Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 7m

Ah, okay, over on the Nazi site for robots and idiots they don’t know what RIF stands for and do, in fact, believe this is a negotiating tactic and not 4,000 people getting legal notices that their jobs are ending.

They haven't been fired.RIF on administrative leave until the shutdown stops.

August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 15m

Is there even the most remote suggestion or implication from any source whatsoever that these jobs are being restored contingent on Democrats surrendering on the shutdown? Then why is it being described as leverage? It’s not. It’s just more White House lawbreaking that no one seems to care about.

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 23m

Seriously, how is this “pressure?” is there a memo we all don’t know about where the White House says that all these people will get hired back if Democrats vote to end the shutdown? Because if that’s the case, several people should be in prison right now.

wkow27news.bsky.social @wkow27news.bsky.social · 1h

The White House budget office announced Friday that mass layoffs of federal workers have begun, a move by President Donald Trump's administration aimed at increasing pressure on Democratic lawmakers amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Firings of federal workers begin as White House seeks to pressure Democrats in government shutdown

Mass firings of federal workers have begun. That was the announcement Friday from the White House as Republicans worked to exert more pressure on Democratic lawmakers to end the government

www.wkow.com

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 13h

I know I keep saying this, but the greatest advantage Democrats have in politics today is how unbelievably goddamn stupid their opponents are. They are so blinded by “lol own the libs” they can never see how shit like this is at best embarrassing and worse does the exact opposite effect they wanted.

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 13h

1984 is a 75 year old novel. It has this meme. It was used in an episode of a major HBO show YESTERDAY. There is probably nothing that more immediately resonates “yeah, these guys are fascists” with the average American than “All must obey” blaring on a giant ass TV at the airport

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 13h

“Regime official spreading propaganda in public spaces on big TV screen” is a scene synonymous with a fascist dystopia because it’s in LITERALLY EVERY BOOK, MOVIE AND TV SHOW EVER MADE ABOUT THAT and it ASTONISHES me how an administration comprised entirely of failed theater kids didn’t realize this

Nick (derogatory) ✨ @slothropsmap.bsky.social · Jul 16

Hadn’t realized we reached the Fascist Leader Talking In An Endless Loop At Sites Of Mass Transit stage of the dystopia.

Good to know.

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 13h

I’m so overjoyed at how in a single, stupid, silly action, these folks are:

1. Forcing media attention on how there is clearly no “insurrection” in Portland

2. Making both ICE and the White House look like absolute clowns

3. Taking frog memes back from Nazis

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

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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Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 13h

this shit is not okay. framing Palestinians in the US as some sort of enemy within while the Trump admin is kidnapping them torturing and deporting them; acting like you can be racist against Palestinians here while handwaving away the people suffering in Gaza. this is repulsive.

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bort @crushbort.bsky.social · 19h

is it not weird that every day there’s a new video of anonymous masked men having the time of their lives beating/shooting/disappearing people and the dem response from the top down is “republicans want to double your health insurance premiums”

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escapedexplorer.bsky.social @escapedexplorer.bsky.social · 2d

WWII "Friend" poster series from the Allied Forces, originally demonstrating the various Allied forces (British, Australian, Chinese, French, Dutch, etc.) and their appearances

It reads:

"This man is your FRIEND

He fights for FREEDOM"

The image is a sepia/black and white toned image of the Portland Frog protester, simply labelled FROG

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Municipal Fox @amunicipalfox.bsky.social · 2d

This frog is your FRIEND
He fights for FREEDOM

Person in a frog costume faces down ICE agents

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 20h

Lord give us the Democrats that Republicans warn us about.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21h

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 ... "

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 19h

Would you ask a trans friend this question

nyk44.bsky.social @nyk44.bsky.social · 19h

Newsome just signed a historic housing bill into law, does that help ?

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cow tools daily @cowtoolsdaily.bsky.social · 1d

it's not FOR us

edited comic panel. Batman is breaking a lump-with-handle cow tool over his knee and saying "this is the tool of the cow. we do not understand it. we will not use it."

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Zoë “Baddie Proctor” Quinn @unburntwitch.com · 1d

Never forget the core thing funding the sheer scale of the spending spree of AI investments is primarily due to the turborich wanting to solve the “problem” of having to pay wages.

Alan Baxter @alanbaxter.bsky.social · 1d

"Put simply, only the extremely wealthy appear to be benefiting from all of this."

Bank of England Warns of Impending AI Disaster

The Bank of England has sounded the alarm, warning of an intensifying risk of a "sudden correction" due to an AI spending frenzy.

futurism.com

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nobody @granddad.bsky.social · 2d

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 1d

We live in a world infected with the overuse of unnecessary hyperbole that inevitably creates the opposite of the intended effect one is trying to emphasize, which is incredibly disappointing because you could literally build a little free library using my boner for this as a hammer right now

Nicholas Slayton @nslayton.bsky.social · 1d

They FINALLY put out a trailer for the James Garfield assassination show. And it looks good!
youtu.be/6jopqrSojQE?...

Death by Lightning | Official Trailer | Netflix

YouTube video by Netflix

youtu.be

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 1d

An unspoken but huge problem in the courts right now is Alito and Thomas are both pretty old so every single judge Trump ever appointed now considers any hearing they participate in as a possible audition

Kate Riga @kateriga.bsky.social · 1d

Two Trump judges (Nelson, Bade) on 9th circuit panel really trying to outperform each other in their eagerness to give Trump the ability to deploy the Guard to unwilling states based on events that occurred months earlier. Lotttt of beating up on Oregon's Judge Immergut, who blocked deployments

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Odd Future Wolfgang Pauli @ofwp.bsky.social · 2d

Rand Paul has on average shown more principle and backbone than John Fetterman. And Rand Paul is a real piece of shit.

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 2d

They appear to think “authentic” means “said things I like to hear,” well yes that is the purpose of image consultants, it was like 20% of the entire Gore 2000 campaign budget

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 2d

I think my favorite moment of Kamala Harris’ authentic instinct to take the right action was when she just put out a book a fucking week ago where she admitted how she didn’t do that

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 2d

Genuine question to a handful of people in my replies: do you own a dictionary

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 2d

it should be a tell about what's happening in the media now that most mainstream commentators seem openly frustrated that polling does not blame democrats for the shutdown

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 2d

A couple making $82k implies two people each making $41k a year, which is $7,000 below the average individual cost of living in the United States. You know what would help that a lot? Not needing to spend that seven grand on health insurance.

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August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 2d

I know I’m being That Guy™️ guy here but it’s wild how the Democratic talking point is “we want to keep your healthcare premiums at $500 a month” instead of wanting to make it, you know, zero.

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 4d

Letting the health care tax credits expire would devastate American families — and we’re making that crystal clear by giving you the data.

We’ve built graphics showing how much costs would rise in every GOP district.

Let’s start with Mike Johnson (R-LA):

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