Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Jason Karsh @jkarsh.bsky.social · 1h

If we survive this, and Democrats are able to take back power, I guarantee you we will have to endure think-piece after think-piece that demand the rest of us reach out, stop shaming, and forgive fascists and the crimes they’ve committed. I absolutely guarantee it.

Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 2h

Some weirdo on Twitter has been absolutely melting down for like 36 straight hours because I posted:

When this is over, do not forget what ICE did, and what ICE is. And do not make room for them in society. Make sure they know that they are, and will continue to be, reviled and beneath contempt.

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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 1h

it actually offends me how sloppy and careless they are. anyone who’s ever been laid off knows the panic you feel when it happens. and while obviously it’s good that they backtracked, these are people’s fucking LIVELIHOODS they’re messing with.

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

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jacob mouradian @jacobjmouradian.bsky.social · Apr 25

Not the main takeaway from the article – a sidenote, really – but this is why the Internet of Things concept terrifies me.

Black text on white background reading:

Ordinary American citizens are also feeling pressure from immigration officials for helping immigrants. Investigative journalist Radley Balko reported earlier this week about a lawyer in Texas who was asked for legal help by an immigrant family. Two days after he spoke with them, two men in civilian clothes—who never identified which, if any, law enforcement agency they worked for—knocked on the lawyer’s front door and questioned him about his assistance. The lawyer’s internet access briefly went offline while the agents were present, and they refused to give him their names or badge numbers. [light purple highlight] (As the lawyer told Balko, the suspicious timing of his internet outage ensured that the Ring camera on his front door could not capture the exchange.)

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James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 3h

It's incredible the extent to which Congress just utterly refuses to defend itself. You'd think for entirely self-interested reasons you would stridently oppose having the power of the purse arbitrarily ripped from you, ya know?

Why would you allow yourself to become the Roman Senate circa 27 BC.

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 5h

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 3h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

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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Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social · 1h

Some of these people have now been fired and rehired TWICE since January. The current state of dysfunction is mind boggling.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 3h

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 1d

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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Rachel Bitecofer @rachelbitecofer.bsky.social · 1h

🚨🚨🚨🚨

If you go to some federal websites right now, this is what you see.

I also heard they are playing something similar at airports.

So illegal bc of the Hatch Act but also CRZY

But don't call it fascism. 👇

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Keith Olbermann @olbermann.bsky.social · 3h

So if Russ Vought and Bob Kennedy were deliberately trying on behalf of an enemy to sicken and kill Americans by destroying the public health structure - what would they be doing differently?

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3h

really striking the degree to which not a single person working in the trump administration appears to be interested in serving the american people

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 3h

theonion.com/ice-raids-my...

MYTH: ICE agents lack proper training.

FACT: Most have been racists their entire lives.

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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 3h

I want a president who cares more about Chicago and Portland than about Qatar and Argentina. Trump’s “America First” slogan is a sick joke.

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johndoe 🇺🇦 @beitz.bsky.social · 4h

learn what propaganda is.

recognize how hard it is to dislodge the lies of propaganda, big & small, from the minds of the people who are predisposed to want to believe them to support their world view.

prepare to fight the very hard fight to re-establish the truth.

kristinekenyon.bsky.social @kristinekenyon.bsky.social · 1d

Bondi is lying but it’s worse than that: she’s blurring the line between fact and fiction for the GOP base. If nothing is true, no one can be held accountable. Keep speaking the truth.

The Nine Principles of Propaganda
1. LIE BIG Big lies work better than small because the masses won't believe that anyone would lie "about that."
2. FOCUS Don't make it complicated, ignore history, keep it simple for simple minds.
3. REPEAT People cannot tell the difference between facts and
familiarity. If they hear the same words repeated enough, they become true in their minds.
4. BLAME Never credit the other side, always blame, debase, defame, and dehumanize.
nere by dennis prestosk
5. PROVOKE Outrage, fear, and resentment are more powertul than reason, logic, or facts.
6. CRISIS Issues must be lite or death, good vs evil, love vs hate, us vs them.
Urgency defeats objection.
7. EMOTION A person might question facts, but they will never question their own feelings. Go emotional.
8. PANDER Ignore reasonable arguments, demonize all who disagree as having bad intentions.
9. NO LIMITS Morality is for losers. The victor's morality will not be questioned. No limits.

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John @johnlk.bsky.social · 8h

This is the fucking Prussian constitutional crisis. If you let them fund the military without Congressional authorization you've just given up on constitutional government. Congress is a dead letter.

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 4h

Many historians of Rome identify Roman generals becoming the personal sources of payment for their armies as a key step in the downfall of the Republic, since it personalized military authority and freed armies to fight for their immediate leader, who paid them, instead of for the Republic

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 4h

Nixon’s crimes look like harmless high school pranks compared to the now-daily unprecedented illegal & unconstitutional crimes being committed daily by this president & his staff

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 5h

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 4h

This is like Looney Tunes levels of criminal corruption

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 21h

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4h

Unprecedented corruption

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 21h

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 4h

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 4h

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Rep. Dan Goldman @repdangoldman.bsky.social · 7h

No “clean CR” exists when Trump defies Congress and unilaterally guts programs—from law enforcement to pediatric cancer research to clean energy projects.

Republicans want Democratic cover to keep breaking the law. Democrats won’t play along.

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 7h

One evil man who murders civilians from his own and other countries consoles another evil man who murders civilians from his own and other countries for not getting an award for which neither evil man is even remotely deserving.

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 6h

"A future president, even dumber than you, will allow Qatar, the country that harbored Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the plane attacks in NY, PA, and DC today, and whose royal family will help him escape capture by the US, to build a military base on US soil to train Qataris to fly jets."