Newsletter
Murder in the First World
What was so unusual about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was
not that it happened at all—although that was unusual. High-ranking corporate
executives are not typically victims of violent crime. Nor was it the location
and time of day—although those too were unusual considering Thompson was slain
around 6:45 AM in...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
A Difficult Holiday
Thanksgiving is an increasingly difficult holiday to rationalize. To those
celebrating, OptOut extends our warmest wishes. Enjoy the family time, the food,
and the reprieve from work (if you can).
But we would also like to recognize that today marks the National Day of
Mourning to remember Indigenous peoples genocided by European...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Articles
How COVID Helped Trump Win
This piece was written in partnership with The Wednesday morning, November 6, many Democrats woke up to a country they felt
they barely knew. Donald Trump, a man they reviled, was once again the
president-elect of the United States, having triumphed over Vice President
Kamala Harris.
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WE ARE A...
by Walker Bragman
12 min read
,
by Julia Doubleday
12 min read
Newsletter
Election Day Is (Finally) Upon Us
The OptOut Media Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not endorse
candidates.
Well, it’s Election Day. It’s hard to know what to say at this point about the
contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump
that has not already been said. The candidates have made their positions clear,
as have the...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Misinformation, Fascism, and Elon Musk
The OptOut Media Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and does not endorse or
oppose candidates for public office.
We have been light on the newsletters this month—and with everything happening
so quickly, it’s easy to miss a lot in a very short time. Sadly, OptOut is a
small operation and we have been going full-steam on our original...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Important Context Scoops, Hurricane Helene Horrors, and Israel’s Invasion of Lebanon
It's been a minute since our last newsletter. In that time, OptOut's original
reporting outfit, IMPORTANT CONTEXT, has broken some important stories.
First, there's a new far-right, dark money moms' group you should be aware of.
Restore Childhood was founded in 2021, but it's becoming a bigger player with
nearly $230,000 raised last year
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Haitian Immigrants Become Latest Right-Wing Target
The OptOut Media Foundation is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It does not
endorse any candidates or engage in political campaign activity. What follows is
an accurate accounting of the news.
Last week marked the highly anticipated presidential debate between Vice
President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Hosted by...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Misinformation Conference, Dark Money, and Gaza
Welcome back to another OptOut newsletter. This week we're jumping right in with
an important story from OptOut's own original reporting outfit, IMPORTANT
CONTEXT. The prestigious Stanford University is hosting a series of panel
discussions featuring well-known public health contrarians and COVID-19
minimizers. The panelists include...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
The Democratic National Convention: A Thundering Celebration of Joy With a Gaza-Sized Asterisk
The Democratic National Convention was this week and many Democrats are fired
up. Each eight-hour night featured speakers that electrified the crowd. Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in particular, had a barnstorming speech endorsing
Vice President Kamala Harris and going at Donald Trump directly, calling him a
fraud.
“We know that Donald...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Help Us Build Something Better
We’re inching closer to our $5,000 goal for this summer.
If you’re able to donate, please help us!
🙏
Please join our mission to boost independent media, challenge the dominant
corporate and legacy outlets, and move things forward towards a stronger
democracy, a healthier planet, and a more equitable society.
Please consider donating...
by Walker Bragman
1 min read
Newsletter
OptOut/Mother Jones Team Up, Israel Lobby Wins, The Supreme Court, and COVID’s Summer Wave
This week, OptOut's Important Context has a cross-published article with MOTHER
JONES about how a right-wing media hosts have been selling airtime to the
political influence network of Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
Guo, who was convicted on federal fraud charges last month, has spent years
cozying up to Trump World. For example, he has
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Election 2024: It’s A Whole New Ballgame
Just 10 days ago, President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19. We covered
it, noting the serious problem it presented for his campaign–for a number of
reasons.
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by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Problem
This piece has been updated from its original email version.
Joe Biden has been having a rough go of it lately. On Wednesday, 10 days after
telling a crowd in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania that he
"ended the pandemic," the president tested positive for COVID-19 for the the past two years.
🙏
Please join our mission to...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Originals
Opinion: Democracy For Sale
On Tuesday, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost his bid for reelection against
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a pro-Israel centrist backed by the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the nation's most powerful Israel
lobby group, to the tune of at least $14.5 to $17,000 per primary had been framed as a test of AIPAC's...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
OptOut Stories, Alito’s Woes, and Mask Bans
We have big news from OptOut! Our official reporting newsletter, IMPORTANT
CONTEXT, has published two articles you should check out.
HELP OPTOUT KEEP GOING!
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DONATE HERE! there's the moving profile on New York-based LGBTQIA+ legal advocate Andy
Izenson, co-founder of...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Unlikely Alliances, Gaza, and The Supreme Court
This week, Important Context, OptOut's official news outlet, published a piece
by journalist Tina Desiree-Berg about the emerging alliance between pro-Israel
Jews and America's more traditional far-right extremists, including white and
Christian nationalists. As pro-Palestine protests emerge on college campuses
across the country in...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Chris Rufo’s Big Money Support, The Gaza War, and Trump’s Deal
This week, OptOut's reporting outfit, Important Context, and The Center for
Media and Democracy took a deep dive into the money behind far-right agitator
Chris Rufo. Rufo has made a name for himself lately, credited as the driving
force behind the right's moral panic over "critical race theory" and the
"plagiarism" scandal that sunk...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
The Flint Water Crisis At 10: An Interview With Journalist Jordan Chariton
Last month, we crossed the decade anniversary of the crisis, which saw nearly
100,000 residents of Flint, Michigan, a predominantly Black city, exposed to
high concentrations of lead in the water. The crisis was brought on by what was
in essence a privatization scheme.
🙏
Please join our mission to boost independent media, challenge the...
by Walker Bragman
1 min read
Newsletter
On Student Protests and Free Speech
It began earlier this month with Columbia University. Twelve days ago, the
school's president, Minouche Shafik, testified before the GOP-led Congress about
antisemitism on campus. That very day, hundreds of students at her school began
an occupation protest against Israel's war in Gaza, demanding that Columbia
divest from Israel-tied...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
A Big Week for OptOut, New Revelations About Incarceration in America, and a Former President’s Legal Troubles
It's been a big week for OutOut! We're pleased to announce we have a new
contributor: Natalie Wood.
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DONATE HERE! up-and-coming journalist at New York University, Wood was lead author on the
investigation OptOut's...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Gaza’s Political Footprint, Labor Fights, and More
All eyes remain fixed on Gaza following the killing of seven aid workers by
Israeli forces. The workers had been driving clearly marked vehicles along a
designated route when their convoy was hit by Israeli strikes. The incident was
just the latest horror in a conflict rife with them. It further strained
relations between a politically...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Supreme Court Cases You Need to Pay Attention To
The Supreme Court is the focus of this week's newsletter. The court has taken on
a number of cases with the potential to set devastating precedents. Here are
some cases you should be following:
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by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
“Unbought” Kennedy Chooses Major Financial Backer For Running Mate
This post was originally published in Important original reporting outfit.
Last month, anti-vaccine activist and independent presidential candidate Robert
Kennedy Jr. posted an on
YouTube targeting young voters, declaring himself “the most feared and hated
candidate among the elites in Washington, D.C. because I'm not bought and I'm
not...
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
The COVID-19 Pandemic: Four Years In
This week marked four years since the World Health Organization declared
COVID-19 a pandemic. In that time, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has wreaked devastation
across the globe.
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by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
The Assault on Public Health, The End of Democracy, and Gaza
Welcome back to another OptOut newsletter!
We begin with a story you probably are not aware of, but should be. Public
health agencies are sounding the alarm over rising tuberculosis (TB) cases
across the country. STATES NEWSROOM had the story.
Tuberculosis cases rise, but public health agencies say they lack the resources
to keep up ⋆...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
The Death of Navalny, Labor Struggles, and COVID Again
The big news this week was the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny
in prison in Russia. Navalny was a complicated figure. In the past, he had
expressed nationalist views, including making hateful comments about immigrants.
These remarks, which he never renounced, were the reason the human rights group
Amnesty International...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Analysis: The Age of Biden
NOTE: As a 501(c)(3) public charity, the OptOut Media Foundation does not engage
in political campaign activity and does not endorse candidates. The views
expressed here are purely those of the author.
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by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
The Immigration Football, a Pandemic, and a Look At Our Government
We're back with another OptOut newsletter!
With the 2024 election fast approaching, the discourse over undocumented
immigration at the U.S.-Mexico has reached fever pitch. Some on the right,
echoing the racist rhetoric from GOP presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, are
calling the influx of migrants at the border an "invasion" and a...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Long COVID Sufferers Have Their Day
Welcome back to the OptOut newsletter where we give you the highlights of the
previous week.
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DONATE HERE! we're starting with COVID-19. Although the national emergency
declaration and public health emergency have come...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
We’re Back and the World is Still a Mess
Well, we kicked off the new year. And if you thought that the promise of a new
start would lead to some happier news, think again.
So far, 2024 is off to bang-up start with a new COVID wave, a brutal U.S. backed
military campaign against an entrapped population, and an accelerating climate
crisis.
But at least we have each other! Is it...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Happy New Year From OptOut!
Well, it's that time of year again: The end.
We have to say, 2023 has been rough for the country and the world, generally.
Between accelerating climate change, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and grisly
news abroad in places like Gaza, we're ready to see what 2024 has to offer.
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WE ARE...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
One Thing Is Clear: We Need Independent Media
We started OptOut in 2020, disillusioned with the flippancy with which
corporations, politicians, and their media mouthpieces treated organized labor,
progressive activism, and the biggest public health crisis of our time. Much of
the news being pumped out of corporate outlets simply reinforced the status quo.
And it was clear the status...
by Walker Bragman
1 min read
,
by Alex Kotch
1 min read
Newsletter
Xmas Newsletter
Warning: What follows is some bleak news coated in heavy, HEAVY cheese. But hey,
it's the holiday season!
'Twas the week before Xmas and here at OptOut, we've sorted the news for you to
check out. We've picked our top stories, the news of the day. Be warned it's not
great for your holiday.
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by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Gaza Siege Continues, Climate Developments, and Inequality
Before we begin, we want to apologize again for last week's SNAFU with the
newsletter where an incomplete draft went out. It was a technology issue on our
end, and we hope it did not cause confusion on your end! We'd like to wish
everyone celebrating a happy Hanukkah!
Not to be a huge downer, but the Centers for Disease Control and...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
When a War Criminal Dies
WAIT!!!! Before we begin, we would like to apologize for the email you just
received. We had prepared a longer newsletter for you, but for reasons outside
our control, the final draft did not save in Ghost (our platform). What went out
was incomplete. What follows is the part of that newsletter that did save. Going
forward, we will strive
by Walker Bragman
4 min read
Newsletter
Support Independent Journalism!
Frustrating as it may be, these days, we cannot seem to escape Elon Musk. The
billionaire owner of Twitter/X, demands our attention and he's willing to burn
down one of the most important social media platforms in existence to get it.
Musk has turned a once thriving community into a haven for racism, antisemitism,
and conspiracy thinking.
by Walker Bragman
2 min read
Newsletter
Thanksgiving/The National Day of Mourning
It’s that time of year again when we Americans gather with our friends and
families to celebrate the nation’s most fraught holiday. Thanksgiving is upon
us.
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by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
New Collaboration with Sludge
This week, Important Context and Sludge collaborated on an article about the
censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). On Tuesday, the House passed a GOP-led
resolution to censure its only Palestinian member over comments she made about
Israel and Gaza. While the overwhelming majority of the yea votes were
Republicans, 22 Democrats broke...
by Walker Bragman
1 min read
Newsletter
The Real Halloween Horror
It’s Halloween, this year lacks that familiar sense of whimsy.
Today, sadly, rather than focusing on the delights of supernatural horrors,
candy-fueled stomach aches, and thrills for the whole family, we are reminded
that the worst monsters are us. This Halloween, all eyes are on the horror
unfolding in Gaza.
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by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
What is Happening in Gaza?
Last Saturday, the militant group Hamas launched some 500 rockets from Gaza into
southern Israel, overwhelming the country’s Iron Dome missile defense system and
hitting residential neighborhoods as well as a hospital. Militants then stormed
blockaded areas, shooting at civilians, and kidnapping men, women, children, and
the elderly. The...
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
Extremely Online with Taylor Lorenz
This post is from Important publication of the OptOut Media Foundation.
When we think of online culture, social media, and big tech, often the first
thing that comes to mind is “tech bros”—names like Jack Dorsey, Kevin Systrom
and Mike Krieger, and Mark Zuckerberg—who developed the platforms we all use
today.
But millennial Washington...
by Walker Bragman
4 min read
Newsletter
Pessimism With a Strong Economy, Labor Rising, and the 2024 Election
By traditional metrics, the U.S. economy is doing rather well. Job up, wage growth has outpace inflation, and labor organizing is sweeping the nation. But Joe Biden
is struggling to translate those trends into political support—at least for now.
The president’s approval rating is more than 13 points, which is a precarious position for any
by Walker Bragman
4 min read
Newsletter
Commentary: 9/11 Left Us All Damaged
Last Monday marked a grim anniversary. Twenty-two years earlier nearly 3,000
Americans lost their lives in the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil in
American history.
The events of September 11, 2001, changed the course of U.S. history, marking
the beginning of a new era for the nation—one defined by widespread mistrust,
military...
by Walker Bragman
4 min read
Newsletter
Trump's Indictments: A Step Forward Amid Uncertainty
It was the mug shot felt around the world. Donald Trump, the former president of
the United States, looked dower staring into the camera lens at the Fulton
County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office this week. The former president and current
GOP presidential frontrunner currently faces 13 pending criminal charges in the
state related to election...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
About That New Country Song
A new song is making waves across online spaces. “Rich Men North of Richmond,” a
seemingly working class anthem by a previously unknown artist named Oliver
Anthony, has been blasted out by right-wing pundits on repeat for the past week
and worked its way into the zeitgeist.
Become an OptOut song, played on a single guitar, starts out...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Big Story Coming Tomorrow & Top Picks For Last Week
We have big news this week! We have an important story coming out tomorrow in
partnership with OptOut member outlet The New Republic by our own Alex Kotch, an
award-winning money-in-politics reporter and co-founder of OptOut.
I don’t want to spoil too much now, but the article highlights a problem that
has flown under the radar for too...
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
An Interview With 2024 Democratic Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson
Walker Bragman interviewed Williamson about her views on public health.
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of interviewing 2024 Democratic
presidential hopeful Marianne Williamson for OptOut. In a 24-minute interview,
we spoke about public health.
Become an OptOut is someone I have known for a couple years now and have come...
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
The Barbie Meltdown and More Hate
Last week marked the release of a film so dark and politically-charged, only
those with a strong constitution should even attempt to watch it.
We’re talking, of course, about Barbie. Were you expecting something else?
Yes, Barbie, a movie drenched in pink and based on a doll made for children. The
film, which stars Margot Robbie and...
by Walker Bragman
4 min read
Newsletter
End of Twitter, Green Oceans, and Labor Rising
Last week was rough for Elon Musk, who announced over the weekend that Twitter
still had negative cash flow and had lost 50 percent of its ad revenue since he
took over.
For Musk, who has spent his tenure at Twitter firing necessary employees,
demanding “extremely hardcore” work from those who remain, and cozying up to and
amplifying far
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
Technology Woes, New Strategy on Wildfires, and Israeli Occupation
Last week, we saw the launch of yet another Twitter clone. This one came from
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta (formerly Facebook), and is Instagram compatible! It’s a
gift nobody asked for.
Thanks to Elon Musk’s antics, which have included cozying up to far right voices
and conspiracy theorists, Twitter has undeniably lost some of its...
by Walker Bragman
3 min read
Newsletter
Happy Independence Day to the Unenthusiastic
OptOut would like to wish everyone a happy 4th of July–especially for those who
do not feel particularly patriotic.
Don't feel bad if you're feeling more blue than tri-colored today. We get it. We
see you. The nation is in deep crisis and, if we're being honest with ourselves,
there is no guarantee of recovery.
The effects of...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
The Implosion Heard Round the World
Last Sunday, OceanGate, the private company that offers expensive deep sea tours
for wealthy patrons, lost contact with its Titan submersible on an expedition to
see the wreck of The Titanic, a ship once deemed "unsinkable."
The Titan, which was uncertified as a deep sea vehicle that ran off of an XBox
controller, was constructed with...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Happy Juneteenth From OptOut
OptOut wishes you all a reflective Juneteenth.
Today, we commemorate the anniversary of General Order No. 3 by General Gordon
Granger of the Union Army, declaring that all enslaved people in Texas were
free, and the broader end of slavery in America.
Last year, we noted that while the "the 'peculiar institution' upon which the
U.S. was...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
Trump Charged, Voting Rights Preserved, and Medicaid Purged
Last week, for the first time in U.S. history, federal charges were announced
against a former President of the United States. Donald Trump became the first
U.S. President, former or current, to face federal prosecution.
The 37 charges stem from a federal probe into Donald Trump's decision to retain
and store dozens of classified...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
Remembering Black Wall Street, A New Pipeline, and Strikes
This week marked the 102nd anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre of May 31,
1921, in which white mobs shot up and burned down buildings in the Greenwood
District of Tulsa, the location of the so-called "Black Wall Street."
Greenwood had been home to one of the most prosperous Black communities in the
country. Former African slaves of...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Cuts for the Poor, Misinformation, and the 2024 Race
This week, President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy announced that they had
reached a deal to raise the debt ceiling. The agreement, as many have noted, is
bound to please neither side. For Democrats, it more avoids drastic cuts the GOP
demanded in favor of freezing non-defense discretionary spending at current
levels. Still,...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Florida's Anti-LGBTQIA+ Discrimination, OptOut Has Big News, and The Debt Ceiling Becomes a Debacle
This was a big week for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is poised to announce his
2024 candidacy for president.
For months, DeSantis has been priming the pump, antagonizing liberals and
serving up red meat to Republican base voters, no matter how unconstitutional or
cruel the policies.
This week, for example, NEW REPUBLIC reported on...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
CNN's Disastrous Trump Town Hall, Starbucks Union Woes, and Title 42
Last week, cable news giant CNN hosted a town hall with former President Donald
J. Trump. The twice-impeached, had not been on the network since 2016 and criticized it throughout his
presidency. In the interim period, he’d taken such notable actions as inciting
an insurrection at the Capitol, refusing to accept the results of an election...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Originals
Chinese Dissident Secretly Recruited Rightwing Writers to Publish Flattering Articles
This article was written in partnership with the Important newsletter.
Operatives representing rightwing Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui, who was
charged in March for orchestrating a vast financial fraud scheme, have been
secretly recruiting prominent conservatives—including the head of the New York
Young Republicans Club—to write opinion
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
A Week Of Violence
This week began with the killing of Jordan Neely, an unhoused 30-year-old Black
man known for dancing like Michael Jackson, on a New York City subway. Neely had
a history of mental health issues and on a particularly difficult day, had an
outburst—perhaps a mental breakdown—about his circumstances. Rather than help
from his fellow...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Tucker Carlson Gone, Labor Organizing, and Reproductive Freedom Victories
This week, Tucker Carlson, host of the nation’s highest-rated cable news show,
which had been a megaphone for white nationalist narratives, conspiracy
theories, and hate, lost his job at Fox News. The shake-up came unexpectedly
just one week after Fox settled the defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting
Systems.
For more on the...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Originals
OptOut Special: An Interview With Journalist Matt Binder On Twitter's Shake-Up
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at eyes were on Twitter last week as the social media platform underwent a
significant change to how it handles content. Owner Elon Musk, who purchased the
company for...
by Walker Bragman
12 min read
Newsletter
Silence of the Left, Long COVID, and More
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at week, President Joe Biden signed Republican legislation to end the COVID-19
emergency declaration.
The move meant a number of significant and impactful changes for...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
Beyond Trump: Pandemic Medicaid Coverage Ends 🗞 Abortion Pill Banned 🗞 Clarence Thomas' Corruption
All eyes were on former President Trump last week as he surrendered to
authorities in Manhattan for his arraignment. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34
felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment
to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the final days of the 2016 campaign.
According to reporting by Rolling...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Originals
Peter Thiel’s Secretive Spending
This report was written in partnership with Important Thiel Foundation, the nonprofit charity of billionaire and rightwing
megadonor Peter Thiel, gave millions of dollars in 2021 to a secretive
donor-advised fund that has funneled money into groups that spread COVID denial
as well as hate groups, federal tax records reveal.
The founder...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Criminal Charges for Trump, Calls for a New Civil Rights Bill, and a Big Week at OptOut
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at eyes were on Donald Trump this week as the former president faced the
possibility of arrest and criminal charges related to hush money he paid porn
actress Stormy...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Gilded Age
PODCAST: Evan Greer on Net Neutrality and Online Censorship
The GILDED AGE podcast is back with a new episode featuring Fight for the Future
Director Evan Greer!
GILDED AGE is a podcast about inequality hosted by Walker Bragman, co-founder of
OptOut, and Mark Colangelo, a founding board member of the OptOut Media
Foundation.
Mark and Walker talk with Evan about online censorship, net neutrality,
by Walker Bragman
1 min read
Newsletter
Bank Failures, COVID Crisis, and Hope For Yemen
The big news this week was the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the
second-largest bank failure in U.S. history and the largest since the 2008
Subprime Mortgage Crisis.
On Wednesday, the bank, which held approximately $175 billion in customer
deposits, announced that it needed $2 billion to shore up its balance sheet in
the wake of
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Pfizer Spends Big on IP Lobbying With Billions on the Line
This piece was originally published by Important and both members of the OptOut
independent news network.
Last year, as it was raking in cash from its COVID vaccine and newly authorized
oral treatment Paxlovid, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer spent big bucks to
safeguard its intellectual property (IP), federal lobbying disclosures...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Originals
‘Grassroots’ Parents’ Rights Group Gets Big Mystery Money
This report was written in partnership with Important Research
contributed by Alex Kotch.
A prominent conservative parents’ rights group working to reshape school boards
across the country is mostly bankrolled by a handful of large contributions,
federal tax records reveal. In the two years since its inception, Moms for
Liberty (MFL) has
by Walker Bragman
10 min read
Newsletter
SNAP Benefits, Environmental Protests, and Police Shootings
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at weeks ago, OptOut and the Important newsletter
published a a new scientist group behind an 80-page blueprint for a congressional inquiry
into the government's...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Originals
New Scientist Group Calling For Pandemic Answers Is Tied to Rightwing Dark Money
This original report was written in partnership with the Important Context
newsletter new medical group behind an 80-page “blueprint” for a potential congressional
commission to investigate the harms of the U.S. government's COVID-19 response
has ties to the political right and dark money.
The Norfolk Group purports to be eight...
by Walker Bragman
14 min read
The Short SUPER BOWL Special
We have a short newsletter for you this week in light of the Super Bowl
yesterday in which the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in a
close contest.
OptOut was not founded with sports coverage in mind. To be honest, we're not
sports people. Well, most of us, anyway. Although OptOut did not have a dog in
the fight/big...
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Solidarity and Police Abuse
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at are no words. 29-year-old Tyre Nichols was a son, a father, a
photographer, and a Black man in America. Earlier this month, he was brutally
beaten to death after a...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Originals
Big Mystery Donors Fund COVID Conspiracy Nonprofit
This original report was produced by Important and the OptOut
Media Foundation Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported roughly
3,900 American deaths from COVID-19 in the week ending on Jan. 11—more than died
in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The number, which represented a 44%
increase from the previous...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Blexit, Price Hikes, and Title 42 Expansion
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at was a big week for OptOut!
We hope you all saw that we published our first piece of original reporting. In
partnership with Center for Media and and the...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Originals
Candace Owens’ ‘Blexit’ Operation Bankrolled by Wealthy White Conservatives
This original reporting from the OptOut Media Foundation was produced in
partnership with newsletter and
the Center for Media and Owens promised big things in October 2018 when she launched her Blexit
Foundation.
“Today, in this room, I’m so excited because we’re going to launch in front of
the world a movement—a movement that will...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
,
by Alex Kotch
7 min read
Newsletter
Elon Musk's Twitter Purge, COVID's Continued Surge, and Energized Labor
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at Musk managed to claw his way into the news again this week, suspending a
number of high-profile journalists while yucking it up with fringe right-wing
accounts like...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Pro-Labor Legacy Averted
DEMOCRATS SIDED AGAINST LABOR THIS WEEK IN A STUNNING MOVE, UNDERMINING THREE
YEARS OF NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN RAIL WORKERS AND MANAGEMENT.
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This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
World’s Richest Man Ruins Twitter • No Red Wave • UN Climate Conference, Week 1
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Find out more about the app at depends on your support to run our free app, send this newsletter, and a
lot more. We've raised nearly $9,000 since we announced our end-of-year
fundraising goal, but we have a long way to go.
by Walker Bragman
10 min read
Newsletter
Antisemitism on the Rise • Unionizing Trader Joe's • A $28 Meal at Taco Bell
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Find out more about the app at depends on your support to run our free app, send this newsletter, and a
lot more. We've raised nearly $6,000 since we announced our end-of-year
fundraising goal, but we have a long way to go.
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Pandemic Update • Hurricane Fallout • Dark Money
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at probably didn’t hear about it, but the New York Times reported nearly 14,000
U.S. COVID deaths last month. To put that number in context, that is roughly the
high...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Human Rights Backsliding • Meet the BIPOC Press • Indigenous Resistance
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at United States had a federally-guaranteed right to legal abortion for half a
century when the Supreme Court struck down the legal precedent that guaranteed
the right.
by Walker Bragman
11 min read
,
by Alex Kotch
11 min read
Newsletter
Rightwing Governors Ship Migrants to the Northeast, Echoing 1960s Segregationists
✊
People Over Profit. The OptOut Media Foundation recently launched its
end-of-year fundraising We need to raise
$50,000 in individual contributions by the end of 2022 so we can continue
advocating for independent news organizations and challenging the dominant
corporate media. Please consider helping us hit our target by making...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
Finally, Student Debt Relief • Anti-LGBTQ+ Fascism • Education Justice in NOLA
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at was some good news for student borrowers last week. After months of delay
due to his own wavering support for the idea, President Biden announced his plan
to cancel...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Inflation Reduction Act is Law • Florida Guv Tramples on Basic Rights • Liz Cheney, Liberal Hero
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at was a big week for Democrats and a historic week for the country. President
Joe Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, a major climate, health
care, and...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Dems Fail to Cap Insulin Price • 'Fascist Circus' in Texas • A Fake Climate Group
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at eventful week! The Senate passed a major spending bill. President Biden
has finally tested negative for COVID-19 after a tumultuous journey through
Paxlovid and...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Another Health Emergency • 187 Minutes of Treason • Manchin's Toxic Corruption
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more
about the app at the OptOut app for OptOut app for a week! As the Biden administration continues its push to force normalcy on
a nation still in the throes of the deadly pandemic,...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Juneteenth and the Fight for Equality
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for iPhone and iPad. Find out more about the
app at Sunday was Juneteenth, a newly recognized national holiday commemorating
the end of slavery in the United States. The holiday celebrates the anniversary
of General Order No. 3
by Walker Bragman
5 min read
Newsletter
The Gun Epidemic • Who's Bankrolling White Nationalism? • Covid Surges
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for iPhone and iPad. Find out more about the
app at week the OptOut network covered essential news about guns, climate, the
Covid wave, extremism, and other issues, which we've rounded up for you below.
👕 ICMYI: We've got...
,
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Understanding Buffalo: Rightwing Terror and ‘The Great Replacement’
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for iPhone and iPad. Find out more about the
app at is a special newsletter focused on the white nationalism behind the recent
massacre in Buffalo and additional racist phenomena in the United States.
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by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
The End of Roe? • Green Economy Transition • Fake Populists
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for iPhone and iPad. Find out more about the
app at BIG NEWS! 🎉
Last week OptOut welcomed States Newsroom, a nonprofit charity that employs more
than 130 full-time editors, reporters, and support staff in 26 states across...
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Amazon's Monopolism • Climate Transparency • Dark Pharma Money in Politics
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's available for iPhone and iPad. Find out more about the
app at optout.news take our short audience a week… A U.S. secretary of state has died, a Supreme Court justice is
facing scandal, the violence in Ukraine and Yemen continues, and...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Dark Money's Influence on School Safety • Medicaid Purge • Anti-Trans Hate Machine
This is the newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's currently in beta testing for iOS (download it Find out
more about the app at week's newsletter is a little shorter than usual because we are busy
getting ready to launch this app for iOS! Stay tuned!
It’s been quite a week on the brink of...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Frontline Workers, Local Media's Struggles, and Climate Urgency
This is the weekly newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's currently in beta testing for iOS (download it Find out
more about the app at is thrilled to announce that our soft launch on the Apple App Store is
just around the corner! We're putting the finishing touches on the first...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Wirecutter Union Wins, AOC Meets Chomsky, and Jacqueline Keeler on Native Issues
This is the weekly newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's currently in beta testing for iOS (download it Find out
more about the app at could really use your help in spreading the word about OptOut as we prepare
for launch. We'd be grateful if you can forward this to your friends and...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Climate Blunders, Local Gerrymandering, and Big Conservative Funder Bankrolls White Nationalists
This is the weekly newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's currently in beta testing (sign up Find out
more about the app at could really use your help in spreading the word about OptOut as we prepare
for launch. We'd be grateful if you can forward this to your friends and family
and share it...
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
Newsletter
Dems Keep Stumbling, Indigenous People's Day & Taking on the Bosses
This is the weekly newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's under development. We'll be launching the beta version
of the app for iPhone and iPad very soon! By subscribing to this newsletter,
you'll have a chance to be a beta tester. Find out more about the app at
optout.news could really use...
by Walker Bragman
8 min read
Newsletter
🎉 Weekend Picks: We're 1! 🎂
This is the weekly newsletter of OptOut, a news aggregation app for exclusively
independent media that's under development. Thanks for subscribing! We plan to
launch a beta version of the app for iPhone in September and the full iPhone app
in January. By subscribing to this newsletter, you'll have a chance to be a beta
tester! Find out...
,
by Walker Bragman
13 min read
Newsletter
Our Picks: Poultry Workers' Plight, Critical Race Theory, and Vaccine Apartheid
Greetings, OptersOut!
Last week was a doozy. Democrats have done the unthinkable and allowed the
eviction moratorium to expire in a rush to take recess. Rep. Cori Bush and the
Squad are leading a protest at the steps of the Capitol, but their colleagues
appear to have given up on protecting Americans. Also coming up is the August...
by Walker Bragman
6 min read
Newsletter
Weekend Picks: Rest in Peace, Mike Gravel
We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel on
Saturday. Gravel was a champion for justice, and his presence on this Earth will
be sorely missed.
Sen. Gravel was unshakably optimistic. He never stopped believing in our better
nature as a nation—despite mountains of evidence to the contrary—and he...
by Walker Bragman
11 min read
,
by Alex Kotch
11 min read
Newsletter
Weekend Picks: Remembering Tulsa, Climate, Labor, and the Media
Hey there, OptersOut!
This week we formalized our standards for participating outlets, which you can
read here Our mission is to create a
media ecosystem where people can find the news they need and know that it's
fully independent, accurate, and free of conflicts of interest. Trust in media
is at an all-time low in the U.S., and we...
,
by Walker Bragman
10 min read
Newsletter
Weekend Picks: Biden's performance, more atrocities in Gaza, and the new podcast oligopoly
Hey there, OptersOut!
We hope you’ve had a good week. Today we'll start with some housekeeping and
then discuss the week's news, followed by a roundup of content from our
exclusively independent OptOut media network.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS NEWSLETTER ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE.
Good news: Our legal advisers have determined that your...
,
by Walker Bragman
9 min read
Newsletter
Weekend Picks: Corporate Media's Distortion of Israel-Palestine
Greetings, OptersOut!
OptOut co-founders Alex and Walker here! In OptOut news, we had our first
meeting with a potential grantor this week, and we've contacted dozens more. We
need to raise a significant amount of money to launch our forthcoming app and
hire staff for the long term, so if you'd like to help us out now with a
tax-deductib
,
by Walker Bragman
7 min read
