Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Firthermor

Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 1h

This is a huge scandal, one of the worst in modern law enforcement and something that is astoundingly unconstitutional and illegal.

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 1h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Firthermor

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 59m

Hard to believe Kavanaugh's initial justification for the Kavanaugh Stop was made in good faith. Surely he knew he was describing a world that doesn't exist.

But it's truly infuriating to know he will suffer ZERO consequences, and SCOTUS admit ZERO error, despite such CLEAR evidence of mistake.

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 1h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

8 98 280

Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 44m

Homan should be asked how he treated the money for his taxes.

Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 51m

Maybe safe and comforting
— LLM, probabilistically

Reposted by Firthermor

Rebecca Nagle @rebeccanagle.bsky.social · 1h

🧵How Native Americans are impacted by the government shutdown…

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Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 56m

www.nrc.gov/ai

The Next 12 Months

Broaden the scope of generative AI training to agency staff and contractors and the development of the rules of behavior for the use of generative AI tools.
Continue to engage with the inspection community across all regions and inspection types in Future Focused Research outreach sessions.
Further develop the regulatory framework to support the use of AI in NRC-regulated activities.
Continue communication with industry stakeholders to ensure preparedness for future uses of AI in NRC-regulated activities.

NRC (U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

1

Reposted by Firthermor

emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1h

This entire article is, unsurprisingly, kicked off by Brett Kavanaugh and includes this: "A spokesperson for Kavanaugh did not return an emailed request for comment."

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 1h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

19 310 740

Reposted by Firthermor

Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 1h

BREAKING from PP

We found immigration agents have held more than 170 *citizens*

The govt doesn't track citizens held. So we did. We tallied:

Nearly 20 kids, two w/ cancer

More than 20 citizens held for day or more, incommunicado

www.propublica.org/article/immi...

by @nicolefoy.bsky.social

More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.

The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...

www.propublica.org

34 1.4K 2K

Reposted by Firthermor

Molly Reynolds @mollyereynolds.bsky.social · 17h

The executive branch not spending the money that Congress has told them to spend is bad. The executive branch spending money on things for which Congress has not given them money is also bad (and, arguably, worse).

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18h

President Trump on Wednesday signed a memorandum expanding his administration’s authority to repurpose unspent federal funds to pay members of the military during the government shutdown, escalating his challenge to the authority of Congress on spending matters.

Trump Signs Memo Expanding His Authority to Spend Federal Money

The president gave Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wide authority to repurpose funds to pay members of the military without approval from Congress, which has the sole constitutional authority to decide federal spending.

nyti.ms

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Reposted by Firthermor

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 17h

There are so many obvious constitutional violations in this story. It is enraging.
There is no war, there is no foreign invasion, there is nothing that justify it. This is a choice to create a military presence that will brutalize residents of cities that do not support the President.

Lynda Lopez @lyndab08.bsky.social · 17h

"The boy, who is Hispanic and African American, was held in a garage for five hours “without informing his family, stating any charges, or allowing him to call an attorney,” the statement said. He is a U.S. citizen, as is his entire immediate family, the release said."

Feds ram SUV after chase down residential street in Chicago, then tear-gas crowd

The crash happened late Tuesday morning near 105th Street and Avenue N in the East Side neighborhood. Two men being pursued were arrested as were two bystanders. The crash drew dozens of neighbors who...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 17h

Medicare has stopped paying physicians due to the shut down. Standing right on the third rail www.statnews.com/2025/10/15/c...

Medicare payments to doctors paused as government shutdown drags on

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is pausing Medicare payments to doctors, as negotiations tied to the government shutdown drag on.

www.statnews.com

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Lynda Lopez @lyndab08.bsky.social · 17h

"The boy, who is Hispanic and African American, was held in a garage for five hours “without informing his family, stating any charges, or allowing him to call an attorney,” the statement said. He is a U.S. citizen, as is his entire immediate family, the release said."

Feds ram SUV after chase down residential street in Chicago, then tear-gas crowd

The crash happened late Tuesday morning near 105th Street and Avenue N in the East Side neighborhood. Two men being pursued were arrested as were two bystanders. The crash drew dozens of neighbors who...

chicago.suntimes.com

23 560 960

Reposted by Firthermor

Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 21h

It really is the greatest business plan in the history of capitalism: “We will create God and then ask it for money.” www.bloomberg.com/opinion/news...

OpenAI Has a Business Plan

Also 18/5 stock trading on 24 Exchange and Nobel Prize betting on Polymarket.

www.bloomberg.com

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Kevin Morris @kevintmorris.bsky.social · 2h

This from @rickhasen.bsky.social is exactly right: "The idea that the Court may use the Reconstruction Amendments to the Constitution to bar a remedy that helps minority voters is both ahistorical and repugnant."
electionlawblog.org?p=152536

Early Signs from Oral Argument in Callais Suggest that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is in Real Trouble #ELB

As I explained back in August, the Supreme Court reached and and in the most opaque way on a late Friday afternoon in mid-summer, the Court turned a ho-hum racial gerrymandering case where the court h...

electionlawblog.org

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Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 1h

What is agency?
— John Thune, probably

Reposted by Firthermor

Mathias Hong @hongmathias.bsky.social · 11h

Hasen: "When Mr. Trump attacks democratic institutions, he does so in the manner of a car wreck ... When the Supreme Court undermines our democracy,... it feels more like a slow poisoning: the attacks may be harder to notice, but they are just as deadly."

Rick Hasen @rickhasen.bsky.social · 8d

My New One at MSNBC Opinion on How the Supreme Court Seems Poised to Kill Off What Remains of the Voting Rights Act While Few Pay Attention–With Implications for 2026 Redistricting www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb... @msnbc.com

How the Supreme Court could aid the GOP's redistricting games

If the court rules quickly enough in a key voting rights case, it could allow yet another round of partisan redistricting before the 2026 midterms.

www.msnbc.com

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Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 2h

Again showing the unitary executive theory is incompatible with democracy.

Reposted by Firthermor

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 3h

Where we stand, in long arc of history:

-Story on left, adding race as a factor when that favors white people.

-Story on right, banning race as a factor when that favors non-whites.

I often complain about NYT headlines and story-play. But these are strong. Including "If Court Guts 1965 Law."

Two headlines on front page of NYT.

First is "Trump Weighs Transforming Refugee Policy. White People Would be Given Preference."

Second is "Justices May Ban Race as a Factor in District Maps. Nation's Political Balance Could Shift If Court Guts 1964 Law."

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WIRED @wired.com · 3h

The Liberty statement does not say whether the company plans to re-write code developed by these foreign workers—which would potentially involve rewriting hundreds of thousands of lines of code—or whether the company will move foreign developers to the US or replace them with American programmers.

One Republican Now Controls a Huge Chunk of US Election Infrastructure

Former GOP operative Scott Leiendecker just bought Dominion Voting Systems, giving him ownership of voting systems used in 27 states. Election experts have concerns.

www.wired.com

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Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 5h

The "Once American democracy made it possible" framework is exactly right and extremely helpful, because it treats "democracy" not as a static reality, but a dynamic condition that has, historically, accommodated a wide range of socio-political and cultural regimes.

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Reposted by Firthermor

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 2h

🚨BREAKING: New York Court of Appeals UNANIMOUSLY UPHOLDS state law moving most county and town elections to even-numbered years. By aligning them with state and federal elections, it will boost voter turnout.

Another victory for voters and defeat for the GOP! www.democracydocket.com/cases/new-yo...

🚨 Onondaga County v. New York

Learn more.

www.democracydocket.com

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Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 2h

And all three branches of the government are playing a part in these constitutional crises. At the same time, too much of the fourth estate are not fulfilling their role.

Firthermor @firthermor.bsky.social · 2h

tbf, Tesla reincorporated in Texas out of spite.

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Reposted by Firthermor

Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 3h

A terrific AFP fact check uses reverse image searches to expose how a White House video took scenes from Florida, Texas, South Carolina and Nebraska and lied that they showed "Chicago is in chaos."
factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com....

Post from WH about Chicago "in chaos," showing scene from another state.

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Premee Mohamed @premeemohamed.com · 5h

May we all strive to be an entirely new type of object in the universe today

Nature @nature.com · 6h

A consensus is emerging that these mysterious little red dots, sometimes called rubies, are an entirely new type of object in the Universe.

go.nature.com/4hjIGm4

Mysterious ‘little red dots’ are baffling astronomers. What are they?

A consensus is emerging that the dots, sometimes called rubies, are an entirely new type of object in the Universe.

go.nature.com

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