Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 1h

Very creative. Pretty cool.

"Lego doesn’t sell the sets and instead has donated more than 10,000 of the kits to hospitals around the world."

How Lego MRI scanner sets are reducing anxiety in children undergoing medical treatment
www.cnbc.com/2025/10/13/l...

2

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Aaron Cynic @aaroncynic.bsky.social · 6h

Not many people know it takes weeks of intensive training at antifa camp to learn how to purchase an animal costume

Michael Edison Hayden @michaelehayden.bsky.social · 8h

“They are highly organized … [they] have purchased their own animal costumes”

Andy ngo mad about muppets again — this time in Chicago

1 7 48

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 4h

Twelve Failed Constitutional Amendments That Could Have Reshaped American History

by Greg Daugherty for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social

www.smithsonianmag.com/history/twel...

Twelve Failed Constitutional Amendments That Could Have Reshaped American History

These proposals sought to change the United States' name, abolish the presidency and the vice presidency, and set a limit on personal fortunes, among other measures

www.smithsonianmag.com

1 1

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 5h

"But for many recent arrivals from #Venezuela — arguably the community most targeted by the Trump administration, and whose country is now bracing for the possibility of a U.S. invasion — leaving has not been as simple as the president has made it sound."

ProPublica @propublica.org · 5h

Trump promised free plane tickets and $1,000 “exit bonuses” to immigrants who opted to self-deport.

ProPublica spoke to a dozen Venezuelan immigrants who said they followed the president’s instructions, yet never received the promised assistance.

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

Venezuelan immigrants signed up for a Trump-promoted app called CBP Home, which promised a safe and easy way to leave the country, and prepared to leave on their given departure dates. Those dates hav...

www.propublica.org

2

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 2d

Waning immunity. A significant Covid wave in England. No new variant.
Thanks Prof Pagel for highlighting and contextualizing

14 220 490

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 1d

"It is unclear what percentage of the hundreds or possibly thousands of individuals who were initially slated for termination have now had their fates reversed. But in at least one case, a division within the CDC that was facing near obliteration has been almost entirely recalled."

1 1

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 1d

If James visits the home regularly then it is available to her for personal use, which means it is not a “rental investment property” as defined by the mortgage rider…and therefore negates the central claim of the indictment

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 1d

NYT reports that Letitia James’s great niece lives in the home that is the subject of the indictment.

The niece reportedly testified before a *different* grand jury, telling them that she had lived there for many years without paying rent. James visits regularly.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

Letitia James
Indictment
Read the Indictment
Timeline of Conflict
Indic
But in June, IMs. Thompson testified to a grand
jury in Norfolk that she had lived in the house for years and that she did not pay rent, a person familiar with her testimony said. She was not asked to testify again, and the grand jury that voted to indict Ms. James was not seated in Norfolk, but in Alexandria.
The specter of Mr. Trump's revenge campaign has so far overshadowed the facts of the case, given how he has pushed for Ms. James's punishment. For years, he has railed against her on social media, calling her a "crook" and
"corrunt" Last month. he also appointed Ms.

for a peaceful life after years of turbulence in several cities.
The family, Nakia Thompson and her children, have lived at the address ever since, according to two people familiar with the home, and until this week, the plan for a more lacid existence had largely gone as expected. Several times a year, the people said, a great-aunt who had purchased the house in 2020 with Ms.
Thompson in mind would come for an extended stay.
This week, with the filing of court papers some 200 miles north, the plan came to an abrupt end.
The great-aunt - Letitia James, the New York attorney general - was indicted by President Trump's Justice Department. The yellow house,

58 450 1.9K

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 1d

More great satire from the Jeff Fox, former Technology Editor at Consumer Reports.

Jeff Fox @jeffox1.bsky.social · 1d

open.substack.com/pub/jeff107/...
@chrishendel.bsky.social
@stevenbeller.bsky.social
@karaswisher.bsky.social
@dangillmor.bsky.social

White House Doc: Trump 'Fit For Olympics'

Amazingly healthy "for any age"

open.substack.com

1

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 1d

‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings
via @statnews.com

Terminations have decimated offices related to injury prevention, disease surveillance
www.statnews.com/2025/10/11/c...

‘It’s a massacre’: CDC battered by government shutdown firings

The White House’s mass firing of CDC staff on Friday has decimated offices related to injury prevention, respiratory disease surveillance, and chronic disease, according to four people familiar with t...

www.statnews.com

1 1

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 1d

The fight for democracy is the defining battle of our generation, and protecting free and fair elections must be our top priority. That is why my law firm is litigating 63 voting cases — to preserve our basic civil and political rights, Marc Elias writes.
https://bit.ly/3W0PxqE

Why My Law Firm is Litigating 63 Voting Rights Cases

Read here.

bit.ly

10 130 430

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 1d

“We bombard people with sensation. That substitutes for thinking.”

-- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

1

Reposted by Chris Hendel

David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 1d

I am old enough to remember when Trump said he would lower grocery prices on Day One.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

A rare admission from the administration that policy choices have knock-off effects.

In this case: immigration crackdowns raise your grocery bill.

@washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

47 210 840

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

"In addition to rank-and-file scientists and staffers, institutional leaders were affected this time around, leaving it unclear just how the agency’s major centers and divisions might continue to function."

by @jeremyfaust.bsky.social
insidemedicine.substack.com/p/breaking-n...

BREAKING NEWS: CDC employees terminated in apparent Friday night massacre.

The Trump administration is using the shutdown to further weaken the our national public health infrastructure.

insidemedicine.substack.com

17 13

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

A reminder 👇 💯

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 2d

The entire American economy is being held hostage to the whims of a guy who doesn’t understand how the economy works

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

"...so many ostensibly powerful people—G.O.P. leadership in Congress, heads of major corporations—seem so eager to accede to the imperial demands of a President who is not racking up imperial numbers."

Does Trump’s Popularity Even Matter?
per @newyorker.com

www.newyorker.com/newsletter/t...

Does Trump’s Popularity Even Matter?

From the daily newsletter: forty-two explains the universe—and Donald Trump.

www.newyorker.com

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 2d

Balderdash.

Claudia Grisales @cgrisales.bsky.social · 2d

Senate Majority Leader John Thune responds to OMB head Russ Vought’s post “the RIFs have begun,” telling @jordainc.bsky.social and I:

“Well… I think they held off for as long as they could.”

31 55 650

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 6d

We’re in a moment now where it would be worth people taking three hours to watch Gandhi, particularly the scene of the salt march. There is value to making the brutality of your opponent so plain as day that no one can argue with it. The clarity of that brought down an empire

580 3K 11K

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 2d

Three key points:
1) The admin has been planning mass firings to begin in October since February
2) The work necessary to carry out mass firings is illegal during a shutdown, violating the Antideficiency Act, which carries a criminal penalty
3) This harms America, ridding us of talent and expertise

Russ Vought v @russvought
The RIFs have begun.
12:27 PM • 10/10/25 • 15K Views

240 2.4K 6.2K

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

A reminder c/o @propublica.org

"Project 2025’s plan to revive Schedule F, an attempt to make it easier to fire a large swath of government workers who currently have civil service protections, aligns with Vought’s vision."

“We want to put them in trauma.”

www.propublica.org/article/vide...

2 3

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

😡

"Meanwhile, the halls of the Capitol were quiet on Friday, then 10th day of the shutdown, with both the House and the Senate out of Washington and both sides digging in for a protracted shutdown fight."

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 2d

BREAKING: White House budget office says "substantial" firings of federal workers have started as the Trump administration exerts shutdown leverage.

Budget office says 'substantial' firings of federal workers have started in government shutdown

The White House budget office says that mass firings of federal workers have started in an attempt to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.

bit.ly

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

Looks like China may well have slashed exports on Trump's brand of makeup bronzer.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

Breaking news: Donald Trump warned that he was considering a 'massive increase' in tariffs on China and suggested he could cancel his planned summit with Xi Jinping as he lashed out at Beijing’s trade policy. on.ft.com/4nDpBNQ

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

😩😩😩

"In an extraordinary effort to inject politics into millions of Americans’ travel experiences, the Trump administration plans to roll out a video at airports across the US that will blame Democrats for lapses in TSA workers’ pay because of the government shutdown.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Video of Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for shutdown rolling out at TSA security checkpoints across the country

Travelers waiting in airport security lines across the country will now be met with a video where the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blames Democrats for the government shutdown.

www.yahoo.com

1

Reposted by Chris Hendel

Chris Morran @themorrancave.bsky.social · 2d

In July, Pérez got a call from CBP Home telling her she’d be on a flight out of the US in August.

She began packing.

Then, after weeks of silence, somebody called to say there might be a delay.

Then no more info, and no plane tickets.

by @melissa-sanchez.bsky.social @mariamelba.bsky.social

“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

Venezuelan immigrants signed up for a Trump-promoted app called CBP Home, which promised a safe and easy way to leave the country, and prepared to leave on their given departure dates. Those dates hav...

www.propublica.org

4 43 110

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

"President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian..."

White House says Nobel Committee places 'politics over peace'
www.yahoo.com/news/article...

a woman in a floral shirt is laughing with the fox logo in the background

ALT: a woman in a floral shirt is laughing with the fox logo in the background

media.tenor.com

1

Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 2d

"brave women &men who have stood up to repression,who have carried the hope of freedom in prison cells,on the streets, &in public squares..who have shown by their actions that peaceful resistance can change the world..Maria Corina Machado has shown the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace"

Cynthia-VT @cynthia-vt.bsky.social · 2d

"Venezuela..now suffering humanitarian&economic crisis..Most in deep poverty..as the top enrich themselves..violent machinery..agnst its own population..suppressed by..election rigging,legal prosecution,imprisonment..she said'it was a choice of ballots over bullets'"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRB...

Announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

YouTube video by Nobel Prize

www.youtube.com

1