Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 1m

Also pretty rich of Jenkins to defend a woman who is heavily known for trying to get pro-Palestinian professors fired as some kind of symbol of free speech

4

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 4m

The thought police are people who tell you what to think and demand you think it, not people who tell you what you think is shallow or stupid or thoughtless

1 4 24

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 7m

Also, thought police, lol. If @sallyjenx.bsky.social or Weiss thinks it, it’s heterodox independent thinking, but if reasonable people disagree they’re censorious thought police. What Jenkins and Weiss want is infinite license without consequence for themselves and STFU for everybody else

1 9 100

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 9m

The people willing to go out over their skis on this despite the fact that Weiss has zero experience running a broadcast newsroom and the reporting she has done herself has been littered with holes are just telling you they agree with her ideologically

Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 3h

Ratio me. Please. It's a badge of honor. If you don't like a link, go follow some chicken-heart who needs the approval of the thought-police. Caitlin Flanagan of @theatlantic.com is a tremendous writer and this piece is an excellent read. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss

The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.

www.theatlantic.com

8 27 180

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

Derek Powazek @fraying.bsky.social · 20m

Ha. I was *just* talking about how the essential characteristic of the reactionary right is not being able to handle rejection, and then along comes this perfect example.

Really, bravo. Badge of honor. 10 out of 10. Amazing.

Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 3h

Ratio me. Please. It's a badge of honor. If you don't like a link, go follow some chicken-heart who needs the approval of the thought-police. Caitlin Flanagan of @theatlantic.com is a tremendous writer and this piece is an excellent read. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss

The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.

www.theatlantic.com

1 4 49

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 5h

Yes. And i don’t do both sides-ism and it doesn’t stop me from criticizing them. I don’t think progressives abandoning mainstream outlets does anything but make the right wing view seem like the majority one when it’s not.

1 3

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

Yep

2

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

Also not an unusual story!

2 30

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

Also just not true. I have a family full of hunters and if you shoot a deer through the neck that is generally considered a miss.

2 17

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

It is not, but I do think there is in an institutional fear of portraying white Evangelicals as resentful or malicious and it has to do with the fact that so few staffers have any real experience with them

8 4 98

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

No

1 15

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

I think some of them suspect, very deep down, that we are not and that makes them even more resentful

1 6

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

And then when they inevitably do they claim their hand was forced, that they’d had enough. And the only thing they’ve really had enough of is not being able to control mouthy liberals.

13 19 370

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

In my experience people like this guy create persecution narratives for themselves where white Christian people are being endangered by liberals (and this woman isn’t even liberal) and are dying for the opportunity to harm those people

2 34 410

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

So the idea that this guy has never tried to punish people who don’t conform to his religious ideas of what’s acceptable is contradicted by his history. And a campaign of harassment against a person who wrote something on their private social media page that he found rude is not a both sides story

2 24 400

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

If you’re going to another country and telling people they’re going to suffer eternal damnation if they don’t adopt your beliefs and norms, that is not charity, no matter how you justify it with your religion

7 51 540

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

And the tone is very much, “he was a good guy until someone pushed him over the edge”. I grew up Evangelical and knew people who were missionaries. That is not evidence of their goodness and in many cases it is evidence of their need to impose their beliefs on others and punish deviance from them

10 54 660

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

And she was just on the other side of the issue. But first of all, she expressed an opinion he didn’t like and he went out of his way to harass and put her in danger. At worst she said something rude about a public figure who had dehumanized people like her repeatedly.

4 29 490

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 6h

I was trying to put my finger on what bothered me about this portrayal and I think it’s that it just takes the guy’s words at face value, like he was a nice guy and reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death just pushed him over the edge www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/u...

She Despised Charlie Kirk. He Resolved to Make People Like Her Pay.

www.nytimes.com

87 200 1.1K

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7h

a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 8h

What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.

250 2.7K 12K

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 7h

New, from me:
Trump's 3 step plan to create a military omniforce
1. Purge - those deemed disloyal
2. Merge - different parts of law enforcement/military
3. Surge - impose the omniforce on Dem cities; instigate unrest; assert dominance; silence dissent
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/purge-merg...

Purge, Merge, and Surge

Trump is creating a omniforce of armed loyalists to establish his police state

donmoynihan.substack.com

44 620 1.5K

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

Alyssa Katz @alykatzz.bsky.social · 3d

Your timely reminder that Donald Trump tried to claim NYC residence to take a $49,000 tax break on his Manhattan condo while he and Melania lived in the White House, only to get it yanked after my colleague and I caught the misrepresentation.

EXCLUSIVE: City nixes property tax break for Trump’s NYC apartment

New York City has nixed a $48,000 tax break President Trump was set to receive on his Trump Tower condo following inquiries from the Daily News about whether he is still eligible for the savings. O…

www.nydailynews.com

12 250 700

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 8h

The deportation order is based on Vedam’s conviction for murder—a crime he did not actually commit and for which he’s now been wholly exonerated. He entered the US at 9 months old and was a legal permanent resident before his conviction. We are so, so, so far from the light of justice.

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 19h

After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

60 1.4K 3.9K

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 19h

I’m not sure. I only started writing for them after she took over.

2 2

Reposted by Elizabeth Spiers

Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 20h

Also: if you work for ICE, even if you’re not one of the ones arresting citizens or tackling 15-year-olds or zip-tying kids together and segregating them by race, you’re part of the mechanism making it happen, and you should suffer long-term social and post-regime-change consequences.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 21h

Some weirdo on Twitter has been absolutely melting down for like 36 straight hours because I posted:

When this is over, do not forget what ICE did, and what ICE is. And do not make room for them in society. Make sure they know that they are, and will continue to be, reviled and beneath contempt.

350 4K 17K