Melissa Lewis
@melissa.news
data reporter, Center for Investigative Reporting (@motherjones.com + @revealnews.org)
Pinned
Melissa Lewis
@melissa.news
· Apr 20
“Piracy. It’s a Crime.” PSA
From Wikipedia:
“You Wouldn’t Steal a Car” is the first sentence and commonly used name of a public service announcement that debuted on July 12, 2004 in cinemas, and July 27 on home media, which wa...
fontsinuse.com
TIL: The 2000s piracy PSA used a font designed by the fantastic Just van Rossum, whose brother Guido created the Python programming language.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
For the midnight crew on this #EdmundFitzgwtald50 anniversary, I have added more markups to the Newsweek article that gave Gordon Lightfoot his template for His "Wreck of" song lyrics.
November 10, 2025 at 6:29 AM
For the midnight crew on this #EdmundFitzgwtald50 anniversary, I have added more markups to the Newsweek article that gave Gordon Lightfoot his template for His "Wreck of" song lyrics.
You can read the Bureau of Justice Statistics report cited in the visualization below here: bjs.ojp.gov/library/publ...
Each year, thousands of pregnant people are incarcerated – yet some states fail to provide basic care and necessary accommodations during pregnancy.
Locking up pregnant people does not leave anyone better off.
Locking up pregnant people does not leave anyone better off.
November 9, 2025 at 8:25 PM
You can read the Bureau of Justice Statistics report cited in the visualization below here: bjs.ojp.gov/library/publ...
Fellow arthropod fans: This is even more amazing than the headline describes! The researchers say it’s “the first evidence of colonial behavior in two common spider species.”
November 8, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Fellow arthropod fans: This is even more amazing than the headline describes! The researchers say it’s “the first evidence of colonial behavior in two common spider species.”
I read a fascinating @askhistorians.bsky.social answer tonight re: historical voter turnout in NYC, especially of interest since I learned that Tuesday saw a turnout of >2 million, the highest turnout since *1969* (great data on 2025 election here: www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/06/h...).
From the AskHistorians community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community
www.reddit.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
I read a fascinating @askhistorians.bsky.social answer tonight re: historical voter turnout in NYC, especially of interest since I learned that Tuesday saw a turnout of >2 million, the highest turnout since *1969* (great data on 2025 election here: www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/06/h...).
I want to note a statistic I often find quoted online, and what I believe to be the source:
“Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with […] over seven-fold odds (OR 7.48, 95% CI 4.53–12.35) of becoming a completed homicide.”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
“Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with […] over seven-fold odds (OR 7.48, 95% CI 4.53–12.35) of becoming a completed homicide.”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
November 7, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I want to note a statistic I often find quoted online, and what I believe to be the source:
“Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with […] over seven-fold odds (OR 7.48, 95% CI 4.53–12.35) of becoming a completed homicide.”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
“Prior non-fatal strangulation was associated with […] over seven-fold odds (OR 7.48, 95% CI 4.53–12.35) of becoming a completed homicide.”
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
DHS stopped automatically archiving officials’ text messages.
Now to save messages — as law requires— officials gotta…
-take a screenshot.
-send it to their work computer
-run the file through a program there
-repeat
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Now to save messages — as law requires— officials gotta…
-take a screenshot.
-send it to their work computer
-run the file through a program there
-repeat
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
November 7, 2025 at 12:32 PM
DHS stopped automatically archiving officials’ text messages.
Now to save messages — as law requires— officials gotta…
-take a screenshot.
-send it to their work computer
-run the file through a program there
-repeat
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Now to save messages — as law requires— officials gotta…
-take a screenshot.
-send it to their work computer
-run the file through a program there
-repeat
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
A perimeter of parents and what appeared to be a priest and other faith leaders were out all around the neighborhood surrounding Chavez as students were recently dismissed.
Two schools in Portland have secured their perimeters due to reported ICE activity in the area.
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/north-portland-ice-activity-pps-schools-secure/?cid=bluesky_
https://www.koin.com/news/portland/north-portland-ice-activity-pps-schools-secure/?cid=bluesky_
North Portland ICE activity prompts PPS schools to secure perimeters
Portland Public Schools sent a message to families informing them of reported ICE activity near Cesar Chavez School and George Middle School, and that other nearby schools are maintaining heightene…
www.koin.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:27 PM
A perimeter of parents and what appeared to be a priest and other faith leaders were out all around the neighborhood surrounding Chavez as students were recently dismissed.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
Our union - which you can follow on here if you like our journalism, storytelling, music programming, public media in general, and good vibes - has been sharing some personal stories from our members. Here is one from Meg from KMHD Jazz Radio:
Meg Samples-Morrow shares her story for our “what our audience doesn’t know” series.
"The people bringing you jazz around the clock are struggling to make ends meet ourselves."
-Meg Samples-Morrow, KMHD host/producer @megsamples.bsky.social
Continue reading ⬇️
"The people bringing you jazz around the clock are struggling to make ends meet ourselves."
-Meg Samples-Morrow, KMHD host/producer @megsamples.bsky.social
Continue reading ⬇️
November 6, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Our union - which you can follow on here if you like our journalism, storytelling, music programming, public media in general, and good vibes - has been sharing some personal stories from our members. Here is one from Meg from KMHD Jazz Radio:
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
"Having somebody who is hungry and worried about feeding their own children is an enormous amount of stress that will impact anybody’s ability to do their job well."
I spoke with @aijenpoo.bsky.social about the issues domestic workers face at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I spoke with @aijenpoo.bsky.social about the issues domestic workers face at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Domestic workers count on SNAP. Trump's shutdown is hitting hard.
Cleaners, nannies, and home health aides work full-time—and still disproportionately rely on food stamps.
www.motherjones.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:26 PM
"Having somebody who is hungry and worried about feeding their own children is an enormous amount of stress that will impact anybody’s ability to do their job well."
I spoke with @aijenpoo.bsky.social about the issues domestic workers face at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I spoke with @aijenpoo.bsky.social about the issues domestic workers face at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I need accounts like this to actually link to the story they’re citing. If I have the right link, this strikes me as an overstatement.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
![In addition to OpenAI’s deals with chipmakers, the ChatGPT maker is also eying a broad mix of financing vehicles to fund its infrastructure efforts. Friar said OpenAI is “looking for an ecosystem of banks [and] private equity” to support its ambitious plans. She also hinted at a role for the US government to “backstop, the guarantee that allows the financing to happen,” but did not elaborate on how this would work.
Asked for clarification, an OpenAI spokesperson said Friar was speaking in the context of the broader AI industry. There are currently no immediate plans about OpenAI pursuing a federal backstop, the spokesperson said.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o5r6qogow4bhwr5b3xpr7h6l/bafkreifnfnjdtjcyhkpjfo62zrog5qlewtmcnmjmvuihq7xj6jons77zde@jpeg)
November 6, 2025 at 1:57 AM
I need accounts like this to actually link to the story they’re citing. If I have the right link, this strikes me as an overstatement.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
Under Trump 2.0, three CFPB probes into Andreessen-backed companies have been halted, including inquiries into the popular cash advance app EarnIn and Point Digital Finance, a provider of so-called alternative mortgages.
Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It’s Paying Off for Silicon Valley.
The Trump administration’s gutting of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been good for venture capitalists like Andreessen, who previously accused the agency of “terrorizing” fintech startup...
www.propublica.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Under Trump 2.0, three CFPB probes into Andreessen-backed companies have been halted, including inquiries into the popular cash advance app EarnIn and Point Digital Finance, a provider of so-called alternative mortgages.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
👀 Scoop: IRS Direct File, the free government-backed program that let you file your taxes for free, is dead.
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS tests free e-filing system that could compete with tax-prep giants
The tax agency has quietly built its own prototype system for filing tax returns digitally and free of charge, according to current and former officials.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
👀 Scoop: IRS Direct File, the free government-backed program that let you file your taxes for free, is dead.
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
IRS wrote to state tax agencies saying it would not be operational this coming tax season, per records I've obtained.
IRS Direct File: 2023-2025.
(Story from when the pilot launched.)
This is, as ever, an excellent piece by Julianne—I braced myself for anguish at learning what’s being lost, but I also learned about a lot of great community violence intervention (CVI) programs, and I appreciate the note she ends on.
November 4, 2025 at 2:42 PM
This is, as ever, an excellent piece by Julianne—I braced myself for anguish at learning what’s being lost, but I also learned about a lot of great community violence intervention (CVI) programs, and I appreciate the note she ends on.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
PSA from 404 Media: you can opt-out of a data broker selling your flight travel data to the government to be searched without a warrant. Here's how I did it. This is ARC, the data broker owned by major U.S. airlines like United, Delta, American, etc
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
How to Opt-Out of Airlines Selling Your Travel Data to the Government
The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC), owned by major U.S. airlines, collects billions of ticketing records and sells them to the government to be searched without a warrant. I managed to opt-out o...
www.404media.co
November 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM
PSA from 404 Media: you can opt-out of a data broker selling your flight travel data to the government to be searched without a warrant. Here's how I did it. This is ARC, the data broker owned by major U.S. airlines like United, Delta, American, etc
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
www.404media.co/how-to-opt-o...
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
My final piece for @teenvogue.com politics section was a piece titled "There's a Steep Price to Ignoring Black Expertise" and boy has that come full circle.
Thank you @allegrak.bsky.social and the politics editorial team for turning this Head Start kid into a Black woman who writes for the public.
Thank you @allegrak.bsky.social and the politics editorial team for turning this Head Start kid into a Black woman who writes for the public.
There’s a Steep Cost for Ignoring Black Expertise
We live in a world bent on undermining Black life.
www.teenvogue.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:48 AM
My final piece for @teenvogue.com politics section was a piece titled "There's a Steep Price to Ignoring Black Expertise" and boy has that come full circle.
Thank you @allegrak.bsky.social and the politics editorial team for turning this Head Start kid into a Black woman who writes for the public.
Thank you @allegrak.bsky.social and the politics editorial team for turning this Head Start kid into a Black woman who writes for the public.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
November 3, 2025 at 11:25 PM
thank you for all the support; the statement from our union is now live here with some more reporting.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
now that this is public I can confirm that the majority of today’s layoffs were women of color. there are no longer any Black women working at Teen Vogue.
*pain blanc
'Federal prosecutors opposed Dunn’s lawyers’ motion to dismiss the charge, writing that Dunn was “recorded throwing a sandwich at a federal officer at point-blank range".
POINT BLANK RANGE. A SANDWICH. LMAOOO
POINT BLANK RANGE. A SANDWICH. LMAOOO
the sandwich guy is a political prisoner www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
November 3, 2025 at 5:27 PM
*pain blanc
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 1, 2025 at 5:28 PM
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
If you see any business owners belittling SNAP recipients for accepting government money to get through tough times, maybe look them up on @propublica.org's PPP Loan Tracker to see if they got any of the $793B in bailout money (96% of which was forgiven)
projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/...
projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/...
Tracking PPP: Search Every Company Approved for Federal Loans - ProPublica
As part of the Paycheck Protection Program, the federal government has provided hundreds of billions in financial support to banks to make low-interest loans to companies and nonprofit organizations i...
projects.propublica.org
November 2, 2025 at 5:38 PM
If you see any business owners belittling SNAP recipients for accepting government money to get through tough times, maybe look them up on @propublica.org's PPP Loan Tracker to see if they got any of the $793B in bailout money (96% of which was forgiven)
projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/...
projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/...
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
Between grants getting politically targeted and my lab’s building getting literally fucking bombed, 2025 is going great thanks
A device exploded inside the Goldenson Building in Harvard’s Longwood medical campus early Saturday morning, according to a message from the Harvard University Police Department to University affiliates.
Matan H. Josephy and Laurel M. Shugart report.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Matan H. Josephy and Laurel M. Shugart report.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Authorities Investigating Explosion on Harvard’s Medical Campus, Believed To Be Intentional | News | The Harvard Crimson
A device exploded inside the Goldenson Building in Harvard’s Longwood medical campus early Saturday morning, according to a message from the Harvard University Police Department to University…
www.thecrimson.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Between grants getting politically targeted and my lab’s building getting literally fucking bombed, 2025 is going great thanks
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
it's me, unnamed critter from bosch's triptych of the temptation of anthony!
November 1, 2025 at 12:16 AM
it's me, unnamed critter from bosch's triptych of the temptation of anthony!
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
Important pedantry. This is interesting in part because he explains it well enough that I think most laypeople will understand why the pedantry matters. Journalists should take notice!
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
October 31, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Important pedantry. This is interesting in part because he explains it well enough that I think most laypeople will understand why the pedantry matters. Journalists should take notice!
I post this as a Wikipedia editor, not linking because I don't want to put anyone on blast: These were posted as derisive evidence (the scare quotes in Wikipedia). The text was real, but imo wrong. That use is explicitly discouraged in the manual of style: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped....
October 31, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I post this as a Wikipedia editor, not linking because I don't want to put anyone on blast: These were posted as derisive evidence (the scare quotes in Wikipedia). The text was real, but imo wrong. That use is explicitly discouraged in the manual of style: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped....
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
This was just posted by a CBS News producer on their Instagram stories.
October 29, 2025 at 9:44 PM
This was just posted by a CBS News producer on their Instagram stories.
Reposted by Melissa Lewis
DHS often say assaults against ICE officers have skyrocketed, but fails to provide real data to back that up.
I reviewed ICE's own Fallen Officers page. It tells a much different story, and shows that none of its officer have been killed by an immigrant since the agency was created.
I reviewed ICE's own Fallen Officers page. It tells a much different story, and shows that none of its officer have been killed by an immigrant since the agency was created.
October 29, 2025 at 4:09 PM
DHS often say assaults against ICE officers have skyrocketed, but fails to provide real data to back that up.
I reviewed ICE's own Fallen Officers page. It tells a much different story, and shows that none of its officer have been killed by an immigrant since the agency was created.
I reviewed ICE's own Fallen Officers page. It tells a much different story, and shows that none of its officer have been killed by an immigrant since the agency was created.