Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 12d

Well, there you go!
www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/02/g...

Governor Newsom: No state funding for sell-out universities | Governor of California

www.gov.ca.gov

1 1

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Postsecondary Education & Economics Research Center @peerresearch.bsky.social · 14d

🚨The PEER Center is hiring! We currently have two positions posted (details below). We're a #highered research center (led by @srcellini.bsky.social @jdmatsudaira.bsky.social) focused on generating actionable research for state, federal policy. Put your data skills to work for an important purpose!

1 10 6

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

NPR @npr.org · 14d

Today marks the first day in public media’s history without federal funding. And we’re not going anywhere.

Listeners like you keep our mission alive. Protect one of the last places where America comes together to hear itself.

Stand with us today. Donate at this link: n.pr/46wamAj

690 9.7K 31K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14d

New from @pamherd.bsky.social at Can We Still Govern?

Some states are threatening to end SNAP. Why? Trump is setting state governments up for failure, cutting resources, adding administrative burdens while imposing massive financial penalties for errors.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-big-be...

The Big Beautiful Bill has a SNAP Poison Pill

How states will get the blame for massive cuts to food stamps

donmoynihan.substack.com

8 190 330

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 16d

Here's my column on how shutdowns work. It's my best attempt at explaining what keeps going, what keeps going only for a short period of time, and what stops immediately.

Shutdowns are complicated, but I tried my best here.
www.americanprogress.org/article/what...

What Happens During a Government Shutdown?

Learn how a government shutdown affects you.

www.americanprogress.org

5 61 110

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 18d

This is absurd.

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 19d

Breaking news from Des Moines: ICE has detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district.
The Des Moines Public Schools said "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/09/26/i...

ICE detains Des Moines Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts

Iowa's largest school district had "no confirmed information" on why ICE detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent since 2023.

www.bleedingheartland.com

200 1.8K 3.3K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Sharon Parrott @sharonparrott.bsky.social · 24d

The Administration acknowledged that it will stop the survey that measures food insecurity, just as tariffs push up food prices and the deep cuts to food assistance enacted in July start to take effect. Congress must intervene to save these vital data. www.wsj.com/economy/trum...

Exclusive | Trump Administration Cancels Annual Hunger Survey

The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s but now says the report has become “overly politicized.”

www.wsj.com

2 46 62

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 26d

Whew.

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 27d

IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.

The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.

Map of Regional Public Health Coalitions

Northeast Public Health Collaborative (Blue)

West Coast Health Alliance (Yellow)

2

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 26d

Fight back. Do not compromise.
Signed, Your neighbor on Vanderbilt Ave

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 26d

“What we’re seeing is an unprecedented attempt to silence disfavored speech by the government,” said Brendan Nyhan, a political scientist at Dartmouth College. “Donald Trump is trying to dictate what Americans can say.” https://to.pbs.org/46AYg7U

Trump's moves against media outlets mirror authoritarian approaches to silencing dissent

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has waged an aggressive campaign against the media unlike any in modern U.S. history, making moves similar to those of authoritarian leaders that...

to.pbs.org

46 490 1.2K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

ian bremmer @ianbremmer.com · 28d

cato institute analysis of murders by political ideology since 1975, excluding 9/11

140 2.3K 4.1K

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 29d

I always wonder the same thing here in Brooklyn when someone posts an apt or home in our neighborhood that is “perfect for academics.” In what world is $7k/mo affordable for academics?

1 1

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · 29d

Thanks for posting it. Look forward to reading it since I’m not wasting my time with the Cards at this point.

2

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · Sep 10

The MSNBC commentator saying that most political violence has historically come from the left just once again showed how we suffer from failing to learn history. Lynching, pogroms, race riots, the political violence that ended Reconstruction, and against the Civil Rights Movement. Come on.

1.4K 10K 42K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Jerad Walker @jeradwalker.bsky.social · Sep 12

WPSU in Pennsylvania becomes the first public media outlet to shut down as a result of the rescission of federal funding.

WPSU TV and radio serves one of the largest geographic coverage areas in the nation, stretching across 24 counties of central Pennsylvania.

Penn State to shutter WPSU, board declines transfer to WHYY

In voting down a proposal to transfer the station to WHYY, trustees expressed concern over a $17 million subsidy and wanted a commitment to hire staff.

whyy.org

14 140 210

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · Sep 10

How quickly they forgot (or never acknowledged) the MN assassinations.

5

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · Sep 10

My new blog: US Uninsured Rate Stays Level in 2024 for Adults and Kids: Storm Clouds Lie Ahead ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/09/09/u... via
@georgetownccf.bsky.social

US Uninsured Rate Stays Level in 2024 for Adults and Kids: Storm Clouds Lie Ahead

Today the U.S. Census Bureau released the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 2024 which examines income, health insurance and other trends. Overall, the uninsured rate was unchanged at 8%; the chi…

ccf.georgetown.edu

1

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Steven Mazie @stevenmazie.bsky.social · Sep 8

SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in a college applicant's file is blatantly unconstitutional

ALSO SCOTUS: considering race as one factor in targeting whom to detain and deport is cool cool cool

200 5.8K 15K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Joan Alker @joanalker1.bsky.social · Sep 4

And so the Medicaid cuts begin..

Right before Labor Day weekend the state of Idaho announced 4% cut in Medicaid provider rates for EVERY category except tribal providers effective 9/1

Idaho has lots of provider shortages in rural areas already. This won't help.

2 7 13

Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield @amyellen.bsky.social · Sep 3

No, he wasn’t.

1

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · Aug 24

"This could be the difference whether your child gets cancer. Are you willing for them to die because the therapy for them is delayed?"

Powerful video with voices from top US scientists on the very real and devastating impacts of the funding cuts.

9 400 860

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · Aug 28

No words.

This is…
a) …laughable
b) …dangerous
c) …damaging

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Aug 28

Vance on undermining the Federal Reserve: "I don't think we allow bureaucrats to make decisions about monetary policy and interest rates without any input from the people that were elected to serve the American people...POTUS is much better able to make these determinations."

180 400 2K

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Tammy Duckworth @duckworth.senate.gov · Aug 27

1.2 *million* Americans died from COVID before these vaccines were approved and we had widespread access to them.

Reducing access to vaccines that are effective and have saved so many lives isn’t simply anti-science, it’s anti-American.

And people could die because of it.

CNBC @cnbc.com · Aug 27

The FDA on Wednesday ended its broader authorization of Covid vaccines in the U.S., only clearing shots for people at higher risk of severe illness.

FDA ends broad Covid vaccine authorization as RFK Jr. limits access to immunizations

cnb.cx

52 260 760

Reposted by Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · Aug 28

As if you needed another reason to be angry at RFK Jr. today: There are signals he wants to blow up the "liability shield" that has kept the U.S. vaccine industry strong for the last forty years (and has sped payments to harmed patients). Hugely dangerous.

www.thebulwark.com/p/hhs-kenned...

RFK Jr. Could Blow Up the Vaccine Industry With One Simple Move

A seemingly obscure change to liability laws could wreck the market for some vaccines.

www.thebulwark.com

23 220 600