Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · 13h

My friend and Jewish American reporter Emily Wilder was detained by the Israeli military last night while sailing with the Gaza flotilla reporting for @jewishcurrents.bsky.social. Please help our friend get home safely and call her US reps. bit.ly/ReleaseEm

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Reposted by Jireh Deng

Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 26d

As a colleague mentioned yesterday, Gamergate is one of the five most significant developments in US politics since the Cold War

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Reposted by Jireh Deng

Ian Axel Anderson @aanixel.bsky.social · 24d

Attended Queersurf camp (🥰) in San Diego last month, and had the opportunity to learn from the writer (@bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social) of this article about the pollution in the Tijuana River -- sharing here to spread the word about this still-ongoing crisis in SoCal! www.latimes.com/environment/...

Polluted Tijuana River gets more attention, but anxious residents want more urgency

Gov. Gavin Newsom faces mounting pressure to declare a state of emergency over the Tijuana River pollution as officials seek Superfund status for the site.

www.latimes.com

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Kevin Rector @kevrector.bsky.social · 29d

Allegations of mismanagement, overspending in California fire cleanups raised in whistleblower trial:

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Allegations of mismanagement, overspending in California fire cleanups raised in whistleblower trial

Current and former state officials alleged mismanagement, overspending and lingering contamination in lucrative debris removal operations following large California wildfires.

www.latimes.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Sep 9

new job alert! 🚨 I'm going to be working at @lapublicpress.bsky.social through the California Local News Fellowship where I'll be writing stories about issues that matter the most to Angelenos. Tips? You can reach me at [email protected]. fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows/ne...

New California Local News Fellows selected to cover California communities – California Local News Fellowship

fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu

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In These Times @inthesetimes.com · Aug 23

Against fire, poverty, & political hostility, Serenity House endures—proving that dignity & care save lives.

Full story by @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social (5/5)

After Narrowly Surviving the LA Wildfires, This Recovery Center Has Become a Trans Refuge

Raging wildfires and cuts from the Trump administration haven't stopped Serenity House from providing a haven for its LGBTQ patients.

inthesetimes.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Aug 21

Just so you know: it’s not anywhere near lunar new year and its not a “cultural thing” to gift red pocket money hidden in chip bags…

THE CITY @thecity.nyc · Aug 21

A former top City Hall advisor and current campaign confidante to Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from THE CITY following a campaign event in Harlem Wednesday.

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.

buff.ly

Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Aug 18

I learned the other day there are more coal miners than journalists in the US now... 😅

Reposted by Jireh Deng

Jo Yurcaba @joyurcaba.bsky.social · Aug 18

NEW: I spoke to SJ Joslin, a park ranger and wildlife biologist who was fired by Yosemite National Park last week for helping to raise a transgender pride flag on the park's iconic El Capitan rock face.

For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-...

Park ranger fired after helping drape a transgender pride flag on Yosemite's El Capitan

The ex-ranger said they plan to fight the decision, citing an executive order issued by President Trump that protects Americans’ free speech rights.

www.nbcnews.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Aug 8

I'll be super honest. Using this platform feels like the clunkier version of X. It feels less raw and bloggy, and more newsy and serious. Thoughts?

I feel like my audience isn't really following me over from other platforms. Does anyone else feel this way?

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Jul 29

I'll be on a panel "identifying anti-trans and anti-queer bias" at @aajaofficial.bsky.social this year with these amazing journalists @gracesdeng.bsky.social, @shaanthx.bsky.social, and Hannah Chinn.

Don't miss it! Saturday, 9 am at the Redwood. See you there. 😤

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Kevin Rector @kevrector.bsky.social · Jul 23

And, while not part of the OQC project, @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social also won - for Excellence in Transgender Coverage - for their great (and fun!) @latimes.com piece on T-boy wrestling.

8/

www.latimes.com/lifestyle/st...

T-Boy Wrestling is a sizzling showcase of trans masculinity — sweat, twerking and all

Cheeky slaps, hot and heavy make-out sessions and a wild drag show: This isn't your typical wrestling tournament.

www.latimes.com

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Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · Jul 10

"ICE is increasingly targeting [..] residents from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos — many of them decades-old refugees — for deportation based on old criminal convictions."

"3 to 5 times more likely to be deported."
#California #USA #Cambodia #Vietnam #Laos #Incarceration #Deportation #EthnicCleansing

ICE enforcement affects Vietnamese, Cambodian communities in SoCal

Southeast Asian immigrants are deported at 3-5 times the rate of other communities due to prior criminal convictions. In LA and Orange County, businesses are seeing 70% revenue drops as vendors stay home.

lapublicpress.org

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Jul 1

The day Israel and Iran negotiated a ceasefire, ICE escalated deportations of Iranians who posed national security risks. But Iranians told me that many arrested are asylum seekers fleeing religious and political persecution.

My story in @lapublicpress.bsky.social: lapublicpress.org/2025/07/iran...

Iranian community in LA faces double attack: Bombing abroad, ICE raids at home

Southern California residents describe living in fear as ICE operations increase while war rages in the country they left behind.

lapublicpress.org

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Reposted by Jireh Deng

Business Insider @businessinsider.com · Jun 25

Fix the City, an outside group that backed Cuomo, received nearly $25 million in contributions. $8.3 million of that sum came from Michael Bloomberg.

The billionaires who bet big on the NYC mayoral primary — and lost

Fix the City, an outside group that backed Cuomo, received nearly $25 million in contributions. $8.3 million of that sum came from Michael Bloomberg.

www.businessinsider.com

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Reposted by Jireh Deng

Sergio Perez @sergioperez.bsky.social · Jun 24

ICE victims are currently imprisoned in the basement of a DTLA federal building.

Access is tightly controlled, and folks seeking to meet with their family members, friends, or clients have to wait in a fly-infested, dark, and seatless concrete hallway exposed to heat and other elements.

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Jun 23

Last night at the Los Angeles Press Club awards, I received three awards for my stories as a fellow at @latimes.com.

I submitted myself because I was tired of people saying I lacked enough experience for jobs and grants. Well, now you can add award-winning journalist to my resume. 😉

A queer journalist holds a trophy and two papers at the LA Press Club.

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · May 14

one of my sweetest friends was just diagnosed with an incurable, chronic neurological disorder. she's unable to work and had to leave LA so if you have even just a few dollars to donate to allow her time to rest and recuperate, it would mean the world. www.gofundme.com/f/give-austi...

https://www.gofundme.com/f/give-austin-time

t.co

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · May 13

Thank you Karen!!

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The Southlander @thesouthlander.com · May 13

We’re starting LA’s first and only worker-led newsroom dedicated to investigative reporting because we cannot have billionaires and hedge funds dictating the flow of our information. Subscribe & donate: thesouthlander.com
#TheSouthlander

The Southlander

The Southland's Only Investigative News Cooperative

thesouthlander.com

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Lex McMenamin (they/them) @leximcmenamin.com · May 13

today marks 40 years since Philadelphia police bombed the Black liberation group MOVE's home in West Philadelphia. 6 adults and 5 children burned to death. over 60 homes were destroyed from the resulting fire, and over 250 people left homeless. (resharing @kimkelly.bsky.social in @teenvogue.com)

What You Need to Know About the MOVE Bombing

And how Philadelphia became "the city that bombed itself."

www.teenvogue.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · May 13

last weekend i turned 25 on pimu island where i was surrounded by ocean blue, snorkeling with fish and the queers. so i wrote about my love of water on my new(ish) substack <3 angelenoasks.substack.com/p/turning-25...

Turning 25: A homecoming back to water

A lifetime of loving the water and spending my birthday weekend with Queer Surf, reconnecting with the Pacific Ocean after the LA wildfires.

angelenoasks.substack.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · May 1

It’s been 50 years since Cambodians arrived in the US as refugees, but that is not the end of the story.

For @us.theguardian.com I documented the 17th Cambodia Town New Year Parade and Culture Festival and how Cambodians shared pride in their cultural heritage.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘Radical joy’: Cambodians in California celebrate Khmer culture 50 years after Killing Fields

In Long Beach, city with the largest diaspora of Cambodians in the US, people dance, eat and reflect on the 1975 killings

www.theguardian.com

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J Wortham @jennydeluxe.bsky.social · Mar 16

At the top of the year, I took a ten-day survivalism course to try and wrangle with my feelings about the apocalypse and our end times. It's here, for free, if you have the time www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/m...

My 10-Day Crash Course on Surviving the Apocalypse (Gift Article)

I wanted to learn how to prepare for disaster. It turned out I needed skills, yes — but the first thing was learning how to breathe.

www.nytimes.com

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Jireh Deng @bokchoy-baobei.bsky.social · Apr 24

Boba lovers! There's a chance that your favorite tapioca drink will be pricier if tariffs come into effect. In my latest for @businessinsider.com, I talked to boba tea shops who are trying to keep prices steady ahead of potential tariffs on Asia.
www.businessinsider.com/tariffs-asia...

With tariffs on the horizon, is your boba habit at risk?

Boba tea shops and producers are preparing for potential tariffs by stockpiling and cutting costs.

www.businessinsider.com