Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 5h

don’t even have to change the words

"And they say they're a part of you
And that's not true, you know
They say they've got control of you
And that's a lie, you know
They say you will never be free"

1 3

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 6h

I’m telling you, the recipe said use any greens. These were the only ones at the store (aside spinach) and I have no regrets

1 1

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 8h

I’m sure you can, although it will be very salty to adjust accordingly. But you can also just make the paneer: all you need is milk, citric acid, and cheesecloth (that’s what I did here)

1 2

Reposted by Tom Pepinsky

Jeff Wasserstrom @jwassers.bsky.social · 9h

👇 @tompepinsky.com @johndelury.bsky.social (delighted, as you can imagine, to see my book mentioned in this smart commentary)

Jeff Wasserstrom @jwassers.bsky.social · 9h

Excellent piece in @theguardian.com on the recent wave of youth protests in Asia and Africa www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... that brings in popular culture & history in thoughtful ways

The Guardian view on gen Z protests: these movements share more than an interest in anime | Editorial

Editorial: A new global wave of unrest is unfolding, driven by generational discontents and taking cues from each other

www.theguardian.com

3 3

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 8h

Good ol’ Lodge cast iron skillet, $19.95

4

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 9h

I made saag paneer with kale instead of spinach. Never going back

7 1 42

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 11h

I’m sure that’s right. But in 2025, reaching back to build on those with fresh approach is sorely needed, and it’s good for both CP and PT to get away with their current preoccupations with things that aren’t politics

1

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 16h

This is really good. But stepping back, it is also a sign of where comparative politics and political theory are going these days, towards productive engagement on basic questions of civilian rule, republicanism, and the politics of order. The field needs more work like this.

Avishay BSG (Ben-Sasson-Gordis) @avishaybsg.bsky.social · 16h

🧵 I'm excited to share that my article "Democratic Backsliding and the Limits of Civilian Control of the Military" has been accepted @thejop.bsky.social.

It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"

1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory

1 18 77

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 17h

<Anthony Kiedes voice, Dave Navarro guitar>

Cheese said! All the whey. All the whey.

9

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 1d

I simply cannot understand the enterprise case for racist AI. “Fill out these forms and don’t be a girl about it”? “Write these memos and PowerPoints like an asshole”? “Replace call center workers with edgelords”? What is the audience except for other racist founders?

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

The administration “is currently pressuring OpenAI and other AI companies to make their models more conservative-friendly.”

OpenAI is trying to clamp down on ‘bias’ in ChatGPT

GPT-5 is better at resisting liberal ‘pressure,’ the company says.

www.theverge.com

1 2 24

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 2d

and the taco trucks! Every city and every town

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Thune: "If the Democrats had won the majority, they probably would've tried to nuke the filibuster. And then you'd have four new senators from Puerto Rico and DC, you'd have a packed Supreme Court, you'd have abortion on demand ... "

3 1 20

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 2d

can’t believe you made a top-10 list of lousy American pronunciations that didn’t include “maitre d”

1 1

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 2d

live shot of me leaving the frat party after 2 Red Dogs

CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 3d

"WOOOOOOOOOO ... FUCK YEAH!"
Cam Skattebo

5

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 2d

Knowing that these memos will 100% be submitted to some Gen AI machine to be repackaged into soft platitudes for the new C-suite brunchlords, I recommend CBS employees explore the myriad delights of hidden text

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 2d

Here's the full memo.

12

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 2d

Every day I wake up into a nation of dissidents, tinkerers, peddlers, dreamers, resisters, weirdos, and third sons who won’t inherit. All the best ingredients! Wouldn’t have it any other way.

2

Reposted by Tom Pepinsky

Erin Cook @erincook.bsky.social · 3d

Christ, the Philippines can't catch a break. That is enormous, fingers crossed for the next few hours

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 3d

Philippines earthquake: tsunami warning issued after 7.4 quake hits Mindanao

The Philippines seismology agency said it strongly advises people in coastal towns in central and southern Philippines to immediately evacuate Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the earthquake in the Philippines. A quake measuring 7.4 has struck the Mindanao region, triggering a tsunami warning. The Philippines seismology agency has warned of damage and aftershocks after the quake struck the southern island. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

7 18

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

It is also time to start talking about how just a regular cup of coffee at the coffee shop is twice as expensive as it was last year

delrayser @delrayser.bsky.social · 3d

everything is on fire these days, sure, but how is it that 50% of all news stories are not about how I just spent $20 on a bag of store brand coffee at fucking costco

24

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

If you told me to pick the three most irrelevant gasbags on the planet who are nevertheless recognizable as being political to a viewing audience in their 70s, I could not have done better than this. Perhaps they could have tried John Edwards or Paul Ryan or something

max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 3d

New: Bari Weiss booked Hillary Clinton, Mike Pompeo, and Antony Blinken for a roundtable on Gaza, her first major move at CBS.

Notably on a CBS call today in which the panel was floated, one producer also repeatedly emphasized the need to hear from Palestinians in Gaza (Weiss did not respond).

4 3 25

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

bro didn’t even learn about placentas from Lightning Crashes

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 3d

"Baby in her placenta"

RFK Jr. Complains About TikTok Video of Woman Taking Tylenol With a 'Baby in Her Placenta'

gizmodo.com

2 2 21

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

“Theocratic libertarian” is exactly as incoherent as it sounds. No laws at all except for the laws of God, which… turns out… is gonna require a lot of laws written by men

"He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

The government should be significantly smaller than it is, and we need to curtail a lot of the busybodyness that we have. That’s why I would call myself a theocratic libertarian. There is a true libertarian element in this, and yet, the transcendent grounding for what we’re talking about means that we acknowledge the authority of God.

We have racked up quite a body count of awful crimes, and I believe the only way out is for us to repent and turn to Christ. This would be things like no more Pride parades, no more drag queen story hours, no more abortion on demand, no more legalized same-sex unions — all of that, done. That’s the repentance part.

1 2 10

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

Best example: Warwick, RI

1 1

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 3d

If the Gen-AI bubble bursts, the techlords are going to demand taxpayer bailouts. And the coalition that opposes those bailouts is going to be some mix of Bernie, Jasmine Crockett, MTG, Rand Paul.

David Darmofal @daviddarmofal.bsky.social · 3d

On a range of issues, Marjorie Taylor Greene is now to the left of Lindsey Graham. South Carolina can do better than Graham with @drannieandrews.com.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Greene on the Epstein files: "I can't conclusively say that's why the House isn't in session, but the House should be in session...there is a new Democrat that's been elected that deserves to be sworn in...if it's to avoid the discharge petition, why drag this out? It's going to have 218 signatures"

4 25

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 4d

for the longest time I refused to say it out loud because I was convinced that “dilla” couldn’t possible be right

2 2

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 4d

Basically every word. Taughannock, Cayuga, Cascadilla, Groton, Schuyler, Owego, Skaneateles

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 4d

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

5 19

Tom Pepinsky @tompepinsky.com · 4d

In all, three takes on the state of presidentialism and democracy in Indonesia, using original data and distinct theoretical and empirical approaches. These should advance the literature on Indonesian politics, and the comparative literature on presidentialism in diverse democracies

/end

2