Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Dennis B. Hooper @dennisbhooper.bsky.social · 9h

A thing I really believe about gay rights is that we didn’t win by changing everybody’s minds, we won by getting the very large contingent of fence sitters to actually pick a side, and outnumbering the ride-or-die homophobes to the point that they finally had to shut up.

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Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 11h

There's literally no reason for Congress to exist if any random freak in the presidential orbit can nullify laws and seize federal funds. All of this is plainly illegal, but Mike Johnson leads the most corrupt Congress in US history (and by a wide margin.)

Reuters @reuters.com · 16h

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers reut.rs/4qjMIyT

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers

White House budget director Russell Vought said he wants to close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and expects to do so within the next two to three months.

reut.rs

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Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · May 17

We are so close to Trump implementing price controls out of anger, I can feel it

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · May 17

The pivot to blaming companies for the obvious consequence of your tariffs has begun

Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain. Walmart made BILLIONS OF DOLLARS last year, far more than expected. Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS,” and not charge valued customers ANYTHING. I’ll be watching, and so will your customers!!!

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Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 10h

"sidestepping norms"
"pushing the envelope"
"breaking with tradition"
"in a bold move"
...
"expanding authority"

I wonder if the New York Times has ChatGPT generating these.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11h

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

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Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 13h

I read the piece. You shouldn't. He dismisses the "No Kings" protests as liberals in blue cities. He invokes Rosa Parks, as if rural white people in the 60s loved everything that the movement then was doing. "We need a movement but not this one" is a core centrist tact these days.

Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · 14h

Is this a joke. www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

America Needs a Mass Movement—Now

Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.

www.theatlantic.com

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Technical appreciator @whatahellofawaytodad.com · 10h

I think something lacking from NuTrek is no one is horny. There's always a desiginated horndog trying to get a nut. Kirk in TOS, Riker in TNG, half of DS9 was trying to bang the other half, Voyager was upside down pineapple cruise.

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Technical appreciator @whatahellofawaytodad.com · 10h

I love prompts like this because you scroll through like, that's a cool lego creation, there's a great oil painting of the ship, not sure if I agree that Kirk is circumcised but that's a well done charcoal of him getting corn holed by spock

Nix @spirkme915.bsky.social · 9d

for the trek writers and artists out there, i'd really love to hear what's your favorite thing you've created? include links plz!

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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 14h

Politico received an initial tip that a Taylor staffer had a swastika neatly pinned to his cubicle during a zoom call. When confronted, the congressman’s press office pretty implausibly sought to present the situation as a police matter, and Politico went along with that in its headline and lede.

Zach D Roberts @zdroberts.bsky.social · 14h

Capitol Police called to investigate swastika in GOP congressional office

An American flag altered to include an image of a swastika was found in Rep. Dave Taylor’s office.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Capitol Police called to investigate swastika in GOP congressional office

An American flag altered to include an image of a swastika was found in Rep. Dave Taylor’s office.

www.politico.com

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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 14h

tl;dr this is, as I've been screaming into the wind about for a week now, not just illegal as shit but fundamentally means the Constitution as written is no longer in effect

That said if you want an even deeper dive on the subject than I've done, this is a very good thread

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 15h

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/10/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-8/

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 13h

the president using the office to punish americans that didnt vote for him should really be one of the biggest scandals in americas history

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 20h

Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)

The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14h

Feels like this will be a useful meme for the next few years

Peacemaker looks at a mural embedding Hitler into American symbols

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Tom Joscelyn @tomjoscelyn.bsky.social · 15h

Hakeem Jeffries posted pictures of two Rep. Members posing with “Young Republicans” who were part of a racist text thread (as reported by Politico).

In response, Mike Davis (well-connected in Trump World & on the Hill) called Jeffries a “house slave” for George Soros - proving Jeffries’ point.

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Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine.bsky.social · 13h

We are fighting for true freedom. The freedom to live a life of dignity and joy.

A life of 80 hour work weeks, of constantly struggling to get by, being trapped in a shitty job by your health insurance — this is not freedom, and we are not free. But we could be. If we fight.

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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 13h

The "anti-woke" backlash was always about white collar labor competition from nonwhites, not hr bullshit. bsky.app/profile/phil...

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 14h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 14h

GOP gave $20 billion to Argentina yesterday

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

Lisa McClain: "Democrats' plan forces taxpayers to cover the majority of emergency medical costs for all non-citizens. Another $28 billion tab for who? You guessed it, the American people."

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Daniel Skelly @saffroncomic.com · 14h

How the hell are Democrats meant to negotiate with a man who openly says he won't keep his end of any bargain?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Trump: "We're getting rid of problems that we didn't like but that were negotiated in but we didn't like. We're terminating those programs. And they're gonna be terminated on a permanent basis."

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Margaret Killjoy @margaret.bsky.social · 19h

this week's post is something i've been thinking about for a long time. it's called "all of us imperfect comrades: or, an army of fuckups cannot lose"

margaretkilljoy.substack.com/p/each-of-us...

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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 16h

nothing says "america first" and "free markets" like bailing out another country's libertarian failure because (1) the corrupt clown president who caused it says nice things about our own corrupt clown president and (2) our big banks don't know how to do capitalism and are the hook for a lot of it

Argentine Bonds Jump on News US Lining Up $40 Billion in Aid

Argentina’s sovereign bonds jumped Wednesday after media outlets reported that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined financial aid that would total $40 billion to Javier Milei’s government, dou...

www.bloomberg.com

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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 15h

that's right. they talk this way BECAUSE the in-group likes it

Larry Glickman @larryglickman.bsky.social · 15h

I think @politico.com did a great job in reporting this story, but I disagree with this framing. The participants did not think "no one" was listening; my guess is that they were playing to an audience that they thought would be receptive to their slurs.

The chat offers an unfiltered look at how a new generation of GOP activists talk when they think no one is listening.

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 15h

More images from what was just reported in Politico (www.politico.com/news/2025/10...)

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Justin Sherin @wychstreet.bsky.social · 16h

People do fandom stuff for two reasons -

- it scratches their creative itch - performing, writing, building, drawing, analyzing like other people talk sports - in & of itself this is fine, no more harmful than other people playing golf

- or they are pathologically incapable of living in the world

Katie Aki ✶ @katieaki.bsky.social · 18h

all of this “see yourself as a ghibli/marvel/disney character” AI shit and “what if Marilyn Monroe was in Game of Thrones!!!” AI shit has made me feel very justified about the many many bad feelings I’ve harbored toward fandom shit for so long