Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Cory Booker @corybooker.com · 4h

The GOP controls the government and is choosing to keep it shut down, and letting military families go without pay.

46 240 640

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Kimberly Atkins Stohr @kimberlyeatkins.bsky.social · 4h

He’s literally cuffing the hands that bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice

4 37 170

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Raw Story @rawstory.com · 1h

A librarian fired by county officials in Campbell County, Wyoming, for refusing to remove LGBTQ books from shelves got the last laugh with a $700,000 settlement.

Librarian gets massive payday after firing for refusal to yank LGBTQ books off shelves

A librarian fired by county officials in Campbell County, Wyoming, for refusing to remove LGBTQ books from shelves got the last laugh with a $700,000 settlement. According to The New York Times, "Terri Lesley, the former director of the Campbell County Public Library in Gillette, Wyo., filed a feder...

bit.ly

6 48 180

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 1h

AS: My opponent has also previously said that she thinks it’s okay for someone to be fired from their job for being gay. That is discrimination.

WES: That’s not discrimination! (2/2)

15 33 350

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1h

Sears also said that being fired for being gay “is not discrimination.” That’s going in ads. #VAGov

American Bridge 21st Century @ab21.bsky.social · 1h

WATCH: Winsome Earle-Sears says her opposition to marriage equality or her support for LGTBQ+ Americans being fired for being gay is "not discrimination." #VAGov

7 22 91

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

American Bridge 21st Century @ab21.bsky.social · 1h

REMINDER: Winsome Earle-Sears is on the record supporting a 6-week abortion ban in Virginia. #VAGov

2 3

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

American Bridge 21st Century @ab21.bsky.social · 1h

WATCH: Winsome Earle-Sears says her opposition to marriage equality or her support for LGTBQ+ Americans being fired for being gay is "not discrimination." #VAGov

11 41 150

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Zachary Brennan @zacharybrennan.bsky.social · 3d

Scoop: FDA confirms it's shaking up its university collaborations this year, under what's known as its CERSI program (5-yr, $50M collabs w/the likes of Hopkins, MD, UCSF-Stanford, Yale-Mayo Clinic) - endpoints.news/fda-to-rewor...

FDA to rework 'CERSI' university collaborations, will make funding changes

FDA plans to redesign its Centers for Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation program in 2026, affecting partnerships with Johns Hopkins, Yale, Mayo Clinic and others.

endpoints.news

4 4

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

I am glad that is over. At least we can rest assured that @abigailspanberger.com knows how to stay calm, not rise to attacks, and get the job done. We know that Earle Sears doesn't understand the job and doesn't have the temperament to lead. We've seen where that gets us. Not again #VirginiaDebate

1

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

Did you hear Winsome Earle Sears talk of her experience in Jamaica, and how people get ripped from cars on the streets by the gov? Is Miyares going to protect us from National Guard, ICE, and unwarranted government violence on our streets? Jay Jones is our bulwark against these actions. #VAGov

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

If this is how Winsome Earl Sears is going to lead, nothing is going to get done. #vagov

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

Winsome Earl Sears keeps interrupting @abigailspanberger.com during her time. And then instead of answering question, she uses her own time to ask Spanberger questions that go unanswered because Spanberger is playing by the rules and not interrupting Sears' time. #vagov

1 4

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

Winsome Earl Sears is exhausting - but worse she just said that it is not discrimination to fire someone for being gay! This is why we need Jay Jones as Attorney General. We need to protect our rights. #vagov

2

Nicolette Pizzitola @nicpiz.bsky.social · 1h

American Bridge 21st Century @ab21.bsky.social · Apr 24

Donald Trump's proposal to cut funding for Head Start will have devastating impacts on Virginia families.

Virginians know they can't trust Republicans like #VAGov Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Earle-Sears, or #VA02 Jen Kiggans to stand up for them.
richmond.com/news/state-r...

RPS would lose $10M under Trump proposal to cut Head Start

The move would defund care and education for more than 12,000 young children - ages 3 to 5 - across Virginia.

richmond.com

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

emptywheel @emptywheel.bsky.social · 1h

Here's Legum's earlier report.

popular.info/p/trumps-arg...

Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected billionaire

A $20 billion taxpayer-funded rescue package for Argentina is a gift for a hedge fund manager with personal and professional ties to the Treasury Secretary

popular.info

2 49 130

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Blue Virginia @bluevirginia.bsky.social · 5d

The Virginia Beach Dems issue a statement which "reaffirms its full support or Jay Jones for Attorney General" and "[calls] on all Virginians to line up behind Jay Jones" bluevirginia.us/2025/10/wapo...

"Virginia Beach, VA – The Virginia Beach Democratic Committee (VBDC) reaffirms its full support of Jay Jones for Attorney General. We are lined up, ten toes down—ready to organize, mobilize, and deliver voters for Jay and our entire Democratic ticket.

Recent press may have spotlighted past mistakes. We say, let those without sin cast the first stone. Jay Jones has taken responsibility, apologized, and shown he is committed to serving with integrity and accountability that his public record already shows. Virginians deserve a leader who learns, grows, and stands for everyday people—and Jay is that leader.

Jay Jones is a stark contrast to Jason Miyares in every way. In his tenure, Miyares has failed to stand up for Virginia families’ concerns or values. He has not defended women’s reproductive rights, workers rights or protected the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who are on the verge of losing access to their healthcare benefits and service providers.

The VBDC is calling on all Virginians to line up behind Jay Jones. Together, in November we will defend democracy, and secure leadership in the Attorney General’s office that truly serves all the people of Virginia."

26 46 150

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

New York Attorney General Letitia James @newyorkstateag.bsky.social · 3h

This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system.

I am not fearful — I am fearless.

We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights..

1.2K 6.3K 20K

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2h

Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law.

Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois.

And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.

150 1.9K 7.5K

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Ian Bassin @ianbassin.bsky.social · 5h

Hamilton warned that without Senate confirmation, a president might appoint officials "who had no other merit than that of being in some way or other personally allied to him, or of possessing the necessary insignificance and pliancy to render them the obsequious instruments of his pleasure."

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 5h

MSNBC reports that Lindsey Halligan presented the case to the grand jury

bsky.app/profile/anna...

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 5h

Per Fox News, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia is currently weighing whether to charge NY AG Letitia James with mortgage fraud.

2 37 150

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

The American Prospect @prospect.org · 4h

Zohran Mamdani wants to establish a Department of Community Safety to handle homelessness and mental health calls. He’s betting police will back it if it means no more mandatory overtime. From Robert Kuttner: trib.al/ZfzqpVx

Mamdani Courts the Cops

He is doing a lot better than you might think.

trib.al

1 9 56

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 6h

An artificial heart for children with congenital heart defects was almost finished. Families had waited for years it.

Then, Trump canceled billions in grants for universities — including the grant for this device.

The cruelty is endless. www.npr.org/2025/10/09/n...

This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled

A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.

www.npr.org

84 1.1K 2.2K

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Senator Tim Kaine @kaine.senate.gov · 6h

Three rural clinics in Virginia are closing their doors because of Trump and the GOP’s Medicaid cuts—and more closures will come if we don’t restore this funding ASAP. My Republican colleagues must come to the negotiating table to save Medicaid and reopen the government.

Axios headline reading: Shutdown and Medicaid cuts deal one-two punch to Virginia hospitals.

6 26 79

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 6h

During a government shutdown, the Trump administration is bailing out Argentina, whose president is fond of saying, “The state isn’t the solution, it’s the problem.”

David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 6h

Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. has “directly purchased Argentine pesos,” and the Treasury Department has “finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework with Argentina’s central bank.”

41 390 1.1K

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 6h

MOODY’S: Twenty-two states are either in a recession or on the precipice of a downturn. 👀

@axios.com 🇺🇸
www.axios.com/newsletters/...

42 200 460

Reposted by Nicolette Pizzitola

The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 11h

Reverend David Black, the senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, was praying at the armed agents above him before being shot in the head with a pepper ball at least twice and falling to his knees.

Black said he could hear ICE laughing. trib.al/y6RQqAa

10 100 230