Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Melissa Bender

IDSA @idsainfo.bsky.social · Jul 7

🚨BREAKING: IDSA, along with AAP, APHA, ACP and others, has filed a lawsuit against HHS/Secretary Kennedy to stop unlawful changes to vaccine policy and defend public health.

We refuse to stand by while America’s public health safeguards are torn apart. bit.ly/4lm7UkW

7 100 180

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · May 17

Come for the conversation.

Starting at 12 noon ET today

Topics:

- What just happened: Supreme Court's Alien Enemies Act due process ruling

- Looking ahead: What exactly is in judges' toolkits to enforce their orders in face of contempt by administration officials

⤵️Direct link to YouTube Live⤵️

The End Game

YouTube video by Ryan Goodman

www.youtube.com

2 36 150

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · May 4

Secretary Rubio was silent on this weekend's #WorldPressFreedomDay - breaking from Blinken, Pompeo, others.

But Rubio championed the day as Senator.

An astonishing weekend with DC Circuit backing Trump's dismantling of congressionally-mandated global media outlets

I dissect it all. In The Know. ⤵️

Court Backs Trump Attack on Global Press Freedoms

YouTube video by Ryan Goodman

youtu.be

8 60 210

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Apr 17

I'm thrilled to announce that we are adding Substack to @justsecurity.org's reach and to enhance engagement with our audiences.

🙏Please join us there too! And encourage others to join as well.

🥳Here's my first Newsletter!

❤️We aim to keep all our content free for all subscribers.

April 17 | Stay in the Know with Ryan Goodman on Just Security’s Trump Administration Litigation Tracker

Welcome to the first installment of the Trump Administration Litigation Tracker Newsletter!

justsecurity.substack.com

10 55 190

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Eric McDaniel @ericm.cd · Apr 17

I look at close to 100 stories a week and even more outside of work. I’ve done this ten years.

This is among the most horrific things I’ve ever read — testimony from dying children whose access to medicine has been cut off by the Trump administration.

www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Haunted by hopelessness: 12 Zambians share their stories as HIV drugs run out

Mothers and children, husbands and wives, doctors, truck drivers and religious leaders are all grappling with the fallout from the sudden U.S. cuts in aid.

www.npr.org

10 2K 3.6K

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Apr 5

Tens of thousands marched from Bryant Park to Madison Square Park in NYC on April 5, 2025 to protest the administration of President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

(Photos by Melissa Bender/ NurPhoto)

#HandsOff #HandsOff2025 #trump
#doge #elonmusk #photojournalism

3 20

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 21

“Hands Off! Our Public Postal Service!” National Day of Action in midtown Manhattan and simultaneously in cities across the nation. Protesters denounced the Trump/Musk/DOGE efforts to privatize the U.S. postal service.

Photos by me, 3/20/2025

@apwu.bsky.social @aflcio.org #usps #apwu

1 5

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 10

International Women’s Day March in NYC

People gather in Union Square Park, New York City for the International Women’s Day march on March 8, 2025. Demonstrations were held around the world in defense of women’s rights.

(Photo by Melissa Bender/ NurPhoto)

#IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay #IWD

1

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 9

More images from the #TeslaTakedown protest outside the Manhattan Tesla showroom on 3/8/2025. A few hundred people denounced billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts and layoffs, with six arrests.

#doge #trump #tesla #musk

1 18 82

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 9

Several hundred demonstrated outside a Manhattan Tesla showroom on 3/8/2025. Some entered the dealership; six were arrested. Fierce opposition is growing toward to the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Musk.

#teslatakedown #doge #trump #tesla #elonmusk

1 4 5

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 8

Columbia University professor and Nobel laureate Martin Chalfie: “I strongly believe in DEI!”

Demonstrators gather in NYC and across the nation in the name of science.

March 7, 2025

#standupforscience2025 @standupforscience.bsky.social

7 81 360

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 8

More images from today in NYC.

#standupforscience2025 @standupforscience.bsky.social

9 34

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Mar 8

Hundreds of scientists and supporters gather in Washington Square Park, NYC — and in over 30 cities nationwide — on March 7, 2025 to protest the Trump/Musk attack on science.

#standupforscience2025 @standupforscience.bsky.social

3 15 35

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Feb 19

Scenes from the President’s day anti-Trump-agenda protest on 17, 2025 in NYC. ThousandS marched from Union Sq to Washington Sq Park — and similar protests took place across the U.S. — as part of the “50501 movement,” an organized response to actions by the Trump administration.

1 3 9

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Feb 16

On Friday night, HHS ordered CDC to take down all flu vaccine campaign materials from its website. Materials are starting to come down.
For example, a campaign explaining that flu shot can reduce flu severity from "wild to mild" is now offline. Left image is from Friday, right is now

Meanwhile...

450 4.1K 7.9K

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Lewis Kamb @lewiskamb.bsky.social · Feb 14

CDC source:

“We just had word that all our fellows and post doc staff are laid off effective immediately. The famous Epidemic Intelligence Service, aka the Disease Detectives, is no more. That’s 1260 staff.

They are calling this ‘Phase 1’.”

570 5.6K 11K

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Feb 11

1/This may truly blowup #KashPatel nomination

On left:

Patel Testimony: "I'm not aware" of purge inside DOJ/FBI and "don't know what's going on."

On right:

Whistleblowers tell Senate that Patel was directing the purge!

Contemporaneous note: “KP wants movement at FBI, reciprocal actions for DOJ”

610 4.5K 12K

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Feb 10

Federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to slash NIH funding; imposes biweekly judicial overview to monitor for compliance.

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Feb 10

Judges aren't kidding around.

Federal judge not only just blocked Trump administration's attempt to cut NIH's funding of indirect costs (emergency motion for TRO was earlier today).

The judge has also imposed a reporting requirement to ensure compliance.⬇️
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

2 4

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Alexander Tin @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social · Feb 10

A federal judge in Massachusetts has just blocked Trump administration's move to cut NIH's funding of indirect costs

A hearing is now scheduled for Feb. 21 in case, which was brought by 22 states earlier today

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

A screenshot of text that reads in part: 'ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFF STATES’ EX PARTE EMERGENCY MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER ANGEL KELLEY, D.J. Plaintiff States’ Ex Parte Emergency Motion For Temporary Restraining Order [Dkt. 4] is GRANTED. Defendants and their officers, employees, servants, agents, appointees, and successors are hereby enjoined from taking any steps to implement, apply, or enforce the Rate Change Notice (NOT-OD-25- 068) within Plaintiff States until further order is issued by this Court. Counsel for Defendants shall file a status report with the Court within 24 hours of the entry of this Order, and at biweekly intervals thereafter, confirming the regular disbursement and obligation of federal financial assistance funds and reporting all steps that NIH, HHS and their officers, employees, servants, agents, appointees, and successors have taken to comply with the Court’s temporary restraining order. Defendants’ opposition to the Motion is due by Friday, February

3 30 75

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Joe Katz @joekatz45.bsky.social · Feb 9

A good tool.

(Related question: does this benefit Big Pharma and corporations, if the federal government is increasingly investing less in research? Gives them more control/power?)

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Feb 8

NIH IN YOUR STATE

“Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America”

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research

Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org

2 19 55

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Alexander Tin @alexander-a-tin.bsky.social · Feb 7

What happened to CDC's bird flu studies and why did they publish about wildfires instead?

Sources tell us Trump officials are now wielding unprecedented control over agency's flagship scientific journal

"The MMWR has lost its autonomy"

www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-o...

Trump officials exerting unprecedented control over CDC scientific journal

"The MMWR has lost its autonomy," one health official told CBS News.

www.cbsnews.com

11 150 260

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Patrick Kennedy [Undo Damage] @humanecosystem.bsky.social · Feb 8

For the Texans who wanted to touch the stove

7 9

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · Feb 8

This. Share this.

News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · Feb 7

US farmers sold $2 billion of food to USAID. Not any more.

- US farmers provided 41% of food delivered by USAID
- $340M of purchases/shipments are now paused. Over 680,000 tonnes.
- Food stranded in Houston
- Aid stopped in transit.

The world’s poor starving, food rotting & US farmers screwed.

Gutting USAID threatens billions of dollars for U.S. farms, businesses

U.S. businesses that sold goods and services to USAID are in limbo, including American farms dealing in rice, wheat and soybeans.

www.washingtonpost.com

34 500 890

Melissa Bender @melissabender.bsky.social · Feb 8

NIH IN YOUR STATE

“Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America”

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-...

NIH In Your State - United For Medical Research

Select a state on the map to see the impact of NIH funding across America.

www.unitedformedicalresearch.org

12 210 250

Reposted by Melissa Bender

Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · Feb 8

This framing is their framing, and NYT took the bait. The correct and accurate framing is: “Deep cuts to medical research threatens progress on cancer and heart disease research, costs the economy $80B, and threatens 300,000 jobs across red and blue states”

21 460 1.4K