Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 5h

Trump proposing 100% tariffs on China

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 7h

George was just trying to get to work.

ICE pepper-sprayed him, dragged him from his car, locked him in a detention center, and placed him on suicide watch. He even missed his young daughter’s birthday in the process.

This man is a veteran and American citizen. Don't look away.

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 8h

"They put me on suicide watch and they put me in the cell, I'm naked, in like a hospital dress and just a concrete bed with like a mattress, like a thin mattress and, they leave the light on 24/7."

@timmiller.bsky.social talked to a veteran who ICE wrongly detained and brutalized

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

this is an absolutely insane news conference for the Attorney General of the United States to be participating in.

(note how Benny Johnson describes the Annunciation shooting as an act of political violence, which is a lie)

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

Pam Bondi held a news conference today with right-wing influencer Benny Johnson to highlight a threat made against him

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

Bondi: "We've been living through a horrific cycle of political violence in this country ... night after night antifa wrecks havoc on the streets of our cities. In Minnesota, a gunman murdered a state lawmaker and her husband."

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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 5h

Boris Johnson breached rules designed to stop abuse of contacts made in public office, watchdog finds www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Boris Johnson breached rules designed to stop abuse of contacts made in public office, watchdog finds

Johnson found to have breached rules after refusing to answer specific questions about allegations published by the Guardian

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 5h

"The Trump Administration is Valhalla for the world’s least qualified, most incompetent white people and Kash Patel."

thelefthook.substack.com/p/affirmativ...

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 6h

"Affirmative Action for Incompetence"

The Trump Administration is purging the government of qualified, competent individuals, indicting his enemies, and replacing them with the world's most mediocre conservatives on Earth.

open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...

Affirmative Action for Incompetence

The Trump Administration is purging the government of qualified, competent individuals, indicting his enemies, and replacing them with the world's most mediocre conservatives on Earth.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

VoteVets @votevets.org · 9h

Is this the military or is this kindergarten? What's next, demanding your mommy sign a note explaining why you didn't eat your entire MRE?

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 6h

Gift link for those who want it: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/10/w...

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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 6h

Nobel peace prize officials investigate surge in bets for winner www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Nobel peace prize officials investigate surge in bets for winner

Bets for Maria Corina Machado spiked on Polymarket gambling site hours before she was awarded prize

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

hannah gais @hannahgais.bsky.social · 7h

Those are three people in inflatable frog suits.

@MrAndyNgo
Now that the local and national press have started to cover the Portland ICE area round-the-clock in reaction to the President, Antifa have devised a plan where they are encouraging one another to come in animal costumes.

The costumes serve the function of masking the violent extremism to make the direct action appear like a family-friendly gathering on camera, and to whitewash the past ultraviolence.

In 2019, Antifa devised a similar plot by giving out free "milkshakes" at a protest. But they couldn't contain their bloodthirst and nearly killed me when they saw me. In 2020, they mobilized a fake "Wall of Moms" where female Antifa supporters and members wore yellow shirts to act as human body shields while violent rioters behind them hurled projectile weapons.

photo of three people in inflatable frog costumes

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 8h

the final boss of "imagine if obama did it"

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

SFDB @sfdb.bsky.social · 7h

Mike Johnson & every single MAGA can story tell all they want about so-called anti-American Democrats but they will never ever be able to escape the reality that they are part of a movement, the leader they still hysterically support, that attempted to violently overthrow a free and fair election.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10h

Mike Johnson: "This hate America rally that they have coming up for October 18? The antifa crowd, the pro-Hamas crowd, and the Marxists, they're all gonna gather on the Mall. It is an outrageous gathering for outrageous purposes ... all this has gotta come to an end."

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 9h

EXCLUSIVE — DHS Acting General Counsel sent out a memo Wednesday to all Federal Protective Service staff (the sub-agency that guards federal buildings) letting officers know they could take any action necessary "in the vicinity" federal property to protect themselves.

The Handbasket reports:

DHS top lawyer says 'no legal barrier' to actions officers can take to defend federal property

In a memo obtained exclusively by The Handbasket, Federal Protective Service (FPS) officers were given free rein.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 7h

First time Bellingcat has been mentioned on Chortle -
The latest tool of Russian propaganda is... Geoff Norcott
www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/10...

The latest tool of Russian propaganda is... Geoff Norcott : News 2025 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide

The latest tool of Russian propaganda is... Geoff Norcott - Comic's likeness is deepfaked in Armenian disinformation campaign

www.chortle.co.uk

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 8h

Universities teach journalism, law, even coding — so why not open-source research?
We spoke with @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social 's Open-Source Global Justice Investigations Lab about bringing investigation skills into the classroom.
🎧 Listen on Stage Talks with Bellingcat: rss.com/podcasts/bel...

"Student Researchers Vs The Misinformation Machine" with Utrecht University | Podcast Episode on RSS.com

This week, we were discussing how open source research can help build vital factchecking skills across disciplines. We spoke to Prof. dr. Brianne McGonigle Leyh, a professor and one of the leaders of ...

rss.com

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 9h

"Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago"

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

Important reporting from @swin24.bsky.social:

Inside Trump’s Plot To Terrorize Chicago

Sources in the administration tell Zeteo that Trump is also seriously discussing invoking the Insurrection Act with his top advisers.

zeteo.com

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 9h

The fact that they are still doing the "Soros-paid protestors" bit is just an incredible testimony to the durability of certain tropes to negate the popular will, regardless of the lack of evidence.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."

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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 9h

“please detail the many ways in which you will suck up to me, your new boss, an absolute incompetent with no experience running a major news org”

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 12h

News: Bari Weiss just sent a memo to staffers at CBS News asking them to produce a memo explaining "how you spend your working hours—and ideally, what you've made (or are making) that you're most proud of."

One CBS News staffer puts it like this to me: "We just got Elon Musked."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Independent C-SPAN caller to Rep. Mark Alford: "You're taking credit for $50b that you just gave to the hospital industry. That's after you took away $150b. You don't take credit for just giving back a little bit of money after taking away so much. So quit lying. It just makes you look horrible."

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Liz Dye @lizdye.bsky.social · 11h

They make up lies about paid agitators doing violence, and attach them to the name of a prominent Jewish person. This is antisemitism, and it infects every part of the GOP.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Sen. Roger Marshall: "October 18 is when the protest gets here. This will be a Soros paid-for protest for his professional protesters. The agitators show up. We'll have to get the National Guard out. Hopefully it will be peaceful. I doubt it."

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 11h

Previously, Johnson claimed all the attendees were being paid by George Soros. Now he says they're all antifa terrorists. This is what fascism looks like.

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 11h

A peaceful protest rally under the Tom Paine motto "No Kings" is being held on the mall in Washington and in hundreds of other sites around the country. Prior No Kings rallies have attracted 11-12 million attendees, the largest political rallies in US history. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Emmer: "This is about one thing and one thing alone -- to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week."

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Reposted by Eliot Higgins

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 12h

The Speaker of the House is telling the Fox News audience that a peaceful demonstration by Americans on the National Mall will actually be a gathering of organizations the administration has designated as violent terrorists.

Seems bad?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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