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A Citations Needed News Brief is a news brief in between full-length episodes of the show. This week we are joined by Matthew Cunningham Cook, reporter at The Lever. He has been one of the most reliable and dogged journalists covering the February 3rd Norfolk Southern Trained A Realm in East Palestine, Ohio. It was reported on here and there, but largely kind of Norfolk Southern press releases sort of qualitatively. We have the undignified task this evening of discussing where the narrative quote unquote sits now with respect to what the actual facts are.

In this News Brief, we discuss the initial lack of coverage of the devastating February 3rd train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio; the coverage of the lack of coverage; the GOP's "white genocide" exploitation; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's defensiveness; and the real human stakes of decades of bipartisan deregulation and union-busting.

Our guest is journalist Matthew Cunningham-Cook (@matthewccook5), a writer and researcher covering health care, retirement policy and capital markets. He is currently a reporter at The Lever.