Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 4h

Apparently $20B of our taxpayer money wasn't enough to bail out Argentina.

Now Trump wants U.S. banks to divert ANOTHER $20B away from lending to American businesses, farmers, and families to prop up Milei's corrupt presidency and failing economy.

So much for America First.

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 4h

Mike Johnson has now had the House adjourned for 72 of the last 84 days.

Epstein Shutdown.

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 1d

he did it again.

US strike on boat off Venezuela kills six, Trump says

A U.S. strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday killed six suspected drug traffickers, President Donald Trump said in a social media post.

www.reuters.com

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Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 23h

These strikes are illegal for about 7 reasons:
1. Not self-defense
2. No (or any) Congressional authorization
3. No evidence of criminal wrongdoing
4. Occurred in int'l waters
5. No open state of hostilities
6. Criminal groups are not terrorists legally
7. No id on people killed or group targeted

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says

www.nytimes.com

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Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 7d

Only the military remains outside Trump’s grip. Despite the firing of several top officers—and his threat to fire more—the U.S. armed forces are still led by generals and admirals whose oath is to the Constitution, not the president. But for how long?
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here

The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

www.theatlantic.com

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Yoshiko Herrera @yoshikoherrera.bsky.social · 1d

Apparently the depravity knows no bounds:

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 1d

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

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 2d

“Win every election” is not a viable strategy for preventing authoritarianism

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Curt Hogg @cyrthogg.bsky.social · 3d

Happy for y’all, Milwaukee. It’s been a bit.

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 5d

Regrettably relevant research today

Disguised Repression: Targeting Opponents with Nonpolitical Crimes to Undermine Dissent
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

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Andrew Kydd @andrewkydd.bsky.social · 5d

Trump has two unique sources of leverage in the Israel-Hamas conflict. 1) He wouldn’t care if the Palestinians were expelled from Gaza so can credibly threaten to let Israel do this. 2) His base is anti-Semitic so he can threaten to withhold aid from Israel. In mediation, leverage is everything.

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Yoshiko Herrera @yoshikoherrera.bsky.social · 6d

ok, this one time

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 6d

“Senior military leaders should have stepped in to prevent Trump from turning addresses at Fort Bragg and Norfolk into political rallies; the silence of the Army and Navy secretaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and some top generals and admirals is appalling…”

www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here

The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

www.theatlantic.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 7d

Monstrous.

"federal agents detained nearly every resident of the 130-unit building—including children and babies—placing them in zip ties and separating them by race into vans for more than two hours early Tuesday morning."

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 7d

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 7d

Is the mad king watching the History Channel or is this somehow part of the Kash Patel/Bongino clown show?

CNN @cnn.com · 7d

The Trump administration has ordered FBI employees in Washington, DC, to immediately search their workstations and digital media for any records pertaining to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a law enforcement source told CNN.

FBI employees ordered to immediately search for records related to Amelia Earhart, source says | CNN Politics

The Trump administration has ordered FBI employees in Washington, DC, to immediately search their workstations and digital media for any records pertaining to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart, a la...

www.cnn.com

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Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 7d

Oooops

Denise Wheeler @denisedwheeler.bsky.social · 7d

Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst noticed that Bondi flipped open a file during the Senate hearing and he zoomed in.

Inside were her crib notes for attacking the senators.

The GOP now practicing Cliff's Notes Fascism

In other words, under oath Bondi was purely a performance.

Bondi senate hearing had a folder full of notes for attacking the senators

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Yoshiko Herrera @yoshikoherrera.bsky.social · 8d

Our authoritarians are doubling down on their new tactic: Senate hearings as a reality TV show where you come in with canned insults, shout, and lie in an over-the-top ridiculous way. The scandal will deflect from the serious issues at hand, & you show your side you're tough on the internal enemies

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

Bondi: "Karoline Leavitt is one of the most trustworthy human being I know. And Sen. Schiff, if you worked for me, you would've been fired."

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 8d

We’re in a moment now where it would be worth people taking three hours to watch Gandhi, particularly the scene of the salt march. There is value to making the brutality of your opponent so plain as day that no one can argue with it. The clarity of that brought down an empire

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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 8d

at this point you have to acknowledge that there is no way that these guys don't try to mess with the 2026 midterms. there is absolutely no respect for the legitimacy of the opposition

Blue Georgia @bluegeorgia.bsky.social · 9d

Stephen Miller: "Eventually elections don’t carry the day because violence beats votes… When we see a muscular response from the federal government, it’s because we’re not going to let violence beat votes."

Is he implying federal intervention determines political legitimacy, not ballots or courts?

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Joanna Bryson @j2bryson.bsky.social · 9d

Sense of sentience

I've revised my blogpost for people who have discovered AI "people"; hopefully it's better (more clear) this time joanna-bryson.blogspot.com/2025/09/sens... #AIEthics #AGI #genAI

Sense of sentience

artificial and natural intelligence, including politics, policy, ethics and security

joanna-bryson.blogspot.com

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Yoshiko Herrera @yoshikoherrera.bsky.social · 12d

Orwellian:

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d

Joni Ernst: "Unfortunately, our farmers do need that assistance. They don't like it. They consider it welfare. They want trade, not aid. So we really need to see some of these new markets opening up around the globe ... but if there's anybody that can make a deal, it's President Trump."

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Jay 🦋 @jay.bsky.team · 13d

“It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us.”
― Jane Goodall

💙 RIP to a real one. My childhood hero

Jane Goodall with monarch butterfly scarf

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 13d

“The Govt sometimes makes brief, investigative stops to the check the immigration status of those who gather in locations where ppl are hired for day jobs; who work or appear to work in jobs such as landscaping, construction, agriculture, or car washes…” -Justice Kavanaugh

Soren Spicknall @sorenspicknall.bsky.social · 13d

"Rodrick Johnson, 67, is one of many residents who were detained by federal agents during the South Shore raid. A U.S. citizen, he said agents broke through his door and dragged him out in zip ties."

Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'

The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents with Border Patrol, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested 37 people in the raid.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 14d

This is happening tomorrow!

Laia Balcells @laiabalcells.bsky.social · 20d

Very excited to go to Harvard next week and give a lecture on my research about transitional justice museums --featuring co-authored works with Valeria Palanza, Elsa Voytas, Olwen Purdue, Francesca Parente, and Ethan vanderWilden.

www.gov.harvard.edu/calendar_eve...

Sidney Verba Fall 2025 Lecture

Professor Laia Balcells is a Professor of Government at Georgetown University. Her research focuses on comparative politics and international relations, with a particular emphasis on political violenc...

www.gov.harvard.edu

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Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 13d

You know what would be great? If Democrats came out and said that the next time they’re in power, they’ll change the rules and end shutdowns for good. And then actually did it.

Beyond being dumb and unnecessary, it’s flat-out disrespectful to keep treating federal employees like bargaining chips.

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Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 13d

Dartmouth one of 9 universities asked to sign accord that...

1. bans use of race/sex in hiring/admissions
2. freezes tuition for 5 years
3. caps int'l undergrad enrollment at 15%
4. "quell" grade inflation
5. employees can't express political views

...to get federal funding advantage

Exclusive | White House Asks Colleges to Sign Sweeping Agreement to Get Funding Advantage

An initial round of nine schools is being asked to sign a wide-ranging accord.

www.wsj.com

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