Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 4d

Sunday reading:

I wrote about the aggrieved extremist who is currently firing thousands of federal workers and ravaging state capacity based on conspiratorial nonsense - and about mainstream media’s infuriating tendency to sanitize Russell Vought and the regime he serves.

This week’s piece:

We need to talk about Russell Vought – But Properly

Why certain mainstream outlets insist on sanitizing Vought as a devout “small government” conservative – and what actually animates his war against pluralistic democracy

steady.page

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Michael P. Breen @mpbreen21.bsky.social · 4d

Once American democracy made it possible for a Black man to be elected president, American conservatives decided that it had to be destroyed

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 4d

While Vought traces the “leftwing revolution” back a hundred years, to the progressive era, there is no question that the election of Barack Obama was a radicalizing moment for him and many key thinkers on the radical Right - as were the multiracial protests in the summer of 2020.

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 17h

"Jewish Americans told us —by a margin of nearly 3 to 1— that Trump manipulates antisemitism dishonestly, using it as an excuse to pause or cut university funding. Only about one-fourth of all Jews nationwide believe the president “truly cares about protecting Jewish students on college campuses.”"

Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 17h

Commentary: A wide majority of Jewish Americans say President Trump is exploiting antisemitism in disingenuous fashion — that it’s a thinly veiled disguise to justify his assault on higher education, as revealed by a national survey.

Professors: Most Jewish Americans believe Donald Trump is exploiting antisemitism to assault universities

A wide majority of Jewish Americans say Trump is exploiting antisemitism in disingenuous fashion, as revealed by a national survey.

www.chicagotribune.com

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David Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 1d

You have to understand that there is NO accountability for ICE even in theory. You can't sue an ICE agent. They won't be criminally prosecuted for violating your rights. They won't be fired. THE ONLY WAY TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM ICE IS TO RUN FROM ICE.

David Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 1d

Here's another Kavanaugh stop in action. Agent says: "Why are you running?" Admitting that he had no cause to stop and tackle this boy.

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MoonLit Getaway @mgliterary.bsky.social · 8h

Head over to Shelf Life Books in Calgary and pick up your copy of Harvest Moon Volume One, our anthology of remarkable artwork, fiction, and poetry.

Follow @shelflifebooks.bsky.social

#WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #ReadingCommunity #5amWritersClub #Canadian #Albertan #LitMag

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Brandon Nadeau @bnadeauwriter.bsky.social · 8h

Become a MoonLit Getaway Member for FREE and gain access to their entire artwork, fiction, and poetry archive, plus interviews, book reviews, and other exclusive content.
#WritingCommunity #PoetryCommunity #LitMag #VisualArt #ShortStories #DigitalArt #Photography #5amWritersClub

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 21h

Reminder that any political party trying to make it harder to vote is sending a clear message: they can't win on their ideas alone.

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 21h

the president using the office to punish americans that didnt vote for him should really be one of the biggest scandals in americas history

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

Trump is upfront in saying he will use the shutdown to punish Democrats, and here are the receipts. About $27.2 billion cut from Dem districts compared to about $0.7 billion in GOP districts.
We all complain about the media, but need this type of in-depth journalism.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Trump Halts Billions in Grants for Democratic Districts During Shutdown (Gift Article)

The Trump administration has frozen or canceled nearly $28 billion primarily located in Democratic-led districts, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com

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The Red Novelist @theunmarketableone.bsky.social · 19h

The motto of big business in America is about to change to the customer is always screwed

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The Ass is the father of the legs @internethippo.bsky.social · 21h

One 24-hr period

'I love Hitler': Leaked messages expose Young Republicans' racist chat₽
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

Capitol Police called to investigate swastika in GOP congressional office
An American flag altered to include an image of a swastika was found in Rep. Dave Taylor's office.

Border Patrol posts reel featuring Michael Jackson lyrics with antisemitic slur
Avery Lotz

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Zeddy @zeddary.bsky.social · 1d

Core to playing this down is pretending that "Young Republicans" aren't 40 years old with top positions in both the party and government. One's a state senator.

Nathan Bernard @nathantbernard.bsky.social · 1d

the "kids" were mostly 30+ years old and said they love hitler

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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

started / going

DHS Says Social Media Will Be Screened for ‘Antisemitism’ as It Purges Pro-Palestine Immigrants
Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem says people shouldn't try to "hide behind the First Amendment."

Border Patrol Posts Instagram Propaganda Video Featuring Antisemitic Slurs
The video was pinned to Border Patrol's Instagram Reels.
By Matt Novak
Updated October 15, 2025

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 1d

tfw your 1,000-word tweets aren't working

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 23h

You have to wonder if White House staffers are simply showing him AI videos at this point and he thinks it's reality.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

Trump: "The people of Chicago are walking around with MAGA hats. You have women, beautiful Black women, walking around with MAGA hats. 'Please let the president in and we don't care how he does it ... bring in the Marines.'"

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 23h

UPDATE: Following the firing of the director of the student newspaper, Indiana University has now cut the print edition of the newspaper entirely.

www.idsnews.com/article/2025...

Indiana University cuts IDS print entirely, hours after firing student media director
By IDS staff
Oct 15, 2025 1:23 pm · Updated Oct 15, 2025 1:23 pm

IU previously directed the Indiana Daily Student to stop printing news coverage in our newspaper. Upon pushback, the university fully cut print, including our special editions. The IDS was not involved in the decision.

Media School Dean David Tolchinsky sent the order to IDS leadership in an email responding to its appeal that the school not censor the newspaper. And the dean attributed the decision to “the campus.” He has not yet responded to a message for clarification.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 23h

Trump and Vought are now breaking both sides of spending law. They’re illegally not spending where the law requires them to spend, and they’re illegally spending where they don’t have the money to spend.

What we have is an appropriations king.

Spending “deals” are meaningless under that setup.

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Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · Jul 15

Thomas detailed brutal BOP + ICE conditions, worsening amid mass detentions:

-lockdown for days, cut off from family

-1hr outdoor time / week

-given stained used underwear + bloody jumpsuits

-no medical care

-immigrants denied translators

-fed “disgusting” mystery meat slop, left malnourished

Irish tourist jailed by Ice for months after overstaying US visit by three days: ‘Nobody is safe’

Exclusive: For roughly 100 days, Thomas says he faced harsh detention conditions, despite agreeing to deportation

www.theguardian.com

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Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · Jul 15

NEW: An Irish tourist visiting the US was jailed by ICE for 3 months after overstaying 3 days due to medical issue. Thomas agreed to be deported, but instead went to federal prison where he recounted horrific conditions + no medical care.

“Nobody's safe from the system if they get pulled into it"

Irish tourist jailed by Ice for months after overstaying US visit by three days: ‘Nobody is safe’

Exclusive: For roughly 100 days, Thomas says he faced harsh detention conditions, despite agreeing to deportation

www.theguardian.com

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James Hell Brooks @kleinman.bsky.social · 23h

Increasingly we need candidates who'd be comfortable cutting a wrestling promo

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Mamdani: "I just want to speak directly to the president. I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams who will call you to stay out of jail. I won't be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own."

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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 1d

these people have the self-reflection of a vampire

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Mike Johnson: "They berated a Capitol police officer, screamed at him. He was merely standing his post. It shows, again, their disdain for law enforcement, the Democrats, screaming, assaulting officers."

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 1d

NEW — I dug into the story of ICE abducting a 13-year-old boy in Massachusetts and moving him 500 miles across state lines without notifying his mother, local cop's complicity, and how the federal government's justification for such cruelty is already falling apart:

ICE took a 13-year-old they said had a gun. Local cops say he didn’t.

Now he's detained 500 miles away from his Massachusetts home.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 1d

The thing about the Nazi chat is these people turned the country upside down and got a lot of people fired to be able to say those things in comfort.

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 1d

Hey look, Israel broke the cease-fire, twice, in two different ways, within 24 hours - again.

Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · 2d

NEW: Israel informed the UN it will permit only 300 aid trucks into Gaza daily, not the 600 mandated by the ceasefire it just signed.

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Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

“you can’t make fun of this” - famously an edict that the military obeys unquestioningly and would never disobey out of earshot of an officer

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Pentagon officials are forcing staff to watch Pete Hegseth's "Warrior" speech he forced generals to listen to.

Officials are even "testing" staff to see if they watched — and are threatening consequences if they lie about watching it or if they mock it, sources tell @swin24.bsky.social and I.

The Pentagon Is Ordering Staff to Watch Hegseth’s ‘MAGA Garbage’ Speech… Or Else

Defense Department sources tell Zeteo that staff have been warned that if they don’t watch or read the speech, or if they speak negatively of it, they could face severe consequences.

zeteo.com

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1d

A judge issued a protective order against a Republican congressman from Florida on Tuesday, forbidding him to contact a former girlfriend who in court proceedings said he had threatened her with revenge porn after she broke up with him.

Woman Is Granted a Protective Order Against Representative Cory Mills

Representative Cory Mills’s former girlfriend, Lindsey Langston, the reigning Miss United States, told a judge that he had threatened to release sexually explicit videos of her.

nyti.ms

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