Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

Martin Z. Olszynski @molszyns.bsky.social · 52m

Canada and *especially* Alberta, bearing in mind the industry has racked up $300 billion+ in unfunded closure liabilities that are tracking to land on taxpayers’ laps.

@gregmcleanyyc.bsky.social — if you weren’t aware, consider tuning in this Thursdag: www.energyvsclimate.com/invite-drill...

You're Invited - Drill & Dash: The Oil & Gas Liability Crisis with Martin Olszynski | Oct 16 at 4pm ET

Who'll be left paying the tab? Martin Olszynski, Associate Professor and Chair in Energy, Resources, & Sustainability at the University of Calgary, joins Energy vs Climate to unpack Alberta's mountin...

www.energyvsclimate.com

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Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 12h

While Trump was busy doing nothing to lower grocery prices, he used the presidency to double his family’s wealth.

He was never going to help you.
He was always going to help himself.

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Peter Schamerhorn @randchange.bsky.social · 9h

I find it so odd that Americans are so broadly supportive gun rights, with the perceived asymmetric violence (but it’s only for protection!) but are aghast that truly aggrieved people might throw a fist in protest. Try going to Paris where violent protest is a tradition.

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Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 12h

the broad public does not like chaos and disorder and everything you can do to emphasize that it is the federal government that is responsible for chaos and disorder is a point in your favor. it’s classic nonviolent confrontation!

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Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 14h

one of the reasons they're so mad at "no kings" is that they thought they were going to get a different kind of protest. they *want* the black bloc to be out there fighting with the cops. those are the images they've been trying to generate from "go." instead--

newrepublic.com/article/2016...

MAGA Rage at “No Kings” Boils Over—and It Quickly Backfires on Trump

As Trump allies smear the coming protests, a good writer on MAGA skewers the absurdity of these attacks on large swaths of Americans—and explains why our best recourse will be to turn out in force.

newrepublic.com

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 1d

Very jarring how the media treats some lives as inherently and others not.

I am happy for hostages and their families to be reunited, but it’s shocking how little media attention is given to “how do Gazans grapple with the utter destruction of their homes, vast loss of lives, and ongoing famine.”

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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 1d

Where is the Republican budget? By law it was required to be passed and in place by Sept 30th. Anyone seen it? Got any idea what might be in it? Why the f-ck is the House taking a month long vacation without getting their work done?

Dems ready to negotiate. Rs remain on vacation.

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 1d

Police officers who publicly declare that they’ll quit if a mayoral candidate they dislike wins the election are (1) usually bluffing—sure buddy, toss away that paycheck and pension—and (2) exactly the sort of cops cities would be better off without, ones who don’t see themselves as public servants.

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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 1d

Fox News ran this exact narrative yesterday about No Kings:

US PROTESTS
'No Kings' protest could attract paid agitators and foreign influence, crowd-for-hire CEO warns
Crowds on Demand CEO says manipulation and misinformation turn public expression into tools for profit
By Stepheny Price • Fox News
Published October 12, 2025 10:00am EDT

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Justin Ling @justinling.ca · 1d

All praise of Kusher is, really, just fawning over Mohammed bin Salman.

(And this praise is whack.)
thehub.ca/2025/10/13/j...

Jared Kushner—the world’s most underrated diplomat?

He is, objectively, the most successful diplomat of the post-war era

thehub.ca

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Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 2d

a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society

Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 2d

What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 2d

The search on Mar-a-Lago happened in August 2022. Jack Smith was appointed Special Counsel in November 2022.

Time, how does it work

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Eric Trump: "Sure enough, we find out that Jack Smith is planting manilla folders on the office of my father ... "

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alec karakatsanis @equalityalec.bsky.social · 2d

THREAD. Did you know that at about 1/3 of all stranger homicides in the U.S. are perpetrated by police? But there's something hidden here that is important to understand in this authoritarian moment.

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Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 1d

The idea that world events and life-or-death political decisions should turn on what one elderly US citizen sees on a TV sounds like the premise for a 1970s dystopian satire written by the most hysterical Marxist novelist seeking to magnify the moral rot and decadence of a declining American empire…

Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 1d

“One former senior Trump administration official from the first term tells Zeteo that…when Trump was publicly dangling the idea of attacking Iranian cultural sites…the president indeed… asked…aides what they thought of striking the specific targets offered up by the likes of Hegseth &…Sean Hannity.”

Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 2d

For my piece today at @zeteo.com i wanted to truly underscore how punishingly stupid american fascism is now. Like, my original proposed headline for this was:

Our Democracy Is Imperiled Because One Old Man Won’t Stop ‘Yelling’ At His TV. zeteo.com/p/trump-addi...

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Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 2d

the actual story here, which the media never talks about, is that police in this country have become a discrete right-wing political operation. the story isn't about cops leaving (they're lying about that), it's about the police trying to exert influence over elections.

Mark Misoshnik 🏴 @misoshnik.bsky.social · 3d

Lmao is this supposed to be a bad thing?

A tweet from Bari Weiss that says “"It's shaken me to my core," a lieutenant said of Mamdani's unexpected victory in June. "The absolute dread I feel is palpable.
"
Today in @TheFP our @Olivia_Reingold talks to the cops who say they will walk if Zohran Mamdani is elected in November:”

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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 2d

Multi billionaire conducts months of historical and theological research into the Antichrist. Discovers, shockingly, that one thing the Antichrist would definitely do is tax billionaires. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Done
theguardian.com
呃
Jump to
He believes the Armageddon will be ushered in by an antichrist-type figure who cultivates a fear of existential threats such as climate change, Al and nuclear war to amass inordinate power. The idea is this figure will convince people to do everything they can to avoid something like a third world war, including accepting a one-world order charged with protecting everyone from the apocalypse that implements a complete restriction of technological progress. In his mind, this is already happening. Thiel said that international financial bodies, which make it more difficult for people to shelter their wealth in tax havens, are one sign the antichrist may be amassing power and hastening Armageddon, saying: "It's become quite difficult to hide one's money."

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Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 3d

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY: Make your voices heard. Join us in a peaceful protest across our country against the most corrupt, deceitful & criminal Administration in U.S. History. We say NO KINGS, NO CROOKS, NO SPRAY-TAN CONMAN! 👎

Check for a location near you at: www.nokings.org

#BeThere 👍

No Kings

As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

www.nokings.org

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John @johnlk.bsky.social · 3d

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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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 3d

So the Dems need to be clear again that any FMer carrying out direction to implement mil paychecks in the absence of appropriations will be subject to anti-deficiency act criminal penalties, because to be clear even with the reconciliation slush fund BS there is no way to legally so this, period

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James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 3d

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 · 3d

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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Peter Schamerhorn @randchange.bsky.social · 3d

Really striking. Not surprising. Maybe a combination of both.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3d

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

Reposted by Peter Schamerhorn

Karen Dalton Beninato 🐦 @kbeninato.bsky.social · 3d

Lived through this at a small paper. Every consultant pitch seemed like what someone would recommend if they didn't want any more newspapers.

Blake Leyh @earlofedgecombe.bsky.social · 3d

If you think you know why US newspapers died, this feature documentary now streaming for free on PBS might surprise you. It wasn't the Internet. Newspapers were specifically targeted by vulture capitalists.

I composed the score for the film, which features electric cello & Crowfoot guitars.

Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink

A handful of journalists rebel against a hedge fund that is gutting newspapers nationwide.

www.pbs.org

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Athul K. Acharya @athul.acharya.cc · 3d

Me: I need someone to portray "Hitler Youth" stat
Central Casting: we gotchu fam

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3d

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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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 4d

Your regular reminder, aside from the performative public lying of far right authoritarians, that the GOP & the national media would have a week-long Discourse On Civility if <any Democrat> ever spoke about GOP voters/conservatives the way GOP leaders speak about Dem voters/liberals every single day

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 4d

The Speaker of the House is telling the Fox News audience that a peaceful demonstration by Americans on the National Mall will actually be a gathering of organizations the administration has designated as violent terrorists.

Seems bad?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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