Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Corey Johnson

ProPublica Guild @propublicaguild.org · 3d

Now is a great time to join our fight for a fair contract! Sign onto our petition for a FAIR CONTRACT NOW 👇
actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Fair Contract Now for ProPublica Guild

We, the workers of ProPublica, provide our readers with deeply researched, unbiased news that holds power to account. This work is more important now than ever, but our staff can’t properly contribute...

actionnetwork.org

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 10d

Trump's secret police wages violent war on journalists... journalists are being shot intentionally with bean bags, chemical munitions and at least one was arrested for no reason. DHS spokesmen deny it's happening. But it's on tape and has been witnessed by dozens of citizens.

ICE Fires Chemical Weapon At TV Reporter In Broadview; 'Unprovoked' Attack Under Investigation

The attack came one day after ICE arrested another working journalist. "Absolutely unprovoked," the TV news reporter said. "My window was open and chemicals went all over my face. Been puking for two ...

blockclubchicago.org

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 13d

A graveyard outside a state juvenile detention facility has been neglected by Maryland officials for decades.

A Post investigation found that state officials had grossly undercounted the number of Black children who died while in the facility's care. https://wapo.st/4gFjINr

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Duaa Eldeib @deldeib.bsky.social · 29d

He wanted to die. His wife fought for him. A psychiatrist was their last hope.

www.propublica.org/article/ment...

“Just Let Me Die”: After Insurance Repeatedly Denied a Couple’s Claims, One Psychiatrist Was Their Last Hope

After a North Carolina man attempted suicide twice, his wife tried to get him help at an inpatient clinic. But their insurance provider refused to cover the treatment, deeming it “not medically necess...

www.propublica.org

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Anna Clark @annaleighclark.bsky.social · 14d

GOOD NEWS.

Clinical teams across the country are forming a five-year, $37 million consortium to research stillbirth, a neglected public health concern.

“There’s no question that the ProPublica reporting was intimately tied to this,” one expert said.

Specifically, @deldeib.bsky.social's reporting.

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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Corey Johnson @coreygjohnson.bsky.social · 14d

Two major law firms accused the National Shooting Sports Foundation this week of violating the privacy rights of millions of gun owners by running a decades-long program that sent their information to political operatives without consent.

The complaint seeks class-action status & financial damages.

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

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Sean L. McCarthy @seanlmccarthy.bsky.social · 16d

Wondering if you live somewhere in the United States where Nexstar or Sinclair owns your ABC affiliate? Here are the TV stations pre-empting your Jimmy Kimmel Live! and inserting their own politics for the displeasure of your local advertisers who didn't ask for lower-rated programming.

ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group
Alabama — Birmingham-Tuscaloosa-Anniston, WDBB and WBMA
Alabama/Florida — Mobile/Pensacola, WEAR
Arkansas — Little Rock, KATV
California — Chico-Redding, KRCR
California — Eureka-Arcata, KAEF
DC — WJLA
Georgia — Macon, WGXA (ABC/FOX)
Michigan — Traverse City-Cadillac-Cheboygan-Sault Ste. Marie, WPBN, WTOM, WGTU, WGTQ
Missouri — St. Louis, KDNL
North Carolina — Asheville, WLOS (also Greenville/Spartanburg, SC) (ABC/MyNetwork TV)
North Carolina — Greenville-New Bern-Morehead City, WCTI
North Carolina — Winston Salem-Greensboro-High Point, WXLV
Nebraska — Hayes Center-McCook, KWNB
Nebraska — North Platte, KHGI
New York — Rochester, WHAM (ABC/The CW)
Ohio — Columbus-Chillicothe, WSYX (ABC/MyNetwork/FOX)
Ohio — Dayton, WKEF (ABC/FOX)
Oklahoma — Tulsa, KTUL
Oregon — Portland, KATU
Pennsylvania — Johnstown-Altoona, WATM (ABC/FOX)
South Carolina — Charleston, WCIV (MyNetwork/ABC)
South Carolina — Florence-Myrtle Beach, WPDE (ABC/The CW)
Tennessee — Chattanooga, WTVC (ABC/FOX)
Texas — Abilene, KTXS (ABC/CW+)
Texas — Amarillo, KVII (ABC/CW+)
Texas — San Angelo, KTXE (ABC/CW+)
Virginia — Lynchburg-Roanoke, WSET
Washington — Seattle-Tacoma, KOMO
West Virginia — Charleston-Huntington, WCHS (ABC/FOX)

ABC affiliates owned by Nexstar Media Group
Alabama — WDHN, Dothan
Connecticut — WTNH, New Haven (Hartford)
Florida — WMBB, Panama City (jointly ABC/The CW)
Georgia — WJBF, Augusta (ABC/MeTV/The CW)
Illinois — WTVO, Rockford (ABC/MyTV)
Indiana — WEHT, Evansville
Indiana — WAWV, Terre Haute
Iowa — KCAU, Sioux City
Kansas — KTKA, Topeka (ABC/The CW)
Louisiana — WGNO, New Orleans
Michigan — WOTV, Battle Creek
Michigan — WLAJ, Lansing (ABC/The CW)
Missouri — KSNF, Joplin
Montana — KSVI, Billings (ABC/The CW)
New York — WTEN, Albany-Schenectady
New York — WIVT, Binghamton
New York — WSYR, Syracuse
New York — WUTR, Utica-Rome (ABC/MyTV)
New York — WWTI, Watertown (ABC/The CW)
Ohio — WYTV, Youngstown (ABC/MyTV)
Pennsylvania — WJET, Erie
Pennsylvania — WHTM, Harrisburg
Tennessee — WATE, Knoxville
Tennessee — WKRN, Nashville
Texas — KAMC, Lubbock
Texas — KMID, Odessa-Midland
Utah — KTVX, Salt Lake City (ABC/MeTV)
Vermont — WVNY, Burlington
Virginia — WRIC, Richmond
West Virginia — WBOY, Clarksburg-Fairmont-Morgantown (NBC/ABC)

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 27d

And @reuters.com has been running circles around NYT, Washpost et al on this story.

This piece ran last week.

www.reuters.com/world/us/bil...

Exclusive: Bill Pulte accused Fed Governor Lisa Cook of fraud. His relatives filed housing claims similar to hers

Close relatives of the federal official who has accused a Federal Reserve governor of improperly claiming primary residence on two properties have declared the same status on two homes in two different states, public records show.

www.reuters.com

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 27d

And the coup de gras:

Cook “never requested a tax exemption for the Georgia home as a primary residence, according to property records and a Fulton County tax official”

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 27d

"A loan estimate for an Atlanta home purchased by Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor accused of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration, shows that Cook had declared the property as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed by Reuters."

www.reuters.com/world/us/fed...

Exclusive: Fed Governor Cook declared her Atlanta property as “vacation home,” documents show

A loan estimate for an Atlanta home purchased by Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor accused of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration, shows that Cook had declared the property as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed by Reuters.

www.reuters.com

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Corey Johnson @coreygjohnson.bsky.social · Aug 27

projects.propublica.org/gun-owners-c...

How Cambridge Analytica Used Intimate Data to Exploit Gun Owners’ Private Lives

Documents obtained by ProPublica detail the sophistication and intrusiveness of Cambridge’s work for the gun industry in 2016. The firm’s campaign aimed to help elect Donald Trump and keep industry-fr...

projects.propublica.org

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Corey Johnson @coreygjohnson.bsky.social · Aug 27

The gun industry's secret project fundamentally transformed the American lawmaker. In a span of a few years, state and federal politicians morphed from actively seeking solutions to "thoughts and prayers." Read these two stories to find out how. www.propublica.org/article/guns...

Gun Lobbyists and Cambridge Analytica Weaponized Gun Owners’ Private Details for Political Gain

Documents and interviews reveal how the now-disgraced political firm targeted potential voters by combining its cache of confidential consumer data with information secretly collected from millions of...

www.propublica.org

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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

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 10

At least five states rely entirely on federal dollars to pay for their maternal mortality reviews. Committee members expressed alarm that this money may evaporate.

“If we get defunded, I suspect it would be devastating,” one said.

By @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social

“We Want to Save This Investment”: Advocates Race to Secure Maternal Health Funding Before It Runs Out

Over the last five years, nearly $90 million has gone to state committees that review maternal deaths and identify their causes. Advocates say cuts to the program would be “devastating.”

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Truthout @truthout.org · Aug 1

The Trump administration has halted litigation aimed at stopping civil rights abuses of prisoners in Louisiana and mentally ill people in South Carolina group homes. Biden filed the lawsuits after investigations concluded that they had failed to fix violations despite years of warnings.

Trump Admin Halts Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses in Prisons, Group Homes

Biden’s DOJ concluded that Louisiana and South Carolina had failed to fix violations despite years of warnings.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Truthdig @truthdig.com · Aug 1

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division suits against Louisiana's prison system and South Carolina's group homes are both now on hold.

Trump Administration Halts Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People - Truthdig

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division suits against Louisiana's prison system and South Carolina's group homes are both now on hold.

www.truthdig.com

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Aug 1

Shocking reporting by @nicolefoy.bsky.social and McKenzie Funk. Immigration officers are using escalating tactics to make arrest quotas.

projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-sm...

“We’ll Smash the Fucking Window Out and Drag Him Out”

We’ve documented nearly 50 incidents of immigration officers shattering car windows to make arrests — a tactic experts say was rarely used before Trump took office. ICE claims its officers use a “mini...

projects.propublica.org

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Corey Johnson @coreygjohnson.bsky.social · Jul 31

It's endemic. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Trump Administration Halted Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had brought lawsuits accusing Louisiana of confining prisoners longer than they should and South Carolina of keeping mentally ill people in unreasonably restrictive gro...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Corey Johnson

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Jul 31

Trump's DOJ just dropped a major antitrust case against American Express Travel.

This comes after Amex hired lobbying firm Ballard Partners — the former employers of Pam Bondi — to lobby the DOJ on "antitrust issues."

Funny how that works.

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Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · Jul 31

New: A DOJ investigation had determined that South Carolina officials illegally denied community-based services — required by federal law — to over 1,000 people diagnosed as seriously mentally ill.

The lawsuit over these allegations is now on hold. It's not alone.

By @coreygjohnson.bsky.social

Trump Administration Halted Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had brought lawsuits accusing Louisiana of confining prisoners longer than they should and South Carolina of keeping mentally ill people in unreasonably restrictive gro...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Corey Johnson

ProPublica @propublica.org · Jul 31

NEW: Under Trump, the DOJ has halted lawsuits accusing Louisiana of keeping prisoners locked up long after they were meant to be released and South Carolina of institutionalizing thousands of mentally ill people — sometimes for decades — in violation of federal law.

By @coreygjohnson.bsky.social

Trump Administration Halted Lawsuits Targeting Civil Rights Abuses of Prisoners and Mentally Ill People

The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division had brought lawsuits accusing Louisiana of confining prisoners longer than they should and South Carolina of keeping mentally ill people in unreasonably restrictive…

www.propublica.org

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Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · Jul 17

Damn. A big loss for the WaPo.

Philip Bump @pbump.com · Jul 17

And, uh, some personal news: This is also my last column for The Post. I was offered and accepted a buyout.
To answer one possible next question, I'm not sure what's next save taking some time off. If you want, you can enter your email at pbump.net and I'll let you know when I figure it out!

Philip Bump @pbump.com · Jul 17

For my column today, I wrote about how Trump leveraged America's collapsing trust in institutions — and how his second term has accelerated that collapse. Gift link: wapo.st/3IzN4QA

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Cassandra Jaramillo @cassandrajaramillo.bsky.social · Jul 16

Several election officials, including Republicans, have criticized the DOJ’s move as federal overreach. Federal law does not expressly give the agency the authority to review the voter rolls themselves.

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data

Election clerks in both parties, who have been subject to harassment and lawsuits over Trump’s 2020 false election claims, worry about efforts to examine their voting machines.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Jun 26

What a happy day!! 🎉🎉 ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network Selects Five New Partners for Its 50 State Initiative

ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network Selects Five New Partners for Its 50 State Initiative

ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

www.propublica.org

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Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Jun 17

A @propublica.org investigation found that for more than a decade, the FDA gave substandard factories banned from the United States a special pass to keep sending drugs to an unsuspecting public.

Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA’s Gamble on America’s Drugs

A ProPublica investigation found that for more than a decade, the FDA gave substandard factories banned from the United States a special pass to keep sending drugs to an unsuspecting public.

www.propublica.org

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Jun 6

Across the government, the Trump administration is scrambling to rehire many federal employees dismissed under DOGE’s staff-slashing initiatives after wiping out entire offices, in some cases imperiling key services such as weather forecasting and the drug approval process.

Trump races to fix a big mistake: DOGE fired too many people

Across the government, the administration is rehiring federal workers who were forced out or encouraged to resign.

www.washingtonpost.com

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