Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 1h

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/

18 470 1.1K

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 1h

They were already impounding funds and treating Congressionally appropriated funding levels like mere suggestions. And now while we're busy trying to negotiate funding levels, they assert the ability to spend the money Congress provided however they want, further blowing everything up.

1 14 100

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Jeff Yang @originalsp.in · 16h

Korol is a US citizen. Her family hasn’t heard from her since she was taken, public charges haven’t been released—what crime did she even commit? 2nd-Degree Woodwinding?—and there has been no explanation for her “renditioning” across state lines.

We’ve moved into a new phase of Trump lawlessness.

Jeff Yang @originalsp.in · 16h

A musician, Oriana Korol, was peacefully playing clarinet with her protest band outside ICE facilities in Portland, OR.

When the band started playing “Ghostbusters,” ICE thugs suddenly poured outside, slammed her into the mud, arrested her and took her to a jail 9 miles away in Vancouver, WA.

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

17 740 1.5K

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 7h

#1 thing I tell my pregnant is AVOID Catholic hospitals like their lives depend on it because it just fucking might

A secular hospital doesn't guarantee good outcomes (thank you so much, private equity) but at least if it goes bad it won't be because a hospital is claiming religious beliefs

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 15h

“Please someone listen to me, I don’t want to die”

These are the words of a woman named Harmonie who had an ectopic pregnancy

Her obgyn refused to help, citing a
1% chance the fetus could survive

She lives in a blue state & still couldn’t access the life saving care she needed

Illinois Woman Denied Treatment for Ectopic Pregnancy

10.14.25

open.substack.com

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 22h

The servicemembers who are conducting these strikes need to be told, explicitly, by Dems in Congress that they have criminal liability, because they do

Congressman Don Beyer @beyer.house.gov · 22h

Trump has no legal authority, "standing" or otherwise, to order the killing of people in international waters for unsubstantiated accusations of non-capital crimes.

Calling them "narcoterrorists" does not make it right or legal to order their deaths without any due process.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump announces another strike "just off the Coast of Venezuela" that killed 6 people

9 280 1K

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Gabriel Geiger @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social · 1d

But it went beyond politically-motivated use. We also found this government-grade surveillance being used by corporate investigators digging up dirt for private clients and to stalk a Russian businesswoman in the UK www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The surveillance empire that tracked world leaders, a Vatican enemy, and maybe you

We uncovered a massive data trove. It revealed the hidden world of First Wap, whose untraceable tech has targeted politicians, journalists, celebrities, and activists around the globe.

www.motherjones.com

1 12 37

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 1d

Possibly the funniest thing in here is Jones’ lawyers describing The Onion as his “ideological nemesis.”

Meet the Press @meetthepress.com · 1d

The conspiracy theorist had asked the justices to immediately intervene, warning that the ownership of his Infowars website could be transferred to the satirical news site The Onion.

Supreme Court turns away Alex Jones' attempt to block $1.5B defamation judgment

The conspiracy theorist had asked the justices to immediately intervene, warning that the ownership of his Infowars website could be transferred to the satirical news site The Onion.

nbcnews.to

5 130 920

Reposted by Kolya Flower

STAT @statnews.com · 1d

Protecting the nation’s public health demands data, whether it be new measles cases, a surge in ER visits, or shifting patterns in obesity. The most recent job cuts at the CDC threaten the mostly unseen foundation of that research enterprise.
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

3 48 88

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 1d

hard times in Toronto today

bad enough the Jays lost although at least there's a dignity in being bested by the Mariners, but the Leafs? Losing to these (my beloved) Red Wings? A second time in a row? And at home? On Thanksgiving??

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 1d

love a man with the confidence to spread in the frank frazetta pussy cloth

3

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 2d

This Red Wings - Leafs game is running at 80% speed, fellas all logy from whatever Canadians eat at their Thanksgiving

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 2d

reporting ads for harry potter candles as hate speech because i hate that hp is still a thing

Reposted by Kolya Flower

James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 3d

Everyone knows at least one person (normally, but not exclusively, a guy) whose gone properly mental due to net rabbit holes.

We see public figures regularly go mad and destroy themselves.

And we have, at a policy level, just decided to put our fingers in our ears and go nahnahnah

Alastair Meeks @alastairmeeks.bsky.social · 3d

Last night I heard of another friend of a friend who has been lost to a rabbit hole of online propaganda. We need to start treating this as a serious public health concern.

46 110 600

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 2d

update: we played "Orinoco Flow" on repeat for immersion in The Horrors

Lesbian Death Bed: The Bed that Eats Pussy @bitterkarella.bsky.social · Sep 15

this book club is gonna be so lit 🔥

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · Sep 15

as the benevolent dictatrix of a small book club, I've assigned @bitterkarella.bsky.social's Moonflow which I'm sure will be a fun and normal time for us all

1 3 20

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:

Physician designed study, analysis

Natasha Simonova @philistella.bsky.social · 3d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:

New library catalogue website.

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 6d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

The Trump administration has promoted the anti-vax, anti-science movement which has now produced an epidemic www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Hundreds of U.S. students quarantined amid measles outbreaks

At least 270 unvaccinated kids are staying home from school as measles continues to spread nationwide. "Expect more," one expert said.

www.nbcnews.com

85 740 1.6K

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 3d

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

650 7.5K 15K

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 4d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

860 8.5K 15K

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 4d

ah lord, they know this man has less than 90 days remaining on his clock and are aiming to take out two vaccines with him

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 4d

Trump got a Covid vaccine today.

2

Reposted by Kolya Flower

Django Wexler @djangowexler.bsky.social · 5d

My boss: so how's our fourth quarter looking?

Me, the sales manager at the company that makes inflatable frog suits: well, you're never going to believe this, but

140 3.9K 20K

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 5d

this was the Red Wings home opener last night and I turned it off after the second period

there is probably no lesson in that for anyone

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 5d

I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 5d

Ramona and Genghis believe in fatness, density

A chubby tabby cat and a fat grey and white cat in a fluffy pink pet bed

Kolya Flower @kolyaflower.bsky.social · 5d

partner is off to help his trumpiest friend with a flat and I'm like, So you are telling me that this Alpha Male needs a Liberal Cuck to come change his damn tire?? such raw masculine energy, I am overcome

Reposted by Kolya Flower

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 5d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

130 1.1K 2.2K