Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1h

Can we acknowledge that there's been a freakout about the fact that young liberals want to human rights for Palestinians, but general willed ignorance to how young conservatives are all flirting with Nazism?

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1h

Shocked, just shocked, that the Young Republicans group chat would be a bunch of Nazism and slurs

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1h

POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.

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

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

David Waldman @kagrox.bsky.social · 2h

And if I do see it, I'll probably end up having to tell my son about it, if you know what I mean.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4h

Q: We've seen images out of Chicago of federal agents shooting faith leaders with pepper balls and arresting journalists. Where's the limit for you on what's acceptable conduct by federal agents?

MIKE JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet.

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1h

If you want people to stop saying that you are intentionally starving children, then maybe stop doing it. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Israel limits aid and keeps Rafah crossing closed in dispute over hostage remains

Tensions high as Israel accuses Hamas of breaching agreement by withholding bodies of 24 hostages

www.theguardian.com

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1h

Republican campaigning is 100% identity politics. And then governing is just grift and graft.

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1h

Because Republican politics are fueled by revanchist grievance. "Enrich your predatory boss's predatory boss" doesn't have mass purchase, so they always need to back to the greatest hits of "Liberal says something that you can misconstrue as othering."

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 2h

I'm generalizing, but why do conservatives remember political irritations for so much longer than liberals?

It's been 17 years since Obama said some voters "cling to their guns, to their religion" and I heard a senator denounce that last month.

Obvious theory: Media ecosystem puts it on repeat

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 3h

Imagine caring about Kaepernick in the year of our lord 2025

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

David Mack @davidmackau.bsky.social · 2h

this is definitely true but it’s also true that it’s only politically acceptable in this country to mock cities or blue states. mocking rural/red states is seen as elitist and out-of-touch, even tho most ppl live in cities! as such, i think these rare moments have more staying power.

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 2h

I'm generalizing, but why do conservatives remember political irritations for so much longer than liberals?

It's been 17 years since Obama said some voters "cling to their guns, to their religion" and I heard a senator denounce that last month.

Obvious theory: Media ecosystem puts it on repeat

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 3h

Imagine caring about Kaepernick in the year of our lord 2025

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 2h

The Boston Globe is out here inventing an Erin Murphy that doesn't exist and pretending that every word out of her mouth isn't just white grievance or lies the majority of the time.

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 3h

You will very rarely see this type of identity politics named and condemned as such bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Eric Trump: "We're saving Christianity. We've saving God. We've saving the family unit. We're saving this nation. I mean, DEI is out of the window, Benny. You no longer have Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem. You no longer have Budweiser going woke as hell. All of this is dead."

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 3h

Someone tell Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 3h

I'm sorry, is the Trump Administration talking to a tech platform?

Is it...requesting content moderation?

Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a large group page that was being used to dox and target @ICEgov agents in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs. The Department of Justice will continue engaging tech companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent violence against federal law enforcement.

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 5h

"The pattern is familiar, stretching back to 1929: Whenever access expands faster than safeguards, charlatans rush in and ordinary investors are often left holding the bag."

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/m...

The Rules of Investing Are Being Loosened. Could It Lead to the Next 1929?

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Phil McDuff @mcduff.bsky.social · 7h

You gotta fucking tax these people man. You can't let people get this rich.

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 7h

The world's richest man, and owner of one of the largest social media platforms, is funding white supremacists seeking to undermine democracy everywhere he can. www.huffpost.com/entry/tommy-...

Far-Right UK Activist ‘Tommy Robinson’ Says Elon Musk Is Funding His Latest Legal Fight

Musk recently appeared by videolink at a massive London rally hosted by the anti-Islam activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

www.huffpost.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Chip Stewart @medialawprof.bsky.social · 7h

“With no reporters able to ask questions, it seems the Pentagon leadership will continue to rely on slick social media posts, carefully orchestrated short videos and interviews with partisan commentators and podcasters.“

David Folkenflik @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social · 7h

NPR's veteran defense reporter Tom Bowman: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon Pass

www.npr.org/2025/10/14/g...

Opinion: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon press pass

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scen...

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Jim Teeth @drjamesjteeth.bsky.social · 7h

“officials in the Office of Public Liaison—the group that works with the business community—have told business leaders they are tracking who is being critical, and are grading businesses on how supportive they are to the agenda”

Trump, Feeling Emboldened, Pushes Agenda Into Higher Gear

Recent moves by the president reflect a commander in chief who has seemingly faced little resistance to his agenda.

www.wsj.com

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 7h

"The media should be covering the Trump administration’s invasion of Chicago as an enormously important story, but it’s not. Trump’s comments regarding Charlottesville pale in comparison to the radical actions he takes almost daily in his second term." newrepublic.com/article/2016...

The Mainstream Media Is Moving Right. Here’s What We Can Do About It.

At The Washington Post, CBS, and maybe CNN, the trend line is terrible. But liberals do have the power to reverse these trends.

newrepublic.com

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 7h

The world's richest man, and owner of one of the largest social media platforms, is funding white supremacists seeking to undermine democracy everywhere he can. www.huffpost.com/entry/tommy-...

Far-Right UK Activist ‘Tommy Robinson’ Says Elon Musk Is Funding His Latest Legal Fight

Musk recently appeared by videolink at a massive London rally hosted by the anti-Islam activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

www.huffpost.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 23h

This press release from a North Carolina GOP figure portrays the current redistricting wars as something *Democrats* started in Calif., ignoring the fact that this all began with the Trump White House and first unfolded in red Texas.

According to them, Republicans are once again The Real Victims™

House Redistricting Chairmen Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) and Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke) said, “We’re stepping into this redistricting battle because California and the radical left are attempting to rig the system to handpick who runs Congress. This ploy is nothing new, and North Carolina will not stand by while they attempt to stack the deck. President Trump has called on us to fight back, and North Carolina stands ready to level the playing field.”

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David Pepper @davidpepperoh.bsky.social · 7h

Simple: they’ve broken the law for four years:

Common Cause Ohio @commoncauseohio.bsky.social · 7h

Why Ohio GOP hasn't produced a congressional redistricting map yet
by Morgan Trau
www.news5cleveland.com/news/politic...

Why Ohio GOP hasn't produced a congressional redistricting map yet

Ohio Republicans have yet to share a proposed congressional map with the public as the second deadline to pass a bipartisan map approaches. Why? They say they want to hear from citizens first.

www.news5cleveland.com

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Reposted by Jonathan Cohn

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 16h

This was once the kind of shit we cited to differentiate ourselves from authoritarian countries. It’s just who we are now.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, wow, wow. This has always been legally possible but the law has virtually never been enforced — and now this is the SECOND case I've heard of in the last month (first involving a person with a green card) of a noncitizen being charged for failure to carry their papers.

Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 1d

NEWS: ICE gave a Rogers Park man a $130 ticket for not having his papers on him. They rounded him up last week and eventually let him go, but not without a fine that some critics say is un-American. Trump admin enforcing little-used law
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/13/i...

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

In the case of Mr. Cruz, we have a very literal "show me your papers" arrest.

He was chilling with a friend when ICE officers demanded to see his papers. He didn't have them on him, so they detained him and interrogated him. He was eventually released — but with the ticket.

Rueben Antonio Cruz was sitting with a friend in Rogers Park when ICE agents pulled up onto the street.
The immigration officers stopped their truck and went straight after them on Oct. 9, Cruz told the Tribune.
“They asked us if we have papers. I said I do but I don’t have them on me,” Cruz, a 60-year old man with heart problems originally from El Salvador, recalled in Spanish.
The agents stood Cruz up, put him in their truck, drove around in circles, and asked questions, he said.
Where was he born? What is his name? Who is his mother? Who is his father?
“I told them, they are dead,” Cruz said. The agents said they needed the information anyway so they could look him up in their databases. Eventually, the agents verified that he is, in fact, legally in the country. And they let him go.
But not before writing him a $130 ticket for not having his papers. Cruz’s friend, who is homeless, did not have legal status and was taken away by the feds.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

Since the Alien Registration Act of 1940, every noncitizen has been required to carry their documents with them at ALL times. That applies to every green card holder, every tourist, every foreign student, etc...

No admin in the modern era has EVER tried to enforce this law.

(e)Personal possession of registration or receipt card; penalties
Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him pursuant to subsection (d). Any alien who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction for each offense be fined not to exceed $100 or be imprisoned not more than thirty days, or both.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, wow, wow. This has always been legally possible but the law has virtually never been enforced — and now this is the SECOND case I've heard of in the last month (first involving a person with a green card) of a noncitizen being charged for failure to carry their papers.

Gregory Pratt @royalpratt.bsky.social · 1d

NEWS: ICE gave a Rogers Park man a $130 ticket for not having his papers on him. They rounded him up last week and eventually let him go, but not without a fine that some critics say is un-American. Trump admin enforcing little-used law
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/13/i...

ICE tickets Chicago man with legal residency $130 for not having his papers on him: ‘It’s not fair…I’m a resident’

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fined Rueben Antonio Cruz $130 for not having his papers with him.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 13h

[Professor Farnsworth voice]: "Good news, everyone !"

Andy Greenberg @agreenberg.bsky.social · 18h

Researchers pointed a satellite dish at the sky for 3 years and monitored what unencrypted data it picked up. The results were shocking: They obtained thousands of T-Mobile users' phone calls and texts, military and law enforcement secrets, much more: www.wired.com/story/satell... 🧵👇

Satellites Are Leaking the World’s Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data

With just $800 in basic equipment, researchers found a stunning variety of data—including thousands of T-Mobile users’ calls and texts and even US military communications—sent by satellites unencrypte...

www.wired.com

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 15h

The AI bubble is socially, economically, and environmentally harmful, and the sooner it pops, the better. cepr.net/publications...

The AI Bubble and Counterfeit Money

The AI boom fuels inequality, inflation, pollution, and political capture. If it’s a bubble, the sooner it bursts, the better.

cepr.net

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 17h

At best, it's a solution in search of a problem. But in CA, it's been proven to lead to more conservative, business-backed Democrats getting elected. I view that as the *already existing* problem in the MA Legislature, and something that *increases* that likelihood *exacerbates* the problem.

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