Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 2h

Republicans are exactly who you think they are

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 3h

POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.

@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 2h

It is kind of a shame that the American public is so wildly uninformed that the implications of a really long government shutdown are probably not even on the minds of most Americans.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 3h

This nonsense day in and day out that people are against Eric Adams because he’s black and against Bari Weiss because she’s Jewish… is so aggravating - no they’re just shitty people. Ugh.

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Reposted by Ben

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 3h

As another Jewish woman in the industry, I can clear this up: It's due to her being an asshole.

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."

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 3h

The IAEA has confirmed the water release is fine - this is not actually an issue. If we choose to believe science (would be nice), we don't need to worry.

www.ans.org/news/2025-09....

IAEA report confirms safety of discharged Fukushima water

www.ans.org

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 4h

What a stupid ass way to find meeting times. This is structured data that does not require AI. Every single tech company is bending over backwards to use AI for things that it doesn't even make sense to use AI for.

The Verge @theverge.com · 4h

Gmail now uses AI to help you find meeting times

More AI features are coming to Gmail.

buff.ly

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Reposted by Ben

The Ass is the father of the legs @internethippo.bsky.social · 5h

Watching people being brutalized by the state, secure in the knowledge that I'm safe because I don't do anything wrong. And the best part? The state can't suddenly and arbitrarily redefine what "wrong" means

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 4h

Republicans have never cared about Trump breaking the law because they always saw him as a shining example of how they too could break the law.

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 4h

-- For our friends, everything, for our enemies, the "law" -- this is the only credo of the Trump administration.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 7h

Democrats don’t have a terrorist wing of their party - republicans only have a terrorist wing of their party.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 7h

Probably people trying to get in before they assume the border closes forever

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 9h

Is this —/ bad?

GoFundMe CEO says the economy is so bad that more of his customers are crowdfunding just to pay for their groceries | Fortune

GoFundMe’s CEO says more Americans are crowdfunding everyday essentials like groceries as high costs and strained household finances persist.

fortune.com

Reposted by Ben

wishda @wishda.bsky.social · 20h

The U.S. Constitutional system, when adopted abroad, has always collapsed into dictatorship.

It’s why the State Department nation building efforts have always modeled parliamentary systems.

We may be at the “Admit it is broken at the core” stage.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

To start

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

Chuck Schumer was wrong to not shut down the government before and has been so wrong for so long as to lose all branches of government to republicans, so it’s possible he should sit his ass down in a comfy chair and gtfo of his failed attempt at “governing”

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

Define what you’re talking about by ageism because asking that democratic senior leadership not be solely people who don’t even know how the internet works isn’t ageism… it’s asking that our leaders understand the current world as it is.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

Do this one simple trick to live longer - be born rich

Reposted by Ben

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 1d

This two-parter below is exactly why it's hard to make clothes in the United States.

Let's look at how much it costs to produce a button-up shirt in the US. 🧵

Someone on Twitter replies to me: "meh. buy american or stfu."

Two hours later, in a separate thread, the write: "$30 for a single button-up is ridiculous unless it is decent quality silk."

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Reposted by Ben

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 2d

When I say that the Atlantic is the official magazine of the donor class this is what I’m talking about.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss

The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.

www.theatlantic.com

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

Trump not knowing he’s basically a puppet of Israel is just one of the many embarrassing parts to having a dumb racist toddler as president.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump to Israeli Knesset: "We have settled 8 wars in 8 months. I'm now including this one, by the way. They may say, 'Well, that was quick,' but yesterday I was saying 7 but now I can say 8. The hostages are back."

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

A major reason that the US has become such a sea of corruption is that the incentives stateside have skewed towards corruption. It is advantageous for businesses to break laws because the fines are laughably small. Police unions incentivize police to not follow rules. These issues are structural.

Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 1d

Gotta say - I’ve seen this movie before and I know how it ends

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Reposted by Ben

Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin @ecmclaughlin.bsky.social · 1d

Every time someone drops into my comments asking about a general strike, I have to remind folks that unlike in Europe we have at will employment here allowing essentially anyone to be fired at any time for any reason, and health insurance tied to employment.

The amount of organizing

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Reposted by Ben

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 1d

Gregg is correct, particularly in noting the fundamental irresponsibility of major US media.

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Ben @vagabending.bsky.social · 2d

More like robot overseers who will make sure the poor work harder in the coal mines.

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 3d

our economy is currently being propped up by the promise of billions of fully autonomous robot butlers coming in a year or so