Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 53m

ARIZONA AG: “.. Arizona’s right to a full delegation, and the right of the residents of CD 7 to representation from the person they recently voted for, are not up for debate ..”

@politico.com #AZ07
www.politico.com/live-updates...

95 720 1.9K

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Charles Rusnell @charlesrusnell.bsky.social · 3m

If you haven't voted in the municipal election yet, read this first. The UCP injected party politics and big money into these elections to appease Take Back Alberta. No one wanted it. Danielle Smith herself said she was against party politics in municipal elections. albertaviews.ca/parties-over...

Municipal Parties Over People - Alberta Views

Danielle Smith was being lobbied to legislate municipal parties. Third-party advertiser Take Back Alberta (TBA) was in fact behind the push.

albertaviews.ca

3 3

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Jeff Yang @originalsp.in · 48m

Thousands of posts from a private Young Republican Telegram chat reveal a culture of casual racism/antisemitism, rape jokes and celebration of Hitler/Nazism.

Some of the ringleaders are below: We live in a world where 4chan types now occupy positions of real power.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Peter Giunta, chair of the New York State Young Republicans

Bobby Walker, vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans

William Hendrix, communications assistant for Kansas’ Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach

91 220 460

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Armine Yalnizyan @armineyalnizyan.bsky.social · 4h

Nominate a campaign for decent work in Ontario/Canada by noon October 27 and shine light on the purpose and joy of being part of The Good Fight.

$50K for the winner. $15K each for 2 runners-up.

Decent work for all. Because every job can be a good job.

4 4

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social · 7m

Yeah I wonder what could explain this.

Guy Trivago @convolutedname.bsky.social · 11m

Frying brains online

3 5 36

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Unofficial TorontoStar (All News) @torontostar-rss.bsky.social · 7m

Quebec government considers sperm donor registry

MONTREAL - The Quebec government is considering a new registry for sperm donors and a limit on the number of donations each person can make.

www.thestar.com

1

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 4h

EXCLUSIVE: Our friends at @lighthousereports.com obtained a secret data trove.

It revealed a vast global surveillance empire whose tech has been used to target politicians, journalists, tech execs, and Jared Leto.

The story only gets wilder from there.

The surveillance empire that tracked world leaders, a Vatican enemy, and maybe you

We uncovered a massive data trove. It revealed the hidden world of First Wap, whose untraceable tech has targeted politicians, journalists, celebrities, and activists around the globe.

www.motherjones.com

5 93 150

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 1h

I really just once a reporter would reply “oh are you gonna cry about it”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

Trump: "I don't take questions from ABC fake news after what you did with Stephanopoulos to the vice president of the United States."

78 310 2.1K

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Do Your Worst™ @doyourworst.bsky.social · 4h

They ignore the law, the Constitution, the courts, morality, Christianity, and their own constituents.

1 14 69

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

Trump on moving World Cup games from Boston: "We could take them away. Your mayor is not good."

170 97 400

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 1h

"While reporting this article, POLITICO was examining a separate allegation: that Giunta and the Young Republicans mismanaged the New York organization’s finances and hadn’t paid at least one venue for a swanky holiday party it hosted last year." -- www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘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

2 7 25

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 1d

Solar and wind are growing so quickly that they outpaced all the growth in electricity demand this year. Which means they started eating into fossil fuelled power, leading to a modest drop in fossil generation. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/13/o...

Our friendly neighbourhood fireball

Solar and wind are growing so quickly that they outpaced all the growth in electricity demand this year. Which means they started eating into fossil fuelled power, leading to a modest but significant ...

www.nationalobserver.com

2 49 200

Scott Piatkowski @scottpiatkowski.bsky.social · 1h

And people were worried that Biden was the one with dementia?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

Trump: "I'm just a little busy. I'd love to go to Argentina. I'd like to be like Biden. I'd like to go to the beach. My legs are not quite as thin as his. My legs are slightly heavier, my arms are slightly larger. My body is a little bit larger than his. I'm not sure it would be appreciated."

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 1h

It’s a res publica, not a democracy, say people who support the wealthy demagogue ruling without the senate or popular assembly and suggesting paying the army from private funds.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1h

Trump: "I had a very wealthy person who called -- a donor, a great gentleman -- and he said, 'if there's any money necessary, shortfall, for the paying of the troops, then I will pay it.' Meaning he will pay it. How about that?"

7 40 120

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 4h

Nixon put the brakes on Vietnam peace for election advantage.
Reagan put the brakes on the release of US hostages in Iran for election advantage.
Trump put the brakes on the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas for election advantage.
I'm seeing a pattern here.

3 10 20

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Hannah Levintova @h-lev.bsky.social · 1h

New from me: In March, FHFA director Bill Pulte made himself chairman of the board of Fannie Mae. But after, he did not file a required disclosure form tied to the role with the SEC—the same kind of paperwork error he has used to attack Trump's political foes. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The attack dog targeting Trump opponents over their paperwork hasn’t even filed his own

As chairman of the board of Fannie Mae, Bill Pulte was required to file a disclosure form with the SEC. He didn’t.

www.motherjones.com

4 58 130

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 1h

If you were an admin or member of one of the Facebook groups that the DOJ jawboned Facebook into censoring, we want to talk to you!

Please shoot me a message,

Rtorney Pamela
' @AGPamBondi
Today following outreach from @thejusticedept, Facebook removed a
large group page that was being used to dox and target
@lCEgov
in Chicago.
The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and
social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing
their jobs. The Departrnent of Justice will continue engaging tech
companies to eliminate platforms where radicals can incite imminent
violence against federal law enforcernent.
Last edited g:23AM , Oct 14, 2025
Views

5 110 290

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

ℳatt @matttomic.bsky.social · 1h

You know something insanely illegal is happening if someone voluntarily asks, maybe for the first time in his life, "Can I meet Eric Trump"

Craig R. Brittain @craigbrittain.com · 1d

Subianto: He's in a region not able to take securities.
Trump: If you do this-
S: Can I meet Eric?
Trump: You can meet Eric too, Eric is such a good boy.
S: I can definitely use him. My friend Harry, also finance.
Trump: Tell your friend to come straight to me.
S: We'll look for better place.

2 7 25

Scott Piatkowski @scottpiatkowski.bsky.social · 1h

This will comment not age well.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

1

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1h

So many shakedowns.
So little time. 🤡

@atrupar.com

20 82 320

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Social Capital Partners🇨🇦 @scpartners.bsky.social · 1h

In the U.S., 10% of the population owns 93% of stock market wealth.

As uneven as this distribution seems, @chuckcollinswrites.bsky.social explains how this is evidence of the system working exactly as it's designed to work.

www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oc...

#CdnPoli #WealthInequality #EconSky

Boom time for US billionaires: why the system perpetuates wealth inequality

As the super rich grow even richer, inequality expert Chuck Collins says the system is broken – but it can be fixed

www.theguardian.com

6 2

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 2h

Sadists. Truly sick people.

ICE is thoroughly un-American.

Don't you want to know—as I do—how many of these armed, masked, warrantless, insignia-less, nameless, essentially untrained Big Government goons are Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and other J6 runoff? apnews.com/article/immi...

ICE's use of full-body restraints during deportations raises concerns over inhumane treatment

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have been using a full-body restraint device called the WRAP during deportations.

apnews.com

170 880 2K

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

City Nolan @ndhapple.bsky.social · 2h

Imagine commenting on this and not knowing who Fred Friendly was.

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 3h

Fox News host Emily Compagno claims that the backlash to Bari Weiss being named CBS News editor-in-chief is due to her being Jewish:

"This kind of thing would make me laugh if there was not an antisemitic thread in there."

1 2 10

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Unofficial TorontoStar (All News) @torontostar-rss.bsky.social · 2h

TheScore fined after user bets $2.5 million, loses $230,000 in ‘high-risk’ gambling, watchdog says

Toronto-based sports entertainment and betting company theScore was fined $105,000 by Ontario’s gaming authority for allegedly permitting a patron to partake in “high-risk” gambling.

www.thestar.com

1

Reposted by Scott Piatkowski

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 2h

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

72 61 320