Author | Lightnews

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Alex A. Pagliuca @alexpagliuca.bsky.social · 4d

On the Capitol lawn in Richmond VA today.

The image shows a large government building with classical architectural features, including tall white columns and a triangular pediment. In front of the building, on a green grassy area, are large, free-standing letters that spell out "TAX THE RICH." Several people are gathered on the grass and around the letters, some appear to be holding signs, with the clear blue sky above them. The building has an American flag flying at the top of the pediment.

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VPM News @vpm.org · 5d

BREAKING: The University of Virginia has become the fifth school to reject the "Compact for Academic Excellence" that was initially sent to nine universities.

UVA rejects Trump administration’s ‘Compact for Academic Excellence'

"We will continue to work to strengthen free expression and free inquiry in an increasingly polarized world."

www.vpm.org

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · 6d

💯 "Jewish Americans told us — by a margin of nearly 3 to 1 — that Trump manipulates antisemitism dishonestly, using it as an excuse to pause or cut university funding. Only about 1/4 of all Jews nationwide believe the president 'truly cares about protecting Jewish students on college campuses.' "

Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 6d

Commentary: A wide majority of Jewish Americans say President Trump is exploiting antisemitism in disingenuous fashion — that it’s a thinly veiled disguise to justify his assault on higher education, as revealed by a national survey.

Professors: Most Jewish Americans believe Donald Trump is exploiting antisemitism to assault universities

A wide majority of Jewish Americans say Trump is exploiting antisemitism in disingenuous fashion, as revealed by a national survey.

www.chicagotribune.com

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Adam Seats 🔜 PAXU @iknowadamseats.bsky.social · 16d

Do you want a real and tangible way to help folks with legal aid needs here in RVA? Do you want to get a bunch of games while you do it? These folks have put together a massive bundle of games, money goes to Central VA Legal Aid Society & the Legal Aid Justice Center.

Swan and Raven Studio @swanandravenstudio.com · 17d

Drumroll please...

HELLO//GOODBYE is a charity bundle containing 203 games for only $12. Every dollar goes directly to Virginia charities providing free legal aid to people facing injustice. Available now until November 5th.

itch.io/b/3276/hello...

HELLO//GOODBYE Charity Bundle for Legal Aid. available until November 5th, 6PM EST

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Jon Becker @jonbecker.bsky.social · 20d

This is all so horrific. This guy is legally here and has been for 25 years. But it seems he may have been caught once, over 4 years ago, driving without a license. Now, he is detained in prison indefinitely waiting to find out if he will be deported. He has a 17 year old soon who is terrified.

Jahd Khalil @jahd.bsky.social · 20d

ICE detains lawfully present Richmond father as son waits for school bus www.vpm.org/news/2025-10...

ICE detains lawfully present Richmond father as son waits for school bus

Silviano Mora Vera's U visa should have insulated him from detention.

www.vpm.org

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Preorder Read This When Things Fall Apart @mskellymhayes.bsky.social · 25d

"I believe in living.
I believe in birth.
I believe in the sweat of love
and in the fire of truth.

And i believe that a lost ship,
steered by tired, seasick sailors,
can still be guided home
to port.”

― Assata Shakur

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · 27d

Teachers in Virginia were paid just 2/3rds of what their peers in other professions made between 2019 and 2024. That's the 5th worst pay penalty in the country. We can do better. #FundOurSchools

Economic Policy Institute @epi.org · 27d

The US has been leaving school teachers behind for nearly 30 years.

In 20 states, teachers made 25% less than their peers.

What’s the teacher pay gap in your state?

Find out here: www.epi.org/publication/...

Map of the US titled: “How big is the teaching penalty in your state?” Map shows the relative teacher pay penalty for each state, ranging from 38.5% to 10%

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John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · Sep 22

I mean, we are living in two different realities now, and this really hasn't always been the case.

Partisan views on "more crime": used to move fairly closely, but now radically different (90% say up for GOP, 29% for Dems).

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Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · Sep 19

Crucially, there is STILL TIME TO STOP THIS.

The Trump administration has proven legally incompetent and vulnerable to concerted pushback. But this only works if people who care about democracy refuse dooming, and realize they still have agency. www.vox.com/politics/462...

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Sharon Parrott @sharonparrott.bsky.social · Sep 20

The Administration acknowledged that it will stop the survey that measures food insecurity, just as tariffs push up food prices and the deep cuts to food assistance enacted in July start to take effect. Congress must intervene to save these vital data. www.wsj.com/economy/trum...

Exclusive | Trump Administration Cancels Annual Hunger Survey

The government has been measuring food insecurity since the mid-1990s but now says the report has become “overly politicized.”

www.wsj.com

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Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · Sep 20

The H1-B visa thing is, like everything else in the Trump administration, set up to carve up exceptions for friends and punish enemies. It’s the authoritarian thru-line that stitches everything together.

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Aaron Fritschner @fritschner.bsky.social · Sep 12

The mortgage fraud claim against Lisa Cook is false, per documents obtained by Reuters.

Bill Pulte's accusation, the sole pretext Trump used to fire her from the Fed, was that she claimed two homes as primary residence.

These docs show she did not.
www.reuters.com/world/us/fed...

Exclusive: Fed Governor Cook declared her Atlanta property as “vacation home,” documents show

A loan estimate for an Atlanta home purchased by Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor accused of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration, shows that Cook had declared the property as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed by Reuters.

www.reuters.com

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Joanna LeFebvre @joannalefebvre.bsky.social · Sep 11

Once again, Florida shows what’s waiting for other states that careen toward universal school vouchers: public schools that can’t pay teachers, school closures that dislocate communities, & budget woes from trying to fund two separate education systems. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Sep 11

Come work with me at @tcifiscal.bsky.social as our new communications & engagement associate! thecommonwealthinstitute.org/wp-content/u...

thecommonwealthinstitute.org

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Sep 8

Everyone deserves a union. Congratulations to Fairfax County workers and SEIU 512! #OrganizeTheSouth #UnionsForAll

Twitter screenshot from SEIU Virginia State Council (@SEIU_Virginia) saying "BREAKING: 11,000+ Fairfax General County employees united in @SEIUVA512 have reached a tentative agreement on their first union contract— the largest public sector organizing win for general county workers in Virginia history! #UnionsForAll #OrganizeTheSouth"

Timestamp is 8:25am on Sep 8, 2025

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Sep 4

There were two herons tonight within eyeshot of the t-pott bridge on my walk with @tedheck.bsky.social .

I'm going to be sad when Brown's Island is temporarily closed, but at least the bridge will stay open. #rva

A photo of a great blue heron standing in shallow water near some gray rocks and watching for fish.

A great blue heron standing in shallow water between some gentle rapids and a concrete structure that has some black and red graffiti.

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · Aug 25

Kilmar, speaking to “all the families who have been separated, or to all the families who have been threatened with family separation” near the end of his remarks:

“God is with us, and God will never leave us. God will bring justice to all of you.”

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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · Aug 23

📣“We shouldn’t have to go out there and do wrong to our own people.” 📣

43 African American soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas refused deployment for riot control at DNC in Chicago, #tdih 1968.

Punished with court-martial, hard labor, & reductions in rank.

www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/fo...

August 23, 1968: Forty-Three Black Soldiers Stage Sit-In at Ft. Hood

When the “Fort Hood 43” refused to board a plane to Chicago for riot-control duty against fellow African Americans, their non-violent act became one of the largest demonstrations of dissent in U.S. mi...

www.zinnedproject.org

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Aug 20

Glad to live in a city where the schools and school board have a lot of folks who are doing what they can.

Ali Faruk @alifarukrva.bsky.social · Aug 19

Today was the first day of school! This year you’ll hear #rva public schools talk more about a “sense of belonging” in our schools. Our goal is to ensure that every child — no matter how they define themselves — feels more than welcomed; we want them to feel that they belong.

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Aug 17

"Despite predictions of substantial millionaire flight, the # of millionaires and ultra-wealthy individuals in Massachusetts grew significantly over the first two years the Fair Share Amendment was in place. The state has experienced revenue gains...that are more than double...initial expectations"

Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · Aug 17

This oped builds off this news from last week that I want to share because that's a boss headline

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/08/m...

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Economic Policy Institute @epi.org · Aug 14

REMINDER: If billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos paid their fair share, we could afford to EXPAND benefits and strengthen Social Security’s customer service!

Instead, Republicans are cutting Social Security and giving tax cuts to billionaires.

A graphic with a photo of Elon Musk sneering in a tuxedo. The white text says, “REMINDER: If billionaires like Elon Musk paid their fair share, we could afford to EXPAND benefits and keep every local Social Security office open!”

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Sen. Danica Roem @pwcdanica.bsky.social · Aug 14

The richest people in the country got a massive tax break while Virginians who need help to afford health insurance got completely, utterly screwed by the federal Republicans who voted for the Big, Dumb Belching Bear Bill.

Now Virginia’s government has to figure out how to clean up their mess.

Duke Phillips points at The Bears Who Sing for Duke — one of whom hiccups after drinking moonshine — while laughing and saying, “Big dumb belching bear.”

Same energy as the POTUS signing a bill he knows doesn’t help anyone but entertains himself greatly.

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Aug 14

Virginia Sec of Finance Cummings says at annual budget presentation that there's no impact from OBBB in FY2026. Because apparently people losing access to food assistance (shown in his own slide) doesn't matter

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VAPLAN @vaplan.bsky.social · Aug 14

Things looking bad for jobs in Virginia--bear in mind that most federal workers who took "The Fork" don't actually become unemployed until September 28 (or end of December if in the second wave).

Note espec. manufacturing jobs dismal here (despite the beloved "right to work").

Chart on left shows monthly job gains in Virginia, falling from the beginning of 2022 to nearly zero by this month. Chart on left shows what industries job gains are coming from, mainly education and health services and construction, with major losses in services, manufacturing and mining.

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Levi Goren @bmorerva.bsky.social · Aug 14

In addition to the expected "Virginia is the best" content, #VaGov dropped the info that Virginia has had $2.5 Billion in federal grants delayed or cancelled this year. Although about $2.2 billion were eventually reinstated, that's a lot of uncertainty and turmoil

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