Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Nils Gilman @nilsgilman.bsky.social · 2h

This isn’t the first time Miller has used the term “plenary authority” with respect to the Presidency. He did so already in March, but that time he was referring to the president’s authority in foreign policy. What’s new here is now to say this absolute power also applies domestically.

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 6h

Stephen Miller said the quiet part out loud. Trump has “plenary authority,” then suddenly went silent. Their plan wasn’t to be public yet. Clearly, someone hit the panic button in his earpiece.

It gets weirder: CNN uploaded the interview with the “plenary authority” comment edited out.
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Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 10h

It’s also important to flood social media with this jury nullification toolkit so that potential jurors (You?) read it before they become actual jurors.

beyondcourts.org/sites/defaul...

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Maria Bustillos @mariabustillos.com · 15h

We'd be interested in talking about forming a consortium to fundraise for this, and to contribute our progress so far on ebook sales. I wrote about the dangers recently here:

www.cjr.org/analysis/the...

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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 9h

fwiw, if Hive wanted to train its genAI models on images posted to Bluesky it could just point it at the firehose, everything on here is public. There is literally no reason to sneak in and pretend to be doing moderation if that's the goal

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 11h

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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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 9h

witnessed by Christopher Lee

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Denise Wheeler @denisedwheeler.bsky.social · 12h

Reuters photographer Jonathan Ernst noticed that Bondi flipped open a file during the Senate hearing and he zoomed in.

Inside were her crib notes for attacking the senators.

The GOP now practicing Cliff's Notes Fascism

In other words, under oath Bondi was purely a performance.

Bondi senate hearing had a folder full of notes for attacking the senators

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Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 10h

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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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 11h

A think at some point we determined that Salvador Dalí could have watched the first season of Ninja Turtles

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 11h

actually now I'm wondering if this IS related, like is the fact that a studio is willing to hire Jared Leto in exchange for a wad of cash, if not casual, at least indicative that they otherwise do not give a shit about their movie

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 11h

no but you don't forget a name like Brianna Chickenfry

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Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 12h

I think something we have to do more of is talk about how kickass a lot of American cities are because right now some people think they’re run by Sharia Law nudists and most of us never thought to counter that argument because it’s stupid and doesn’t make any sense

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 14h

BEST BIG CITY IN THE US 9 YEARS IN A ROW.

While critics try to paint Chicago as something to fear, the rest of the world knows the truth — this is the best big city in America.

Best Big City: Chicago Wins Award 9th Year in a Row

Learn why Chicago was voted the Best Big City for the 9th consecutive year by exploring our vibrant culture, welcoming inclusion, and so much more.

www.choosechicago.com

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404 Media @404media.co · 21h

NEW: Cops in Texas told 404 Media in May they used Flock to find a woman who self-administered an abortion out of concern for her safety.

Documents now show police were conducting a “death investigation” and discussed whether they could charge her with a crime: www.404media.co/police-said-...

Police Said They Surveilled Woman Who Had an Abortion for Her 'Safety.' Court Records Show They Considered Charging Her With a Crime

Court records show that the narrative Flock and a Texas Sheriff's Office has told the public isn't the whole story, and that police were conducting a 'death investigation' into the abortion.

www.404media.co

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 12h

Oh THAT'S what I know his name from

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rahaeli @rahaeli.bsky.social · 12h

And I just want to reiterate this ( from a thread deep in replies). I started doing this work before any of these tools existed. The number of my contemporaries in the field who have died by suicide is NOT A SMALL NUMBER. The work is incredibly traumatizing.

rahaeli @rahaeli.bsky.social · 13h

As someone who was doing that human review of images before even PhotoDNA existed, I can testify that the amount of human suffering automated image classification prevents is MASSIVE. Like, I am the best case scenario of the human cost of that work and I still have lifelong consequences from it.

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Leon English @leonenglish.bsky.social · 12h

This was one of the risks of the shutdown, that Trump would basically just ignore the law and keep paying for shit he decides he wants to fund. Really dunno what you can do with a president who just voids the constitution and a SCOTUS that blesses it.

Lisa Needham @snipy.bsky.social · 12h

absolute mad king behavior here. singlehandedly raise taxes, then singlehandedly dole revenue out whenever advantageous

White House says it will use tariff revenue to fund federal food aid for mothers and young children | CNN Politics

The Trump administration said Tuesday it will use tariff funds to keep afloat a federal food assistance program for nearly 7 million pregnant women, new moms and young children during the government s...

www.cnn.com

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 13h

You think you're making a good solid mid-tier picture and then Jared Leto appears with a wad of cash like a harbinger of doom.

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 13h

It's not really clear that Leto causes the movies to bomb or he just has incredibly bad instincts for which movies will crash and burn.

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 13h

he is a Chief, though

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Ari Cohn @aricohn.com · 13h

Reminder: Never travel out of the country with your main cell phone (or without backing it up and then doing a factory reset) or laptop.

CBP agents are effectively Redcoats and they WILL delight in reminding you that they owe you no rights.

Eric Brakey
@Eric8rekey
I was detained by Border Patrol and Customs for 90 minutes coming
back from a @RoyalCa ribbean cruise today in Florida.
After they rifled through all my belongings, read my personal joumal, and
confiscated rny phone and computer, I had to explain to them that the
aFreeStateNH is a non-violent, peaceful libertarian movernent that
builds community, culture and political change.
We were invited to New Hampshire in the early 2000s bythe Govemor
of the state. We reject violence as a path to creating change.
In detail, I had to explain the nature of the Defend the Guard rnovernent
and assure them that I was not part of a violent extremist group seeking
to raise a militia for insurrection against the government.
At one point during my detention, I asked for clarification on what rights I
had here as a US. citizen and was told that they did not næd a warrant
for anything in my possession, including all my elæ•tronic devices.
They eventually let me gu
Truth be told, I am shaken up and in shock right now.
Rate "oposed CMnmu nity
11:59 AM 5,
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Eric Schmeltzer @ericschmeltzer.com · 14h

Yeah look, it's a slick move, using WIC, because who hates WIC? But the precedent is:

1. The president can just unilaterally levy tariffs and
2. Use those dollars to fund ANYTHING, circumventing Congress.

Functionally, it is an autocracy.

George Pearkes @peark.es · 15h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

*WHITE HOUSE TO TRANSFER TARIFF REVENUE TO FUND WIC: LEAVITT

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🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 21h

they just slapped a surgeons general warning on RFK like he’s a pack of cigarettes

Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 23h

“Secretary Kennedy is entitled to his views. But he is not entitled to put people’s health at risk.”

Six former surgeons general condemn RFK Jr.

Opinion | Six surgeons general: RFK Jr. is a threat to the health of Americans

It was our duty in office to warn of dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today.

www.washingtonpost.com

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(VFP) Strategic Gravitas Reserve @braak.bsky.social · 14h

for a long time my feeling for a lot of this stuff has been that it doesn't have *zero* uses, like obviously a lot of people find it useful for ChatGPT to edit their emails or write birthday cards, lots of people use it BUT would they pay ten dollars for it? My instinct is...no.

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Lynda Lopez @lyndab08.bsky.social · 14h

Another incident of federal agents pointing guns at Chicago area residents.

Tweet from @laura_n_rod

Text: A federal agent points a weapon at a woman who was recording them.

Jess, a U.S. citizen and member of a neighborhood patrol team that documents and shares ICE activity across the city, was filming when the incident occurred earlier today in the Berwyn area.

Photo: shows a federal agent in a truck pointing a gun

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emily moonlight @threnody.bsky.social · 14h

and yes yes, we all know gavin is an amoral shitheel, but despair when despair is appropriate—you’ll get another chance to despair, i promise.

he should sign. if he fucks off into the hills, the bills & their protections become law.

mady castigan✨ 🏳️‍⚧️ @madycast.com · 14h

Misspoke earlier when I said not signing is a veto--i checked and it's true that if Newsom does indeed never sign the bills, they become law.

gincalesq.bsky.social @gincalesq.bsky.social · 14h

Also, under CA law, if he doesn’t veto them they become law. He doesn’t need to sign them for them to go into effect. Newsom is trash, but this article missed some important details.

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