Brad Racino

Inside the reporting: Using a thermal drone to investigate xAI’s power plant A Q&A with reporter Evan Simon on how this first-of-its-kind investigation came together.

Inside the reporting: Using a thermal drone to investigate xAI’s power plant
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We Caught Elon Musk's AI Company Flouting EPA Rules Using a Thermal Drone YouTube video by Floodlight News

xAI is continuing to fuel its data centers with unpermitted gas turbines, and in this mini-doc, Investigative Producer Evan Simon breaks down Floodlight's recent investigation and what the findings could mean for America's AI buildout.

youtu.be/KitUtjFllbg?...

'A different set of rules': Thermal drone footage shows Musk's AI power plant flouting clean air regulations Images confirm xAI is continuing to defy EPA regulations in Mississippi to power its flagship data centers.

You take a thermal drone down to Mississippi and ...
floodlightnews.org/thermal-dron...

A huge lift from @amesalex.bsky.social results in a stellar snapshot of what's coming to communities along Louisiana's infamous Cancer Alley.

“I don't look at this as red and blue and the left and the right ... We need to start looking at humanity.”

FBI Wiretaps, Illegal Drugs, and Dead Horses The feds gave New York key evidence on horse racing’s largest doping ring. State regulators have done nothing with it for years.

Big, important story on how New York has turned a blind eye to illicit drugs in harness racing.

nysfocus.com/2026/01/07/h...

I just did this and found some uncertain amount of money due me, fwiw

New York Lawmakers Are Scrutinizing Home Care. We’ve Got Questions. With a hearing on New York’s troubled home care program set for Thursday, here are five questions we’d like answered.

I've been reporting on New York's troubled home care program for months.

On Thursday, lawmakers are holding a hearing to understand its recent turmoil.

Here are 5 questions I'd like answers to:

nysfocus.com/2025/08/19/n...

Has Mayor Eric Adams Built More Affordable Housing Than Bloomberg and… The New York City mayor made the claim during a press conference in late July.

The NYC mayor claimed during a press conference in late July that he built more affordable housing than Bloomberg and de Blasio combined. Is that true?
--Part of our ongoing partnership with @gigafactproject.bsky.social
nysfocus.com/2025/08/19/e...

Five Unanswered Questions About Eric Adams’s Expanded Surveillance at… Big Apple Connect, the mayor’s flagship free internet service for public housing residents, is quietly being used to expand the NYPD’s real-time, remote…

We broke a pretty big story yesterday about a clandestine surveillance network set up at NYC public housing developments. Here's what we still don't know.

nysfocus.com/2025/08/12/u...

Adams Quietly Uses Free Internet at NYCHA to Expand Police… The Adams administration is using its flagship broadband program to give police real-time access to NYCHA camera feeds — without telling anyone.

NEW: Eric Adams’s free internet program for NYCHA is also linking public housing cameras directly to the NYPD’s surveillance hub — without telling residents.

CLAIM: We've partnered with Gigafact to produce weekly “fact briefs” verifying or debunking claims relevant to New Yorkers.
VERDICT: True.
SOURCE: nysfocus.com/2025/07/29/n...

Kathy Hochul’s Nuclear Vision Faces Big Questions and Bottlenecks Building nuclear will test whether New York state is still capable of constructing megaprojects as it has done in the past.

Before NY can start work on its next #nuclear plant, its power authority will need to pick what kind of reactor tech to pursue, find a site, select contractors, and potentially bring in a private co-financing partner.
--New from ‪@alexckaufman.bsky.social‬
nysfocus.com/2025/07/26/n...

Why Won’t New York Lawmakers Call a Special Session to Address… Fiscal advocates warn the governor and state lawmakers against punting a difficult discussion on how to deal with imminent cuts.

The last special session took place in 2022 ... when lawmakers convened to give themselves raises. The current crisis, apparently, isn't as important.

nysfocus.com/2025/07/24/n...

New York’s Health Companies Could Pocket Millions Meant for Low-Wage… Offering hard-to-use benefits instead of cash could help two state-funded companies dodge a 2011 law meant to boost care workers’ pay.

New for @nysfocus: Two companies managing NY's home health program could pocket millions 💰💰💰 meant for low-wage care aides every year.

That's because they're offering "benefits" that many workers can't actually use, but are forced to pay for.

nysfocus.com/2025/07/21/n...

Eric Adams Withdraws From Event Honoring Anti-Muslim Activist He was slated to be the guest of honor at an event featuring a Hindu nationalist activist who has called for violence and boycotts against Muslims.

I'm genuinely curious who vets public appearances by elected officials. And what does that process look like? Do pols just say yes, or do some of them do their own vetting after being booked for something? Anyone know?
nysfocus.com/2025/07/10/e...

The Race to Build Solar and Wind Before Trump's Tax Credit Deadline Trump’s megabill gives wind and solar companies one year to put as many shovels in the ground as possible. They want New York officials to help.

"Developers now have less than a year to start digging if they want the subsidies. The impending deadline is lighting a fire under the industry — and, developers hope, under New York’s leaders, too."
An in-depth look from @colinreports.bsky.social on the race to build.
nysfocus.com/2025/07/11/t...

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And if you want to support this kind of work (we are a nonprofit, btw), you can do that here: nysfocus.com/donate

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How Renters Fueled Zohran Mamdani’s Victory Andrew Cuomo won 11 out of 13 majority-homeowner districts — but Mamdani swept the floor in renter-heavy areas, where turnout surged.

Tenant organizer Charlie Dulik crunched the numbers to show how NYC areas with the most rental units proved decisive to @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's election victory. nysfocus.com/2025/07/04/r...

How Congress is Reversing New York’s Progress on Clean Energy Already, the state’s green energy businesses are feeling the impact of the pending Congressional spending bill that includes phasing out Inflation…

Reporter Clara Hemphill also interviewed clean energy business owners across the state about how Trump's bill is reversing the state's progress on clean energy. nysfocus.com/2025/07/03/c...

How Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Could Impact Disabled and Hungry… New Yorkers across the state describe how sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance could derail their lives.

Jenny also spoke with several NYers across the state about how Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" — which guts Medicare and SNAP — will affect them. nysfocus.com/2025/07/03/t...

Why Hasn't NY Expanded Medicaid for People Exiting Incarceration? Efforts have stalled and now face an uphill battle under the Trump administration.

More on NY's carceral system: Reporter @jiejennyzou.bsky.social dove into why the state’s efforts around reentry healthcare have stalled — and now face an uphill battle under the Trump administration. nysfocus.com/2025/07/03/m...

Court Temporarily Reverses Prison Agency's Suspension of Solitary… The prison agency has suspended solitary confinement restrictions since a corrections officers strike in February.

Reporter @chrisgelardi.bsky.social was on top of a recent court decision striking down the state Dept. of Corrections' suspension of solitary confinement restrictions. nysfocus.com/2025/07/02/h...

New York Farms Refuse to Follow New Union Contracts Four farms upstate won't sign or follow contracts awarded by state-appointed arbitrators after bargaining stalled.

Reporter @juliarock.bsky.social continued her investigation into how farms across the state are continuing to abide by new union contracts, which include higher wages, health care benefits, and other basic protections. nysfocus.com/2025/07/02/f...

These 5 Charts Show How Hotels Became New York’s Response to… Social services agencies across the state now place nearly half of all individuals and families seeking shelter in hotels, leaving people without…

Reporter Spencer Norris, in collaboration with @propublica.org, made a TL;DR version of his investigation into how NY's response to homelessness outside New York City has shifted over the past few years to default to ... hotels.
nysfocus.com/2025/07/01/n...

Super solid reporting week from @nysfocus covering the gamut: NYC mayoral election, how Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will affect New Yorkers, prison system updates, homeless hotels, and more. Take a look .... 🧵

How Congress is Reversing New York’s Progress on Clean Energy Already, the state’s green energy businesses are feeling the impact of the pending Congressional spending bill that includes phasing out Inflation…

“It’s completely devastating,” said Rob Feuer, owner of Geothermal Works in New Rochelle. “It’s like you turned off a faucet.”
nysfocus.com/2025/07/03/c...

How Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Could Impact Disabled and Hungry… New Yorkers across the state describe how sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid and food assistance could derail their lives.

We spoke with New Yorkers across the state to learn more about how Trump's Medicaid & SNAP cuts could affect them.

“I’ve never seen the government move so fast about anything."

nysfocus.com/2025/07/03/t...

Cuomo Tried to Stop a $550 Million Debt Scam. It Didn't Go as Planned. As Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo put fraudulent debt collection firms on notice. He may have strengthened their hand.

The one Cuomo story I can almost guarantee you've never heard about.

This one came from @sammellins.bsky.social' research into "sewer service" — or fraudulent process serving — in New York.
nysfocus.com/2025/06/22/a...

Here’s How to Check if You’re Owed Money in New York New York is sitting on a $20 billion pot of unclaimed money, and some of it might be yours. Here's how to see if you're on the list.

Also, here's how to check if you're owed any money. The reporter on this story found he was owed some cash — as did I. nysfocus.com/2025/06/18/h...