Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 4h

I could probably cosplay as an out-of-season Santa Claus with my current beard growth.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 7h

Chico’s Bail Bonds’ White House Ballroom

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 11h

Exclusive: More than three dozen organizations and individuals are expected to attend a dinner with Trump on Wednesday after opening their checkbooks to support a $250 million White House ballroom.

Trump Invites Ballroom Donors to Glitzy White House Dinner

The dinner is set to include representatives from Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and Palantir Technologies.

on.wsj.com

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 11h

The only comparison I’d make between AI & fanfic is specifically to self-inserting (Mary Sue) fanfic because AI can never do anything unique and the prompter does nothing of significance.

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 11h

I was negative towards fanfic until I realized people have been writing and rewriting Arthurian fanfic for 900 years.

The only difference between fanfic & fic is how much unique world, character, and plot building the writer does.

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 12h

Only essential government functions are supposed to take place during a shutdown. RIFing people who aren’t getting paid is not an essential government function.

NPR @npr.org · 13h

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.

Judge pauses shutdown layoffs at more than 30 federal agencies

In a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.

n.pr

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 12h

McCormick & Fetterman canceled a book event because of protesters in March.

Clinton & Pelosi had protesters at book events in Sept & Oct 2024.

Dana Bash protested at book event in Sept 2024.

Trump Jr. protested on book tour in Nov 2019.

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 12h

I don’t think Harris deserves protests, but she’s far from the only one & they aren’t all black women being protested at book events. This is fairly standard these days.

Schumer had to cancel his book tour in March because of protesters.

Manchin had protesters at pre-release speeches in March.

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Reposted by Liquid Jade

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 17h

Depending on traffic, these are all closer to O'Hare than the Loop is.

Jesse Walker @notjessewalker.bsky.social · 17h

The White House's "Chicago is in chaos" video "is littered with outdated footage highlighting drug busts, arrests and deportation raids in other states, including Florida, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska"

White House's Chicago 'chaos' video uses footage from other cities

A dramatic voiceover video shared by the White House and US President Donald Trump claims to show immigration agents responding to the "mess" in Chicago as the Republican seeks to justify deploying Na...

uk.news.yahoo.com

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Reposted by Liquid Jade

Jelani Cobb @jelaniya.bsky.social · 16h

Still stunned by D’Angelo’s departure. Grateful for the brilliant musical legacy he bequeathed to us. I thought it worth re-posting this meditation on black music and black mortality. www.newyorker.com/news/daily-c...

Hip-Hop at Fifty: An Elegy

A generation is still dying younger than it should—this time, of “natural causes.”

www.newyorker.com

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Only Republicans get to wish death on Americans.
— Marco Rubio, probably

Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Marco Rubio's State Department announces publicly that it is exercising unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination in revoking people's visas based on comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

Department of State v
@StateDept
g..
The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans.
The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk. Here are just a few examples of aliens who are no longer welcome in the U.S.:
5:55 PM • Oct 14, 2025 • 34.1K Views

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Making pasta sauce from scratch is not my forte.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Reminder: the “free market” doesn’t work for insurance because you pre-pay for services with your premiums and insurance companies bank the most profit by denying coverage.

Denial of coverage is part of their business model.

American Bridge 21st Century @ab21.bsky.social · 1d

Rep. Scott Perry is saying the quiet part out loud, Republicans won’t fund health care because they want to return to the days when insurance companies could label pregnancy a pre-existing condition and deny you health care.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Drive through literally sounded like the adults in a Peanuts cartoon:

a group of peanuts characters are dancing and playing instruments

ALT: a group of peanuts characters are dancing and playing instruments

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Liquid Jade

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 1d

I guess this is a good time to remind everyone of why there is virtually no federal oversight into the supplements business... And yea, it's because of a single Senator, Orrin Hatch -- www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/u...

www.npr.org/sections/hea...

Support Is Mutual for Senator and Utah Industry (Published 2011)

www.nytimes.com

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

I have heat again.

Still have the fucking mercury switch thermostat. My system is too basic for anything post-1980.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

That’s 3.4 million people. It works out to an average pay of $1,100 per employee per week, or $27/hr.

It also includes housing & food allowances and danger pay.

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

If you ever wondered what the mission statement for a funeral home looks like:

We believe in creating certainty through the uncertainty of life’s end and we do it by living our values-leading with compassion, building trust, and nurturing community so no one walks this journey alone.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Surely dudes who balk at a 0.1% increase in the marginal tax rate are down with a $3.7 billion/week tax.

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

The DoD’s weekly payroll is roughly $3.7 billion.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "I had a very wealthy person who called -- a donor, a great gentleman -- and he said, 'if there's any money necessary, shortfall, for the paying of the troops, then I will pay it.' Meaning he will pay it. How about that?"

26 95 470

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Private militaries worked extremely well for the Romans. It’s why they had a civil war every time an emperor died and there was no clear successor.

It’s a Top 5 reason why the Roman Empire fell.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "I had a very wealthy person who called -- a donor, a great gentleman -- and he said, 'if there's any money necessary, shortfall, for the paying of the troops, then I will pay it.' Meaning he will pay it. How about that?"

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Also, let me be known that Monroe was curvier than this and favored orange lipstick, not red.

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 2d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

And putting dead actors in canceled TV shows.

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 1d

It is at least *interesting* that the people making this supposedly world-changing technology think its most profitable use cases are: social media videos and sexting.

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, don’t catch your turkey neck wattle into your tie.

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 1d

when you tie a tie, try to put in a dimple, like so

a black and white photo of a man in a pinstripe worsted suit, white shirt, and textured necktie. the tie has a nice dimple under the knot.

a photo of donald trump upside down. there is also a nice dimple on his red tie

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Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

If you get meals from #Factor, good luck with reporting that you received the wrong order.

After 5 times telling them “everything was wrong”’and having them ask, “what was missing,” I had to do the condescending, “what part of ‘everything’ is unclear?”

Liquid Jade @liquidjade.bsky.social · 1d

[After one edible]
Me: This isn’t strong enough.

[10 minutes after second edible]
Me: