Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 3h

A very weird detail in this WSJ story about Trump’s weaponization of DOJ and FBI:

“Trump occasionally reminds aides about an incident last year in which Trump cut his hand on Bondi’s large wedding ring, causing him to bleed.”

…??

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Inside the Justice Department Where the President Calls the Shots

The president has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department, taking control in ways he could have only dreamed of in his first term.

www.wsj.com

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Michael Hawthorne @scribeguy.bsky.social · 3h

Federal judge rules National Guard troops from Texas have no place in Chicago or the rest of Illinois. Judge cites a growing body of evidence that the Department of Homeland Security’s legal positions (under Trump) are "simply unreliable."

Federal judge blocks Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Chicago, rest of state

Arguments in federal court over an emergency restraining order that would bar a National Guard deployment began Thursday with lawyers sparring over what constitutes a “rebellion” that such troops m…

www.chicagotribune.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 6h

The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.

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Michael Hawthorne @scribeguy.bsky.social · 3h

From 2017: "The "Rape Melania" sign was not the work of an anti-Trump protester at all. Instead ... it was the brainchild of a group of Trump supporters led by Jack Posobiec ... a prominent figure in the pro-Trump internet."

Inside The Alt-Right’s Campaign To Smear Trump Protesters As Anarchists

Sources tell BuzzFeed News that viral photos of a sign urging violence against Melania Trump at an anti-Trump protest were planned by one of the organizers of the DeploraBall, Jack Posobiec.

www.buzzfeednews.com

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Michael Hawthorne @scribeguy.bsky.social · 3h

"They’re hoping that things could escalate so they can have the pretext to be even more aggressive."

Greg Bovino Emerges as Trump’s Man For Conjuring Up a Blue-City Insurrection

Elected officials, activists, and at least one former high-ranking Department of Homeland...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 11h

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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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

John Walke @johndwalke.bsky.social · 1d

Johns Hopkins U. Study Finds Higher Air Toxics Cancer Risks Than EPA Estimates.

Cancer-causing air pollution from petrochemical plants in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” are 11 TIMES higher than prior EPA estimates. insideepa.com/daily-news/l... ($) 1/

Louisiana Study Finds Higher Air Toxics Cancer Risks Than EPA Estimates | InsideEPA.com

A new peer-reviewed study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University finds that levels of cancer-causing air pollution from petrochemical plants in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” are 11 times higher than ...

insideepa.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 1d

Horrific reporting from the AP on the Myanmar families watching their kids starve to death from Trump and Musk’s aid cuts apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

truetanker.bsky.social @truetanker.bsky.social · 2d

"Christianity is under attack!"

They say as they literally shoot a man of the cloth for doing what his religion tells him to do.

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

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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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Paul Ferguson @fergdawg.bsky.social · 1d

"The point isn’t that we’re headed irreversibly toward totalitarianism, but that we should at this point be on guard against complacency, exploiting all legitimate means to change our course."

www.offmessage.net/p/the-median...

The Median Experience Of Tyranny

If the politics of tyranny were self-discrediting, we wouldn't need mantras like "never again."

www.offmessage.net

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Amanda Carpenter @amandacarpenter.bsky.social · 1d

It's not a distraction.
It's subjugation.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

Pritzker/Newsom see it as a defining fact of the moment that Trump is consolidating authoritarian power daily and using it to subjugate Blue America like an enemy nation within. Other Dems should stop the Beltway-speak about Trump laying "traps" for them and engage.

newrepublic.com/article/2014...

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 2d

Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

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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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

The authoritarian threat is not just at the federal level

Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 2d

Citing the “martyrdom” of Charlie Kirk, Texas AG Ken Paxton says his office is pursuing sweeping undercover investigations into “leftist” groups. “To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."

"Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people," said Attorney General Paxton. "The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America.
There can be no compromise with those who want us dead. To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."
The radical Left has incubated an environment where political violence is not only justified but celebrated and praised. In July, nearly two dozen armed leftists connected to various Texas-based Antifa-like groups ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") facility in Alvarado, Texas. On September 10, 2025, a leftist assassin connected to the radical transgender movement murdered Charlie Kirk because of Kirk's bold support for truth, love of country, and unshakable faith. Two weeks later, another deranged leftist opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas.
President Donald Trump has officially designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and instructed his administration to "utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa." Building on President Trump's bold actions, Attorney General Paxton has instructed his office to initiate sweeping investigations into radical leftist organizations engaged in or providing support to those performing political violence.

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

billypilgrim65.bsky.social @billypilgrim65.bsky.social · 3d

Falling to your death from a window is a recognised medical condition in Russia.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d

Another tragic accident.

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Chicago Tribune @chicagotribune.com · 3d

Chicago news media groups filed suit against ICE and Homeland Security, claiming excessive force against reporters and protesters of immigration arrests.

Chicago news media groups file suit against ICE and DHS, alleging excessive force against reporters

Chicago news media groups filed suit against ICE and Homeland Security, claiming excessive force against reporters and protesters of immigration arrests.

trib.al

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

MizLeslie @mizleslie.bsky.social · 3d

For example, the Dems should say "The government is shut down because Republicans are asking Democrats to provide bipartisan cover for a constitutional crime spree—something they can’t in good conscience do." Always read @brianbeutler.bsky.social .

The End Of Non-Sequitur Politics

Let's have more politics about the thing itself.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Dan Hinkel @danhinkel.bsky.social · 3d

If you want to take the Chicago FOP's temperature after the weekend, the union president wrote an angry letter alleging cops were told to stand down instead of helping federal authorities after they shot someone, which CPD denies.

The union did not weigh in on federal agents gassing their members.

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 3d

this is a very very big story because of the apparently totally fake story ICE/DHS put out about what happened.

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 3d

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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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

ProPublica @propublica.org · 3d

The shuttered DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties “was one of the very few tools we had to check ICE, to hold ICE accountable,” immigration lawyer Sophia Genovese said. “Now you see them speeding to complete authoritarianism.”

(Published April 2025)

“They Don’t Care About Civil Rights”: Trump’s Shuttering of DHS Oversight Arm Freezes 600 Cases, Imperils Human Rights

The closure of the 150-person office, which protected the civil rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, strips Homeland Security of its internal guardrails as the Trump administration turns DHS i...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 3d

I kind of can’t believe this Bari Weiss quote is even real, and yet www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/b...

“I know that there are some people in this room who don’t believe that my marriage should have been legal … and that’s ok. Because we’re all Americans who want lower taxes.”

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 3d

this feels like forty years ago but it was 2023

www.newsweek.com/nancy-pelosi...

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 3d

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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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 3d

ICE agents shot a U.S. citizen Saturday on Chicago’s South Side
They are creating chaos
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Federal agents shoot woman in Chicago neighborhood after allegedly being rammed, boxed in by cars, DHS says

The woman, as well as a man whom authorities say was involved in the chaos, were facing charges Sunday morning.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Michael Hawthorne

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 4d

“Musk’s data centers will probably bring in only a few hundred jobs to Memphis while consuming millions of gallons of water a day and more electricity than is needed to power all the city’s homes.”

1/2

www.wsj.com/tech/elon-mu...

Elon Musk Gambles Billions in Memphis to Catch Up on AI

xAI aims to win the tech arms race with its “Colossus” data centers, thrown up at lightning speed. The city is divided over the massive power and water demands.

www.wsj.com

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