LightNews
rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards
@rrichard09.bsky.social
2.8K followers 8.3K following 460 posts

I study how people talk about politics and law and participate in governing their communities. Opinions expressed here are mine alone, not those of my employers or institutions. https://rcrjr.wordpress.com

Videos
Political science 19%
Environmental science 17%
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Rebecca Solnit, Jonathan M. Gilligan , and 1 more

mollyjongfast.bsky.social
Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 4h
Solidarity is the only way
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

jmcvicker.bsky.social
Jan McVicker @jmcvicker.bsky.social · 6h
Several News Outlets Reject Pentagon’s Reporting Restrictions The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsmax and others said their journalists would not agree to the Defense Department’s policies on news gathering ahead of a Tuesday deadline.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/b...
Several News Outlets Reject Pentagon’s Reporting Restrictions
www.nytimes.com
1 2

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Marc Lynch , and 11 more

robertkelchen.com
Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 8h
After getting zero firm commitments to this point from the first nine invitees, the Trump administration is extending its proposed compact to all colleges. Expect some red-state publics to say yes.
Trump Offers All Colleges Preferential Funding Plan Rejected by MIT
The Trump administration is inviting all US colleges to participate in a compact — initially rejected by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — that would grant preferential federal funding in re...
www.bloomberg.com
23 150 330

Reposted by Anders Nilsson, Robert C. Richards, Henry Jones

npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 9h
A Statement from NPR’s Editor in Chief on the Pentagon’s Press Policy.
Read More: www.npr.org/2025/10/13/g...
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

juliagelatt.bsky.social
Julia Gelatt @juliagelatt.bsky.social · 10h
USCIS processing data for April-June 2025 show a HUGE drop in U visa applications submitted. (Or maybe in U visa applications that USCIS bothered to open & enter in the system?) Just 68(!) applications were received & entered, compared to 12,000 in Oct-Dec, and 11,000 in Jan-Mar.
www.uscis.gov
9 22

Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher, Robert C. Richards, Margot C. Finn

scottnover.bsky.social
Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 11h
NEW: News organizations including the @washingtonpost.com, @nytimes.com, @theatlantic.com, and @cnn.com said their reporters will NOT sign the Pentagon's restrictive press policy. Outlets said that the policy infringes on their First Amendment rights. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Prominent news outlets reject Pentagon rules before signing deadline
The Washington Post and other major news outlets have refused to sign the Defense Department’s restrictive new press policy, citing First Amendment concerns.
www.washingtonpost.com
9 55 160

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Juliet B. Schor, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 4 more

stephenwest.bsky.social
Stephen West @stephenwest.bsky.social · 12h
How W. E. B. Du Bois responded to government policing of "anti-American" sentiment during the 1910s:

"I took great satisfaction in being able to sit back in my chair and answer blandly, 'We are seeking to have the Constitution of the United States thoroughly and completely enforced.' ”
Federal agents invaded even the offices of The Crisis and the National Association for the advancement of colored people and asked searching questions: " just what, after all, were our objects and activities?” I took great satisfaction in being able to sit back in my chair and answer blandly, “We are seeking to have the constitution of the United states thoroughly and completely enforced.” It took some ingenuity, even for Southerners, to make treason out of that.
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Reposted by Juliet B. Schor, Robert C. Richards, Alan Richardson , and 4 more

newsguy.bsky.social
Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 12h
WaPo joins NYT, CNN, The Atlantic, Guardian and others, according to @ScottNover, in announcing it won't sign the Pentagon's controversial new press policy.
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Reposted by Dustin Mulvaney, Shelly Lundberg, Robert C. Richards , and 3 more

newseye.bsky.social
News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 15h
These are mostly indigenous communities in Alaska that have been slammed by the storm.

The local manager of a small airline fleet says he is the only one doing evacuations right now!

Defund FEMA and people are abandoned. Defund public media and no-one knows.

FYI, today is Indigenous Peoples Day.
Homes flooded in Kipnuk Flooding seen with water up to the crash barriers of local roads Sheds and debris lie scattered in the storm A small blue house has been blown onto its roof
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

okeeffefeminism.bsky.social
Linda M Grasso @okeeffefeminism.bsky.social · 16h
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/b...
Susan Griffin, a Leading Voice of Ecofeminism, Is Dead at 82
www.nytimes.com
9 11

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Kate Starbird, David Darmofal

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 1d
More Americans are biting their tongues, not because they don’t care, but because they’re afraid to speak.

From DEI to the war in Gaza, people are more afraid to speak their minds now than during the Red Scare, according to a political scientist who has been conducting surveys.

buff.ly/Ls2m7mv
Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues
Nearly half of Americans say they feel less free to speak their minds.
buff.ly
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, James Goodwin

mattyglesias.bsky.social
Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias.bsky.social · 1d
I don't think people are "betting against Bari Weiss" the concern is that she will succeed in transforming CBS News into regime-aligned propaganda.
sallyjenx.bsky.social
Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 1d
This is really smart. Amazed at the hysteria over the ascendance of a woman entrepreneur who clearly knows how to cover and sell news and who's not afraid to take on a mob. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss
The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.
www.theatlantic.com
28 69 500

Reposted by John Foot, Robert C. Richards

newyorker.com
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 1d
Federal mortgage-fraud prosecutions are exceptionally rare. The amount allegedly at issue in the Letitia James case is so paltry that it would not normally draw the attention of federal prosecutors, @ruthmarcus.bsky.social writes.
The Indictment of Letitia James and the Collapse of Impartial Justice
The question raised by the prosecution of James is: would any other federal prosecutor have brought this case against any other defendant? The answer seems to be no.
www.newyorker.com
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards

georgetakei.bsky.social
George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 1d
Do you see where this is headed?
Tweet from Jordan Weissmann: “Asked for an example of a group that had funded a violent protest, Trump named ActBlue and Indivisible, which I think pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the goals here.” Below is a screenshot of an article excerpt detailing that neither George Soros nor Open Society Foundations fund protests, and noting that the White House named liberal groups like ActBlue and Indivisible in relation to violent incidents.
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Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Jane E. Fountain, Joni Lovenduski , and 2 more

unraveledpress.com
unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 1d
There are a tremendous number of ICE watchers out in Rogers Park this afternoon after some early morning abductions.

People are guarding churches and patrolling alleyways. Ran into Alderperson Hadden. First timers tell us they're primed and ready to use their whistles.
Know your rights flyer in Spanish on street pole No ice in sidewalk chalk Rapid responder posing with whistle Alderperson Maria Hadden on street corner
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Nicole Guenther Discenza, Nathan P. Kalmoe

mollyknight.bsky.social
Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 1d
Whistling when ICE is about to kidnap someone for no reason is incredibly effective. They know what they are doing is wrong and will scatter in the wind when too many witnesses gather.
FORM A CROWD STAY LOUD PROTECT EACH OTHER CODE I: ICE NEARBY BLOW QUICKLY IN A BROKEN RHYTHM: PRE-PRE-PRE! → ALERTS THE COMMUNITY THAT ICE AGENTS ARE IN THE AREA. ROGERS PARK WHISTLE PROTOCOLS WHY A WHISTLE? ON THE STREETS • A SIMPLE TOOL FOR FAST ALERTS. • LOUD. RECOGNIZABLE. IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE. • OUR VOICES ARE STRONGER TOGETHER. WHISTLES GUIDE PEOPLE TO: • FOLLOW ICE CARAVANS • CATCH UP WITH THE CROWD • ALERT NEIGHBORS TO JOIN IN NOISE = VISIBILITY. CODE 2: CODE RED BLOW THREE LONG BLASTS: PREEEE-PREEEE-PREEEE! → ICE IS DETAINING SOMEONE. FORM A CROWD, STAY LOUD. DON'T STAY SILENT. STAY NONVIOLENT. WHY IT WORKS • INSTANT ALERT SYSTEM • FASTER THAN SOCIAL MEDIA • TURNS SILENCE INTO COMMUNITY ACTION ORIGINAL FLYER CREATED BY: WHAT YOU CAN DO • WEAR YOUR WHISTLE AROUND YOUR NECK TEACH FAMILY EIGHBORS TH CODES • USE IT WHEN ICE IS SPOTTED • PROTECT EACH OTHER, ALWAYS TOGETHER, WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. FORM A CROWD, STAY LOUD. THIS FLYER DISTRIBUTED BY: PROTECT RP • @PROTECTRP_
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Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Alan Richardson, Henry Jones

dansinker.com
dan sinker @dansinker.com · 1d
New levels of hell: just got an email from our local AYSO cancelling today’s youth soccer games because ICE is at the Home Depot across from the soccer fields at James Park in Evanston.
31 610 1.9K

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Nicole Guenther Discenza

tressiemcphd.bsky.social
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 1d
I read from my upcoming memoir for the first time. Everyone was very kind.

www.facebook.com/share/v/1BEg...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
4 6 160

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

billkristolbulwark.bsky.social
Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 1d
"The shortest path to authoritarian regime is a mass deportation regime."

@tomjoscelyn.bsky.social explains why this is the case, and how it's happening.

www.youtube.com/live/GkUobvl...
The Trump Administration's Plan to Crush Dissent (w/ Tom Joscelyn)
YouTube video by The Bulwark
www.youtube.com
7 62 180

Reposted by Jennifer A. Richeson, Steve Peers, Robert C. Richards , and 4 more

sallyjenx.bsky.social
Sally Jenkins @sallyjenx.bsky.social · 1d
This is really smart. Amazed at the hysteria over the ascendance of a woman entrepreneur who clearly knows how to cover and sell news and who's not afraid to take on a mob. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Don’t Bet Against Bari Weiss
The new editor in chief of CBS News triumphs over her critics.
www.theatlantic.com
1.6K 7 33

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

kylegriffin1.bsky.social
Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 1d
Trump just said online the "Biden FBI" placed agents into the crowd on January 6, but Trump was president on January 6.
110 260 1K

Reposted by Jane E. Fountain, Robert C. Richards, Gerald Friedman , and 1 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Pritzker: "If the Constitution means anything -- and I guess we all are questioning that right now -- the Insurrection Act cannot be invoked ... they just want troops on the ground because they want to militarize especially blue cities in blue states."
330 5.3K 17K

rrichard09.bsky.social
Robert Richards @rrichard09.bsky.social · 1d
but see @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social :
bsky.app/profile/reic...
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d
Okay, I’m going to take a mea culpa on this one, as initial reporting suggested he was ONLY facing removal because of the murder conviction he’s been exonerated from. But there’s more; at 19, he pled guilty to dealing LSD. And in immigration law, that’s its own “aggravated felony” ground of removal.
cmgiulini.bsky.social
Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 2d
After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
1

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, David Darmofal

juliezebrak.bsky.social
Julie Zebrak @juliezebrak.bsky.social · 1d
Federal layoffs and an end to diversity initiatives have weakened a historically strong labor market for Black workers. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/b...
Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.
www.nytimes.com
2 26 62

Reposted by Robert C. Richards

walterolson.bsky.social
Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 1d
Andrew McCarthy: "there is now chaos in New Jersey federal court" following a judge's finding Alina Habba's appointment invalid, reflecting on Trump's "determination to staff his second-term DOJ with loyalists who could not be confirmed by the Senate" and "to try to stretch" laws to keep them there.
Comey Case Developments: (5) Motion to Dismiss Based on Illegality of Interim U.S. Attorney’s Appointment | National Review
If the naming of Lindsey Halligan as Alexandria’s top federal prosecutor did not comply with the law, there could be chaos.
www.nationalreview.com
2 20 55

Reposted by Steve Peers, Robert C. Richards, Claire L. Adida

reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d
Okay, I’m going to take a mea culpa on this one, as initial reporting suggested he was ONLY facing removal because of the murder conviction he’s been exonerated from. But there’s more; at 19, he pled guilty to dealing LSD. And in immigration law, that’s its own “aggravated felony” ground of removal.
cmgiulini.bsky.social
Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 2d
After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him
Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.
www.miamiherald.com
25 99 410

Reposted by Steve Peers, Bryan D. Jones, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 5 more

jamellebouie.net
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d
a key thing about vought — and all of these guys — is that they have a totally top down and hierarchical vision of the world. they believe that the cultural changes they hate can be turned off by destroying the federal government because they can’t imagine that they emerged bottom-up in society
thomaszimmer.bsky.social
Thomas Zimmer @thomaszimmer.bsky.social · 1d
What he’s railing against is a profound shift in culture, status… He’s obsessed with the idea that America is controlled by a leftist “ruling elite” - but “elite” isn’t defined socio-economically or by political power, it means something like: Getting to define “real America” and who gets to belong.
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Reposted by Michael D. Robinson, Brendan Nyhan, Robert C. Richards , and 4 more

avishaybsg.bsky.social
Avishay BSG (Ben-Sasson-Gordis) @avishaybsg.bsky.social · 1d
🧵 I'm excited to share that my article "Democratic Backsliding and the Limits of Civilian Control of the Military" has been accepted @thejop.bsky.social.

It answers the question "how ought militaries act when civilian leaders turn on democratic institutions?"

1/
#CivMilSky #PolTheory
20 200 740

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Cathy N. Davidson, Karen Benjamin Guzzo , and 5 more

victorerikray.bsky.social
Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 1d
Attacks on the federal workforce are also attacks on Black workers, who are overrepresented in the public sector.

Black unemployment is 7.5%. I'm reminded of Coates' observation that Black Americans regularly experience conditions that would be considered a crisis if whites faced them.
Black Unemployment Is Surging Again. This Time Is Different.
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Laia Balcells, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner , and 4 more

joycewhitevance.bsky.social
Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 1d
That’s a nice trick, since Biden wasn’t the president on Jan 6.
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