Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Margaret Johnston

@mjexlibris.bsky.social

71 followers 290 following 26 posts

reader, cook, gardener, non-profit leader, political resister. pronouns she/her.

Videos

Agriculture 22%

Biology 19%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · 6d

My parents used to have a cat named Nellie, and it was honestly just a good excuse to say "Whoa, Nellie!" to her as often as possible.

Andrea Junker @strandjunker.com · 6d

“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”

Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943

260 8K 17K

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · 9d

This government shutdown is on Republicans for refusing to negotiate. Democrats must continue to hold the line to protect our healthcare.

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

The Volatile Mermaid @ohnoshetwitnt.bsky.social · 10d

Republicans: We’re so pro-life, we’ll kill every last one of you to prove it.

13 140 810

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · 10d

It's Rand Paul (Massie is in the House).

Reposted by Margaret Johnston, Aaron Sojourner, David Rosnick

kottke.org @kottke.org · 10d

I really appreciated this thoughtful piece about Ta-Nehisi Coates & Ezra Klein. Andrea Pitzer says “lost” folks like Klein “don’t have a clear idea how this moment fits into history and what it is exactly that they’re doing”. [degenerateart.beehiiv.com]

You don’t have to swallow frogs

Klein and Coates show that if you don’t know what your core beliefs are, you’re going to get played.

degenerateart.beehiiv.com

16 130 470

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, American Library Association, Efrén O. Pérez , and 2 more Joe R. Feagin, American Library Association, Efrén O. Pérez, Margaret Johnston, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 10d

THEY CLOSED PUBLIC POOLS RATHER THAN SWIM WITH BLACK PEOPLE

YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE AS THE FOLKS WHO DID THIS

PLEASE WAKE THE FUCK UP

360 6.2K 25K

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

Northwest Progressive Institute @nwprogressive.org · 11d

Are you a PNW voter who usually returns your ballot via U.S. Mail? Switch to a drop box to ensure it counts this year!

Do not return your ballot through the United States Postal Service -- there's a real risk it won't receive a timely postmark.

Are you a PNW voter who usually returns your ballot via U.S. Mail? Switch to a drop box to ensure it counts this year!

Do not return your ballot through the United States Postal Service -- there's a real risk it won't receive a timely postmark.

www.nwprogressive.org

1 31 49

Reposted by Margaret Johnston, David R. Miller

Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 11d

This is absolutely horrifying. Every Republican should condemn this immediately. newrepublic.com/post/201016/...

GOP Official Calls for Democratic Congresswoman to Be Executed

As the nation talks about the rise of political violence, a Republican official blatantly called for Representative Pramila Jayapal to be hanged.

newrepublic.com

25 200 490

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

The Hollywood Reporter @thr.com · 12d

Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has hit out at Emma Watson in a lengthy statement on X, saying: “She has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”

J.K. Rowling Brands Emma Watson “Ignorant” in Lengthy Post Defending Anti-Trans Stance: “She Has So Little Experience of Real Life”

Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling has hit out at Emma Watson in a lengthy statement on X, saying: “She has so little experience of real life she’s ignorant of how ignorant she is.”

bit.ly

150 19 170

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 16d

they'll absolutely not get any of these things. but there is still some value to democrats launching these field investigations, because they can signal now how precisely they plan to pursue this admin with subpoena power after the midterm.

Homeland Security Committee Dems Launch Investigation into DHS & FBI’s Role in Tom Homan Cash-for-Contracts Bribery Scandal
September 24, 2025 (WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, led Committee Democrats in sending letters to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel demanding documents and communications related to Trump administration “Border Czar” Tom Homan and the Federal investigation into him. Recently, it was reported that he allegedly accepted cash bribes in exchange for promises to deliver government contracts. This investigation – like many into those who are favorably connected to the President – was closed by the Trump administration. The American people have a right to know DHS and FBI’s role in this matter.

Specifically, the Committee requests from DHS:

Any communications between DHS and the DOJ or the FBI regarding the

investigation.

Any communications between or among DHS personnel regarding the

investigation.

Any ethics opinions or guidance provided to DHS by DOJ or the FBI regarding Homan’s

role as Border Czar while under investigation.

Any reviews conducted by DHS to assess the accuracy of Homan’s financial

disclosure.

All communications between Homan and any DHS personnel responsible for

contracting.

All border security or immigration enforcement-related contracts awarded since January 20 using sole source justification.

The Committee also requests from the FBI:

All documents and communications related to the investigation, including the decision to close it.

All audio and video recordings, photographs, and notes or memoranda related to the September 20, 2024, meeting between undercover FBI agents and Tom Homan.

A list of any agents, broken out by title, assigned field office, race, and gender, that have been terminated, forced to retire, or reassigned as a result of working on …

4 54 290

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Solnit, Graeme S. Cumming , and 24 more Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Solnit, Graeme S. Cumming, John K. Pinnegar, Ken Caldeira, Grant D. Stentiford, John R. Hutchinson, Mark D. White, Alex Callinicos, Dawn J. Wright, Parliamentary Library, Cathy N. Davidson, Margaret Johnston, Jussi T. Eronen, Trevor A. Branch, Andrew L. Whitehead, Jonathan Birch, Jennifer A. Johnson, Allan D. McDevitt, Anthony Burke, Halley E. Froehlich, Andrew M. Riggsby, Kathleen Kennedy, David H. Price, Charles T. Mathewes, Richard Moorhead, Vincent Raoult

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 16d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

730 10K 30K

Reposted by Joshua S. Weitz, Steve Peers, Margaret Johnston , and 1 more Joshua S. Weitz, Steve Peers, Margaret Johnston, Southern Africa

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 17d

“The long history of trying to ‘cure’ or eliminate autism has been a history of terrible abuse and dangerous sham treatments."

I spoke to @autisticadvocacy.org's Greg Robinson and @drstevenkapp.bsky.social about the awful autism presser yesterday. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Disgust, horror, and "elimination": Trump and RFK Jr.'s eugenicist autism conference

The most striking omission from Monday's White House pageant: autistic people.

www.motherjones.com

5 210 500

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · 21d

@repemilyrandall.bsky.social, thank you for your principled "no" vote on this ridiculous and offensive resolution. We should not be honoring the life and legacy of a stochastic terrorist.

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 22d

Everything wrong with the Democratic Party in a nutshell.

95 House Democrats (including Jeffries!) just voted to honor the life & legacy of Charlie Kirk.

Only 58 voted no.

38 voted present.

clerk.house.gov/evs/2025/rol...

clerk.house.gov

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 22d

clerk.house.gov

150 380 1.3K

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Richard E. Lenski, Peter Thorne , and 10 more Dorothy Bishop, Richard E. Lenski, Peter Thorne, Michael S. Rosenberg, John R. Hutchinson, Nicole Dubilier, Iain Davidson, Rosemary A. Joyce, Dawn J. Wright, Margaret Johnston, Elizabeth Stevenson, Zen Faulkes, Aviel Roshwald

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 22d

I wanted to get a video of this ghost crab but every time I got close to their hole they scuttled back in, so I tried getting clever with it. I made a little sandcastle and shoved my phone into it, hit record, and walked away. Crab was VERY suspicious of this addition to their environment.

660 6.7K 30K

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · Sep 11

Really, Gov. Newsom? The guy who said this is whose memory we should honor? "I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights." -- Charlie Kirk, 4/5/2023

Reposted by Norbert Schwarz, Jonathan A. Eisen, Scott L. Greer , and 12 more Norbert Schwarz, Jonathan A. Eisen, Scott L. Greer, Rosemary A. Joyce, Philip Nel, Joseph Schafer, Margaret Johnston, Jonathan Hopkin, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Alison Johnson, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Michael H. Whitworth, Dana R. Fisher, Mark Rice

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Sep 11

Elizabeth Warren on people who say Dems needs to tone down their rhetoric: "Oh, please. Why don't you start with the president of the United States? And every ugly meme he's posted and every ugly word."

2.3K 21K 84K

Reposted by Patrick A. Jansen, Rosemary A. Joyce, Philip Nel , and 3 more Patrick A. Jansen, Rosemary A. Joyce, Philip Nel, Margaret Johnston, Janet Murray, Rebecca Tushnet

Nell Scovell @nellscovell.bsky.social · Sep 10

This is a Melissa Hortman appreciation account for the next 24 hours.

Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman remembered as funny, savvy and 'a true leader'

Friends and colleagues remembered her as grounded, kind and compassionate.

www.pbs.org

200 7.2K 26K

Reposted by Nandita Sharma, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers , and 10 more Nandita Sharma, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Margaret Johnston, David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, Bessma Momani, James Goodwin, David Murakami Wood, Christina Pagel, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Virginia Sapiro

Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · Sep 10

Very, very bad stuff coming from leading right-wingers

950 1.9K 6.5K

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan H. Adler, Margaret Johnston , and 7 more Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan H. Adler, Margaret Johnston, Daniel W. Drezner, David R. Miller, Caroline T. Schroeder, Thomas Hegghammer, Steven S. Taylor, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Stuart Shapiro

Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · Sep 10

If I have any credibility with you from 20 years of reporting on rightwing & fascist movements, please listen when I beg you not to celebrate Charlie Kirk getting shot. Leave aside morality: this isn’t a match in dry grass, it’s a torch. We do not want what this could ignite & we would not win.

470 1.9K 7.6K

Reposted by Margaret Johnston, Aaron Sojourner, Christina Ho

Danielle Froom 🏳️‍🌈 @danifroom.bsky.social · Sep 5

It's just a sports ban.
It's just a bathroom ban.
It's just a healthcare for kids ban.
It's just a military service ban.
It's just a federal jobs ban.
It's just a university housing ban.
It's just a passport & visa ban.
It's just one Constitutional right.
It's just your status as free citizens.

90 4.8K 14K

Reposted by Margaret Johnston, Alan Richardson

KUOW Public Radio @kuow.org · Sep 4

Thanks to a standing order signed by the state health officer Thursday, anyone in Washington state can get the Covid-19 vaccine without consulting their doctor.

Confused about your eligibility for the Covid shot? In Washington state, you’re covered

Thanks to a standing order signed by the state health officer Thursday, anyone in Washington state can get the Covid-19 vaccine without consulting their doctor.

www.kuow.org

26 480 1.4K

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · Sep 3

This is an indefensibly awful plan in every way, and I'm especially concerned about it because my state of Washingon is one of the six pilot states. Join me, and tell Congress: Stop Trump's Plan to Let AI Deny Medicare Coverage act.indivisible.org/sign/trump-o...

Tell Congress: Stop Trump's Plan to Let AI Deny Medicare Coverage

Donald Trump and Dr. Oz want to let Artificial Intelligence (AI) choose which procedures Medicare will cover for individual patients -- with AI companies being paid based on how much money they save b...

act.indivisible.org

Reposted by Margaret Johnston, Tom Stoppard, Meredith Farkas , and 2 more Margaret Johnston, Tom Stoppard, Meredith Farkas, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Dunlap

KTLA 5 @ktla.com · Aug 29

Newsom launches statewide task force to clear homeless encampments

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced the creation of a statewide task force aimed at dismantling homeless encampments on state property and expanding access to shelter and services. The State Acti…

ktla.com

280 200 480

Margaret Johnston @mjexlibris.bsky.social · Aug 26

Very much co-signed.

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · Aug 26

dear everyone

MOCKING PEOPLE'S APPEARANCE ISN'T HOW YOU BUILD A MORE JUST WORLD

MOCKING ABILITY OR HEALTH MOST *CERTAINTLY* ISN'T

how many times must we cover this

yes this includes "chosen" things like self-tanner FFS it doesn't matter

people's SPEECH & ACTIONS are what matter

GO AFTER THAT

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · Aug 26

30 200 910

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · Aug 23

I don’t really think that there’s any difference between calling human beings “NPCs” or calling them cockroaches or “human animals” or any other classic rhetoric of dehumanization and I find it pretty worrying that people who are otherwise concerned with respectability have adopted its use

46 390 2.2K

Reposted by Margaret Johnston

IllCaesar @illcaesar.bsky.social · Aug 22

Gavin Newsom suggesting that 25 years of age is too young to transition and agreeing to right-wing entryism of concern trolling about trans people in sports. This is your opposition leader?

I will never vote for Gavin Newsom anyone who thinks trans people are actual humans will follow suit.

310 1.5K 5.7K