Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks BLG! Was wondering not just who was inactive and why, and just wanna say a big thanks for not making me go to that other site to find out. Wish more of Philly sports twitter would at least cross post here. Appreciate you and keep up the great work!

Reposted by Stephen Miles

Jamie Dupree @jamiedupree.bsky.social · 3d

George Santos is the 10th GOP Congressman to get a pardon or clemency from President Trump. The other nine were also all convicted of various criminal charges:

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · 15d

Really fascinating and essential reading from Peter Attia digging into the latest on Tylenol and autism. Spoiler, no, maternal Tylenol use is almost surely not causing the rise in autism. Sharing because there's so much disinformation out there, it can be helpful to actually dig into the facts.

#367 - Tylenol, pregnancy, and autism: What recent studies show and how to interpret the data

“Science is not about being right or wrong in an absolute sense. It's really about constantly updating our priors, understanding the probability of something as new evidence becomes emergent.” —Peter ...

peterattiamd.com

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The A.V. Club @avclub.com · 24d

Okatsuka posted the censorship rules for the controversial comedy festival, noting how many "You can’t say anything anymore!" comedians have signed on.
www.avclub.com/riyadh-comed...

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posts contract after turning down Riyadh Comedy Festival

www.avclub.com

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Sara Haghdoosti @shaghdoosti.bsky.social · 25d

Though nice to see Jon Finer and Philip Gordon catch up to bare minimum of where activists and the public have been for nearly two years on restricting US arms to the Israeli government, their article erases their own role in abetting the Netanyahu government’s genocide.

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Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · Sep 15

Some personal news:

I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

Thread incoming.

substack.com/@karenattiah...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

substack.com

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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · Sep 14

New from me: As we learn more information about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer, here's what you need to to know. open.substack.com/pub/ctrlaltr...

Meme Ideology

The shooter’s political leanings don’t matter. Here’s what does.

open.substack.com

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Sep 11

These are dark times and even darker days appear to lay ahead.

Find the light in your life, hold it close.

But this darkness is not new and it will not last.

Protect yourself and your light. Protect one another. And build for a better tomorrow.

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Reposted by Stephen Miles

Elizabeth Beavers @elizabethrb.bsky.social · Sep 11

My new commentary on how Trump is repurposing "War on Terror" mechanisms to target immigrants and cartels, and how we got here: (link below)

Screenshot: "On a bipartisan basis, our lawmakers have built and strengthened a post-9/11 package of powers that gets handed to each successive president, ripe for potential new weaponization and abuse. The targeting of immigrants and cartels as “terrorists,” including with the tools of warfare, is not a sharp deviation from our recent history — it is its logical conclusion."

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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Sep 10

The escalatory potential of political violence is why this should be a moment of American political unity where left & right call for calm.

Deliberately incendiary MAGA responses show, once again, that they are not a peaceful movement operating under the normal civic values of the US Constitution.

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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Sep 10

My main observation from the last few hours of monitoring US social media is that Democrats are universally denouncing political violence and calling for calm while MAGA are escalating language and openly lusting for retribution against broad categories of people they identity as their enemies.

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Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · Sep 10

We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.

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Matt Duss @mattduss.bsky.social · Sep 9

“what is one to make of a book that, after detailing how Biden and his team helped perpetrate an era-defining catastrophe in Gaza, proceeds to describe that team as ‘an example of steady and purposeful leadership’?”

On Woodward’s “War” @thenation.com www.thenation.com/article/worl...

The Catastrophe of Democratic Foreign Policy

A new book on the Biden’s wars serves as a stark reminder that the Democrats need to formulate a new foreign policy—as well as reckon with the one they had.

www.thenation.com

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Sep 8

Have been offline so just sharing this now even though it's from last week, but new from me!

Congress is asking if Trump's trillion dollar budget for the Pentagon is big enough or if he actually needs $22 billion more.

I wrote about what they should be asking instead.

Why does peace cost a trillion dollars?

As Congress returns to a Pentagon budget fight, we must ask ourselves: why is military spending skyrocketing even without a war?

responsiblestatecraft.org

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Elizabeth Beavers @elizabethrb.bsky.social · Sep 3

Undoubtedly right. As so often is the theme under Trump, the international law violations are blatant and unapologetic, forcing the real question: what is anyone going to do about it?

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Sep 3

1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat.

Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable.

Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️

Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean

The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on this purported smuggling vessel raises significant potential legal issues.

www.justsecurity.org

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Sam Bagenstos @sbagen.bsky.social · Sep 3

As a lawyer, I'll tell you that there's nobody who knows this law better than Ryan and Brian. Sure looks like murder or war crime to me. But as a human, I'll tell you that the Rubio statement -- we could have stopped the boat but we blew it up to send a message -- is sickening and depraved.

Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · Sep 3

1/ I worked at DoD. I literally cannot imagine lawyers coming up with a legal basis for lethal strike of suspected Venezuelan drug boat.

Hard to see how this would not be "murder" or war crime under international law that DoD considers applicable.

Read expert analysis by @bcfinucane.bsky.social⤵️

Legal Issues Raised by a Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean

The Trump administration’s extraordinary lethal attack on this purported smuggling vessel raises significant potential legal issues.

www.justsecurity.org

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Aug 7

Congrats on the big move, EJ! Look forward to listening to/watching you even more often!

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 31

So does this mean they’re done?

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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · Jul 27

New from me: Trump wants to control what media we consume and he wants us to know he has that power. What we’re learning is how many wealthy individuals and institutions will roll over and destroy the free press for him. open.substack.com/pub/ctrlaltr...

Swapping Satire for Substack

Colbert is out, Weiss is in, and legacy media continues to erode.

open.substack.com

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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · Jul 20

You've probably seen news recently about the Israeli military deliberately targeting Palestinian civilians seeking food and water at aid sites.

Because it's difficult to truly grasp how often these war crimes are taking place, here is a thread of some distinct incidents since June 1. 🧵

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 18

That’s just entirely untrue and a massive disservice to countless individuals and organizations working every day on Gaza.

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 18

I'd encourage you to familiarize yourself with the author's work which very, very much does go after Trump on Gaza.

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 18

Only if you don't actually read what it says or know anything about the work of the author.

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 18

Great listen this morning on Un-Diplomatic Pod with @vanjackson.bsky.social and @attackerman.bsky.social talking Mamdani, Trump, and what it all means for U.S. foreign policy.

www.un-diplomatic.com/p/spencer-ac...

Spencer Ackerman’s New York State of Mind: Peace, Populism, and Zohran Mamdani | Ep. 250

Award-winning journalist, author, and lifelong New Yorker Spencer Ackerman joins the show to talk about the world from a New York point of view:

www.un-diplomatic.com

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Stephen Miles @spmiles42.bsky.social · Jul 18

An absolutely #mustread piece from @mattduss.bsky.social this morning.

"If we are serious about rebuilding U.S. democracy, unrigging the system and ending that impunity is imperative. The fight for accountability for Gaza is inseparable from the fight against Trumpism."

Biden’s Team Lied About Gaza. It’s Time to Hold Them Accountable

Impunity for abetting war crimes weakens U.S. democracy.

foreignpolicy.com

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