Sharon Lerner
@fastlerner.bsky.social
Environmental reporter at ProPublica. Brooklynite. Fan of nature, facts, pie
Pinned
Sharon Lerner
@fastlerner.bsky.social
· Dec 8
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
NEW: Last year we found the acceptable level of exposure to formaldehyde set by the EPA left people at risk for cancer.
Now the Trump administration has roughly doubled it
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Now the Trump administration has roughly doubled it
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
LIVE NOW: Our reporters Brett Murphy and @annamaria.bsky.social and photographer @peterdicampo.bsky.social are taking your questions on Reddit about how Trump’s gutting of USAID exacerbated a cholera epidemic and created an American-made hunger crisis 👇
January 22, 2026 at 8:09 PM
LIVE NOW: Our reporters Brett Murphy and @annamaria.bsky.social and photographer @peterdicampo.bsky.social are taking your questions on Reddit about how Trump’s gutting of USAID exacerbated a cholera epidemic and created an American-made hunger crisis 👇
Tylenol in Pregnancy Not Tied to Autism, Rigorous Review Shows www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
But we do know that high fevers in pregnancy are associated with autism
But we do know that high fevers in pregnancy are associated with autism
Tylenol in Pregnancy Not Tied to Autism, Rigorous Review Shows
Study debunks fears about prenatal acetaminophen and child development
www.medpagetoday.com
January 19, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Tylenol in Pregnancy Not Tied to Autism, Rigorous Review Shows www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
But we do know that high fevers in pregnancy are associated with autism
But we do know that high fevers in pregnancy are associated with autism
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
“Asking scientists to spy on and report on their fellow co-authors” is a “classic hallmark of authoritarianism,” said Jennifer Jones, director for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
NEW from @lisalsong.bsky.social and me:
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sen...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 2:48 PM
“Asking scientists to spy on and report on their fellow co-authors” is a “classic hallmark of authoritarianism,” said Jennifer Jones, director for the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
I’ve been following this case for several years. Finally, a judge in Milwaukee brought a grieving father’s 13-year quest for justice to a close, accepting a plea deal for two men who were criminally charged for their role in the 2012 killing of teenager Corey Stingley at a convenience store.
A Black Teen Died Over a $12 Shoplifting Attempt. 13 Years Later, Two Men Plead Guilty in His Killing.
16-year-old Corey Stingley died from asphyxiation after being pinned down by customers in a convenience store. Under a special agreement, the family of the teen finally feels that “truth, understandin...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I’ve been following this case for several years. Finally, a judge in Milwaukee brought a grieving father’s 13-year quest for justice to a close, accepting a plea deal for two men who were criminally charged for their role in the 2012 killing of teenager Corey Stingley at a convenience store.
NEW from @lisalsong.bsky.social and me:
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sen...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 2:30 PM
NEW from @lisalsong.bsky.social and me:
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
The Trump administration is now asking USDA workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.”
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
I am still tracking the detentions of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents
If you know something or want to share your story, please get in touch
✉️[email protected]
Signal: nicolefoy.27
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
If you know something or want to share your story, please get in touch
✉️[email protected]
Signal: nicolefoy.27
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
www.propublica.org
January 15, 2026 at 8:23 PM
I am still tracking the detentions of U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents
If you know something or want to share your story, please get in touch
✉️[email protected]
Signal: nicolefoy.27
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
If you know something or want to share your story, please get in touch
✉️[email protected]
Signal: nicolefoy.27
www.propublica.org/article/immi...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
NEW: Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With, by @lisalsong.bsky.social @fastlerner.bsky.social
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sen...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 12:35 PM
NEW: Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With, by @lisalsong.bsky.social @fastlerner.bsky.social
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
NEW from @lisalsong.bsky.social and @fastlerner.bsky.social: The Trump administration is directing employees at the USDA to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With
The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sen...
www.propublica.org
January 16, 2026 at 12:48 PM
NEW from @lisalsong.bsky.social and @fastlerner.bsky.social: The Trump administration is directing employees at the USDA to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
Flashbangs burn hotter then lava.
They've caused serious burns, severed hands, and even killed.
*That's* what ICE just tossed into a car full of kids.
Here's our investigation from 2015, by @juliaangwin.com:
www.propublica.org/article/flas...
They've caused serious burns, severed hands, and even killed.
*That's* what ICE just tossed into a car full of kids.
Here's our investigation from 2015, by @juliaangwin.com:
www.propublica.org/article/flas...
January 15, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Flashbangs burn hotter then lava.
They've caused serious burns, severed hands, and even killed.
*That's* what ICE just tossed into a car full of kids.
Here's our investigation from 2015, by @juliaangwin.com:
www.propublica.org/article/flas...
They've caused serious burns, severed hands, and even killed.
*That's* what ICE just tossed into a car full of kids.
Here's our investigation from 2015, by @juliaangwin.com:
www.propublica.org/article/flas...
the alarming studies keep rolling in... this one shows that exposure to "forever chemicals" is linked to a higher Risk of gestational diabetes
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(25)00682-0/fulltext
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(25)00682-0/fulltext
Associations of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances with markers of glycaemic control, insulin secretion and sensitivity, and diabetes risk: a systematic review and meta-analyses
Evidence from observational studies supports PFAS associations with higher odds of
GDM and increased markers of insulin resistance and secretion. PFAS associations with
established T2D or T1D remain t...
thelancet.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:33 PM
the alarming studies keep rolling in... this one shows that exposure to "forever chemicals" is linked to a higher Risk of gestational diabetes
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(25)00682-0/fulltext
thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(25)00682-0/fulltext
kudos to the forever lobbying project and @stephanehorel.bsky.social
. @corporateeurope.org joined forces with a team of international journalists including us at Watershed for The Forever Lobbying Project - exposing industry lobbying to prevent an EU PFAS ban, "bigger than anything the tobacco industry have been able to pull together."
share.google/TGvHaj8ITpgy...
share.google/TGvHaj8ITpgy...
January 14, 2026 at 2:31 PM
kudos to the forever lobbying project and @stephanehorel.bsky.social
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
DOJ staff resign over the department’s disinterest in Good killing.
A new spate of Justice Department officials quit because their section didn't want to probe Renee Good's shooting
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now
January 13, 2026 at 12:01 PM
DOJ staff resign over the department’s disinterest in Good killing.
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
Airline are doing the exact opposite because premium seats are what make them money.
Revealed: how #aviation emissions could be halved without cutting journeys
Exclusive: Getting rid of premium seats, ensuring flights are near full and using the most efficient aircraft could slash CO2, analysis suggests
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exclusive: Getting rid of premium seats, ensuring flights are near full and using the most efficient aircraft could slash CO2, analysis suggests
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Revealed: how aviation emissions could be halved without cutting journeys
Exclusive: Getting rid of premium seats, ensuring flights are near full and using efficient aircraft could slash CO2, analysis suggests
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Airline are doing the exact opposite because premium seats are what make them money.
Great new story by @lisalsong.bsky.social
Trump’s EPA Could Limit Its Own Ability to Toughen Air Pollution Rules %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% www.propublica.org/article/air-...
Trump’s EPA Could Limit Its Own Ability to Toughen Air Pollution Rules %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% www.propublica.org/article/air-...
Trump’s EPA Could Limit Its Own Ability to Use New Science to Strengthen Air Pollution Rules
In government records that have flown under the radar, the EPA is questioning its legal authority to revise pollution rules more than once when new science shows unacceptable health risks.
www.propublica.org
January 7, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Great new story by @lisalsong.bsky.social
Trump’s EPA Could Limit Its Own Ability to Toughen Air Pollution Rules %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% www.propublica.org/article/air-...
Trump’s EPA Could Limit Its Own Ability to Toughen Air Pollution Rules %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% www.propublica.org/article/air-...
If you read nothing else today... just make sure you have some time to grieve
They also maintained nobody has died because of the USAID cuts. Here’s our reporting from Kenya, where we found that isn’t true, with 📸 by @storitellah.com www.propublica.org/article/keny...
After Trump Officials Cut Food Aid to Kenya, Children Starved to Death
“Brutal and traumatizing”: Interviews and a trove of internal documents show government officials and aid workers desperately tried to warn Trump advisers about impending disaster and death.
www.propublica.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:13 PM
If you read nothing else today... just make sure you have some time to grieve
This devastating piece destroys the lie that no one died as the result of this administration's cuts to USAID.
In South Sudan countless people died from cholera after US cut off money, as @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy report
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
In South Sudan countless people died from cholera after US cut off money, as @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy report
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera.
Behind closed doors in Washington, top advisers made a series of decisions that had devastating repercussions for the poorest country on earth. We went to South Sudan and found people who died as a re...
www.propublica.org
December 15, 2025 at 5:30 PM
This devastating piece destroys the lie that no one died as the result of this administration's cuts to USAID.
In South Sudan countless people died from cholera after US cut off money, as @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy report
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
In South Sudan countless people died from cholera after US cut off money, as @annamaria.bsky.social and Brett Murphy report
www.propublica.org/article/usai...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
In a highly unusual move, the EPA is revising an assessment of the health dangers posed by formaldehyde, a widespread pollutant that causes far more cancer than any other chemical in the air.
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
December 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
In a highly unusual move, the EPA is revising an assessment of the health dangers posed by formaldehyde, a widespread pollutant that causes far more cancer than any other chemical in the air.
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
The Trump EPA has nearly doubled the amount of formaldehyde considered safe to inhale compared with a Biden-era assessment, which had already significantly underestimated the dangers of the chemical, a ProPublica investigation found.
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
December 11, 2025 at 4:00 AM
The Trump EPA has nearly doubled the amount of formaldehyde considered safe to inhale compared with a Biden-era assessment, which had already significantly underestimated the dangers of the chemical, a ProPublica investigation found.
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
By @fastlerner.bsky.social
Also noting that the Trump administration is taking a similar approach with radiation
An executive order on radiation that Trump issued in May criticized the linear method of assessing cancer risk and directed the NRC to consider adopting new exposure limits
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
An executive order on radiation that Trump issued in May criticized the linear method of assessing cancer risk and directed the NRC to consider adopting new exposure limits
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Under Former Chemical Industry Insiders, Trump EPA Nearly Doubles Amount of Formaldehyde Considered Safe to Inhale
Chemical industry lobbyists have long pushed the government to adopt a less stringent approach to gauging the cancer risk from chemicals, one that would help ease regulations on companies that make or...
www.propublica.org
December 9, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Also noting that the Trump administration is taking a similar approach with radiation
An executive order on radiation that Trump issued in May criticized the linear method of assessing cancer risk and directed the NRC to consider adopting new exposure limits
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
An executive order on radiation that Trump issued in May criticized the linear method of assessing cancer risk and directed the NRC to consider adopting new exposure limits
www.propublica.org/article/epa-...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
Community health centers were created to be medical safety nets for people who struggle to afford primary care.
But we found that several are suing patients and garnishing their paychecks – which experts say contradicts their mission.
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
But we found that several are suing patients and garnishing their paychecks – which experts say contradicts their mission.
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
These Health Centers Are Supposed to Make Care Affordable. One Has Sued Patients for as Little as $59 in Unpaid Bills.
Federally funded community health centers receive grants in exchange for serving patients regardless of their ability to pay. But ProPublica found at least five across the country garnishing patients’...
www.propublica.org
December 9, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Community health centers were created to be medical safety nets for people who struggle to afford primary care.
But we found that several are suing patients and garnishing their paychecks – which experts say contradicts their mission.
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
But we found that several are suing patients and garnishing their paychecks – which experts say contradicts their mission.
www.propublica.org/article/fede...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
"You signed one document attesting that a property in Michigan would be your primary residence for the next year. Two weeks later, you signed another..." Trump wrote. "It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second.”
🤔
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
🤔
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing ...
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:33 PM
"You signed one document attesting that a property in Michigan would be your primary residence for the next year. Two weeks later, you signed another..." Trump wrote. "It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second.”
🤔
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
🤔
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
Reposted by Sharon Lerner
NEW:
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans. We found Trump once did the very thing ...
www.propublica.org
December 8, 2025 at 12:32 PM
NEW:
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Trump’s Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal
www.propublica.org/article/trum...
w/ @robert-faturechi.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social