Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 5h

The White House keeps making a big deal of the fact that the ballroom is privately funded but that’s one of the worst things about it.

These people and companies are buying influence. None of this is okay.

Rapid Response 47
@RapidResponse47
X.com
A lot of FAKE OUTRAGE over construction of the big, beautiful (and privately funded) White House Ballroom.
FACT: Presidents have been renovating and expanding the White House for more than 100 years.
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt built the West Wing.
In 1909, President William Howard Taft added the first Oval Office during a West Wing expansion.

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averinjanet.bsky.social @averinjanet.bsky.social · 5h

#ChrisMurphy

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 2d

Trump's federal agents shot Marimar Martinez, a US citizen, multiple times for allegedly menacing them with her car in Chicago. Only hours later, Kristi Noem and DHS started spreading disinformation about the shooting.

Now the official line is crumbling. 1/

(link)
newrepublic.com/article/2019...

Trump’s Secret Police Shot a Citizen. Then Damning New Info Emerged.

As the official Trump administration line about the shooting of a Chicago woman crumbles, Senator Chris Murphy is asking pointed questions about what really happened here. Will we ever get answers?

newrepublic.com

averinjanet.bsky.social @averinjanet.bsky.social · 7h

DHS Asks OpenAI to Unmask User Behind ChatGPT Prompts, Possibly the First Such Case - Gizmodo

What the child abuser in the WH?

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House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Democrats @democrats-veterans.house.gov · 14h

"We have an active duty servicemember swept up in an ICE raid who hasn't been allowed to talk to his family since September 3rd."

During last week's roundtable, Col. Saenz called for immediate Congressional oversight to protect veterans and servicemembers from ICE agents.

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Kyle @kyleshivers.bsky.social · 10h

Republicans: You can’t tear down Civil War statues because that’s our history

Also Republicans:

Mr. Dan Zak @mrdanzak.com · 11h

Trump has begun tearing down some of the White House, for his ballroom. wapo.st/4hqBNiU

White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom

The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.

wapo.st

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Simon • Beats🎶❤️‍🔥🎶 @simonjester007.bsky.social · 8h

youtu.be/lUzyJWgCqJk?... #NoKings #NoTyrants

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 9h

The East Wing was first added in 1942, under Franklin D. Roosevelt, primarily to provide office space for the First Lady’s staff and to conceal a newly built underground bunker known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) during World War II.

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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 13h

It’s long past time for Speaker Johnson to do his job and swear in Arizona Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva. She won on September 23rd that’s 26 days ago.

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Merewolf Smith 💀 @evilgalprods.bsky.social · 8h

I’ll be honest, I did not expect these photos to make me as viscerally angry as they do

Helen Kennedy @helenkennedy.bsky.social · 9h

WHAT THE FUCK

One side of the White House has just been ripped out

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Arlene Kirsch ❌👑 10.18.25 Peaceful Love America Event @arliek.bsky.social · 10h

No words.
Beyond horrific.

Radio Free America @radiofreeflorida.bsky.social · 14h

“…video shows an agent grabbing Afghanistan war veteran Daryn Herzberg by the hair and slamming his face into the ground multiple times while saying, “You’re not talking shit any more are you?”

#RadioFreeAmerica

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Lawmakers slam Ice after US military veterans are arrested, injured

The Guardian revealed how US veterans have been injured and arrested at protests against Ice deportations

www.theguardian.com

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Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · Apr 14

There’s been no doubt where this was headed. Trump repeatedly said he intended to send Americans to foreign prisons. Justice Sotomayor got that. The conservatives on the Court have no excuse, but they acted like they expected Trump to fall in line & obey, when all evidence was to the contrary.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Apr 14

Trump to Bukele: "Home-growns are next. The home-growns. You gotta build about five more places. It's not big enough."

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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 8h

Congressman's alleged affair with aide before she set herself on fire

The Republican allegedly had an affair with his senior aide, multiple sources have told the Daily Mail. She later died after dousing herself with gasoline and setting herself on fire at home.

www.dailymail.co.uk

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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 8h

🚨 Married GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales allegedly had an affair with his senior aide, Regina Aviles — who was found dead after she supposedly doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire, per The Daily Mail.

Uvalde Police are blocking release of the 911 call, video & records. (Daily Mail)

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 10h

BREAKING: Ninth Circuit panel, on a 2-1 vote, allows Trump to deploy National Guard troops in Portland during litigation. Both judges siding with Trump were appointed by Trump in his first term.

Background at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com/p/the-trials...

Before: Susan P. Graber, Ryan D. Nelson, and Bridget S. Bade, Circuit Judges.
Concurrence by Judge R. Nelson; Dissent by Judge Graber.
PER CURIAM:
Defendants-Appellants, President Donald J. Trump, Secretary of Defense
Peter Hegseth, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in their official
capacities, the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) (collectively, Defendants), seek an emergency stay of the district
court’s October 4, 2025 temporary restraining order (TRO) enjoining the President’s
Case: 25-6268, 10/20/2025, DktEntry: 61.1, Page 2 of 93
order to federalize 200 members of the Oregon National Guard for 60 days to protect
federal personnel and property at the Lindquist Building, an Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Oregon. After considering the
record at this preliminary stage, we conclude that it is likely that the President
lawfully exercised his statutory authority under 10 U.S.C. § 12406(3), which
authorizes the federalization of the National Guard when “the President is unable
with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.” The evidence the
President relied on reflects a “colorable assessment of the facts and law within a
‘range of honest judgment.’” Newsom v. Trump, 141 F.4th 1032, 1051 (9th Cir.
2025) (per curiam) (quoting Sterling v. Constantin, 287 U.S. 378, 399 (1932)). We
thus conclude that Defendants are likely to succeed on the merits of their appeal, and
that the other stay factors weigh in their favor. We grant Defendants’ motion for a
stay pending appeal.

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Reposted

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Apr 14

credit to @titonka.bsky.social for flagging this

Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka.bsky.social · Apr 14

Before press came in — but while live feed was running on Bukele’s feed — Trump said to him: “home-growns are next. … You’re gonna need to build about 5 more places.”

x.com/nayibbukele/...

x.com

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 8h

Trump let George Santos out of jail just to make it clear that if you're loyal to him, you can get away with anything. This isn't a democracy if one man decides what's a crime and what isn't.

Time for everyone to wake up. This moment is more serious than many want to believe.

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Harms Committed @harmscommitted.com · 9h

"Israel has committed at least 80 violations of the ceasefire agreement since it began just 10 days ago."

"[K]illed 97 Palestinians and injured over 230 amid the ceasefire."
#Gaza #Palestine #Israel #Genocide

Gaza Officials Say Israel Has Violated Ceasefire 80 Times in First 10 Days

Israel carried out a bombardment on Sunday after two Israeli soldiers were apparently killed in an explosion.

truthout.org

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CAKE @thebandcake.bsky.social · 8h

Powerful MAGA

Luca Migo ❌👑 @victinibcn.bsky.social · 8h

Politico releases Trump’s nominee’s outrageous private messages. Another example of how racist and bigoted those fascist people are.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday belongs in ‘hell’ and that he has ‘Nazi streak,’ according to texts

Paul Ingrassia’s bid to lead a whistleblower agency is set for a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.

www.politico.com

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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 1d

Prime example of white privilege in plain sight.

Black kids get called adults to justify blame, while white adults get called “kids” to excuse their hate. They’re not boys and girls, they’re grown-ass men and women, and the receipts are in writing.

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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Aug 28

Newsom: Perhaps the president could deploy the National Guard in every corner of Mississippi. Murder rate is out of control there. And the governor may want to make that phone call.

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Brian Klaas @brianklaas.bsky.social · 10h

The Democrats need to get a hell of a lot of cameras on the White House and plaster the photos everywhere. It's not just the brazen symbol of a megalomaniac destroying national heritage; it's happening during a government shutdown when ordinary people aren't getting paid. Make every American see it.

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JonZoidberg @jonzoidberg.xyz · 8h

Trump and Rubio sold out our informants and gave them to Bukele to torture and kill in exchange for access to his gulags for U.S. immigrants.

This will be one of the most shameful chapters of U.S. foreign policy.

www.salon.com/2025/10/19/r...

Rubio puts US informants at risk in El Salvador deal - Salon.com

US agree to send informants to El Salvador, critics now question law enforcement credibility and ethical risks

www.salon.com

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averinjanet.bsky.social @averinjanet.bsky.social · 8h

Seat Grijalva, release the files, impeach

J'Net @jannetteb.bsky.social · 8h

He's so far gone he can't tell when he's making a bad decision anymore. Is sending live ammunitions over a major freeway into Camp Pendleton a good decision? No. It's not. Let alone one that's being made by a president of the United States.

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 1d

most people don't want politics that hurt other people. we just want a long overcoat like david bowie and affordable housing

David Bowie in Japan. He's waling up some steps while wearing a long black coat and smoking a cigarette.

David Bowie in Japan. He's standing in front of a train while wearing a long light-colored coat.

David Bowie in Japan. He's riding a subway car while wearing a long dark-colored coat.

David Bowie in Japan. He's walking away from a train while wearing a long black coat, gray checked scarf, charcoal trousers, and black shoes.

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George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 1d

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