Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 6h

The Trump administration on Saturday scrambled to rescind layoffs of hundreds of CDC scientists who were mistakenly fired on Friday night in what appeared to be a substantial procedural lapse.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/h...

Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Scores of C.D.C. Experts Fired in Error

www.nytimes.com

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 4h

I remember my MAGA friend telling me Trump would surround himself with only the best. GW’s Brownie is looking real good these days at least he was an expert in something even if it was horses

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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

This week, MAGA figures claimed Kristi Noem "stared down" violent antifa protesters in Portland. Turns out they were talking mostly about a guy in a chicken suit.

This episode opens a window into how MAGA propaganda works and MSM failure to handle it. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2016...

MAGA Implodes over Kristi Noem’s “Stare Down” with Man in Chicken Suit

A good New York Times piece on Portland nevertheless demonstrates how the conventions of objective reporting fail to accurately capture the bad faith driving pro-Trump propaganda.

newrepublic.com

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 15h

“Propagandists are not “provocateurs.” Trump’s stated grounds for his abuses of power are not actual reasons, they are pretexts created for purely instrumental ends. And Kristi Noem did not “stare down” mobs of antifa terrorists in Portland.”

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 18h

This week, MAGA figures claimed Kristi Noem "stared down" violent antifa protesters in Portland. Turns out they were talking mostly about a guy in a chicken suit.

This episode opens a window into how MAGA propaganda works and MSM failure to handle it. 1/

(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2016...

MAGA Implodes over Kristi Noem’s “Stare Down” with Man in Chicken Suit

A good New York Times piece on Portland nevertheless demonstrates how the conventions of objective reporting fail to accurately capture the bad faith driving pro-Trump propaganda.

newrepublic.com

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 15h

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Steven T. Dennis @steventdennis.bsky.social · 1d

First up on tonight's quirky #FridayNightZillow is a "Mini-Graceland" in Northridge, California for $2.65M. One thing I've learned from looking at tens of thousands of Zillow houses: People are weird! www.zillow.com/homedetails/...

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The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 2d

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

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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 1d

No Kings is Hamas is quite a claim to make. I mean, we knew this was coming, but it’s still shocking to hear.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Mike Johnson: "We're so angry about it. I mean, I'm a very patient guy, but I've had it with these people. The theory we have right now -- they have a hate America rally that's scheduled for October 18 on the National Mall. It's the pro-Hamas wing and antifa people ... "

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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 1d

Wow—these are notable and alarming escalations in rhetoric. Equating peaceful protesters with terrorists only proves the need for protests.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Emmer: "This is about one thing and one thing alone -- to score political points with the terrorist wing of their party, which is set to hold a hate America rally in DC next week."

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 2d

I am not that kind of Democrat, and they are creating an entire generation of Democrats like me. Personally, I would hunt them to the ends of the earth to bring them to justice for what they did to the United States and the American experiment

Roy Batty @on-tannhausergate.bsky.social · 2d

They are so used to Democrats who forgive and forget and move on

We are so fucking over that

There is no harm that could come to any MAGA anywhere that would not bring joy to the hearts of Democrats everywhere

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Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 2d

someone should tell Trump they don't give the Peace Prize to people who blow up boats and murder those on high seas nor to those who deploy military against their own people. NEVER.

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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 2d

We are witnessing the most lawless behavior by a leader in American history, just daily, extraordinary abuses of power. National Democrats must speak out in a loud and clear voice against Trump's escalating authoritarianism. It is time now.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 2d

The Guardian reports that Letitia James has been indicted

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

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Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 2d

U.S. District Judge April Perry says it comes down to a "credibility determination."

"I simply cannot credit [the Trump administration's] declarations to the extent they contradict state and local law enforcement. … DHS' perception of events are simply unreliable."

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 2d

#BREAKING A federal judge say she will grant "in part" a request by the state of Illinois for a temporary restraining order against the deployment of National Guard troops into the state.

U.S. District Judge April Perry is still ruling and has not outlined the details of her order.

Jon Seidel @jonseidel.bsky.social · 2d

Perry: "I'm going to issue an oral ruling."

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 2d

Oh my good god damn stop this fucking insane train want off!

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Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 2d

It is pretty galling that the Supreme Court spent four years telling Biden "you can't do that without Congress" then allowed Trump to seize a once-unthinkable amount of power from Congress within nine months and concentrate law-making authority almost entirely in the executive branch.

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 2d

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 3d

BREAKING: James Comey pleads not guilty to federal criminal charges, judge sets trial date for Jan. 5

More details TK

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 3d

Good morning from the line outside the courthouse in the Eastern District of Virginia, where former FBI director James Comey is set to be arraigned on federal charges.

I’m here for @lawfaremedia.org.

Follow along for updates ⬇️

Federal courthouse in EDVA, with line of people out front and a guy holding a “show trial” sign

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Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 4d

This is out of hand. These agents are there to cause trouble and violence, not to keep people safe. These are the scenes that play out in war torn, destitute countries - not America.

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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 4d

No, what I have is enough historic context to know that fascism isn’t just the next stop down the road from conservativism. It is its own beast, fundamentally distinct from other forms of conservativism that have heretofore dominated US politics. Bush and Reagan weren’t fascists. Trump is

Civil Discourse Blob. Not Creeps, or Leaps or Slides. Very Nice. @brandonocles.bsky.social · 4d

"There is no historical context and nothing that came before affects the now, I'm a very smart politics knower"

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 4d

There’s this weird social cachet in pretending Trump is just a natural extension of the Reagan or Bush presidencies - a kind of “I knew what was going to happen before it was cool” thing - but neither of them, in their wildest excesses, would have contemplated even a quarter of this

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Jeff May or May Not @jeffmay.bsky.social · 4d

The slide to fascism from bed rock conservatism has always been a slippery slope esp considering the overwhelming influence of the bitter racism of the American Experience. Left unchecked, the right was always going to come to this, to MAGA fascism

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Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 4d

We face an open open question as to whether the president, anywhere, anytime he pleases, can execute or round up people he says are terrorists—without due process. That we are even entertaining such a discussion tells you how far Trump has damaged democracy open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

Words & Phrases We Could Do Without

‘Armed Conflict’? Trump declares war on all of us

open.substack.com

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 5d

Reported Trump plan to cut more than 750,000 older Americans off disability:

www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

Despite campaign promises, White House eyes new changes to Social Security and Medicare

“I will never do anything that will jeopardize or hurt Social Security or Medicare,” Trump vowed in 2024. I have bad news for voters who believed him.

www.msnbc.com

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Richard Primus @richardprimus.bsky.social · 5d

Worth reading: Judge Immergut’s decision in Oregon v. Trump, granting a TRO enjoining DJT from federalizing the Oregon Nat’l Guard and deploying them to Portland. I link it at the next post in this thread, followed by some thoughts. (1/18)

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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: Stephen Miller—both Trump Administration capo and de facto head of DHS, ICE, and DOJ, has just declared that peaceful protesters are "street terrorists." Under an executive order signed by Trump just days ago, that means he is saying that all protesters in America can be arrested on sight.

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Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 5d

The problem isn't that Kash Patel is failing at his attempts to be a serious and capable figure. The problem is that the FBI director isn't even trying.

Take his firing of a field agent who wouldn’t humiliate James Comey, for example. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

As his FBI tenure goes from bad to worse, Kash Patel abandons the pretense of seriousness

The problem isn’t that the FBI director is failing at his attempts to be a serious and capable figure. The problem is that he isn’t even trying.

www.msnbc.com

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