Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Cathy Gellis

Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 1h

wow

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 2d

I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?

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Sam Brody @samuelhayimbrody.bsky.social · 1h

This book is now officially published. it’s part of a series where the “chapters” are all just a couple of pages.

My contribution is entitled “Where Do Stereotypes about Jews and Money Come From?” It could be useful to anyone who needs a two-page answer to that question.

Cover of “Judaism in 5 Minutes,” edited by Sarah Imhoff

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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 21m

This is why they will never be satisfied by political power, no matter how absolute and unchecked it is. They will always be perpetually aggrieved against the mere existence of cultural trends and civil society they dislike, and thus even more determined to use the government to stamp them out.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3h

a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 3h

What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.

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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 33m

The substance of what she's saying is bad and unconvincing, but more fundamentally, I really don't think Supreme Court justices should be going on book tours where they publicly comment on their work and respond to criticism of it. Either put it in a written opinion or hold your peace.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

Amy Coney Barrett defends heavy use of the shadow docket: "If we wrote a long opinion, it might give the impression that we have finally resolved the issue, and in none of these cases have we finally resolved the issue."

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AAUP chapter @UT Austin @utaustinaaup.bsky.social · 1h

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

“It’s pretty vague what the advantages are of signing the compact,” said Teresa Sullivan, the former president of the University of Virginia, one of 9 colleges the Trump administration is trying to court. “If you’re thinking of this as a deal, it’s a one-sided deal.

‘One-sided deal’: College presidents see Trump offer rife with peril

MIT’s rebuke of the Trump administration’s compact presents an opening for other college presidents to resist.

www.politico.com

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 42m

JD Vance is the worst. Luckily, he’s also dumb as a rock and has the charisma of that rock.

I, too, would like to interview JD Vance, primarily to tell him I’m done with him.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

STEPHANOPOULOS: I didn't insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50k as was heard on an audio tape recorded by the FBI in September 2024. You did not answer the question. Thank you for your time.

VANCE: No, George, I sai--

STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll be right back

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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 51m

What little journalism TFP has done has been riddled with basic factual errors she refuses to correct because the falsehoods aligned with her desired opinions. She is objectively dishonest in a way that not that long ago would have been scandalously career-ending at any real newsroom.

Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 1h

This is really smart. Amazed at the hysteria over the ascendance of a woman entrepreneur who clearly knows how to cover and sell news and who's not afraid to take on a mob. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss

The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.

www.theatlantic.com

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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 1h

“Alito has the opinion”

Natasha Simonova @philistella.bsky.social · 1h

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand:

New library catalogue website.

🏰meg⚔️ @Birthright Audiobook! @impavid.us · 2d

In honor of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand

I'll go first: Six page commercial lease.

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Lynn Stahl @msbtterswrth.altgov.info · 1d

Hot off the presses! If you need a bigger size to print your stickers let me know!

The Portland frog as a founding father, surround by the words "give me ribberty or give me death"

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Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 15h

Pretty much

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Gautam Hans @gshans.bsky.social · 1h

ICYMI, my review from last month of ACB’s new book for @ballsandstrikes.org: ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...

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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1h

more of this. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

STEPHANOPOULOS: I didn't insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50k as was heard on an audio tape recorded by the FBI in September 2024. You did not answer the question. Thank you for your time.

VANCE: No, George, I sai--

STEPHANOPOULOS: We'll be right back

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Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 58m

This is the sort of thing I was referring to yesterday. Even if Trump is immune for his lawless behavior, his underlings are not.

Mack Butterfield @mack2114.bsky.social · 1h

There can be real repercussions for shifting funding during a government shutdown. Under the Antideficiency Act, enacted to prevent federal agencies from spending money Congress hasn’t appropriated, officials who buck those restrictions face up to two years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

Pentagon will pay military troops, Trump says, shifting $8B

The president said Saturday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has funds available to pay troops on Wednesday.

www.politico.com

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 2h

Tariff money is not a Trump Regime slush fund. It is tax money deposited into the US treasury and Congress has sole authority over the appropriation of tax dollars.

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Ms. Rosenberg @msrosenberg.bsky.social · 1h

You’re on the committee

Marjorie James Keenan @unenthusiast.com · 10h

In honour of spooky month, share a 4 word horror story that only someone in your profession would understand.

rm -rf ~/

hammancheez @hammancheez.bsky.social · 11h

"The chancellor approved it"

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Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 1h

New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn either does kidnap and molest preschoolers or he doesn’t. Does he or does he not? Is there troubling evidence or isn’t there? Have preschoolers shrieked in pain and terror in his office or haven’t they? All of this plus the Brooklyn Book Festival!ghv

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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 2h

The "plaintiffs" seeking to dismantle the Voting Rights Act (in a case this week at SCOTUS) include:

-a member of the "Trumpettes," a group of women who ardently support for the president
-a retiree who said he didn’t remember signing up to be involved in a lawsuit.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/u...

One woman made national news when she protested the Covid-19 vaccine at her local City Council. Another is a member of the Trumpettes, a group of women united in their ardent support for the president. A third is a retired grocery salesman who said he didn’t remember signing up to be involved in a lawsuit.

The three are among the 12 Louisiana voters at the center of a case set to be heard by the Supreme Court on Wednesday that could gut what remains of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the landmark civil-rights-era legislation.

In January 2024, the group filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Louisiana’s congressional district map, arguing state lawmakers had discriminated against them as white voters by impermissibly taking race into account when they drafted the map after the 2020 census.

Since then, they’ve been referred to in court filings merely as the “non-African-American” voters.

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Raffi Melkonian @rmfifthcircuit.bsky.social · 1h

The Jets offense might be better of just punting. Do 3
Kneel downs and a punt

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Hey, nobody *made* them vote for the host of Wrestlemania 4 @legalminimum.bsky.social · 2h

I seriously wonder whether Trump may not understand that what he got are vaccines. As in: he didn’t get a flu vaccine, he got a “flu shot”. We know he’s not very smart, so maybe this is how his medical staff are shooting that gap.

Alternative: maybe he has been told they’re “fine for adults”.

mean things I say to myself @meantomyself.bsky.social · 1d

Weird how they say that vaccines are bad and the president is good but the president got two vaccines yesterday, I wonder how long it will take before he is forced to wear high heels or starts collecting model trains or whatever they think vaccines do besides save lives

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Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 2h

Trump knows he was president on Jan. 6. He’s simply lying to rewrite the history of his attempted coup.

Just like Trump knew he lost the 2020 election and lied to fraudulently subvert the results.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 10h

Trump take everything.

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 12h

About a month ago, the Trump administration got rid of the de minimis exemption, whereby packages valued under $800 could slide in without import duties. Now there's a backlog as the government can't process all of this paperwork, leading to UPS just destroying packages

Business Insider headline reads: UPS is telling customers that their packages coming to the US are marked for destruction.

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Cathy Gellis @cathygellis.bsky.social · 3h

I don't, but there were rumbling of trying to bring it directly to the floor.

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Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 14h

I really don’t get these mouthy kids who talk shit online and then get SO UPSET and perseverate over it for days If you talk back at them. Who told them they’re special?

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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 14h

There are no clean hands in a criminal enterprise.

Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 16h

Also: if you work for ICE, even if you’re not one of the ones arresting citizens or tackling 15-year-olds or zip-tying kids together and segregating them by race, you’re part of the mechanism making it happen, and you should suffer long-term social and post-regime-change consequences.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 17h

Some weirdo on Twitter has been absolutely melting down for like 36 straight hours because I posted:

When this is over, do not forget what ICE did, and what ICE is. And do not make room for them in society. Make sure they know that they are, and will continue to be, reviled and beneath contempt.

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