Author | Lightnews

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · 2d

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Opinion | In Trump’s America, Are We Losing Our Democracy?

Donald Trump has wielded power as no previous president has.

www.nytimes.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

But our country could still lose.

Donald Trump is trying to silence his critics. He will fail

But the country could still lose

www.economist.com

1

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

Most likely, Trump's own staff tripped a safety switch.

Did The UN Sabotage Trump’s Escalator? Nope.

PLUS: A Simple Trick to Track Down a Video’s Origins

www.newsguardrealitycheck.com

1

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

The mad king does what he wants— openly weaponizing the DOJ and more broadly turning his administration’s policies into a cash cow for his family and friends.

Trump Is Hiding His Cankles. But Not His Corruption

The mad king does what he wants— openly weaponizing the DOJ and more broadly turning his administration’s policies into a cash cow for his family and friends.

www.thedailybeast.com

1

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

The Trump regime is now officially a dictatorship. And he's getting away with it.

Justice Collapses Under Trump’s Shadow

Comey’s fall isn’t about justice. It’s about Trump turning law into a weapon, a spectacle designed to punish enemies and terrify anyone daring to oppose him.

www.meidasplus.com

Reposted by Joe McLean

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · Sep 25

As soon as the governor signs this illegal bill, Missouri will be sued. I don't bluff and I usually win.

770 5.8K 22K

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

Either Trump is lying, or he really believes this BS about Tylenol. My question is, "Which is worse, lying or deliberate ignorance?"

Trump is wrong about Tylenol use in pregnancy

President Donald Trump said “there's no downside” to avoiding Tylenol use while pregnant. Tylenol is one of the only safe and studied options for treating pain and fever during pregnancy. Untreated f...

www.politifact.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

Yes, voters care about Freedom of Speech. And they're waking up to Trump's threats to our Democracy.

Nearly 8 In 10 Voters Say The United States Is In A Political Crisis, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Optimism Sinks For Freedom Of Speech Being Protected In The U.S. | Quinnipiac Univers...

"The Kirk assassination lays bare raw, bipartisan concerns about where the country is headed," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

poll.qu.edu

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 25

We're officially living in a dictatorship. But Trump may have bitten off more than he can chew in going after Soros.

Justice Dept. Official Pushes Prosecutors to Investigate George Soros’s Foundation

www.nytimes.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

All Of The Most Dire Warnings About The Supreme Court's Immunity Decision Are Coming True

All Of The Most Dire Warnings About The Supreme Court's Immunity Decision Are Coming True - NewsBreak

Trump's pressure campaign to prosecute his political foes is exactly what conservative justices authorized in their infamous Trump v. U.S. decision.

share.newsbreak.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Of America’s ten poorest states, seven are under complete Republican control, while eight of the ten wealthiest states have Democratic governors. Draw your own conclusions.

Republicans Run 8 of America’s 10 Poorest States. Maybe They Should Stop. - NewsBreak

The correlation between party control and state prosperity is hardly unsurprising for people paying attention. They paint a clear picture that Republicans

share.newsbreak.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Republicans tossed out House election results more than twice as often as Democrats, mostly during Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era. In 2026, it would only take a few election-denying Republicans in to gin up phony accusations of vote rigging and put control of Congress in a contested state.

The Dirty Move Republicans Could Pull to Keep the House

Election-denying Trump allies could use a rare procedural maneuver to overturn a Democratic midterm win in 2026.

www.thebulwark.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

First, he ousted a U.S. attorney who failed to file charges against his enemies. Then he demanded — in public — that his attorney general go after his adversaries and replacing the career prosecutor who did not meet his demands with an inexperienced loyalist.

Despite Trump’s Pressure on Justice Dept., Certain Safeguards Are Beyond His Reach

www.nytimes.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Donald Trump, like the Bourbon dynasty, has “learned nothing and forgotten nothing.” His defining features—aside from narcissism—are his willful, cringeworthy ignorance and his unremitting hunger for vengeance. Both have been on humiliating display of late.

‘Learned Nothing and Forgotten Nothing’

Trump’s ignorance and hatreds continue to define his presidency

contrarian.substack.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Spoiler alert: Almost nothing true came out of his mouth.

Fact-checking Trump’s combative UN speech

In his speech at the United Nations, President Donald Trump offered misleading claims about ending 7 wars, renewable energy and his economic record.

www.politifact.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Yes, this article is satire. But it's also so very true.

Hugo Chavez Loses Spot in Guinness Book for Most Batshit UN Speech

“We never saw this coming," a Guinness spokesperson admitted.

www.borowitzreport.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

To say the speech was insane, would distract from how packed with lies it was. How ignorant it was. How much damage it did to our standing in the world—it marked a low point in America’s relationship with the United Nations and the international order we helped create in the wake of World War II.

Trump’s UN Address Was a Tragedy of Shakespearian Proportions

Of course, the president’s main messages today were ones of irrationality and instability, so who knows what the plot points and soliloquies will be tomorrow or next week.

www.thedailybeast.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

The states' authority to define and limit corporate powers has been hiding in plain sight, gathering dust for more than a century, simply because no one thought to look its way. Until now.

Americans want dark money out of politics. We don't have to wait for Supreme Court. | Opinion

Corporations are not born; they are built. And the Supreme Court has always held that the power to build them belongs to states alone.

www.usatoday.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Trump delivered a screed of racist attacks, anti-science drivel, and cheap self-promotion. He ranted against immigration, warned Europeans they were “destroying their heritage,” and declared green energy was a “con job” invented by “stupid people.” He even used the moment to hawk his campaign hats.

Trump Shreds America’s Global Standing

At the United Nations, Trump replaced statesmanship with hate, turning America from trusted leader into global punchline; and leaving the world to move forward without us.

www.meidasplus.com

1

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

The FCC now has one job: dress up Project 2025 partisan hackery as “communications regulation” and “decency.” In the Trump era, the FCC became one more weapon in the MAGA arsenal; a place to shake down networks, threaten licenses, and bully executives into compliance with the whims of Dear Leader.

Mickey To MAGA: Drop Dead

Why Kimmel's return matters.

therickwilson.substack.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 24

Trump is trying to force a government shutdown. But why?

Trump cancels meeting with Democratic leaders, deepening risk of government shutdown as funding deadline looms | CNN Politics

President Donald Trump scrapped a White House meeting with top congressional Democrats later this week, as the threat of a government shutdown looms over Washington.

www.cnn.com

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 23

This means every news outlet except NBC will be a Trump regime mouthpiece. Picture all Fox, all the time.

Opinion | The Billionaire Trump Supporter Who Will Soon Own the News

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Joe McLean

Kaitlin Is Just Getting Started @gothamgirlblue.com · Sep 23

Just went from a post explaining how to punish Sinclair for keeping Kimmel off the air (calling companies that advertise on their affiliates) to a post about Tylenol defending itself on its website, and holy shit we are ruled by corporations

16 67 380

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 23

RFK's advisors.

Joe McLean @jwmclean.bsky.social · Sep 23

Ellison believes humanity would greatly benefit from a surveillance society governed by an all-seeing system of artificial intelligence. "Citizens will be on their best behavior because we're constantly recording and reporting everything that is going on." - THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE.

Billionaire surveillance enthusiast set to acquire TikTok's US operations

In the near future, Larry Ellison, an 81-year-old tech oligarch, could be in control of one of the world's most powerful media empires.

open.substack.com