Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 1h

“Scott Walter, the president of Capital Research Center, agreed that his group had not found evidence that the Soros network had committed a crime.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Report on Soros Cited by Justice Dept. Does Not Show Funding for Terrorism

www.nytimes.com

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

CHICAGO — Outside an elementary school during dismissal… horrifying. What have we become?

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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 22h

Shapiro: I filed that amicus brief last night to make it very clear that the Pennsylvania National Guard is under my command.

The way the President has chosen to deploy the Guard in other states—and, in at least one case, deploy the Guard from one state into another—is extremely dangerous.

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 1d

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Kori Schake @kschake.bsky.social · 18h

The precursor to the Insurrection Act, which President Washington invoked to call up militia during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794, required concurrence of a Supreme Court Justice that an insurrection was occurring.

Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 18h

DOJ is basically arguing in Court that if the President "determines" that literal martians have landed from Mars and are attacking the United States, Trump can invoke any emergency power he wants and the judiciary can't question it.

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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 15h

Spiegel on the criminal complaint against James: The US legal system has become a farce. When lackeys can file charges on the orders of their masters, no one can feel safe anymore. Then arbitrariness prevails. The end of the rule of law and freedom. And that affects everyone

US-Justizministerium klagt prominente Trump-Gegnerin Letitia James an

Die Vorwürfe lauten Bankbetrug und falsche Angaben: Das US-Justizministerium hat Anklage gegen Generalstaatsanwältin Letitia James erhoben. Die Widersacherin von Donald Trump reagierte mit einer Kampf...

www.spiegel.de

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Jacob Soboroff @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social · 1d

just talked to Gov. Pritzker who dared President Trump to “come and get me” after POTUS threatened him with arrest. But Pritzker said he thinks Trump will chicken out.

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Patrick Chovanec @prchovanec.bsky.social · 22h

"THEY WERE EVENTUALLY LET GO AFTER SHOWING THIER DOCUMENTS". In other words, they were pulled out of their cars for looking "Mexican".

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 22h

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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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 18h

DOJ is basically arguing in Court that if the President "determines" that literal martians have landed from Mars and are attacking the United States, Trump can invoke any emergency power he wants and the judiciary can't question it.

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 21h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 18h

Again, Trump has crossed a Red Line no president has ever crossed: personally ordering the criminal prosecution of an American he doesn't like despite DOJ not finding evidence of any crime.

If Trump can do this to the powerful, he can do it to you. That's not freedom, and its not America.

New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 19h

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 18h

Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.

Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.

And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.

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Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 21h

Hamilton warned that without Senate confirmation, a president might appoint officials "who had no other merit than that of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure."

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 21h

MSNBC reports that Lindsey Halligan presented the case to the grand jury

bsky.app/profile/anna...

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 21h

Per Fox News, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia is currently weighing whether to charge NY AG Letitia James with mortgage fraud.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 1d

If you come for my people, you come through me.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 1d

VICTORY: Today, together with our partners, we won an emergency order stopping federal agents from using violent force against protestors in Illinois. Federal ICE/DHS agents are now blocked from using tactics like tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse lawful assembly. protdem.org/474KWsA

Court Halts Unlawful Suppression of Speech by ICE

DHS ordered to stop violating First Amendment rights of press, clergy, and protesters in Illinois

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

What happened to all those constitutional conservatives in Congress?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 1d

"We took the freedom of speech away," says the president

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 1d

Trump is melting down cause what he is doing is really unpopular and so is he: www.reuters.com/world/us/mos...

www.reuters.com

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2d

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 2d

NEW: @amandacarpenter.bsky.social offers four essential questions (and answers) to understand what’s really at the heart of Trump’s troop surge to blue cities — and why the unjustifiable military deployments must be stopped, in her latest briefing for The Entrenchment Agenda. Read and subscribe:

Federalism at a breaking point

When red state troops police blue cities

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 3d

Pritzker is also furious: “Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s letter to the National Governors Association

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Isaac Dovere @isaacdovere.bsky.social · 3d

Newsom says he’s on the verge of quitting the National Govs Association: “should not be difficult … regardless of partisan affiliation, to agree that politicizing our states’ Natl Guard and deploying… over the objections of the home-state Governor,harms the interests of states”

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 3d

Turning the military on citizens.

Attempting to rig elections.

Toying with the idea of declaring martial law.

Attacking political enemies and punishing those who speak out.

If this were happening in another country, what would you call it?

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 5d

The Trump administration's latest attack on universities involves coercing them into signing ideological pledges in exchange for funding preference. Earlier we wrote about why there's no negotiating with an annihilation attempt, universities standing firm against attacks is the only option.

Universities have no choice

There is no negotiating with an annihilation attempt

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

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Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · 3d

Attn. civil servants — For a curated list of resources for current and former feds to help navigate attacks on the federal workforce by visit our resources page below: https://protectdemocracy.org/work/resources-for-civil-servants/

Resources for civil servants

If you are still employed as a federal civil servant, there are some initial steps you can take to make things slightly simpler if you are separated from employment.

protectdemocracy.org

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