Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

The Lincoln Project @lincolnproject.us · 27m

He would rather shut down our government than have you see the truth. It's not complicated.

Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 1h

By allowing for the dismantling of minority districts held by Democrats, a ruling against the VRA could give President Donald Trump and the GOP enough additional seats to lock in the party’s control of the House for a generation. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Fair Elections — and Perhaps Control of Congress — at Stake as SCOTUS Hears Challenge to VRA

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 1h

The secret power of a people’s movement is that it’s random.

It’s neighbors protecting immigrants from ICE. It’s millions canceling Disney+. It’s a man throwing a sandwich. It’s inflatable frogs dancing.

Dictators struggle to fight a movement, because they can’t do what they want most—control us.

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 16h

Groceries are up

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 33m

Syria’s new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, has arrived in Russia on an official visit to hold talks with Vladimir Putin.

According to Reuters, the key topic of the meeting is Damascus’s request for the handover of former dictator Bashar al-Assad to Syrian authorities.

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 1h

PA voters will cast their ballots in one of the most consequential elections of the year: the state Supreme Court race. With three Democratic justices up for retention, the outcome of this contest could flip control of a court that decides election laws. https://bit.ly/3JeB3Ax

Why Anti-Voting Activists Are Using the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Election to Spread Disinformation

Read about the fight for democracy from activists, elected officials, legal experts and others.

bit.ly

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · 14h

This isn’t a peace plan. It’s a ceasefire. Why is the media calling it a peace plan?

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 1h

Again, Trump had the power to unilaterally deploy the DC National Guard on January 6th - he did not need permission from anyone. He didn’t do so.

For example, he did deploy the DC Guard as part of his fake emergency in the city this year.

For more debunking:

www.justsecurity.org/93316/anatom...

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 2h

“A clarinet player was arrested after playing her instrument to the tune of the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme song outside of a Portland ICE facility…”

Musician playing ‘Ghostbusters’ outside ICE facility is arrested by agents

‘Taking us citizens out of state to detain them without charge is a new action from the Feds and should be opposed,’ her band said

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Eric Feigl-Ding @drericding.bsky.social · 9h

Welp—CDC’s entire data team for its legendary national health and nutrition survey (NHANES)—our health census—has been laid off. Now we are flying blind to nutrition and chronic disease status in the U.S.—is this supposed to help us be MAHA? www.statnews.com/2025/10/14/c...

CDC team running top survey on health and nutrition is laid off

NHANES has collected data on eating patterns, diabetes, and other common diseases for decades. The CDC team that runs it has been fired.

www.statnews.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2h

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Damian Carrington @dpcarrington.bsky.social · 1h

Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating

- CO2 in the air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening
@wmo-global.bsky.social

#climatecrisis
Story by me
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Record leap in CO2 fuels fears of accelerating global heating

CO2 in air hit new high last year, with scientists concerned natural land and ocean carbon sinks are weakening

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Senseidai2547 @senseidai.bsky.social · 1h

Convicted Felon Donald Trump is interfering in an election, & threatening a country if the election doesn’t go his way.

Open your eyes & grow a spine, Republicans. This mob boss needs to be removed, arrested, convicted (again) & jailed.

#DemVoice1 #ProudBlue #Pinks

apnews.com/article/arge...

Trump threatens to pull support for Argentina if its politics move leftward

President Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw assistance from Argentina if its internal politics don't align with his interests in upcoming elections.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 4h

1)You may remember the articles criticizing liberal students for their hesitancy to make friends with conservative students—alleging that they were less open-minded than their conservative counterparts.

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 11h

Here are the little darlings they’ve created. Horrifying.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 2h

That’s crazy. I wonder what happened in January

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1h

A precondition for Republics to transition to autocracies is the politicization of the military. It is why the political & military leaders of the country have been so vigilant to keep partisanship away from it. But this admin is dismantling that concept. www.cnn.com/2025/10/15/p...

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 ...

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 2h

"Many obstacles remain" to peace in the Middle East. Indeed.
wapo.st/3KY6D65

Analysis | Trump, hailing a ‘new Middle East,’ avoids many of the hard questions ahead

In touting his Gaza ceasefire win, the president projected optimism for a wider peace while sidestepping the many obstacles that remain.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

The Steady State @steadystatevets.bsky.social · 8h

The rule of law means future accountability must always remain possible. DHS is implying that accountability itself is illegitimate - a stunning rejection of democratic norms.

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 17h

Due process. Academic freedom. An independent judiciary. A free press. A professional civil service. A protected environment. These aren't partisan talking points; they are the pillars of a healthy nation. And every single one of them is under direct assault by the Trump administration.

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Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 8h

October 14, 2025

The government shutdown, which started on October 1, is entering its third week.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 13h

There is no conceivable argument that these ships, even if we assume they were carrying narcotics, could not be dealt with in some other way. I think we can just drop the caveats and say: This is mass murder.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 17h

Unless and until some kind of compelling legal and moral argument is presented as to why this is a legitimate use of deadly force, this is just…mass murder.

Amarnath Amarasingam @amaramarasingam.bsky.social · 18h

The military has now killed 27 people as if they were enemy soldiers in a war zone and not criminal suspects. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

herostratus356.bsky.social @herostratus356.bsky.social · 9h

"We welcome Kansans of every ethnicity into our party."

Suuuure...

www.kansascity.com/opinion/arti...

KS GOP’s fake post of Gov. Kelly in sombrero crosses the line to blatant racism | Opinion

Kansas Republican Party shows its white-supremacist underbelly in Facebook post on SNAP, mimicking President Trump’s racist online antics.

www.kansascity.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 12h

“The upcoming No Kings has set off klaxons for Republican lawmakers…Some in party leadership are going further by branding it a pro-terrorism demonstration—an unambiguously false allegation meant to get ahead of a potentially massive protest against the president.”
www.thebulwark.com/p/no-kings-r...

‘No Kings’ Has Republicans in Disarray

Why GOP lawmakers are spreading fear about the upcoming rally.

www.thebulwark.com

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 13h

Walking away with $20 billion of US taxpayer money so Scott Bessent’s Wall Street cronies don’t lose their investments in Argentina.

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Reposted by Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR)

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 14h

Just trying to imagine what Republicans would’ve done if, say, the head of the California Democratic Party were accused of rape, while one of the state’s Democratic congressmen has his career ended by sex trafficking allegations and a second juggled multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 14h

(taps mic)

“Florida Keys Party”

Florida's GOP power couple is embroiled in scandal

House report on former Rep.
Matt Gaetz reveals rampant sexual misconduct, drug use

Exclusive: Top Florida
GOP official was convicted in probe into his romantic involvement with
inmate during his time as jail employee

Judge grants ex-girlfriend restraining order against
Rep. Cory Mills

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