Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Craig Hunter

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 2d

CHICAGO (AP) — Storming an apartment complex by helicopter as families slept. Deploying chemical agents near a public school. Handcuffing a Chicago City Council member at a hospital.

apnews.com/article/chic...

Using helicopters and chemical agents, immigration agents become increasingly aggressive in Chicago

Activists, residents and elected leaders say increasingly combative tactics used by federal immigration agents are sparking violence and fueling neighborhood tensions in the nation’s third-largest cit...

apnews.com

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 6d

"Although Democrats and Republicans continue to express different levels of trust in the news media, the percentages with high confidence in reporting are at low points among all party groups."

Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.

Americans' trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly is at a new low of 28%.

news.gallup.com

Reposted by Craig Hunter

Ida Bae Wells @nhannahjones.bsky.social · Jun 27

I've covered race for two decades. I knew the 2nd Trump Admin would be dangerous for civil rights. Yet the collapse of the federal civil rights architecture and national will to address racial inequality and work on integration is stunning. Here's my latest. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/m...

How Trump Upended 60 Years of Civil Rights in Two Months

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · 6d

The CAGE community gardening program in Milwaukee is part gardening class, part shop class, part life lessons. Research shows that CAGE’s approach works to prevent violence.

Read more: thetr.ac/4EAiy

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 6d

"The number of people detained remains unclear, but witnesses described at least several vans being filled with residents of the building. That included women, children and people who weren’t given time to dress, many who had clearly been woken up in the middle of the night."

Armed Agents Raid South Shore Apartment Building Overnight Tuesday

Federal agents arrived in moving trucks and knocked down doors inside the building, witnesses said. The Department of Homeland Security said 37 people were arrested.

blockclubchicago.org

Reposted by Craig Hunter

MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 12d

NEWS: Nexstar joins Sinclair and announces Jimmy Kimmel Live! is returning to its local ABC affiliates

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Jennifer Mascia @jenmascia.bsky.social · 13d

Unlike many forms of public gun violence, sniper attacks evade most security measures like metal detectors and armed guards.

It's hard to defend yourself from a bullet coming from 200 yards away.

My latest for @thetrace.org w/ @bychipbrownlee.com and Champe Barton:

The Dallas ICE Shooting Underscores How Hard It Is to Stop Sniper Attacks, Experts Say

“There really is not anything you can do to secure a public place 100 percent,” said Caylen Wojcik, a former Marine sniper.

www.thetrace.org

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 13d

BREAKING: "The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Even top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting."

Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals

The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter-Poza (RPBP) @rpbp.bsky.social · 14d

Tired of hearing the claim that supporting trans rights is politically toxic?

I’ve got you covered.

New @theadvocatebr.bsky.social : My review of recent polling telling the real story—featuring data from @teamlpac.bsky.social @celindalake.bsky.social @glaad.bsky.social @gallup.com

No, supporting trans rights doesn’t cost elections

Opinion: Supporting protections for transgender people is not just necessary, it's crucial, argues LPAC's Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza.

www.advocate.com

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · 17d

"Rarely has the corrosion of social media been so plainly exposed as it has been since last week, after the horrific killing of Charlie Kirk." - Matt Bai

Opinion | The real enemy of democracy sneaked up on me

I used to be a cautious optimist, but social media has changed our politics for the worse.

wapo.st

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18d

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 20d

Luckily, Sinclair has a helpful database of all their stations, so you can see if they're operating in your area and respond accordingly.

sbgi.net/tv-stations/

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

The Trace @thetrace.org · 21d

Discourse about Charlie Kirk’s killing has been a blame game of the right vs. the left.

Experts, activists, and survivors interviewed by The Trace say the new paradigm allows lawmakers to sidestep conversations about gun violence.

Why the Political Blame Game Starts Moments After a Shooting

The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s killing has devolved into a national guessing game over the shooter’s politics. Experts say that’s missing the point.

www.thetrace.org

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 24d

This is Mira. She’s 4 years old.

A new investigation on Israel & Gaza by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant cites 15 international doctors who report at least 114 Palestinian children with single gunshot wounds to head/chest. Forensic experts attest these consistent with aimed fire.

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The Trace @thetrace.org · 24d

Chicagoans say they’ve been feeling safer in their neighborhoods — and do not want intervention from ICE or the National Guard.

Read more: thetr.ac/4xIUC

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting @pcgvr.org · 24d

For more than 150 years, news organizations like newspapers and television networks have long been accustomed to “gatekeeping..." But in the fragmented era of social media, smartphones and instant video uploads, editorial decisions by legacy media are less impactful than ever.

Graphic video of Charlie Kirk’s death spreads fast, showing traditional media’s fading grip

Traditional news outlets were careful in their coverage of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination to not show graphic images of the event.

apnews.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Gabe Ortíz @tusk81.bsky.social · 28d

What are they hiding? www.huffpost.com/entry/jeffre...

Senate Republicans Block Effort To Release Jeffrey Epstein Files

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, forced a politically awkward vote for GOP senators on releasing more information about Jeffrey Epstein.

www.huffpost.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 28d

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◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 28d

Just last month the FBI forced out its top agent in Salt Lake City, a Pakistani American woman whom a former FBI agent describes as a “legendary case agent who was involved in some of the most significant national security cases of the last two decades.” www.msnbc.com/msnbc/amp/rc...

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Chip Brownlee @bychipbrownlee.com · Aug 29

Most of the states backing Trump’s crime crackdown have areas with higher gun homicide rates than the nation’s capital, a Trace analysis shows.

At least 17 Mississippi counties endured more gun homicides per capita than the nation’s capital in 2024.

Read: www.thetrace.org/2025/08/nati...

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · Aug 23

That got us wondering: How would those governors feel if National Guard troops from other states were ordered onto their streets, perhaps to patrol one of the 53 cities in those states with a higher murder rate than Washington’s?

So, we asked them.
www.democracydocket.com/analysis/the...

The States Sending Troops to DC Have Way Worse Crime Problems. Most Didn’t Want to Talk About It.

www.democracydocket.com

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Aug 22

By continuing to provide weapons to Israel — and bolstering the profits of America's military contractors — the U.S. is complicit in the genocide unfolding in Gaza.

There is no moral justification in wreaking vengeance on innocent women, men, and children. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war

Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000

www.theguardian.com

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · Aug 22

"Never before has [the supreme court] entertained such challenges from the president, and never before has it decided them so flippantly." - J Michael Luttig

The umpire who picked a side: John Roberts and the death of rule of law in America

The chief justice of the US has painted himself as a modern institutionalist over the past 20 years. Experts say he’s emboldening Trump’s drive toward authoritarianism

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Josiah Bates @josiahbates.bsky.social · Aug 20

March for Our Lives helped usher in major gun policy wins, but now faces new challenges. Layoffs, internal divides, and a lawsuit alleging racism all point to deeper questions about sustainability and leadership in young advocacy groups.

New @thetrace.org story by @vansant.bsky.social

They Rallied the Nation After the Parkland School Shooting. Years Later, Their Group Is Floundering.

The gun reform group has been rocked by divisions, layoffs, and — most recently — a lawsuit alleging racism and retaliation.

www.thetrace.org

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Reposted by Craig Hunter

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · Aug 20

JUST IN: Judge Berman agrees that effort by DOJ to unseal Epstein grand jury files is a “diversion” when DOJ could just release a trove of far more comprehensive documents without court involvement. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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Craig Hunter @chunterct.bsky.social · Aug 20

"Earlier this year, the company ended some of its DEI programs.... Customers online protested Target’s decision, and Anne and Lucy Dayton, the daughters of one of Target’s co-founders, called the company’s actions “a betrayal.” Target acknowledged its move hurt its sales."

Target’s CEO is stepping down as customers turn away | CNN Business

Target CEO Brian Cornell is stepping down after 11 years at the retailer, as the company faces slumping sales and backlash to its retreat on DEI.

www.cnn.com