Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 9d

My churlish opinion is that AI acting and screenwriting will be almost indistinguishable from what Netflix is already churning out, so it will be even harder to get studios to pay for actual good, human-made movies (which will be better but not lucrative enough)

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 9d

These craziest thing about this shutdown is that Democrats are doing their best to make Trump more popular—by stopping health insurance premiums from going up for tens of millions of people—and Trump is just refusing.

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 9d

What's wild here is Democrats are begging Republicans to please not let premiums skyrocket under Republican watch when Republicans would be blamed, and Republicans are like twirling their mustaches saying "no the premiums will go up under our tenure"

Groundwork Collaborative @groundwork.bsky.social · 9d

🚨75% of voters - and 69% of Republicans - are very concerned about the rising costs of health care premiums.

But Republicans would rather shut down the government than protect working families from rising health care costs.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 10d

It's like John Roberts is trying to save Trump the way he wishes someone had saved Nixon. That's by legalizing Watergate and stopping the president from meddling with the Fed.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 10d

John Roberts is trying to help Donald Trump destroy our democracy but stop him from destroying our economy, because he wants Trump to be popular enough to become a dictator

George Pearkes @peark.es · 10d

Oh hell yes

*SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO LET TRUMP IMMEDIATELY OUST FED'S COOK

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Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · 11d

Two senior Republican appropriators agree it doesn't make any sense for Democrats to agree to a government funding deal unless Trump actually adheres to the deal.

The Democratic alternative CR had language that would address this, but the White House came out strongly against.

“I don’t think the Democrats want to shut down either,” Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a senior appropriator, told Bloomberg Government. “Their concern right now, and it’s a legitimate concern, is that, how can we agree to any deal when our OMB director will just impound the funds and say we’re not going to spend them there?”

“If you’re a Democrat — even just like a mainstream Democrat — your predisposition might be to help negotiate with Republicans on a funding mechanism,” said Rep. Steve Womack, a senior GOP appropriator. “Why would you do that if you know that whatever you negotiate is going to be subject to the knife pulled out by Russ Vought?”

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 11d

Well, at least a J6er isn’t going to be in charge of faking the jobs reports

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 15d

Forget the American Revolution. The Roberts Court is trying to undo the *English* Revolution.

They want to go back to a monarchy where they’re the only check on the king’s power.

Matt Ford @mford.bsky.social · 15d

Supreme Court rules 6-3 that congressional appropriations are optional: www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

On September 3, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia entered a preliminary injunction directing the Executive to obligate roughly $10.5 billion of appropriated aid funding set to expire on September 30. Of that $10.5 billion, $4 billion was proposed to be rescinded in a “special message” transmitted pursuant to the Impoundment Control Act. See 2 U. S. C. §681 et seq. After the District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied stays of that order, the Government filed this application to stay the District Court’s injunction. The application for stay presented to THE CHIEF JUSTICE and by him referred to the Court is granted. The Government, at this early stage, has made a sufficient showing that the Impoundment Control Act precludes respondents’ suit, brought pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act, to enforce the appropriations at issue here. The Government has also made a sufficient showing that mandamus relief is unavailable to respondents. And, on the record before the Court, the asserted harms to the Executive’s conduct of foreign affairs appear to outweigh the potential harm faced by respondents. This order should not be read as a final determination on the merits. The relief granted by the Court today reflects our preliminary view, consistent with the standards for interim relief.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21d

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 23d

Democrats need to start using clear, moral language when it comes to Trump: this is evil

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 23d

"President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources."

Trump poised to fire US attorney for resisting effort to charge NY AG Letitia James: Sources

President Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney in Eastern Virginia after he was unable to find evidence of mortgage fraud against NY AG Letitia James, sources say.

abcnews.go.com

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

The only TV show Trump wants you to be able to watch

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

Democracy is dying in daylight because elites are so scared of losing their second vacation home that they’re selling out everything that makes this country great. Traitors and cowards.

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 24d

I’m old enough to remember when Bob Iger, whose company recently paid $16 million to settle a meritless Trump lawsuit, and who just indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel under pressure from the Trump administration, was a chair for the **Committee to Protect Journalists** dinner.

New York, November 22, 2006-The Committee to Protect Journalists marked its 25th anniversary
by honoring four journalists with its 2006 International Press Freedom Awards in a
ceremony Tuesday night which highlighted record-setting attacks on the press in Iraq.
More than 850 people attended the benefit dinner which raised $1.3 million. It was co-chaired by Robert A. Iger, president and chief executive officer of the Walt Disney Company, and John S.
Carroll, the Knight Visiting Lecturer at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University. Christiane Amanpour, CNN's Chief International Correspondent and CPJ board member, hosted the dinner.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

It’s disgusting to see how many elite institutions—media companies, law firms, and universities—are willing to go along with the destruction of our democracy if it will save them some money. They all need to prosecuted for bribery.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

Turns out the First Amendment is meaningless when the government can just blackmail people into not saying things it doesn't like.

Too bad there aren't courts that could stop these kind of obviously illegal abuses of power. Founders really should have thought of that, right John Roberts?

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Ryan Enos @ryanenos.bsky.social · 24d

What is to prevent Brendan Carr from canceling the licenses of affiliates who accurately report election results unfavorable to Trump? Or a scandal involving a Trump associate? Or bad economic numbers. Unbridled authoritarianism.

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

How to be a Professional Centrist in 2 steps:

1) Cancel culture by college students is an existential threat to our democracy

2) Cancel culture by the most powerful person on the planet is something you don’t even mention

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · 24d

First they came for Colbert, and I said nothing, because I don’t want watch CBS…

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · Sep 9

The greatest threat to the rule of law is Trump. The second-greatest is the Roberts Court.

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · Sep 8

that is precisely the message of Trump v. Slaughter

the Supreme Court keeps telling lower court judges not to do as the Court does, or to do as the Court has said, but to do what everyone knows the Court wants to say: “Whatever Trump wants goes”

ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/trump...

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Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · Sep 8

There is simply no value to Democrats in helping with passing budgets or CRs when the administration claims limitless arbitrary impoundment and rescission powers.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Sep 8

Breaking news: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow it to freeze billions of dollars in foreign aid, potentially setting up the biggest test yet of the president’s authority over federal spending.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow it to freeze billions in foreign aid

The emergency request could set up a major test of the president’s assertion that he has the unilateral authority to block spending budgeted by Congress.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · Sep 7

Can’t say the fascists are fascists or they might try to extort you next.

The leaders so many media companies, universities, and major law firms have completely failed and deserve to be prosecuted for bribery.

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · Sep 6

JD Vance said he doesn’t care if the US commits war crimes. Did it make the news?

Donald Trump said he’s declaring war on Chicago. Did it make the news?

Executive agencies keep posting Nazi blood-and-soil propaganda. Did it make the news?

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · Sep 4

Almost seems like a Seinfeld subplot. Can just imagine George refusing to tip because he's pretending to be a communist.

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mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · Sep 4

The university surviving an existential lawsuit isn't front-page, push notification worthy news the same way the president of the university having some sloppy citations in her graduate thesis was

James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Sep 4

Wall Street Journal: Top of page one.

NY Times: Bottom of page 19.

Headline in WsJ: "Judge Rejects Trumps Cuts to Harvard." Top story on page one.
Headline in NYT: "Judge Rules Trump Administration Illegally Canceled Harvard's Research Funding."

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Obsolete Dogma @obsoletedogma.bsky.social · Sep 4

This level of obsequiousness is simply un-American.

It's the kind of thing you'd hear in North Korea—and they'd get killed if they didn't say it. What's MAGA's excuse?

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Sep 4

"She of course is wiser than all of us."

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Sep 4

Energy Secretary Chris Wright: "I'm working every day on using AI to figure out how to cure cancer or launch fusion energy or understand dark matter. Our Defense Department is trying to figure out how to keep America safe. God bless the First Lady. She of course is wiser than all of us."

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