Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷 @clarkjosephf.bsky.social · 1h

open borders👍🏻

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

J. Mijin Cha @jmijin.bsky.social · 3h

Looks like measles outbreaks are happening across the country. If only there was something that would prevent its spread...

jfc. What are we even doing

8 45

J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷 @clarkjosephf.bsky.social · 3h

If the shutdown goes on long enough, could DHS run out of money?

2

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 5h

X post today from Homeland Security @DHSgov that says "Remigrate."
3:06 PM · Oct 14, 2025

110 1K 2.2K

J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷 @clarkjosephf.bsky.social · 5h

Mall Blart: Cop Paul

2

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 10h

there are currently about 12,000 registered supplement manufacturers. last year the FDA inspected only 600 of them!

when the agency does do inspections, it overwhelmingly focuses on domestic manufacturers. that's a problem because a LOT of these materials are sourced from foreign factories

$Manufacturers generally don’t even have to notify the FDA when introducing a new product. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report found the FDA’s oversight of the supplement industry so lacking that it urged Congress to expand its authority. The report noted that the FDA relies largely on voluntarily submitted complaints and inspections to identify safety issues and ensure companies are complying with manufacturing guidelines. Those inspections cover only a fraction of the industry. There are currently about 12,000 registered supplement manufacturers, according to an agency spokesperson. Last year the FDA inspected only 600 of them: 510 domestic and 90 foreign. With so little oversight, people who turn to supplements out of concern for their health are left to navigate the risks on their own. “When these products that should be straightforward contain more heavy metals than expected, that exposes the challenge for consumers these days,” says Cohen.$

5 74 490

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 10h

i was surprised to learn that bc most protein powders are considered dietary supplements, they basically fall into a regulatory grey area

there's no federal limit on the amount of lead they can contain and neither manufacturers nor the FDA have to prove these products are safe before they're sold

Protein powders and shakes, like all dietary supplements, fall into something of a regulatory gray area.

There is no federal limit specifying the amount of lead allowed in protein powders. And while the FDA requires that manufacturers keep their products free of harmful contaminants, it largely leaves it up to companies to decide what counts as harmful and test their own products for compliance.

Before 1994, manufacturers had to prove herbal products were safe before selling them. That changed after Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. The law sharply limited the FDA’s authority, leaving supplements far less regulated than drugs.

Today, supplements are “presumed safe unless found otherwise,” says Cohen at Harvard Medical School, and most products face scrutiny only after reaching the market—meaning unsafe or contaminated supplements can reach consumers before problems are caught.

13 200 740

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 11h

nearly all the plant-based products we tested had elevated lead levels: vegan powders had 9x as much lead as dairy and 2x as much as beef

though dairy-based powders had the lowest levels, half were still too contaminated for safe daily use

you may be asking: how could this be? well...

9 120 550

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 11h

two of the products we tested — Huel's Black Edition meal replacement powder and Naked Nutrition's vegan mass gainer — had enough lead that our experts caution against using them at all

a single serving of these protein powders contained between 1,200 and 1,600% of CR’s level of concern for lead

Two plant-based protein powders contained enough lead that our experts advise against consuming them. Naked Nutrition’s Mass Gainer powder contained 7.7 micrograms of lead per serving, which is roughly 1,570 percent of CR’s level of concern for the heavy metal. One serving of Huel’s Black Edition powder contained 6.3 micrograms of lead, or about 1,290 percent of CR’s daily lead limit.

Two other powders contained lead between 400 and 600 percent of CR’s level of concern: Garden of Life’s Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein and Momentous’ 100% Plant Protein. Consumers should limit these to once a week, Akinleye says. (See company responses below.)

The only non-plant-based protein powder with lead detected at over 200 percent of CR’s level of concern was MuscleMeds’ Carnivor Mass powder. Six additional plant-based powders, five dairy-based powders and shakes, and one beef powder contained lead above CR’s level of concern.

We also found measurable levels of cadmium and inorganic arsenic in some products. One serving of Huel’s Black Edition plant-based protein powder contained 9.2 micrograms of cadmium, more than double the level that public health authorities and CR’s experts say may be harmful to have daily, which is 4.1 micrograms.

Another plant-based option, Vega’s Premium Sport powder, had enough cadmium that one serving would also put you just over that level. In one dairy-based product, Optimum Nutrition’s Serious Mass whey protein powder, we also detected 8.5 micrograms per serving of inorganic arsenic, which is twice the limit of what our scientists say is safe to consume daily.

16 240 750

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 11h

my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements

we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)

www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...

Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports

CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.

www.consumerreports.org

240 2.8K 5.1K

J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷 @clarkjosephf.bsky.social · 12h

CONGRATULATIONS SARAH AND HELEN!!!!!!

1 1

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Helen @homotoptheory.bsky.social · 1d

damn I'm a podcaster now

Odium Symposium @odiumsymposium.bsky.social · 1d

Our first episode is out!

www.patreon.com/posts/pilot-...

Pilot - The Misogynist Question | Odium Symposium

www.patreon.com

2 4

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

subvariety sarah @scgriffith.bsky.social · 1d

we did it!!!!! go learn all about Stephen Leacock #StephenLeacock

Odium Symposium @odiumsymposium.bsky.social · 1d

Our first episode is out!

www.patreon.com/posts/pilot-...

Pilot - The Misogynist Question | Odium Symposium

www.patreon.com

3 2 13

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

The Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 12h

Guardrails are good and we should build and maintain them, but they guard against traffic that’s trying to drive correctly and messes up a little. The fundamental problem is you can’t build a guardrail that can withstand a tractor trailer loaded with bricks bearing straight down on it at 80mph.

The Fig Economy @figgityfigs.bsky.social · 12h

The thing is there are no guardrails that can withstand the full force of 45% of the electorate polarized into either accepting authoritarianism or not finding it a dealbreaker. Whatever system you design, if you don’t figure out how to push that number down, your guardrails can’t meet tolerances.

1 16 110

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · Mar 19

My parents live in Maine and receive Social Security. The lawless fascists in power are admitting that they targeted Maine because Gov. Mills stood up for trans kids’ right to be included in school sports. Fuck Maine’s congressional delegation for enabling this.

you this, I will continue to make mistakes, but I will learn from them."
Among those mistakes was abruptly halting a contract with the state of Maine to process Social Security numbers for newborns and death certificates from funeral homes and requiring the processing to be done in person. Dudek reversed course and apologized earlier this month for canceling the contract, which all states use.
Asked Tuesday why he singled out Maine
- whose Democratic governor, Janet Mills, has fought the White House ban on transgender athletes participating in girls' sports — Dudek acknowledged, "I was upset with the governor's treatment of the president."
But he said that he was "not interested in political retaliation" and that ending the contract had created an "undue burden on the people of Maine."

4 14

J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷 @clarkjosephf.bsky.social · 13h

In 2025 the only jobs left are

•professional applicant

•gig contractor for a scab app

•downline in a MLM that is also an online casino

•unpaid protester

•substitute applicant

•”just following orders”

•vape shop clerk

1 4

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

The Washington Post Is Running Out Of Readers Willing To Pay

Once a titan of American journalism, The Washington Post now struggles to reach even 100,000 print subscribers most days.

www.forbes.com

270 650 3.2K

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 1d

I don't know how many times to point out that is absolutely ghoulish and non-consensual and disgusting behavior.
To exploit the image of a dead woman who was also exploited in real life so you can live out your momentary fantasies of "what is possible" with AI is bad science journalism, also.
Sick.

October 10, 2025

4 min read

Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Happen Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Screenshot includes an AI generated image of what looks like a human cross between Daenaerys Targaryen and Marilyn Monroe on the back of a dragon.

40 470 1.8K

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

David Schindler @david-schindler.de · 1d

Ending slavery increased GDP by 9.1% as slavery reduced the welfare of the enslaved substantially, while only generating minuscule welfare gains to slave owners. Fascinating topic that once again highlights how coercive instructions are economically detrimental!

www.nber.org/papers/w3435...

The Economic Geography of American Slavery

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

www.nber.org

3 24 74

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 1d

a lot of people want to read Trump and team's fossil fuel obsession as being about *money* but while there is of course a corruption element, it's primarily pure culture war stuff. even many of the big fossil fuel companies want to get into renewables because it's so obviously the future.

Brandon Bishop @brandontbishop.bsky.social · 1d

Coal production and employment in Wyoming has steadily been declining, much like the rest of the industry in the US.

Coal is a dead industry.

(Chart from here: www.uwyo.edu/cbea/wyoming... )

Graphs showing coal production (left) and employment in coal (right) for the state of Wyoming from 1983 to 2020 from the linked website. Coal production was rapidly increasing until 2008 and has more or less steadily decreased since. Employment in coal likewise rapidly increased until 2009, was stable until 2012 and has rapidly decreased since.

53 360 1.8K

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

The Onion @theonion.com · 1d

Ohio Begins Executing Random People In Hopes They’re Criminals https://theonion.com/ohio-begins-executing-random-people-in-hopes-they-re-cr-1851218315/

88 640 3.7K

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Jonathan Ladd @jonmladd.bsky.social · 1d

This is an essential. "Democrats need to beat the Trumpists in elections that we ensure are free" is the best strategy for the next 2-4 years. But it is not a long-term strategy! The only possible long-term strategy is that someone else needs to defeat the Trumpists for control of the Repub Party.

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 1d

“Win every election” is not a viable strategy for preventing authoritarianism

28 50 350

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Mattslew Batberg-Mothfit (any/all) @mbrobergmoffitt.bsky.social · 2d

Explain to me why “conversion therapy” is banned in 28 countries and ABA is not, when they have the same creator (O. Ivar Lovaas) and utilize similar if not identical principles, techniques, and goals (forced assimilation).

Mattslew Batberg-Mothfit (any/all) @mbrobergmoffitt.bsky.social · 2d

Autism $peaks is the largest and most popular Autism organization (among allistics), who continues to be 100% in support of ABA. They have lobbyists who push ABA as the “gold standard Autism treatment.” It utilizes same practices as “conversion therapy,” which is currently banned in 28 countries.

Mattslew Batberg-Mothfit (any/all) @mbrobergmoffitt.bsky.social · 2d

ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) is the “gold standard” of “treatment” for Autism, and was created by the person as “Conversion therapy” (see Lovaas) with similar techniques and goals. It’s torture that continues to have widespread support and acceptance.

13 260 610

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d

I used to think people just didn’t understand what Columbus did but now I think some are really attached to him (as opposed to other worthy italians to celebrate) because their whole thing is not only getting away with doing horrible things but forcing everyone to praise them for being horrible

100 600 3.2K

Reposted by J. Clark🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸🇺🇦🇭🇰🇵🇷

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

apparently “bari weiss doesn’t actually know what journalism is” extends to getting basic facts like the name of a subject right

Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

Promoting the editor-in-chief's personal side project. Zero named sources in a story that promotes the editor-in-chief's personal political position. Misspelling the subject's name. It took one day for CBS News to become a conservative blog.

www.cbsnews.com/video/some-n...

CBS News: Some NYPD officers worry about Mandani becoming NYC mayor the Free Press reports.

94 730 4.1K