Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2h

A Friday court filing indicated that more than 4,000 federal workers were laid off, though it is unclear how that number has changed after the administration moved to reverse certain CDC layoffs on Saturday. www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...

Trump administration reverses layoffs for some CDC staff

An official said the employees who received incorrect notifications were never separated from the agency and were notified that they are not subject to the reduction in force.

www.nbcnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 6h

NO SLOWING on the gun violence this week: there were seven separate mass shooting incidents in the United States where 15 people were killed and 48 were injured.

My Sunday recap covers this and all the critical legal and political details of last week: shero.substack.com/p/shero-on-s...

SHERO on Sunday

A lightning-fast rundown of the week's most significant political and legal events for October 6th - 12th, 2025

shero.substack.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2d

A powerful explosion ripped through a central Tennessee military ammunition plant on Friday, killing and injuring multiple people. The extent of the damage is not clear, but the blast appears to have leveled part of the facility and left behind a fiery debris. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Blast at Tennessee military explosives plant leaves multiple people dead or missing

Number of people dead unknown as secondary blasts initially kept first responders from entering site

www.theguardian.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2d

Trump is threatening to raise more tariffs on China.

RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES. www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-c...

Trump threatens to jack up tariffs on China over its new rare-earth controls

President Trump is vowing to retaliate if China enforces stricter curbs on exports of materials used in electronics, defense weapons and high-tech products.

www.cbsnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2d

MIT was one of nine universities asked by Trump to sign an agreement in early October to ensure access to federal funding and grants, with stipulations involving international students and race or sex factors in admissions.
factors.

MIT won't sign. www.cbsnews.com/news/white-h...

White House asks 9 universities to sign agreement to ensure access to grants and other federal benefits

A White House compact asks universities to freeze their tuition for five years and ban the use of sex and gender as criteria used in admissions.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Amee Vanderpool

Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

Another day, another failure by prosecutors to secure an indictment against ICE protestors in Chicago. shero.substack.com/p/less-than-...

"Less Than a Ham Sandwich"

SHERO is a reader-supported publication that makes most articles free and available to the public.

shero.substack.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2d

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.” apnews.com/article/nobe...

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado wins the Nobel Peace Prize

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel committee praised her as a key unifying figure in the opposition, advocating for free elections and...

apnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 2d

Senators went home for the four day weekend, so the shutdown goes on!

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

Two weeks after a separate criminal case charging former FBI Director James Comey with lying to Congress, an Eastern District of Virginia Grand Jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on a 'Trumped-Up' fraud charge. apnews.com/article/leti...

New York Attorney General Letitia James indicted on fraud charge, AP source says

A grand jury has indicted New York Attorney General Letitia James on a fraud charge in the latest Justice Department case against a perceived enemy of President Donald Trump, according to a person fam...

apnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

Another day, another failure by prosecutors to secure an indictment against ICE protestors in Chicago. shero.substack.com/p/less-than-...

"Less Than a Ham Sandwich"

SHERO is a reader-supported publication that makes most articles free and available to the public.

shero.substack.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

He looks extremely confused.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Q: Have you given any more thought to possibly suspending habeas corpus?

TRUMP: Suspending who?

Q: Habeas corpus

TRUMP: I don't know. I'd rather leave that to Kristi.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

The Texas National Guard is now confirmed to be in Chicago and assisting ICE.

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Reposted by Amee Vanderpool

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 3d

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

This WaPo editorial presents a misleading revisionist history of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases against Trump.

Then it has the gall to compare that to Trump’s overt targeting of his perceived enemies.

Really embarrassing stuff.

But the mere fact that a legal tool might be available does not mean it should be used. The
current rage over Grassley's revelation shows why. Smith showed little restraint in his pursuit of a former president. He charged Trump for official acts he took as president. He sought a gag order to limit Trump's ability to criticize the prosecution. He tried to accelerate the case to try a leading presidential candidate before the 2024 election.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 3d

A new Health Information and Trust Tracking Poll from KFF found that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has seen a decline in public trust as the Trump administration works to dismantle many of its mandates. www.kff.org/public-opini...

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 4d

In an arraignment that lasted less than half an hour, former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in his criminal case, with Comey lawyers ready to a argue that the DOJ has been weaponized to target adversaries of Donald Trump.

History is happening. apnews.com/article/trum...

Comey pleads not guilty as lawyers signal intent to argue Trump foe's case is politically motivated

Former FBI Director James Comey has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Donald Trump.

apnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 4d

A new survey from The New York Times and Siena University shows that registered voters largely support the idea of removing immigrants who have arrived in the country illegally, but a majority of voters now say they feel his methods have gone too far.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Cross-Tabs: September 2025 Times/Siena National Poll of Registered Voters

Results of a nationwide New York Times/Siena poll of 1,313 registered voters conducted from Sept. 22 to 27, 2025.

www.nytimes.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

According to a White House memo, Trump might try to say federal workers aren't guaranteed compensation for forced time off during the shutdown.

IMO: Trump leaked this to pressure Dems into ending caving, but it won’t work in the courts or now.
www.axios.com/2025/10/07/t...

Scoop: White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to backpay

A move to deny backpay to up to 750,000 furloughed workers would dramatically escalate Trump's pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown.

www.axios.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Josh Hawley and Yale Law School, ladies and gentlemen.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Here is Senator @DickDurbin asking Attorney General Pam Bondi who instructed her to flag all of the documents in the Epstein files that contained Trump's name.

Bondi: "I'm not going to discuss anything with you about that, Senator."

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Pam Bondi repeatedly deflected questions as she sought during a combative congressional hearing on Tuesday to defend herself against growing criticism that she's weaponizing the AG's office to seek vengeance against Trump’s political opponents. apnews.com/article/pam-...

Bondi dodges questions as she clashes with Democrats over claims she's weaponized Justice Department

Attorney General Pam Bondi has repeatedly deflected questions while seeking to defend herself during a combative congressional hearing in the face of growing criticism that she's turning the law enfor...

apnews.com

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Just dropped my keys into a dumpster. I think I'm done now.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Here is DHS Kristi Noem in Feb. 2024, declaring her outrage over the idea that then-President Biden was considering "usurping" state's rights by taking control of South Dakota's National Guard.

With her help, Trump is deploying the National Guard to his 4th city.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Pastor David Black of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, being sprayed directly in the face by troops during protests outside the ICE processing facility in Broadview, Illinois in September. (Photo by Ashlee Rezin/via Chicago Sun-Times).

DON'T LOOK AWAY.

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

How far back do these Howdy Doody Republican mother fellas intend to take us all, because we have already hit 1939...is the goal Victorian times, Puritan witch burning, or are they full on shooting for some Joan of Arc burning at the stake action?

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Amee Vanderpool @girlsreallyrule.bsky.social · 5d

Heads up: The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seems poised to rule in favor of a Christian therapist claiming a free speech violation stemming from a Colorado law barring conversion therapy.

Over 20 other states have this ban that is now in danger.

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