Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Bill Amend @billamend.bsky.social · 9h

Tonight’s dumb napkin cartoon…

62 930 4.2K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 7h

another long term strategy is for Ds to commit to absolutely destroying MAGA, using emergency powers if necessary.

Jonathan Ladd @jonmladd.bsky.social · 2d

This is an essential. "Democrats need to beat the Trumpists in elections that we ensure are free" is the best strategy for the next 2-4 years. But it is not a long-term strategy! The only possible long-term strategy is that someone else needs to defeat the Trumpists for control of the Repub Party.

Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 2d

“Win every election” is not a viable strategy for preventing authoritarianism

4 11 68

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 14h

I asked Border Patrol why they used a Michael Jackson song with antisemitic lyrics, highlighted this morning by @paleofuture.bsky.social. You're not gonna believe this but they did not answer my questions: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Border Patrol won’t say why it used a Michael Jackson song with antisemitic lyrics

The video was live on Facebook and Instagram for two months.

www.motherjones.com

19 210 730

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Brandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 7h

These teams consistently did some of the best reporting at the network. 💔

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 12h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

13 160 590

Melter of ICE @davidhalber.bsky.social · 5h

Fuck your editors.

1

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 7h

😡😡😡😡

210 1.2K 2.7K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 5h

Again, it is a full-blown federal felony crime for anyone in the White House or Executive Office of the President to order tax investigations into anyone.

And it's not just a crime to DO it, it's even a federal crime for an employee not to REPORT such an order to the Treasury Inspector General.

26 U.S. Code § 7217 - Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations
U.S. Code
Notes
prev | next
(a)Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any applicable person to request, directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.

(b)Reporting requirement
Any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service receiving any request prohibited by subsection (a) shall report the receipt of such request to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

(c)Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any written request made—
(1)to an applicable person by or on behalf of the taxpayer and forwarded by such applicable person to the Internal Revenue Service;
(2)by an applicable person for disclosure of return or return information under section 6103 if such request is made in accordance with the requirements of such section; or
(3)by the Secretary of the Treasury as a consequence of the implementation of a change in tax policy.
(d)Penalty
Any person who willfully violates subsection (a) or fails to report under subsection (b) shall be punished upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.

(e)Applicable person
For purposes of this section, the term “applicable person” means—
(1)the President, the Vice President, any employee of the executive office of the President, and any employee of the executive office of the Vice President; and
(2)any individual (other than the Attorney General of the United States) serving in a position specified in section 5312 of title 5, United States Code.

91 1.9K 4.2K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 10h

4 months apart

Official ICE government account
June 6, 2025:
"To call us 'Nazis' - to compare us to one of the worst groups in history - is disgusting and just outright wrong.
"What the men and women of ICE are doing in Massachusetts and all over this country is making communities safer."
—ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons

46 960 2.8K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 7h

Crazy how these guys just keep showing up everywhere

ICE Agent in skull mask Broadview Illinois

20 200 810

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 12h

NBC News has reportedly eliminated its NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino and NBC OUT teams

NBC News’ 150 Layoffs Gut Black, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ+ Diversity Teams

The cuts affected teams across the NBC News operation and came as the network no longer needed to support two different news operations. MSNBC has begun growing its own newsroom, hiring swaths of tale...

www.thewrap.com

490 2.6K 4.4K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 10h

god this is so funny because back when I had my life blown up due to white people tweets I lost exactly zero (0) friends defector.com/free-press-r...

Free Press Reporter Discovers That Being An Amoral Dickhead Can Cost You Friends | Defector

It can be hard to maintain friendships as an adult. People move to new cities, start families, and experience all sorts of other life events that make it difficult to keep in touch. Sometimes, you end...

defector.com

47 240 2.4K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 12h

Politico received an initial tip that a Taylor staffer had a swastika neatly pinned to his cubicle during a zoom call. When confronted, the congressman’s press office pretty implausibly sought to present the situation as a police matter, and Politico went along with that in its headline and lede.

Zach D Roberts @zdroberts.bsky.social · 12h

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

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.

www.politico.com

74 460 1.7K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 11h

Subject of Investigation: Are some Congressional Republicans Nazis
Means of Investigation: look at them
Conclusion of Investigation: yeop

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 12h

Politico received an initial tip that a Taylor staffer had a swastika neatly pinned to his cubicle during a zoom call. When confronted, the congressman’s press office pretty implausibly sought to present the situation as a police matter, and Politico went along with that in its headline and lede.

Zach D Roberts @zdroberts.bsky.social · 12h

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

17 230 1.3K

Melter of ICE @davidhalber.bsky.social · 10h

So JD Vance loved Hitler and made slavery and rape jokes as a young adult?!

2

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 12h

Trump: I want to thank Stephen Miller I would love to have him come up and explain his true feelings. Maybe not his truest feelings. That might be going a little too far

320 540 1.8K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 11h

This exchange lends a ton of support to this New York Times story from January that the White House previously denied. Trump reportedly joked in 2024 that Stephen Miller wants to purge the country of anyone who doesn't look like him — and Trump fully supports what he is doing.

“He has the president’s complete trust,” said Mr. McCarthy. “Trump’s complained about everyone. Never him.”
Mr. Trump may not complain about Mr. Miller, but he does occasionally poke at his obsession with immigrants — a hostility that goes far beyond Mr. Trump’s. In one meeting during the 2024 campaign, Mr. Trump said that if it was up to Mr. Miller there would be only 100 million people in this country, and they would all look like Mr. Miller, according to a person with knowledge of the comment. Karoline Leavitt, Mr. Trump’s spokeswoman, denied the account.

29 200 520

Reposted by Melter of ICE

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 11h

this ballroom is the best evidence that trump doesn’t intend to leave

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 11h

Exclusive: More than three dozen organizations and individuals are expected to attend a dinner with Trump on Wednesday after opening their checkbooks to support a $250 million White House ballroom.

Trump Invites Ballroom Donors to Glitzy White House Dinner

The dinner is set to include representatives from Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, Alphabet’s Google, Amazon and Palantir Technologies.

on.wsj.com

190 880 4.2K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Tiffany⸆⸉ @tiffanyclay.dev · 12h

The headline, for posterity’s sake, in addition to a key piece of text from one of the proposals described in the article. It says only refugees who align with Trump should be welcome.

Trump Considers
Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People
The proposals would transform a program aimed at helping the most vulnerable people in the world into one that gives preference to mostly white people who say they are being persecuted.

"The sharp increase in diversity has reduced the level of social trust essential for the functioning of a democratic polity," according to one of the documents. The administration should only welcome "refugees who can be fully and appropriately
assimilate, and are aligned with the president's objectives."

1 11 21

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Tiffany⸆⸉ @tiffanyclay.dev · 12h

This @nytimes.com headline tells no lies and the Orange One is gonna be so mad about it, I foresee it being changed very swiftly. Anyway, here’s a gift link:

Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People

www.nytimes.com

8 33 82

Reposted by Melter of ICE

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 11h

last i checked these young republicans were like 25 years old. but this is a classic case of infantilization to diminish the significance of the offense. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

Vance downplays group chat messages: ‘Kids do stupid things, especially young boys.’

The vice president called the texts "edgy, offensive jokes."

www.yahoo.com

350 1.2K 5.7K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 3d

How do I make Justice Kavanaugh watch this?

David Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 5d

ICE agents to US citizen: Turn around or you're getting the dog.

110 540 2.3K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 13h

Listen to how casually Justice Gorsuch presents as fact the idea that remedying racial gerrymandering requires racial discrimination.

130 750 1.7K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h

Sunny Hostin to Cheryl Hines: "The problem is that your husband is the least qualified HHS head that we've had in history. I think that's very dangerous. He has spread a lot of misinformation, chaos, and confusion."

970 1.7K 7.6K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 13h

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

740 4.4K 28K

Reposted by Melter of ICE

Scare-bag Boooooments 🇺🇦 @airbagmoments.bsky.social · 16h

NPR, continuing to intentionally suck. airbagmoments.wordpress.com/2017/04/29/m...

Not Nearly Enough F*cking Things Considered.

NPR Must Do Better In The Age of Trump This post has two primary purposes: I’ll debunk NPR’s argument that journalists should not use the word “lie” to describe false statem…

airbagmoments.wordpress.com

2 4 13