Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Jennifer Smith Richards @jsmithrichards.bsky.social · 54m

To understand the Trump administration’s vision for American education, @megomatz.bsky.social and I studied dozens of hours of political appointees’ speeches and podcasts and essays. What emerged is a desire to dismantle the nation’s system of public schools.

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...

www.propublica.org

12 100 200

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 1d

How to Fight Your Health Insurance Denial With an External Appeal, by @deldeib.bsky.social

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It.

When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...

www.propublica.org

14 22

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · 4d

This week I learned I’m the first woman and person of color from the University of Texas at Austin to have ever received the Pulitzer Prize gold medal for Public Service reporting.

When I realized that in UT’s Pulitzer Hall of Fame, I got chills.

4 7 56

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · 5d

My heart is so full after talking to classes of my former professors and fielding so many great questions about investigative reporting from UT-Austin students.

Yeah, there’s a lot to worry about in the US right now, but I’m optimistic about the next generation of journalists. 🙏🏽

9

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 8d

I can’t believe I’m watching interviews of city mayors talking about how they are coordinating with other mayors to discuss how to protect their residents FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

I know we are “used to it” but it is absolutely insane

1.5K 18K 60K

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Jazmine Ulloa @jazmineulloa.bsky.social · 9d

As immigration agents have escalated their tactics, US citizens, many of them Latino men, have been stopped and in some cases taken into custody by law enforcement officers. Allison, Jenny and I took a closer look at the encounters. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...

‘I’m From Here!’: U.S. Citizens Are Ending Up in Trump’s Dragnet

www.nytimes.com

33 300 750

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

ProPublica @propublica.org · 10d

Andrew Bailey’s tenure as Missouri AG is marked by clashes on culture war issues, like when he sought medical records of transgender minors or when he sued Starbucks, claiming its diversity programs illegally discriminated against white men.

“His Audience Was Really Trump”: How New FBI Lead Used His Missouri AG Role to Wage a Culture War

Andrew Bailey’s nearly three-year term as Missouri’s top lawyer was marked by splashy fights over gender, schools and diversity that often fizzled but boosted his political profile. Now he’s co-deputy...

www.propublica.org

9 89 270

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · 13d

IMPACT: The federal court complaint filed this week closely mirrors the findings of a ProPublica investigation that detailed a decades-long secret program operated by the gun industry’s largest trade group.

Reporting by @coreygjohnson.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/gun-...

A New Lawsuit Alleges the Gun Industry Exploited Firearm Owners’ Data for Political Gain

The federal court complaint filed this week closely mirrors the findings of a ProPublica investigation that detailed a decades-long secret program operated by the gun industry’s largest trade group.

www.propublica.org

5 55 180

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · 14d

Dallas local TV station WFAA is reporting that the people shot this morning at the ICE facility were detainees www.wfaa.com/article/news...

2 detainees killed at Dallas ICE facility, 1 shooter found dead as police search for possible sniper, sources say

Two ICE detainees were killed and one person was injured at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Dallas, sources say.

www.wfaa.com

7

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

ProPublica @propublica.org · 17d

Grand Rapids was the first city to add fluoride to drinking water. There’s even a sculpture commemorating its role in what was long seen as a public health success story.

Now, communities in Michigan and elsewhere are turning back the clock.

By @annaleighclark.bsky.social

Amid Rise of RFK Jr., Officials Waver on Drinking Water Fluoridation — Even in the State Where It Started

As federal agencies review their guidance on fluoridation and the nation’s top health official calls fluoride “industrial waste,” state and local governments are pulling back on the practice, upending...

www.propublica.org

18 130 400

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 18d

Ed Martin was reportedly a key figure in this week's ouster of a US Attorney who wouldn't bring baseless charges against Trump enemies.

In April @propublica.org detailed Martin's role in an online smear campaign of a judge handling a case involving Martin:

The Untold Story of How Ed Martin Ghostwrote Online Attacks Against a Judge — and Still Became a Top Trump Prosecutor

Martin’s career is dotted with ethical and professional questions, records show. Some of the most serious ones about the interim U.S. attorney for D.C. have remained buried in court filings, overlooke...

www.propublica.org

3 89 290

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · 22d

Help the members of the ProPublica Guild at the link below by signing our petition

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 23d

We ❤️ @ire.org! @propublica.org employees wore buttons & flyered at the IRE gala to rally support for our fight for a fair contract.

The future of investigative journalism depends on protecting the workers who make it possible.

You can help by signing our petition: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

People wearing union shirts stand outside a red carpet at the entrance of an event as people walk in.

People wearing union shirts and stickers smile and hand out ProPublica Guild buttons.

Five people sit at a table for an event wearing stickers and buttons supporting the ProPublica Guild.

Two people walking into an event wear stickers in support of the ProPublica Guild.

5

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Sep 5

Must read reporting by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski
www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.

The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...

www.propublica.org

2

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

ProPublica @propublica.org · Sep 3

With the appointment of Heather Honey, a high-profile denier of Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election, “DHS now appears poised to become a primary amplifier of false election conspiracies pushed by our enemies,” ‪said David Becker, executive director of @electioninnov.bsky.social.

She Pushed to Overturn Trump’s Loss in the 2020 Election. Now She’ll Help Oversee U.S. Election Security.

Heather Honey has been appointed to a senior position in the Department of Homeland Security. State election officials and voting experts are concerned.

www.propublica.org

17 150 340

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Corey Johnson @coreygjohnson.bsky.social · Aug 27

‪After watching and reading comments about the horrific Minnesota shooting, it appears most Americans people missed our stories about the secret roots to the madness. I pray this repost helps. www.propublica.org/article/gunm...

Gun Companies Gave Customers’ Sensitive Personal Information to Political Operatives

At least 10 gun industry businesses, including Glock, Smith & Wesson, Remington and Mossberg, secretly handed over names, addresses and other data to lobbyists, who used the details to rally firearm o...

www.propublica.org

9 210 390

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Aug 26

Me to my husband: can we go to a patio tonight for dinner. It feels like fall.

Him: Cass, it’s 90 degrees.

9

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Aug 26

“One ought to be extremely disturbed by this thoroughly authoritarian administration,” said Levinson, who has taught constitutional law for 45 years.

Important news analysis by Bob Garrett

www.propublica.org/article/texa...

The Texas Redistricting Fight Has Been the Testing Ground for the Trump Administration’s Latest Legal Strategy

The administration has been testing a strategy of using the courts as leverage to force political outcomes. In Texas, the state’s leaders and conservative activists have been willing, if not eager, co...

www.propublica.org

3 51 160

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

HerRoyalBOO👻bies @ourflagmeansbeth.bsky.social · Aug 24

Don’t be afraid to share your writing. There are six Sharknado movies.

230 5.2K 16K

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Jazmine Ulloa @jazmineulloa.bsky.social · Aug 22

“My friend told me to be careful because they are squarely picking up everyone, simply for having a Hispanic face.” Immigrant workers in DC say they find themselves at the center of two crackdowns: one on crime, another on illegal immigration. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/18/u...

Immigration Enforcement Takes Key Role in Trump’s D.C. Crime Crackdown

www.nytimes.com

34 170 450

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · Aug 21

“THIS IS ABOUT RACISM. If you can’t hear it from them, hear it from me.” 🔥

Texas Rep. @voteannjohnson.bsky.social didn’t hold back about the racist Trump/Republican election-stealing maps.

110 1.4K 3.4K

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Aug 21

This story is absolutely wild. 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

6

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

Tracy Jan @tracyjan.bsky.social · Aug 21

The Trump administration has refused to say how many workers have been lost. My @propublica.org colleagues did the analysis & here, in unprecedented detail, is what they found:

In total, 20,500+ workers — 18% of the Department of Health and Human Services’ workforce — have left or been pushed out.

Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies

More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform...

projects.propublica.org

2 27 38

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 20

NEW: For years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pushed discredited theories linking vaccines to autism.

Now, scientists studying the condition fear he has preconceived notions that will harm the field and taint new funding for research.
propub.li/41JYl7o

RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism. Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.

While touting a $50 million initiative to identify the causes of autism, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is helping lead an administration that is rolling back protections against pollution and toxic chemicals,...

propub.li

400 2.5K 7.1K

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · Aug 15

James Baldwin didn’t believe in reform; he believed in revolution. “Anything less than a total social reckoning—a complete psychological makeover of white America—was worthless,” Louis Menand writes.

The Lives and Loves of James Baldwin

An older generation dismissed him as passé; a newer one has recast him as a secular saint. But Baldwin’s true message remains more unsettling than either camp recognizes.

www.newyorker.com

42 290 1.6K

Reposted by Cassandra Jaramillo

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 13

NEW: An investigation by ProPublica and @texastribune.org found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public.

By Lexi Churchill and @emsimani.bsky.social

Texas Private Schools Hire Relatives and Enrich Insiders. Soon They Can Do It With Taxpayer Money.

An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state law...

www.propublica.org

410 4.4K 9.7K