Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 5h

Connecting the dots, our new resource shows the scope and impact of the current administration’s unprecedented attempts to undermine the country’s elections — threatening the 2026 midterms. Learn more: bit.ly/4l1lUPP

The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election

The executive branch is interfering in U.S. elections in unprecedented ways.

www.brennancenter.org

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 7h

In the Argentina bailout, "major hedge funds, including those led by friends of Mr. Bessent, stand to benefit financially from an Argentina economic lifeline." Before becoming treasury secretary, prolific GOP donor Bessent gave $1 million to the main Trump super PAC. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Big Investors Await Windfall From Trump’s Argentina Bailout

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 8h

Today is World Homeless Day, and after years reporting on this crisis, I'll just say: homelessness is neither inevitable nor intractable. It's the result of choices—political, economic, moral—that can be unmade.

And this: how we treat the unhoused is a bellwether for the violence we will tolerate.

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 7h

Here's what's going on in the world of money in politics. Artificial intelligence & crypto are spending big, the Supreme Court considers party money, odd year elections are around the corner, and more... www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Money in Politics Roundup — October 2025

Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.

www.brennancenter.org

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 1d

New @brennancenter.org roundup of what we're following in money in politics, from AI super PACs to Web ad spend... the first major SCOTUS campaign finance case in a decade, the FEC down to 2/6 commissioners, pardons, corruption--and some good news, too. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Money in Politics Roundup — October 2025

Our new recurring feature covers key stories from the world of campaign finance and influence buying, from the AI industry to super PAC support for a lame-duck president.

www.brennancenter.org

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

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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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 3d

www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

Citizens Union reports concludes even-year elections would benefit NYC

Voters in New York City will have a chance to weigh in this November on whether to move local elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years.

www.cityandstateny.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 3d

Why most polls overstate support for political violence
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...

Why most polls overstate support for political violence

Misperceptions about the popularity of violence increase public support for it — but you can help change that.

www.gelliottmorris.com

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 4d

"Candidates and outside groups have already raised and spent more than $8 million in this year’s race, making it Pennsylvania’s most expensive retention election ever. That includes more than $5 million in spending by outside groups on ads featuring some of the court’s key decisions."

Douglas Keith @douglaskeith.bsky.social · 4d

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's jurisprudence is... complicated! But with nearly half the court up for retention election next month, the money is still pouring in. More @statecourtreport.org: statecourtreport.org/our-work/ana...

Everything You Need to Know About Next Month’s High-Stakes Supreme Court Elections in Pennsylvania

Three justices will face an up or down vote in November, the outcome of which is likely to impact the midterms.

statecourtreport.org

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 7d

MAJOR NEWS: Prosecutors in Tallahassee are convening a grand jury relating to the Hope Florida scandal, the Herald/Times has learned. This is the charity started by Casey DeSantis that used FL legal settlement funds to campaign against medial marijuana amendment.

Grand jury summoned in Hope Florida criminal probe

In May, State Attorney Jack Campbell’s office confirmed that a criminal investigation was underway relating to information about the Hope Florida Foundation, the charity spearheaded by first lady C…

www.orlandosentinel.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Adam Klasfeld @klasfeldreports.com · 9d

BREAKING

The Trump admin is using the government shutdown to try to pause Kilmar Abrego Garcia's habeas corpus case, which has a hearing scheduled next week.

Abrego's lawyers oppose.

Doc storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Vittoria Elliott @telliotter.bsky.social · 9d

SCOOP: Federal workers are being told to blame democrats for the shutdown. At SBA workers got an email suggesting they set out-of-office replies blaming Democrats for the shutdown and at HUD internal systems have a pop-up blaming "the Radical Left."

@wired.com

www.wired.com/story/govern...

Federal Workers Are Being Told to Blame Democrats for the Shutdown

Workers at one agency were given unhinged, partisan language to use when setting out-of-office replies.

www.wired.com

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 9d

Expenditures (and attacks) are heating up in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court retention election. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/09...

PA Supreme Court mailer uses misleading redistricting claims

The PAC behind the misleading mailer is part of a network connected to PA's richest person. The goal: convince voters to reject new terms for three PA Supreme Court justices.

www.spotlightpa.org

Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 13d

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

National Weather Service at ‘breaking point’ as storm approaches

The National Weather Service is struggling to maintain its weather forecasting operations due to significant staffing cuts under the Trump administration.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social · 14d

NEW: Kristi Noem has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA's response to natural disasters.

But she fast-tracked $11 million+ to fix a Florida tourist attraction — after one of her big donors reached out. www.propublica.org/article/kris...

Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

The DHS chief has been widely criticized for slowing down FEMA’s response after natural disasters. Texts and emails obtained by ProPublica point to an effective way to get help faster: have one of Noe...

www.propublica.org

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 14d

"An inexperienced prosecutor loyal to Pres. Trump, in the job for less than a week, filed criminal charges against one of her boss’s most-reviled opponents...at Mr. Trump’s direct command [and] against the urging of both her own subordinates and her predecessor..." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/u...

Trump Gets the Retribution He Sought, and Shatters Norms in the Process

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Dr Emma L Briant 🇬🇧 in 🇺🇸 @emmalbriant.bsky.social · 15d

Who's paying for the White House ballroom and what's in it for them www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-w...

Who's paying for the White House ballroom and what's in it for them

President Trump has so far raised $200 million for a new White House ballroom from some of the nation's biggest companies.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 17d

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

www.miamiherald.com

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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 22d

After judges from across the political spectrum found that Trump administration policies were likely illegal or unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has frequently reinstated those policies without any explanation. bit.ly/4mzvX0p

Supreme Court Must Explain Why It Keeps Ruling in Trump’s Favor

The Court has repeatedly halted lower court orders and allowed administration policies to go forward via its “shadow docket” without any explanation.

www.brennancenter.org

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 23d

www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Political Donors Should Not Be Above the Law

The line between public service and private gain continues to blur as financial elites secure pardons and regulatory leniency following campaign contributions.

www.brennancenter.org

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

daniel a. smith @electionsmith.bsky.social · 23d

"Assisting the vote? Disability as a cost of voting" is now out at Electoral Studies www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Assisting the vote? Disability as a cost of voting

Tens of millions of voting-eligible Americans live with disabilities, many of whom need a form of assistance when casting ballots. Drawing on publicly…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 23d

Corruption scandals have occurred in past administrations, but the scale and brazenness of pardons and other favorable legal treatment under the second Trump administration stands out.
bit.ly/3Ic6tHo

Political Donors Should Not Be Above the Law

The line between public service and private gain continues to blur as financial elites secure pardons and regulatory leniency following campaign contributions.

www.brennancenter.org

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Reposted by Ian Vandewalker

DBdant @dbdant.bsky.social · 24d

Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily put on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

Oklahoma court stops social studies standards with 2020 election misinformation from taking effect

The Oklahoma Supreme Court is putting on hold proposed new social studies standards for K-12 public school students that include conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

apnews.com

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · 24d

The cruel stupidity continues…

NPR @npr.org · 24d

RFK Jr.'s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids.

Kennedy's vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot in children

RFK Jr.'s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids.

n.pr

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Ian Vandewalker @ianvan.bsky.social · Sep 5

Is this the henhouse being guarded by the fox, or more like the person who loudly denies that chickens exist? www.votebeat.org/arizona/2025...

Activist who questioned some 2020 results now leads election integrity at DHS

Heather Honey is listed as a deputy assistant secretary at the department.

www.votebeat.org

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