Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Arieh Kovler

Kelcie Moseley-Morris @kelciemmorris.bsky.social · 7h

Accidentally used my mom voice in public and everyone around me thought they were in trouble

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 9h

The Executive is just paying them anyway because nothing matters anymore.

Trump orders Defense Dept. to issue military paychecks during shutdown

Trump said that the Pentagon would repurpose money to make payroll, as military service members were poised to miss paychecks on Wednesday. Most other government workers will not be paid.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 23h

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 11h

"The Democrats are refusing to fund the government so we're gleefully firing everyone in sight, what fun!!" just isn't a winning political message.

Sara Partridge, Ph.D. @sarapartridge.bsky.social · 11h

There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.

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Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 1d

SCOOP: Spyware maker NSO Group confirmed to us that the company has been acquired by a U.S. investment group.

NSO's spokesperson said the group "has invested tens of millions of dollars in the company and has acquired controlling ownership," but declined to say who is behind the investment.

Spyware maker NSO Group confirms acquisition by US investors | TechCrunch

NSO Group confirmed to TechCrunch that an unnamed group of American investors has taken “controlling ownership” of the surveillance tech maker.

techcrunch.com

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Dan McCrum @mccrum.bsky.social · 13h

This isn’t funny. Judges only speak to the press when they’re in extreme distress

Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 17h

More judges speak to the press (the NYT) about what a disaster the Supreme Court (specifically the shadow docket) has been - “incredibly demoralizing & troubling”; a “judicial crisis”; a “slap in the face to district courts.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 12h

I keep thinking we should do a Bluesky allstars DnD session some time. For... charity?

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 1d

The frogs were introduced to Portland to protest ICE and keep down the cane beetle population, but once they start multiplying they're hard to get rid of. Don't lick them; you could get high.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Michael Feinberg @michael-feinberg.bsky.social · 1d

It’s actually not that out of the ordinary. Almost all brands under the Marriott umbrella honor the government per diem rate for official business, so the Ritz ends up being the same price as, say, a Courtyard.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 2d

I know this isn’t the point but is it normal for DHS officials to stay at a Ritz-Carlton on work trips?

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 2d

Paul Ingrassia, Trump’s nominee to lead the office investigating Jack Smith, has recently been investigated for harassing a colleague, Politico reports.

“Eventually the woman discovered that Ingrassia had arranged ahead of time to have her hotel room canceled so she would have to stay with him..”

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Huh. Gonna be an awkward day for Secretary of State-National Security Advisor-Acting Archivist Marco Rubio.

www.rickscott.senate.gov/services/fil...

Part of a letter sent by a bunch of GOP members of Congress in favor of granting Maria Corina Machado the Nobel Peace Prize, which she won today.

The last three paragraphs, before Rick Scott and Marco Rubio's signature, reads:

The Maduro regime's abuses and assaults on the civil society and legitimate
political activity of Venezuelan citizens have caused millions to flee to other countries,
while millions more have had no choice but to remain in the prison Maduro has
imposed on them. The peace of the region has been greatly disturbed by Maduro’s
welcoming of some of the world’s worst actors, including terrorists and dictators who
support him.
It is our firm belief that María Corina Machado’s courageous and selfless
leadership, and unyielding dedication to the pursuit of peace and democratic ideals,
make her a most deserving candidate for this prestigious award. Her efforts not only
highlight the urgent need for international solidarity in the face of aggressive and
expansive authoritarianism but also serve as a reminder of the power of individual
bravery in the quest for justice.

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 1d

And what rough beast,
its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards San Jose
to be born?

Craig Harrington @craigipedia.bsky.social · 1d

I dunno, man... I dunno. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Jonathan Healey @jonathanhealey.bsky.social · 1d

It was two OUP books.

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 1d

My one note: Barack Obama.

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Jay Rayner @jayrayner1.bsky.social · 2d

In other news Charlie Redmayne, the long serving CEO of HC in the UK, resigned yesterday.

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 1d

The frogs were introduced to Portland to protest ICE and keep down the cane beetle population, but once they start multiplying they're hard to get rid of. Don't lick them; you could get high.

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 2d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 1d

Some times it's the same people making both types of reply.

Bluesky is not unique in having an antisemitism problem. But it does have an antisemitism problem

פינחס יוסף מונד @pymundgenealogy.com · 1d

In the replies: “Are you sure that's antisemitic? Can you please explain it to me? That's not really convincing, can you try again?”
In other replies: “Jews run all the media companies, and their Bronze Age beliefs are cruel and scary to all of us.”

Step. On. 🐍

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 2d

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 2d

You know how there’s been this big push towards encouraging older people to do puzzles, cognitive games, and to learn new things to keep them from succumbing to dementia?

Wonder where that’s gonna go with the rise of “outsource your cognitive functions to AI, it’ll be convenient” culture

SteveIsDamaged @steveisdamages.bsky.social · 2d

Cognition is like strength. Use is required to not just gain, but maintain. The more thinking and cognitive work we offload, the duller we become as a result.

It's like deciding you'll use a mobility scooter without need and then figuring out a year later that you can no longer walk.

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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 2d

Pulte letter: s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Indictment:

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 2d

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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Jacob Shamsian @jayshams.bsky.social · 2d

I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...

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Chris 🎃 DevPods.gg gamedev community @chrisdeleon.bsky.social · 3d

Portland protestor frog costume: What are you trying to tell me? That I can dodge pepper balls?

Morpheus from Matrix movie: No, Frog. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.

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Kendra, regular version @kendrawcandraw.bsky.social · 17d

Please don't call it that

What You Will Need
• Experience: 5+ years as a video editor or producer-editor ("preditor").

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Dan Hassler-Forest @danhf.bsky.social · 2d

Samuel Beckett is *cackling* in his grave. 😈

Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 3d

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway
I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way.
What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money.
Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight.
To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.

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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 2d

oh wow what's that, you're wondering who here may have read Sátántangó from beginning to end, and assuming that person must be so clever and, dare I say, good looking

well my friends you're in luck, Marie Le Conte here,

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

Breaking News: The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the Hungarian novelist, for his “visionary oeuvre.”

Laszlo Krasznahorkai Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature

The award comes with prize money of almost $1.2 million.

nyti.ms

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Arieh Kovler @ariehkovler.com · 2d

The funny thing about this post, at this time of year, is that Jews know what the deal is with the chickens but to everyone else the question sounds weird and possibly racist.

Wisdom of r/religion @reddit-religion.bsky.social · 3d

r/religion
u/True-Wrongdoer-7932 • 2d • Agnostic Atheist
Jews: What's the deal with the chickens?

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