Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 12h

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 16h

POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.

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

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Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 16h

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paris martineau @paris.nyc · 17h

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

Reposted by Bryn Nelson

The Editorial Board @editorialboard.bsky.social · 16h

newrepublic.com/post/201745/...

ICE Detains U.S. Citizen After Saying She Doesn’t “Look” American

She even had her U.S. passport on her.

newrepublic.com

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

They also cancelled government data collection about hunger to minimize evidence about their policies

José Sepúlveda @josesepulveda.bsky.social · 1d

ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the 94 million pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the #Trump administration’s cuts to The Emergency Food Assistance Program.

My latest video for @propublica.org.

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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: There’s a disaster unfolding in Alaska right now. And no major network is covering it.

The remnants of Typhoon Halong battered western Alaska overnight. Homes, with people in them, have literally been swept into the Bering Strait.

At least 20 are missing. No comment from any federal agency.

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Justin Elliott @justinelliott.bsky.social · 2d

Here is our full story that Vance is dismissing, with primary source documents showing Trump cabinet members with multiple primary-residence mortgages

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 3d

“We can give $20 billion to Argentina but we can’t afford the CDC’s measles experts” is a hell of an argument

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Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea.bsky.social · 5d

Brandolini’s Law (also known as the bullshit asymmetry principle):

The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.

H/t @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social

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Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 3d

The CDC official who was leading the measles response and was RIFd has more than 28 yrs experience as the senior USG official leading outbreaks on Ebola, Marburg virus, and mpox. 2/4

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Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 3d

I mean, maybe a reporter could actually look around and tell the editors if it’s a “Hellscape” or not instead of repeating a ludicrous lie? C’mon. This shouldn’t be hard.

David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 3d

A classic case of irresponsible both-sidesism from the NYT. The story is that Trump and MAGA propagandists are lying about Portland to incite a conflict, not that there are different views of the matter.

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Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 3d

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 4d

The largest solar project in Nevada has been canceled amidst the Trump administration's federal permitting freeze.
It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power. heatmap.news/sparks/esmer...

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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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 4d

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 5d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 5d

Isaac Stanley-Becker traveled to Portland and spent time at the demonstration that Donald Trump wants to crush. What he found is an atmosphere that is more like a carnival than combat. Fox substitutes images from 2020 for what is happening, because actual images can't be reconciled with their claims

Portland’s ‘War Zone’ Is Like Burning Man for the Terminally Online

There’s more absurdity than menace on the city’s streets—at least for now.

www.theatlantic.com

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Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 5d

This … is not how science works.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 5d

RFK JR: There are many other confirmations -- there are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol

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Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 5d

Um, beyond being impossible (drug companies will pay consumers??) this just is just bonkers. C’mon reporters. Extremely not normal.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d

Trump: "We're gonna be reducing the cost of medicines by 100%, 200%, 300%, 500% and even more than that."

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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 5d

When I was reporting in Sudan several years ago, a driver warned me not to tell government officials when I was leaving because the airport is where they stop and detain writers.

So, yeah, this is a very bad sign. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

www.theguardian.com

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Freedom to Read Project @freedomreadproject.bsky.social · 5d

This is more than a story about 1 banned book. In Escambia County, a court ruled that students & authors have no 1st Amendment rights in school libraries, opening the door to unchecked censorship.
www.freedomtoreadproject.org/what_s_reall...

When we let one removal stand on principle, we all lose.

What’s Really at Stake: The And Tango Makes Three Ruling and the Slippery Reasoning That Fails Us

A Florida judge ruled authors and students lack First Amendment rights in libraries, granting political control over public access and professional curation of ideas.

www.freedomtoreadproject.org

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Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 6d

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 6d

"We took the freedom of speech away," says the president

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Riley Black 🦕 🏳️‍⚧️ @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 6d

I live by my writing. Pick up When the Earth Was Green for yourself or someone you know who could use a prehistoric nature walk. It helps me, helps indies, and today you can still get free shipping. 🌱

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Robert Mahon @bedform.org · 6d

There’s no way around this. They are calling the actual nazis good and the the anti fascists bad. Directly. Explicitly. On camera.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 6d

Incredible.

Jack Posobiec references the earliest version of antifa -- the anti-fascists in the Weimar Republic who were opposed to the Nazi Party -- as the bad guys.

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Jacob Grier @jacobgrier.bsky.social · 6d

Reading this post from a recently opened coffeeshop enclosed by surprisingly transparent plywood.

View from a coffeeshop with wall-length windows

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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 6d

"WE MAKE NEWS LOUDER. IF STORY GOOD ON ONE SIDE, SHOW OTHER SIDE TOO. OTHER SIDE WRONG? OTHER SIDE WANT BLEACH IN VEINS? ANIMAL RUN BOTH. REPORT BOTH SIDES. EVEN WHEN ONE SIDE THINK HEAD MEDS MAKE QUIET BABIES."

“AAAGGGHHH!!!” A Memo from Animal, Your New Editor-in-Chief

“[Editor-in-chief of CBS News] Bari Weiss told network staffers in a morning editorial call that she wants to ‘win’ before delivering a rallying cr...

buff.ly

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 6d

I spoke to another pastor after publication, Rev. David Swanson.

He's only been to the facility once (last Friday), and wasn't shot w/pepper balls.

Instead, he says senior Border Patrol official Gregory Bovino just walked up to him — in full clerical garb — and began shoving.

He put it this way:

I've been at many protests in our city over the years for a variety of different things, in my clergy attire, desiring to be a presence for peace in situations that can get volatile, desiring to be a person who different sides can be able to approach and talk with and have conversations with. I do think this is one of the important roles that faith leaders can play in contentious public situations.

This was the first time that I felt like there was absolutely no regard and no respect for a person who was visibly associated with the faith tradition. It did not seem like it made one iota of difference.

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