Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 39m

Back to coal?

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Interior cancels largest solar project in North America

It's the Trump administration's latest move to slow or block major clean energy projects.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Jim Whitney

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 1h

Dozens of employees at the CDC — including “disease detectives,” high-ranking scientists and the entire Washington office — were notified late Friday that they were losing their jobs as part of the Trump administration’s latest round of federal layoffs.

Trump Administration Lays Off Dozens of C.D.C. Officials

“Disease detectives,” high-ranking scientists, the entire Washington office and the staff of a weekly public health journal were among those who learned late Friday that they would lose their jobs.

nyti.ms

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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 2h

In this area of unsettled politics, I am continually shocked at who I find myself aligned with. But this Cato Institute take down of the authoritarian “compact” is good.

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 14h

New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."

Universities Must Defend Their Independence by Rejecting Trump's "Compact"

The Trump administration has proffered a “compact” to universities that would require them to surrender their independence and academic freedom. How many First Amendment violations can we identify in ...

www.cato.org

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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 1h

www.aol.com/articles/nei...

Neil Young said he will remove his catalog from Amazon Music after criticizing CEO Jeff Bezos' support for President Donald Trump.

Neil Young to pull catalog from Amazon Music, calls for boycott on Bezos, Zuckerberg

Neil Young said he will remove his catalog from Amazon Music after criticizing CEO Jeff Bezos' support for President Donald Trump.

www.aol.com

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 13h

Is it cancel culture when they threaten to kill you?

www.nj.com/news/2025/10...

Sold-out Ta-Nehisi Coates speaker appearance in N.J. canceled over security reasons

Organizers canceled a sold-out Ta-Nehisi Coates event in Montclair citing undisclosed security concerns.

www.nj.com

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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 13h

The firings mark the first large-scale layoffs of federal employees during a funding lapse in modern history.

Trump Fires Federal Workers, Escalating US Shutdown Fight

President Donald Trump said he was making good on threats to fire thousands of federal workers amid a government shutdown now in its 10th day, as his administration made job cuts across departments including Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Treasury and Commerce.

bloom.bg

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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 14h

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 14h

The Trump administration has been spreading anti-vaccine propaganda for months. Tonight, Trump's physician announced he just received a flu shot and a COVID booster.

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Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 14h

After uproar, Pete Hegseth clarifies Qatari air force facility in Idaho is not a foreign base

www.theguardian.com/us-news/live...

After uproar, Pete Hegseth clarifies Qatari air force facility in Idaho is not a foreign base – live

Earlier, Pentagon chief shared that location would host ‘contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots’

www.theguardian.com

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Mike Walker @newnarrative.bsky.social · 14h

GOP Sen. Murkowski bashes Trump administration over ‘punitive’ federal layoffs

thehill.com/homenews/sen...

Murkowski bashes Trump administration over ‘punitive’ federal layoffs

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) took a swipe at White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Russell Vought over the firing of federal workers amid the government shutdown. “Whil…

thehill.com

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Ann Monster Lipton @annmlipton.bsky.social · 15h

Well, I mean..

www.salesforce.com/news/press-r...

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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 14h

www.aol.com/articles/us-...

A U.S. citizen in Portland, Oregon, was detained by plainclothes officers and held at the city's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building for hours be...

US citizen detained and held at ICE building in Portland for hours before release, lawyer says

A U.S. citizen in Portland, Oregon, was detained by plainclothes officers and held at the city's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building for hours before being released, according to his att...

www.aol.com

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 15h

🤣🤣🤣

Jose Pagliery @josepagliery.bsky.social · 1d

Oh come on. On an official document?

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Sage Of Time🇵🇷 @sageoftime.bsky.social · 17h

Oh look, another Sherrill+6% po— WAIT IS THAT RASMUSSEN???

Poll Tracker 📊 @polltracker.bsky.social · 18h

NEW JERSEY POLL - Governor

🔵 Mikie Sherill: 46%
🔴 Jack Ciattarelli: 40%
🟡 Other: 4%
⚪️ Not sure: 9%

Rasmussen Poll

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Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 16h

America needs, at some point, to start prosecuting white collar crime.

The Nevada Independent @thenvindy.com · 16h

Nevada could’ve fined Elon Musk’s Boring Co. more than $3 million, but regulators are seeking a reduced penalty of $242,800, citing an “extraordinary number of violations.”

Via ProPublica: thenevadaindependent.com/article/elon...

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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 17h

What is that strategy? Doing what Trump tells him to do?

Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 17h

Good to take out those non-partisan civil servants.

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Paul Krugman @pkrugman.bsky.social · 18h

So today's Substack about the impact of tariffs concluded:

"in many ways the level of the tariffs is less important than the huge uncertainty Trump’s policies have created. And that uncertainty hasn’t abated at all."

Ya don't say. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/leprechaun...

Leprechauns, Effective Tariffs and Inflation

Yes, tariffs are hurting us. No, Trump wasn’t right.

paulkrugman.substack.com

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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 18h

GOP doing GOP things -- taking away jobs from people.

Reposted by Jim Whitney

tony romm @tonyromm.bsky.social · 18h

NEW: It looks like the number of federal layoffs -- so far -- is over 4,000, we've learned from court documents

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

White House Signals Federal Layoffs Have Begun During Government Shutdown

www.nytimes.com

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Reuters @reuters.com · 18h

MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling reut.rs/471tkNZ

MIT refuses to accept White House terms for funding, other schools still mulling

Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth on Friday said she "cannot support" a memo that the White House sent to nine elite U.S. universities last week detailing policies they should follow to get preferential consideration for federal funding.

reut.rs

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 18h

The Court, blocking Trump's deployment of Texas NG to Illinois: "not even the Founding Father most ardently in favor of a strong federal government believed that one state’s militia could be sent to another state for the purposes of political retribution." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

storage.courtlistener.com

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Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 18h

Cryptocurrencies tumbled after US President Trump said he would impose an additional 100% tariff on China and export controls on software, with more than $3 billion in positions liquidated within the past hour

Crypto Sees More Than $6 Billion in Liquidations

Cryptocurrencies tumbled after US President Donald Trump said he would impose an additional 100% tariff on China and export controls on software, with more than $6 billion in positions liquidated within the past hour.

bloom.bg

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Jim Whitney @jimwhitney.bsky.social · 18h

Is that better or worse? He's instructing AG to take action., which she did. Does it matter whether communication demanding action is public or private?

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max tani @maxtani.bsky.social · 18h

New: The WGAE, which represents some parts of CBS News including its social team, sent a note to members today advising its members not to respond to Weiss’ request for an email by next week. The union also said it asked CBS for more information about Weiss’ request.

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