Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jenni Blackford

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 18h

Trump’s tariffs and cutbacks are bankrupting farmers. He thinks they’ll keep supporting him no matter what, but his approval numbers say otherwise.

Tweet from Amy Klobuchar that reads:
“27 million pounds of chicken
2 million gallons of milk
67 million eggs
That’s how much food grown by American farmers never made it to hungry families because of the administration’s decision to cancel deliveries to food banks.”
Below the text is an image showing trucks on a highway with a banner labeled “CANCELED” and a caption: “Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid.” The source line reads: “From projects.propublica.org.”

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Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 19h

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Mood, Emotion, & Development Lab at Vanderbilt @medvanderbilt.bsky.social · 21h

We’re so proud of the MED Lab team for their excellent posters and presentations at VKC Science Day this week. Congratulations to Yinru @yinrulong.bsky.social , who won best research on underrepresented populations, and Ellie @elliewindham.bsky.social , who won best clinical poster!

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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 16h

Adelita Grijalva won her election fair and square.

Now House Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to swear her in because she would be the final signature to release the Epstein files.

Mr. Speaker, respect democracy. Obey the law. Swear Representative Grijalva in immediately.

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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 16h

“A study, published on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that last season’s 2024–2025 mRNA COVID vaccines reduced people’s risk of emergency department visits by 29 percent, their risk of hospitalizations by 39 percent and their risk of death by 64 percent.”

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 18h

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

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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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 2d

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

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jeremymberg.github.io

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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 2d

Mr. Trump said "We could have much better health care than we have right now."

No kidding.

20+ million will see their premiums double. 15 million thrown off health care entirely.

Pres. Trump, in case you didn’t know, this is what the shutdown is about.

End your health care cuts.

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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 4d

Even if you support massive deportation operations, under no circumstances should ANYONE be ok with US citizens being forcibly removed from their homes and detained without explanation.

This is a clear violation of their constitutional rights and should universally condemned.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 7d

Congressional Republicans shut down the federal government - their third time under Donald Trump’s control.

Here’s what that means for you.

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 7d

"Not a single Democrat has talked about wanting to fund care for people in the United States unlawfully. Instead, what Democrats have said is they want to undo Medicaid cuts projected to leave nearly 10 million Americans uninsured." Eh, close enough!

The Republican Shutdown Argument is a Giant Lie

No, Democrats aren’t trying to fund health care for “illegal aliens.”

www.thebulwark.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 7d

NEW: Judge William Young's ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era.

Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America.

Today, at Law Dork:

Judge William Young's ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era

Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America. Also: More court pushback.

www.lawdork.com

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 8d

Most of the power authoritarians have is freely given. We should not comply with them in advance.

Trump is far weaker than he looks. So is the GOP. We should draw them out, drain them at every opportunity, and fight for people’s wellbeing at every turn.

We have been sent here to fight for people.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 8d

AOC: I think there's two things that are happening at once: One, there absolutely is an unprecedented abuse of power, destruction of norms, erosion of our government and our democracy in order to prop up an authoritarian style of governance

However, they are weaker than they look…

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 12d

Make no mistake: public pressure works.

But remember, Trump will still try to abuse his power to pressure CEOs and silence his critics. And the dominance of these media giants is still a major problem.

So to everyone who made a difference today, stay in the fight.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d

Ossoff: "We have a president who's completely out of control, a crook engaged in unprecedented corruption, who's passing one of the most unpopular agendas in history. The public is turning against him. The opposition is motivated. We can win & we have to win, but we don't have the luxury of despair"

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Alt CDC (they/them) @altcdc.altgov.info · 12d

Some Friday Fuckery to chew on. Heritage is promoting a false link between transgender identity and violence by juking the stats around school shootings.

The data is very clear that the biggest danger in America is coming from white nationalists.

Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification

By inflating numbers and narrowing definitions, Heritage promotes a false link between transgender identity and violence in its push for the FBI to create a new terrorism category.

www.wired.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 12d

BREAKING: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to withhold $4 billion in foreign aid funds b/c of Trump’s “pocket rescission” argument and b/c enforcing the injunction would affect foreign affairs. The Democratic appointees dissent. More to come at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
No. 25A269
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ET AL. . AIDS VACCINE ADVOCACY COALITION, ET AL.
ON APPLICATION FOR STAY
[September 26, 2025]
On September 3, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia entered a preliminary injunction directing the Executive to obligate roughly $10.5 billion of appropriated aid funding set to expire on September 30. Of that $10.5 billion, $4 billion was proposed to be rescinded in a "special message" transmitted pursuant to the Impoundment Control Act. See 2 U. S. C. §681 et seq. After the District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied stays of that order, the Government filed this application to stay the District Court's injunction. The application for stay presented to THE CHIEF JUSTICE and by him referred to the Court is granted. The Government, at this early stage, has made a sufficient showing that the Impoundment Control Act precludes respondents' suit, brought pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act,
to enforce the
appropriations at issue here. The Government has also made a sufficient showing that mandamus relief is unavailable to respondents. And, on the record before the Court, the asserted harms to the Executive's conduct of foreign affairs appear to outweigh the potential harm faced by respondents. This order should not be read as a final determination on the merits. The relief granted by the Court today reflects our preliminary view, consistent with

The District Court's September 3, 2025 order granting a preliminary injunction in case Nos. 1:25-cv-400 and 1:25-cv-402 is stayed as to the funding subject to the President's August 28 special message, pending the disposition of the Government's appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, if such writ is timely sought.
Should the petition for a writ of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically. In the event certiorari is granted, the stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court.
JUSTICE KAGAN, with whom JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR and
JUSTICE JACKSON join, dissenting from the grant of the application for stay.
This emergency application raises novel issues fundamental to the relationship between the President and Con-gress.
It arises from the refusal of the President and his officers to obligate and spend billions of dollars that Congress appropriated for foreign aid. Prospective beneficiaries of those funds challenged the decision to withhold them as an unlawful impoundment-essentially, a Presidential usurpation of Congress's power of the purse. The main legal question presented in this application involves the meaning and effect of a statute concerning impoundments:
More specifically, the question is whether that statute precludes the beneficiaries' suit to make the Executive comply with appropriations laws. This Court, before today, has dealt with the statute only in passing; neither have lower courts much addressed it. Deciding the question presented thus requires the Court to work in uncharted territory.
And, to repeat, the stakes are high: At issue is the allocation of power between the Executive and Congress over the expenditure of public monies.
As even that much suggests, this case is not a likely candidate for a grant of emergency relief. …

… So the standard for granting emergency relief is supposed to be stringent. The Executive has not come close to meeting it here. And the consequence of today's grant is significant. I appreciate that the majority refrains from offering a definitive view of this dispute and the questions raised in it. But the effect of its ruling is to allow the Executive to cease obligating $4 billion in funds that Congress appropriated for foreign aid, and that will now never reach its intended recipients. Because that result conflicts with the separation of powers, I respectfully dissent.

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Dr. Rabbithole @drrabbithole.bsky.social · 12d

🪖🎖️🩺 This week, 69 current Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) physicians & ~100 other current/former VA staffers signed the Lincoln Declaration, voicing urgent concerns that Trump's policies undermine the VA’s health care system, overwhelm VA’s budget, & negatively affect the lives of all veterans

A Courage is Contagious drawing of federal workers who have signed declarations of dissent to the current administration. They are all wearing the attire they would adorn to do their jobs.

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Kate Humphreys (she/her) @klhumphreys.bsky.social · 13d

Vanderbilt University's Peabody College is hiring a TT Assistant Prof in Clinical Psychology (child/family focus) with expertise in AI methods (ML, NLP, LLMs, CV).

📅 Review begins Nov 15, 2025

👉 apply.interfolio.com/174418

Please share!

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Maria Jalbrzikowski @mjalbrzikowski.bsky.social · Sep 3

NeRD lab has a new opening for a long-term position! Clinical Research Manager - need 5+ years of research experience and masters or PhD. Please repost! I'm so excited to find someone who can help me manage the day-to-day research activities in the lab! jobs.bostonchildrens.org/job/22350688...

Clinical Research Manager I

Careers at Boston Children’s Hospital will help you reach your goals – both in and out of the workplace.

jobs.bostonchildrens.org

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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 13d

The National Archives under the Trump administration released @mikiesherrill.bsky.social full, unredacted Navy personnel file to Jack Ciattarelli's campaign.

This is an unprecedented and illegal weaponization of the National Archives and private, personal records to attack a political opponent.

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Jamie Parnes @jamieparnes.bsky.social · 13d

Applying to Clinical Psych PhD programs? Interested in working with me or others at UMass Amherst? Check out our virtual open house on 10/27!

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Rep. Haley Stevens @rephaleystevens.bsky.social · 13d

Make America Healthy Again: Impeach RFK Jr.

Detroit Free Press @freep.com · 13d

BREAKING: Rep. Haley Stevens to call for RFK Jr.'s impeachment bit.ly/47Wm2xl

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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 13d

Holy fuck. One gets inured to insanely brutal ice videos. But this one stands out. He just throws this woman into the wall basically

Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 13d

I was back at 26 Federal Plaza today, where an ICE agent violently threw this bereft woman to the ground in front of her kids. She had not touched him. She did not pose any threat. She had to be taken to the hospital. (🎥: Elias Eliahu)

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Karen S Wilcox, PhD (she/her) @karenswilcoxphd.bsky.social · 13d

Let’s hope so

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13d

Jeffries: "As a negotiating tactic, our response to Russ Vought is simple: Get lost."

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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 13d

What about the victims whose lives were destroyed by Epstein and those he trafficked them to? No concern for their rights from Rep. Higgins?

The image shows two X posts. Ron Filipkowski quotes Rep. Clay Higgins, suggesting Higgins is concerned that releasing the Epstein files might harm the Republican Party. In response, Rep. Clay Higgins criticizes Thomas Massie, calling his Epstein petition "100% wrong" and a political maneuver. Higgins defends the Oversight Committee's official investigation into Epstein-related matters, adhering to criminal justice procedures, and accuses Massie of risking the privacy of innocent Americans with his petition.

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