Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 3h

they can see the polling

Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · 11h

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 3h

Kristi Noem, while governor of South Dakota, supplemented her roughly $130,000 salary by secretly accepting $80,000 donated to a political nonprofit she was affiliated with, records show.

She never disclosed this income on federal ethics forms.

(Published June)

Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations

A dark money group paid $80,000 to Noem’s personal company when she was governor of South Dakota. She did not include this income on her federal disclosure forms, a likely violation of ethics requirem...

www.propublica.org

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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 3h

Koh: This is an AG who is taking orders via dm and is trying to save her job because Trump’s upset about what's happening with the Epstein files. That's what this is all about.

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 4h

Perversely, Trump v. United States (immunity decision) might've handed the government some language to use as ammo.

Though the context is very different, I wouldn't be surprised if at some point the government cites language like this (from the infamous Footnote 3):

bsky.app/profile/anna...

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29 U.S.C. § 157 @organizingpower.bsky.social · 4h

The importance of this question cannot be overstated: Trump has been communicating directly with Bondi through Truth Social about indicting his enemies. How this question is resolved is critical.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 5h

Important discovery fight taking shape in Kilmar Abrego Garcia's criminal case.

The question: Can the government assert privilege to avoid handing over documents that may be relevant to a defendant's vindictive prosecution claim?

Abrego's counsel says no.

www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

www.documentcloud.org

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Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 4h

Lmao

Philip Bump @pbump.com · 4h

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Popehat Agitates And Irritates @kenwhite.bsky.social · 7h

I’ve never seen anything remotely this petty charged as bank fraud.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 8h

NEW: Here's the two-count indictment against NY AG Letitia James. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

INDICTMENT
October 2025 Term - at Alexandria, Virginia
THE GRAND JURY CHARGES THAT:
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
At all times relevant to this Indictment:
1. Letitia A. James ("JAMES) was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, and the borrower on a
Fannie Mae-backed mortgage loan for the property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue,
Norfolk, Virginia.
2. OVM Financial (also known as Old Virginia Mortgage / AnnieMac) was a mortgage lending business located in Virginia Beach, Virginia, engaged in the business of originating and underwriting residential mortgage loans, including those backed by the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae"). OVM Financial qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(10).
3. Fannie Mae was a federally chartered corporation that purchased and guaranteed mortgages,
operating as a government-sponsored enterprise under the oversight of the Federal Housing

Finance Agency ("FHFA").
4. First Savings Bank was a state-chartered, FDIC-insured financial institution (Certificate
#29961), headquartered in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which acquired mortgage loans through assignment or acquisition. First Savings Bank qualified as a "financial institution" within the meaning of 18 U.S.C. § 20(1).
5. On or about August 17, 2020, JAMES, as sole borrower, purchased the three (3) bedroom,
(1) bathroom property located at 3121 Peronne Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23509 (the
"Peronne Property"), for approximately $137,000, financed with a mortgage loan of approximately $109,600 (Loan #4430025978) backed by Fannie Mae.
6. The loan was originated by OVM Financial under a signed Second Home Rider, which required JAMES, as the sole borrower to occupy and use the property as her secondary residence, and prohibited its use as a timesharing or other shared ownership arrangement or agreement that requires her either to rent the property or give any other person any control over the occupancy or use of the property.
7. Despite these representations, the Peronne Property was not occupied or used by JAMES as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property, renting the property to a family of (3).
8. This misrepresentation allowed JAMES to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, including a note rate of 3.000% (avoiding a 0.815% higher
comparable investment property rate of 3.815%, resulting in approximately $17,837 in rate savings over the life of the loan), a seller credit of approximately $3,288 (exceeding the seller credit for investment properties by approximately $1,096), for total ill-gotten gains of approximately $18,933 over the life of the loan.
9. JAMES' Universal Property application for homeowners' insurance indicated "owner-

occupied non-seasonal use," further misrepresenting the intended use of the property.
10. JAMES filed Schedule E tax forms), under penalties of perjury, treating the Perrone Property as rental real estate, reporting fair rental days, zero personal use days, thousand(s)
of dollars in rents received, and claiming deductions for expenses relating to the property, further contradicting the second home classification.
11. The loan was acquired by or assigned to First Savings Bank by March 2021, exposing it to risks associated with the misrepresented loan.
12. The acts described herein occurred within the Eastern District of Virginia.
COUNT ONE
(Bank Fraud - 18 U.S.C. § 1344)
13. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.
14. From on or about August 7, 2020, through at least January 2024, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly execute and attempt to execute a scheme and artifice to defraud OVM Financial and First Savings Bank,
financial institutions, and to obtain moneys, funds, and credits owned by and under the custody and control of OVM Financial and First Savings Bank by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.
15. The scheme involved falsely representing the Peronne Property as a secondary residence to obtain favorable mortgage terms, while using it as an investment property with no intended
or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1344).
COUNT TWO
(False Statements to a Financial Institution - 18 U.S.C. § 1014)
16. The allegations in paragraphs 1 through 12 are re-alleged and incorporated herein.

17. From on or about July 28, 2020, through at least August 31, 2020, in the Eastern District of Virginia and elsewhere, the Defendant, LETITIA A. JAMES, did knowingly make and cause to be made false statements and reports for the purpose of influencing the action of OVM Financial, a Fannie Mae-backed lender, upon an application for a loan, in that JAMES represented and affirmed in uniform residential loan applications and related documents that
the Peronne Property would be used as a secondary residence, when in truth and fact, as JAMES then knew, the property was intended and used as an investment property with no intended or actual personal occupancy or use by her.
(In violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014).
FORFEITURE NOTICE
Pursuant to Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32.2(a) and Title 18, U.S.C. §
982(a)(2)(A), upon conviction of the offenses in Counts One and Two, the Defendant, Letitia
A. James, shall forfeit to the United States any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained, directly or indirectly, as a result of such violations, including but not limited to a money judgment in the amount of $18,933.
If any of the property described above, as a result of any act or omission of the Defendant: (a) cannot be located upon the exercise of due diligence; (b) has been transferred or sold to, or deposited with, a third party; (c) has been placed beyond the jurisdiction of the court; (d) has been substantially diminished in value; or (e) has been commingled with other property which cannot be divided without difficulty, the United States shall be entitled to a forfeiture of substitute property pursuant to Title 21, U.S.C. § 853(b), as incorporated by Title
18 U.S.C. § 982(b)(1).
(In accordance with Title 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and 982(a)(1); Title 28, U.S.C. § 2461(c); and Title 21 U.S.C. § 853(p).)

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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 4h

Lol

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 5h

Edgy Schumer.

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Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein.bsky.social · 5h

The Onion had a post about NSPM-7 before The New York Times did lmao

THE ONION!
theonion.com/what-to-know...

What To Know About NSPM-7

On Sept. 25, President Trump issued a directive called National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 in which “anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity” were described as “common threads...

theonion.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

"The Supreme Court has made clear that it will allow Trump to violate every constitutional prohibition, removing any obstacle in his way, and crediting the most farcical legal argument."

Trump is the insurrection

And the Supreme Court's conservatives are his shock troops.

www.publicnotice.co

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 5h

All to cover up the Epstein files.

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6h

This is the genius of the Portland protests - they make the claims of lawlessness look not just wrong, but comical

The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · 9h

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

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Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 6h

You won’t believe what degrading practice the Pope just condemned

Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists The Pope has condemned clickbait as a “degrading” part of journalism, at a private audience with global newswires. Australian media representatives were among those to hear directly from Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday with about 150 members of newswire alliance MINDS International. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 5h

Welp, here it is: maybe the funniest thing we've ever done, in its entirety.

The Onion Investigates: Jeffrey Epstein

YouTube video by The Onion

www.youtube.com

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eugenebelford.bsky.social @eugenebelford.bsky.social · 6h

Senator Fooball says only Christians can pray in the street. Muslims need to go to their mosque. Blames "socialist communists" for permitting freedom of religion

'What gives them the right?' MAGA senator melts down over Muslims praying outdoors

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) suggested that Muslims did not have the right to pray outdoors in the United States.During a Thursday interview with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, Tuberville expressed o...

www.rawstory.com

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 7h

INBOX — New York AG Tish James' statement on Trump's retaliatory indictment of her:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2025

Attorney General’s Press Office/212-416-8060 nyag.pressoffice@ag.ny.gov

Attorney General Letitia James Issues Statement on Donald Trump’s Weaponization of the Department of Justice

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today issued the following statement after she was indicted by the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Virginia.

“This is nothing more than a continuation of the president’s desperate weaponization of our justice system. He is forcing federal law enforcement agencies to do his bidding, all because I did my job as the New York State Attorney General.

“These charges are baseless, and the president’s own public statements make clear that his only goal is political retribution at any cost. The president’s actions are a grave violation of our Constitutional order and have drawn sharp criticism from members of both parties.

“His decision to fire a United States Attorney who refused to bring charges against me – and replace them with someone who is blindly loyal not to the law, but to the president – is antithetical to the bedrock principles of our country. This is the time for leaders on both sides of the aisle to speak out against this blatant perversion of our system of justice.

“I stand strongly behind my office’s litigation against the Trump Organization. We conducted a two-year investigation based on the facts and evidence – not politics. Judges have upheld the trial court’s finding that Donald Trump, his company, and his two sons are liable for fraud.

“I am a proud woman of faith, and I know that faith and fear cannot share the same space. And so today I am not fearful, I am fearless, and as my faith teaches me, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. We will fight these baseless charges aggressively, and my office will continue to fiercely protect New Yorkers and their rights. And I will continue to do my job.”

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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 8h

Rural Republicans quite literally killing off their own constituents.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15h

SCARBOROUGH: The Nebraska Rural Health Association says at least 6 rural hospitals would have to close bc of the big beautiful bill

FLOOD: Here's the deal: Some hospitals that are rural hospitals are going to eventually have to transition from being acute bed hospitals into being an ER model

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ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 8h

Be nice if any single national Democrat promised to hold these fuckwads accountable for malicious prosecution should the wheel ever turn around.

But, whatever. Everybody who opposes Trump will just have to weather this bullshit.

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Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 8h

I look forward to watching Tish James humiliate him once again.

Peter Sterne @petersterne.com · 8h

BREAKING: NY State AG Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia www.cityandstateny.com/politics/202...

Letitia James indicted by federal grand jury in Virginia

State Attorney General Letitia James has reportedly been indicted for alleged mortgage fraud.

www.cityandstateny.com

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 7h

Thune plays the reasonable moderate, getting the lantern-jawed, steely-eyed-athletic-heartlander benefit of the doubt. But Thune (grandson of immigrants btw), who has been in the Senate for 20 yrs, is really the problem. Because he knows better but covers for the crazies. @profgalloway.com

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Heather Cherone @heathercherone.bsky.social · 7h

Perry: The arrival of Border Patrol agents to the Broadview ICE facility "caused a corresponding increase in protests."

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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 9h

Good time to read @mollyroberts.bsky.social:

“It’s hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey—until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.”

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/next...

Next Up: Letitia James
Molly Roberts
Monday, October 6, 2025, 9:59 AM
Share On: f X in $
It's hard to imagine a worse case than the one against James Comey-until you see the one against the attorney general of New York.

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Rhett Derrick @lawzag.bsky.social · 11h

Yo dog, I heard you like hallucinated citations, so we put hallucinated citations in your response regarding hallucinated citations so you can show cause while you show cause.
iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewD...

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Olga Lautman 🇺🇦 @olgalautman.bsky.social · 9h

Welcome to Russia

Exactly what happens there

abcnews.go.com/US/trump-app...

Trump-appointed prosecutor seeks indictment of New York AG Letitia James: Sources

A Trump-appointed prosecutor has presented evidence to a grand jury seeking an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, sources tell ABC News.

abcnews.go.com

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