Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 39m

Important piece by Prof. Kate Andrias. This is why treating SCOTUS as the only word on the Constitution gives away our power as citizens.

As I frequently say “we are founders and framers” of the next iteration of democracy in this country.
GIFT LINK
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o...

Opinion | The Constitution Doesn’t Belong to Trump or the Supreme Court

www.nytimes.com

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 1h

After Trump got his Covid shot, he chose to fire the scientists protecting the rest of us from diseases.

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Kevin Carey @kevincarey1.bsky.social · 2h

It's clearer by the day that Columbia making a deal with Trump in July was a catastrophe for higher education as a whole. It gave terrible people a bottomless appetite for extortion. The other eight universities must follow MIT's lead.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

M.I.T. Rejects a White House Offer for Special Funding Treatment

www.nytimes.com

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · 2h

#GetOutTheVought‼️ Trump and Vought are decimating the federal workforce. This isn't just a shutdown stunt, this is in line with Project 2025's goal of cutting our government by 1 million workers.

STAND WITH SCIENCE!
✊Rally to TAKE BACK SCIENCE 10/17 @ 3pm ET
200 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC

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dr. hazel 🐝 @hazelmonforton.com · 1h

I think the main refreshing thing about Mamdani, for me, is that he actually likes New York City and wants to see it thrive for everyone.

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Mark Popinchalk @markpopinchalk.bsky.social · 23h

Oops! My science comedy talkshow got political! 🧪

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 5h

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 3h

It was yet another rough night for CDC employees: Dozens — possibly hundreds, they are still self-surveying — were let go late at night, including those who worked on the prestigious MMWR reports

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials

www.nytimes.com

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 5h

Standing in solidarity with colleagues at the CDC who were fired as part of yet another RIF wave.
We are all less safe without their expertise and dedication.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 15h

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 5h

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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Ryan Katz-Rosene, PhD @ryankatzrosene.bsky.social · 1d

Humans are responsible for 100% of the *increase* of atmospheric CO2 since the pre-Industrial era. It's increased by about 50% since then.

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E.A.R. @primateyell.bsky.social · 5h

I actually gasped. As a former public health reporter the MMWR is a big deal

Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 13h

The editors of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) were apparently fired today.

The precursor to MMWR began in 1878 to address emerging public health threats rapidly.

We are not “great” without it. We are vulnerable to threats from sporadic foodborne illness to bioterrorism.

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dmosh.bsky.social @dmosh.bsky.social · 13h

“You came here today with a witness who knows nothing about Costa Rica, I mean, less than nothing,” Judge Xinis told a government lawyer, referring to Mr. Schultz. “Help yourself dig out of this hole.”

“This is a joke for anyone who’s listening,” she added.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Judge Signals She Is Likely to Order Abrego Garcia’s Release Soon

www.nytimes.com

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Angie Rasmussen @angierasmussen.bsky.social · 14h

I don’t know who needs to hear this but the CDC is being eviscerated right now. America is not going to have any kind of outbreak response capacity after tonight. Americans’ health data is no longer secure. Say goodbye to federal public health in any capacity. It’s a disaster. We won’t recover.

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Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 20h

NEW: The private jet that flew 10 shackled migrants to an Eswatini prison last weekend is owned by Israeli-American billionaires with close ties to Trump.

It’s oligarchs all the way down.

My first for @zeteo.com:

zeteo.com/p/this-famil...

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Virginia Gewin @virginiagewin.bsky.social · 17h

Journalist here

I’m interested in talking to a federal agency scientist who was fired, then rehired. I can keep you anonymous. I’m on Signal ginnyg.04

Reposts are appreciated!

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Maryn McKenna @marynmck.bsky.social · 15h

Extremely bad news if true (and unlikely this reporter would run with it if not). The MMWR has been the earliest warning bell for outbreaks since it announced the first US cases, in 1981, of what was later identified as AIDS.

This will be a grievous shock to what remains of US public health.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 15h

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Sam Halpert @samhalpert.bsky.social · 14h

It’s impt enough to be explicitly required by law: The Secretary of Health and Human Services “shall publish weekly reports of health conditions in the United States…and other pertinent health information for the use of persons and institutions concerned with health services.” (42 U.S.C. §242o(b)

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Daniel MacPhee 🇨🇦 @d-macphee.bsky.social · 15h

Lost Science

“This disruption is, as far as I can tell, unprecedented in US history. There are echoes from the history of other countries—Soviet science under Lysenko, for example, or German science in the 1930s”
🧪 #Scicomm
buttondown.com/carlzimmer/a...

Friday's Elk: Lost Science

Photo by Jeekc/Wikimedia Last week, Jane Goodall died. I contributed to the coverage at the New York Times with a story that I co-authored with Emily Anthes....

buttondown.com

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Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · May 30

⚖ The SEC dropped its lawsuit against Binance on Thursday, just a week after the crypto exchange started listing Trump's stablecoin.

But wait, there's more—

me, for @forbes.com

1/

SEC Drops Lawsuit Against Binance After Trump-Backed USD1 Stablecoin Launches On Crypto Exchange

Binance’s CEO also has petitioned Trump’s Justice Department for a pardon.

www.forbes.com

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Larry Tenney @larrytenney.bsky.social · 17h

Republicans are scared AF about #NoKings Day -- calling it a "Hate America Rally" a bunch of "radical left terrorists" lol

So, let's be sure we show the communities we gather in that WE LOVE AMERICA and that's why we are taking it to the streets

Bring flags 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
@indivisible.org

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Lisa Jarvis @lisamjarvis.bsky.social · 14h

I have a piece coming out this weekend that uses data from at least 4 recent MMWRs. That’s not unusual, btw, that’s how essential those CDC reports are for tracking things flu, RSV, maternal mortality…

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 15h

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Jason❌ @gizmosspace.bsky.social · 1d

This is awesome.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 17h

UPDATE: Judge Perry issued an opinion explaining why she blocked the Texas National Guard deployment in Chicago.

She begins with Alexander Hamilton’s rejection of a “preposterous” idea that the Constitution lets a President deploy a State’s militia to a different State for political retribution. 🧵

OPINION AND ORDER
Since this country was founded, Americans have disagreed about the appropriate division
of power between the federal government and the fifty states that make up our Union. This
tension is a natural result of the system of federalism adopted by our Founders. And yet, not even
the Founding Father most ardently in favor of a strong federal government believed that one
state's militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution, calling such
a suggestion "inflammatory," and stating "it is impossible to believe that [a President] would employ such preposterous means to accomplish their designs." But Plaintiffs contend that such
an event has come to pass, and argue that National Guard troops from both Illinois and Texas
have been deployed to Illinois because the President of the United States wants to punish state elected officials whose policies are different from his own.

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Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 15h

A few years ago, somebody came up with the idea of Email Amnesty Day, when we'd all reset our inboxes to zero and exercise extend patience, forgiveness, and charity toward one another as we all cleared out our backlogs and started afresh. This impractical idea never took off, but…I sure wish it had.

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