Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 32m

Trump just posted a long complaint about China, the upshot being that he is considering a “massive increase” in tariffs on products from the country

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 45m

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1h

They’re going to assist our invasion of Canada

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1h

BBJ: MIT rejects Trump offer

www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/...

MIT rejects Trump administration's funding offer tied to political agenda support - Boston Business Journal

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has turned down a controversial funding offer from the Trump administration, citing concerns about academic freedom and institutional values.

www.bizjournals.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 12h

I’ve followed Paul Ingrassia—the guy reportedly now under investigation for creeping on women—for a couple of years now, and mentioned him a few times. He fits into the right-wing marketplace/Trump administration crossover world I’ve been writing about lately.

bsky.app/profile/dber...

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · Sep 22

You’ve probably never heard of “Trump’s Favorite Writer” Paul Ingrassia, but today’s lengthy piece about how unbelievably great Trump’s campaign is going will give you some idea of why Trump loves and re-Truths the guy so much.

www.rsbnetwork.com/news/preside...

President Trump has the wind at his back

Photo: Alamy Op-Ed by Paul Ingrassia The 45th President is riding the momentum of a historic two-week stretch, which has observed a number of extraordinary moments in a campaign that has already been ...

www.rsbnetwork.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 12h

Grifter’s gonna grift

ProPublica @propublica.org · 14h

Kristi Noem, while governor of South Dakota, supplemented her roughly $130,000 salary by secretly accepting $80,000 donated to a political nonprofit she was affiliated with, records show.

She never disclosed this income on federal ethics forms.

(Published June)

Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations

A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...

www.propublica.org

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

Alleges “ill-gotten gains” of $18,000 and change over the life of the Virginia home loan. (Which would be $600/year if a 30-yr loan)

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 18h

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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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

FWIW I don’t think it’s correct to reference Letitia James as a “political” opponent/enemy/foe/etc of Trump. His beef with her, as far as I know, is that as AG she brought a civil suit against his private company while he was not in office.

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

Maybe rotating it is part of the plan 🤷‍♂️

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

You can’t spell triumphal arch without T-R-U-M-P amirite?

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

Two for three, in less than a month. Probably a coincidence tho

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 18h

Lindsey Halligan is gonna get a Presidential Medal of Freedom, I’m just not sure if it will be before or after she loses her law license

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 18h

BREAKING: Letitia James has been indicted on one count of bank fraud in Virginia, charge brought directly by Lindsey Halligan, just like the Comey indictment.

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 19h

Did not strike a chord with the judge

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 19h

"The average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public factchecked verifiable content."

The forum here is a music recording, in particular a rap “diss track,” with accompanying video and album art. Diss tracks are much more akin to forums like YouTube and X, which “encourag[e] a freewheeling, anything-goes writing style,” than journalistic reporting. Sandals Resorts, 86 A.D.3d at 43 (quotation marks omitted). The average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation, conveying to the public factchecked verifiable content.

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 20h

Sad to see that Red Sox great Mike Greenwell died from thyroid cancer. I saw many Red Sox games with him in left field. R.I.P.

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 21h

I was poking fun at the organizers, who are presenting an “all-American” alternative to the [unnamed on their site] American, Bad Bunny

David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 21h

If you fly this week, let me know if you see this DHS video blaming Democrats for potential lines at TSA

www.foxnews.com/politics/noe...

Noem airs clip blasting Democrats for government shutdown at every airport in America

Secretary Kristi Noem said "Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government" in new video.

www.foxnews.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 21h

DHS Secy Noem, in Cabinet meeting, says in Portland she met with the governor, mayor, chief of police, and superintendent of highway patrol: “They are all lying, and disingenuous, and dishonest people.”

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 22h

“We’ll be making cuts that will be permanent. And we're only going to cut Democrat programs.” —President Trump at today’s Cabinet meeting

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 22h

Trump signs Columbus Day proclamation that criticizes liberals in the first sentence and in an entire paragraph

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23h

You don’t say

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

Trump Fires Black Officials From an Overwhelmingly White Administration

www.nytimes.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 23h

Donald still acting like his message to Bondi was a DM we don’t know about

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1d

Just announced: Turning Point USA will present an alternative “All-American” halftime show (performers TBA) for those who don’t want to watch that Puerto Rican.

www.americanhalftimeshow.com

THE ALL-AMERICAN HALFTIME SHOW

Yes, the rumors are true... Turning Point USA is thrilled to announce The All American Halftime Show. Performers and event details coming soon.

www.americanhalftimeshow.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah tough call for the NFL, Melvin

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1d

Ah now that DoD has gotten rid of all that woke DEI it can devote its resources and attention on its core function: searching for people who said something insensitive about a right-wing rally organizer

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations

The inquiry, resulting in a smattering of disciplinary action so far, follows an extraordinary directive aimed at silencing criticism of the slain activist and Trump supporter.

www.washingtonpost.com

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David S. Bernstein @dbernstein.bsky.social · 1d

Boston mayor knows what’s important

Michelle Wu 吳弭 @wutrain.bsky.social · 1d

👍 Blue Jays

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