Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 4h

Imagine Watergate and the Saturday night massacre combined but instead the media ran cover for it. That's what this is.

Alt text: Screenshot of a CNN Politics article headline reading “Lindsey Halligan didn’t coordinate NY AG Letitia James indictment with Pam Bondi’s DOJ.” The byline lists authors Kristen Holmes, Kaitlan Collins, Evan Perez, and Hannah Rabinowitz. The article was updated 1 hour and 55 minutes ago and is labeled as a 2-minute read.

Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 7h

reminder that these giant corporations and their billionaire shareholders are the ones reaping the benefits of the OBBBA while families struggle to pay basic bills and face rising costs

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Matthew Gardner @mindthegaap.bsky.social · 22h

Ongoing fun project: following quarterly earnings calls where corporate execs are asked to quantify the effect of OBBBA on their cash taxes. This generally only comes up when a industry analysts ask. The candor is, in turns, refreshing and horrifying. (1/x)

itep.org/trump-tax-la...

Well, That Was Fast: Trump Tax Law’s New Corporate Breaks are Already Worsening the Deficit

Corporate income taxes for the fiscal year that ended in September are $77 billion lower than in the previous year, a 15 percent drop.

itep.org

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Katie Bergh @katiebergh.bsky.social · 2d

How to make SNAP errors more likely:
1️⃣Pass a law adding a bunch of complex red tape to SNAP
2️⃣Make those changes go into effect immediately
3️⃣Provide no details about how states should implement those changes for months
4️⃣Then cut federal funding for states' admin costs in half

Ty Jones Cox @tyjonescox.bsky.social · 2d

At the same time, states are also facing the megabill's huge unfunded mandate for SNAP costs, which is based on how many errors states make in their SNAP programs. But errors will now be far more likely as states rush to roll out these complex policies on an unrealistic timeline.

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Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 1d

It is pretty galling that the Supreme Court spent four years telling Biden "you can't do that without Congress" then allowed Trump to seize a once-unthinkable amount of power from Congress within nine months and concentrate law-making authority almost entirely in the executive branch.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 1d

Dan.

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

yeah, trump has made very clear that he doesn’t think black people deserve to be in jobs of influence! www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

Trump Fires Black Officials From an Overwhelmingly White Administration

www.nytimes.com

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 1d

It behooves elected officials and party leaders in both parties to speak out and use every tool available to stop masked federal gunmen from tackling, punching, and shooting at unarmed priests, seniors, and children.

The more enablers normalize this brutality, the more they own it themselves.

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Quinta Jurecic @qjurecic.bsky.social · 1d

he's going to come after you either way, so you might as well act with integrity

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

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 2d

weird that the guy who ran on chants of "lock her up!" would use the judicial system to settle personal grudges and arrest his political opponents

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Meredith Shiner @meredithshiner.com · 2d

Bridging my current life in Chicago and my past life in D.C., I argue today at @newrepublic.com that Democrats should ~never~ vote to fund this government. Make John Thune blow up Senate rules and Republicans wholly own the U.S. extra-military military doing war crimes against us, funded by us.

The Case for the Forever Shutdown

Senate Democrats actually allowing the GOP to stop funding the government is only the first step. Now they have to make the case that Trump’s government is illegitimate.

newrepublic.com

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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 2d

Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area ICE facility and began to pray.

The masked ICE agents on the roof responded by firing pepper balls, with one striking him in the head

religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...

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David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 2d

I really believe that huge majorities of Americans don’t want masked soldiers shooting priests in the street. They don’t want naked children ripped out out of their apartments in the middle of the night and handcuffed. We win by making sure these stories get told.

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

The same people who insisted devout Catholic Joe Biden was leading a “war on Christianity” are now cheering Trump on as his armed goons assault clergymen.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 2d

WATCH: Trump’s lawless Ice goons shoot an unarmed priest in the head with a pepper ball. Completely out of control.

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 2d

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 2d

Wanna learn more about the pastor in this photo?

I talked to him yesterday.

He's currently part of a lawsuit against DHS, in part due to this exact moment: religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...

Religious protesters say ICE threatens religious freedom in Chicago

(RNS) — Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as ‘Love thy neighbor’ and ‘Who w...

religionnews.com

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Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 2d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 3d

Claim: 10 cars rammed ICE
Truth: No cars rammed ICE

Claim: She boxed ICE in
Truth: ICE boxed her in

Claim: She shot a rifle at ICE
Truth: She did not have a rifle

Claim: ICE returned fire
Truth: Only ICE fired

Claim: She drove herself to the hospital
Truth: Paramedics found her

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 4d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 5d

The media trots out the "deplorable" comment from a decade ago to castigate the left. Once a week now Trump implies that the military should destroy democrats, and it is just how things are.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d

Trump to the Navy: "We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder called the Democrats."

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 4d

Ya know if we just keep consolidating down to fewer healthcare companies with declining profit margins, it kinda seems like we should just have one healthcare system run by the government?

Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 4d

Rite Aid closes all remaining stores after 63 years in business

"All Rite Aid stores have now closed. We thank our loyal customers for their many years of support." Rite Aid, once one of America's biggest pharmacy chains, shuttered its remaining 89 stores this wee...

abc7.com

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Eric Allix Rogers @ericallixrogers.com · 4d

We are starting to see coverage with much more context surrounding the raid at 7500 South Shore Drive in Chicago.

South Side Weekly @southsideweekly.bsky.social · 4d

NEW: In the weeks leading up to a massive ICE raid at a South Shore apartment building, neighbors saw drones surveilling the area, and teachers at a nearby school regularly saw agents in the neighborhood.

✍️ Jose Abonce for the Weekly and Maira Khwaja for @invisible.institute

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

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Peter Chen @ptrchn1.bsky.social · 4d

And of course, people who rang the alarm bells were treated as hysterical and unrealistic.

Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 4d

Just a reminder -- anyone who was paying attention could see all of this coming, from miles away

Re-posting what I wrote in MAY 2024, or 17 months ago

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Ann Telnaes @anntelnaes.bsky.social · 6d

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 8d

Trump and Republicans spread lies and scapegoat immigrants to distract you from how they are picking your pockets.

Do not be fooled.

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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 7d

Remember when it was a national scandal on the right that the White House pushed to take down a few tweets?

Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 7d

Apple agreed with the Trump admin’s demands that they remove apps that helped people track ICE agents from the Apple Store: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/u...

Apple Takes Down ICE Tracking Apps Amid Trump Pressure Campaign

www.nytimes.com

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