Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sam Minter

jj skolnik @modernistwitch.myatproto.social · 1h

sorry man if you stupidly get a totenkopf and didn’t know what it was at the time you get that shit removed or covered up. you do not just rock with it

Axios @axios.com · 1h

NEW: Embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner responded to a video revealing what appeared to be a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest:

"I am not a secret Nazi."

"I am not a secret Nazi": Maine Senate candidate responds to tattoo accusations

"I am not a secret Nazi," he said on a recent podcast appearance.

www.axios.com

8 13 140

Reposted by Sam Minter

Daniel Ziblatt @dziblatt.bsky.social · 7h

Former presidents can go to jail if they are guilty of criminal offenses without causing democracy to collapse
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Sarkozy enters jail over campaign financing - France's first ex-president behind bars

Nicolas Sarkozy, president from 2007-2012, has appealed against his jail term at La Santé prison.

www.bbc.com

17 120 380

Reposted by Sam Minter

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 18h

learned recently that the guy who wrote "The Night Before Christmas," clement clarke moore, also wrote a takedown of thomas jefferson's proto-scientific racism in "Notes on the State of Virginia," basically accusing him and others of making it up to justify slavery. which, that's right.

120 1.8K 13K

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 12h

Experimenting posting the same clips here as I have been posting to TikTok in the past. As you can see I am a little behind. Oops.

Curmudgeon's Corner @curmudgeons-corner.com · 12h

@abulsme.com discusses his rapidly diminished tolerance for waiting in lines, for anything. -- Clip from the 2025-09-20 episode of the Curmudgeon's Corner #podcast

Reposted by Sam Minter

Ezra Levin ❌👑 @ezralevin.bsky.social · 21h

Now we build on the momentum. ezralevin.substack.com/p/whats-come...

What's comes after the largest peaceful protest in American history?

Indivisible's weekly newsletter with analysis and action

ezralevin.substack.com

38 210 710

Reposted by Sam Minter

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 22h

Last weekend, @annabower.bsky.social started to receive Signal messages from the U.S. attorney who is leading the prosecution of Letitia James.

Throughout the exchange, Lindsay Halligan complained about Bower’s tweets and reporting on the indictment–but never once asked to be off the record.

“Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.”

My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury.

www.lawfaremedia.org

29 180 520

Reposted by Sam Minter

Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 23h

They asked 100 people walking by the Lays factory if they knew what chips were made of and 42% said fuck you I'm busy

Solomon @solomonmissouri.bsky.social · 1d

I....

fortune.com/2025/10/10/p...

Lay's drastically rebrands after disturbing finding: 42% of consumers didn't know their chips were made out of potatoes | Fortune

New bags—matte-ified and designed to look like wood planks (like a potato crate)—will hold the chips with revamped ingredient lists.

fortune.com

4 5 91

Reposted by Sam Minter

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 1d

JUST IN: Read James Comey's motions to dismiss his indictment based on (1) vindictive and selective prosecution and (2) unlawful appointment of Lindsey Halligan.

1. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
2. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

JAMES B. COMEY, JR.'S MOTION AND MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO DISMISS INDICTMENT
James B. Comey, Jr., by and through undersigned counsel, and pursuant to Federal Rule
of Criminal Procedure 12(b), moves this Court to dismiss the government's indictment. As
explained further below, the government has singled out Mr. Comey for prosecution because of
his protected speech and because of President Trump's personal animus toward Mr. Comey.
Such a vindictive and selective prosecution violates the First Amendment, Due Process Clause,
and equal protection principles.
The proper remedy for this unconstitutional prosecution is
dismissal with prejudice. Any lesser remedy would be insufficient in light of the government's
flagrant misconduct and the need to deter the government from bringing further unconstitutional
prosecutions.

11 160 700

Reposted by Sam Minter

Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 1d

Two Trump-appointed judges of the Ninth Circuit let Trump send the troops into Portland, pausing another Trump appointee's TRO.

The only non-Trump appointee denounces the "political theater" behind the deployment, calling for an en banc review to stop it. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

16 200 480

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 1d

Hadn’t seen this one yet. No Kings in Pgh. There is something in my eye.

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8AtgeAp/

The most nonviolent rally song there is. It felt so amazing to be surrounded by like-minded neighbors, to know we are all standing on the right side of history- loving our neighbors. 💙 We get distort...

TikTok video by Amy

www.tiktok.com

1

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 1d

I actually have trouble believing that just happened so fast. I know he doesn’t care about rules and process. But there wasn’t even something in place protecting this as a historical monument? Nothing to slow it down? So any president can just knock down any part of the white house they don’t like?

3 3

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 1d

Oh my!

1

Reposted by Sam Minter

James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 1d

This remains the funniest way to hear about an internet outage, though.

Denise C.
@SpudBenBean
·
Follow
A woman who rang ABC Sydney radio said she found out about the Optus outage from her cat.

The cat has an automatic wi-fi feeder (connected to Optus) & when breakfast wasn't delivered at 6:10 am, the cat went to the bedroom to lodge a complaint with management.

46 2.3K 7.7K

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 1d

Hey all. I finally set up the Curmudgeon’s Corner Bluesky account to automatically post when there are new episodes. So follow it or something. I may do a couple more things with what that account posts at some point. Anyway, follow it. And listen to the podcast. Woo!

Curmudgeon's Corner @curmudgeons-corner.com · 1d

Episode 958: "Welcome To Be Here" is out!

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner @imbou.bsky.social is away, but @abulsme.com bumps into Emily at No Kings 2, and she joins him for the rest of the show. They talk about movies and...

https://curmudgeons-corner.com/ccep.php?epnum=958

#podcast #USPol

Curmudgeon's Corner

Listen to the latest episode

curmudgeons-corner.com

1

Reposted by Sam Minter

David Fortunato @fortunato.bsky.social · 1d

Totally insane. Then Trump government spiked its ongoing investigations of MS13 in order to cut a deal with a Bukele, a co-conspirator of MS13, to hold and torture American migrants.

The GOP is fully pro-crime

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d

This story is extraordinary even by 2025 standards. Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, made a deal with Bukele and agreed to renege on informant agreements in a years-long DOJ investigation into MS-13, totally undercutting credibility of such agreements.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Rubio promised to betray U.S. informants to get Trump’s El Salvador prison deal

To secure U.S. access to President Nayib Bukele’s notorious CECOT prison, Rubio agreed to turn over several MS-13 leaders central to a long-running Justice Department investigation.

www.washingtonpost.com

1 43 120

Reposted by Sam Minter

Xiran Jay Zhao @xiranjayzhao.bsky.social · 1d

Idc, "4 people disguised as construction workers heisted the Napoleon family jewels from the Louvre in 7 minutes by rolling up to the second-storey window on a basket lift" is an objectively hilarious event

77 940 4.3K

Reposted by Sam Minter

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 1d

I don't know if Vance and Hegseth insisted on firing live artillery shells over a highway to "flex," despite the objections of Pentagon officials, which resulted in shrapnel raining down on said highway.

I'm just saying that if that is what happened, this is what the story would look like.

Artillery Shell Detonated Over Interstate 5 During Marines’ Celebration, California Officials Say

www.nytimes.com

11 72 320

Sam Minter @abulsme.com · 1d

Perfect. Just what I was looking for! 🙄

TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 1d

Home goods company Kohler recently unveiled a new device called the Dekoda — a $599 camera that can be attached to your toilet bowl and take pictures of what’s inside.

Kohler unveils a camera for your toilet | TechCrunch

Home goods company Kohler recently unveiled a new device called the Dekoda — a $599 camera that can be attached to your toilet bowl and take pictures of what’s inside.

techcrunch.com

1

Reposted by Sam Minter

@GottaLaff @gottalaff.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, who cares anymore whether or not something the Pres. of the US does is "legal or doable or moral.” That's so democracy ago.

Vought.

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

Russ Vought set out to ensure a second Trump term would not be hampered by checks and balances: “I don’t want President Trump having to lose a moment of time having fights in the Oval Office about whether something is legal or doable or moral.”

By @andykroll.bsky.social, with @newyorker.com

Russell Vought, Trump’s Shadow President

From the wholesale gutting of federal agencies to the ongoing government shutdown, Russell Vought has drawn the road map for Trump’s second term. Vought has consolidated power to an extent that inside...

www.propublica.org

4 18 16

Reposted by Sam Minter

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 2d

Those with sharp eyes might detect a subtle difference in NYT play last month of an event in one city, w 100,000+ attendees, versus play this morning of some 2500+ events w many millions of attendees, in all 50 states.

See if you can spot it! /s

Then you can find today's story on p A23

Front page of NYT on September 22, 2025, with large top-of-page photo of a Charlie Kirk memorial service, and the lead page-one story on the same topic.

Front page of today's NYT, Oct 19, with no story about the nationwide protests, and a "below the fold" montage of two photos, and a link to a story on page 23.

180 1.2K 3.8K

Reposted by Sam Minter

John Ismay @johnismay.bsky.social · 1d

An artillery shell fired during 250th anniversary celebration of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton on Saturday detonated prematurely over Interstate 5, damaging a California Highway Patrol vehicle on JD Vance's security detail www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/u...

Artillery Shell Detonated Over Interstate 5 During Marines’ Celebration, California Officials Say

www.nytimes.com

480 1.6K 4.7K

Reposted by Sam Minter

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 2d

Republican rhetoric all week was clearly aiming to either depress turnout or inspire visible maga pushback. Neither happened and the press doesn’t seem particularly interested in exploring the implications of that.

23 520 2.6K

Reposted by Sam Minter

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d

He means “Colombia”, like the country.

(Not “Columbia”, like the university.) 🤡

370 570 2.7K

Reposted by Sam Minter

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 2d

All of this is true, and on top of it:

Since when is it unusual for an opposition party to run against a sitting executive with a net approval rating of -13?

It's the most obvious and logical strategy! The burden of persuasion is on anyone suggesting they don't do that.

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 2d

There's just no way to exaggerate how cooked your brain has to be to think like this. Trump is an unprecedented, law-breaking, norm-breaking, increasingly demented maniac who is destroying this country's basic institutions. Like, right now! As we speak!

But media elites find that boring.

It’s 2025, and Democrats Are Still Running Against Trump

www.nytimes.com

15 100 550

Reposted by Sam Minter

Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 1d

As I begin punching my opponent in the face again, the precarious agreement we had to not punch each other in the face comes under threat

Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 2d

BREAKING: The Israeli military says it has begun a wave of air attacks on southern Gaza as the precarious ceasefire comes under threat.

🔴 LIVE updates: aje.io/7g8svh

6 43 170