Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Susie Neilson

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 2d

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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San Francisco Chronicle @sfchronicle.com · 4d

A San Francisco native is among hundreds of activists being detained at an Israeli prison after that country’s navy intercepted a flotilla of boats bound for Gaza with supplies and humanitarian aid.

S.F. man who captained a Gaza aid vessel is now being held in an Israeli prison

A San Francisco native is among hundreds of activists being detained at an Israeli prison after that country’s navy intercepted a flotilla of boats bound for Gaza with supplies and humanitarian...

bit.ly

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Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 8d

If you are following the story of The Pentagon's new policy, nicknamed, "you must check with us before you dream of doing any journalism," you may enjoy this update from @status.news

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Susie Neilson @susien.bsky.social · 9d

THX PETER!!!

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Peter Aldhous @peteraldhous.com · 9d

Congrats to my former student @susien.bsky.social for investigating how a flawed estimation tool leads to victims of California wildfires being under-insured businessjournalism.org/2025/09/2025...

Public-health focused investigations take top awards in the 19th annual Barlett and Steele Awards | The Reynolds Center

Promoting the importance of business journalism among journalism students, giving journalists tools to improve their business coverage, and helping

businessjournalism.org

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Free Press @freepress.bsky.social · 13d

"There's no other case like this right now. Mario is the only journalist in the United States jailed for his reporting." - @attorneynora.bsky.social with @kadiatubman.bsky.social of @scrippsnews.bsky.social

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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 14d

An ICE agent threw a mom to the ground.

You know how she can file a complaint with DHS?

SHE CAN'T. Trump closed that office.

www.propublica.org/article/home...

On March 21, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem shut down the office and fired most of the 150-person staff. As a result, about 600 civil rights abuse investigations were frozen.

“All the oversight in DHS was eliminated today,” one worker texted after the announcement that they’d been fired.

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Rachael Myrow @rachaelmyrow.bsky.social · 14d

Across China, tens of thousands of people tagged as troublemakers are trapped in a digital cage by the world’s largest digital surveillance apparatus. Most of this technology came from Silicon Valley companies that have long claimed to support freedom. apnews.com/article/chin... via @apnews.com

Silicon Valley enabled brutal mass detention and surveillance in China, internal documents show

U.S. technology firms such as IBM, Dell and Cisco largely designed and built China’s surveillance state, an AP investigation finds. The tech companies deny wrongdoing.

apnews.com

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Jessica Lussenhop @jlussenhop.bsky.social · 14d

This is EXTRAORDINARY impact, driven by the Pulitzer Prize-finalist journalism of @deldeib.bsky.social. At a time when so much is being dismantled, it is incredible to see something like this launching to improve health outcomes for moms and babies: www.propublica.org/article/nih-...

NIH Launches New Multimillion-Dollar Initiative to Reduce U.S. Stillbirth Rate

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a long-neglected public health concern. “There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was...

www.propublica.org

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Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 20d

CW: protester being struck in the head by a pepper ball

Footage I took earlier of the moment Reverend David Black, a regular protester outside of the Broadview Detention Center, was shot in the head with a pepper ball by ICE agents on the roof of the facility.

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404 Media @404media.co · 23d

The Department of Justice has removed a study showing that white supremacist and far-right violence “continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism” in the United States.

🔗 www.404media.co/doj-deletes-...

DOJ Deletes Study Showing Domestic Terrorists Are Most Often Right Wing

Following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the Trump administration’s promise to go after the “radical left” a study showing most domestic terrosim is far-right was disappeared.

www.404media.co

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COYOTE @coyotemedia.org · 24d

❤️🔥 HOT OFF THE PRESSES! 🔥❤️

COYOTE Media Collective is live!! We’re so incredibly proud of this smart, fierce, unapologetic Bay Area media project. Dive in, see what we’ve been building, read our stories, and join the pack! coyotemedia.org

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Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · Sep 4

Disease prevalence in US states before & after vaccine introduction 🧪

From Edward Tufte & graphics.wsj.com/infectious-d...

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · Sep 4

I’ve studied US drone strikes, I wrote a book called “Drones and Terrorism,” and this Caribbean strike is different.

Lethal fire at a non-threatening target in a non-hostile environment on purpose when other means, such as capture, were easily doable, and without even attempting a legal rationale.

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Susie Neilson @susien.bsky.social · Aug 28

New from me and @meganmunce.bsky.social - Hexavalent chromium, a compound made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich," has been found in the air around LA wildfire cleanup sites. For @sfchronicle.com tinyurl.com/3k5ap2te

‘Erin Brockovich’ made this cancer-causing compound famous. Now it’s been found in L.A. fire debris

Hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen made famous by the film “Erin Brockovich,” is being found in the air near L.A. wildfire debris sites, researchers say.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Susie Neilson @susien.bsky.social · Aug 27

Scoop by @edwardsanthonyb.bsky.social @saradinatale.bsky.social

www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Meteorologists now face a Trump ‘loyalty test’ when applying to National Weather Service jobs

After firing hundreds of meteorologists, the National Weather Service announced it is filling vacant positions. Applicants are being asked to detail their support for Trump’s policies.

www.sfchronicle.com

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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

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THE CITY @thecity.nyc · Aug 20

BREAKING: Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips

www.thecity.nyc/2025/08/20/w...

Eric Adams Advisor Winnie Greco Handed a CITY Reporter Cash Stuffed in a Bag of Potato Chips

THE CITY reported the incident to law enforcement and was promptly contacted by the Brooklyn U.S. attorney’s office.

www.thecity.nyc

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Stephanie M. Lee @stephaniemlee.bsky.social · Aug 12

I got to pick the brains of some of the sharpest investigative science/health/enviro journalists around and learned a ton. Thanks @laurenweberhp.bsky.social @naveenasadasivam.bsky.social @primateyell.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social @susien.bsky.social!

www.theopennotebook.com/2025/08/12/h...

Hidden in Plain Sight: Using Public Documents to Report on Elusive Stories - The Open Notebook

People, companies, and government agencies don’t always return your phone calls. To investigate secretive subjects, reporters can make creative use of documents that are out in the open. Lawsuits, Ins...

www.theopennotebook.com

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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · Aug 1

NEW FOIA Files SCOOP: The FBI redacted Trump’s name—and the names of other prominent public figures—from the Epstein files under two privacy exemptions before DOJ & FBI concluded “no further disclosure” of the files “would be appropriate or warranted.”
www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

The FBI Redacted Trump’s Name in the Epstein Files

The bureau’s FOIA team tasked with conducting a final review of the records blacked out the names before higher-ups said last month that releasing the documents ‘would not be appropriate or warranted....

www.bloomberg.com

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David Mack @davidmackau.bsky.social · Jul 21

Migrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates “like dogs”, per a report from Human Rights Watch

Migrants at Ice jail in Miami made to kneel to eat ‘like dogs’, report alleges

Incident in which migrants were shackled with hands tied of one succession of alleged abuses at jails in Florida

www.theguardian.com

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Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · Jul 19

“As of right now, we've raised $313,523 toward our $376,000 goal. That leaves $62,477 - and this was just 12 hours, 6am to 6pm.”

Joe Sonka 😐 @joesonka.lpm.org · Jul 18

We at Louisville Public Media just lost $376,000 due to Congress passing the rescission bill last night to claw back funds from public media across America. Today we’re asking those who value our work to help make up those funds in an emergency drive so we can maintain the staff/services we provide:

Louisville Public Media

Donate now and help Louisville Public Media educate, connect, engage, entertain and inform our community. Support local, independent media. Become a member today with a gift of $15 per month or any am...

donate.lpm.org

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evacide @evacide.bsky.social · Jul 17

404 Media continues to punch waaaay above its weight: www.404media.co/flight-manif...

Flight Manifests Reveal Dozens of Previously Unknown People on Three Deportation Flights to El Salvador

Hacked data obtained by 404 Media reveals dozens more people on deportation flights to El Salvador who are unaccounted for. “We have not heard from these people’s families, so I think perhaps even the...

www.404media.co

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · Jul 15

Billionaires are convinced AI is on the verge of making new scientific discoveries because they don't understand how AI chatbots work.

Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Is Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries

gizmodo.com

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dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · Jul 15

NEW: Nearly 3 minutes were cut from DOJ-labeled “raw” Epstein footage.

WIRED previously reported the video was 2 edited clips stitched together. Analysis now shows the first was 2:53 longer. It’s unclear if this actually includes AG Bondi’s 1-minute "system reset."

by @dmehro.bsky.social

The FBI's Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Had Nearly 3 Minutes Cut Out

Metadata from the “raw” Epstein prison video shows approximately 2 minutes and 53 seconds were removed from one of two stitched-together clips. The cut starts right at the “missing minute.”

www.wired.com

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