Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The American Prospect @prospect.org · 10m

Mamdani is approaching the issue of New York policing the same way he’s approached every other issue: Active listening. Robert Kuttner reports on the candidate’s vision for police reform:
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Mamdani Courts the Cops

He is doing a lot better than you might think.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 55m

Both sides of the aisle believe they are winning the government shutdown fight, but polling suggests most voters blame Trump. This is a chance for the Democrats to push their No Kings budget deal. From @ddayen.bsky.social:
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As Shutdown Wears On, Trump’s Getting Blamed

But if Democrats don’t demand that he honor any budget deal, they will lose the war even if they win the battle.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1h

Hey DC Prospect readers! Catch our cofounder Paul Starr in conversation with E.J. Dionne about Paul’s new book American Contradiction at Politics & Prose on Oct 17. Should be a great night of ideas.

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Paul Starr — American Contradiction: Revolution and Revenge from the 1950s to Now - with EJ Dionne — at The Wharf

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1h

Trump campaigned explicitly on making everybody’s lives worse, and now he’s focusing his efforts on the GOP voters who missed those messages and put him into office. From Ryan Cooper:
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Donald Trump to Trump Country: Drop Dead

The president told MAGA voters exactly what he was going to do in 2024. Now he is doing it.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1h

Caving to centrists failed the Democrats in 2024. The party’s future depends on working with the progressives in their coalition. From Dylan Gyauch-Lewis at The Revolving Door Project:
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Centrist Democrats Have Already Forgotten About Kamala Harris

Pivoting to the right didn't work in 2024. It won't work now.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 20h

While Trump illegally seizes power, Congress seems content to do nothing. Democratic governors are stepping up to protect their states from Trump’s interventions. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: trib.al/LK3l3gO

Governors Plunged Into Constitutional Crisis

State power brokers step up as a paralyzed Congress bows out.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 20h

Trump is using his presidency to initiate a civil war—deploying troops from Southern states to Northern cities like a modern-day Jefferson Davis. From Harold Meyerson: trib.al/FIYj68r

Jefferson Davis Trump

Today on TAP: A federal judge rules that Trump needs to show that a rebellion is really taking place in order to call in the army.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 21h

Ignoring a judge’s recommendation, the Minnesota regulators unanimously approved BlackRock’s plan to take Minnesota Power private. Private equity is buying up utilities as profits from fueling data centers grow. From James Baratta: trib.al/DhfuUOy

BlackRock Just Bought a Minnesota Utility

On Friday, state regulators voted unanimously in favor of allowing private equity to take a Duluth-based utility holding company private. The Prospect takes you inside the room where it all went down.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 22h

After abducting farmworkers, Trump’s administration has found a solution to the budding food crisis: exploit labor even further. H-2A visas deny workers bargaining rights, job mobility, and fair wages— and employers are using them more than ever. From @ddayen: trib.al/KDKgLjP

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 23h

Trump is taking money from universities that enroll large numbers of Latino students and funneling it to high-profile HBCUs. It’s a cynical ploy designed to divide marginalized communities. From Naomi Bethune: trib.al/YjYbSmg

Competing for Crumbs

While adding funding for historically Black colleges and universities, Trump’s Education Department is simultaneously cutting funding to colleges that primarily serve minorities.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 23h

“The greatest fear of our founding fathers was Donald Trump.” As Congress sits idle, Democratic governors are fighting back against Trump’s attempts to take power from the states. From @gurleygg.bsky.social: trib.al/gM3X8Ns

Governors Plunged Into Constitutional Crisis

State power brokers step up as a paralyzed Congress bows out.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

BlackRock just bought a utility provider in Minnesota for $6.2 billion. They claim that the deal will help transition Minnesota to clean energy, but critics say it’s about increasing shareholder profits. From James Baratta: trib.al/Vg4qIbx

BlackRock Just Bought a Minnesota Utility

On Friday, state regulators voted unanimously in favor of allowing private equity to take a Duluth-based utility holding company private. The Prospect takes you inside the room where it all went down.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Trump’s own Department of Labor is admitting that unchecked deportations could pose “immediate dangers to the American food supply.” Their solution is to bring in temp workers for even lower wages. From @ddayen.bsky.social: trib.al/GOrZ472

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Trump gave $495 million to underfunded HBCUs and tribally controlled colleges. The catch: He took the money from other under-resourced colleges that serve Latino students. From Naomi Bethune: trib.al/YrcbPbX

Competing for Crumbs

While adding funding for historically Black colleges and universities, Trump’s Education Department is simultaneously cutting funding to colleges that primarily serve minorities.

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Reposted by The American Prospect

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 1d

So this is funny.
The administration just issued a rule slashing foreign agricultural worker wages. And to justify it, in a public filing, Trump's Labor Department alleges that Trump's immigration enforcement has devastated the Ag workforce and caused a "risk of supply shock-induced food shortages."

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Democratic cities in blue states serves only to terrorize their populations and usurp power from state governors. From @gurleygg.bsky.social‬:
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Governors Plunged Into Constitutional Crisis

State power brokers step up as a paralyzed Congress bows out.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Trump’s hostage-for-ceasefire plan in Gaza offers tentative hope for the war, but the future of Gazan governance and the land’s reconstruction are still big question marks. Robert Kuttner reports:
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Trump’s Peace Plan and Real Estate Deal

Today on TAP: Strong-arming Bibi into a hostage/cease-fire agreement is the easy part.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Big Tech practices have been swirling down the ethical toilet for well over a decade, as Cory Doctorow covers in his 2025 book “Enshittification.” Maureen Tkacik reviews the downfall of American tech companies:
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Brown Stage Capitalism

Cory Doctorow’s ‘Enshittification’ describes how tech platforms (and everything else) went down the sewer. Hint: It rhymes with ‘deshmegulation.’

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Trump’s Treasury secretary announced he would not penalize entities who fail to report beneficial owners of shell corporations, allowing oligarchs to continue to hide about a trillion dollars in uncollected taxes each year. Robert Kuttner reports:
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How Scott Bessent Enables Oligarchy

The Treasury secretary has gutted the most important anti-corruption reform legislation in a generation—the 2020 Corporate Transparency Act.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Markets have always needed regulation and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Ryan Cooper proposes a socialist argument for anti-trust laws:
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The Socialist Case for Antitrust

Markets need regulating. Always have, always will.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Democratic cities in blue states serves only to terrorize their populations and usurp power from state governors. From @gurleygg.bsky.social‬:
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Governors Plunged Into Constitutional Crisis

State power brokers step up as a paralyzed Congress bows out.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 1d

Trump finally bullied Netanyahu into taking a hostage-for-cease-fire deal. Now comes the hard part: who governs Gaza, how far will Israel withdraw, and how many Palestinian prisoners will be released. From Robert Kuttner: trib.al/47H1qYd

Trump’s Peace Plan and Real Estate Deal

Today on TAP: Strong-arming Bibi into a hostage/cease-fire agreement is the easy part.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 2d

Every tech product is getting shittier, and it’s making tech barons richer. Bezos and his peers have made themselves into post-risk tollbooth operators, skimming profits off the economic activity of others. Maureen Tkacik reviews “Enshittification.” trib.al/nyvLlbL

Brown Stage Capitalism

Cory Doctorow’s ‘Enshittification’ describes how tech platforms (and everything else) went down the sewer. Hint: It rhymes with ‘deshmegulation.’

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 2d

Tech CEOs loathe former FTC chair Lina Khan for breaking up their monopolies and protecting consumers. Antitrust could play an even larger role, with subsidized or state-owned stepping in to increase competition. From Ryan Cooper: trib.al/8OkqU1R

The Socialist Case for Antitrust

Markets need regulating. Always have, always will.

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 2d

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent boasts of “reining in burdensome regulations,” including the rule that would force shell companies to reveal their true owners. Under Trump, oligarchs are raking in even more money. From Robert Kuttner: trib.al/fc5K2LJ

How Scott Bessent Enables Oligarchy

The Treasury secretary has gutted the most important anti-corruption reform legislation in a generation—the 2020 Corporate Transparency Act.

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