Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 3d

The nation's third-largest city has become the latest flashpoint in the Trump administration's intensifying deportation campaign and crackdown on crime in Democratic-led cities.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Trump threatens jail for Chicago mayor, Illinois gov. amid ICE, National Guard tension

President Donald Trump called for the arrests of Chicago's mayor and Illinois' governor as the city braced for the arrival of National Guard troops.

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Marc Ramirez

Kristina Cooke @kristinacooke.bsky.social · 7d

I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.

Ted Hesson @tedhesson.bsky.social · 7d

US Border Patrol raid sweeps in citizens, families as Chicago crackdown intensifies, w/ @reneehickman.bsky.social @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

US Border Patrol raid sweeps in citizens, families as Chicago crackdown intensifies

U.S. Border Patrol agents deployed to Chicago led a late-night raid on an apartment building this week, rappelling from helicopters onto rooftops and breaking down doors in an operation authorities said targeted gang members but which swept up U.S. citizens and families.

www.reuters.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 10d

“To some people it’s a point of great pride, but to others it’s an evil symbol of the horrible things done to Native people," said Tom Lawrence, a 4th-generation South Dakotan, of the iconic landmark.

Steeped in controversy, Mount Rushmore marks 100th anniversary
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Steeped in controversy, Mount Rushmore marks 100th anniversary of its birth

Some have floated the idea of adding President Donald Trump’s head to Mount Rushmore despite such a feat's structural impracticality.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 15d

The parents called the plan 'unthinkable,' saying: "You are preparing to invite children to swim in the very river that may still hold our daughter’s body."

Parents of girl missing in Camp Mystic flooding 'devastated' by reopening plan
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Parents of girl missing from Camp Mystic flooding 'devastated' by reopening plan

"You are preparing to invite children to swim in the very river that may still hold our daughter’s body," Cici and Will Steward wrote to camp owners.

www.usatoday.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 18d

“They’re acknowledging that this is a space that’s not optional," said Catholic influencer Angie Bosio. "We need to evangelize, and this is a space that people are occupying and we need to bring our Catholic culture into that space.”
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Don't call them influencers: 'Digital missionaries' earn Vatican's blessing

While other faiths have adapted to social media, the Catholic Church is unique in embracing its influencers, or what it calls 'digital missionaries.'

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Marc Ramirez

The Daily Beast @thedailybeast.bsky.social · 23d

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt now has a Secret Service detail.

Trump Gifts Leavitt Own Secret Service After Axing Kamala’s

The move comes after Trump’s administration urged Congress to approve a $58 million increase in security.

trib.al

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 24d

“There is absolutely no good reason that Donald Trump took away this specialized help for LGBTQ youth. Mental health does not see partisan lines or geography.” - Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, the bill's co-sponsor

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Senators introduce bill to reinstate LGBTQ+ youth crisis lifeline eliminated by Trump

The 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act would direct HHS to dedicate funding toward reviving the program, which the Trump administration scrapped in July.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 24d

USA TODAY: Senators introduce bipartisan bill to reinstate LGBTQ youth crisis lifeline eliminated by Trump

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Senators introduce bill to reinstate LGBTQ+ youth crisis lifeline eliminated by Trump

The 988 LGBTQ+ Youth Access Act would direct HHS to dedicate funding toward reviving the program, which the Trump administration scrapped in July.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · 25d

'It will be important to determine if the Nebraska herd represents a new bird-to-cow infection, or if the virus was brought into the state by an already infected cow,' said U-Penn microbiology professor Scott Hensley.

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Nebraska confirms state's first case of bird flu in dairy herd as US outbreak persists

Bird flu cases have been confirmed in more than 1,000 herds nationwide since the virus was first found in dairy cows in March 2024.

www.usatoday.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Sep 10

“They all believe... some people should be in charge and others are meant to be followers. That weaves in misogyny, because the people perceived to be appropriately at top are always men, so by definition women have a secondary position.” - UNF prof. Julie Ingersoll
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

How segments of Christianity overlap with the manosphere and what it means for women

The rise of the manosphere, with its call for a return to traditional gender roles, reflects a backlash to power-shifting cultural changes.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 31

“You get about an eight-minute window where you can try to give your congregation some consolation and remind them that good is ultimately stronger than evil," said Fr. Rich Miserendino of Virginia, preparing to deliver his Sunday homily.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Evil showed its face at Minneapolis church. What can priests say to comfort the faithful?

While some pastors may want to craft homilies around calls for gun control or political criticism, others say focusing on faith may be more helpful.

www.usatoday.com

Reposted by Marc Ramirez

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Aug 25

More Dems should have the courage to make this point. Trump officials conducting his unconstitutional orders should remember - every autocracy eventually falls. MAGA will be no different. Trump cannot shield them forever. Their participation in this blatant illegality is being thoroughly documented.

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Reposted by Marc Ramirez

Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Aug 25

Illinois Gov. Pritzker on potential National Guard deployment to Chicago:

"This is about Trump searching for every justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try intimidate his political rivals... to circumvent our democracy, militarise our cities and end elections."

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 23

With its newly released laser-engraved coin, “the Mint is trying to send a very public message by coming up with new technology that will thwart counterfeiters and set them back generations.”
-- Scott Travers of COINage magazine
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

US Mint issues first laser-engraved coin. Some say it sends a message to counterfeiters

Numismatic experts say counterfeit coins are rampant. The US Mint says its new laser technology is a means to deter forgeries.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 11

'I haven’t seen so many Black girls in cowboy hats and boots, ever. We’ve had our rodeos, but city slickers were never in tune with it. Now, it’s like the floodgates opened.'
-- former bull riding champ Danell Tipton, citing Beyonce's influence on Black rodeo
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Why all-Black rodeo events are 'so hot right now'

The nation's longest running Black rodeo is among a handful of events some say have seen a boost due to Beyonce's groundbreaking 2024 country album.

www.usatoday.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 9

'When Beyoncé released that country album, she told Black people it’s okay to wear cowboy boots and cowboy hats,' said former champion bull rider Danell Tipton, now arena director for the nation's longest running Black rodeo.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Why all-Black rodeo events are 'so hot right now'

The nation's longest running Black rodeo is among a handful of events some say have seen a boost due to Beyonce's groundbreaking 2024 country album.

www.usatoday.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 8

Weapons: the film’s horror stems from moral disengagement – a psychologist explains
theconversation.com/weapons-the-...

Weapons: the film’s horror stems from moral disengagement – a psychologist explains

The film illustrates how someone’s own brain can transform them from a decent person into the villain in someone else’s story.

theconversation.com

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 5

Police had found nearly 200 decomposing bodies at the Colorado facility.

“My son lay in the corner of an inoperable refrigerator for 4 years with rats and maggots eating his body and his face,” one mother told CBS. “Twenty years doesn't begin to count for justice."
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Ex-Colorado funeral home owner cuts plea deal in case involving improperly stored corpses

Carie Hallford and her husband Jon faced charges linked to the case in which police found nearly 200 decomposing bodies at their facility.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Aug 3

Live competition and performance offer communal experience on a massive scale, but they also offer a chance to make memories and — with the aid of kiss cams — to become part of the entertainment ourselves.

USA TODAY: For better or worse, Kiss Cams are here to stay

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

America's fascination with the kiss cam: For better or worse, it's here to stay

Whether lighthearted distraction or comic relief, the ubiquitous feature at arenas and stadiums is as American as apple pie.

www.usatoday.com

Reposted by Marc Ramirez

Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · May 30

Musk should be asked about this in every interview he does now and forever. To ignore it is a dereliction of duty.

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...

There is one place, however, where Musk, with the help of his minions, achieved his goals. He did indeed shred U.S.A.I.D. Though a rump operation is now operating inside the State Department, the administration says that it has terminated more than 80 percent of U.S.A.I.D. grants. Brooke Nichols, an associate professor of global health at Boston University, has estimated that these cuts have already resulted in about 300,000 deaths, most of them of children, and will most likely lead to significantly more by the end of the year. That is what Musk’s foray into politics accomplished.

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Jul 30

Virginia councilman set on fire outside workplace in 'senseless act of violence'
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Virginia councilman set on fire outside workplace in 'senseless act of violence'

A coworker of Vogler's said a man had forced his way into the Danville, Virginia, office with a five-gallon bucket of gasoline.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Jul 23

Not just mailing it in: On Saturday, #USPS marks 250 years of delivering mail, keeping Americans connected and, dadgummit -- upholding democracy

www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Whether by train, plane or dog sled, the US Postal Service has kept America connected

Conceived as a broad public service, the postal service was key to US independence, Western expansion and ensuring an informed citizenry.

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Marc Ramirez

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · Jul 21

Constitutional crisis is here

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Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Jul 17

Feds say existing hotline will focus on serving all callers regardless of background. LGBTQ youth are 4x more likely to attempt suicide than peers.

USA TODAY: 'Keeps me up at night': Advocates fear fallout as an LGBTQ+-focused suicide lifeline ends

'Keeps me up at night': Advocates fear fallout as an LGBTQ+ suicide lifeline ends

Research shows bias and lack of support make LGBTQ+ young people more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

www.usatoday.com

Marc Ramirez @typewriterninja.bsky.social · Jul 2

Remembering Jimmy Swaggart, whose mastery of pulpit and piano made him an icon of a bygone era
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...

Pioneering televangelist Jimmy Swaggart's rise and fall remembered

Swaggart embodied the transition from traveling evangelist to radio preacher and then televangelist, garnering huge audiences along the way.

www.usatoday.com