Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gene Ha @geneha.com · 1h

This is my dance about how much transphobes suck.

(Scene from Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake” first staged in 1995)

Reposted by Gene Ha

Terry Midnight tried to tell you! @docmidnight.bsky.social · 11h

You can't be a leftist hero politician fighting fascism, if you're selling out our trans brothers and sisters. You're just an opportunistic politician and you can eat a dick alongside the fascists.

You just want to be seen, and we see you just fine.

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 17h

Why is Chicago a GREAT town for comics creators? Concordia University (IL) student reporter Eric Perry asked me and (separately) Jazz musician Joe Clark, who’s done some comics writing on the side. A great tribute to our community in this time of travail.

spectator.cuchicago.edu/7046/showcas...

What Pulls Comics Writers and Artists to Chicago?

Chicago’s best-known nickname is The Second City. The moniker was coined by A.J. Liebling, a writer for The New Yorker magazine, who used the nickname to put down Chicago. However, if there is one are...

spectator.cuchicago.edu

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Piper @the-pied-piper.bsky.social · 17h

Thank goodness he lost this. The precedent would have basically been that rap battles are now illegal.

Imo the worst part of this lawsuit was not that he did something so embarrassing as file it, but that he was willing to imperil an entire genre of rap music’s legality to soothe his own ego.

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Erik Uebelacker @uebey.bsky.social · 18h

NEW: Drake loses his defamation case against Kendrick Lamar over the “Not Like Us” lyrics.

More coming @courthousenews.bsky.social

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 22h

ICE claimed Marimar Martinez rammed them and brandished a gun. According to her lawyer, ICE's own bodycam shows that ICE rammed her car. After stopping her car they shot the unarmed woman through her windshield. Martinez kept her licensed concealed weapon in her purse. is.gd/TO2lUG/reuters

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 22h

A 3rd day of hearings over a proposed temporary restraining order against federal agents in Chicago is about to begin.

Federal Judge Sara Ellis expects to enter the order today; unfortunately I won't be covering live as oral arguments over natl. guard deployment in IL are set to start in 30 mins.

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 1d

Back in federal judge Sara Ellis' courtroom in Chicago for a second day of discussion on a proposed restraining order to rein in federal immigration agents' violent behavior.

Debate began on this issue on Monday, and ended without the court entering a formal order.

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social · 3d

@unraveledpress.com & other press have been threatened, shot with less-lethals and arrested while reporting on federal immigration activities in Chicagoland and on the resulting protests at Broadview.

I'm now at a hearing asking the federal court to rein ICE & co in. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Brad Heath @bradheath.bsky.social · 1d

A woman who was shot multiple times by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents did not ram them with her car and had her weapon stored in her purse at the time of the incident, according to her lawyer, contradicting accounts by the Department of Homeland Security.

www.reuters.com/world/us/bod...

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Craig Calcaterra @craigcalcaterra.bsky.social · 23h

History is full of soft coups and revolutions in which the tyrant's most seemingly ardent supporters, intentionally or otherwise, destabilize him by saying "the king is wonderful, but he is being betrayed by corrupt advisors!" It used to be the ONLY way to pressure or force out a king.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

Marjorie Taylor Greene on polls showing Republicans are getting blamed for the shutdown: "I'm not putting the blame on the president. I'm actually putting the the blame on the Speaker and Leader Thune in the Senate. This should not be happening ... we control the House & Senate & have the WH."

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 1d

ICE loses big in court. Federal judge Sara Ellis will issue a plain language restraining order against ICE across N Illinois to stop e.g. shooting pepper balls in the face of reporters reporting, and peaceful protesters like priests praying. Via Dave Byrnes reporting for @unraveledpress.com

Screenshot of part of David Byrnes’ Bsky thread:

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social
Ellis shoots that down. Any restraining order she grants won't be limited to the Broadview ICE facility.

"Given the record before me... these issues are not limited to Broadview," she says.

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social
Ellis rules that the plaintiffs have standing for their case. She cites the "ongoing and sustained record of conduct" by federal agents gathered over the last month.

She further finds the plaintiffs have plausibly shown feds have "frustrated" efforts to "protect journalist safety."

Dave Byrnes @djbyrnes1.bsky.social
Ellis highlights the attacks Reverend David Black has suffered at the Broadview facility, finding plaintiffs have sufficiently alleged that the feds' use of force against praying people "substantially burdens their excercise of religion."

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 1d

Also, Illinois. The S is silent.

Gene Ha @geneha.com · 1d

Huh, I would definitely have pronounced the L before the K!

I was curious so I looked up how it might be pronounced in the original Dutch... I have no idea if the Netherlander is pulling our leg or not. soundcloud.com/edwin-den-bo...

Schuylkill

How to pronounce the name of the Schuylkill River in the original Dutch. (Photo by Dough4872, license CC-BY-SA 4.0)

soundcloud.com

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 2d

The Kurzegesagt team recounts the 100s of hours they spent fact checking an astronomy vid, e.g. 2 astronomers. They tried AI tools and 20% was 100% BS.

Before they were done a copycat channel posted on the same subject, w the BS AI "facts" Kurz. had rejected...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zfN...

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Sinister Golden Bear 🎃 @sistergoldenbear.bsky.social · 2d

Ridicule works. It's hard to come off being a tough guy when you're staring down someone in an inflatable frog costume, especially when they're twerking at you.

Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 2d

George Orwell’s Animal Crossing

Someone in a frog costume facing down a line of police in riot gear

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Melissa Sue Stanley 🌿✨🍄 IX Showcase, October @melissasuestanley.bsky.social · 2d

One more before I log off for the evening:

Just a reminder that the special price on the Artist Edition of Shackling ends tomorrow morning! So jump on that, lovers of doodled huts!

Kickstarter.com/projects/babayaga/shackling

Little graphite doodles on a white background. The doodles are all different shapes and sizes and styles of chicken-legged witch huts. They're pretty cute.

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 2d

“The Rev. David Black of First Presbyterian Church recoils as a U.S. Customs and Border agents deploy tear gas and pepper balls Friday at the Broadview ICE facility outside Chicago. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times”

Source: Chicago Sun-Times Sept 20, 2025 chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

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Reposted by Gene Ha

David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social · 3d

As basic question from an ex-police reporter: Can some of our journalists detail the training regimen all these new federal agents receive? The lethal incompetence involving use of force and perameters of the 4A suggests they are just handed guns, masks and badges and told to go fuck people up.

John Pavlovitz @johnpavlovitz.bsky.social · 3d

ICE is made up of men who have failed the human test and have nothing of value to offer this nation.

Adults with decency and options and possibilities don’t do this shit.

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Cheryl Lynn Eaton @cheryllynneaton.bsky.social · 2d

Boy, it'd be nice to have a presidential candidate who doesn't believe it's okay for America to have a little bit of fascism as a treat.

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 2d

Gavin Newsom vetoes gender education bill, declines to sign other trans protections - buff.ly/MTUAV85

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 2d

While I love the posts from vicious Lincoln Project GOPers like Gavin Newsom, in any election I'll vote for a halfway decent Democratic candidate over a Republican like Newsom [Humor alert bc this is the internet, but it's 90% true] lincolnproject.us

The Lincoln Project

The Lincoln Project is a leading U.S. pro-democracy organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and defense of democracy.

lincolnproject.us

Gene Ha @geneha.com · 2d

An accurate snapshot of the state of LLM “AI” and the American subconscious today. I tried to Google the best selling GNs graphic novels of 2025 so far...

Screenshot of a Google search:

Google
[Search window] top selling GNs usa 2025

[Option Bar]
AI Mode *All* Shopping News Images Short videos Videos More - Tools -

These are results for top selling GUNs usa 2025
Search instead for top selling GNs usa 2025

✦ AI Overview

The top-selling guns in the US for 2025 include the Ruger 10/22 rifle, SIG Sauer P365 pistols, and models from Benelli, Mossberg, and Remington for shotguns. Other popular models include the KelTec KSG shotgun, the Tokarev TAR 12MP shotgun, and the CZ P1OC Ported pistol, which is highly praised for its low recoil and affordable price.🔗

Top Selling Firearms by Category 🔗
• Rifles: The Ruger 10/22 remains a top choice due to its versatility, low cost, and suitability for both new shooters and experienced hunters.
• Handguns: The SIG Sauer P365 is a dominant force in the new handgun market, [Fades out]

Show more ▼

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 3d

Mars was the Roman god of war.
That’s why we say ‘martial arts,' ‘martial law,' and 'court martial.'

Marshall was the Roman god of designer fashion at discount prices.
That’s why we have Marshall’s.

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Marie Newman @marienewman.bsky.social · 3d

Join me Live on Wed 10/8 Live at 7pm CST to talk about protests, effective activism and the state of progress against Fascism with my guest, Indivisible CEO, Ezra Levin : open.substack.com/live-stream/...

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 3d

If anyone works at CBS News and would like to leak to me about whats unfolding over there, my Signal is ParkerMolloy.86

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Reposted by Gene Ha

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 4d

Weird thing where people say “no one could have predicted it” when really what they mean is their political commitments and orientation were such that they ignored everyone who was predicting it

Sorry but “no one could have“ and you having your head stuck up your ass are two different situations

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Gene Ha @geneha.com · 5d

Fun from @BedrockCity.bsky.social’s #BedrockCityCon Sat! Gave a copy of Minor Threats: Welcome To Twilight to @KLynnSmith.bsky.social cuz she’s in it! #FreeDrawingsForKids! And was gifted a set of mission patches from a #NASA spacewalk trainer.

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