Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

RSF @rsf.org · 12d

#USA RSF and 16 other organizations published a joint statement calling for the Trump admin to abandon a proposal to severely restrict visas for international journalists. Read the statement here: rsf.org/en/usa-rsf-a...

USA: RSF and 16 press freedom groups denounce proposed journalist visa restrictions

In August, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a new rule that would drastically restrict the amount of time foreign journalists can live and work in the country. Reporters Without B...

rsf.org

8 12

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 21d

NEW: U.S. Is Losing Race to Return to Moon, Critics Say, Pointing at SpaceX

The company’s Starship rocket, which has suffered a series of recent test explosions, is still years away from being ready for the mission, former NASA executives say.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/u...

U.S. Is Losing Race to Return to Moon, Critics Say, Pointing at SpaceX

www.nytimes.com

64 130 430

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Freedom of the Press Foundation @freedom.press · 22d

Mario Guevara is here legally and is not facing any criminal charges.

He is being thrown out of the country for nothing but reporting news.

US appeals court orders deportation of Atlanta journalist detained by Ice

Mario Guevara faces imminent removal from US as his attorney files emergency petition

www.theguardian.com

13 350 780

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Grist @grist.org · 25d

This Pennsylvania settlement could set the standard for preventing tiny plastic pellet pollution.

A company agreed to install technology to watch for the tiny plastic pellets.

grist.org/solutions/pl...

#Plastic #Pennsylvania #Pollution #Health #Toxic #Climate #Environment

This Pennsylvania settlement could set the standard for preventing tiny plastic pellet pollution

A company agreed to install technology to watch for "nurdles," tiny plastic pellets used to make all manner of goods.

grist.org

12 27

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Aug 26

County Council calls on Congress to increase monthly benefits for coal miners with black lung

Amid rising concerns about coal miners who have been diagnosed with black lung, County Council unanimously voted Tuesday to urge local members of Congress...

www.post-gazette.com

1

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 24

Federal regulatory gaps and enforcement lapses allow mine operators to expose their workers to dangerously high levels of coal dust. Read the latest from @michaeldsallah.bsky.social, @wereschagin.bsky.social, and me.

Michael D. Sallah @michaeldsallah.bsky.social · Aug 24

TOXINS RUN WILD: While the White House pushes the coal industry to boost production, federal regulators are allowing mine owners to expose thousands of workers to lethal levels of coal dust - far beyond the bounds of safety - as black lung cases surge.
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...

Deadly dust: Missed inspections, enforcement failures imperil the lives of coal miners

Deep in the earth's crust, the toxic substance rises in the air as miners drill into massive layers of rock. As they work the controls of the big machines,...

www.post-gazette.com

1 3

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Aug 20

Mold, lead and more environmental factors threaten health of Pa. schoolchildren, per new report

With data collected from 2018 through 2022, the study examined factors including air and water quality, the age of buildings and their conditions, and COVID-era ventilation upgrades.

www.post-gazette.com

1

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 19

FWIW the National Museum of African American History is full of stories of heroism, liberation, perseverance and success against all odds, and, when I lasted visited, had a special exhibit on Afrofuturism. Black history is American history. Black culture is American culture.

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · Aug 19

WON’T SOMEONE THINK ABOUT THE ENSLAVERS!?

3

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Aug 18

Amid immigration uncertainty, ‘Hello Neighbor’ helps migrants find their place in Pittsburgh

Felix Rokiko’s journey to Pittsburgh began thousands of miles ago in his home country of Uganda, which he left in February to pursue a new life in...

www.post-gazette.com

1

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

WESA @wesa.fm · Aug 15

Republicans, eager to avoid a repeat of Doug Mastriano's 2022 loss, are rallying behind state Treasurer Stacy Garrity for governor. Though she hasn’t formally declared, GOP leaders see her as their best chance to challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro and avoid downballot damage in some key districts.

Pa. GOP bets on Garrity — not Mastriano — for governor’s race against Shapiro

It’s no secret that Republicans are anxious to field a strong challenge to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s re-election next year. During a May 30 speech in West Mifflin, for example, President Donald Trump…

buff.ly

1 2

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 11

Under international law, it is a war crime to deliberately target journalists.

Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom.bsky.social · Aug 11

An entire news crew working for Al Jazeera was killed by Israel as they sought to bring the world firsthand reporting from #Gaza.

Among them was prominent journalist Anas Al-Sharif, who had been previously smeared and threatened by the IDF.

#NotATarget

Full statement: cpj.org/2025/08/isra...

Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in targeted Gaza City airstrike - Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, August 10, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled to learn of the killing today of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and M...

cpj.org

3

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 11

The U.S. desperately needs to regulate blindingly bright vehicle headlights. It’s become near impossible to drive at night

1 2

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 4

Most of the money traces back to the Blockchain Innovation Project, a pro-crypto group whose leaders include Club for Growth President David McIntosh and former Ohio Democratic Sen. Tim Ryan.

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Aug 4

@wereschagin.bsky.social has new details on the dark money donors who spent tens of thousands of dollars to defeat Mayor Ed Gainey in the Democratic primary. www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...

1 1

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 28

Dark money in national elections gets a lot of coverage, but, increasingly, we're also seeing it seep into local politics. “It's one more nail in the coffin of our democratic system,” said Terry Goddard, a former attorney general of Arizona who led an anti-dark money campaign in the state.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Jul 27

PG investigation: How dark money flooded the race for Pittsburgh mayor

With just weeks left in a grueling Democratic primary election that could shape Pittsburgh’s future, mayoral challenger Corey O’Connor’s...

www.post-gazette.com

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 26

The House Ethics Committee concluded on Friday that Rep. Mike Kelly — whose wife bought $23,000 worth of stock in a steel company in 2020 — broke ethics rules during insider trading investigation. @benkail.bsky.social & @wereschagin.bsky.social have the details: www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...

Butler GOP Rep. Mike Kelly violated code of conduct during insider trading investigation, House Ethics Committee finds

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly violated congressional ethics rules and refused to fully cooperate with an investigation into insider trading by him and his wife,...

www.post-gazette.com

2

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 22

✅ Done. I had been meaning to publish it. Loving the app.

2 1

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Jul 12

'We're on a slippery slope': Alarming number of measles cases sees U.S. on course to no longer consider the disease eliminated

www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...

Alarming number of measles cases sees U.S. on course to no longer consider the disease eliminated

Surpassing a yearly measles case count not seen for more than three decades, the U.S. this week inched closer to losing its status as having eliminated...

www.post-gazette.com

1 2 2

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 8

The bill that was struck down would have given city neighborhoods the power to decide whether they wanted inclusionary zoning added to new developments. A dueling proposal by Mayor Ed Gainey would mandate inclusionary zoning citywide. From @hlauer.bsky.social.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · Jul 8

Pittsburgh City Council strikes down councilman's proposal for inclusionary zoning

Despite months of passionate debate, Pittsburgh City Council quietly struck down a plan that would give city neighborhoods the power to decide whether...

www.post-gazette.com

1

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Tim Lambert @timlambert-pa.bsky.social · Jul 8

A group of specially trained Pennsylvanians is being deployed to Texas to respond to the flooding that has claimed the lives of at least 100 people.

PA Task Force 1 heads to Texas to assist with rescue and recovery efforts • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that members of Pennsylvania Task Force 1 (PA-TF1) would be departing in the next 24 hours to lead a “multi-state support team for search, rescue, and vital response” in Te...

penncapital-star.com

2 5

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 6

I lived two years in Armenia, and no one there could agree on whether it is a European or Asian nation. I live in Pittsburgh now, and no one can agree on whether it is in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, or Northeast. I’m French-Canadian, which, in many ways, makes me neither French nor Canadian.

Aram Shabanian @aramshabanian.bsky.social · Jul 6

Armenian-American here. When I applied for school the closest category I had to what I was fell under "White/West European", and while Armenia IS in West Asia, I feel like marking "Asian" would get me the same flak Mamdani is seeing now.

Cooger & Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Podcast @gonebabygone.bsky.social · Jul 5

The Mamdani Columbia story is an example of a microgenre where ethnic communities have had complex internal conversations about identity for generations and white people pratfall into them to go "what the fuck, why are you trying to trick me"

2 1 9

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 5

Since Trump entered office, the number of immigrants detained by ICE in Western Pennsylvania has more than doubled from the same period last year. More than half have never been convicted of — or even charged with — a crime.
www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...

ICE detentions surge across Western Pennsylvania, new data shows

For ICE, the numbers have been mounting. A restaurant raid in Marshall where 14 people were rounded up recently, their arms shackled to their waists, some...

www.post-gazette.com

1 1

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Adam A. Marshall @a-marshall-plan.bsky.social · Jul 1

NEW: @rcfp.org is suing the FCC for records related to its "news distortion" investigation into CBS News. #FOIA Complaint + details here: www.rcfp.org/litigation/r...

RCFP sues FCC for records related to CBS ‘news distortion’ inquiry

The FCC violated FOIA by withholding the records, the lawsuit argues.

www.rcfp.org

3 8

Jimmy Cloutier @cloutierjr.bsky.social · Jul 1

Over the last decade, the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s district office in Mt. Pleasant, Pa. has overseen one in seven investigations into fatal coal mining accidents, more than any other. Now it’s closing. www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...

After years of investigating deaths and injuries of miners, Pa. mine safety center to close doors in August

Months after the federal government pushed to shutter dozens of mine safety centers across the country, the Mount Pleasant office — the busiest...

www.post-gazette.com

Reposted by Jimmy Cloutier

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press @rcfp.org · Jun 12

“Closing courtroom doors to a journalist attending a public immigration proceeding is unlawful and damaging to public transparency,” @rcfp.org and freelance journalist Kate Morrissey wrote in a letter to the San Diego Immigration Court.

RCFP, journalist urge San Diego Immigration Court to ensure full access to proceedings

“Closing courtroom doors to a journalist attending a public immigration proceeding is unlawful and damaging to public transparency.”

www.rcfp.org

3 2