Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · 12h

President Donald Trump has claimed that violent crime is rampant in Democrat-led cities. That doesn’t mean it’s true.

Fact-check Trump yourself. Use our Atlas of American Gun Violence to explore how shooting trends have changed over time, and what they look like today.

Gun Violence Map: How Many People Have Been Shot Near You?

Explore data on more than 434,000 shootings in the United States.

projects.thetrace.org

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 11h

Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the most important redistricting and voting rights case of the term. Democracy Docket isn't just covering it for the day. It has been covering this case for years.

Support its vital work to help keep you informed. hubs.ly/Q03M8rql0

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 2d

“'Saturday Night Live' has undoubtedly proven it can nurture Black men into superstardom (Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, etc.) and has given a platform to dozens of white women who have become household names. Still, its treatment of Black women remains a blind spot, bordering on institutional erasure."

‘SNL’ Has Had Only 8 Black Women as Cast Members in 50 Years — Is It Really Going to Launch a New Season Without Them?

Ego Nwodim is leaving “Saturday Night Live” after seven seasons, making Season 51 the first in years without a Black woman in the cast.

variety.com

Reposted by Craig Hunter

Aaron Mendelson @amendelson.bsky.social · 4d

Today, we're debuting a new feature on @thetrace.org called 92 Days in Gun Violence. It's a quarterly update. The big finding thru Q3 is that have been fewer shooting deaths in 2025 than any year in a decade.

Plus more on gun sales, our work, and recent research:
www.thetrace.org/2025/10/shoo...

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 4d

"The recordings offer new detail about how the billionaire seems to place those who would critique or regulate tech developers into a religious good-vs.-evil worldview, where the future of all creation depends on giving innovators free rein."

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 8d

CHICAGO (AP) — Storming an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept. Deploying chemical agents near a public school. Handcuffing a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.

apnews.com/article/chic...

Using helicopters and chemical agents, immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

apnews.com

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 12d

"Although Democrats and Republicans continue to express different levels of trust in the news media, the percentages with high confidence in reporting are at low points among all party groups."

Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.

Americans' trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly is at a new low of 28%.

news.gallup.com

Reposted by Craig Hunter

Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · Jun 27

I've covered race for two decades. I knew the 2nd Trump Admin would be dangerous for civil rights. Yet the collapse of the federal civil rights architecture and national will to address racial inequality and work on integration is stunning. Here's my latest. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/m...

How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · 12d

The CAGE community gardening program in Milwaukee is part gardening class, part shop class, part life lessons. Research shows that CAGE’s approach works to prevent violence.

Read more: thetr.ac/4EAiy

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 12d

"The number of people detained remains unclear, but witnesses described at least several vans being filled with residents of the building. That included women, children and people who weren’t given time to dress, many who had clearly been woken up in the middle of the night."

Armed Agents Raid South Shore Apartment Building Overnight Tuesday

Federal agents arrived in moving trucks and knocked down doors inside the building, witnesses said. The Department of Homeland Security said 37 people were arrested.

blockclubchicago.org

Reposted by Craig Hunter

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 18d

NEWS: Nexstar joins Sinclair and announces Jimmy Kimmel Live! is returning to its local ABC affiliates

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 19d

Unlike many forms of public gun violence, sniper attacks evade most security measures like metal detectors and armed guards.

It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.

My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:

The Dallas ICE Shooting Underscores How Hard It Is to Stop Sniper Attacks, Experts Say

“There really is not anything you can do to secure a public place 100 percent,” said Caylen Wojcik, a former Marine sniper.

www.thetrace.org

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 19d

BREAKING: "The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Even top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting."

Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals

The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter-Poza (RPBP) @rpbp.bsky.social · 20d

Tired of hearing the claim that supporting trans rights is politically toxic?

I’ve got you covered.

New @theadvocatebr.bsky.social : My review of recent polling telling the real story—featuring data from @teamlpac.bsky.social @celindalake.bsky.social @glaad.bsky.social @gallup.com

No, supporting trans rights doesn’t cost elections

Opinion: Supporting protections for transgender people is not just necessary, it's crucial, argues LPAC's Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza.

www.advocate.com

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 23d

"Rarely has the corrosion of social media been so plainly exposed as it has been since last week, after the horrific killing of Charlie Kirk." - Matt Bai

Opinion | The real enemy of democracy sneaked up on me

I used to be a cautious optimist, but social media has changed our politics for the worse.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 24d

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 26d

Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.

sbgi.net/tv-stations/

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · 27d

Discourse about Charlie Kirk’s killing has been a blame game of the right vs. the left.

Experts, activists, and survivors interviewed by The Trace say the new paradigm allows lawmakers to sidestep conversations about gun violence.

Why the Political Blame Game Starts Moments After a Shooting

The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing has devolved into a national guessing game over the shooter’s politics. Experts say that’s missing the point.

www.thetrace.org

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · Sep 15

This is Mira. She’s 4 years old.

A new investigation on Israel & Gaza by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant cites 15 international doctors who report at least 114 Palestinian children with single gunshot wounds to head/chest. Forensic experts attest these consistent with aimed fire.

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · Sep 14

Chicagoans say they’ve been feeling safer in their neighborhoods — and do not want intervention from ICE or the National Guard.

Read more: thetr.ac/4xIUC

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting @pcgvr.org · Sep 14

For more than 150 years, news organizations like newspapers and television networks have long been accustomed to “gatekeeping..." But in the fragmented era of social media, smartphones and instant video uploads, editorial decisions by legacy media are less impactful than ever.

Graphic video of Charlie Kirk’s death spreads fast, showing traditional media’s fading grip

Traditional news outlets were careful in their coverage of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination to not show graphic images of the event.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · Sep 10

What are they hiding? www.huffpost.com/entry/jeffre...

Senate Republicans Block Effort To Release Jeffrey Epstein Files

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, forced a politically awkward vote for GOP senators on releasing more information about Jeffrey Epstein.

www.huffpost.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · Sep 11

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◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · Sep 11

Just last month the FBI forced out its top agent in Salt Lake City, a Pakistani American woman whom a former FBI agent describes as a “legendary case agent who was involved in some of the most significant national security cases of the last two decades.” www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · Aug 29

Most of the states backing Trump’s crime crackdown have areas with higher gun homicide rates than the nation’s capital, a Trace analysis shows.

At least 17 Mississippi counties endured more gun homicides per capita than the nation’s capital in 2024.

Read: www.thetrace.org/2025/08/nati...

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · Aug 23

That got us wondering: How would those governors feel if National Guard troops from other states were ordered onto their streets, perhaps to patrol one of the 53 cities in those states with a higher murder rate than Washington’s?

So, we asked them.
www.democracydocket.com/analysis/the...

The States Sending Troops to DC Have Way Worse Crime Problems. Most Didn’t Want to Talk About It.

www.democracydocket.com

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