Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robert Richards

@rrichard09.bsky.social

2.8K followers 8.3K following 460 posts

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions. https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Videos

Political science 19%

Environmental science 17%

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 3h

thanks & agreed it’s important to highlight the functional aspects / traits of the news product

a man in a suit and tie is smiling and looking at the camera .

ALT: a man in a suit and tie is smiling and looking at the camera .

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Jae Yeon Kim @jaeyeonkim.bsky.social · 3h

My first Substack post:
jaeyeonkim.substack.com/p/how-to-not...
How to Not Give Up

How to Not Give Up

Having spent the past few years working closely with state and local governments to reduce burdens in safety net programs, this year has been particularly challenging.

jaeyeonkim.substack.com

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Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 3h

I agree; I didn't intend to denigrate professional journalism, which I value and pay for; just wanted to note that your emphasis on the functional aspects of the work is a key theme in journalism research

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Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 3h

"acts of journalism" -- @jayrosen.bsky.social :
www.smcvt.edu/about-smc/ne...

Jay Rosen addresses journalism's changing landscape

Watch recording of Jay Rosen's full presentation at Saint Michael's College>> Jay Rosen, a prominent activist scholar and proponent of “public and

www.smcvt.edu

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Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 3h

"is there something you're not telling us, matt?"

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Clodagh Tait @clodaghtait.bsky.social · 3h

Anyone know anything about Maria Magdalena Bernadina Dewit who in 1755, aged 17, was said to have 'sustained two Theses in Logic and defended herself in elegant Latin against all the Professors of that university'?

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 3h

TONIGHT: If you're in NYC, the venue for our live, in-person Bulwark event tells us that they have a few more tickets now. They'll sell them to people just walking up, or online here:
www.symphonyspace.org/events/vp-th...

This is at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. Show starts at 8 p.m.

The Bulwark Live

The Bowery Presents:

www.symphonyspace.org

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 4h

I know we should celebrate Tony Fitzpatrick for his Chicago art, but I'll always love his portrait of NYC's Flaco

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Danielle Moodie @daniellemoodie.bsky.social · 4h

The fact that ICE is advertising during college football games offering $50K bonuses to torture people is insane and says a lot.

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Erica Ifill @wickdchiq.bsky.social · 4h

“The document also indicates that American workers are simply not interested in and do not have the skills to perform agricultural jobs”

I suspect it’s the same in Canada

prospect.org/politics/tru...

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Dunlap

Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 4h

Relatives showing me some books

Fre korematsu speaks up by Laura Atkins and Stan yogi, illustrated by yutaka Houlette

George Takei: They called us enemy. A graphic novel by disinter Scott Becker

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Claire L. Adida

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 5h

“The Trump administration said that its immigration crackdown is hurting farmers and risking higher food prices for Americans by cutting off agriculture’s labor supply.”

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices

U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Sara Partridge, Ph.D. @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 5h

Reporting from @zachschermele.bsky.social at USA Today with more details ⬇️

www.usatoday.com/story/news/e...

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Daniel W. Drezner, Jussi T. Eronen , and 6 more Scott L. Greer, Daniel W. Drezner, Jussi T. Eronen, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert C. Richards, Erol Akçay, Simon Lester, Timothy D. McBride, David Darmofal

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 5h

Per CDC source: At internal leadership meeting this afternoon, it was shared that 1,257 people were RIF'd at CDC. Number may not be final. Apparently, chief of staff was unaware that RIFs were going to occur so not clear who is making decisions. (Short 🧵)

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 6h

it aint the platform you publish/broadcast on it’s the practice of how you gather & check info, convey it, then how you deal with quality & errors or audience response… you’re news if you do original, accurate, fact checked reporting & are accountable to known standards & audience.

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6h

Writing something about ICE and sweet Jesus it is so incredibly dark what they are doing to these cities. We have all seen the videos, but when you wade into the details of their actions, it is extraordinarily bleak.

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 6h

In 2026, "Trump could wreak all kinds of electoral havoc, Hasen said, such as 'Sending troops to block voting in some areas, seizing voting machines, pressuring election officials to illegally count or not count valid ballots, or change the vote count.... I don’t think anything is off the table.'”

MSN

www.msn.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 6h

Diane Keaton, famed for roles in “Father of the Bride,” “First Wives Club” and more, has died at 79

Diane Keaton, Famed for Roles in 'Father of the Bride,' 'First Wives Club' and More, Dies at 79 (Exclusive)

Diane Keaton has died at age 79, PEOPLE can confirm exclusively. The actress was best known for roles in movies like 'Annie Hall,' 'The First Wives Club,' 'Something's Gotta Give' and 'The Godfather.'

people.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Kathleen Kennedy, Aviel Roshwald

Lisa Tozzi @lisatozzi.bsky.social · 7h

“The Frog is ludicrous. The Frog makes no sense. The Frog is a viral symbol of resistance against the Trump regime, and the key to understanding what has happened to discourse in the second Trump presidency.” www.theverge.com/policy/79849...

American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming

The Frog is owning the president.

www.theverge.com

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Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 7h

I think @annabower.bsky.social mentioned this yesterday also:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZCj...

Lawfare Live: Trials of the Trump Administration, Oct. 10

YouTube video by Lawfare

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller , and 1 more Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Jason Lyall

Emily Galvin-Almanza @galvinalmanza.bsky.social · 8h

Seriously, Judges *do no do things like this*

They don't give their opinion to the media

They don't criticize how SCOTUS works

This is them breaking the emergency glass, folks
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 8h

Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Robert C. Richards, Tim Leunig

Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 8h

Really interesting article from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com but especially intriguing to me is the number of comments below that are essentially 'OK the data don't agree with my hunch but here's an unrelated statement that proves that I'm right about AI, the death of higher education, etc'

What the graduate unemployment story gets wrong

People with a degree are faring better, not worse than their non-graduate counterparts

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Will Jennings, Joshua S. Weitz, Mary Feeney , and 8 more Will Jennings, Joshua S. Weitz, Mary Feeney, American Library Association, Robert C. Richards, Gerald Friedman, James Goodwin, Erol Akçay, Henry Jones, Timothy D. McBride, Monisha Bajaj

Sara Partridge, Ph.D. @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 8h

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Harry Litman @harrylitman.bsky.social · 9h

Uh you think so?
And the indicting GJ never heard her testimony.

“Ms. Thompson’s testimony that she has lived in the house rent-free —Ms. James pays even for basic upkeep, — cd make it difficult for prosecutors to convince a jury that the house was meant to be used as a rental investment property.”

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Reposted by Andreas Ortmann, Robert C. Richards, Scott A. Imberman

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 9h

NYT reports that Letitia James’s great niece lives in the home that is the subject of the indictment.

The niece reportedly testified before a *different* grand jury, telling them that she had lived there for many years without paying rent. James visits regularly.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Letitia James
Indictment
Read the Indictment
Timeline of Conflict
Indic
But in June, IMs. Thompson testified to a grand
jury in Norfolk that she had lived in the house for years and that she did not pay rent, a person familiar with her testimony said. She was not asked to testify again, and the grand jury that voted to indict Ms. James was not seated in Norfolk, but in Alexandria.
The specter of Mr. Trump's revenge campaign has so far overshadowed the facts of the case, given how he has pushed for Ms. James's punishment. For years, he has railed against her on social media, calling her a "crook" and
"corrunt" Last month. he also appointed Ms.

for a peaceful life after years of turbulence in several cities.
The family, Nakia Thompson and her children, have lived at the address ever since, according to two people familiar with the home, and until this week, the plan for a more lacid existence had largely gone as expected. Several times a year, the people said, a great-aunt who had purchased the house in 2020 with Ms.
Thompson in mind would come for an extended stay.
This week, with the filing of court papers some 200 miles north, the plan came to an abrupt end.
The great-aunt - Letitia James, the New York attorney general - was indicted by President Trump's Justice Department. The yellow house,

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Ann Bartow

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 9h

A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library's children and young adult sections has just been awarded $700,000 in a settlement. t.co/EA5L1kOZfV

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/wyoming-library-settlement-book-bans-terri-lesley.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwdGRjcANWLXdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhlnY6nKj_j4zuP3VjNSstXWBaV1t8-sPQ5C3b_jS6WN...

t.co

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Trevon Logan @trevondlogan.bsky.social · 9h

A Black man was left to die in his own urine after suffering a stroke while Eagan, MN police failed to follow procedure to detect medical distress, perform any wellness checks, and brushed off his obviously dire medical condition. What a sick, sad display from police.

www.kare11.com/article/news...

KARE 11 Investigates: Postal worker died after police mistook stroke for drug impairment

Kingsley Bimpong was jailed instead of hospitalized; video shows guards ignored his suffering for hours.

www.kare11.com

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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

Waldo Jaquith, but Spooky @waldo.net · 10h

Five years after it was published, I still think about this @highcountrynews.org project that connects land-grant universities back to the land they were granted, what tribe owned it immediately prior, how much it was worth then, and how much it’s worth now. A complete reframe of land grants.

Land-grab universities - High Country News

Expropriated Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system.

www.hcn.org

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Will Jennings, Adam Bonica , and 5 more Anna O. Law, Will Jennings, Adam Bonica, Robert C. Richards, Rebecca Tushnet, David R. Miller, Diane Marie Amann, Manisha Sinha

Deborah Pearlstein @debpearlstein.bsky.social · 11h

Of all the news in this NYT survey of sitting federal judges - incl 47 of them think the SCt is mishandling its emergency docket - maybe the biggest is that 65 sitting fed judges (37D, 28R), folks circumspect for a living, responded to a NYT survey. Stunning. And a sign that something is very wrong.

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

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