Author | Lightnews

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 1m

Just in case it wasn’t clear, a guy building a $300 million ballroom is not planning on leaving that house three years from now.

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 1d

New on The King's Necktie: A bold new documentary recounts an early case of modern disinformation.

"The White House Effect" Effect

A bold new documentary recounts an early case of modern disinformation.

open.substack.com

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 2d

Not exactly breaking news in any way, but a tidy survey.

Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open

It’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots.

www.theatlantic.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 2d

To be fair, her own Halloween mask is super terrifying.

Kristi Noem denies request to halt immigration crackdown for Halloween

Illinois governor had asked for pause after border patrol agents reportedly used teargas to disrupt Halloween parade

www.theguardian.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 2d

fortune.com/2023/05/30/u...

A Texas university created by Palanatir cofounder Joe Lonsdale and journalist Bari Weiss has raised some $150 million to teach 'forbidden courses' | Fortune

The University of Austin is being funded by tech bigwigs and others who think academia is broken.

fortune.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 2d

As I say, the GOP doesn't even bother to disguise its antisemitism anymore: it trumpets it.

Heritage president backs Tucker Carlson after interview with Holocaust-denier Nick Fuentes

Kevin Roberts denounced the “venomous coalition” that has criticized the former Fox News host.

www.politico.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 2d

The Univ of Austin Texas (UATX) is a new university co-founded by Bari Weiss and right wing billionaire Joe Lonsdale (of Palantir), teaching a Hillsdale-like curriculum. Its facilities feature this bust of Bari.

Good luck, CBS.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

2/2 Nonetheless, ICE is claiming the shutdown means it no longer has any legal obligation to permit congressional oversight visits to its detention facilities."

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

1/Per @hcrichardson.bsky.social: Sasha Rogelberg of Fortune reported last week that, despite the shutdown, "law enforcement agents from ICE are still getting their paychecks, including overtime, thanks to the injection of an extra $75 billion into ICE’s budget from July’s budget reconciliation bill.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

"A staggering act of corruption."

Trump’s ‘absurd’ DoJ compensation bid would be rejected if he were anyone else, experts say

President’s effort to win $230m in damages from Mar-a-Lago and Russia investigations criticized as ‘frivolous’

www.theguardian.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

3/3 and also serves as a useful distraction mechanism. I mean, shouldn’t we be having a highfalutin conversation about the legality of blowing up alleged drug traffickers? We should—but Trump would probably rather distract us.”

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

2/ For Trump, keeping the hope of a third term alive has multiple benefits. It energizes a base that loves the idea. It keeps him relevant for longer. And it drives the left bonkers to see “Trump 2028” hats on the Resolute desk—which, from Trump’s point of view, is a good in itself

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 3d

1/ Ruth Marcus, on Trump’s talk of a third term (or beyond):

“(O)ther Presidents in their second terms, before and after the 22nd Amendment, have chafed at the idea that they’re time-limited, by norm or by law, and that they are therefore lame ducks.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

I put this picture of Trump (at left) through an AI to try to see what he would look like in 2032, if he lives that long. But I accidentally had the software set to "female" and this is what came out.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

4/4

President for Life

Donald Trump is trying to amass the powers of a king.

www.theatlantic.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

3/

Donald Trump’s Plan to Subvert the Midterms Is Already Under Way

Our election system is reaching a breaking point.

www.theatlantic.com

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

2/ And retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, one of the most respected jurists in the conservative world, on Trump's undeniable goal of seizing permanent power.
See links in comments.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

1/ Two fantastic articles in the new issue of The Atlantic, both required reading, on our electoral crisis, already in progress.
David A. Graham with a detailed, terrifying scenario of how the Republicans intend to ratf#ck the 2026 midterms.

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

It's all ball bearings these days.

Trump rants about magnets vs. water power for aircraft carrier catapults during speech to troops

YouTube video by PalmBeachPost

www.youtube.com

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

NDA, WTF?

Why would a White House need general officers to sign non-disclosure agreements? Maybe if it was carrying out an illegal campaign of killing people on the high seas, exposing everyone involved to allegations of having committed war crimes.

Pentagon Pete Is Forcing Military Officials to Sign NDAs

The unprecedented directive comes despite existing rules already barring military officials from disclosing national security secrets.

www.thedailybeast.com

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Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 4d

Donald "Pokerface" Trump does not like being known as a convicted felon.

You know what to do, people.

Trump appeals guilty verdicts in Stormy Daniels hush money case, alleging political bias

Donald Trump has appealed the guilty verdicts against him in the Stormy Daniels hush money case, blasting the prosecution as politically motivated and seeking to wipe clean the criminal record he r…

www.nydailynews.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 5d

Someone gets Bush's MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banner out of storage.

Middle East crisis live: Benjamin Netanyahu orders immediate ‘powerful strikes’ on Gaza

Israeli prime minister orders IDF to carry out strikes on Gaza after it accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire

www.theguardian.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 8d

Ya think?

Trump likely to name White House ballroom after himself, officials say

Trump has not publicly said what he intends to name the ballroom, but officials say it's already being referred to as "The President Donald J. Trump Ballroom."

abcnews.go.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 8d

New blog post on The King's Necktie. Trump already sees himself as an absolute monarch and is behaving accordingly. Where can this possibly be headed?

King Me

Trump already sees himself as an absolute monarch and is behaving accordingly. Where can this possibly be headed?

open.substack.com

Robert Edwards @robertsedwards.bsky.social · 10d

3/ The senior FBI agent answered, gently: "We have a lot more important things to worry about."

Apparently not so under a sadistic regime whose chief goal is to brutalize and terrorize the populace for the sheer cruelty of it.

Protests erupt in New York City after ICE raids Chinatown over ‘counterfeit goods’

Demonstrators were seen near a federal building after an unknown number of detainees were taken by agents

www.theguardian.com