Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1h

#ICE #Cruelty #Fascism

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 6h

A terrific AFP fact check uses reverse image searches to expose how a White House video took scenes from Florida, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska and lied that they showed "Chicago is in chaos."
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

Post from WH about Chicago "in chaos," showing scene from another state.

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 5h

🚨BREAKING: New York Court of Appeals UNANIMOUSLY UPHOLDS state law moving most county and town elections to even-numbered years. By aligning them with state and federal elections, it will boost voter turnout.

Another victory for voters and defeat for the GOP! www.democracydocket.com/cases/new-yo...

🚨 Onondaga County v. New York

Learn more.

www.democracydocket.com

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

paulpro @mariopro.bsky.social · 4h

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

astrastarstrider⚡️ @camelshitonthewall.bsky.social · 4h

Imagine a SEA of people & signs collectively focused on REMOVING the regime.

Imagine
‼️MILLIONS‼️
demanding IMPEACH CONVICT REMOVE!

No Kings means the regime needs to be REMOVED!!

Use No Kings day to pressure Congress & to let the WORLD know your demand, good folks of USA.
bsky.app/profile/citi...

Citizens' Impeachment @citizensimpeachment.com · 3d

On Saturday, 10/18, demand impeachment. We have #NoKings here.

✅ Maintain message discipline: IMPEACH, CONVICT, REMOVE. It is clear and actionable.

✅ Call your representative and demand it. (202) 224-3121

✅ Download free printable materials here:

citizensimpeachment.com/printable-ma...

Printable materials - Citizens' Impeachment

These free printable materials are available for you to download and either print at home or at your local print shop. Hand out flyers at your next protest, put up […]

citizensimpeachment.com

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 4h

Big news here: the White House has backed down from shutting down I-5 this weekend following our reporting last night.

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

EdinburghGary @photoscotland.bsky.social · 23h

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#Edinburgh #Photography #Nikon

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

@GottaLaff @gottalaff.bsky.social · 6h

These new efforts to butcher our national parks are potentially catastrophic.

Stephanie Mencimer @smencimer.bsky.social · 6h

This is a terrible idea. Capitol Reef is full of fragile cryptobiotic soil that can be irreparably damaged by a single footprint. ATVs would be catastrophic. ksltv.com/environment/...

New bill allowing off-road vehicles access to national parks

Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis introduced a bill on Oct. 6 granting off-road vehicles access to Capitol Reef National Park.

ksltv.com

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Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 6h

#trump #Troops #Approriations #Illegal #PowerGrab #MikeJohnson Alt

Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/25
TRUMP USURPS POWER TO APPROPRIATE MONEY FOR TROOPS CONTRARY TO LAW SPEAKER JOHNSON PREVENTS LEGAL AVENUE TO PAY TROOPS

Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/25
TRUMP USURPS POWER TO APPROPRIATE MONEY FOR TROOPS
CONTRARY TO LAW SPEAKER JOHNSON PREVENTS LEGAL AVENUE TO
PAY TROOPS
Today Trump announced that he has the power to pay furloughed
troops by taking any unused funds Congress appropriated for fiscal
yedr 2026 and using that money to pay the troops.
As budget and tax specialist Bobby Kogan notes, this is wildly illegal:
only Congress can appropriate money...clarifying that it is illegal for
the government to spend money that was not appropriated for that
purpose. The military is funded on an annual basis, so when funding
ran out on September 30, so did money to pay the troops.
Kogan explains that Trump is turning to the account for research,
development, testing, and evaluation (RDTE), which was funded for
two years and still has money. But, as Kogan points out, that shift
creates another problem: as soon as the money is taken to pay the
troops, it becomes unusable because that money ceased to be
available on September 30.
Kogan notes Trump's order should also be unnecessary: Congress
would pass a measure to pay the troops easily if only House speaker
Mike Johnson (R-LA) would call the House into session. Democrats
have been begging Johnson to bring such a measure to the floor.
Trump says that because he is commander in chief, he has the right to
this power.

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 6h

#Gerrymandering #VotersRightsAct #SCOTUS #Fascists #Confederacy #History #Racism #Alt

Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/25
WITH REMOVAL OF VOTERS RIGHTS , THE CONFEDERACY COULD RISE AGAIN KEEPING REPUBLICANS IN CONTROL REFLECTING THE U.S. 1874-1965

Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/25
WITH REMOVAL OF VOTERS RIGHTS , THE CONFEDERACY COULD RISE
AGAIN KEEPING REPUBLICANS IN CONTROL REFLECTING THE U.S.
1874-1965
That the Supreme Court appears to be taking aim at a constitutional
amendment added to the Constitution during Reconstruction is a little
too on-the-nose. When the federal government stopped enforcing the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, former Confederates took
control of their states and instituted a one-party region that lasted
until the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Today, Nate Cohn of the New York Times explained that striking down
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could eliminate more than a dozen
districts in the South currently held by Democrats. Republicans could
win virtually uncontested control of the South and so could control the
House of Representatives even if they lost the popular vote by a
significant margin. Cohn writes that Democrats would need to win the
popular vote by between five to six points in order to win the House if
the court strikes down Section 2.

But, since gerrymandering depresses turnout of the losing party's
voters, Republicans would appear to hold the country even more
firmly, making the United States as a whole reflect the American
South from about 1874 to 1965.

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 6h

#Gerrymandering #Louisiana #VotersRightsAct #SCOTUS #Fascists#AfricanAmericans #Racism #Alt

Heather Cox Richardson 10/15/25
SCOTUS TO RULE ON VOTER RIGHTS POTENTIALLY DENYING AFRICAN AMERICANS REPRESENTATION

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 21h

#Frog #Protest #Humor #Power #Video #Song #Music

youtu.be/QGtBfOdnG24?...

The Ballad of the Portland Frog Brigade

YouTube video by Hot Garbage Productions

youtu.be

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Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#Trump #Colbert # BetteMiddler #music #Song # Protest #resist

youtube.com/shorts/YQ83D...

Bette Midler sings on “the orange asz “ Colbert show #stephencolbert #bettemidler #presidenttrump

YouTube video by Rest & Sleep Relaxation

youtube.com

Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Tim Walz: "It's almost unimaginable that he's got Milei in there, giving him $20 billion, so that they can undercut us and China can buy their soybeans from them. And now China has learned they can replace our markets."

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 1d

NEW via NYT:

A U.S. attorney and his deputy were removed after telling top DOJ officials they don't believe criminal charges are warranted from a new Kash Patel-backed investigation seeking to discredit the FBI's earlier Russia investigation that looked into Trump. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

U.S. Attorney Was Forced Out After Clashes Over How to Handle Russia Inquiry

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 1d

Gov. JB Pritzker has joined a public health coalition of Democratic governors to counter the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gov. JB Pritzker joins Democratic governors' health coalition to combat Trump's 'war on science'

The Governors Public Health Initiative is an effort to protect Democratic states from massive public health changes being enacted by the Trump administration.

trib.al

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

IrishStar.com @irishstar.com · 1d

MSNBC has sparked fury for being the only major news network not to air the posthumous Medal of Freedom ceremony for Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University in September.

MSNBC blasted 'vile and scum' for not airing Charlie Kirk ceremony

www.irishstar.com

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

States Newsroom @statesnewsroom.com · 1d

A Cameron Parish judge has ruled that state officials violated the Louisiana Constitution when they issued a permit for a liquified gas export terminal, which has halted construction on the facility.

via @lailluminator.com

Judge rules permit for Cameron LNG terminal ignored potential climate impacts

A Cameron Parish judge has ruled that state officials violated the Louisiana Constitution when they issued a permit for a liquified gas export terminal, which has halted construction on the facility.

www.newsfromthestates.com

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Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#Greed #Corporations #Hospitals #Medicare #Deaths #alt #Study

CORPORATE HOSPITALS HAVE HIGHER DEATHS FOR MEDICARE PATIENTS DUE TO STAFFING SHORTAGES

Aaron Parnas 10/15/25

Aaron Parnas 10/15/25
* A new study in Annals of Internal
Medicine found that private equity
ownership of hospitals led to higher death
rates among Medicare emergency patients
—seven more deaths per 10,000—due to
staff cuts, lower wages, and more patient
transfers, with experts warning that profit-
driven cost reductions are harming care
and accountability remains limited
because private equity firms are legally
insulated from liability.

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#Cat #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #CatsOfPixelfed #catstodon #CatsOMastodon #catsoffediverse #alt #caturday #Humor#alt #Lowes

Aaron Parnas 10/15/25
Francine, the beloved Lowe's store cat
from Richmond, Virginia, was found safe
in North Carolina 17 days after
accidentally boarding a delivery truck;
after a viral search and community-wide
effort involving drones, traps, and social
media sleuthing, employees joyfully
reunited with her and brought her home—
now outfitted with a harness and tracker—
as locals celebrated her return as a symbol
of unity and kindness.
Photo of Francine being carried into her store with honor guard lined up either side

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Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#YoungRepublicans #Nazi #Fascists #Cowards #Misogyny #Racism #Hitler #Stupidity #Alt

Heather Cox Richardson 10/14/25
YOUNG REPUBLICANS THINK THERE IS PRIVACY ONLINE REVEAL THEIR HATE

Heather Cox Richardson 10/14/25
YOUNG REPUBLICANS THINK THERE IS PRIVACY ONLINE REVEAL THEIR
HATE
Today, Jason Beeferman and Emily Ngo of Politico reported on 2,900
pages of messages exchanged on the messaging app Telegram
between leaders of the hardline pro-Trump factions of Young
Republican groups in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont. In the
edgy messages, the leaders used racist themes and epithets freely
and cheered slavery, rape, gas chambers, and torturing their
opponents. They expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler.
One of them wrote to the others, “If we ever had a leak of this chat we
would be cooked [for real for real].”

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#Fascism #Resist #HatchAct #Airports #alt #Noem

Heather Cox Richardson 10/14/25

NOEM GETS PUSH BACK ON PROPAGANDA

Heather Cox Richardson 10/14/25
NOEM GETS PUSH BACK ON PROPOGANDA

Airports around the country are refusing to air the video Homeland
Security Secretary Kristi Noem recorded to be shown at
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, which
blames Democrats for the shutdown. Some have noted it violates
the Hatch Act that prohibits the use of government assets for
partisan purposes.

Catherine Schmidt @lillyfinch.bsky.social · 1d

#Fascism #Hegseth #Resistance #FOXNews #FreeSpeech #Press #alt

LEGACY PRESS FINALLY FINDS ITS SPINE

Heather Cox Richardson 20/14/25
LEGACY PRESS FINALLY FINDS ITS SPINE
Cracks are showing elsewhere in the administration's picture of
strength. Defense secretary Pete Hegseth demanded that media
outlets agree they would not publish any material about the Defense
Department—even if it were unclassified—unless it was explicitly
authorized by department officials. He set a deadline of 5:00
tonight for them to sign an agreement or hand over their press
badges.
Every major press outlet, including the Fox News Channel, refused,
saying such a demand is an assault on the freedom of the press
guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Maryann - Revealing Light @revealinglight.bsky.social · 1d

The peace deal you get when making money from redevelopment & cutting deals with rich Arab countries. It was always about US oligarchy profits in the ME. That’s why trump reigned in Netanyahu, because he too is on Qatar $.

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Reposted by Catherine Schmidt

Maryann - Revealing Light @revealinglight.bsky.social · 1d

When you understand this and that there goal is to remake the US & dominate the world then you understand what trump is doing. The TPS operates globally & wants in on the Gulf state profits & a bridge to BRICS. That was the price for GAZA liberation.

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