Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Melissa Johnson

@moolissap.bsky.social

540 followers 540 following 320 posts

Devoted❤️Reader 📖 Nerd by nature; Librarian by choice 📚 Always reading 🏳️‍🌈 https://linktr.ee/moolissap

Videos

Psychology 33%

Political science 19%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 12h

October 14, 2025

The government shutdown, which started on October 1, is entering its third week.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 15h

Got mine too! 🐸

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 17h

#HalloweenFun #Lego #HalloweenEveryDay

Lego ghost and spider web with gold spider

Lego spider on plant and Lego jack-o-lantern

Reposted by Anna O. Law, American Library Association, Melissa Johnson , and 9 more Anna O. Law, American Library Association, Melissa Johnson, Michael J. Allen, John Collins, Michael Kevane, Dana R. Fisher, Lisa Diedrich, Henry Jones, Simon Lester, Olivier Mannoni, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 19h

Q: Politico reported on a group chat of young Republicans. Does this just reflect some bad apples?

HOCHUL: Some bad apples? These are the future of the GOP. This is so vile it's hard to find the words to put into context ... there's gotta be consequences ... this bullshit has to stop.

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele , and 26 more Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch, Kim L. Scheppele, Richard S.J. Tol, Stephan Lewandowsky, Linda J. Skitka, Bryan D. Jones, David Rothschild, Philip N. Cohen, Melissa Johnson, Vincent Tiberj, Eric Goldman, Fabián Muniesa, Jacob Montgomery, Adam Wellstead, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Lesley Bartlett, Robert B. Reich, Michael D. McDonald, Anne Norton, Dana R. Fisher, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Karen O’Leary, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Andrew Kydd, Kevin Grant, David Darmofal

Politico @politico.com · 23h

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Melissa Johnson, Jane E. Fountain

Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 1d

California, this November 4th, the whole country is counting on you.

Prop 50 puts our elections back on a level playing field, preserves independent redistricting over the long term, and lets the people decide.

So return your ballot today. Vote yes on 50.

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Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 1d

Trump and his administration is an embarrassment

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8A9DheB/

@amandasmildtakes

(10/14) just yikes

TikTok video by Amanda Nelson

www.tiktok.com

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 1d

October 13, 2025

Last Tuesday, President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 2d

You gotta give ‘em hop.

A tweet from the Anonymous account says, “Make sure the dude in the frog costume in Portland knows he's an icon.” The image is a stylized poster of a frog wearing a stars-and-stripes scarf with the word “HOP” below, in the style of the Obama “HOPE” poster.

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

New in PN: Republicans are totally full of it on healthcare.

It becomes more obvious every time they talk about it. And it's a big reason the shutdown is turning out to be such a disaster for them.

Republicans are completely full of it on healthcare

And it becomes more obvious every time they talk about it.

www.publicnotice.co

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Reposted by David Feldman, Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson , and 4 more David Feldman, Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson, Gerald Friedman, Kent Johnson, Fiona Armstrong, Timothy D. McBride

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

There is absolutely zero chance that a man who took $50,000 in cash in a paper bag from an FBI agent on camera would have been appointed to any position by any other president.

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 2d

October 12, 2025

On October 9, President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Bryan D. Jones, Evelyne de Leeuw, Melissa Johnson , and 8 more Bryan D. Jones, Evelyne de Leeuw, Melissa Johnson, Clyde W. Barrow, W. Andy Knight, Gerald Friedman, Rebecca M. Bratspies, Daryl Adair, Mark Rice, Olivier Mannoni, Fiona Armstrong

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 2d

The only violence I’ve been seeing in Portland is from the so-called Feds!!!

Keep sharing these videos; it’s evidence.

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Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson, Emily Mendenhall , and 3 more Rosemary A. Joyce, Melissa Johnson, Emily Mendenhall, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Nikolay Marinov, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 3d

The inflatables have made it to Broadview.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Amy Coney Barrett defends heavy use of the shadow docket: "If we wrote a long opinion, it might give the impression that we have finally resolved the issue, and in none of these cases have we finally resolved the issue."

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson, Michael D. McDonald

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 3d

Vance: I’m sure that in the course of his life he has been paid more than $50,000 for services. The question is did he do something illegal.

Stephanopoulos: I’m asking if Homan accepted the $50,000

Vance: Is it illegal to take a payment for doing services? Low income women can’t get food

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Jay Kuo @nycjayjay.bsky.social · 3d

This week’s Just for Skeets and Giggles is out! Have a great weekend. statuskuo.substack.com/p/just-for-s...

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 4d

October 10, 2025

All of President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 4d

About to go live with @jamestalarico.bsky.social on my YouTube channel and on my Facebook page.

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 5d

October 9, 2025

Today Trump appointee Lindsey Halligan did what President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Melissa Johnson, Gerald Friedman , and 2 more Stephen M. Walt, Melissa Johnson, Gerald Friedman, Samantha Brennan, Richard M. Carpiano

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 5d

🤷🏼

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 5d

Ken Paxton’s crimes are well known. But John Cornyn may be even more corrupt.

Cornyn was the deciding vote on the “Big Ugly Bill” — kicking millions off their healthcare to give his billionaire donors a tax cut.

That is corruption of the highest order.

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 6d

BREAKING: A federal judge in Illinois has blocked Trump administration authorities from using force against journalists in the Chicago area — including threats or arrest or riot control weapons. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Melissa Johnson, Aviel Roshwald

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 6d

20 paragraphs down in the NBC News story that broke the information that the administration is considering invoking the Insurrection Act is the report that Stephen Miller is driving the issue.

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 6d

"For Democrats, this particular moment of cartoonish graft presents a huge opportunity to unify around an anti-corruption platform." It's a way to focus on Trump without sounding hyperpartisan.

@davidsirota.com on the (good) politics of fighting corruption:

How Anti-Corruption Can Be a Winning Issue for Democrats

It’s a powerful, unifying theme—and it’s tied to the crisis of democracy under Trump.

www.thebulwark.com

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Reposted by American Library Association, Melissa Johnson, Simon Lester , and 1 more American Library Association, Melissa Johnson, Simon Lester, Timothy D. McBride

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

C-SPAN caller to Mike Johnson: "Hearing you say that 'everyone is smiling' in cities where troops have been rolled into feels dystopian and insane watching the response to it."

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson, W Grant

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 6d

October 8, 2025

Yesterday, journalists observed members of the Texas National Guard at a U.S.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

42 370 1.1K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson, Banu Özkazanç‐Pan

Black Voters Matter Fund @blackvotersmatterfund.org · 6d

The Supreme Court will rehear Louisiana v. Callais on Oct 15—a case that could reshape voting rights nationwide. At stake is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the core protection that stops racial discrimination in redistricting. If it falls, one party could control Congress for a generation. 🧵

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 7d

October 7, 2025

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today floated the idea that workers furloughed during a government shutdown are not guaranteed back pay when the shutdown is resolved.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

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Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 7d

Today in Politics Chat, I talked about how power sloshes around when a president is checked out, and noted that right now unelected officials like Stephen Miller are trying to grab it. But instead, We the People can take it back and create a better nation.

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