STORIES TO READ 8-6-25

Good morning. Look at that, it's Wednesday already. Hopefully, you are staying grounded and not wandering around your roof . It's another great day to support independent and nonprofit media. Here are some stories to read.

Venezuelan deportees say they endured months of abuse inside a Salvadoran prison (ProPublica/Texas Tribune) – Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration say they endured months of physical and mental abuse inside a Salvadoran prison. Several of those interviewed said suicide crossed their minds. Though happy to be home, they say the fact that they were released is proof of how senseless their detentions were. A very important story about these very real atrocities happening at the behest of the United States. This story also has a video companion piece that I also recommend.

The mystery of melting sea stars may finally be solved (Science News) – A mysterious disease has been turning sea stars into goo since 2013. Now, researchers say there’s a leading suspect behind the killings — a bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida. Knowing the identity of the killer could help scientists protect both captive and wild populations of sea stars.

Yosemite Employees Worked for Weeks Without Pay After Chaos of Trump Budget Cuts (Common Dreams) – "It’s definitely taking advantage of people who love their jobs and don’t want the park to suffer," said one park employee who worked without pay for three weeks before being formally hired. Actions by the Trump administration threw the parks' hiring routine into chaos and left human resources departments unsure of how many people they could afford to hire.

OBGYNs Sent ‘Highly Biased’ Survey By Group That Targeted Abortion Pills (Autonomy News) – A group of anti-abortion doctors claims it’s researching the "moral and professional complexity" of abortion. Their study raises red flags following other junk science and retractions.

Over a million queer women rely on Medicaid. What happens if they lose it? (The 19th) – Lesbian and bisexual women are more likely to be low-income, more likely to be parents and more likely to rely on Medicaid. They could fall through the cracks of Trump’s new tax law. "It’s just really hard to overstate the harm that these cuts will convey, particularly to LGBT folks and LGBT families," Caleb Smith, the LGBTQI+ policy director at the Center for American Progress (CAP), told the 19th.

And there you go. Read some stuff and enjoy your Wednesday as best you can. If you want more news from independent and nonprofit media sources, follow my feed on Bluesky .