Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 2h

NEWS: Israel has launched new strikes in Gaza after accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire. The IDF says Hamas fighters fired on troops in Rafah, prompting retaliation. Netanyahu ordered forces to “act forcefully.” Hamas denies the charge, claiming it’s honoring the truce.

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 12h

Nothing that any elected Democrat has ever said about Republican voters is ever as crass or as cruel as what Trump says about Democratic constituencies every single day, and the media just treats it as background noise.

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Simon Rosenberg @simonwdc.bsky.social · 2h

I'm beginning to believe that Johnson has been told that if the discharge petition passes Trump will withdraw support for him as Speaker.

What he's doing here is so far out of bounds, so incredibly destructive, illiberal and a betrayal of the House itself, that it has to be something like this.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3h

KARL: I mean, you could swear in Adelita Grijalva tomorrow, right?

MIKE JOHNSON: No, not tomorrow. We couldn't. We wouldn't.

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Lev Parnas @levparnas.bsky.social · 2h

substack.com/@levparnas/n...

Lev Parnas (@levparnas)

💔 They’re Freezing and Forgotten — But We Can Save Them Now Yesterday, we united to make our voices heard. We showed the world that no kings rule over us — only the power of the people. But today, ...

substack.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14h

Trump posts AI video showing him literally dumping shit on America

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Republicans Against Trumpism @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social · 2h

We’re not a serious country anymore

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2h

BARTIROMO: You said you wanted to develop Gaza. Do you have plans for that?

TRUMP: I liked it as, like, freedom place you call it. And we would get all of the people that live there into decent homes throughout the region. Egypt has a lot of land, Jordan has a lot of land.

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 17h

Can someone on a Sunday show interviewing a Republican member of Congress please play a damn montage of Trump, Vance and Hegseth making speeches to active duty military trashing Democrats and ask them if they think that is appropriate?

Asking for a Republic.

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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 17h

Best I've seen.

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 22h

👀 someone calling out big law firm complicity and cowardice

Sign reading BIG LAW LITTLE BALLS, and then listing a bunch of lil ball'd firms:

A&O Shearman
Cadwalder, Wickersham
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Milbank
Paul, Weiss
Simpson Thatcher
Skadden, Arpa
Willkie Farr

Then the sign ends with a Trump quote that should make these firms put their heads in the proverbial bag:

"They gave me a lot of money considering they did nothing wrong"

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Barb McQuade @barbmcquade.bsky.social · 1d

Today, veterans, public servants, and other patriots who love America will gather to show their love for democracy.

You can find here a No Kings rally near you:
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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Mike Nellis @mikenellis.bsky.social · 1d

Trump: Good news everyone, I released…
Us: The Epstein files?
Trump: No.
Us: The Homan bribery tape?
Trump: No.
Us: The jobs report?
Trump: No.
Us: The inflation numbers?
Trump: No.
Us: Then what?
Trump: George Santos!
Us: …what the actual fuck?

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moleatmal.bsky.social @moleatmal.bsky.social · 1d

Wait until Vance finds out Hillary got 3 million more votes than Trump

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capitolhunters @capitolhunters.bsky.social · 1d

It's more than just corruption - the Santos pardon is another Jan 6 pardon.

capitolhunters @capitolhunters.bsky.social · 1d

Reminder: Ed Martin, Trump's US Pardon attorney (R) and George Santos, whose sentence he just helped commute (L) were both speakers at the Stop the Steal rally the day before the Jan 6 Capitol attack. The next day, they both sat in the VIP section at Trump's Ellipse rally. 1/

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1d

Looks like the Russians like his Russia tie. It’s not red-white-blue either. It’s red-blue-white. Like the Russian flag. For a meeting with Zelensky.

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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 1d

New federal data has revealed a 19% year-on-year decline in international students entering the US in August 2025, including a 45% drop from India, America’s largest sending country. thepienews.com/internationa...

International student arrivals to the US fall by 19%

The US recorded a 20% drop in student visa arrivals this August, though the full picture remains unclear amid contradictory datasets.

thepienews.com

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moleatmal.bsky.social @moleatmal.bsky.social · 1d

The Hill abandoned any notion of being non partisan in the last few years.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

There are so many threats to the rule of law.

And, also, Trump is getting no-billed and acquitted in key cases.

But if pardons are your line, the Manafort/Stone/Flynn pardons and/or the Jan6 ones were the keystone pardons. Not this one.

Look on THIS ONE as an easy object lesson.

Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 1d

I think at this point it’s fair to say that we’re no longer under the rule of law.

Trump Orders Santos to Be Freed From Prison ‘Immediately’ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/u...

Trump Orders Santos to Be Freed From Prison ‘Immediately’

www.nytimes.com

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

For all the chatter abt the Santos pardon, these details are some of the most insightful.

capitolhunters @capitolhunters.bsky.social · 1d

Reminder: Ed Martin, Trump's US Pardon attorney (R) and George Santos, whose sentence he just helped commute (L) were both speakers at the Stop the Steal rally the day before the Jan 6 Capitol attack. The next day, they both sat in the VIP section at Trump's Ellipse rally. 1/

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Point being, among others, John Sauer has given Chicago an easy way to 1) point out that Trump is lying (the video of White House relying on FL video has come out since the District ruled) and 2) demonstrate the impact of Kavanaugh stops and similar.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Thus far, LaMonica McIver and the Subway Sandwich guy have cited Jan6 pardons in their selective prosecution motions.

W/McIver, DOJ argued that DOJ had no choice in the matter.

But here, Eagle Ed is literally playing both roles, Pardon Attorney and prosecute Trump's enemies.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

The guy most responsible for charging Tish James for being generous to her Great Niece is in the very same week bragging abt his role in freeing a guy who REALLY DID engage in financial fraud.

And I'm thinking, Abbe Lowell is no slouch and I bet he can explain why this proves selective prosecution.

An Ed Martin Tweet RTing Trump's announcement of the George Santos pardon.

His tweet says:

I was honored as U.S. Pardon Attorney to have played a small role in
@POTUS granting @MrSantosNY clemency. Thank you, Mr. President for making clemency great again.

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Some of the credit card fraud, which victimized some seniors, was in 2022.

Similarly, between December 2021 and March 2022, Santos used the stolen credit
card information for Individual 2 to make tens of thousands of dollars in contributions to his
campaign and other campaigns, again disguising the source of the funds by masking them with
either stolen identities or fictitious identities. (PSR ¶ 41).3
Specifically, in late December 2021,
Santos used Individual 2’s stolen credit card information to contribute $5,000 to his campaign,
falsely attributing the contribution to a personal friend. (Id.). In mid-February 2022, Santos used
Individual 2’s stolen credit card information to contribute $5,000 to another congressional

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

The Unemployment Fraud part of George Santos' guilty plea--in which he victimized NY State's DOL--was committed in 2020 to 2021, meaning there may be another year to charge him there.

There's more that might be chargeable.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Despite being gainfully employed, on June 17, 2020, Santos submitted an online
application for unemployment benefits to the NYS DOL. (PSR ¶ 76). In that application, Santos
falsely claimed that he had been unemployed since March 17, 2020. (Id.). He falsely claimed that
his workplace had been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic but that he was otherwise
willing and able to work right away. (Id.). From that point forward—for 64 weeks in a row—
Santos falsely reaffirmed his continuing eligibility to receive unemployment insurance benefits,
until September 5, 2021. (Id.). In each weekly certification, Santos lied about not working, despite
continuing to be paid by Harbor City as its Regional Director. (Id.).
Between June 18, 2020, and September 7, 2021, as a direct result of Santos’s
fraudulent representations, the NYS DOL deposited tens of thousands of dollars in PUA and FPUC
funds (all of which were federally funded) into Santos’s personal bank account. (PSR ¶ 77).15 In
total, Santos unlawfully obtained $24,744 in unemployment insurance payments through patently
false attestations. (Id. ¶ 78).

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emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1d

Eagle Ed Martin and George Santos Just Proved Tish James' Vindictive Prosecution Claim

www.emptywheel.net/2025/10/18/e...

Eagle Ed Martin and George Santos Just Proved Tish James' Vindictive Prosecution Claim - emptywheel

At the very same time Eagle Ed was stalking Tish James up and down the Eastern Seaboard, desperately trying to find some crime to charge her with. he was also busy finding a way to free George Santos,...

www.emptywheel.net

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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Police knew a Kremlin spy ring recruited former leader of Reform Wales at least 3 years ago.

So why was Nathan Gill not charged till Feb this year?

Pls read part 2 of @thenerve.news special investigation into Nathan Gill. And please share!
1/

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