Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 1h

thank you for sharing! what a beautiful, peaceful moment.

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Doug Mack @douglasmack.bsky.social · 15h

doing journalism

me emailing Tori Amos to ask if she invented the pumpkin spice latte

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Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 5h

love to have a stern puppy rebuking me for leaving home after all journeys short (like... to the mailbox) and long

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Representative Jim McGovern @repmcgovern.bsky.social · 21h

Because Speaker Johnson refuses to reopen the government, I’m doing my weekly #EndHungerNow speech from the steps of the Capitol.

This week, I’m talking about my new bill—the Healthy Meals Help Kids Learn Act. Here’s how it will help feed hungry kids & support local farmers.

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Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 1d

Flat, graphic illustrated poster entitled "Red-Eyed Birds of North America" featuring shadowy gray-blue silhouetted birds punctuated by bright red eyes. 23 birds are depicted in total, some highlights being the Snail Kite, Roseate Spoonbill, Common Loon, and Wood Duck.

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 1d

This is a jaw-dropping, terrifying number. The CDC's workforce has decreased by 3,000 people since January.

A Quarter of the CDC Is Gone

Another round of terminations, combined with previous layoffs and departures, has reduced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workforce by about 3,000 people since January.

www.wired.com

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 1d

NEW — I dug into the story of ICE abducting a 13-year-old boy in Massachusetts and moving him 500 miles across state lines without notifying his mother, local cop's complicity, and how the federal government's justification for such cruelty is already falling apart:

ICE took a 13-year-old they said had a gun. Local cops say he didn’t.

Now he's detained 500 miles away from his Massachusetts home.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Luke O'Neil @lukeoneil47.bsky.social · 1d

80 year old senators should be primaried by younger talent in the party.
*5 seconds later*
Ah crap

Miles Grant @milesgrant.bsky.social · 1d

Anti-trans corporatist Moulton would’ve been lucky to win re-election to his own seat & won’t beat Markey

But it would be nice to see Ed retire & endorse @ayannapressley.bsky.social

Congressman Moulton will challenge Markey for US Senate seat | Dorchester Reporter

For the second election cycle in a row, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey will face a challenge from a younger Democrat in the state's Congressional delegation. Congressman Seth Moulton of Salem announced Wednesday...

www.dotnews.com

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Kate Clancy @kateclancy.bsky.social · 2d

I am being asked to tell my department which pieces of lab equipment should be supported with backup power because they expect rolling blackouts and brownouts in 2026 due to increased energy demands from AI. In case you're wondering how my day is going.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 2d

The entire incident is infuriating and terrifying. She’s a Latina woman who was working a service job. On her way home late at night, with her headphones in, she was detained for an hour by masked federal agents who wouldn’t give her their names.

Maria Greeley, 44, had just finished working a double shift at the Beach Bar on Ohio Street
earlier this month when she said she was surrounded by three federal agents who grabbed her, forced her hands behind her back and zip tied her.
Headphones in, Greeley had been focused on getting home to her two dogs for a walk.
Instead, she said she was detained by masked agents who did not answer when she asked for names. They questioned her for an hour, she said.

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Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 2d

yiiiiiikes!! if you're drinking a daily protein shake, you should know that the FDA does not regulate how much lead is permitted in protein powder or other 'dietary supplements' and as a result there can be... rather a lot of lead in each serving

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 2d

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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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 3d

It’s worth noting that when he decided to speak out about his unconstitutional ICE detainment, DHS accused him of assault.

They lie.

They blame the victims.

George did nothing wrong. He was just trying to get to work and was hit with chemical munitions and detained for three days.

Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 4d

“I spent three nights and three days in federal custody. During that time, I was never told what I was charged with, was not allowed to shower despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, had no phone call to my family, and no access to an attorney.” - George Retes, U.S. citizen and veteran.

I’m a US citizen and a veteran. ICE arrested me for no reason.

Jailed for three days without an explanation or ability to notify anyone, George Retes argues the only path to healing starts with the government taking accountability for its actions.

newsletter.ofthebrave.org

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Jesse Mermell @jessemermell.bsky.social · 3d

He is 13. A 7th grader w/ a pending asylum case. Being held more than 500 miles from home & housed w/ adults. He called his mom crying, & reported that he’s sleeping on concrete w/ an aluminum blanket.

How is this anything other than sick & shameful? www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/12/m...

Everett 13-year-old arrested by ICE and sent to Virginia detention facility - The Boston Globe

The boy’s mother, Josiele Berto, was called to pick her son up from the Everett Police Department on Thursday, the day he was arrested.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 4d

Looks from here like the goal is to create confusion, and focus public attention on a subset of the most outrageous firings — to distract from the other firings.

We shouldn’t be fooled, and should demand that all the illegal shutdown RIFs are made null and void. /end

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Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 4d

Gray day at Wachusett Reservoir with loons calling all around and only a few fishermen on the trails. Bliss.

Photo from my POV sitting on the rocks at the edge of Wachusett Reservoir. My legs, boots, and walking stick are in the foreground with a cloudy gray sky reflecting in calm water and the treelined opposite shore in the background.

Trees and shrubs on the shore of Wachusett Reservoir with bright fall foliage stand in contrast to the gray sky and water.

Tree-lined rocky shore of the Reservoir is perfectly reflected in the calm water, as is the gray cloudy sky above.

Another view of the moody gray sky reflected in the calm water of Wachusett Reservoir, taken from the rocky shore.

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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 5d

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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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 5d

ICE left David, a 17-year-old boy, stranded on the side of Interstate 20 after pulling over his immigrant father, Hector, in Mississippi.

David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.

Here's their story.

ICE Stranded a 17-Year-Old on I-20 After Arresting His Father. The Mississippi Dad Now Faces Deportation.

A 17-year-old watched as ICE arrested his immigrant father, Hector, on I-20 in June. The family faces mounting legal fees and the risk of deportation.

www.mississippifreepress.org

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 5d

My first thought was “wow I hope this guy didn’t give out his name because he could absolutely be charged” and yup, he is correct to stay anonymous.

This man’s account is shocking. His neighbors’ situation is shocking. The entire Chicago raid is shocking.

On the other side was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for his help.
"I wasn't planning on letting her stay, but I didn't know what the hell was going on," the man said of his Venezuelan migrant neighbors. But he quickly relented. The little girl was inconsolable and hid under his bed.
"I didn't want them to take her," said the man, who didn't want to be named because he fears he'll be targeted by federal authorities for his actions.
"I gave her my bedroom, and I just told her,
'Just stay there. Don't open, don't, shh, just stay quiet," he recalled telling the mom and daughter as he choked back tears.

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Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 5d

bsky.app/profile/laur...

Laura Mariani @lauramariani.bsky.social · 9d

Black and white still from a Godzilla movie showing Godzilla destroying a city and chomping on a train. Captioned “What is the insurrection act?” to clown on CNN using a different totally unrelated image with the same headline when talking about Trump’s attacks of Portland.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d

Re-upping this piece on news that Vought is firing federal employees:
*Vought lying that shutdowns compel layoffs, never have before.
*Layoffs are a choice, the shutdown is an excuse.
*Comes on top of existing RIFs, will make restoring govt services harder post-shutdown.
substack.com/home/post/p-...

Shutdown hostage taking

Russ Vought's threatens more mass firings; SCOTUS blesses his de facto impoundment

substack.com

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 6d

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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Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 7d

New Study Finds Annual COVID Vaccines Protect People against Severe Disease, Even with Prior Immunity www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Bryce Covert @brycecovert.bsky.social · 8d

Georgia's Medicaid work requirement increased neither Medicaid enrollment nor employment www.bmj.com/content/390/...

Insurance coverage and employment after Medicaid expansion with work requirements: quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study

Objective To understand how health insurance coverage and employment changed among working age adults with low incomes in Georgia, the first state to implement Medicaid expansion with work requirement...

www.bmj.com

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Mikki Kendall @karnythia.bsky.social · 9d

You could just talk about Jim Crow. I promise you, there's no need to leave America's shores to talk about life in a fascist state

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 9d

Under the Third Reich, most Germans generally lived in the law-bound normative state, while Jews and other disfavored people were victims of the arbitrary and violent prerogative state.

The dual state is characterized by the facade of normalcy obscuring the fact of an authoritarian state.

The “dual state” theory was invented to describe Nazis. The Supreme Court could take us there.

Authoritarianism—but make it look like the rule of law.

www.motherjones.com

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Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 9d

“We have 1,544 measles cases this year, 92% in unvaccinated people, and 3 deaths. The problem isn’t the vaccine — it’s that people aren’t getting it. O’Neill hasn’t offered a single scientific rationale for breaking up MMR.”

@aniloza.bsky.social
@statnews.com
www.statnews.com/2025/10/06/t...

Acting CDC director calls for MMR vaccine to be broken up into three shots

There's no evidence that breaking up the MMR shot would make the immunization safer or more effective.

www.statnews.com

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