Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 13h

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202... “The Treasury Department on Monday evening instructed employees not to take or share photos of the construction project without permission”

White House continues East Wing demolition amid cries of Trump overreach

More of the structure was torn down Tuesday to make way for President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom, despite complaints about the project’s lack of transparency,

www.washingtonpost.com

1

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 21h

Racial profiling. All day every day.

www.newsweek.com/us-citizen-s...

170 2.3K 5.5K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

snufkin @snufkin7.bsky.social · 1d

Concerns and suggestions from two major architecture associations. Rather sad to read, bc these are exactly the types of considerations a pres who cares would take.

Something tells me none of these steps were taken.

sah.org/2025/10/16/s...

www.aia.org/sites/defaul...

Statement on the Proposed Ballroom Addition at the White House - Society of Architectural Historians

The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) expresses great concern over the proposed ballroom addition to the White House. On July 31, 2025, the White House issued a statement that a 90,000 sq. ft....

sah.org

5 23 48

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Michael Banach @m1db.bsky.social · 1d

The failed Casino operator destroying a WH he does not own

15 120 520

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Aozora @aozorasf.bsky.social · 1d

This is who is paying for the destruction of the White House East Wing, per @wsj.com

Altria Group Inc.
Amazon
Apple Inc.
Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.
Caterpillar Inc.
Coinbase Global
Comcast Corp.
Hard Rock International
Google
HP Inc.
Lockheed Martin Corp.
Meta Platforms Inc.
1/3

130 1.5K 1.9K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 1d

The Treasury Department instructed employees not to share to share photos of the demolition of parts of the White House’s East Wing

Exclusive | Treasury Tells Employees Not to Share Photos of White House Ballroom Construction

Images of the demolition of parts of the East Wing went viral on Monday, and Treasury’s headquarters next door to the White House has a front-row seat.

www.wsj.com

1K 6.4K 13K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 2d

930 7K 15K

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 1d

Memo to Mike Johnson:

1 1 6

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Charlie Sykes @sykescharlie.bsky.social · 1d

On the 18th day of October in the Year of Our Lord 2025, the President of the Unted States, successor to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and nominee for the Nobel Prize, posted a video of himself dumping a load of shit on his fellow Americans.
open.substack.com/pub/charlies...

Who Really Hates America?

Plus: After "No Kings," What Next?

open.substack.com

33 150 420

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 1d

Memo to Joni Ernst:

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 1d

White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom

The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.

www.washingtonpost.com

72 140 530

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 1d

JUST IN: The White House has begun DEMOLISHING portions of the East Wing of the White House to build Trump’s $250 million ballroom — despite earlier claiming it wouldn’t “interfere” with the existing White House structure. (Washington Post)

1K 1.8K 4.4K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 2d

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia accused the U.S. of murdering an innocent fisherman in an attack on a boat American authorities claimed was carrying illicit drugs, prompting President Trump to declare on Sunday that he would slash assistance to Colombia.

Colombia’s Leader Accuses U.S. of Murder, Prompting Trump to Halt Aid

The feuding reflected rising tensions in Latin America over U.S. attacks in the Caribbean. President Trump’s administration had already slashed aid to Colombia this year.

nyti.ms

100 300 880

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Nicole Foy @nicolefoy.bsky.social · 3d

Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.

I did it because the government isn’t.

This is what I found.

White words on a black background read:

50+
Immigration agents have the authority to detain whom they reasonably suspect are in the country illegally. We found more than 50 Americans who were held after agents questioned their citizenship. They were almost all Latino.

~130
Agents also can arrest citizens who allegedly interfered with or assaulted officers. We compiled cases of about 130 Americans, including a dozen elected officials, accused of assaulting or impeding officers.

~20
Among the citizens detained are nearly 20 children, including two with cancer.

300 8K 17K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 2d

This story is extraordinary even by 2025 standards. Marco Rubio, the nation's top diplomat, made a deal with Bukele and agreed to renege on informant agreements in a years-long DOJ investigation into MS-13, totally undercutting credibility of such agreements.

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Rubio promised to betray U.S. informants to get Trump’s El Salvador prison deal

To secure U.S. access to President Nayib Bukele’s notorious CECOT prison, Rubio agreed to turn over several MS-13 leaders central to a long-running Justice Department investigation.

www.washingtonpost.com

110 2.1K 4.7K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Maya Wiley @maya4rights.bsky.social · 2d

Everything we believed had happened - lying to a fed’l judge, intentionally violating the tight to be heard in court - this is beyond outrageous. ANd we must thank & protect Whistleblowers who sacrifice their careers to do what’s right!

DOJ whistleblower says he witnessed government officials undermining the rule of law

Former Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni speaks out about the disregard of due process and for the rule of law that he says he witnessed in his final weeks at the Department of Justice.

www.cbsnews.com

16 350 850

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2d

Oh it’s not appropriate for your program to air the president wearing a crown and shitting on American citizens?

You’ll talk about it in euphemisms? Maybe call it the “crown video” and ignore the shitting part? Because that’s appropriate?

Tell me, was it appropriate for the president to do it?

630 4.6K 20K

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 2d

Memo to #MikeJohnson:

4 10 72

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 2d

It’s a “gift article” if you click on it it should open.

1

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 3d

The Trump administration is spending $172 million on two jets for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other senior officials

DHS Purchase Of Business Jets During Shutdown Draws Democrats’ Ire

The department said it would not allow the federal shutdown "to slow down this process" of replacing the jet, but Democrats want to know where the money is coming from.

www.huffpost.com

110 440 930

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 3d

www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news...

Protesters wear inflatable costumes for 'No Kings'

This form of protest, while not entirely new, gained traction in recent weeks as photos of protesters in frog, chicken and unicorn costumes went viral online.

www.firstcoastnews.com

1

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 3d

“Trumpism, like populism, is more than a set of policies—it’s a culture. Trump offers people a sense of belonging, an identity, status, self-respect, and a comprehensive political ethic. Populists are not trying to pass this or that law; they are altering the climate of the age.” Atlantic, above.

1 3

Lyda Astrove @lydaa.bsky.social · 3d

www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc... “If you think Trumpism will simply end in three years, you are naive. Left unopposed, global populism of the sort Trumpism represents could dominate for a generation. This could be the rest of our lives, and our children’s, too.”

America Needs a Mass Movement—Now

Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.

www.theatlantic.com

11 59 180

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

OrangeSage @orangesage.bsky.social · 3d

#NoKings Miami!

200 8.9K 37K

Reposted by Lyda Astrove

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 3d

BOSTON… (those are people, not ants)

#NoKingsInAmerica 🇺🇸

190 2.6K 11K