Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 3h

Wow. There’s power in an inclusive society & the next mayor of New York City is meeting this moment by showing that he & his city will exercise moral leadership.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 7h

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Reposted by Jim Aloisi

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 4h

It’s interesting that Republicans keep talking about No Kings on Oct. 18 as though it’s just a DC protest.

The protests are nationwide. Find your local one here: www.nokings.org#map

Politico @politico.com · 23h

Johnson slams the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place in DC next week as the “hate America rally” that would draw “the pro-Hamas wing” and “the antifa people.”

Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering

Organizers largely blew off the rhetoric, but some Democrats online criticized the tone.

www.politico.com

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 5h

Some wisdom for the day

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 7h

Mon dieu
C’est Déjà vu
Avec Lecornu -
Who knew?

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 8h

From #mapoli’s @adrianwalkerboston.bsky.social www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/10/m...

It’s no surprise MIT’s Sally Kornbluth is the first to flatly reject Trump’s deal - The Boston Globe

Kornbluth deserves all the credit for standing up for her institution’s core values, even at considerable risk.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 21h

Wait, what? You can’t take Tylenol after a circumcision?

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 22h

“Sparking debate”

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 22h

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is sparking debate with claims linking circumcision and Tylenol to autism, but scientists say the evidence is lacking.

Here’s what the science actually says:

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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 22h

His slip of the tongue reveals who’s really in charge. trib.al/mIvP0yE

“Illinois governor says we’re provoking actions that are unlawful,” Miller said on CNN. “If I put federal law enforcement and National Guard into a nice sleepy Southern town, is anyone gonna riot?”

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 22h

Heading home from a long day with Boston’s best transit view to greet me.

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 1d

I’m just guessing here, but perhaps you can’t win the Nobel Peace Prize if you foment anger, fear & bitterness, if you talk openly about hating your “enemies” and send armed troops to quell non-existent city riots.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

BARTIROMO: On your point about the Nobel Peace Prize, do you think maybe the reason Trump won't get it is because you had to get the application in before Jan. 31, and that was only 11 days into his term?

SCALISE: Look, they can play technicalities. They gave it to Obama for just getting elected.

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Jarrett Walker @humantransit.bsky.social · 1d

People protesting in Portland against the federal show of force are dressing up as inflatable animals. Here's why.

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d

www.wweek.com/culture/2025...

Can you put into words what that purpose is? You and the frog have really become icons of this protest.

There’s been a nice overall whimsy that has shown up. The frog is amazing. We had a bunch of other inflatable people here last night, too. I saw people playing Twister the other day.

What they rely on is fear. So by coming out in an absurdist manner, it speaks to them, to some extent, that we’re actually not that afraid.

It also dismantles their narrative a little bit. When they try to describe this situation as “war-torn,” it becomes much harder to take them seriously when they have to post a video saying [U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem is up on the balcony staring over the Antifa Army and it’s, like, eight journalists and five protesters and one of them is in a chicken suit.

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Rep. Jamie Raskin @raskin.house.gov · 2d

In a democracy based on freedom and the rule of law, we don’t jail public officials—or anyone—because of policy disagreements. We need everyone to repudiate this nonsense because a president cannot act as a prosecutor, judge, jury and dictator.

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Paul @pawlbologna.bsky.social · 2d

about to be an unlapsed catholic

Lucius Fox In The Box @carnegro.bsky.social · 2d

Pope Leo is spitting.

www.npr.org/2025/10/09/n...

Leo questioned a world where the wealth of the elite grows
"exponentially" while many "millions of people die of hunger or survive in conditions unfit for human beings." He also criticized "ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation,"
with false promises "that a free-market economy will automatically solve the problem of poverty."

Leo described a "new tyranny," which shuns any kind of oversight and where the economy is structured "in such a way that sacrifices are demanded of the masses in order to serve the needs of the powerful." The poor, he wrote, are only allowed "drops that trickle down."

The pope openly challenged "prosperity theology" and called Christians to the practice of giving charity. "It will not solve the problem of world poverty, yet it must still be carried out, with intelligence, diligence and social responsibility," he wrote.

Popular movements that challenge "the empire of money," invite people to take on the cause to combat poverty alongside the poor, instead of on their behalf, and "make history," the pope said. It our duty, Leo said, to "make their voices heard, albeit in different ways, in order to point out and denounce such structural issues, even at the cost of appearing foolish or naïve."

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 2d

A must read today 👇

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 2d

Trump is unpopular which is good.

But he’s more popular than he was eight years ago despite much worse behavior and it’s no time for complacency.

www.slowboring.com/p/the-author...

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Jacob Soboroff @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social · 2d

Michigan Avenue right now.

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Jonathan Berk 🏠 @berkie1.bsky.social · 3d

This didn’t happen to us, it happened because of us.

Failed 70s & 80s policies restricted what we could build and where, choking our housing supply and leaving too few options for people at every stage of life.

We can fix this, if we’re willing to act with urgency today.

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 4d

Are you suggesting dedicated motorized bike and scooter lanes? In addition to non motorized bike lanes?

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 5d

ICE agents shot a U.S. citizen Saturday on Chicago’s South Side
They are creating chaos
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Federal agents shoot woman in Chicago neighborhood after allegedly being rammed, boxed in by cars, DHS says

The woman, as well as a man whom authorities say was involved in the chaos, were facing charges Sunday morning.

www.cbsnews.com

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 4d

Apparently they blocked me too. I think it’s reflective of how much they want to work in the shadows. I do think they deserve serious public scrutiny.

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 4d

lol. Totally predictable

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Jim Aloisi @jimaloisi.bsky.social · 5d

I think Democrats should just stop answering these questionnaires. Take your case to the voters. Answering questions like these is opening yourself to being misunderstood & removes judgement and nuance. open.substack.com/pub/matthewy...

The groups have learned nothing

We got the League of Conservation Voters’ endorsement questionnaire and it’s bad.

open.substack.com

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 5d

“Catherine Rampell is joining The Bulwark, where she will write a weekly economics and policy-focused newsletter while contributing to the company’s podcasts and YouTube channels.

‘Catherine is one of the best…We’re beyond thrilled she’s decided to join us.’”

www.semafor.com/article/10/0...

Washington Post economics columnist moves to The Bulwark

Catherine Rampell will write a weekly economics and policy-focused newsletter for the anti-Trump media brand.

www.semafor.com

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The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 6d

Sen. Adam Schiff: "The Republican U.S. Attorney in Virginia refused to go forward with the prosecution of James Comey because he thought it lacked evidence. They fired him and replaced him with a personal lawyer of the president, an insurance lawyer, to seek these charges."

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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 7d

“The Life of a Showgirl” is the sound of an overworked entertainer reaching the mountaintop to find something worse than disappointment: burnout. Spencer Kornhaber on Taylor Swift’s latest album:

Taylor Swift’s Burnout Era

The singer has everything she ever wanted—her new album suggests that it’s all sort of a drag.

bit.ly

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Genevieve Lakier @genevievelakier.bsky.social · 7d

The Trump Administration’s “Compact of Excellence” for Universities is... far from excellent! Indeed, it’s unconstitutional. In this post, let me count the ways.

blog.dividedargument.com/p/the-uncons...

The Unconstitutional Conditions Doctrine and the Compact for Excellence

Members of the Trump administration love to say that federal funding is a privilege not a right and therefore something that can be granted or withheld based on changing administrative priorities.

blog.dividedargument.com

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Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 7d

look at the map here -- more than 2000 protests planned already...

www.nokings.org

No Kings

As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...

www.nokings.org

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