Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1h

Translation: While we want to give these sweeping powers to President Trump, obviously we will want to take them away again if a Democrat wins the presidency, so we have to keep our options open.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

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."

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1h

"Bots can produce music swifter than Taylor Swift ever could."

I know some people like melody, rhythm, lyrics and the like, but obviously speed is what makes really great music.

The Economist @economist.com · 1h

Bots can produce music swifter than Taylor Swift ever could. But musicians—and streaming services—are not all that happy about AI-generated tunes

X-rated, AI-generated country songs are taking over the internet

They are filthier than an old cowboy boot—and hugely popular

econ.st

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1h

Did anyone have "Marjorie Taylor Greene is now to the left of John Fetterman" on their 2025 bingo card?

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 22h

Tim Dillon: "If you don't see a Republican candidate in 2028 that has the values that you think matter, will you throw your hat in the ring?"

Marjorie Taylor Greene: "I very much want to fix problems. That's honestly all I care about. And I am genuinely angry on behalf of every American."

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 3h

A lot of rich old white guys simply do not believe that other people are real.

Blue sky nice guy @rajandelman.bsky.social · 3h

Can't believe it makes him think about himself. That's crazy

Woody allen reacting to diane keaton's death

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 7h

So it turns out the much-vaunted "peace plan" is good news for everybody... except the Palestiniians, who one again get the shitty end of the stick.

Hamas reasserts control and settles scores in Gaza Strip

Militant group battles rivals and punishes suspected collaborators hours after agreeing ceasefire

www.ft.com

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 23h

I suspect they also watched "The Sound of Music" and thought Rolf was the hero.

Schooley @schooley.bsky.social · 1d

I wonder how many ICE dudes read Anne Frank’s diary in high school and thought, “I’d have gotten her sooner.”

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1d

Alternate history is for fiction, not for news media.

In fact, the cowardice of Democrats not pursuing criminal charges against Donald Trump forJanuary 6 was not only a massive strategic error, it was also a betrayal of the rule of law, a clear signal that rich powerful people were beyond justice.

The Economist @economist.com · 1d

A grand jury has indicted New York’s attorney-general, who is a longtime foe of Donald Trump, on felony counts related to a mortgage application. The rationale for the president’s revenge tour? That Democrats started it

Letitia James is the latest target of Donald Trump’s revenge agenda

Federal prosecutors have indicted New York’s attorney-general

econ.st

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1d

If I was forced to resign because of two or three slips of the tongue and then 6 months later my job was taken by someone who is clearly suffering from dementia, I might be bitter too.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 1d

Joe Biden, adjusting to post-presidency life, remains bitter about being pushed out of the 2024 race, according to sources. The former president is working on his memoir and foundation while undergoing cancer treatment.

Biden struggles to adjust to private life as Trump, Democrats attack

Biden is also undergoing radiation treatment and hormone therapy as part of a treatment plan for an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

www.washingtonpost.com

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1d

I can think of nobody better qualified to judge who deserves to receive a Peace prize.

Honestly, the Nobel committee should just let Putin (with some input from Netanyahu) choose the winner.

Just Jack @just-jack-1.bsky.social · 1d

Putin consoles his useful idiot for not winning an award.

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1d

You could replace the word "vaccines" with literally any other product, from "flowers" to "airlines" to "chewing gum" and the slogans would make just as much sense and be based on just as much evidence.

Pierre Polyester @canadian-critic.bsky.social · 1d

And the moron of the year award goes to....

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 1d

Feels like Peter Thiel bragging that his belief system derives from Nazi philosopher Carl Schmitt should be bigger news, since it lays bare exacty who Trump, Vance, Miller, Vought and Co are trying to emulate.

Not that it wasn't obvious already.

I assume it's ok for us to call them Nazis now?

Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s off-the-record lectures about the antichrist

The political svengali and investor has been giving lectures on ‘an evil king or tyrant … who appears in the end times’

www.theguardian.com

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

That is literally all of them.

The Verge @theverge.com · 2d

Chrome will automatically disable web notifications you don’t care about

Decluttering notifications on your behalf.

buff.ly

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

The Washington Post is dangerously close to the point where the only people who might agree with its editorial stance are also people who literally do not know how to read.

Roger Sollenberger @sollenbergerrc.bsky.social · 2d

Not a guest writer, not an opinion columnist, but the Washington Post editorial board. Canceled my subscription.

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

Hey, I just started paying attention to baseball... have you guys ever heard of Babe Ruth? Because nobody ever talks about him, but he was actually good at baseballing?

Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 2d

Johnny Cash released his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" in 2002, shortly before he died - it was an enormous hit, it's hilarious that some guy writing for the Wall Street Journal is just now realizing he was cool

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

The GOP's War on Christianity probably should be getting more attention?

George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

The convergence of billionaire tech-bros and apocalyptic Christo-fascism is disturbing and dystopian and perhaps something we should be talking about more?

(Also, dude, you literally financed the anti-Christ's election campaign!!!)

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

and by "even if" they mean "when"

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3d

Naturally. 🤡

@reuters.com $TSLA
www.reuters.com/legal/transa...

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

Is it just me, or is the Nobel committee basically telling JB Pritzker that if he keeps doing what he's been doing he's a lock for 2026?

Reuters @reuters.com · 2d

'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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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

What I do not understand is why farmers chose this? Was the plan always to get a one-time payment from Trump and then go do something else? Did they hate growing and selling crops so much that this seemed preferable?

Jess Piper @piperformissouri.bsky.social · 2d

I feel like a broken record, but I have to keep saying it over and over again: a farmer bailout won’t do much of anything because the market is gone. There will be no incentive to plant next year.

The bailout will help payoff farmer debt to the banks. That’s all.

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

Hard not to see presenting the prize to someone who believes in democracy as a direct slap in the face for Trump.

María Corina Machado, Venezuelan opposition leader, wins Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Prize committee recognized María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan opposition leader in hiding, for fighting for democracy in her country.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 2d

Pointing out the stupidity of Chait's arguments is kind of a candy from a baby thing, but...

This idea completely ignores that likelihood that a president who was not so self-absorbed would have ended the war sooner, with less loss of life, and with none of the drama.

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 2d

The Israel-Hamas peace agreement “grew directly out of Trump’s desperate thirst for the Nobel,” Jonathan Chait argues. “If dangling the award in front of Trump encourages him to work hard to end conflicts,” we must wonder what will happen if he gets it:

Trump’s Nobel Thirst Is Actually Great for the World

The president’s ego inspires plenty of bad choices, but his desire for a Peace Prize is proving useful.

bit.ly

Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 3d

If this was a conservative pastor, shot by a Democratic admin, you would have had three weeks of "Demcratic war on Christianity" headlines, because every single Republican would be talking about it nonstop.

But Democrats don't do messaging.

Second Great Bisexual Awakening @suesswassersee.bsky.social · 4d

I'm really glad more people are realizing how brutal ICE has been in Chicago but it's really weird to see people talking about Rev Black getting attacked like it happened yesterday and not 3 weeks ago. Like, I'm glad people are catching up! But it's very weird.

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 4d

The Washington Post thinks this is the most important story in the country right now.

Am I the only one who remembers when the Washington Post was a serious newspaper?

VA’s disability program is an ‘honor system.’ These veterans are defrauding it.

Post investigation finds VA’s $193 billion disability program has turned into a rich target for fraudsters. Some fake blindness or paralysis to get as much as $1 million.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Paul Holmes

Auston Habershaw @aahabershaw.bsky.social · 5d

Social media post by Josh Crowley (sp?): If I build a big robot that consumed 33% of my state's electricity so it could go around stealing people's art I would be arrested, and that's how you know law is a social construct.

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Paul Holmes @provokepaul.bsky.social · 4d

I know this is an old cliche, but can you imagine the outcry from politicians and the media if a Democratic president was responsible for violence against a pastor.

Of course this guy appears to be an actual Christian, not a racist grifter, so maybe it doesn't count.

Omg. WTF is Happening? @lalahaenzy.com · 4d

Make this go viral.
Lead pastor in Chicago, Rev. David Black, is being pepper sprayed directly into his eyes by an ICE Agent.
Keep fighting. 🔥

A photo of a federal ice agent spraying pepper spray directly into reverend David Black of Chicago