Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Brian Bartky

Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 4h

the actual story here, which the media never talks about, is that police in this country have become a discrete right-wing political operation. the story isn't about cops leaving (they're lying about that), it's about the police trying to exert influence over elections.

Mark Misoshnik 🏴 @misoshnik.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao is this supposed to be a bad thing?

A tweet from Bari Weiss that says “"It's shaken me to my core," a lieutenant said of Mamdani's unexpected victory in June. "The absolute dread I feel is palpable.
"
Today in @TheFP our @Olivia_Reingold talks to the cops who say they will walk if Zohran Mamdani is elected in November:”

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50501 Ventura County @50501venturacounty.bsky.social · 3h

Pro-democracy groups from across Ventura County will be participating at the Govt Center for #NoKingsVenturaCounty. Join us Saturday, Oct. 18 for a peaceful rally! ✌️⚖️🚫👑

Oct 18 No Kings @ Ventura county govt center

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

GHOULLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 3h

there is a kind of person who does not think any non-violent protest is legitimate and more often than not, they are the kind of person who will not show up to any protest, violent *or* non-violent

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 3h

a poster of the wizard of oz with the words it 's beautiful isn 't it written on it

Alt: Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz” saying, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

media.tenor.com

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Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 4h

I ♥️ you even more, @dieworkwear.bsky.social

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 5h

Matt Stoller being very Matt Stoller, calling someone else a "classic left poseur snob"

Matt Stoller being eviscerated by @dieworkwear.bsky.social

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Michael Edison Hayden @michaelehayden.bsky.social · 7h

“They are highly organized … [they] have purchased their own animal costumes”

Andy ngo mad about muppets again — this time in Chicago

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 4h

Yes! The Sondheim score was the main reason I saw it.

Reposted by Brian Bartky

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 23h

“Who was president in 2020?” is the question of our time.

I wrote a substack about this on Friday!This isn’t an accident.

open.substack.com/pub/agentsof...

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 1d

About a month ago, the Trump administration got rid of the de minimis exemption, whereby packages valued under $800 could slide in without import duties. Now there's a backlog as the government can't process all of this paperwork, leading to UPS just destroying packages

Business Insider headline reads: UPS is telling customers that their packages coming to the US are marked for destruction.

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 1d

The mainstream media loves making it seam like dysfunction in Washington is coming from both parties.

Hello?

Much of the GOP no longer accepts the rule of law, or the norms of democracy, or the legitimacy of the opposing party.

Enough of the false equivalence.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 1d

A second generation nepo baby, raised by a pair of sociopaths and given every advantage in the world. I'm sure this story will end well.

Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 2d

Trump said he deserved a cut for brokering the TikTok deal, and at once there was agreement that his son Baron would have a top executive slot... though he hasn't asked for it, and has no apparent qualifications to hold it. This is how Trump 2.0 works. www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2025...

Barron Trump tipped for top TikTok job

US president’s 19-year-old son could be appointed to the app’s board

www.telegraph.co.uk

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · May 30

No words

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Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 1d

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Gwen Snyder is undead @gwensnyder.bsky.social · 1d

If we had to lose a 79 year old

Why take Diane Keaton when he is RIGHT. THERE.

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 2d

This man is being Gorilla Channel'd with a rotating selection of AI slop riot porn by several known white supremacists who are secretly running the government.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "Portland, I mean -- every time I look at that place it's burning down. There are fires all over the place. When a store -- there are very few of them left -- but when a store owner rebuilds a store they build it out of plywood. They don't put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up."

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 2d

Another reminder that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a member of his church.

bsky.app/profile/jame...

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · Jan 30

not for nothing hegseth belongs to a christian sect whose leader believes things like “slavery was a beneficent institution that introduced blacks to christ and preserved the family”

How Hegseth's controversial religious views could affect military leadership

President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has faced allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement, all of which he denies. Laura...

www.pbs.org

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 2d

Look, I get critiques of *how* someone conducts an interview.

But Wilson’s congregants include the Sec. of Defense, who invited a pastor in Wilson’s denomination to lead the first of a recurring worship service at the Pentagon.

If anything, it’s odd it took this long for outlets to interview him.

Stephen West @stephenwest.bsky.social · 2d

Spending your time talking to someone who wants to relitigate slavery is definitely a choice you can make

Opinion | He Believes America Should Be a Theocracy. He Says His Influence Is Growing.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 2d

My first thought was “wow I hope this guy didn’t give out his name because he could absolutely be charged” and yup, he is correct to stay anonymous.

This man’s account is shocking. His neighbors’ situation is shocking. The entire Chicago raid is shocking.

On the other side was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for his help.
"I wasn't planning on letting her stay, but I didn't know what the hell was going on," the man said of his Venezuelan migrant neighbors. But he quickly relented. The little girl was inconsolable and hid under his bed.
"I didn't want them to take her," said the man, who didn't want to be named because he fears he'll be targeted by federal authorities for his actions.
"I gave her my bedroom, and I just told her,
'Just stay there. Don't open, don't, shh, just stay quiet," he recalled telling the mom and daughter as he choked back tears.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 2d

These guys have gotten incredibly rich by fleecing the government with subpar tech that was designed for rentseeking rather than performance. A smart Dem agenda item would be to build internal tech capacity. The fact that it would punish these guys is just a silver lining.

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 2d

Being a billionaire must really fuck with your mind. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Marc Benioff Says Trump Should Send Guard Troops to San Francisco

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

God @thegodpodcast.com · 2d

Peaceful assembly isn’t an insurrection.

Storming the Capitol to hang your own vice-president and end democracy is.

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 2d

I'm no expert but that strikes me as a good explanation.

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 2d

I love Prospect! And yea, it got a really limited release but I keep hoping that since it has Pedro Pascal it will get more widely known. I absolutely love how it's multicultural and the characters are at the very bottom of this society and not movers and shakers.
www.imdb.com/title/tt7946...

Prospect (2018) ⭐ 6.3 | Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

1h 40m | R

www.imdb.com

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Reposted by Brian Bartky

Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 3d

To be clear, they will 'make the proof' that Tylenol causes autism by controlling who does the studies and who reports the results.

They have built a mechanism to 'make the proof' for whatever they want so say. About protestors, about elections, about immigrants.

We have to keep speaking truth.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

RFK Jr on Tylenol and autism: "It is not proof. We're doing the studies to make the proof."

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 3d

Trump has been calling Schumer a Palestinian for a long time. 👇Vance is showing his fealty to Trump and is reaching out to his evangelical base.
bsky.app/profile/blue...

Bluesky Fanatic @blueskyfanatic.bsky.social · Mar 14

"Jewish and Muslim groups condemned President Trump for calling Senator Chuck Schumer “a Palestinian,” saying that the president used the term as a racial slur."
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/u...

Trump Condemned by Rights Groups for Calling Schumer a ‘Palestinian’

President Trump said Chuck Schumer was not “Jewish anymore” in comments that have been widely criticized as offensive.

www.nytimes.com

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Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · 3d

I agree 💯 with your sentiment, but a word of caution about Change dot org. I got a link to this 👇petition from them to create a day honoring Charlie Kirk. I asked them to stop but they sent this email again the next day. So, I deleted my account.
bsky.app/profile/bria...

Brian Bartky @brianbartky.bsky.social · Sep 12

Most of the emails I get from @change.org are for left-leaning petitions. Not today. Instead, I got an email to sign a petition to create a National Memorial Day honoring Charlie Kirk and free speech. Really.

Screenshot of an email from Change.org titled "Create a National Memorial Day honoring Charlie Kirk and free speech" with the following text:

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has shocked the country. Petition starter Paul says Kirk inspired millions of young voters to engage in politics and wants to honor his work advocating for free speech and debate. If you agree, add your name to the campaign to make September 10th into National Memorial Day in honor of Kirk’s legacy.

A National Memorial Day for Charlie Kirk: Choosing Dialogue Over Division

2,028 have signed Paul Miller’s petition. Let’s get to 2,500!

On September 10, 2025, America lost Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, to a senseless act of violence. Charlie was a fierce advocate for free speech and open debate. He believed that ideas should clash, not people—that we should challenge each other, listen deeply, and seek common ground.
This tragedy should mark a turning point for our nation. We are calling for the creation of a National Memorial Day in Charlie’s honor—not to elevate a single ideology, but to affirm something deeper: that violence is never the answer to our differences. On this day, Americans from the left, right, and center would come together to recommit to respectful dialogue, freedom of expression, and love for our neighbors.
This is not about politics. It is about humanity. A national day of remembrance would remind us, year after year, that disagreement must never become dehumanization—and that the strength of our democracy lies in our ability to debate passionately while caring for one another.
By signing this petition, you affirm that America can and must rise above hatred and violence. Together, let us make Charlie’s legacy a call to unity, civility, and hope.

Thank you

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