Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 3h

"The Day I Knew Israel’s ‘Aggression’ Had Turned Into a Full-Blown Genocide"

Via Zeteo, read an excerpt from Gaza journalist Plestia Alaqad’s powerful new memoir, ‘The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience.’

The Day I Knew Israel’s ‘Aggression’ Had Turned Into a Full-Blown Genocide

Read an excerpt from Gaza journalist Plestia Alaqad’s powerful new memoir, ‘The Eyes of Gaza: A Diary of Resilience.’

zeteo.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 4h

"More Than 200 Bodies Dug Out of the Gaza Rubble Since Ceasefire Went Into Effect"

More Than 200 Bodies Dug Out of the Gaza Rubble Since Ceasefire Went Into Effect - News From Antiwar.com

Rescue workers in Gaza have recovered more than 200 bodies of Palestinians killed by the IDF from the rubble and from areas they were previously unable to access since the ceasefire went into effect o...

news.antiwar.com

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Reposted by Mehdi Hasan

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 4h

ICE Serves Only to Terrorize and Occupy Americans

It's no longer just undocumented immigrants, Muslims, Black people, & pro-Palestinian activists who are targets. As ICE violently marches across American cities, the majority must stand up & resist.

thelefthook.substack.com/p/ice-serves...

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Reposted by Mehdi Hasan

Zeteo @zeteo.com · 14h

"It's not art mirroring reality, it's reality mirroring art."

From the new 'We're Not Kidding', Mehdi and 'Andor' star Denise Gough discuss the parallels between the 'Star Wars' TV series and real world politics.

Watch: zeteo.com/p/exclusive-...

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Zeteo @zeteo.com · 13h

“Me eating biryani [rice] with my hands is something that outrages Republican Congressmen.”

Zohran Mamdani and Mehdi discuss the dangerous and dehumanizing threats of denaturalization and deportation from the Right.

Watch: zeteo.com/p/exclusive-...

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Nicholas Slayton @nslayton.bsky.social · 1d

The Texas Military Department confirmed to @taskandpurpose.com it had replaced some of the 200 National Guard troops sent to Chicago for not being "in compliance" with validation standards. This came after photos of heavyset NG members were widely mocked. taskandpurpose.com/news/texas-n...

Some Texas National Guard troops replaced in Illinois after failing to meet standards

An unspecified amount of Texas National Guard troops were replaced in Chicago, shortly after photos of their appearance were mocked.

taskandpurpose.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 10h

* Over 20,000 Palestinians killed since January
* 100s starved to death, including kids
* Congress bypassed to send more & more bombs to Israel
* US citizens murdered in the West Bank

I hope this ceasefire holds & I am glad the hostages are free, but this is Trump’s *actual record* so far.

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 11h

Just in case the dramatically low Leni Riefenstahl-style angle was too subtle, they used a word from her most famous movie

Time magazine cover featuring a photo of Trump from a dramatically low angle

HIS
TRIUMPH
by ERIC CORTELLESSA
THE LEADER ISRAEL NEEDED
by EHUD BARAK
HOW GAZA HEALS

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 12h

The hostage release is a reminder of how bad the Dems are at politics. Not only did Biden refuse to force this deal on Netanyahu & thereby help Harris win, but most people aren’t even aware that Biden got way more Israeli hostages (over 100) released with his 2023 ceasefire than Trump did with his.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 21h

A miracle they’re still alive. Elated for their families. Can’t help but think of all the hostages who would have also come home two years ago had Netanyahu chosen his own people over his thirst for war.

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 21h

Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages.

The Israeli military says it has taken custody of them and will transport them onward to Israel. Follow AP's live updates.

Live updates: Israel says Hamas hands over first 7 hostages to Red Cross as part of Gaza ceasefire

The key exchange follows a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump was also arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans.

bit.ly

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 13h

We should have ended it all when he started openly monetizing the presidency at his DC hotel & sending his kids to represent the 🇺🇸 government at official international events. But he is One Special Boy and we appear to no longer be a serious country interested in the rule of law or the Constitution.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13h

Trump's conversation with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is caught on a hot mic. Hard to tell exactly what they are talking about, but Subianto asks Trump about meeting Eric Trump and Don Jr, who supposedly have nothing to do with government while they run the family business.

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 13h

Unprecedented corruption

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13h

Trump's conversation with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is caught on a hot mic. Hard to tell exactly what they are talking about, but Subianto asks Trump about meeting Eric Trump and Don Jr, who supposedly have nothing to do with government while they run the family business.

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Sarah Longwell @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social · 12h

Find your local No Kings peaceful protest: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=h...

No Kings

As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

www.nokings.org

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Reposted by Mehdi Hasan

Scott Tobias @scotttobias.bsky.social · 12h

A satisfying takedown of all things Bari, but I especially enjoyed the description of Skydance failson David Ellison as having "resting checking-into-the-White-Lotus face."

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 17h

Absolutely brutal.

Bari Weiss: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

YouTube video by LastWeekTonight

www.youtube.com

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George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 14h

"Authoritarianism, it's a cancer. The symptoms are here, today... We thought it couldn't happen here... and now the disease is growing, metastasizing in America. But there is a cure—it requires you. On October 18, Americans will stand up, peacefully, for what makes America, America." nokings.org

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George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 14h

Thugs. And we're paying for them.

Nick Kristof @nickkristof.bsky.social · 16h

In Portland, an ambulance was summoned to the ICE office to treat an injured protester (not clear how he was injured). But when the patient was loaded inside, ICE officers refused to let the ambulance leave and threatened to shoot the ambulance driver: www.wweek.com/news/2025/10...

Documents Allege a Federal Agent at Portland ICE Threatened to Shoot an Ambulance Driver

Feds delayed medics who had come to pick up an injured protester. Then, according to confidential incident reports, the agents became aggressive.

www.wweek.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 12h

The fact that top Republicans are already fearmongering about, lying about, the No Kings rallies this Saturday, across the US, tells you how worried they are about public pressure and protest against their reactionary, autocratic, anti-American agenda.

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 1d

"Trump’s Addiction to Watching Fox Is Killing American Democracy"

Our country is falling apart because one old man, Trump advisers and former administration officials say, won’t stop ‘yelling’ at his TV, writes Zeteo's @swin24.bsky.social:

Trump’s Addiction to Watching Fox Is Killing American Democracy

Our country is falling apart because one old man, Trump advisers and former administration officials say, won’t stop ‘yelling’ at his TV.

zeteo.com

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Reposted by Mehdi Hasan

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 2d

It’s no wonder that Trump has such a twisted view of war and sacrifice. And the utility of bribes.

Donald was seven years old, and his father was brought before a U.S. Senate committee investigating abuses in a housing program for war veterans and middle class families. President Eisenhower had been outraged to learn of the bribes that developers paid to bureaucrats and of the alleged profiteering practiced by Trump and others. Ike called them "sons of bitches."
As federal investigators had discovered, the elder Trump had collected an extra $1.7 million in rent-equivalent to $15 million today-before beginning to pay back his low-cost government loan. He was able to do this because a bureaucrat named Clyde Powell approved the paperwork.
Powell, who had never been paid more than a modest government salary, had mysteriously amassed a small fortune. (While it was clear Powell accepted bribes, the sources were never officially identified.) In addition to collecting the extra rent, Trump paid himself a substantial architect's fee. And he charged inflated rents based on an estimate of construction costs that was far greater than what he actually spent. All of this was legal, even if it did victimize taxpayers, veterans, and other renters.

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 2d

“This Week in Democracy – Week 38: Bombing Boats, Deploying Troops, Targeting Democrats”

Another week of Zeteo's project to document the ongoing growth of authoritarianism in Trump's second term.

This Week in Democracy – Week 38: Bombing Boats, Deploying Troops, Targeting Democrats

Another week of Zeteo's project to document the ongoing growth of authoritarianism in Trump's second term.

zeteo.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 3d

“This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to a Far-Flung African Prison”

This Family Made Billions on Trump-Branded Condos. Now Their Private Jet Is Taking Shackled Migrants to a Far-Flung African Prison

Israeli-American billionaires Michael and Gil Dezer’s Gulfstream IV plane flew 10 migrants to the tiny African kingdom of Eswatini, flight data shows.

zeteo.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 3d

"Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago"

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

Important reporting from @swin24.bsky.social:

Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

zeteo.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 3d

They didn’t just NOT give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, they wrote a citation that reads like an anti-Trump rallying cry.

(He’s gonna extra-tariff Norway now, isn’t he?)

Reuters @reuters.com · 3d

'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 3d

Thoughts and prayers for Donald J Trump

Reuters @reuters.com · 3d

'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 4d

"Sinister, Malevolent, Venomous: Stephen Miller Is Like No Other White House Aide in Modern US History"

Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, has never hidden his disfigured & dangerous psyche. But now Trump has empowered him to execute his fascist impulses, writes John Harwood for Zeteo.

Sinister, Malevolent, Venomous: Stephen Miller Is Like No Other White House Aide in Modern US History

Miller, the deputy White House chief of staff, has never hidden his disfigured and dangerous psyche. But now Donald Trump has empowered him to execute his fascist impulses.

zeteo.com

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 4d

"I have trouble with the term 'liberal Zionism'"

Anti-Zionist Jewish Hollywood star Hannah Einbinder on the "settler colonialist ideology" and "apartheid" of Zionism, in the new Zeteo podcast 'Beyond Israelism with Simone Zimmerman'.

Full show: zeteo.com/p/beyond-isr...

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