Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 21m

I'm not so sure. Building something comparable to the "old" WaPo from scratch would be impossible, and a swarm of new fragments won't fill the void. Renovating a big old house after finally evicting a street gang takes money, hard work and time, but provides a chance to make it better than ever.

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 1h

I just posted this link and some excerpts, but then saw the link doesn't identify the author — so here's Gen. Hertling's own post of it, which lets me add one more wise quote:

"The pattern became clear to me: when we were candid, trust grew; when we hedged, suspicion filled the gap."

Mark Hertling @markhertling.bsky.social · 2h

This new Pentagon press policy is not good for our press or our military.

And I’m saying that as a former soldier who knows the importance of a free press.
www.thebulwark.com/p/locking-do...

Locking Down the Pentagon Press Is Dangerous

Pete Hegseth’s proposed restrictions would harm the people whom both the military and the press are meant to serve.

www.thebulwark.com

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 1h

As with his wealth, is there any record he's had any?

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 1h

"That’s not how you build legitimacy in a democracy. It’s how you lose it…

"The Pentagon should not fear scrutiny by the press corps that walks its halls. It should welcome it… In a free country, the Army defends the people—and the press ensures the people know what is being done in their name." /3

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 1h

"It’s not just that this runs against the First Amendment; it’s that it runs against the interests of the Department of Defense itself. A military that becomes opaque becomes mistrusted... These rules will increase speculation, rumor, and the belief—fair or not—that someone is hiding something." /2

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 1h

"That view collapses the vital distinction between operational security—protecting specific plans and capabilities so people don’t die—and institutional protection, which too often means shielding organizations from scrutiny or embarrassment. The first is essential; the second is poisonous..." /1

Locking Down the Pentagon Press Is Dangerous

Pete Hegseth’s proposed restrictions would harm the people whom both the military and the press are meant to serve.

www.thebulwark.com

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 12h

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

Trump: "But Air Force One was really, it was covered with Egyptian desert just a few months ago. If you think about it. Just a few months ago it was Egyptian desert and now it was just a few feet off our window. And it was a spectacular sight."

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 13h

"Khadr took the remains of his parents to the graveyard, but found that it too had been destroyed. He decided to bury them next to the few graves that were still intact." /2

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 13h

"On Sunday, two days after the ceasefire was announced, Khadr returned to search through the ruins of his parents’ home. He spent the day sifting through shattered concrete and twisted metal for any sign of them. All he managed to find were some shards of their skulls and parts of their hands." /1

‘My heart is broken’: Palestinians begin searching the Gaza rubble for their dead

Using manual tools and their bare hands, people start the immense task of trying to find their loved ones’ remains

www.theguardian.com

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 13h

"The Israeli government has also prepared welcome kits for each returnee with handwritten messages from the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife, Sara. The kits include clothing, personal equipment, a laptop and a mobile phone." /2

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 13h

"The hospital, Israel’s second largest, has said every hostage receives care from a wide range of specialists including physiotherapists, speech and occupational therapists, psychologists and nutritionists. It added that the families of the hostages are offered rooms in the unit." /1

What next for the 20 living hostages after return to Israel?

Recovery and rehabilitation is main focus after more than 700 days in captivity

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon.bsky.social · 1d

Marco Rubio, attending Trump-Sisi meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, claims today "might be one of the most important days for world peace in 50 years."

Trump interjects: "Only 50?"

Rubio, quickly replies: "Maybe 100."

Laughter in the room. End scene.

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon.bsky.social · 1d

A reporter asks Trump whether Sisi will be on the "Board of Peace" governing post-war Gaza.

"I'd like that," Trump replies, before adding "we'd need a translator, but that's ok."

So... Trump's vision had Gaza being governed by a "board" speaking only in English?

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Mark MacKinnon @markmackinnon.bsky.social · 1d

After suggesting that Israel should pardon PM Netanyahu of the corruption and abuse of power charges against him, Trump - now in Egypt - praises President Sisi, who took power in a military coup, for "bringing his country together"...

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 14h

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump to Israeli Knesset: "I have an idea -- Mr President, why don't give him a pardon? Give him a pardon. Whether we like it or not, this has been one of the greatest wartime presidents. And cigars and champagne -- who the hell cares about that?"

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Ruth Delgado @heylookitsruth.bsky.social · 20h

A mom in Houston reported her 15-year-old son with autism missing. She spent 6 days terrified, searching for him. The whole time, Houston police knew exactly where he was since they helped ICE place him in a refugee facility.

This is beyond cruel.
www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

Missing teen with autism transferred to refugee facility by HPD

He is currently being held at an Office for Refugee Resettlement facility.

www.houstonchronicle.com

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 3d

My cartoon for the books page in this week’s @theguardian.com

Title: Where writers really get their ideas.

A writer, holding a note in his outstretched hand approaches a cart in the park. The front of the cart reads 'Fresh ideas' and a colourful umbrella shades the server who is reaching deep into the body of the cart (much as an ice-cream vendor might) and saying:
"I'm all out of mind-blowing concepts and heart-rending narratives, but I've got an acerbic observation, an unexpected outcome and a couple of amusing notions."

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 2d

My cartoon for this week’s @newscientist.com

A comic strip in six panels. The panels inerlock like a jigsaw with knobs and sockets. Two stick figures walk right to left through all the panels.

Panel 1: Person 1 says "I hear you're working on a new theory."
Panel 2 & 3: Person 2 says: "Yes, I'm calling it the jigsaw model. I think it could change our whole View of reality."
Panel 4: Person 1 says "When Will you publish?:
Panel 5: Person 2 says "But a couple of things are still bothering me." (this piece/panel is a bit squint)
Panel 6: This piece is rotated ninety degees and fits to the others very badly. Person 2 is saying "Soon. I feel like I'm really close"
A second look at the whole comic shows that the last two panels read in the wrong order because the jigsaw has been put together incorrectly.

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 18h

I've witnessed this very thing happen repeatedly in just the past week or so. It's true.

If you like something, say so (unless there's a glaringly obvious reason not to — and don't be creepy).

Saying "Great jacket!" can make somebody's day...especially if they've come to think they're invisible.

Writing for Wellbeing @writeforwellbeing.bsky.social · 19h

#MondayMotivation
#MondayThoughts
writingforwellbeing.co.uk

Cartoon of man and boy, looking at a second man wearing a large hat. The first man says to the boy,'Watch.' Then he says to man in the hat, 'Hey! Your hat is awesome! And you're awesome for wearing it!' The man in the hat says, 'Oh, um, thank you.' And then he has a big smile. The first man says to the boy, 'Now look at his face. We all have powers.' The boy says, 'Cool.'

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 19h

I'd say the key words here are "reporter pundit"...

If you really are the first, you listen and try to find out about new things; if you're the latter, you talk and try to appear already all-knowing.

They're a poor pairing in a journalist.

Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 19h

Trump: "Not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians and for many others, the long and painful nightmare is finally over."

A clear sign he has no understanding of the depth and nature of the nightmare that's still unfolding. The story ahead will be a very sad one, I fear, despite these smiles.

Le Monde in English @english.lemonde.fr · 20h

Trump and leaders sign Gaza declaration in Egypt

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said the Gaza deal 'closes a painful chapter in human history' and sets the stage for a two-state solution. As part of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it held after two years of captivity in Gaza, and Israel released 1,968 prisoners held in its jails.

www.lemonde.fr

Reposted by Dave Tait

Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 20h

Right on

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 14d

Monopoly and totalitarianism go hand in hand.

The only way to stop the growing censorship of Trump's critics is to fight the consolidation of media outlets into the hands of a few families that do not care about the best interests of the country.

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Reposted by Dave Tait

Bonnie Critchley - Independent @bonniecritchley.bsky.social · 20h

Thanksgiving is not about carefully curated images or looking good. Whether your table is big or small or its just you & the dog, enjoy the crisp air, enjoy solitude or chatter. Comparison is the thief of joy, so look not at others tables but at your own, & maybe invite someone that doesn't have one

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 21h

' I keep coming back to how compelling I find Livingston’s revision of how we think about big sweeping demarcations of time. ... It can, for instance, make us ask: “What Hundred Years War, or Two Hundred Years War, are we unknowingly in the middle of right now?” '

David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 23h

NEW POST: In Bloody Crowns, @michaellivingston.com argues that the "Hundred Years War" is really a two hundred years, and was started by the French, fought in what today we call France, and won by people who got to define what France would be.

- from me and @profgabriele.com

Book Review: "Bloody Crown" by Michael Livingston

A New History of the Hundred (or maybe Two Hundred) Years War

buttondown.com

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Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · 21h

Here's the report's cover. It effectively portrays defiance and courage, but may not serve the report's content well. Inside are sickening descriptions of women being verbally and physically abused and degraded by police acting with impunity. It's 12 pages and worth reading. It may be a preview. /2

Cover of an Amnesty International report entitled "From insults to assaults: Weaponizing gender-based violence against women protestors in Georgia"

The image on the cover shows a young woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail leaning in toward her reflection in a plexiglass riot police shield to fix her lipstick.

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