on clear and effective communication about COVID-19.And she did so in a state that has been among the least transparent and accessible with Coronavirus data in the country -- Georgia. "She has shared and broken down the real facts and meaning behind the Covid numbers for us Georgians when we could not trust our health department to report the data honestly," wrote one person who nominated Dr. Schmidtke for our program.Friendly, patient and comforting, she has become one of the most trusted voices in Georgia for analyzing and understanding the COVID-19 pandemic.A self-described "data nerd," Dr. Schmidtke worked at Mercer University as a professor in the School of Medicine when the pandemic started.Dr. Schmidtke earned a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology from Creighton University in Nebraska, and completed her postdoctoral research fellowship in the CDC’s Pertussis and Diphtheria Laboratory, later becoming a microbiologist for the Atlanta-based health protection agency.She has combined her roles as a public health specialist and college educator to provide meaningful analysis and explanation of disease trends to the public through a popular newsletter and podcast. As a result of those communication efforts she was invited to serve as a member of the Georgia COVID-19 Data State Task Force, advising government agencies on how to package their complex data to meet the needs of the public.Dr. Schmidtke frequently informs the public on the issue of school safety during COVID-19, wading into an obscenely politicized debate, using the science and data to advocate for ensuring CDC protocols are closely followed and that teachers are able to get vaccinated.Dr. Schmidtke warned the public in February when a national cheerleading competition in Atlanta brought more than 40,000 people to the event. She noted the timing of the event, and the risk attendees might bring home or spread the B.1.1.7 variant, of which Georgia ranks fifth in the country for confirmed cases.An article from the Mercer University newsletter detailed how Dr. Schmidtke joined the state task force to help with presenting data to the public. "She works most closely with the Georgia Geospatial Information Office, which maps data, and has helped the health department refine how the information is presented on its website," the article stated.When data from Georgia would go missing or was suspicious, Dr. Schmidtke called them out, worked to find answers, and led her state (and the country) by example with her steadfast, data-driven approach.Though with her calming and disarming demeaner, she tries to always end on a positive note, even if the risk is grave."I understand and acknowledge that anxiety that people are feeling. The good news is the measures we’ve been recommending this whole time will help us to limit transmission of these new variants and that’s really what we should be focused on right now,” said Dr. Schmidtke in an interview last month.Dr. Schmidtke's continued energy and enthusiasm for reporting data and being an accessible, reliable, trustworthy source for Georgia and beyond make her a true data hero.A few comments from those who nominated Dr. Schmidtke:"Dr. Schmidtke not only kept up with very hard to acquire data to keep Georgians informed when the state failed to do so, she also put it in a very accessible format. She has been informative about the state's true numbers (GA never reported rapid test results) and realistic in her assessments of hospital capacities. Her emails have been calming because they are honest and although they contain a lot of data they are so clear they are never overwhelming. I’m grateful for her hard work, her empathy, and her patience.""As GA DOH struggled with their own reporting, Amber filled in the blanks with her multiple-times-a-week analysis and explanations. She made the data come to life and wasn’t afraid to give her opinion on what it meant. Her explanations are so clear. She also then replies to comments and answers questions. She moved to Kansas and picked up reporting there but continued with GA!"Click here to view Dr. Schmidtke's Substack.Click here to follow Dr. Schmidtke on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mesoscalenews.com/subscribe