Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Brad Bolman

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 1d

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 3h

It’s a huge day for guys who named their dog after Krasznahorkai years ago (me)

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 6h

László Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel prize in literature 2025

The author was announced as winner at a ceremony in Stockholm • Nobel prize in literature 2025 live: László Krasznahorkai wins ‘for his compelling and visionary oeuvre’ The Nobel prize in literature for 2025 has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, the Swedish Academy has announced. The Academy cited the 71-year-old’s “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 18h

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Jennifer Smith Richards @jsmithrichards.bsky.social · 15h

To understand the Trump administration’s vision for American education, @megomatz.bsky.social and I studied dozens of hours of political appointees’ speeches and podcasts and essays. What emerged is a desire to dismantle the nation’s system of public schools.

These Activists Want to Dismantle Public Schools. Now They Run the Education Department.

Under Trump, the Department of Education has been bringing in activists hostile to public schools. It could mean a new era of private and religious schools boosted by tax dollars — and the end of publ...

www.propublica.org

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Patrick De Klotz @patdeklotz.bsky.social · 17h

American citizen, read this. www.koin.com/news/portlan...

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Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 19h

If the regime does go after DSA, the appropriate response will be for as many people as possible to become dues-paying members.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21h

Jonathan Choe to Trump: "Another group right now that is behind antifa and working with antifa very closely based on the research that we have right now that we're gonna give to you and your team are the Democratic Socialists of America."

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Stephen Totilo @stephentotilo.bsky.social · 22h

SCOOP: Last year, Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin's Creed game set during Reconstruction. Was to feature a Black Assassin who, among other things, fought the rise of the Klan

Sources: Leadership nixed it over concerns re: U.S. political climate, backlash to Yasuke

www.gamefile.news/p/scoop-ubis...

Scoop: Ubisoft cancelled a post-Civil War Assassin’s Creed last year

Company leadership deemed the project too controversial for the moment, sources tell Game File

www.gamefile.news

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Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 1d

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 1d

The First Amendment explicitly guarantees:

-the right of the people peaceably to assemble
-to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
-the free exercise of religion
-freedom of speech

If this priest had also been press, ICE would have violated all five 1A freedoms at once.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s video of the incident

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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: David Adler—a Jewish American on the Gaza aid Flotilla—details Israeli detention.

At one point, he says, he was forced to his knees for a photo op with the Israeli flag, as Ben Gvir yelled in his face, calling him a terrorist.

Says US "hung up" on families of Americans, veterans seeking help.

EXCLUSIVE: Freed Flotilla Activist David Adler Details His ‘Violent Abduction’ by Israel

The Jewish American writer says Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir specifically targeted him, forcing a photo op with the Israeli flag and calling him a “terrorist.”

zeteo.com

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Thea Riofrancos @triofrancos.bsky.social · 2d

The US government has acquired stakes in a 3rd mining company, Trilogy Metals. The Trump admin now owns equity in rare earths (MP Materials), lithium (Lithium Americas), and copper (Trilogy). This "right-wing resource nationalism" derisks mining assets, inflates share values & deregulates governance

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Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 2d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 3d

They’re using American tax dollars to fund infrastructure in Argentina because that’s where they’re all going to flee when we kick them out of office

Ryan Grim @ryangrim.bsky.social · 7d

After announcing a $20 billion bailout of Argentina, the White House now says it's pausing $18 billion in funding for NYC infrastructure projects

Russ Vought would love nothing more than to tear this country down to its studs

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Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 4d

I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 5d

projects.propublica.org/trump-food-c...

Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.

ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...

projects.propublica.org

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Eric Reinhart @eric-reinhart.com · 5d

ICE just blatantly violated the law and arrested sitting Chicago Alderperson Jessie Fuentes while seeking to illegally arrest a patient in a hospital. Fuck these fascists.

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 6d

One Battle After Another was really fun! Our little theater crowd was hooting and hollering in a way I haven't experienced in a long time at a movie

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 7d

And his first term, too! Sisyphean journalism

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noam chompers @noamchompers.bsky.social · 7d

We need to learn from the journalistic failures during the Biden administration
[literally the exact same thing immediately happens again]
everyone good with doing the exact same thing?

Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 7d

Why aren’t reporters covering the president’s obvious mental decline? Well, I suspect there will be quite a few SHOCKING tell-all NYT bestsellers after Trump’s term about how he was senile and Miller/Vance ran the White House

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 7d

Why aren’t reporters covering the president’s obvious mental decline? Well, I suspect there will be quite a few SHOCKING tell-all NYT bestsellers after Trump’s term about how he was senile and Miller/Vance ran the White House

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 7d

“If you can beat the oligarchs here…that will send a message to every community in America that real change is possible.”

More of my conversation with Bernie Sanders on democracy, oligarchy and his time as Mayor.

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 8d

I also think this is an essential point re: the push for “neutrality” by universities on the assumption their scholars can somehow use their individuals voices more effectively

Science Vs @sciencevs.bsky.social · 8d

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

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Jon Walker @jonwalkerpdx.bsky.social · 8d

I still can't get over the surreal experience of watching Trump effectively telling all our generals he is going to order them to kill American citizens in my city in a speech that he also stopped midway through to spend 5 minutes explaining how he is so smart for walks down stairs slowly.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Trump: "I'm very careful when I walk down stairs, like I'm on stairs, I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record. Just try not to fall because it doesn't work out well."

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Brad Bolman @bolman.bsky.social · 9d

“Oh you served in Fallujah? Me, I was on the Brooklyn Front in ‘27. Commander wouldn’t let us out for the late-night shows at Nowadays but we made do. Who could forget the Battle of Bushwick, across from that fantastic espresso spot?”

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 9d

Everything else aside (and it’s a lot) he sounds 100 years old.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Trump: "I think we should maybe start thinking about battleships, by the way. We have a Secretary of Navy who came to me, 'cause I look at the Iowa out in California and I look at different ships, the old pictures. I used to watch Victory at Sea. I love Victory at Sea. And I look at those ships... "

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