Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 1h

Johnson is a weasel. It's not a boondoggle to help Americans afford to pay for their healthcare. I guess that is, unless you think all Americans are moochers who should be left to die.

Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur.bsky.social · 1h

NEW: Obamacare fight escalates as shutdown drags on

Speaker Johnson calls the expiring subsidies at issue a "boondoggle" that won't be extended in this bill—or without "real reform."

Democrats aren't budging, saying action now is urgent to avert a premium hike.

www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

Mike Johnson slams Obamacare funds as a 'boondoggle' as shutdown drags on

Johnson also addressed conservative calls to repeal Obamacare, whose enhanced tax credits form the main dispute between the two parties that led to the funding impasse.

www.nbcnews.com

1 1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 5h

😂

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 5h

What could go wrong when you really need a Pub Sub?

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 5h

Supermarket chain Publix announced it will now allow customers to openly carry firearms inside its Florida stores. www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/p...

Publix to allow open carry in Florida stores, prompting mixed reactions from shoppers

Under Florida law, businesses and private property owners can choose whether to allow or ban open carry on their premises.

www.cbsnews.com

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 5h

But I thought red cities and states have no crime? 🤔

Mississippi Free Press @mississippifreepress.org · 1d

Shootings at Alcorn State University and Jackson State University on Saturday bring the death toll for this weekend's shootings across five Mississippi counties to nine, with at least 15 injured.

Other shootings hit three Mississippi high schools on Friday night, including two homecoming games.

Nine Dead, at Least 15 Injured in Shootings Across 5 Mississippi Counties

Six people are confirmed dead and at least 12 others injured in three separate shootings in Mississippi on the night of Friday, Oct. 10.

buff.ly

1 1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 1d

Horrendous mistake or inexcusable incompetence? You be the judge!

Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 1d

The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.

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

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

1 4

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 1d

Unless the president is a Democrat.

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 2d

All I can hope is that anyone who works for the White House and/or their family dies from a preventable disease and soon.

Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 2d

CDC has been a global leader in public health & played a key role in smallpox eradication. Health depts in red states & blue states rely on CDC expertise & support. The CDC EIS program trains the next generation of public health leaders & disease detectives.

They are burning it to the ground.

JAMA Health Forum Oct 9, 2025 by LO Gostin and P Lurie.
Abstract
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has long served as the cornerstone of the US
public health system, combining technical expertise, evidence-based policy recommendations, and high-quality health information. Yet, it is undergoing profound weakening by the Trump administration, including major funding cuts, the dismissal and resignation of experienced senior staff, and the erosion of its scientific independence. With tightening political control, public trust in
the CDC is diminishing. Undermining the agency’s reputation and capacities will reverberate for generations, making the nation less prepared for future health emergencies, including diseases of
pandemic potential. At this perilous moment, we document the current assault on the CDC that will inevitably have serious repercussion

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 2d

Maybe the extra law enforcement and useless NG troops in Memphis should head down there...

Reposted by Elissa Taub

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 2d

“This is not sustainable”

70 870 2.4K

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 2d

They're terrified to report anything bad about him without also calling "the other side" bad or tempering it with uncertainty. It's maddening.

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 2d

Is it too soon to say that we told you so? This is what every expert predicted, and it's happening. Shocker.

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 2d

Trump’s immigration crackdown is risking higher food prices for Americans, according to the Trump admin itself.  DOL warned in an obscure document last week that “near total cessation of the inflow of illegal aliens” is threatening “stability of domestic food production and prices for US consumers.”

Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices

U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document.

www.washingtonpost.com

1 2

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 2d

My mom, who passed away in 2023, was both a fierce Trump opponent and a collector of all things frogs. I'd like to think she's somehow behind all of this. 🐸

Reverend Jesus "H" Christ @reverendjesus.com · 3d

Blessed are the frogs, for they keep making authoritarians look incredibly stupid

Three persons in inflatable frog costumes. One of them is holding a nicely painted sign with two little cartoon frogs holding hands, below the text "FROGS TOGETHER STRONG"

1 6

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

Hearing that NG troops have been taking in the sights around Memphis -- down by the Mississippi and on trails around our beautiful city. Hope they are enjoying their taxpayer-funded southern vacation... and I hope they stay out of my way when I go for a run.

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

I'm in tears laughing. This is amazing.

2

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

Let's just say that these are the touristy areas of downtown, exactly where we thought they'd be. They are here for photo ops near the Mississippi River, not to help anything. What a waste of $1 million per day.

Hope 🌉 𓅃 @hopeintheusa.bsky.social · 3d

#NationalGuard troops are spotted patrolling the streets of #Memphis
Some people said they were at the pyramid taking pictures. They appear to be by the river here 👇 #occupation

1 2

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

I guess they wanted nice views of the river? Sheesh

2

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

This guy is out of his fricking mind.

Is it ketamine? Other drugs? Or is he just like this?

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 3d

Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel warned that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and critics of AI are “legionnaires of the Antichrist” in private lectures that connected government oversight of Silicon Valley to an apocalyptic future.

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

wapo.st

2 3

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

I saw this last weekend when we went to a locally owned Mexican restaurant in town, and it was empty except for a few tables of white people.

Add the National Guard to Beale/downtown, and I really fear for the city's economy.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 3d

MEMPHIS: “Everybody in the neighborhood has seen a decrease in business.”

Trump’s invasion (with @GovBillLee’s help) is scaring locals away and hurting businesses.

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 3d

I'll continue to secretly give her the finger and mumble that she makes me sick each time I go thru security in Memphis. The screen with her collagen-filled face hangs just over the precheck line 🤢

CNN @cnn.com · 3d

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 United States that will blame Democrats for lapses in TSA workers’ pay because of the government shutdown.

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

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.cnn.com

1 2

Reposted by Elissa Taub

Lawprofblawg @lawprofblawg.bsky.social · 4d

Oh.

abcnews.go.com/Health/emerg...

Emergency Medicaid for undocumented immigrants accounts for less than 1% of state spending: Study

Emergency Medicaid for undocumented immigrants made up only 0.4% of total Medicaid spending in 2022, a new study published Thursday finds.

abcnews.go.com

1 5 17

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 4d

Ah, blame the Jews for autism. There it is.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 4d

RFK JR: There are many other confirmations -- there are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol

1 1 2

Reposted by Elissa Taub

Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 5d

Trump fired a bunch of Immigration Judges + Board of Immigration Appeals members so that he could stack those orgs with loyalists. Our NSF funded research confirms the work background of IJs and BIA members predict their rate of asylum denial. See also our description of the immigration bureaucracy.

37 73

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 4d

Um - No. This is not how it works. My right as an American is yo say what I want. And as our founders told us, this right is G-d-given.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 4d

This must be the post Rubio wanted him to approve. So we know Trump didn't write this, and we don't even know if it's true.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 4d

Ok! We have the full statement from Trump. It says explicitly that Israel and Hamas have signed off only "on the first Phase of our Peace Plan." Which means all hostages will be released and Israel withdraws troops. This is VERY preliminary and only the first step.

A post from Donald Trump on Oct 08, 2025, 6:51 PM
"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan. This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace. All Parties will be treated fairly! This is a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America, and we thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

1 1

Elissa Taub @ejtaub.bsky.social · 4d

Honestly, I wish it was a stroke and not that he's absolutely delusional and in charge of stuff. All these people need xanax and padded rooms.

1 4