Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Ryan Miller @davidryanmiller.com · 7h

I see that Donald Trump took that whole "we need more civility in political rhetoric that does not encourage violence!" moment we all shared last month to heart.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

Trump posts that Sen. Blumenthal “should be allowed to speak no longer”

Sanctimonious Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the biggest “joke” in the United States Senate, is at it again! “Dick” lied until the midpoint of his political career, convincing everyone, in particular the Fake News Media, that he was a great “War Hero” who lived on the precipice of death in the jungles of Vietnam. He would talk about his life in the military in almost every speech, in particular the death defying dangers he faced in his many years “fight for freedom” while in Vietnam. He stated that “the battles were violent and long, but there was no going back” - And then it happened, Blumenthal was found out to be a FRAUD. The soldiers in his so-called “platoon” came forward and said that they had no idea who this guy was. He was revealed, broke down and admitted, tears flowing from his eyes, that he LIED, a Whopper, one that lasted 20 year. This guy shouldn’t even be in the U.S. Senate. It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought. Right now there is a Congressman sitting in prison for lying about his past during a campaign. Well, those lies were nothing compared to those of Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the greatest phony in the history of the United States Senate. He should be allowed to speak no longer!

1 4

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 8h

Honestly, this post could be about anything

Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social · 8h

This is what happens when the entire government is run by influencers and LARPers who have no idea what they are doing

5 18 270

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Amanda Carpenter @amandacarpenter.bsky.social · 8h

Trump vowed Chicago would learn why the Defense Dept is now "called the Dept of WAR" and depicted himself as the amoral war monger Lt. Col. Kilgore.

The ‘Chipocalypse’ is now.

Troops are in the streets. ICE is using helicopters to raid buildings.

From me www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/federalism...

The ‘Chipocalypse’ is now

A training ground for the military?

www.ifyoucankeepit.org

4 32 78

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 10h

This dude wouldn’t last a minute in the asylum I raise my students (Constitutional Law I).

DEMSEC @demsec.bsky.social · 15h

Stephen froze like a deer in the headlights and pretended to have connection issues because he unintentionally gave away the game plan.

“Plenary authority is complete, absolute power over a specific area or issue, with no significant limitations."

Show people this clip. This is an insane slip up.

4 34 130

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9h

The quiet part out loud

Blanche Devereaux @gingerkap23.bsky.social · 12h

Miller oopsie doodled and said the quiet part out loud, talking about DT aka himself having “plenary authority”:

A plenary power or plenary authority is a complete and absolute power to take action on a particular issue, with no limitations

4 47 180

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9h

Happening right now. To us. In America.

24 330 820

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Jason Kuznicki @jkuznicki.bsky.social · 13h

This is personalism. It's the Charles I scenario -- the king rules without the a legislature and simply taxes and spends in whatever way he feels like.

Impeach, remove, disqualify.

George Pearkes @peark.es · 13h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

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

17 300 1.3K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9h

Literally unconstitutional; Congress has the power of the purse under Article I. Trump is trying to create a personalist regime where every dollar of federal spending is allocated at his whim.

Lisa Needham @snipy.bsky.social · 10h

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

14 110 330

David Ryan Miller @davidryanmiller.com · 9h

The president trying to do it? Maybe

Congress doing nothing in response? Hamilton might not have written Federalist 51, but I am sure he would have expected ambition to counteract ambition.

1 1

David Ryan Miller @davidryanmiller.com · 11h

The Founders could not fathom that a future president would seize the Article I taxing and spending powers for himself and Congress would just shrug.

Could

Not

Fathom

bsky.app/profile/davi...

1 5 13

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 12h

this is literally stuff King Charles did, like not only did the American colonists have a revolution to not have this happen, but they did so in the wake of the English revolution, which was about not having stuff like this happen

George Pearkes @peark.es · 13h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

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

41 630 2.3K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 13h

Just go ahead and delete article 1 entirely while you’re at it.

George Pearkes @peark.es · 13h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

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

120 610 2.9K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 13h

“No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

George Pearkes @peark.es · 13h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

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

89 900 3.4K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 14h

“Who was president in 2020?” is the question of our time

Senator Jim Banks V
@SenatorBanks
Follow g..
The 2020 Census was a fraud. The Biden admin used a shady "privacy" formula that scrambled the data and miscounted 14 states.
It included illegal immigrants and handed
Democrats extra seats. Americans deserve a fair count and l'm fighting to fix it.
Zinited Statcs SScnate
MASHNORON DEYNN
October 6, 2025
an. Thow arewutn
Socretary
U.S. Department of Commerce Washington, DXC 20230
Dear Secretary Lutaick:
I urge you to investigate and correct erroes from the 2020 Census that handed disproportionntd political power to Democrats and illogal alicns. The Census Burcau adoptod a now and opaque
voting districts. As preparod by the Biden administration, the 2020 Censas roports miscountod the population of fourteen states, ' wrongly allocating six congressional scats aod Electoral
xx conwuu tmora uy, toc taroro tu mot đoo tnn Cunu lc pung t imber of votine districts. And the reoorts de aniovety inchaded ilecnl nhens widhout track those aliens' citiz enship status, If left uncorrected, these erroes will coetinue diluting the political power of American citizens.
Consus data plays a crucial role in allocating political roprescntation and goverment funding
Under the Constitution, cach state gets Congressional represcotutives and Electoeal College votes- based on "the whole number of persons" within the state." The number of persoes is in
tum clabaabod by a consttubocalty-mandalcd dcccacaal ccavas. Pcual agcco nely on census data to allocate billions of dollars in federal funding, much of which hinges ee opulation. And states use consus data to deaw congrossicnal and voting districts, »hich the
The it eiy of tie soaren alie n tor dur at ce hor inc ae oam toy ee n
nght wilbout statsica ly signilicant ciroo.
Diffcrcntial privacy is opaque and liable to mistakcn count totals. Sure cnough, the 2020 Ccnsus ovarocunted the noculation in cicht states and undercounted it in six." Tihe most extrcmi andercount was Arkansas, at 5.04%, and the larg…

150 1.3K 5.9K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 14h

If anything, we are actually deeper into a Worse Case Scenario today than these headlines reflect. This is too mild for today.

Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 15h

Remember when the Boston Globe ran this supposedly over-the-top front page to attack the idea of Trump ever being president, and now this is just the news every day? We've fallen so, so far because of this man

33 120

David Ryan Miller @davidryanmiller.com · 13h

"The Bill of Rights merely creates the conditions for the federal government to respect the natural rights of all persons living in the United States. Lawmakers must also specifically set aside money to ensure those natural rights are respected."

What are we even doing here?

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

The Onion @theonion.com · 15h

U.S. Military Carries Out Strike On Scuffy The Tugboat https://theonion.com/u-s-military-carries-out-strike-on-scuffy-the-tugboat/

U.S. Military Carries Out Strike On Scuffy The Tugboat
Pentagon Claims Little Red Vessel Working With ‘Narco-Terrorists’

81 580 3K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Mike Luckovich @mluckovich.bsky.social · 15h

7 250 730

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 16h

Fuck this.

This is nothing but red meat for Trump’s base. A federal law that *Trump* signed into law guarantees backpay to furloughed workers. There’s no disputing this.

More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 18h

A new White House memo says that furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to back pay.

This is clearly against the law, which guarantees furloughed federal employees back pay for the duration of a government shutdown.

95 600 2.1K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Alex Garlick @garlicksauce.bsky.social · Aug 29

Vought is breaking more laws than any other American.

Joshua Smith @smithmachine.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is illegal. www.gao.gov/blog/what-po...

1 3 8

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 16h

All of this 💯

There is no budget deal to be made until the unprecedented Article I constitutional crisis ends, & all of the lawless authoritarianism & illegal impoundment is ended & reversed. Otherwise, it’s just successful hostage taking.

3 61 130

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h

Schiff gets Bondi so flustered that she starts blurting things out while he details what a farce this "oversight" hearing has been and the Republican members' lack of interest in doing their jobs

280 780 2.8K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Daniel Schuman @americalabs.org · 17h

If Russ Vought believes federal employees should continue to work during the shutdown and not be paid back for their work,* I can't see any reason why they'd show up for work at all.

______________________
* Federal law requires feds to receive back pay. Vought is refusing to follow the law.

6 29 72

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 18h

Her contempt is extraordinary.

Trump thinks he's a king. He believes he's accountable to no one. Not Congress. Not the American people.

And so when his people testify before the Senate, they act like they are bound by no rules and no laws.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 19h

DURBIN: You won't even say whether you talked to the WH about this?

BONDI: I'm not going to discuss any internal conversations with you

D: They're going to transfer TX Guard troops to the state of Illinois. What's the rationale?

B: I wish you loved Chicago as much as you hate President Trump

220 690 2.3K

Reposted by David Ryan Miller

Josh Chafetz @joshchafetz.bsky.social · 17h

ironically the question has never been more frequently asked

Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 17h

Lawless Russell Vought thinks he can nullify a law by deleting it from an FAQ

www.govexec.com/pay-benefits...

OMB deletes reference to law guaranteeing backpay to furloughed feds from shutdown guidance

An Office of Management and Budget FAQ document now states that only excepted employees forced to work without pay are guaranteed backpay at the conclusion of a lapse in appropriations.

www.govexec.com

1 12 66