Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 3h

Waiting let the LAST pickup before the twins' party.

Mama is ZONKED after no sleep and a sixth grader calling so much at 8am it got through my DND. But, ah well.

Onward!!

Rachel car selfie. She wears a grey, long sleeve shirt and holds her chin in her pointer finger.

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 3h

I noticed the shirt in the photo before I read the full description. Way to represent!!

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Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 13h

FULL STORY HERE: Emails began flooding CDC inboxes late Friday night announcing dozens of layoffs. HR people brought back from furlough to oversee the RIFs. Disease detectives, entire Washington office, global health, injury prevention, MMWR staff among those hit.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

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

www.nytimes.com

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NPR @npr.org · 6h

Pope Leo XIV weighed in on U.S. politics, saying that Catholic politicians must be judged on the full range of their policy positions and suggesting that the country's immigration policy is "inhuman."

Pope Leo XIV says 'inhuman treatment of immigrants' in the U.S. isn't 'pro-life'

Pope Leo XIV weighed in on U.S. politics, saying that Catholic politicians must be judged on the full range of their policy positions and suggesting that the country's immigration policy is "inhuman."

n.pr

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 9h

Woke up two hours ago to clogged sinuses and haven't been able to resettle yet.

Folks often ask how I get by on so little sleep. I honestly have no idea.

It takes a LOT for me to tank out.
Maybe tomorrow night I'll sleep. ♥️

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Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

they are clearly trying to terrify everyone out of showing up to the No Kings protest and I simply do not think it is going to work

see you all there

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

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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TrustedReveler @trustedreveler.bsky.social · 3d

LA: we will fight you.

Chicago: we will fight you.

PDX: we will make you endure week after week of of improv theater.

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 15h

Eeked in a SMALL workout—light cardio, abs, and arms with my hand weights.

Not ten minutes later my daughter walked in SOBBING. We forgot her Motrin before bed. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Now watching NOELLE to help her relax as the meds get into her system.

Total Mom fail!!

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Nikkolas Smith @4nikkolas.bsky.social · 21h

after millions of views and shares of my Portland Frog art. (thank you all🙏🏾) I got requests to highlight priests, and chickens, and Chicagoans, and T-Rexes, and more… all of us who refuse to bend the knee. so this is for US.
𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚕.
𝚆𝚎 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚆𝚒𝚗.

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 16h

My Godmother sent me an invite to her 40th wedding anniversary—addressed to "Rachel and family".

It's the first thing that would have been "Mr. and Mrs." to arrive that has been adjusted.

And I really love how gracefully my Godmother made the transition. ♥️ Helps make it all more REAL. EEE!

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 20h

aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 23h

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 18h

Gracias! He's a mensch!!

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 18h

I am BEYOND grateful for him.

He lives in Florida, now, so he popped back up for a few days this month just to help out. Means the world!!

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 18h

Not only has my Dad helped watch the kids today while we traded running party errands, made them meals, and helped me with cabinetry and cleaning... he ALSO just heated up my pasta fagiole and offered to make me cookies.

Like, y'all, real tears in my eyes.
VERY grateful for my Daddy. ♥️

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 21h

There has been no end to the flurry of movement today between kid stuff, work, appointments, and party prep.

But my amazing father is here.

It was a luck of the draw type thing—the party being moved to this weekend that he was already coming—and I'm SO thankful to have him.

Today's silver lining!

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Reverend Jesus "H" Christ @reverendjesus.com · 1d

Blessed are the frogs, for they keep making authoritarians look incredibly stupid

Three persons in inflatable frog costumes. One of them is holding a nicely painted sign with two little cartoon frogs holding hands, below the text "FROGS TOGETHER STRONG"

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1d

You are SO kind. Thank you. Definitely trying!

Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!

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The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 1d

Things are happening at Portland's ICE facility tonight.

Read more of our protest coverage here: www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Reposted by Rachel Esselle

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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Karly Kingsley @karlykingsley.bsky.social · 1d

The Trump administration is offering $60K in student loan forgiveness as a recruitment tool for ICE, which just proves fighting Biden on student loan relief was never about the loans or “paying your own debt.” It was about who was offering it and who it would’ve helped.

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1d

Do you mean the 2011 film?! Because, if so, I thought I was the only person who regularly thought about it!

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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social · 1d

Of all the clerics they could have popped, those ICE idiots had to hit Hot Priest.

Presbyterian minister David Black on CNN, who was shot with pepper balls while praying outside an ICE facility.

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1d

Awwww. Yay!

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Rachel Esselle @rachelsl.bsky.social · 1d

Weather in Virginia is TRICKY. Like, it's been 53 overnight and 81 during the day. We often joke that you can go through 3-4 seasons daily in this area!

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