Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 10h

aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 13h

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 9h

Huh: TikTok took down my 8-second video featuring this image of Debbie Brockman — the news producer just detained by Trump’s CBP agents — saying it violates the “joy of TikTok”

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ghost boomann @buermann.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 11h

@madycast.com

I've seen zero coverage note that that plan has been in the works since 2017, which some experts say was during the first Trump administration.

https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2022-01-18/deal-qatar-air-rorce-members-idaho-base-4330963.html

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Justin O’Brien, ICE melter @justinobrien.bsky.social · 18h

Cooked as a country when art can’t be made because we have to take into account the fee-fees of Klan members.

Mark Lemley @marklemley.bsky.social · 19h

Assassin's Creed pulls planned game about the Civil War, apparently because having a black protagonist fighting the KKK would offend too many Americans

www.polygon.com/assassins-cr...

The canceled Assassin's Creed Civil War game was a powder keg waiting to explode

Ubisoft was reportedly working on a game set after the Civil War era, but canceled it due to politics and Assassins Creed Shadows backlash.

www.polygon.com

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ghost boomann @buermann.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 18h

"artists must hate their jobs as much as I do"

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1177569966

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without AI, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems, or saying...

SIMON: You mentioned that.

SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.

SIMON: I don't think AI can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.

SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from Scene 5 to Scene 6 and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an AI and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition.

SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Juan Cole @jricole.bsky.social · 18h

I want my money back.

Middle East Eye (Unofficial) @middleeasteye-rss.bsky.social · 1d

US taxpayers spent over $33bn on Israel's wars over two years - https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/us-taxpayers-spent-over-33bn-israels-wars-over-two-years

US taxpayers spent over $33bn on Israel's wars over two years

<article data-history-node-id="429930" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/us-taxpayers-spent-over-33bn-israels-wars-over-two-years" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/us-taxpayers-spent-over-33bn-israels-wars-over-two-years" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">US taxpayers spent over $33bn on Israel's wars over two years</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>The <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us" target="_blank">US</a> has spent nearly $34bn supporting <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank">Israel</a> since 7 October 2023, according to a <a href="https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/paper/AidToIsrael" target="_blank">report</a> published by Brown University on Tuesday, revealing the staggering cost of Israel’s wars in the region to US taxpayers.</p> <p>The price tag means that the US has spent around $3,400 on defence and military activities for every citizen of Israel since the country launched its devastating assault on Gaza following the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel.</p> <p>The hefty price tag to US taxpayers caught the attention of several commentators on social media. One <a href="https://x.com/Villgecrazylady/status/1975996350253691303" target="_blank">wrote</a>, “A family of 4 in Israel is receiving $577/month in subsidies, courtesy of the American taxpayer, for 2 years now.”</p> <p>"Israelis still have free healthcare and free college and subsidized childcare. They haven’t reduced any of their social welfare programs. Meanwhile Americans are literally paying for groceries with their credit cards,” the post on X added.</p> <p>The report took into account US military spending on Israel and related US military campaigns in the region as part of Brown University’s ongoing Costs of War project.</p> <h3>Read more: <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-taxpayers-spent-33bn-israel-wars-over-two-years">US taxpayers spent over $33bn on Israel's wars over two years</a></h3> <figure role="group" class="media-block"> <div class="group-inner"> <div alt="A billboard displays an image of US President Donald Trump with a message thanking him for reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza, on the side of a building in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square on 9 October 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP)" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="009711ab-9d20-4903-8c8b-c56dfb5da230" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/images-story/Trump-poster-Israel-AFP.jpg" width="1200" height="675" alt="A billboard displays an image of US President Donald Trump with a message thanking him for reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza, on the side of a building in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square on 9 October 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> <figcaption>A billboard displays an image of US President Donald Trump with a message thanking him for reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza, on the side of a building in Tel Aviv's Hostage Square on 9 October 2025 (Jack Guez/AFP)</figcaption> </div> </figure> <p><span style="background: url("https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png") rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> </div> </div> </article>

www.middleeasteye.net

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buermann.bsky.social @buermann.bsky.social · 17h

Teaching Qatari pilots how to keep our fighter jets from self-crashing.

www.stripes.com/branches/air...

$12 billion deal may bring hundreds of Qatar, US Air Force members to Idaho base

www.stripes.com

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Paul Waldman @paulwaldman.bsky.social · 19h

Hey what happened to the sandwich throwing guy, does he have his own podcast yet?

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Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 1d

Kavanaugh stop

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 1d

This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.

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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 1d

As @propublica.org reported, "at least three of Trump’s Cabinet members call multiple homes their primary residences on mortgages."

No indictments for them, because this is how a fascist regime works. "For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law."

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 1d

BREAKING: NY State AG Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia

State Attorney General Letitia James has reportedly been indicted for alleged mortgage fraud.

www.cityandstateny.com

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

We never incited violence, we just called this guy a member of antifa who funded terrorism and told our followers to pay him a visit ha ha and then a totally unrelated group of people threatened to murder him in front of his students ha ha

"The petition to disband our Turning Point chapter is blatantly defamatory," Ava Kwan, outreach coordinator for the Turning Point USA chapter at Rutgers, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"The accusations of 'inciting violence' and 'making threats' are complete lies," Kwan said. "The same people claiming we're suppressing their free speech are actively trying to silence us for speaking the truth. It's not just ironic, it's hypocritical and absurd."

tpusa_rutgers Do you want to become a socialist? If so, make sure to pay this professor a visit!!!! All jokes aside help us report this professor who has ties to Antifa which now is designated as a domestic terrorist organization. DO YOUR PART AND HELP MAKE RUTGERS A PLACE FOR ALL STUDENTS TO LEARN WITHOUT BECOMING A RADICAL SOCIALIST

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Brandi Buchman @brandibuchman.bsky.social · 1d

From The New Yorker

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buermann.bsky.social @buermann.bsky.social · 1d

america deserves better clickbait

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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 1d

It cannot be made clearer.

If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.

JK Rowling pledges to keep up fight against SNP trans policies

Author vows to bankroll campaigners after Scottish government fails to pay group's legal fees in Supreme Court equality case

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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 1d

Whether it’s Joe Biden attending weekly mass or Donald Trump’s ICE agents shooting a priest in the face with a pepper ball, presidents of both sides have directly engaged with the Catholic faith.

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Kevin Carson 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇹🇯 @kevincarson1.bsky.social · 1d

*squinches eyes shut* "I just got a Word of Knowledge that the worm in RFK Jr's head is Elijah, returned as the forerunner to the Second Coming!"

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Kevin Carson 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇹🇯 @kevincarson1.bsky.social · 1d

Under official regime Christianity, you're not a real pastor unless you wave your arms back and forth in the air, sell "blessed" prayer cloths for $20, and say shit like "Antifa, I bind you and rebuke you in the name of JAY-sus!"

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 2d

A lot going on here, but a religion note: DHS Assistant Sec. Tricia McLaughlin refers to Rev. Black as a "pastor" here — using quotation marks.

It's a notable slight against a faith leader's status, as Black is, in fact, an ordained minister of a church operating within the Presbytery of Chicago.

This footage is from almost a month ago. What this clipped video doesn’t show is that these agitators were blocking an ICE vehicle from leaving the federal facility—impeding operations.

Over and over again, law enforcement ordered these agitators to move off of federal property so the vehicle could move. Law enforcement verbally warned these agitators that they would use force if they did not move and stop impeding operations. They did not comply.

Shortly after, rioters began throwing rocks, bottles and launching fireworks at the law enforcement officers on the roof.

At the time of this incident, this facility held criminal illegal aliens including gang members, drug traffickers, and other violent criminals. Obstructing law enforcement puts officers, detainees and the public at risk. If you are obstructing law enforcement you can expect to be met with force.

And, as an aside, this is the same “pastor” who flipped
@Sec_Noem
and our team the bird when we were there last week.

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Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 2d

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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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 2d

Look up Solar City in Buffalo, Elon and Cuomo made a deal to basically give him land to build a solar panel factory in a poor residential neighborhood for like $1 a year tax-free.

He ended up making like 200 solar panels, employed like 5% of what was promised, whole thing was a fucking boondoggle.

More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 2d

"For instance, CNBC found that one Microsoft data center in Illinois received more than $38 million in data center sales tax exemptions but created just 20 permanent jobs."

www.cnbc.com/2025/06/20/t...

In race to attract data centers, states can forfeit hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to tech companies

Amazon, Meta and Google are among the beneficiaries of state tax exemptions for data centers that help power AI.

www.cnbc.com

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 1d

It is self soothing to say that if only Palestinians accepted Israel then everything would be unlocked and peace would be possible. OK well that already happened, more than once, and what did it result in? When will people seriously grapple with the idea that perhaps Israel is a lot like Russia?

Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 1d

PLO recognized Israel in 1988 and 1993 and then what happened is a question nobody seems to answer on here

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 1d

For the first time in polling history, more Americans sympathize with Palestinians over Israelis.

And the shift just isn’t with Democrats.

Younger Republicans — those under 50 — are 41 points less likely than older Republicans to side with Israelis.

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 1d

A staffer on Stephen Colbert's show wanted to ask the first ever Muslim candidate for mayor in the history of New York City to play a game of thumbs up, thumbs down about an ongoing genocide.

aaron from queens from twitter @aaronnarraph.bsky.social · 1d

the background on zohran's colbert appearance is jaw-droppingly disgusting

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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d

With $75 billion and thousands of masked agents, ICE is just getting started.

We take a look at ICE's skyrocketing expansion, the agency's failing standards, and where detention centers are planned for next. bit.ly/4nIoFrB

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Emissary Of Night | ليلى @diplomatofnight.com · 3d

Fascinating report just released by DropSite which reveals that David Frum, while working on a profile of an Israeli ambassador to the United Nations for the Atlantic, was also shadow-writing speeches for that same ambassador.

David Frum, Douglas Murray Secretly Drafted Speeches for Israeli Ambassador

Leaked emails from former Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor show David Frum, Douglas Murray offering to write his speeches and a CNN producer fundraising for Israel’s Iron Dome during Israel’s 2014 war

www.dropsitenews.com

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