Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Newsweek @newsweek.com · 2h

Democratic activists have been quietly but pleasantly surprised by their leaders' show of backbone.

The Shutdown Is Going Better Than Democrats Expected. Will It Last? | Opinion

www.newsweek.com

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Alabama Reflector @alabamareflector.com · 4h

Via @ashleymurray.bsky.social: “This case is more than just about congressional maps. It’s about who we are as a nation and what we want our democracy to be," said U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham. "Now, I may be the first Black congresswoman from Alabama, but I damn sure won’t be the last."

Voting Rights Act supporters rally outside Supreme Court as justices hear Louisiana case | Alabama Reflector

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court before and during oral arguments in a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act.

alabamareflector.com

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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 3h

North Carolina is the latest GOP-controlled state to announce it will gerrymander its congressional map to please Trump after he called for red-state legislatures to “fix” congressional maps before 2026.
https://bit.ly/4qcoyWR

North Carolina Is Latest GOP-Controlled State To Announce a Gerrymander

Read more here.

bit.ly

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The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 3h

The Supreme Court signaled an openness to scaling back voting-rights protections for minorities, one of several cases in which the justices could change the playing field for how elections are run.

Supreme Court Questions Use of Race in Drawing Voting Districts

The justices are revisiting federal campaign-finance limits and the use of race in redistricting, with cases on mail-in ballots looming.

on.wsj.com

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Forbes @forbes.com · 3h

The U.S. military has conducted at least five strikes against cartels off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.

Trump Considering Land Strikes Against Venezuelan Drug Cartels Following Sea Assaults

The U.S. military has conducted at least five strikes against cartels off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks.

www.forbes.com

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CNN @cnn.com · 3h

For weeks earlier this year, the Army’s top uniformed lawyer had been raising legal concerns inside the Pentagon about some of the new policies being rolled out dictating how the military can be used and staffed.

How the Pentagon sidelined lawyers while testing the legal limits of military action | CNN Politics

For weeks earlier this year, the Army's top uniformed lawyer had been raising legal concerns inside the Pentagon about some of the new policies being rolled out dictating how the military can be used and staffed.

www.cnn.com

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3h

Hamas may have stopped fighting Israel, but it has launched a new, violent campaign to reassert control over local families and militias that had challenged its power during the last two years of war.

Hamas reasserts control on streets of Gaza, turning guns on its rivals

Amid the ceasefire with Israel, Hamas is sending a message that it remains the only visible authority in Gaza, with huge implications for Trump’s peace plan.

wapo.st

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The Independent @the-independent.com · 3h

ICE claimed a 13-year-old boy with a gun was detained. Cops now say there was no firearm

ICE said a 13-year-old boy with a gun was detained. Cops now say there was no firearm

www.independent.co.uk

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STAT @statnews.com · 3h

#Breaking: Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on www.statnews.com/2025/10/15/c...

Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is pausing Medicare payments to doctors, as negotiations tied to the government shutdown drag on.

www.statnews.com

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Raw Story @rawstory.com · 3h

President Donald Trump has been "naive" in his dealings with his Russian counterpart, and not only has it extended the war in Ukraine, but it has also made him look "weak and ineffective," according to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.

Trump 'troubled' by knowledge he looks 'weak' with this foreign head: analyst

President Donald Trump has been "naive" in his dealings with his Russian counterpart, and not only has it extended the war in Ukraine, but it has also made him look "weak and ineffective," according to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. David Cay Johnson, who has won multiple Pulitzers for his rep...

bit.ly

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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 3h

Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work, pushing journalists who cover the American military further from the seat of its power. https://to.pbs.org/4nTbVP3

Journalists leave Pentagon rather than agree to new reporting rules

Dozens of reporters turned in access badges and exited the Pentagon on Wednesday rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work.

to.pbs.org

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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 3h

Why do some people endorse easily disproven claims? It's seen as a power move - the more outlandish the statement, the stronger one appears for standing by it, social psychologists share the results of their studies:

Winning with misinformation: New research identifies link between endorsing easily disproven claims and prioritizing symbolic strength

Conversations around misinformation that assume everyone cares about literal truth may be missing the point.

buff.ly

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Alabama Reflector @alabamareflector.com · 3h

Via Public Health Watch: A recent analysis of the latest Census data found an 18% increase in the number of uninsured U.S. children between 2022 and 2024. The upsurge affected nearly every racial and ethnic group. https://ow.ly/EmzE50Xc0Nu

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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 3h

A state senator's racist text. A thirty-something GOP flack saying "I love Hitler." To JD Vance, they're all just "a kid telling a stupid joke."

No one in the GOP Hitler chat was a "kid"

We checked. Sorry, JD Vance.

www.motherjones.com

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Alaska Beacon @alaskabeacon.com · 2h

Voting Rights Act supporters rally outside Supreme Court as justices hear Louisiana case, reports Ashley Murray for States Newsroom via @alaskabeacon.com

Voting Rights Act supporters rally outside Supreme Court as justices hear Louisiana case | Alaska Beacon

Oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday drew protests from activists and lawmakers who warned the case threatens to gut a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and strip minority…

alaskabeacon.com

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West Virginia Watch @westvirginiawatch.com · 3h

Outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her election last month and will become Arizona’s first elected Latina, said the House speaker's delay in swearing her in was “intentional," reports @arianalfigueroa.bsky.social.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus protests GOP delay swearing in Rep.-elect Grijalva • West Virginia Watch

Outside the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva said the House speaker's delay in swearing her in was “intentional.”

westvirginiawatch.com

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NPR @npr.org · 3h

Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometimes hostile. n.pr/4nRqsdT

In rural America, scarce doctors battle misinformation as they practice medicine

Conspiracy theories about health fill a vacuum created by the lack of doctors in many rural communities. Meanwhile, doctors in these areas say patients have become increasingly distrustful and sometimes hostile.

n.pr

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Reuters @reuters.com · 3h

Pentagon journalists vacate workspace as new restrictions take effect reut.rs/4ni9W5O

Pentagon journalists vacate workspace as new restrictions take effect

Dozens of journalists who cover the U.S. Defense Department vacated their offices in the Pentagon and returned their credentials on Wednesday as new restrictions on press access took effect.

reut.rs

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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 3h

President Donald Trump’s administration for now must stop firing workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered on Wednesday. https://to.pbs.org/48y72pQ

Judge temporarily blocks Trump's firing of federal workers during shutdown

A federal judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from firing workers during the government shutdown.

to.pbs.org

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Kentucky Lantern @kentuckylantern.com · 3h

Federal judge blocks Trump from carrying out thousands of layoffs during shutdown kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/15/r...

Federal judge blocks Trump from carrying out thousands of layoffs during shutdown • Kentucky Lantern

Federal judge issues temporary order blocking Trump from moving forward with thousands of layoffs it initiated after the government shutdown.

kentuckylantern.com

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Kentucky Lantern @kentuckylantern.com · 3h

Congressional Hispanic Caucus protests GOP delay swearing in Rep.-elect Grijalva kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/15/r...

Congressional Hispanic Caucus protests GOP delay swearing in Rep.-elect Grijalva • Kentucky Lantern

Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her election and will become Arizona’s first elected Latina, says the delay in swearing her in was “intentional.”

kentuckylantern.com

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Kentucky Lantern @kentuckylantern.com · 3h

Trump threatens more crackdowns in Dem cities, prosecutions of his political enemies kentuckylantern.com/2025/10/15/r...

Trump threatens more crackdowns in Dem cities, prosecutions of his political enemies • Kentucky Lantern

President Donald Trump and FBI Director Kash Patel claimed victory Wednesday in what they said was a months-long surge of law enforcement in major cities.

kentuckylantern.com

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West Virginia Watch @westvirginiawatch.com · 3h

Oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday drew protests from activists and lawmakers who warned the case threatens to gut a key provision of the Voting Rights Act and strip minority populations of the chance to elect candidates to Congress, reports @ashleymurray.bsky.social.