Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · 5h

A policy expert described Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s push in favor of private schools as a “great American heist,” funneling money from public schools: “It’s a strategic theft of the future of our country, our kids and our democracy. @propublica.org

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

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · 12d

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 Noem’s big donors make the ask. 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

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

ProPublica @propublica.org · 12d

Two lawsuits allege that Jay McGraw, son of Dr. Phil, is the “principal beneficiary” of tribal lender Minto Money.

CreditServe, a company that McGraw plays a key role in, controls the operation while “the Tribe is merely a front,” the suits said.

(Published May w/ @adn.com)

A 700% APR Lending Business Tied to Dr. Phil's Son Is Dividing an Alaska Tribe

Tribal lender Minto Money has boosted the economy of its Alaska town. But some tribal members are appalled by the millions it's made off desperate borrowers -- much of which, lawsuits allege, has gone to outsider Jay McGraw, son of Dr. Phil.

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · 15d

Are you a Floridian with Citizens Insurance? Know if you have a dispute with them and go to arbitration, as required, you most likely will lose. Reporter @marioarizabaez.bsky.social explains... www.propublica.org/article/citi...

A Florida Home Insurer Was Allowed to Bypass the Courts During Claim Disputes. It Won More Than 90% of the Time.

State legislators and executives at Citizens Property Insurance touted mandatory arbitration as advantageous for both consumers and insurers. In practice, homeowners were left with few avenues for rec...

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · 20d

State & local officials are pulling back on fluoridation in MI, FL & elsewhere, even though it is the most cost effective method to prevent tooth decay, especially for vast numbers of people in the US without insurance or access to a dentist. / 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

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 29

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley announces she will not run for reelection next year blaming "bitter partisanship, personal attacks & political gamesmanship." Will work to "rebuild the conservative movement," rather than continue to serve in the minority on the court, led by liberals.

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 29

Wisconsin state Health officials determine that the "Big Beautiful Bill" will cost state taxpayers over $284 million in the next 2 years. Also over 270,000 Wisconsinites will lose health insurance, and thousands will lose food assistance. www.channel3000.com/news/evers-s...

Evers says 'Big Beautiful Bill' will raise costs for state taxpayers by $284M, force over 270K off health insurance

MADISON, Wis. -- New analysis from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows changes made under President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will cost state taxpayers over $284 million in

www.channel3000.com

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 26

He wanted the same thing as the Trump administration, which was for a peaceful end to the Afghan war. Instead ⁦‪Elon Musk’s‬⁩ and DODGE’s carelessness left his life in tatters and put his family in grave danger. / @propublica.org

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

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

Annie Waldman @anniewaldman.bsky.social · Aug 21

NEW: In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left.

They refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis... 🧵

projects.propublica.org/federal-heal...

In March, the Trump administration announced a massive purge of workers at the nation's health agencies.

We asked them how many workers were laid off, pushed out or left, and the admin refused to give us numbers.

So we conducted our own analysis, a thread...

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 19

The men deported to El Salvador? They had mothers who, in their waiting, suffered terribly until the tearful reunions. What does love look like? It looks like this…..

What I Witnessed as I Photographed the Disappearances and the Homecomings of My Countrymen

Over the past four months, a photojournalist documented the lives of five families whose sons had been imprisoned in El Salvador, including their long-awaited reunions. CECOT left a mark on the men, t...

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 8

Wisconsin hero, Apollo 13 astronaut James Lovell, dies at age 97. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/s...

James A. Lovell Jr., Commander of Apollo 13, Is Dead at 97

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 6

Are you a current or former federal worker with information that you can share about Project 2025 architect Russell Vought?

Reach out to @andykroll.bsky.social on Signal at (202) 215-6203.

Thread 👇👇

Andy Kroll @andykroll.bsky.social · Aug 5

Last fall, @propublica.org and @documented.net broke the story that Russell Vought, Trump’s current budget chief, said he planned to put career civil servants “in trauma.”

Now, we're investigating the full extent of Vought's impact on the federal government. We need your help… 🧵 1/

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 6

Rep. Darrell Issa of Calif. & Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia voted to reduce the CFPB’s budget.
Yet each has referred more than 100 constituents to the consumer agency for help, among the most of any House members. / by ⁦‪@joeljacobs.bsky.com
www.propublica.org/article/cfpb...

These GOP Lawmakers Referred Constituents to the CFPB for Help. Then They Voted to Gut the Agency.

Many of the same Republican lawmakers who have targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for cuts have collectively directed thousands of constituents’ complaints about banks, credit cards, lo...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 5

NEW: Jasmin Belanger believed the deal was simple: pay off what she owed, and her landlord would let her keep her housing.

It wasn’t until months later that she learned it had left her with a permanent record of an eviction — despite there never being one.

With @bangordailynews.bsky.social

A Maine Woman Paid Her Back Rent. Her Record Still Says She Was Evicted.

Repayment plans are supposed to help public housing tenants avoid eviction. In Maine, these deals have put evictions on their permanent records, even if they’ve fulfilled all the terms and were never ...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Aug 5

The Trump Administration Is Pushing Its Anti-Trans Agenda Globally @lisalsong.bsky.social

The Trump Administration Is Promoting Its Anti-Trans Agenda Globally at the United Nations

U.S. delegates have objected to use of the word “gender” in U.N. documents during forums on topics as varied as women’s rights, science and technology, global health, toxic pollution and chemical wast...

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Aug 5

Oil Companies Withhold Millions in Royalties From #NorthDakota Land Owners. Most State Lawmakers Won’t Help their Constituents and Side with the Industry. / by @propublica www.propublica.org/article/nort...

“You Feel Like You’re Being Cheated”: Oil Companies Unfairly Take Millions, North Dakota Mineral Owners Say

Oil companies are holding back a large portion of revenue payments to the people they lease drilling rights from, often with little explanation. But the industry has an outsize influence in the state,...

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 24

Trump signs an order to move homeless / mentally ill people into institutions. Critics immediately warned such a policy threatens returning the nation to a dark era when people were unjustly locked away. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/07/24/trump-homeless-forced-hospitalization-executive-order/

Trump order pushes forcible hospitalization of homeless people

Trump executive order would increase hospitalization of homeless individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. The order said shifting homeless people into long-term institutional settin...

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · Jul 24

This is who Trump shipped to a Salvadoran dungeon:

An event planner
A coal miner
An Uber driver
Tortilla maker
Barber
DoorDashers
Soccer coaches
Furniture-maker
Car washers
Taxi drivers
HVAC techs
Auto parts worker
Tire plant worker

and 240 more...

projects.propublica.org/venezuelan-i...

The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison

On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been t...

projects.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 24

Two brothers, including a Mexican citizen vacationing in Orlando, are being detained in Alligator Alcatraz after a traffic stop, their father said Wednesday. The brothers’ detention has become an international incident, with the Mexican Consulate warning its citizens about visiting Orlando.

Mexican tourist, brother held in Alligator Alcatraz after Orlando arrest, father says

Mexico’s president demanded that the siblings be returned to Mexico immediately, and the Mexican consul in Orlando warned Mexican citizens not to visit Florida.

www.sun-sentinel.com

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 23

President Trump called the 230 Venezuelan migrants sent to an El Salvador prison “some of the most violent savages" on Earth. That was not true. Most had not been convicted of crimes in the U.S. The truth of all of their stories — one by one — is here in this database compiled by @propublica.org

The Men Trump Deported to a Salvadoran Prison

On March 15, President Donald Trump’s administration sent more than 230 Venezuelan immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Last week, the men were released as suddenly as they’d been t...

projects.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 23

The U.S. Department of Justice seeks Wisconsin voter registration data as part of an effort to carry out a new executive order from President Trump aimed at overhauling elections.

www.jsonline.com/story/news/p...

U.S. Department of Justice seeks Wisconsin voter registration data and information on fraud

Federal officials are seeking Wisconsin voter registration data as part of a broader effort to gather information about elections in states.

www.jsonline.com

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 23

New Marquette Law School Poll finds approval of Trump almost unchanged at 45%, support among GOP & his base remains strong. Seen negatively: “One Big Beautiful Bill," tariffs, inflation. Positively: strikes on Iran. www.marquette.edu/news-center/...

New Marquette Law School Poll national survey finds approval of President Trump almost unchanged at 45%, support among Republicans and his base remains strong // News Center // Marquette University

www.marquette.edu

Reposted by Megan O'Matz

ProPublica @propublica.org · Jul 15

NEW: The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE

ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.

The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE

ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Megan O'Matz

Donna Ladd said what she said. 😘 @donnerkay.bsky.social · Jul 15

This is just … no words.

ProPublica @propublica.org · Jul 15

One attorney for the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights said the job became “impossible" as their caseload went from 60 to 380.

“The people who remain are doing all they can. We’re doing all we can. But it isn’t enough, and it keeps us up at night,” they said.

(Published May)

A Gutted Education Department’s New Agenda: Roll Back Civil Rights Cases, Target Transgender Students

The Trump administration is subverting the traditional priorities of the department’s decimated civil rights office by making discrimination investigations practically impossible — instead enforcing…

www.propublica.org

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Megan O'Matz @megomatz.bsky.social · Jul 15

Florida’s deadly Brightline train has blamed victims & asked the public to pay for safety upgrades. Horns were silenced in parts. And life-saving measures, such as fencing, haven’t been installed due to long delays in the release of federal funds. / by @brittanywallman.bsky.social @miamiherald.com

Brightline death toll surpasses 180, but safeguards are still lacking

Brightline trains have killed 182 people, significantly more than publicly known, an investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN has found.

www.miamiherald.com

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