Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 10h

Grand Unified Lead Theory of American politics

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 1d

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

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

Maxine Joselow @maxinejoselow.bsky.social · 1d

Before catastrophic floods swept through the Alaska Native village of Kipnuk on Sunday, the EPA canceled a $20 million grant intended to protect the community from extreme flooding. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/c...

Before Alaska Flooding, E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant

www.nytimes.com

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 1d

To tie it to energy/climate politics: This helps to explain why the Trump administration is fine cutting health benefits, black lung regulations, and massive Biden-era investments in coal communities. Continued hardship is beneficial to their reactionary politics.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/c...

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 1d

A strong safety net is a pre-condition for growth and innovation. Economic insecurity generates a backlash to progress.

It's tiresome that liberals constantly need to relitigate this case, but it's a case worth making. So, thanks @jerusalem.bsky.social.

www.theargumentmag.com/p/creative-d...

Creative destruction is a miracle. It’s also a political problem.

The Nobel Prize in Economics has a lesson for abundance liberals

www.theargumentmag.com

Reposted by Jake Higdon

Leia🇨🇴🇺🇸 @theswprincess.bsky.social · 3d

CBP agents knocked on an El Paso home at 7:15 a.m.

The owner asked to secure his Rottweiler, Chop, in the bathroom.

While he got his ID, agents opened the door and shot Chop.

The family tried to save him as he bled out on the kitchen floor.

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Craig Harrington @craigipedia.bsky.social · 4d

If this reminds you of an extremely famous book you might have read in high school… yes.

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 5d

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 4d

Nixon’s crimes look like harmless high school pranks compared to the now-daily unprecedented illegal & unconstitutional crimes being committed daily by this president & his staff

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 4d

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 4d

Hell of a passage here:

“Speaking by telephone from his private plane en route to San Francisco, he lamented that he has to pay for hundreds of off-duty law enforcement officers… and said that San Francisco needed to ‘re-fund’ the police.

The city never actually ‘defunded’ its police force.”

Mara Gay @maragay.bsky.social · 4d

Billionaire who owns Time Magazine: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Marc Benioff Says Trump Should Send Guard Troops to San Francisco

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 5d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7d

genuinely think they are feeding him AI videos

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 7d

There are real people on the end of these grants. Rust belt autoworkers. Great Plains farmers and roughnecks. Coal communities looking to a new economic future.

It’s genuinely heartbreaking. They don’t have do this — the money is already obligated — but I guess they enjoy destroying lives.

Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 8d

Some additional info on the new list of axed DOE projects circulating.
- All 7 H2 Hubs
- All 13 IRA grants to convert at-risk auto plants to EV mfg
- 11 of 15 grants to speed domestic clean energy mfg in former coal communities
- 10 of 38 grants for battery materials
heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Axe All 7 Hydrogen Hubs, Bucking Bipartisan Law

A new list of Department of Energy grants slated for termination will hit clean energy and oil majors alike, including Exxon and Chevron.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 9d

Claim: 10 cars rammed ICE
Truth: No cars rammed ICE

Claim: She boxed ICE in
Truth: ICE boxed her in

Claim: She shot a rifle at ICE
Truth: She did not have a rifle

Claim: ICE returned fire
Truth: Only ICE fired

Claim: She drove herself to the hospital
Truth: Paramedics found her

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 9d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Emily Pontecorvo @emilypont.bsky.social · 8d

Some additional info on the new list of axed DOE projects circulating.
- All 7 H2 Hubs
- All 13 IRA grants to convert at-risk auto plants to EV mfg
- 11 of 15 grants to speed domestic clean energy mfg in former coal communities
- 10 of 38 grants for battery materials
heatmap.news/politics/doe...

Trump to Axe All 7 Hydrogen Hubs, Bucking Bipartisan Law

A new list of Department of Energy grants slated for termination will hit clean energy and oil majors alike, including Exxon and Chevron.

heatmap.news

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 8d

That's a Draymond Green screen

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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 8d

Man that’s a game changing missed call on a ridiculously obvious penalty. Really bad!

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Gregg Rosenthal @greggrosenthal.bsky.social · 8d

that reminded me so much of the James Harrison play from the Super Bowl right down to Lloyd just freestyling

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Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 9d

"Giving L.A. a veto over state policy would doom California to more of the same — rising costs, worsening displacement and endless obstruction." calmatters.org/commentary/2...

Opinion | Los Angeles housing permits are tanking, yet leaders want Newsom to veto a major reform

Signing SB 79 should be an easy call, despite pressure from L.A. Newsom should know better than to let L.A. dictate state housing policy.

calmatters.org

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 10d

The AFC South woke up and chose violence

Reposted by Jake Higdon

Skyflyer Channel 8 News @skyflyer82.bsky.social · 10d

Broadview police chief accuses ICE agents of making false 911 calls www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Broadview police chief accuses ICE agents of making false 911 calls

Broadview Police Chief Thomas Mills said ICE agents are draining the resources of his department and the community by making false 911 calls.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

CNN @cnn.com · 11d

Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken. https://cnn.it/4pPCXIt

37 people arrested and American kids separated from parents after ICE raid at Chicago apartments | CNN

Adults and children alike were pulled from their Chicago apartments, crying and screaming, during a large overnight raid that has left tenants and neighbors shaken.

www.cnn.com

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 11d

As a UNC grad and fan, heads must roll at the highest levels for this Belichick trainwreck, which was entirely predictable.

You’re a flagship public university. Your dollars can change students’ lives, boost the state’s economy, invest in nation-leading women’s sports. The bar has GOT to be higher.

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Reposted by Jake Higdon

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 11d

"If we believe in democratic order, let us put science and knowledge back at the heart of things, let us put scientific authority back at the heart of things, let us put culture, education and learning back at the heart of things..."

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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 12d

This by @katmabu.bsky.social is the best speech I've heard yet by any politician about what ICE/Trump/Noem is doing and it's not close.

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 12d

I am just so fucking proud of her.

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @ocasio-cortez.house.gov · 12d

Trump just cancelled $8B of energy projects to pressure Democrats to let him jack up health care costs.

And he didn't just cancel projects in Dem districts; he canceled them in R districts too. The difference is that Republicans are letting him use their constituents as pawns.

TRUMP CANCELS NEARLY 8B IN CLEAN ENERGY PROJECTS INCLUDING MILLIONS IN NY REPUBLICANS' DISTRICTS
$26,236,446
cancelled for NY-17
• INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
MACHINES CORPORATION
• URBAN ELECTRIC POWER
INCORPORATED
$27,000,000
cancelled for NY-23
• JAMESTOWN BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITIES
• CLEANFIBER INC.
Source: Appropriations Committee
These are jobs. These are investments in lowering your energy bills.
Trump just cancelled them.

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Jake Higdon @jakehigdon.com · 13d

Stark juxtaposition between this Republican government’s gleeful snatching of funding away from Harris-voting states, and the extent to which the prior Dem gov’t cheered reinvestment in Trump-voting states.

The idea of the union is completely under siege right now.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Trump targets states that voted for Harris in shutdown fight

The Office of Management and Budget is withholding billions in energy and infrastructure money in more than a dozen states that voted against Trump.

www.politico.com

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