Michael Buice

My name is Marisa Kabas, and I'm an independent journalist who publishes The Handbasket. I'm reaching out about a matter that involves your team and that continues to trouble me. In June of last year, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and I filed a FOIA lawsuit against the DC Metropolitan Police Department to compel them to release body camera footage from the March 17, 2025 DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace. What followed was months of back and forth with their lawyers, arguing why it was in the public interest to release the un-redacted footage in its entirety. Though tiny segments were handed over, that wasn't enough: We wanted all of it.  On February 18, 2026, a DC judge ruled in our favor, and your reporter Mark Segraves sent a kind note of congratulations that day. Then on Monday, March 2nd, the footage was handed over to me and excitedly announced I'd received it and would be reviewing it in the coming days and sharing what I learned. When Segraves emailed me this past Thursday asking for my phone number, I didn't think much of it. But when he called me just before 2pm on Friday to let me know NBC4 Washington would be airing a segment at 5pm, I grew concerned.  Segraves said he'd obtained some of the footage via a FOIA request that week after he heard the footage had been released to me. He said he'd credit the work of RCFP and me, but it was little comfort. I asked if he'd known the day before when he emailed me for my number, why didn't he tell me then? He didn't have a good answer for that. He acknowledged all the hard work I'd done getting this footage released. I asked him if he could hold the story until Monday, to which he replied that he's "not just a blogger" (implying that that's all I am, presumably) and that he'd have to check with his editor. I said fine. Nearly an hour later he called back to say his editor refused to hold the story, but that they were happy to interview me via Zoom to add to the package, and I said I would.

What followed was two hours of furiously writing and posting clips of the footage to Youtube so I could get something published before the 5pm broadcast, and in the midst of that, recording a quick Zoom interview with a person who was about to take credit for my work. At 4:59pm ET, The Handbasket published a piece titled "Police body cam footage shows DOGE knew Institute of Peace was private property during raid." Then I tuned into NBC4 Washington via your website to catch the broadcast, and my instinct to rush to get something out first was proven right.  "It's a story you're seeing first on News4," your newscast began. "For the first time we're getting an inside look at what happened the day the Trump administration took over the US Institute of Peace. News4 obtained more than four hours of police body camera video from that day." What followed was more than six minutes of clips and commentary from Segraves, but it's not until six minutes and 21 seconds into the piece that he mentions my name (mispronounced though he asked for the correct pronunciation on Zoom), "The Handbasket blog," and the RCFP's foundational role in bringing this footage to light. I was angry, but didn't feel there was much I could do. Then I saw the version NBC4 posted to Instagram and TikTok—the video itself made ZERO mention of the RCFP or my work, only briefly acknowledging it in the written caption on Instagram, and not even bothering to do that on TikTok. An average viewer with no background on the case is lead to believe that this footage was released because of your efforts. When I saw that, I decided I couldn't let this go. It's difficult to explain what it's like to spend nearly a year working on a story only to have another reporter and outlet surreptitiously take credit for it; months of work and personal risk only to have another reporter lying in wait to swoop in. What NBC4 did was immoral, unethical, and to be frank, just truly sucked.

I just sent this email to the news director at NBC4 Washington about the unprofessional and disrespectful way they handled publishing the body camera footage of the DOGE raid on the US Institute of Peace that was obtained via my FOIA lawsuit:

Applications are open for our Next Generation Leaders program!

Our NGL program recognizes emerging scientific leaders and invites them into a supportive network.

🔗 Apply by March 31: https://alleninstitute.org/about/people/next-generation-leaders/

While they do seem to like their spirits, I think you are being generous.

Oh you think I’m making this up?

bsky.app/profile/acyn...

This means we’re only a short period away from hearing republicans confuse him with both previous leaders of Iran.

Which one?

The administration plans to use claims that "China interfered in the 2020 election as a basis to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting.”

The premise, it almost goes without saying, is a total lie. trib.al/LmNKGxR

#standupforscience Chicago

#standupforscience Seattle stands up for science!

Atlanta stands up for science! #standupforscience @standupforscience.bsky.social

How it’s done. @repdelbene.bsky.social @cantwell.senate.gov @murray.senate.gov

"We live in capitalism, its power seems inescapable — but then, so did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art. Very often in our art, the art of words."

- Ursula K. Le Guin
November 19, 2014

TOMORROW!📣📣📣SHOW UP, STAND UP, SPEAK OUT! In less than 24 hours, join us at the Mural Amphitheatre for a National Day of Action to demonstrate your support for science, research trainees, healthcare, and the truth. See attached photos and comments for transit directions.

You can do that by supporting impeachment and accountability for all of them, in particular the president.

@repdelbene.bsky.social

One of my favourite sides of politics/media.

Awesome thread for insights about vinyl manufacturing.

OFFS. When Iran tried to interefere in 2020, researchers caught them and called them out. Then the Benz-Weiss-Taibbi-Musk-Jordan-Trump axis labeled those researchers "censors" ... and set about defunding them and dismantling their organizations.

@repdelbene.bsky.social

Federal Science Workforce Declines Sharply Under Trump The last year was marked by turmoil at science agencies and the administration’s stated desire to shrink the federal workforce.

Federal science workforce in 2025:

NSF down over 30%
USGS, NOAA, and NIH down 20%
DOE down 17%
NIST down 15%
NASA down 12%

By comparison, the total federal civilian workforce was down approximately 10% last year.

www.aip.org/fyi/federal-...

Right? Why are people doing along with this? It’s another Gulf of Mexico. A loyalty test to see if you’ll go along with the stupid but trivial thing.

This week's cover @thelancet.com

Trump has reportedly been in conversation with Paramount and his billionaire ally Larry Ellison about a potential takeover of CNN that would include firing journalists he dislikes.

Billionaire control of the media is a danger to us all.

Netflix ditches deal for Warner Bros. Discovery after Paramount’s offer is deemed superior Netflix is ditching a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studio and streaming assets after the WBD board deemed a revised bid by Paramount to be superior.

This really feels like an Orban/Erdogan situation in which the aspiring dictator is making sure his friendly oligarchs control as much media as possible

www.cnbc.com/2026/02/26/w...

Mine in this week’s @newyorker.com

To any Democrat who ever said about any issue, "Maybe if we agree with Republicans just this far, they'll stop there," remember that you were wrong, it was obvious at the time, and you really should never believe that again about any issue, ever.

Meet the neuroscientist running for Congress Sam Wang, a neuroscientist running for the U.S. House of Representatives, has been interested in “fixing bugs in democracy” for decades.

I spoke with Laura Schenkman at The Transmitter about my candidacy for the House!

Going from the lab to public life is a huge transition. From a lifetime of research to biotech to democracy to running for office, here’s the story of one scientist: www.thetransmitter.org/policy/is-th...

Trump's self-dealing is truly off the scales — eclipsing even the biggest corruption scandal of the First Gilded Age.

It's a new Golden Age for grifting. [@brennancenter.org]

I, for one, am tired of winning...

See the impact of the Trump assault on the American economy. Turns out that Mafia-style bustouts are not so great for anyone but the thieves involved.

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies In this webinar, scientists will discuss innovations that are unlocking new insights into immunity.

WEBINAR | Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Immunology is rapidly evolving thanks to emerging technologies. Our own Claire Gustafson will share what they are already revealing about the immune system.

🗓️ Fri., Feb. 27
⌚️ 12:30-2pm EST
💻 Online and On-Demand
🔗 https://bit.ly/4tU18Ya