Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Philip Taylor

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 12h

Trump, attempting to mock Joe Biden's cognition, says the only document the ex-president signed was "Hunter's Piden".

Reposted by Philip Taylor

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 11h

Trump threatens to move FIFA World Cup matches and the Olympics in Los Angeles to other locations if they do anything that "cause safety conditions".

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Dr Steve Taylor @drstevetaylor.bsky.social · 21h

Write to your MP: Save the future of general practice

We have been increasingly concerned about the messages aimed at GPs from Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock & Department of Health

They have said this is just a few BMA leaders

It’s not pleas write here👇🏼 and share
dauk.org/write-to-you...

Write to your MP: Save the future of general practice | DAUK

DAUK has launched a letter-writing campaign to highlight the critical state of general practice with MPs and policy makers

dauk.org

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Paula Surridge @psurridge.bsky.social · 20h

Quite the subtitle - one for @timbale.bsky.social's series of Britpol essay questions.

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Andrew Stroehlein @andrewstroehlein.bsky.social · 19h

A group calling itself the "Antifa Tabernacle Choir" has sent me this recording in preparation for #NoKings protest on 18 October.
drive.proton.me/urls/H15VR7G...

Proton Drive

Securely store, share, and access your important files and photos. Anytime, anywhere.

drive.proton.me

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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 18h

In today’s Lightbulb, Prospect’s free daily newsletter, Jo-Ann Mort charts how Trump’s key adviser Stephen Miller went from a liberal Jewish upbringing to the populist right.

What happened to Stephen Miller?

Plus: Sheila Hancock on why Trump is like a big toddler

prospectmagazine.substack.com

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Jonathan Jones @sirjjkc.bsky.social · 15h

Ely Cathedral, October, dusk

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John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 15h

Morgan McSweeney, bottom left, in cabinet photo flic.kr/p/2rzdDjv

Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts Cabinet meeting

14/10/2025. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosts his weekly Cabinet meeting in 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street

flic.kr

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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 15h

“I was once an extra in Grange Hill…” @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social reveals his surprising past in our latest Brief Encounter:

Jonathan Freedland: in praise of traitors

The journalist and author on when it’s right, or wrong, to act against a country or government—and an appearance as an extra in Grange Hill

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

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Cold War Steve @coldwarsteve.bsky.social · 13h

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Robin Brooks @robin-j-brooks.bsky.social · 1d

The EU and UK sanctioned a huge number of shadow fleet ships in 2025. Problem is that those ships largely ignore those sanctions and operate unimpeded. The shadow fleet (gray) is currently about half of Russian seaborne oil exports through the Baltic. @econharris.bsky.social @brookings.edu

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Julian Jessop @julianhjessop.bsky.social · 1d

Yet another downbeat UK business survey, this time Deloitte's latest poll of CFOs👇

ps. a net 32% expect capex to fall over the next 12m, with a net 64% expecting less hiring, driven by cost concerns. And it all started to go wrong again in 2024 Q3... 🤔

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Tax Justice UK @taxjusticeuk.bsky.social · 1d

Every year, $100s billions that should be funding schools, hospitals & social care is disappearing into tax havens to fuel crime, conflict & new private jets.

The UK facilitates 26% of this global tax abuse, and has the power to expose it.

Demand they act.
taxjustice.eaction.org.uk/iP_tax-haven...

Expose tax haven secrets

No more secrets, no more safe havens for dirty money.

taxjustice.eaction.org.uk

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George Greenwood @georgegreenwood.bsky.social · 1d

The General Medical Council (GMC) has pledged to overhaul its checks on foreign-trained doctors after The Times revealed how some who were banned overseas were cleared to treat patients.

www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar...

Tighter checks on foreign doctors after Times exposé

GMC to tighten ID checks on foreign doctors working in UK

www.thetimes.com

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A Reader of the FT @a-reader-ft.bsky.social · 1d

Russia’s coal miners buckle under sanctions, weak prices and war–The sector’s troubles underscore that, while Russia’s war economy beat early forecasts, some industries now risk lasting damage — with potentially… www.ft.com/content/7c62... Anastasia Stognei @financialtimes.com

Russia’s coal miners buckle under sanctions, weak prices and war

Sector’s worst crisis in 30 years underscores how some industries risk lasting damage from Ukraine invasion

www.ft.com

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Paul Lewis @paullewismoney.bsky.social · 23h

State pension to rise by more - subject to confirmation. Annual earnings growth May-July - used in state pension triple lock - revised up from 4.7% to 4.8%. So basic and new April weekly pension rates, estimated at £184.75 and £241.05, now £184.90 and £241.30. Adds £100mn+ to state pension bill

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Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 23h

Spot on @stephenkb.bsky.social on why Brexit has fatally wounded the Conservative Party.
To succeed in Tory politics now, you have to pretend not to know stuff. The successful mid-career people who used to form the Tory base are not prepared to do that.

on.ft.com/42AKpx5

How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool

The party can’t keep expecting successful people to pretend that leaving the EU was a good idea

on.ft.com

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Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 23h

I read somewhere (can’t find it now) that 96% of the Russell Group students who voted in the referendum backed Remain. (Even if that number is wrong, it would have been a clear Remain majority.)
Those people will now be around 30. It’s unlikely that the Conservative Party will get them back.

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Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 22h

ew post: Populism and Economic Prosperity
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/10/popu...
We would expect populist governments to damage the economy, and the evidence suggests that they do so in a big way. But we know from Brexit that the media typically nullifies the impact of this evidence on voters.

Populism and Economic Prosperity

Mainstream political parties normally claim that populist parties, if they ever got to power, would damage the economy. We have clear evid...

mainlymacro.blogspot.com

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Lee Harris @leeharris.ft.com · 22h

The insurance industry has stepped up efforts to limit future payouts over for petrochemical disasters, following a record judgment by Sri Lanka’s supreme court over the world’s biggest recorded plastic spill. on.ft.com/4n49rvU

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 21h

Really great @stephenkb.bsky.social column today.

on.ft.com/3KOUh07

Key para.

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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 20h

“Like all corrections these days, the manifestation of risk is really just an opportunity to BTFD [buy the fucking dip],” said Carson Block www.ft.com/content/094e...

Short sellers blame retail investors for worst returns since 2020

Rally in heavily shorted stocks comes as AI hype and hopes of lower rates push S&P 500 to record highs

www.ft.com

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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 20h

Extraordinary nonsense. The Trump administration's *stated aim* is to force production onshore.

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 22h

Righty-o.

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Robin Wigglesworth @robinwigglesworth.ft.com · 18h

"An essential condition today for entry into the upper echelons of Conservative party politics is being willing to at least pretend that you think taking Britain out of the EU was a good idea. This is a never-ending lobotomy for the Tories." www.ft.com/content/a65f...

How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool

The party can’t keep expecting successful people to pretend that leaving the EU was a good idea

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Philip Taylor

Robin Brooks @robin-j-brooks.bsky.social · 17h

Leaning on the Fed to bring down longer-term interest rates is deeply counterproductive. You just have to look at the Fed's target rate (red) and 30-year Treasury yield (blue) to see that. 30-year has continued to drift up even as the Fed has cut. There's only downside to leaning on the Fed...

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