Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · 3d

While Trump’s NSPM-7 memo claims so-called anti-Christian beliefs are signs of “left-wing violence,” a Chicago pastor who belongs to a Presbyterian church was shot in the head with a pepper ball by ICE. You can’t make this up.

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · 8d

I can’t believe I have to check my credit score through all of this.

Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 8d

Fact-check: Most of the goons in Trump's deportation army aren't even ICE agents.

Only about 13% of the personnel carrying out Trump’s deportation agenda are employed by ICE’s primary deportation unit; the rest are pulled from other jobs.

Check out the full report: tinyurl.com/yvavwh4f

$A pie chart entitled "ICE, ICE, Maybe?" with a dek that says "a fraction of deportation personnel are employed by ICE's primary deportation unit." 13% percent of the graph is shaded in orange, with ICE ERO written in white, while the remaining 87% of the graph is shaded in gray and labelled Other$

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

ProPublica @propublica.org · 8d

Before engineering the Trump administration's government shutdown response, Russ Vought spent years building Project 2025 strategy.

“We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected,” he said in 2023. “When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work.”

(Pub. Oct. 2024)

“Put Them in Trauma”: Inside a Key MAGA Leader’s Plans for a New Trump Agenda

Private videos reveal Trump adviser Russ Vought’s “shadow” plans for using the military on protesters, defunding the EPA and villainizing civil servants.

www.propublica.org

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · 10d

Every journalist covering the White House, government, free speech, repression, etc. should honestly report on what this is: an attempt to manufacture consent for what would be a dictatorial power grab.

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 10d

With his ban on military shaving waivers, Pete Hegseth knows damn well who he’s pushing out: Black troops.

If only Pete Hegseth's military shaving crusade was just stupid

Hegseth knows damn well who he's pushing out: Black troops.

www.motherjones.com

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · 27d

Have you heard of Flock Safety? The surveillance company was once a small technology startup with a mission to “eliminate” non-violent crime.

Now it’s becoming a one-stop shop for law enforcement to buy and plug into all the big brother-esque tech they can get.

My latest for BreakThrough News 👇🏽

Meet Flock: The Surveillance Company Building America’s ‘Authoritarian Tracking Infrastructure’ « BT News

BT News

breakthroughnews.org

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Aug 13

Welcome to the era of digitized white supremacy.

WIRED @wired.com · Aug 12

Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that's the point. www.wired.com/story/trump-...

The Trump Administration Is Using Memes to Turn Mass Deportation Into One Big Joke

Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that's the point.

www.wired.com

Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Aug 7

When big tech companies and imperialist states are able to roam unchecked, it is inevitable that they will join forces. This is a byproduct of capitalism.

Johana Bhuiyan @jmbooyah.bsky.social · Aug 6

Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

‘A million calls an hour’: Israel relying on Microsoft cloud for expansive surveillance of Palestinians

Revealed: The Israeli military undertook an ambitious project to store a giant trove of Palestinians’ phone calls on Microsoft’s servers in Europe

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · Aug 5

This is real I shit you not

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Prism @prismreports.org · Aug 5

Our tax dollars & the U.S.’ support of Israel enable the occupying force to commit genocide. We've compiled an ongoing, updating list of fundraisers for Palestinian liberation.

We owe Palestinians our money & support. If you’re able to share funds, here are orgs & grassroots efforts to start.

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Aug 6

“The Supreme Court’s assault on democracy and President Donald Trump’s are tightly intertwined… Trump may be behind this plan, but it was the Supreme Court that made such brazen partisan gerrymandering possible.”

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Aug 5

The Republican-appointed justices have decided it is time to fully destroy the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court prepares to end voting rights as we know it

And they don't want you to notice.

www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Aug 4

Thousands of newly obtained documents show that Clearview AI’s founders always intended to target immigrants and the political left. Now their digital dragnet is in the hands of the Trump administration.

The shocking far-right agenda behind the surveillance tech used by ICE and the FBI

Clearview AI’s founders always intended to target immigrants and the political left. Now their digital dragnet is in the hands of the Trump administration.

www.motherjones.com

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Anodyne @anodynesix.bsky.social · Aug 4

"[Federal a]gents wait at schools, courthouses, hospitals, and churches, searching for immigrants to detain. They point guns at passersby ... They conduct surprise checkpoints miles from U.S. borders, confiscate phones, and question people about their political beliefs."

Prism @prismreports.org · Aug 4

Since the start of Trump’s second term, colleges in both blue & red states have signed contracts with ICE & CBP, ‪@julialuz.bsky.social‬ reports. Universities have become yet another set of tools in the government’s mass deportation arsenal.
prismreports.org/2025/07/31/h...

How universities are deepening ties with federal immigration agencies

ICE and CBP are merging with institutions of higher education to form a new academic police state to assist in immigration enforcement

prismreports.org

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Prism @prismreports.org · Aug 4

Since the start of Trump’s second term, colleges in both blue & red states have signed contracts with ICE & CBP, ‪@julialuz.bsky.social‬ reports. Universities have become yet another set of tools in the government’s mass deportation arsenal.
prismreports.org/2025/07/31/h...

How universities are deepening ties with federal immigration agencies

ICE and CBP are merging with institutions of higher education to form a new academic police state to assist in immigration enforcement

prismreports.org

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Jul 31

I reported for @prismreports.org on how universities are another tool in the government’s mass deportation arsenal.

Prism @prismreports.org · Jul 31

Educate & enforce: Universities are deepening ties with federal immigration agencies to form a new academic police state, @julialuz.bsky.social reports. As universities further entangle themselves with the state, their decisions gravely impact the future of equal access to education.

How universities are deepening ties with federal immigration agencies

ICE and CBP are merging with institutions of higher education to form a new academic police state to assist in immigration enforcement

prismreports.org

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · Jul 23

Opinion | Don't get angry at ICE agents. They are just following orders.

by Adolf Eichmann

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Jul 14

My next story explores how universities are deepening ties with ICE and CBP as students and faculty prepare to return to their campuses in the fall.

I’m going to keep following this story as the impacts of these ties become more and more undeniable. If you have tips, Signal me: julesthejourno.09 📲

Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Mondoweiss @mondoweiss.net · Jun 24

As the U.S. and Israel escalates their war with Iran, Israel is doing something else: annexing Palestine under the radar. Roads for settlers. Cages for Palestinians.
mondoweiss.net/2025/06/how-...

How Israel is using the war with Iran to accelerate its annexation of the West Bank

Israel is using the war on Iran to further its colonization and annexation of the West Bank, turning Palestinian communities into caged enclaves.

mondoweiss.net

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · Jun 19

In order to maintain ideological diversity, I make sure that 50% of my organization's hires are Trump supporters, even though only 2% of my applicants are Trump supporters. Here's why DEI at universities must be banned.

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Jun 13

I’m writing a story on universities partnering with federal immigration agencies (to be published in @prismreports.org) and am looking for sources!

📲 Please read the attached images for more details and reach out to me if any of the following apply to you.

🔁 Share this post!

CALL FOR SOURCES

Is your university partnering with ICE or CBP?
I'm seeking sources for a story about universities partnering with federal immigration agencies including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Message me securely:

Signal: julesthejourno.09
Email: julesthejourno@proton.me

Do not use your school-provided email address.

CALL FOR SOURCES
Please share, Linkedin friends!

I'm writing a story for Prism (prismreports.org) about universities partnering with federal immigration agencies including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

President Donald Trump has emboldened agencies like ICE and CBP to carry out mass deportations. My story will explore the partnerships universities are forming with these agencies and highlight real-time grassroots efforts to protect immigrants and fight for sanctuary campuses.

I want to hear from YOU if:

- You are a student, faculty member or staff member who can speak about how your university's partnership with CBP/ICE is impacting your campus community.

- You are involved in a grassroots effort to protect immigrant communities on your campus. I want to know how you've organized thus far and whether your administration has responded to your demands.

- You are an immigrant student and/or university worker or come from an immigrant background. I want to ensure your experiences and voices are centered in this story.

Reach out to me on Signal at julesthejourno.09 or via email at julesthejourno[at]proton.me. Do NOT use your school-provided email address (I recommend an end-to-end encrypted email service). Your privacy matters and I will work with you to agree on attribution.

Please repost and share to help me reach more people!

Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Atima Omara @atimaomara.bsky.social · Jun 12

Not taking anything away from Senator Padilla because he was treated atrociously

But I JUST want to remind everyone that the Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, a Black woman, was just indicted for just asking questions at an ICE detention center in her state

Keep that same energy of support for her

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · Jun 5

Verifying myself for the Journalists of Color slack. journalistsofcolor.us

If you are a journalist of color, please consider joining! 👇🏽

Journalists of Color

We are a community of Journalists of Color aka JOCs, and this website is for you – the public – to peruse, find out what we’re all about and maybe even join us.

journalistsofcolor.us

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Reposted by Julia Luz Betancourt

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · May 23

This comment period ends today, 5/23, at 11:59 pm ET. Please do comment asap if you believe the government should allow us to get COVID vaccinations. I can't believe we even have to petition them about this, but here we are.

Chise @sailorrooscout.bsky.social · May 20

GUYS. The comment period for this ends in THREE DAYS. PLEASE if you have even a little bit of time, submit a comment here: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...

Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...

FDA will limit Covid vaccines to people over 65 or at high risk of serious illness, leaders say

The FDA announced it will limit access to Covid-19 vaccines going forward to people 65 and older and others at high risk of serious illness

www.statnews.com

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Julia Luz Betancourt @julialuz.bsky.social · May 23

In my first piece for my newsletter, I talk about what inspired the title “ANTAGONiSTIC” and what it means to embody the term👇🏽

Introducing ANTAGONiSTIC

Unfiltered stories for the fed the F*CK up!

open.substack.com