Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by John Hatchard

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 14d

Much of what President Trump has done fits classic signs of authoritarianism.

Journalists hesitate to use the word, but a communications scholar argues the U.S. is “well past that point.”

Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy

Media framing shapes people’s understanding of the world. A political communication scholar says that journalistic outlets’ failure to call Donald Trump an authoritarian is a problem for democracy.

buff.ly

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Reposted by John Hatchard

Cult MTL @cultmtl.com · 14d

Vast majority of Canadians no longer consider the United States an ally

The vast majority of Canadians no longer consider the United States to be an ally.

cultmtl.com

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Reposted by John Hatchard

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15d

Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

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Engadget @engadget.bsky.social · 16d

Disney reportedly lost 1.7 million paid subscribers in the week after suspending Kimmel

The planned Disney+ price hike may have sped the company's choice to return the talk show to air.

dlvr.it

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Reposted by John Hatchard

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 16d

“We are marching toward an uninsurable future in this country and across the globe, marching into the abyss.”

How a warming planet has made home Insurance increasingly unaffordable

Years of underestimating climate risk has left the industry in turmoil.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by John Hatchard

Slate @slate.com · 18d

You’re Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator slate.trib.al/gSav5lD

You’re Comparing Trump to the Wrong Fascist Dictator

The “Is Trump Hitler?” debate misses his sinister parallels to another 20th-century European tyrant.

slate.trib.al

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Reposted by John Hatchard

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 22d

Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension Was Always About Censorship (Just Ask Trump)

youtu.be/DK9TkLPJY6w

Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension Was Always About Censorship (Just Ask Trump) | The Daily Show

YouTube video by The Daily Show

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Reposted by John Hatchard

PBS News @pbsnews.org · 23d

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller spoke at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona on Sunday, stating that the conservative activist's assassination has "awakened" an army that is determined "to save the West."

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Reposted by John Hatchard

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 26d

STEWART: “Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s a bellwether— we’re the banana peel in the coal mine… authoritarians are the threat to comedy, music, art, thought… progress.”

Nailed it.

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Morgan J Freeman @mjfree.bsky.social · 24d

Hey DOJ, today would be a great day to honor Charlie Kirk by releasing the Epstein Files.

KIRK: "The DOJ should immediately move to unseal all the Epstein documents in the SDNY. I think every file should be released to the public."

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · 28d

"Trump has long thrived on chaos and disorder. Where real crises do not exist, he fabricates them – including imagined crime pandemics in Los Angeles, Washington DC and Chicago. Fake chaos fuels his power grab. Now he has been handed chaos on a silver platter."

We must not let the shooting of Charlie Kirk become Trump’s Reichstag fire | David Van Reybrouck

Take heed from European history: this could be the pretext for the repression of the US president’s political opponents, says Belgian author and philosopher David Van Reybrouck

www.theguardian.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · 28d

I've been watching a series about Hitler with my 13 yr old the past week lol. Let me know how the book was once you're done it looks very interesting

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · 29d

Thanks for the message and yes been on an extended break I suppose. I love being in the loop on everything but it takes a toll mentally. I should start a new book you have any suggestions there?

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Reposted by John Hatchard

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · Sep 14

I hadn’t seen this. Kirk, the moderate free speech guy who did politics the right way per some liberals (!), called for Biden to be executed.

Meanwhile Joe Biden put out a very strong statement condemning Kirk’s killing.

Both sides!

Charlie Kirk: Joe Biden should be "put in prison and/or given the death penalty for crimes against America"

www.mediamatters.org

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 13

"The Groyper Army consists of "alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists" who hold virulently antisemitic, racist, and homophobic views, often cloaked in rhetoric about traditional values and family."

What is a 'groyper? What to know about Nick Fuentes' alt-right movement

Fuentes' band of extremist followers take their name from the underbelly of internet meme culture.

www.newsweek.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 12

"The appeal of both Trump and South Park to many young men is not in the positive ideas they offer, but the way they both humiliate their opponents. Now, South Park is owning Trump, and with each new lurid reveal in the Jeffrey Epstein saga, it will have plenty of fodder as the season progresses."

How ‘South Park’ could help Democrats win back the young voters the party lost to Trump

A cartoon built on skewering the powerful and self-righteous isn’t taking its foot off the pedal.

theconversation.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 12

Well done Brazil. One can only imagine just how much better off America would be right now if they had the conviction to do the same with Trump after Jan 6th 2021.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Sep 12

Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in a Brazil prison for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election. nyti.ms/47FfqmN

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 11

Fascism.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Sep 11

Trump: "For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism we're seeing in our country & it must stop right now. My admin will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity"

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 11

"One of those people is Thiel, whose venture capital firm is reported to have previously taken a large amount of money from the dead financier. In June, the NYT reported in 2015 and 2016, not long before his death, Epstein invested $40 million with a company Thiel had co-founded, Valar Ventures."

Top Democrat Calls for Congressional Probe Into Ties Between Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel

Thiel was one of many whose financial ties to the dead financier should be probed, a prominent senator believes.

gizmodo.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 11

"Because authoritarianism is most visible in hindsight, people often don’t recognize it until it’s too late. When it comes to democratic backsliding, “there are no bright lines … people often find out the world they’re in after the fact. In Trump’s case, I believe the U.S. is well past that point.”

Why journalists are reluctant to call Trump an authoritarian – and why that matters for democracy

Media framing shapes people’s understanding of the world. A political communication scholar says that journalistic outlets’ failure to call Donald Trump an authoritarian is a problem for democracy.

theconversation.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 10

"Nearly all Republicans and 17 Democrats in the US House voted Wednesday evening for a military bill that would push the figure for defense spending approved this year beyond $1 trillion. Just four Republicans opposing the bill, which will still need to be reconciled with the Senate's version."

House Passes NDAA to Push Military Spending Approved This Year Beyond $1 Trillion | Common Dreams

Nearly all Republicans and 17 Democrats in the US House of Representatives voted for a military bill that would push the figure for defense spending approved this year beyond $1 trillion.

www.commondreams.org

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 10

"Though the EV company once commanded a whopping 80 percent of the US EV market, its market share fell to 38 percent in August, well below the 40 percent it held in October 2017"

"In other words, Tesla has completely destroyed its hard-won lead in the EV market."

Tesla's Market Share Has Fallen So Badly That It's Back to 2017 Levels

New data shows Tesla's EV sales have fallen below 2017 levels, when it was struggling to sell even 30,000 vehicles.

futurism.com

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 10

"Carney said he wants to “turbocharge” Canada’s economy through “major nation-building projects that connect our regions, that diversify our products and build new markets and create those hundreds of thousands of high-paying careers for our workers, from the trades to technology.”"

Carney plans to announce the first series of major projects on Thursday

The first major industrial projects under the federal government's strategy to reduce Canada's economic reliance on the U.S. will be announced Thursday, Prime Minister Mark Carney told his caucus on W...

cheknews.ca

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John Hatchard @johnhatchard.bsky.social · Sep 10

"Democracy has declined in 94 countries over the last five years and faces a perfect storm of autocratic resurgence and acute uncertainty, due to massive social and economic changes,”

"The survey is published every 5 years and considered the most comprehensive of its kind, covering 174 countries."

Global press freedom suffers sharpest fall in 50 years, report finds

The International IDEA’s survey of democratic markers finds US is offering ‘encouragement’ to populist leaders

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by John Hatchard

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · Sep 10

Trump's Pervy Epstein Bday Card Released & MAGA Allies Run Cover

youtu.be/28CWM6df2tk

Trump's Pervy Epstein Bday Card Released & MAGA Allies Run Cover | The Daily Show

YouTube video by The Daily Show

youtu.be

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