Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 6d

NEW: Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken money directly from Chinese investors, according to newly unsealed testimony. It's the first time direct Chinese investment in the defense contractor has been disclosed. www.propublica.org/article/elon...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Took Money Directly From Chinese Investors, Company Insider Testifies

The newly unsealed testimony marks the first time direct Chinese investment in the company has been disclosed, raising new questions about foreign ownership interests in one of America’s most importan...

www.propublica.org

20 210 440

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

ProPublica @propublica.org · 11d

NEW: Income isn’t supposed to play a role in how much housing assistance FEMA gives families.

But in some North Carolina counties, the highest-income homeowners received two to three times as much money after Hurricane Helene as those with lower incomes.

With @theassemblync.bsky.social

Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene

An analysis by ProPublica and The Assembly of the more rural counties in North Carolina hardest hit by Helene shows that the households that got the most aid tended to have the highest incomes.

www.propublica.org

150 1.7K 3.2K

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 12d

NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters.

But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...

www.propublica.org

26 280 650

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

Robert Faturechi @robert-faturechi.bsky.social · Aug 22

Horryifying.

DOGE made false allegations against an Afghan man who had helped the U.S.

Then the Taliban captured, blindfolded and beat his family.

www.propublica.org/article/doge...

DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.

Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...

www.propublica.org

8 48 110

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Jun 30

New: Kristi Noem secretly took a cut of political donations.

A dark money group routed the funds to Noem's Delaware LLC, tax records show. The original source of the money remains unknown.

www.propublica.org/article/kris...

Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations

A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...

www.propublica.org

34 200 580

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

Brandon Roberts @bxroberts.org · Jun 6

THREAD: An ex-DOGE engineer with no government or medical experience used AI to identify which Veterans Affairs contracts to kill, labeling them as “MUNCHABLE.”

@vernalcoleman.bsky.social @ericumansky.bsky.social and I got the code. Here’s what it tells us 1/

24 450 930

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

Mica Rosenberg @micarosenberg.bsky.social · May 30

NEW: We obtained DHS data that shows the US knew only 32 of the 238 Venezuelans deported to a prison in El Salvador in March were convicted of US crimes, only 6 of those violent. Trump called them “savages,” “monsters” and "the worst of the worst.” www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes

Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws.

www.propublica.org

46 900 1.7K

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

ProPublica @propublica.org · May 16

THREAD: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, our team made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.

So our reporters got on a plane to Banjul. 1/

110 2.1K 4.7K

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · May 15

NEW: Behind closed doors, the Trump administration has mounted a “maximum pressure” campaign on a poor African democracy.

The objective: push the country to help Elon Musk's Starlink business.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.

The State Department has intervened on behalf of Musk’s satellite internet company in five developing nations. In Gambia, U.S. diplomats have lobbied and browbeat at least seven government ministers a...

www.propublica.org

19 190 380

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

David Armstrong @davidarmstrongx.bsky.social · May 8

I have written many healthcare stories, but never before have I written about my own health. I decided to do so after learning one of my drugs costs nearly $1,000 a pill and just 25 cents to make. What I found was an incredible story of discovery and exploitation. www.propublica.org/article/revl...

The Price of Remission

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I set out to understand why a single pill of Revlimid cost the same as a new iPhone. I’ve covered high drug prices as a reporter for years. What I discovered shocked ...

www.propublica.org

81 690 1.6K

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Mar 26

NEW: As a defense contractor, Elon Musk's SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through offshore secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say.

Expert: “It is certainly a policy of obfuscation." www.propublica.org/article/elon...

How Elon Musk’s SpaceX Secretly Allows Investment From China

As a U.S. military contractor, SpaceX sees allowing Chinese ownership as fraught. But it will allow the investment if it comes through secrecy hubs like the Cayman Islands, court records say. “It is c...

www.propublica.org

8 130 330

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Mar 12

An extraordinary, must-read story about what's happening inside the Social Security Administration.

“Are we going to break something?” the agency's head asked in a meeting, referring to what DOGE has been doing with Social Security data. “I don’t know.” www.propublica.org/article/reco...

“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security’s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump

In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with “the DOGE kids.”

www.propublica.org

8 180 330

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · Mar 12

This article is a genuine must read if you care about the future of the US, the economy and Social Security. Not exaggerating. www.propublica.org/article/reco...

“The President Wanted It and I Did It”: Recording Reveals Head of Social Security’s Thoughts on DOGE and Trump

In a recording obtained by ProPublica, acting Social Security Commissioner Leland Dudek portrayed his agency as facing peril, while also encouraging patience with “the DOGE kids.”

www.propublica.org

20 210 430

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

ProPublica @propublica.org · Mar 8

NEW: The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and @frontlinepbs.bsky.social investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated, international recruiting effort by online extremists.

How the Terrorgram Collective’s Neo-Nazi Influencers Groomed a Teen to Kill

The murders of two people outside an LGBTQ+ bar at first looked like the act of a lone shooter. A ProPublica and FRONTLINE investigation shows they were, in fact, the culmination of a coordinated,…

propub.li

25 500 1.2K

Reposted by Josh Kaplan

Justin Elliott @justinelliott.bsky.social · Mar 6

Dan Bishop, nominated for a top post in Trump's OMB, acknowledged under questioning by @whitehouse.senate.gov that he lived in the D.C. townhouse that is part of an effort to influence powerful politicians. Says he paid fair market rent but does not offer a number www.youtube.com/live/coQ9vsn...

WATCH LIVE: Dan Bishop testifies in Senate confirmation hearing for deputy director of OMB

YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

www.youtube.com

3 13 36

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Mar 6

NEW: Four years ago, Steve Berger started a secretive project to build ties with lawmakers and shape national policy.

Now he appears to be running a group house for conservative congressmen.

It’s not just Speaker Johnson living there. Another prominent Trump ally has the keys.

Secretive D.C. Influence Project Appears to Be Running a Group House for Right-Wing Lawmakers

Evangelical pastor Steve Berger’s political influence campaign operates out of his D.C. townhouse. In addition to House Speaker Mike Johnson living there, a prominent Trump ally, Rep. Andy Ogles, has ...

www.propublica.org

19 93 220

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

We’re still reporting. If you have information we should know about, my email is [email protected] and I’m on Signal at 734-834-9383.

2 11 78

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

Berger and the donor who owns the house, Lee Beaman, did not respond to requests for comment.

1 6 58

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

A Johnson spokesman said the speaker “pays fair market value in monthly rent for the portion of the Washington, D.C. townhome that he occupies.”

He added that Johnson “has never once spoken to Mr. Berger about any piece of legislation or any matter of public policy.”

6 5 44

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

To learn more about Berger and his secretive influence project, read the full story here: www.propublica.org/article/mike...

Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor’s Secretive Influence Campaign

The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.

www.propublica.org

2 29 98

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, said that he and several lawmakers attend Bible study with Berger weekly. “Listen, I have confessed things to Steve that I wouldn't normally confess to anyone else,” Meadows said.

3 5 58

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

The pastor claims to have personally spurred legislation. He’s built powerful allies and has said he’s discussed policy issues with a number of congressmembers.

1 3 52

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

Berger has advocated for numerous specific policy changes — on topics ranging from fuel efficiency regulations to public health. From foreign policy to a bill making it easier to fire federal workers.

He also called for Congress to overturn the 2020 election.

1 6 60

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

In 2021, Berger, a pastor who’s called the separation of church and state “a delusional lie,” set off on an ambitious project.

His explicit goal: “disciple” the nation’s lawmakers so that what “they learn is then translated into policy.”

1 9 70

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · Feb 28

If you don’t follow evangelical news in Tennessee, you likely don’t know the name Steve Berger.

House Speaker Mike Johnson recently began living with Berger in D.C, we found. The $3.7 million townhouse they’re staying at is owned by a major GOP donor. www.propublica.org/article/mike...

Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor’s Secretive Influence Campaign

The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It’s the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.

www.propublica.org

4 49 120