Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Esther Kaplan

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 10d

Judge William Young: “The case squarely presents the issue whether noncitizens … have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The court answers this question unequivocally, ‘Yes, they do.’“ www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Judge issues blistering opinion against Trump policy to deport pro-Palestinian students

Judge rules non-citizens have the same free speech rights as US citizens under the first amendment

www.theguardian.com

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 10d

A threatening letter from Rep. Sarah Vance demanded "immediate corrective action" after a group of Alaska papers described Charlie Kirk as "a far-right political activist and Christian-Nationalist icon." The newspapers caved.

www.juneauindependent.com/post/editor-...

Editor, most news staff of Carpenter Media’s Alaska newspapers resign due to censoring of story

Article about a Charlie Kirk vigil referring to controversies involving him was altered after a GOP Alaska lawmaker complained to company management

www.juneauindependent.com

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 12d

Lovely review. But “a protester throwing a Molotov cocktail at riot police”? That was explicitly an undercover officer sent in to throw the device as an excuse for the uniformed cops to open fire.

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 12d

Footage like this every day. This is lawlessness.

And what a horror for so many families, kids, to live through this.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 12d

“Show us your warrant!”

“Ma’am, you’ve been watching too many movies. We’ll show you the warrant after we’re done.” 🤔

*busts in the door with babies crying*

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d

Former FBI Deputy Director McCabe says he hasn't been contacted "at all" by the FBI about Comey and adds, "if my interactions with Comey was gonna be the basis of this entire prosecution, it's unbelievable that prosecutors wouldn't at least want to sit down and hear what I have to say about it."

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 14d

Stephen Miller tweeted that calling ICE authoritarian "incites violence and terrorism." This wasn't just the usual fascist bluster. It was a signal.

I asked Bannon if Miller will seek to prosecute groups that use this language about ICE

Read our exchange below. 2/

newrepublic.com/article/2009...

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 16d

Want to get your Oakland headlines and analysis in a short weekly podcast? Donate to support The 510. oaklandside.org/2025/09/23/o...

Help us raise $15,000 to keep Oaklandside's podcast going

Our pilot experiment is nearly over. You can help keep the 510 alive for six more months!

oaklandside.org

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 20d

The Pentagon to impose new restrictions on reporters covering the DOD, requiring them to pledge not to use any information that had not been formally authorized for release or risk losing credentials to cover the military.

That’s barring newsgathering itself. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/b...

Pentagon Expands Its Restrictions on Reporter Access

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Chase Mitchell @chasemit.bsky.social · 23d

I want Kimmel back on the air and my friends to stay employed but this is a fucking shakedown

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 22d

Anna Gomez, hero. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/u...

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

The NewsGuild-CWA @newsguild.org · 25d

The Washington Post can't claim to defend free speech while firing Karen Attiah for exercising hers.

The Post should be a newsroom that promotes the freedom of ideas, speech and the press.

Washington Post Guild @postguild.bsky.social · 25d

Statement from Post Guild Leadership: The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 26d

Jeff Hiller!!!

DiscussingFilm @discussingfilm.net · 26d

Jeff Hiller has won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE’

See the full winners list: bit.ly/EmmyWins25

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 27d

Surprise!

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/u...

Mass Firing of Probationary Federal Employees Was Illegal, Judge Rules

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

ProPublica @propublica.org · 27d

The Dept. of Education has pulled funding for programs in 8 states that support students with both hearing and vision loss.

A staffer at one program says he was told the Trump admin. took issue with 2 words on the grant application: “transition" and “privilege": www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Screenshot of article excerpt: The Education Department also was concerned about other words in the application, said Adrian Klenz, who works with deafblind adults in the state. He said he has talked with state officials about the discontinuation of the grant.

“I was told that apparently the administration is going through past grants and two words were flagged: One was transition and one was privilege,” Klenz said. “Transition — transitioning from childhood to adulthood. Privilege came up because a parent wrote a glowing review of staff that said what a privilege it was to work with them.” ProPublica obtained a copy of the grant application and confirmed that those words were included.

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 28d

The US President’s attempt to seize control of our statutorily independent central bank—beyond being illegal—turns out to have been based on a fabrication.

Aaron Fritschner @fritschner.bsky.social · 28d

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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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · 28d

25 journalists just killed in Israeli airstrikes in Yemen, on top of 197 journalists dead from Israeli strikes in Gaza.

"Israel is engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented." cpj.org/full-coverag...

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · Sep 11

“Lawyers believe the government is deliberately moving their clients to jurisdictions where immigration judges are less likely to grant asylum, or where legal injunctions blocking Trump immigration policies do not apply.”

Stephanie Kirchgaessner @skirchy.bsky.social · Sep 10

We are launching a new investigation today, which reveals new details about Trump's deportation program. Our first story is by @maanvisingh.bsky.social and @wcraft.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Plane to purgatory: how Trump’s deportation program shuttles immigrants into lawless limbo

44,000 immigrants, 1,700 flights, 100 days: a Guardian investigation of leaked flight data and government detention data reveals the inhumane journey of immigrants shuttled around and outside the US

www.theguardian.com

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · Sep 11

This is truly chilling

Nick Turse @nickturse.bsky.social · Sep 11

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Attacked Boat Near Venezuela Multiple Times to Kill Survivors

American officials said the repeat drone strikes were carried out by Special Operations Command, and more attacks could come soon.

theintercept.com/2025/09/10/u...

U.S. Attacked Boat Near Venezuela Multiple Times to Kill Survivors

American officials said the repeat drone strikes were carried out by Special Forces, and more attacks could come soon.

theintercept.com

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · Sep 5

Reporters from across newsrooms in Chicago are collaborating to collect visual evidence of federal agents detaining people & using force in Chicago. Send videos to tinyurl.com/chicagojournalists, or get in touch via email [email protected].

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · Sep 6

This is a real post from the President of the United States

Donald J. Trump 4 & @realDonald Trump • 2h
'I love the smell of deportations in the morning...
Chicago about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR FA
US. ARMY
Chipocalyse Now

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · Sep 6

The turquoise is the US. Then it’s UK, Denmark, France, Spain

Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · Sep 6

Really striking how views of Israel’s war on Gaza that are considered controversial in the US are widely shared in Europe (survey obtained by dropsitenews.com). Genocide, check. War crimes, check. ia601004.us.archive.org/7/items/key-...

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Reposted by Esther Kaplan

NPR @npr.org · Sep 6

The iceberg, known as A23a, has been on a journey following the current into warmer waters for months. Now, it has begun the predicted and natural process of breaking apart, and eventually melting.

The world's oldest and largest iceberg will soon be no more

The iceberg, known as A23a, has been on a journey following the current into warmer waters for months. Now, it has begun the predicted and natural process of breaking apart, and eventually melting.

n.pr

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Esther Kaplan @estherbrooklyn.bsky.social · Sep 5

And so we arrive at a President Duterte.

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · Sep 5

"By ordering the U.S. military to summarily kill a group of people aboard what he said was a drug-smuggling boat, President Trump used the military in a way that had no clear legal precedent or basis, according to specialists in the laws of war and executive power." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/u...

Trump Claims the Power to Summarily Kill Suspected Drug Smugglers

www.nytimes.com