Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2h

To appropriately turn away from an individual sin does not require ongoing remembrance or memorialization—but a collective, national sin of the magnitude of American chattel slavery does, because its effects and lessons remain with us.

Political Triumphalism Is Contrary to the Spirit of Yom Kippur

The Jewish holiday’s emphasis on repentance requires confronting our past sins, not burying them

www.theunpopulist.net

3 11

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 3h

Even if Trump’s fantasies about insurrection were real, nothing in the constitutional system would permit him to unilaterally wage war against any state without congressional support—as Lincoln understood when the U.S. fought a real civil war.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

3

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 4h

Democrats have an opportunity to champion a confident, forward-looking market liberalism given that the GOP has fully returned to its reactionary roots.

Is a Liberal Realignment Emerging from the Rubble of MAGA Authoritarianism?

Democrats have an opportunity to champion a confident, forward-looking market liberalism given that the GOP has fully returned to its reactionary roots

www.theunpopulist.net

1 2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 15h

When Lincoln faced an actual insurrection—not the phony rebellion Trump has delusionally manufactured—he understood that there were limits to his authority.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

4 9

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 17h

The MAGA movement’s political triumphalism is diametrically opposed to a morally necessary reckoning with our national sins.

Political Triumphalism Is Contrary to the Spirit of Yom Kippur

The Jewish holiday’s emphasis on repentance requires confronting our past sins, not burying them

www.theunpopulist.net

3 8

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 19h

“If your university just becomes something that serves the interest of the state, how much of a university is it anymore at that point?”

China's Authoritarian Regime Is Censoring American Universities: A Conversation with Sarah McLaughlin

Elite universities with deep pockets have no excuse for putting their financial interests ahead of their values

www.theunpopulist.net

2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 21h

By claiming contrived emergencies as a pretext for military interventions in U.S. cities, Trump has gravely abused the power of the presidency and committed multiple impeachable offenses.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

3 2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 23h

“We need to find ways to see each other face-to-face, ideally in a sacred space, bracketed by words of prayer or lessons from our sacred texts. Empathy stands a chance when we see the slumping posture of grief in another, as the words of the Shema or the Imam’s adhan still reverberate in the room."

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

1

Reposted by The UnPopulist

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 1d

"The consensus forged in the aftermath of World War II effectively closed with Jan. 6. What followed is the reemergence of older tendencies in American conservatism: protectionism, isolationism, and a growing hostility to pluralism and liberal democracy itself."
www.theunpopulist.net/p/is-a-liber...

Is a Liberal Realignment Emerging from the Rubble of MAGA Authoritarianism?

Democrats have an opportunity to champion a confident, forward-looking market liberalism given that the GOP has fully returned to its reactionary roots

www.theunpopulist.net

12 42 180

Reposted by The UnPopulist

Javier Igea Arisqueta @arisquetaigea.bsky.social · 1d

Recuerdo lo que se escandalizaban muchos cuando algunos decíamos que además del fundamentalismo islámico no había que olvidar el peligro del fundamentalismo cristiano, que fue el que acuñó el término, y mira dónde estamos:

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

Hegseth is a Christian nationalist who wants to eliminate those who don’t agree with his totalitarian vision.

Hegseth’s Hatred of Americans Makes Him Unfit for Office but a Perfect Fit for Trump

The secretary is a Christian nationalist who wants to eliminate those who don’t agree with his totalitarian vision

www.theunpopulist.net

4 26 65

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

"The extremists need only fire missiles, or shoot off hateful eliminationist words, and a universal empathy appears naïve, or at least a bridge too far. Exacerbating this problem, of course, is the algorithm’s power to amplify extremist action and words.”

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

“Attempts to bring our communities to universal empathy, to the belief in the universal dignity of all, and especially to the unquestionable right of safety for children, is constantly countered by exposure to the other side’s acts of violence."

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

1 2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

U.S. presidents do not have unilateral authority either to go to war abroad or at home against American cities; it is essential to emphasize this point as Trump aims to turn U.S. cities into occupied territories.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

9

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

This is not just unconstitutional action—it is anti-constitutional. Trump is attempting to erase the constitutional order itself.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

1 9 21

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

"Because even if our own tribe wins its nationalist war, it may lose so much of its soul that we end up ashamed of our ‘victory.’ If tribalism is hardwired in us, so is conscience or morality, which would ultimately haunt us.”

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

2

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

“There are moments in history when destructive nationalisms erupt within our peoples, often in times of genuine fear and real insecurity. It is hard to push back against it without becoming an outcast. But we must."

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

2 4

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

Hegseth is a Christian nationalist who wants to eliminate those who don’t agree with his totalitarian vision.

Hegseth’s Hatred of Americans Makes Him Unfit for Office but a Perfect Fit for Trump

The secretary is a Christian nationalist who wants to eliminate those who don’t agree with his totalitarian vision

www.theunpopulist.net

3 10 27

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 1d

The Department of the Interior instructed parks to take down “The Scourged Back” and many other pieces in compliance with a Trump EO that banned images that the president believes spread “corrosive ideology” that “disparages historic Americans.” This is a deeply shameful decision.

Political Triumphalism Is Contrary to the Spirit of Yom Kippur

The Jewish holiday’s emphasis on repentance requires confronting our past sins, not burying them

www.theunpopulist.net

1 8

Reposted by The UnPopulist

Shikha Dalmia @shikhadalmia.bsky.social · 2d

We are officially in a constitutional crisis since Texas National Guard has arrived in Illinois: www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-lea...

Trump’s Leaked Plan to Deploy the Texas National Guard Against Illinois Will Tear Apart the Union

If it goes forward, it will plunge the country into an unprecedented constitutional crisis

www.theunpopulist.net

1 8 26

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2d

The signature form of corruption for Donald Trump’s return to office has been big corporations settling frivolous lawsuits they could easily win in court, as a transparent and obvious way of paying Trump a bribe.

Trump Hit Brazil With Punitive Tariffs for Prosecuting His Ally But Promised Argentina a $20 Billion Taxpayer Bailout to Help His Other Pal Win Election: An Executive Watch Roundup

Our early-October selection of the president's latest and greatest assaults on the rule of law

www.theunpopulist.net

1 9

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2d

“Yes, we have a First Amendment. But if you constantly roll over—as Columbia, ABC, or many law firms have—then it doesn’t matter if you have those rights since you’re not willing to stand up for them.”

@aaronrosspowell.com and @sarahemclaugh.bsky.social

China's Authoritarian Regime Is Censoring American Universities: A Conversation with Sarah McLaughlin

Elite universities with deep pockets have no excuse for putting their financial interests ahead of their values

www.theunpopulist.net

1 11

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2d

Donald Trump has effectively declared war on U.S. cities that he perceives as enemy territory, expanding the military offensive he started this summer in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Trump Is Destroying the U.S. Constitution and Amassing Unprecedented Powers by Sending Federal Troops to Invade American Cities

Lincoln faced a real insurrection and still did not go as far as this president

www.theunpopulist.net

12

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2d

Today, on October 7, a rabbi and a Muslim scholar discuss the role that empathy will have to play for the cycle of hostility to be broken. Don't miss this thoughtful exchange.

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

4

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 2d

When we ran our profile of The FP, we lamented that, despite the obvious success it was having, it was a publication that was falling far short of the lofty ideals it claimed to represent. Here's to hoping that, as part of CBS, it will not simply function as stenographers for this administration.

The Free Press' Passage Into the Dark Side

The publication has lost its way and is radicalizing the more sophisticated right

www.theunpopulist.net

3

The UnPopulist @theunpopulist.net · 3d

An October 7 dialogue between a rabbi and a Muslim scholar on the crucial value of empathy.

Can Each Side's Faith Break the Cycle of Mutually Assured Destruction for Israelis and Palestinians?

An epistolary exchange between an Islamic scholar and a rabbi points to the concept of universal empathy in their traditions as the key

www.theunpopulist.net

2