Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 2h

This is her 21st century “vermin”.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2h

Leavitt: "The Democrat Party's main constituency is made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals."

Reposted by Stu Duncan

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 3h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 3h

Here's how ProPublica categorizes the 170 US citizens ICE has kidnapped. 50 Kavanaugh stops and 120 cases where ICE claimed they were assaulted, usually (IMO) after assaulting the person in question.

Remember that 2 of the electeds--Ras Baraka and Brad Lander--were arrested DURING their election.

We reviewed more than 170 cases overall, which we sorted into two categories.

The first is Americans who were held because agents questioned their citizenship. We found more than 50 such cases. The second category is Americans arrested by immigration agents after being accused of assaulting or impeding officers at protests or during immigration arrests of others. In that category, we tallied about 130 Americans, including more than a dozen elected officials. In many of these cases, the government never charged these individuals or the cases were dismissed.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 3h

No one can ever kiss trumps ring hard enough.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 3h

The $50,000 man is mad.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Homan: "If the hateful rhetoric continues, there will be bloodshed. People are going to die ... there is going to be more bloodshed unless this hateful rhetoric stops."

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 3h

Stop calling us Nazis or we’ll murder you over things you say

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

Homan: "If the hateful rhetoric continues, there will be bloodshed. People are going to die ... there is going to be more bloodshed unless this hateful rhetoric stops."

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 17h

The con worked, until it didn’t?

ROGAN: “I really thought they were just going to go after the criminals… I really thought there was enough gang members.”

ME: He still doesn’t get it. That’s what Trump wanted everyone to believe. They’re not even trying to go after “the criminals”.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 5h

Elon salutes you for your efforts.

Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 6h

You sound exactly like a Young Republican.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 6h

It’s wild how much you lie.

bsky.app/profile/davi...

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22h

ICE agents kidnapped a US citizen in Chicago because she didn’t “look” American to them. She even had her US passport on her. 🤬

ICE Detains Citizen After Saying She Doesn’t “Look Like” Her Last Name

She even had her U.S. passport on her.

newrepublic.com

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 6h

Even citizens with passports.

Walking while brown is now a crime according to Skeeter, ICE and John Roberts.

bsky.app/profile/davi...

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 22h

ICE agents kidnapped a US citizen in Chicago because she didn’t “look” American to them. She even had her US passport on her. 🤬

ICE Detains Citizen After Saying She Doesn’t “Look Like” Her Last Name

She even had her U.S. passport on her.

newrepublic.com

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 6h

Never seen someone so scared of dancing frogs.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 7h

Frogs don’t scare most people, Skeet

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Jay Willis @jaywillis.net · 1d

Everything about John Roberts's approach to the Voting Rights Act makes sense when you remember that John Roberts has has always been hostile to the Voting Rights Act, never believed it was appropriate, and has spent most of his 45-year legal career working to hollow it out.

One of the Biggest Cases of the Supreme Court’s Term Is John Roberts’ Decadeslong Pet Project

If there’s one thing the Roberts court has been consistent on, it’s this.

slate.com

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 9h

#WarRavagedPortland

Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 15h

Un-presidented brass band at city hall in Portland tonight celebrating the release of their clarinet player from federal custody

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Alex V. Hernandez @avhndz.bsky.social · 1d

“I want to be absolutely clear, the only people at risk in this moment are the residents of the city of Chicago. The only people walking around with military weapons, tear gas, rubber bullets are ICE agents.” | blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/15/a... via @blockclubchi.bsky.social

Ald. Jessie Fuentes Gears Up To Sue After Being Handcuffed By ICE Agent

The Humboldt Park alderperson was handcuffed and threatened with arrest by federal agents this month while asking agents if they had a warrant for a man they detained in her neighborhood.

blockclubchicago.org

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 1d

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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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 8h

"Trump will fail if people and institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits and civil society, proposing corrupting bargains to those who acquiesce and punishing holdouts to terrify the rest into submission."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 15h

No, but news media that bend over backwards to blame anyone other than the wannabe-fascists in the White House? They most definitely are.

The Age of Unhinged-Professor Art.

Universities are under attack. Is Hollywood part of the problem?

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 15h

Who knew republicans would leave their houses.

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 16h

Also the second charges in the impeachment articles drafted against Nixon listed five abuses of power, the first of which was literally this

The second article, offered in amended form by Representative William L, Hungate, Democrat of Missouri, accused Mr. Nixon of conduct, dating back to the first year of his Administration, that allegedly violated. the rights of citizens to privacy, interfered with the proper administration of justice and used various agencies of the Government, The omnibus charge focused' specifically on the following) allegations against the government:

Attempts to use the Internal Revenue Service to initiate tax audits or obtain confidential tax data for political purposes.

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 20h

There's literally no reason for Congress to exist if any random freak in the presidential orbit can nullify laws and seize federal funds. All of this is plainly illegal, but Mike Johnson leads the most corrupt Congress in US history (and by a wide margin.)

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers reut.rs/4qjMIyT

White House budget director Vought plans to shut down CFPB within months, says it's no longer protecting consumers

White House budget director Russell Vought said he wants to close the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and expects to do so within the next two to three months.

reut.rs

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 16h

I guess the next wave of lawlessness from this admin is about to hit.

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Reposted by Stu Duncan

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 16h

Again, it is a full-blown federal felony crime for anyone in the White House or Executive Office of the President to order tax investigations into anyone.

And it's not just a crime to DO it, it's even a federal crime for an employee not to REPORT such an order to the Treasury Inspector General.

26 U.S. Code § 7217 - Prohibition on executive branch influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations
U.S. Code
Notes
prev | next
(a)Prohibition
It shall be unlawful for any applicable person to request, directly or indirectly, any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service to conduct or terminate an audit or other investigation of any particular taxpayer with respect to the tax liability of such taxpayer.

(b)Reporting requirement
Any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service receiving any request prohibited by subsection (a) shall report the receipt of such request to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

(c)Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any written request made—
(1)to an applicable person by or on behalf of the taxpayer and forwarded by such applicable person to the Internal Revenue Service;
(2)by an applicable person for disclosure of return or return information under section 6103 if such request is made in accordance with the requirements of such section; or
(3)by the Secretary of the Treasury as a consequence of the implementation of a change in tax policy.
(d)Penalty
Any person who willfully violates subsection (a) or fails to report under subsection (b) shall be punished upon conviction by a fine in any amount not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both, together with the costs of prosecution.

(e)Applicable person
For purposes of this section, the term “applicable person” means—
(1)the President, the Vice President, any employee of the executive office of the President, and any employee of the executive office of the Vice President; and
(2)any individual (other than the Attorney General of the United States) serving in a position specified in section 5312 of title 5, United States Code.

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Stu Duncan @studuncan.bsky.social · 16h

Sometimes, it’s the voters fault.

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