Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Topher Brennan (he/they) @topherbrennan.bsky.social · 1h

Horrific Orwellian nonsense, blaming "antifa" for (1) things that aren't happening (2) right-wing violence that actually has happened. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Bondi: "We've been living through a horrific cycle of political violence in this country ... night after night antifa wrecks havoc on the streets of our cities. In Minnesota, a gunman murdered a state lawmaker and her husband."

Reposted by Topher Brennan (he/they)

Starfish Who Can’t Think Something Witty @irhottakes.bsky.social · 1h

It’s kind of hilarious that “RIP to Númenor, but I’m built different” is the ideology of the world‘s most influential and powerful Tolkien superfan.

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d

They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes.

But America’s billionaires, having taken care of the latter, are now trying to disrupt the former—and make sure nobody can pry their fortunes from their cold dead hands.

These billionaires want to disrupt death—and keep their fortunes forever

Sci-fi meets Silicon Valley meets the trust industry.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Topher Brennan (he/they)

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 3h

lol okay russ

this is going to be incredible and the likelihood a bunch of people not only do big boy crimes but irrevocably Break Something continues to increase

Charlie Thomas @cthomasjamh.bsky.social · 3h

apnews.com/article/trum... OMB says the money for the troops is going to be covered by R&D but we’re back at how does DFAS color that money (like legally how does it use that pot) and distribute it properly over a holiday weekend to meet a Wednesday suspense.

Trump directs the Pentagon to use 'all available funds' to ensure troops are paid despite shutdown

President Donald Trump says he's directed the Defense Department to use “all available funds” to ensure that U.S. troops are paid on Wednesday despite the government shutdown.

apnews.com

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Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 2h

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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Topher Brennan (he/they) @topherbrennan.bsky.social · 1h

The Trump administration has decided that it would rather steal money from the treasury than release the Epstein files; whatever's in them has got to be really bad.

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John @johnlk.bsky.social · 5h

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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Luke Steuber @lukesteuber.com · 2h

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
United we ribbit
Divided we croak
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Made a little kitchen sign there for ya

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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 6h

We will need Nuremberg-like trials

LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @longtimehistory.bsky.social · 8h

ICE secretly kidnap autistic boy during bathroom break—never notify parents.

Mother reported him missing a week ago—turns out ICE had him detained the whole time.

He was helping sell fruit and asked to go to the restroom—by the time she was done helping a customer he was gone.

Houston, Texas

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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 4h

Great statement.

Rep. Dan Goldman @repdangoldman.bsky.social · 4h

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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Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 6h

Madness. Absolute madness. This is entirely about the Epstein Files and you can't convince me otherwise at this point. Miller and Hegseth want Generals who will take over blue cities but it looks like that's clearly not a priority for the guy in charge. Number 1 is covering for him.

CNN @cnn.com · 12h

Top Republicans in Congress will take a massive gamble on shutdown politics in the coming days: GOP leaders will not step in to prevent missed paychecks to the military.

GOP leaders steadfast in shutdown stance despite rising pressure inside party | CNN Politics

Top Republicans in Congress will take a massive gamble on shutdown politics in the coming days: GOP leaders will not step in to prevent missed paychecks to the military.

www.cnn.com

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 4h

Illinois law requires all registered vehicles to display front and back license plates, without exception. But to evade accountability, masked federal immigration agents are driving around in unmarked cars without plates.
chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...?

Federal immigration officers wear masks, no name tags — now some drive cars without license plates

The Sun-Times has documented four unmarked cars carrying federal officers without required plates, offering another way to shield their identities. Federal officials say they’re meeting regulations.

chicago.suntimes.com

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Stephen Judkins @stephenjudkins.bsky.social · 4h

A reminder that Walz kept hitting the "weird" thing to the very end, neither Harris nor the vaguely defined "consultants" told him to stop, and the difference was the press stopped covering it

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Don't Fret. It Adores You @seed-corn-thoughts.bsky.social · 5h

Again:
1) If the RIFs are illegal, "We are going to divert appropriated funds to pay Da Troops" is double mega illegal, and that actually matters.
2) The military's payment system is so baroque I'm not sure it's even possible to do this
3) They just keep blowing up their own leverage.

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Noah Berlatsky @nberlat.bsky.social · 5h

pro Palestinian protestors were at the RNC. pro Palestinian protestors were just in DC. pro Palestinian protestors interrupted Trump's dinner a couple weeks ago.

you know you're in the wrong here, and you're spinning and thrashing. it's a bad look.

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Matt @tiredgenerally.bsky.social · 5h

in general, it is good if the incentives are such that we wonder if prosocial behaviors are motivated by cynicism

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 5h

an experience I think about a lot: I was visiting a class in DC Jail shortly after Kim Kardashian visited and had brought in her camera team. I relayed critiques of her "performative", "virtue signalling" acts I had heard on the outside. the response was somewhere between a shrug and an eye roll

utopia deferred @utopia-defer.red · 1d

anyone else notice that the west took a turn for the worse once the concept of signaling one’s own social virtue became derogatory, almost as if cynically deriding all displays of charity and good will is indicative of a deeply cynical and nihilistic society capable of collaborating in genocide

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Topher Brennan (he/they) @topherbrennan.bsky.social · 5h

Or at least, even if the set of choices weren't huge, they could really friggin' matter.

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Topher Brennan (he/they) @topherbrennan.bsky.social · 5h

5e is horrible about this. Earlier editions were better I think.

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Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · Nov 8

We ask everyone outside of the car to be safe so that drivers can be dangerous.

two kids crossing the street waving orange flags.
text: instead of dulling the sharpest of weapons, we hand out the weakest of shields.

rovélo creative

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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 5h

I understand the optics here but this is also literally why Charles met his end in Whitehall, either Article I means what it says or it doesn't and the Constitution is dissolved

Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 5h

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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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 6h

I have a theory www.theverge.com/policy/79849...

American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming

The Frog is owning the president.

www.theverge.com

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 1d

His slip of the tongue reveals who’s really in charge. trib.al/mIvP0yE

“Illinois governor says we’re provoking actions that are unlawful,” Miller said on CNN. “If I put federal law enforcement and National Guard into a nice sleepy Southern town, is anyone gonna riot?”

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(C)all (M)e "Shirley" or don't, I don't care @realcinematik.bsky.social · 5h

So many people need to go to prison forever.

August J. Pollak @augustjpollak.bsky.social · 7h

I love how the big news on Trump’s tariff announcement is how moments before he made it a bunch of people made insanely profitable shorts on crypto, a thing that Bitcoin Bros are all astounded to see happening in a completely unregulated market of a fake currency primarily used by criminals.

BREAKING: Look at this.

A new crypto account was opened yesterday morning.

30 minutes BEFORE Trump's announcement of 100% tariffs on China, it added a huge multi-million dollar levered Bitcoin short position, per YF.

The market dumped.

The trader made a profit of $192 million in two hours.

Unusual.

JUST IN: An anonymous trader opened massive crypto short positions just 30 minutes before Trump’s tariff announcements yesterday.

They made an estimated $192M in profits.

Donald Trump needs to go to jail. He is thief, he is literally robbing people internationally.

He announced 100% Tarrifs on China and sends the US stock market into a death spiral.

At the same time someone put over 1 Billion dollars into crypto with orders for 100 million being placed on Ethereum and Bitcoin and other crypto currencies across the board whilst markets got wiped after what he said. Billions, and I mean fucking billions got wiped out, whilst Bitcoin had it a biggest dip ever in a single candle losing 20k per Bitcoin, Whilst alt coins lost over 60-70% of value, everyone with leverage on the market with even 2 x leverage got murdered and robbed.

This was co ordinated, this was market manipulation with one anonymous wallet making over 200 million dollars in one day with trades showing that they knew Trump was going to announce this and crash the market.

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HazelCakes @hazelcakes.bsky.social · 5h

he’s the governor of the state, he sets an example for acceptable behavior.

When he goes out of his way to justify turning my existence into a “discussion,” i get called a faggot on the train, i get glared at in the bathroom, i hear about this 24/7

the man is evil and glib

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HazelCakes @hazelcakes.bsky.social · 5h

the one where he told charlie kirk he was completely aligned with him on trans issues

the one where he platformed dr phil to drag trans people

the one where he platformed steve bannon to drag trans people

the one where he platformed michael savage to drag trans people

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Mike Black @mikeblack114.bsky.social · 5h

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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