Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Kiera Butler @kieraevebutler.bsky.social · 15d

New from me: I wrote about how increasingly Israel's most important American allies are not Jews but evangelical Christians. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

God's "blank check": Christian Zionists are pouring billions of dollars into Israeli extremism

Evangelicals have become Israel's most important American allies.

www.motherjones.com

14 59 110

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Michael Mechanic @michaelmechanic.bsky.social · 16d

When the best and brightest young people are encouraged to chase money and status instead of following more meaningful pursuits, that's a missed opportunity for them--and us. Elite colleges can do better, educator Evan Mandery argues in this thoughtful @motherjones.com story.

America’s elite colleges are perpetual inequality machines. It doesn't have to be this way.

Rather than steer the nation's top students toward the most lucrative careers, schools could help them build meaningful lives.

www.motherjones.com

21 59

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Lydia Polgreen @polgreen.bsky.social · 16d

This is really great reporting from Mother Jones - the "godfather" of evidence-based medicine disavows the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine for misusing his work. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trans health care "skeptics" lost a key ally—now they're having a meltdown

The godfather of evidence-based medicine on rejecting anti-trans "misuse" of his work.

www.motherjones.com

2 310 970

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 17d

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

www.miamiherald.com

1.2K 19K 32K

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 23d

🎧 In the wake of ABC’s indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, this episode of "More to the Story" (published earlier today) is essential listening: @revealnews.org examines how the tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s murder is accelerating a political crackdown. LISTEN:

Charlie Kirk and Trump's Looming Political Crackdown

Podcast Episode · Reveal · 09/17/2025 · 30m

podcasts.apple.com

31 92 260

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 23d

Jameson Govoni is a co-founder of a hangover prevention company who had almost no public presence until his armed contractors arrived in the Middle East.

Now, he is at the center of a highly controversial Israeli and US-backed food distribution scheme in Gaza that experts say has been a disaster.

“Amateur hour”: The man sending US military contractors to Gaza

How a little-known former Green Beret went from starting a company to prevent hangovers to the center of a dubious scheme to deliver aid in Gaza.

www.motherjones.com

11 87 220

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · 23d

NEW: How does a North Carolina entrepreneur go from launching a CBD venture, a hangover prevention product, and a drink for ravers ... to founding a private security contractor arming aid sites in Gaza?

@motherjones.com investigates the man behind UG Solutions:

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

“Amateur hour”: The man sending US military contractors to Gaza

How a little-known former Green Beret went from starting a company to prevent hangovers to the center of a dubious scheme to deliver aid in Gaza.

www.motherjones.com

2 22 49

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Abby Vesoulis @abbyvesoulis.bsky.social · 24d

"It is often the case that the individuals who commit political violence in this country have incoherent ideological backgrounds. They don’t have clear manifestos, nor do they come from a background that signals attachment to one party or the other." www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Both the Left and Right are targeted by political violence. Who perpetrates it?

"What really connects these folks is not a coherent ideology."

www.motherjones.com

8 29 81

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · 27d

one perfect year with my beautiful girlfriend 🩵

4

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Natasha Lennard @natashalennard.bsky.social · 28d

Grateful to have spoken w brilliant colleagues on the immediate weaponization of Kirk's killing.
1. My excellent colleague @akelalacy.bsky.social hosted @alibreland.bsky.social and me on @theintercept.com podcast. including dangers of hagiographies like Ezra Klein's theintercept.com/2025/09/12/b...

The Real Charlie Kirk

Akela Lacy, Natasha Lennard, and Ali Breland on the weaponization of Charlie Kirk’s murder and increasing political violence.

theintercept.com

2 24 67

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Anna Merlan @annamerlan.bsky.social · 28d

NEW: I wrote about the ways that government and elected officials are threatening to have people fired or disciplined who post mean things about Charlie Kirk or are perceived to be celebrating his death www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

The full weight of the federal government is being used to memorialize Charlie Kirk

And to punish those who speak ill of him.

www.motherjones.com

27 130 400

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 28d

New York Times opinion columnist Ezra Klein wrote, “You can dislike much of what Kirk believed, and the following statement is still true: Kirk was practicing politics in exactly the right way."

One problem: Kirk's advocacy was laced with racist and bigoted statements.

No, Charlie Kirk was not practicing politics the right way

His assassination deserves full condemnation; his full impact should not be sidestepped.

www.motherjones.com

120 230 1.1K

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Julia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 28d

“The first interaction that many…have with Charlie Kirk is going to be, from these reputable institutions, a completely whitewashed perspective.”

My colleague @samveep.bsky.social and I spoke with Hasan Piker for @motherjones.com this morning. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Hasan Piker was set to debate Charlie Kirk. Now he's warning of a "Reichstag fire moment."

The streaming star on how to reject political violence while staying honest about Kirk's rhetoric.

www.motherjones.com

2 95 390

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Henry Carnell @hencarnell.bsky.social · 28d

When all else fails, make a timeline.

How false “gender ideology” claims spread after Charlie Kirk shooting, with @msjpauly.bsky.social and @schuylermitchell.bsky.social

September 10, 12:23 p.m.: Charlie Kirk is shot during an event at Utah Valley University after taking a question about transgender people
and mass shootings. Right-wing accounts on X immediately begin speculating, without evidence, that the shooter is transgender. An
online witch-hunt ensues.
September 10, 4:40 p.m.: President Donald Trump announces on Truth Social that Kirk has died from his injuries.
September 11, 8:35 a.m.: Right-wing commentator Steven Crowder posts a screenshot on X of a supposed “internal message
” leaked from
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives alleging that law enforcement officials found gun cartridges at the scene engraved
with unspecified “wording…expressing transgender and anti-fascist ideology.
” Crowder
’
s post is viewed more than 25 million times.
September 11, 10:23 a.m.: The Wall Street Journal posts a link on X to a news story captioned: “Breaking: Ammunition engraved with
transgender and antifascist ideology was found inside the rifle authorities believe was used in Kirk’s shooting, sources say.
”
The article cites “an internal law enforcement bulletin and a person familiar with the investigation.
” The post receives more than 11 million
impressions. At 10:51 a.m., the Daily Beast publishes a story repeating the claims. At 11:20 a.m., the New York Post publishes a similar story.

September 11, 11:29 a.m.: Right-wing news outlet the Daily Caller posts a video of GOP Rep. Nancy Mace, an outspoken opponent of
transgender rights.
“It sounds like the shooter was a tranny, or pro-tranny,
” she tells the reporter. “And just because I want to protect women, that I’
m worried
about getting murdered? Are you fucking kidding me? It’s out of control, and enough is enough, and I’
m going to double down on this.
”
September 11, 1:18 p.m.: The New York Times reports that the internal bulletin has not been verified by ATF analysts and does not match
other summaries of the evidence. According to a “senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation,
”
such reports
are usually not made public due to potentially inaccurate information.
September 11, 1:34 p.m.: The Trans Journalists’ Association “urges caution
” in a statement urging outlets to reporting about the
investigation, pushing outlets to “prioritize direct quotes and, to the greatest degree possible, identify the source and evidence
”
and
emphasizing that “transgender ideology
” is “a term coined for and used in anti-trans political messaging.
”
September 11, 3:28 p.m.: Citing “reporting in multiple outlets,”
conservative talk show host Megyn Kelly uses Kirk’s death as an
opportunity to attack trans people.
“Charlie Kirk’s killer engraved the ammunition used to murder him with pro-transgender ideology, according to reporting in multiple
outlets—to the surprise of literally no one,
” she said. “There
’
s one particular group that’s been running around killing Americans in the
name of transgender ideology lately and it’s transgender activists or individuals or those who proclaim that they are.
”
In an interview on Kelly
’s show, Donald Trump Jr. says, “I can
’t name, including probably, like, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, a group that is
more violent per capita than the radical trans moment.”

September 11, 4:43 p.m.: The UK-based Telegraph asserts that the killer
’
s ammunition was “engraved with pro-trans messages.
”
September 11, 5:00 p.m., CNN reports that, according to two law enforcement sources, at least one cartridge was marked with arrows,
which could have been misinterpreted by ATF analysts to be connected to the transgender community. By the following morning, the Wall
Street Journal alters its story to include the New York Times and CNN reporting, adding “Some Sources Urge Caution
” to its headline.
September 12, 10:10 a.m.: At a press conference, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox identifies the suspect in custody as 22-year-old Utah resident
Tyler Robinson, whom neither Cox nor law enforcement claim is transgender. Cox reads the inscriptions from the recovered bullet
casings, none of which reference transgender people in any way.
September 12, 10:36 a.m.: Rep. Mace calls for prayers for Robinson. “We know Charlie Kirk would want us to pray for such an evil, and lost
individual,
” she writes.

6 45 160

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · 28d

NEW: A timeline of how false “transgender ideology” claims spread in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing. By @hencarnell.bsky.social, @msjpauly.bsky.social, and me:

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

It's never too soon for the right to blame trans people

A timeline of false "gender ideology" claims about the Charlie Kirk shooting.

www.motherjones.com

18 220 710

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

The Lever @levernews.com · Sep 4

The EPA just paved the way for a nationwide buildout of chemical recycling facilities that boost fossil fuels, spew emissions, and don’t appear to work. www.levernews.com/trump-clears...

Trump Clears Path For Plastic Industry’s Fake Recycling Fix

The EPA just paved the way for a nationwide buildout of chemical recycling facilities that boost fossil fuels, spew emissions, and don’t appear to work.

www.levernews.com

2 22 31

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · Sep 6

Hi I’m back on Bluesky and I’m an editor at Mother Jones now and I wrote this article!

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Sep 3

“They just see us as little toy soldiers to put on the street to show some muscle.”

Alex, a National Guard recruiter who requested anonymity to speak freely, told Mother Jones that the DC mission has deterred potential recruits and pushed soldiers to their breaking points.

The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover

“This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for and it feels like a violation.”

www.motherjones.com

3 30 79

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · Sep 3

"This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for, and it feels like a violation.”

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · Sep 3

“They just see us as little toy soldiers to put on the street to show some muscle.”

Alex, a National Guard recruiter who requested anonymity to speak freely, told Mother Jones that the DC mission has deterred potential recruits and pushed soldiers to their breaking points.

The National Guard soldier pissed about Trump’s DC takeover

“This is an encroachment on everything we signed up for and it feels like a violation.”

www.motherjones.com

23 240 790

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Ali Gharib @ali-gharib.theintercept.com · Sep 23

North Carolina GOP Hides Redistricting Process From State Public Records Law

The change, snuck into the state budget at the last minute, will shield lawmakers from scrutiny in a state with a history of partisan gerrymandering.

by @schuylermitchell.bsky.social theintercept.com/2023/09/22/n...

North Carolina GOP Hides Redistricting Process From State Public Records Law

Republicans in North Carolina shielded the redistricting process from the public records law in a state with a history of gerrymandering.

theintercept.com

3 4

Reposted by Schuyler Mitchell

Akela Lacy @akelalacy.bsky.social · Sep 21

AIPAC’s only 2024 targets are progressive members of the Congressional Black Caucus. I asked CBC to respond to efforts to recruit primary challengers to Reps. Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman & Summer Lee. CBC did not comment https://theintercept.com/2023/09/21/aipac-cbc-progressive-black-democrats/

AIPAC Targets Black Democrats — While the Congressional Black Caucus Stays Silent

AIPAC has given at least $3.6 million to the CBC’s old guard since last year, while members of the Squad draw the Israel lobby’s ire.

theintercept.com

26 64

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · May 23

reading and writing >>>

1

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · May 23

i love journalism, books, words, things of that nature

1

Schuyler Mitchell @schuylermitchell.bsky.social · Apr 28

having a dishwasher is lowkey goated when doing dishes is the vibe

1