Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 5h

As lawful, but NOT as effective. If you sign such an order, others won't follow it. But a vast number of US senior officials ARE going to follow Trump's order, and that makes all the difference.

Reposted by Michael Sims

Tom Clark @tomsclark.bsky.social · 6h

Today, the president of the US wrote a “memo” suspending Congress’ control over appropriations. Also, a Supreme Court justice suggested that maybe congressional laws just “expire” when the Court thinks they’re no longer needed. The Speaker of the House hasn’t commented on either.

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Reposted by Michael Sims

Don Zeko @donzeko.bsky.social · 8h

This is almost literally what the English Civil War was fought over.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 8h

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 8h

The military is being paid, which is both criminal and unconstitutional. Keep up with the news.

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 8h

The I-5 runs along the coast and Camp Pendleton is just inland of it. There are some live fire impact ranges on the base. It would be possible to fire from the ocean, over the highway, to land in the impact ranges, though for obvious reasons that is stupid and never done.

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Noah Rosenblum @narosenblum.bsky.social · 8h

Demagogic president seizes money to pay standing army, arrogating to himself legislative power, while his cronies keep Congress out of session is honestly more or less exactly how the Founders thought this would end

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 8h

Hey Siri, can presidents “expand [their] administration’s authority” by writing a memo? I must have been absent that day in conlaw.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 8h

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 9h

Yet another set of federal felonies and bedrock Constitutional violations.

Distinguished Herbert West Fellow, Miskatonic Institute Gigan @gigansprogress.bsky.social · 10h

How much more illegal can we get? lets find out together!
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-f...

FBI agents will get paid despite government shutdown, Patel says

The Trump administration will continue paying FBI agents despite the ongoing government shutdown that has frozen paychecks for nearly all federal workers, FBI Director Kash Patel announced.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Michael Sims

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 12h

tl;dr this is, as I've been screaming into the wind about for a week now, not just illegal as shit but fundamentally means the Constitution as written is no longer in effect

That said if you want an even deeper dive on the subject than I've done, this is a very good thread

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 13h

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/10/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-8/

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 12h

If the "good guys" are promising you'll be beaten and arrested and deported by someone NOT wearing a face mask, as their pie-in-the-sky reach for the stars best case that certainly won't happen, what the fuck are we even doing here?

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 12h

Taken to the extreme, and taken alongside impoundments, Trump’s ADA violations renders Congress completely irrelevant for spending.

The president is claiming the ability to not spend even if Congress makes him spend, and also the ability to spend even if Congress doesn’t let him spend.

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 13h

Nice thread below, a more elaborate version of what I wrote earlier. The executive choosing to spend money not allocated by Congress is both a crime and unconstitutional. This is the most important part of the Constitution, the rock on which the rest of it is based.

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 13h

Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.

It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.

Long thread.

Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 15h

People thinking that No Kings protests are going to have huge media coverage are in for a surprise. Your media outlets are already planning to be washing their hair that day. There will be only tangential mentions in NYT, WaPo, CBS, NBC, Fox, etc. For most Americans protests will not exist.

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Romeo Kokriatski @vagrantjourno.bsky.social · 15h

Ben Gvir personally oversaw the torture of Greta Thunberg, as reported by Aftonbladet.

www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/25...

Greta Thunberg: “They kicked me every time the flag touched my face”

– Greta Thunberg on her days in Israeli captivity Beating, kicking, and threats of being gassed in cages. Greta Thunberg and several others from the flotilla ar

www.aftonbladet.se

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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls Sunday's naked bike ride in protest of the Portland ICE facility and and Trump troop deployment "the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet"

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 1d

To be clear:

LA County has declared a state of emergency BECAUSE OF the federal government.

The Feds, LA County is (correctly) saying, have CAUSED the emergency.

This is a striking political moment of internal collapse. Local govts feeling compelled to protect their ppl from … their own govt.

Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over immigration raids

Los Angeles County officials voted on Tuesday to declare a state of emergency over ongoing federal immigration raids.

abcnews.go.com

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

Sure man.

www.npr.org/2017/11/03/5...

Clinton Campaign Had Additional Signed Agreement With DNC In 2015

NPR has learned that Hillary Clinton's campaign had an agreement, separate from one also signed by Bernie Sanders' campaign, providing control over party decisions in exchange for relieving DNC debt.

www.npr.org

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

People are going to vote for the youthful Susan Collins.

Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

Well played, but also: for real. I mean I can't help thinking that no one is born a Nazi, they're falling into it because it's available and some sort of decent community is not available.

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

Wow, the Democrats can do stuff if they want to. They spring into action to get a 79-year-old into office if it means shutting out any change.

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 The DSCC — led by Kirsten Gillibrand, Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff, and Lisa Blunt Rochester — has formed a joint fundraising committee with Janet Mills.

Mills, running against Graham Platner in the Maine Democratic Senate primary, would become the oldest freshman (79) ever elected, to a 6-year term.

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

Outlaw champerty and maintenance once more :)

Reposted by Michael Sims

ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 1d

Not that anybody comes to me for Maine politics, but the fact that the Democrats successfully convinced a 77yo Governor to primary the 41yo progressive, is today's example of why the Democrats fucking stay failing.

Susan Collins is 72 and if Schumer gets his way, she'll be the YOUNGER choice!

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Michael Sims @peltast1.bsky.social · 1d

The most fundamental principle of the US Constitution is that the people, in the form of the House of Representatives, decide how the government spends money. That died today as the President directed the spending of billions of dollars against the express wishes of Congress, and the money went out.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 1d

is it ever going to be news that the richest man in the world openly promotes full-bore, swastika-flying, pro-genocide neo-Nazis

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Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 1d

“People who work in New York City politics are, like, professional sickos, and we can often get pretty obsessed around drama and gossip and scoops and rumors" is the truest thing I've read anyone say about people who work in high-profile politics generally www.cityandstateny.com/personality/...

How Elle Bisgaard-Church became Zohran Mamdani’s most trusted adviser

The first-time campaign manager steered him to victory in June. Now she’s focused on the likely next administration.

www.cityandstateny.com

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