Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 8h

“There is going to be infants skipping feeds. There is going to be pregnant women skipping meals so that they can feed their toddlers."
apnews.com/article/wic-...

Government shutdown threatens food aid program relied on by millions of families

Experts say a food aid program that helps 6 million low-income mothers and young children will run out of federal money unless the government shutdown ends within two weeks.

apnews.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 8h

“When did we become the enemy?” said one National Institutes of Health employee who, like other workers interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Her husband, who retired from the NIH this year, could not answer.

“Why are we the enemy?” he asked.

‘We’re just beaten’: For beleaguered federal workers, shutdown is last straw

Staffers are working without pay or on furlough — all after months of job cuts.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 8h

“We all in Gaza want the war to stop at any cost,” she told The Washington Post in a WhatsApp message from central Gaza. “We literally lost everything, we were humiliated, we lost our loved ones, our homes, and our money, and there is nothing left to cry over.”
www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

After 2 years of war, some Gazans are hopeful, others wary of ceasefire plan

Previous collapsed ceasefires led to skepticism among some Gazans, while others were hopeful that the latest deal conditionally accepted by Hamas would succeed.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 8h

"Gender equality advocates have been critical of Takaichi’s stance on women’s rights and say her victory does not necessarily carry significance for the future political
and professional advancement of Japanese women"

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

Sanae Takaichi is set to become Japan’s first female prime minister

The new leader will take the helm of the world’s fourth-largest economy at a time of unusual political instability, rising prices and increasing regional tensions.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

“.. We feel good about one to two weeks,” said Ali Hard, policy director for the National WIC Association. “After that, we are very worried.”

@apnews.com #WIC
apnews.com/article/wic-...

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Ian Gordon @idgordon.bsky.social · 1d

If you'd like to delight in a side-by-side comparison, here's Bari Weiss' reported note to CBS staffers (left) and the one I cooked up on ChatGPT with a quickly dashed-off prompt (right). Looking forward to hearing from you in the days and weeks ahead!

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 18h

If you are debating replying sarcastically, I PROMISE you someone else has already said whatever you want to say in my replies. So don't, pls & thx 😇

Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 1d

Judge Says DOJ May Be Vindictively Prosecuting Kilmar Abrego Garcia www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Judge Says DOJ May Be Vindictively Prosecuting Kilmar Abrego Garcia

It's the latest twist in the government's vendetta against the man they accidentally deported.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 19h

NEW: I talked to scholars who study political contagion about how America’s freefall could affect the rest of the world. They are… concerned. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Is America contagious?

Scholars in political extremism are documenting the global spread of right-wing populism.

www.motherjones.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 19h

"“A throwing up emoji is not enough of a reflection of the feelings in here,” one particularly incensed CBS News employee said in a text message."
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/o...

CBS News staffers react to Bari Weiss being named editor-in-chief: ‘It’s utterly depressing’

Six network employees expressed a mix of emotions over the appointment in conversations with the Guardian

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 1d

Female journalists interested in health reporting: the fellowship I did at @womenjournos.bsky.social last year is open again for next year! Deadline to apply is December 5. www.jaws.org/apply-here

2026 Application & Overview — JAWS

www.jaws.org

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 1d

Russ Vought will not get an invite to the block party: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Russ Vought is Trump’s shutdown hero. His neighbors think his work is "abhorrent."

The people living near Trump's "grim reaper" of government cuts have put up signs letting him know they stand with federal workers.

www.motherjones.com

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Isabela Dias @isabelaalhadeff.bsky.social · 2d

Russ Vought's neighbors have strong feelings about him:

"You asked what it is like living near such a man. Frankly, I'd rather not, but this is a wonderful neighborhood and, unlike Mr. Vought himself, we do not want our neighbors (even Mr. Vought) to be traumatized. So we just live with it."

Russ Vought is Trump’s shutdown hero. His neighbors think his work is "abhorrent."

The people living near Trump's "grim reaper" of government cuts have put up signs letting him know they stand with federal workers.

www.motherjones.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 1d

Why are execs offering six or seven-figure salaries to people who lack relevant experiences &/or made mistakes that for others would've been career ending?

There are SO MANY talented reporters freelancing or desperately looking for work whose careers you could make by paying them a moderate salary

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 1d

For $150 million CBS could've helped revitalize local journalism nationwide. Instead they hired someone w *checks notes* no basic reporting experience

As long as editors & execs don't value the behind-the-scenes, critical work of actual accountability reporting, our industry will remain in trouble

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 1d

It isn't hard to "win" when you're backed by billionaires and are allowed to fail up your entire career.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/b...

How Bari Weiss Won

www.nytimes.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 1d

Judge Says DOJ May Be Vindictively Prosecuting Kilmar Abrego Garcia www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Judge Says DOJ May Be Vindictively Prosecuting Kilmar Abrego Garcia

It's the latest twist in the government's vendetta against the man they accidentally deported.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Ian Gordon @idgordon.bsky.social · 1d

Latest @motherjones.com hotness coming to newsstands near you soon

The cover of the November/December 2025 issue of Mother Jones magazine, with the title "American Gulag" and the subtitle "The brutal rollout of Trump's police state" over a black-and-white photo of two masked agents arresting an immigrant at a federal courthouse.

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Tess Owen @tessowen.bsky.social · 7d

must read @annasilman.bsky.social's fascinating and delicious dive into the very curious world of crisis PR:

www.gq.com/story/how-th...

How the Crisis PR Machine Shapes What You Think About Celebrities

The disinformation age has hit Hollywood, and the celebrity-industrial complex is armed to the teeth. Meet the crisis publicists, right-wing wranglers, and trolls for hire who are influencing what we ...

www.gq.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d

The Center for Investigative Reporting—home to Mother Jones and Reveal—has a long track record of responsibly reporting sensitive stories and breaking high-impact news. We fact-check the hell out of our reporting, and we respect and protect our sources.

Have a tip? Drop us a line, confidentially.

How to Leak to Us

The Center for Investigative Reporting—home to Mother Jones and Reveal—has a long track record of fairly and responsibly reporting sensitive stories and breaking high-impact news that changes the…

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 2d

“They suck and we’ll win and God will bless us,” said a government official to a podcaster.

ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that only "law-abiding Americans who love this country" should attend the event.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 2d

New @motherjones.com: ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl, according to Kristi Noem

The right is freaking out over Bad Bunny's halftime performance. The Trump administration plans to use it to make more arrests.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that only "law-abiding Americans who love this country" should attend the event.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 2d

“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.”

Trump sending troops to another American city

"They want to create the war zone," Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) said on CNN on Sunday.

www.motherjones.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 2d

New @motherjones.com: President Donald Trump is making good on his promise to invade more American cities.

On Saturday, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) announced that the Trump administration planned to deploy 300 National Guard troops to Illinois “against our will.”

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump sending more troops to American cities

"They want to create the war zone," Gov. JB Pritzker (D-Ill.) said on CNN on Sunday.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 2d

Be prepared: The Trump administration says ICE will be at the Super Bowl.

"I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they're law-abiding Americans who love this country," Kristi Noem told a podcaster.

ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that only "law-abiding Americans who love this country" should attend the event.

www.motherjones.com

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Julianne McShane @juliannemcshane.bsky.social · 2d

New @motherjones.com: ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl, according to Kristi Noem

The right is freaking out over Bad Bunny's halftime performance. The Trump administration plans to use it to make more arrests.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

ICE will be "all over" the Super Bowl

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that only "law-abiding Americans who love this country" should attend the event.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julianne McShane

Nicole Chung @nicolechung.bsky.social · 5d

If you want to understand open adoption, it makes sense to start with birth parents—yet studies of them are few. 2+ yrs ago, I began talking w/ birth mothers to try to understand what living in an open adoption is like for them, and what rights or options they might have if challenges were to arise.

When Adoption Promises Are Broken

Many birth mothers hope to maintain contact with their child. But their agreements with adoptive parents can be fragile.

www.theatlantic.com

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