Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 5m

Thriftbooks: Rachel, you have a free book!

Me: Oooh! What can I get myself?

*pulls up the list and sees something the kids want qualifies*

And this is how the kids end up with more books than me. 😆

1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 18m

Gracias, Spike!

1

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Maanvi Singh @maanvisingh.bsky.social · 2h

Queer and trans ppl at a Louisiana ICE facility alleged they were recruited for unsanctioned work program, forced to do hard manual labor $1 per day. They said queer ppl were targeted by an assistant warden who stalked, harassed and sexually assaulted them.

Queer and trans immigrants allege forced labor and sexual assault in Ice facility: ‘I was treated worse than an animal’

At the South Louisiana Ice Processing Center in Basile, detainees say they were forced into hard labor – and sexually assaulted and stalked by an assistant warden

www.theguardian.com

4 71 91

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1h

You've got this!!

Only imposters never experience imposter syndrome. Remember that!

1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1h

😆 You WARNED me you were gonna post it!

And I hope the advice helps! Keep me posted!!

1

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 2h

Mamdani would be undoubtedly the best mayor elected in NYC in generations. He's not perfect but he's a sea change from the establishment. Most importantly, the billionaire oligarchs fear what he represents and we need to organize around that. They should be scared of a united working class.

4 28 330

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

I wanna sleep on your pitas.

1 1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

My KIDS crawl in with me.
And, like, it's CUTE, but NO!

Hammock time is MY time!

1 1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

Alright. We are SO getting hammock time* in 2026!

2026: The Year of the Hammocks!

*not to be confused with shared hammock time. I love you like a sister, and I don't cuddle in hammocks with my sister

1 1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

I haven't been in my hammock since 2024. 😔

1 1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

😆 Yeah, that's my life!

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 2h

The worst is when I hear one and it's in a different window than the one I'm on... and I can't figure out where the hell it came from!

Like, WHAT AM I MISSING!?

So, yes. Hard agree.

1

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 3h

RIGHT!?! Why are bodies!?

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 3h

Started the walk in a long sleeve top and knit beanie. Ended it like this. 😆

It's 62 degrees and full sun.
But this is just how I am!

Weird. ✅
Wonderful.❓
Me.❗️

Rachel mid walk selfie. She has a long sleeve shirt tied around her waist and wears yoga pants and a purple and black sportsbra. Woods behind her.

1 6

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 4h

Another pair of slipper boots has bit the dust.

Look, it's 69 degrees in my room, and 58 outside. But it might as well be 39 because my feet are like ICE.

And, yes I've been checked for anemia, circulation issues, blood sugar stuff, the works!

My body just doesn't temperature regulate. I'm weird.

1 2

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 7h

The tiny African nation of Lesotho had victories in its HIV fight. Then, the US aid cuts came. Now Lesotho’s care system is crumbling. Clinics shut down, workers were let go, and patients stopped treatment. Experts are sounding alarms.

In Lesotho, US aid cuts leave people living with HIV in limbo

Lesotho, once with the world’s second-highest HIV rate, faces a health crisis as U.S. aid cuts dismantle vital HIV treatment programs, leaving patients without care.

bit.ly

9 120 250

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 5h

My Masters coursework included Terrorism as Communication, and I can't tell you how many of the plays I see in the current administration that align with everything I learned.

It's a reminder of the pervasiveness of media and stories. It's a reminder to expose the truth whenever we can.

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.

1 1 6

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Mike Chen @mikechenwriter.bsky.social · 5h

Book pals, help out a bookseller in need. My friend Colleen has been in painful chemo and the cancer has recently spread. Cancer (and capitalism) have taken her job as Books Inc ended her remote marketing job when BN took over. Please boost and/or donate if you can. www.gofundme.com/f/colleen-ca...

Donate to Colleen Cadiz’s Cancer Journey, organized by Melody Ross

This Go Fund Me has been created for the Cadiz Family, whose wife, Colleen, has been battl… Melody Ross needs your support for Colleen Cadiz’s Cancer Journey

www.gofundme.com

1 66 46

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 1d

Everything about John Roberts's approach to the Voting Rights Act makes sense when you remember that John Roberts has has always been hostile to the Voting Rights Act, never believed it was appropriate, and has spent most of his 45-year legal career working to hollow it out.

One of the Biggest Cases of the Supreme Court’s Term Is John Roberts’ Decadeslong Pet Project

If there’s one thing the Roberts court has been consistent on, it’s this.

slate.com

46 470 1.3K

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 19h

Oriana Korol, a clarinetist with the Unpresidented Brass Band, was arrested after a man and federal agents barreled into band members who were standing across the street from the ICE office and playing the theme from “Ghostbusters.”

Read more: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

34 410 1.1K

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Alyssa Long @measuredandslow.bsky.social · 6h

It’s really difficult to boycott Uline when you own a small business because they just make SO many of the supplies, even if you think you’re ordering from another small business, but it IS possible! You’ll have to do an annoying amount of legwork but it’s worth it

Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 19h

Uline's owners "have used their wealth to funnel millions of dollars into the most extreme RW politicians & mvmts... contributed $144 million to conservative groups in the 2024 election cycle... donated $4+ million to bankroll anti-abortion groups who pushed to overturn Roe v Wade."
refuseuline.com

2 13 33

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 6h

standards have left the building

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 7h

NEWS: CBS News head of standards Claudia Milne has quit. It was announced in the network’s 9 am editorial meeting. Bari Weiss was not on the call. According to a source, Milne gave thanks but did not say why she’s leaving the network.

1 11 62

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 6h

Days like these I realize I'm old enough to remember when "Happy Birthday" wasn't in the public domain. 😆

Sports Night anyone? "Took TWO people to write that song!?"

Yeah, I'm old.
Cheering the youngun' on from Virginia!

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 7h

An important message to the people of New York City.

More information at zohranfornyc.com/birthday

6

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 6h

Kiddos had "decades day" for Spirit Week but INSISTED it had to be 70's or 80's.

So I broke out my chunkiest sweatshirt in solidarity. 😆

If you don't read the Alt Text, the shirt reads: Living my Pumpkin Spice Spoonie Life.

Shoutout to my fellow Spoonies! Cannot WAIT to be through October Slide.

Rachel selfie. She wears a cream sweatshirt that is too big. It reads "living my pumpkin spice Spoonie life". But it's hard to read because it's all bunched up and ill-fitting.

5

Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 20h

Andrew, we're voting you off the island and back to the suburbs.

Our new ad just aired during Survivor.

340 3.4K 18K