Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 4h

We aren't getting our democracy back without first crushing billionaires' ability to monopolize public discourse. The simplest solution would be to tax billionaires out of existence, but however it's done it simply has to happen.

Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 6h

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

This WaPo editorial presents a misleading revisionist history of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases against Trump.

Then it has the gall to compare that to Trump’s overt targeting of his perceived enemies.

Really embarrassing stuff.

But the mere fact that a legal tool might be available does not mean it should be used. The
current rage over Grassley's revelation shows why. Smith showed little restraint in his pursuit of a former president. He charged Trump for official acts he took as president. He sought a gag order to limit Trump's ability to criticize the prosecution. He tried to accelerate the case to try a leading presidential candidate before the 2024 election.

3 23 81

Reposted by Hunter

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy @profciara.bsky.social · 5h

Actually girlfriend of of one of founders of antifa: Hedy Lamarr who literally had to flee the Nazis and created the tech behind WiFi. Also the image that inspired Snow White. Look it all up. 👇🏾

4 47 180

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 5h

I can't get over how utterly useless the national press proved to be. Not just vapid, not just gullible, but brazenly uninterested in being "press." A scandal a minute from the objectively stupidest, most corrupt administration in history and they just do. not. care.

2 8 32

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 5h

A government of the insane, by the insane, for the insane.

Schrödinger's Sneetch Belly @rtodkelly.bsky.social · 12h

"the girlfriend of one of the founders of antifa"

3 5 22

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 8h

If the entire Republican Party wasn't every bit as crooked as Trump himself they'd be impeaching him tomorrow.

Sean O’Kane @seanokane.bsky.social · 9h

WSJ is reporting that the Truth Social post where Trump told Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey *really was supposed to be a private message*

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Inside the Justice Department Where the President Calls the Shots

The president has executed a wholesale transformation of the Justice Department, taking control in ways he could have only dreamed of in his first term.

www.wsj.com

1 3 11

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 11h

This "round table" reminds me so much of a CPAC panel I sat through in which Rep. Louie Gohmert and a bunch of conspiracy nuts rambled on about the UN coming for their children. Government by gas leak.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Trump: "Democrats want to approve healthcare for illegals coming into our country, many of them coming from prisons and mental institutions and drug dealers. We don't want that for our people because that's gonna destroy the healthcare that we already have. We'd like to make Obamacare better."

8

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 11h

Seriously, the sitting president is a delusional nutcase. He is dangerously unmoored from reality. In his dementia, he could very well imagine that China has invaded St. Louis, declare war, and order nuclear strikes. And the press is just not gonna mention any of this, huh.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."

1 5 17

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 11h

Well, here's my take. It mentions old-timey prospectors if you're into that sort of thing.

www.unchartedblue.com/thanks-to-pa...

Thanks to Pam Bondi, we may have a better idea of why Trump is so terrified of the 'Epstein files'

It was a performance for the ages, and not in a good way.

www.unchartedblue.com

9 20

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 12h

Does literally nobody in Washington care that this man controls the military and is clearly and quite obviously delusional.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Trump on Portland: "It's like the movies you see for the kids, I guess not only the kids, adults also, where you have these bombed out cities and these bombed out people. It's like, worse than that."

1 1 15

Reposted by Hunter

Jon Passantino @passantino.bsky.social · 15h

CNN is now using the Trump preferred “Department of War” name in its official statements

140 150 570

Reposted by Hunter

Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 16h

One of the (many) legal gaps that needs to be filled after this nightmare is over is to prohibit federal law enforcement agencies from using federal funds to create propaganda videos with anyone in custody. This is all about spectacle and content creation, remove the incentive and the means

Tina Smith @smith.senate.gov · 17h

Weird how that didn’t make the cut.

170 1.2K 4.2K

Reposted by Hunter

Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 1d

File state charges. This is a crime.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s video of the incident

68 570 1.5K

Reposted by Hunter

Gillian Brockell @gbrockell.bsky.social · 1d

This little twerp, who’s been there a few months, axed two of the lions of WaPo??

Fisher is an investigative champion and had been at The Post for 39 years. Hoffman had been there for 42, and he won a Pulitzer LAST YEAR.

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 1d

Last week, new WaPo opinion editor Adam O'Neal quietly carried out another purge of staffers, cutting editors and major names like Marc Fisher and David Hoffman, among others.

Meanwhile, he welcomed three conservatives to the section.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/washington...

Post Traumatic Disorder

Adam O’Neal says he’s bringing “intellectual diversity” to The Washington Post’s opinion pages—but the moves he’s making behind the scenes tell a different story.

www.status.news

34 300 940

Reposted by Hunter

Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 1d

Why Underachievers Dominate Secret Police Organizations: Evidence from Autocratic Argentina
Adam Scharpf and Christian Gläßel

Autocrats depend on a capable secret police. Anecdotal evidence, however, often characterizes agents as surprisingly mediocre in skill and intellect. To explain this puzzle, this article focuses on the career incentives underachieving individuals face in the regular security apparatus. Low-performing officials in hierarchical organizations have little chance of being promoted or filling lucrative positions. To salvage their careers, these officials are willing to undertake burdensome secret police work. Using data on all 4,287 officers who served in autocratic Argentina (1975-83), we study biographic differences between secret police agents and the entire recruitment pool. We find that low-achieving officers were stuck within the regime hierarchy, threatened with discharge, and thus more likely to join the secret police for future benefits. The study demonstrates how state bureaucracies breed mundane career concerns that produce willing enforcers and cement violent regimes. This has implications for the understanding of autocratic consolidation and democratic breakdown.

1 61 190

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 1d

A reality show Secretary of Homeland Security facing off against a guy in a chicken suit is not, it turns out, a good way to boost admin arguments that this is an emergency requiring military intervention.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

This made me laugh so hard. Second screenshot is of the video posted by Benny Johnson of the event.

Benny Johnson « @bennyjohnson
X.com
BREAKING: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stares down army of Antifa and a guy in a chicken suit from the rooftop of the ICE facility here in Portland.
Noem says:
"Hey; Guy in the chicken suit. You can do better.
Too bad they are uneducated and ill-informed."
Noem isn't chicken: [chicken emoji]

A view from the roof of the building. There are about 15-20 people visible in total, several of whom appear to be reporters. Most are holding signs. They aren’t even taking up the whole sidewalk. One guy is wearing a chicken suit.

2 16

Reposted by Hunter

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 1d

This made me laugh so hard. Second screenshot is of the video posted by Benny Johnson of the event.

150 540 2.1K

Reposted by Hunter

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 1d

Ruben Gallego on whether Trump is talking to Democrats:

“Look, the President clearly has some kind of dementia, so I think there's a he's probably talking to himself, or think he's talking to a Democrat, but I sincerely doubt that that's actually he's actually physically talking to a Democrat.“

38 750 3.9K

Reposted by Hunter

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 1d

Never, ever Newsom. Fuck that guy.

LGBTQ Nation @lgbtqnation.com · 1d

Gavin Newsom vetoes gender education bill, declines to sign other trans protections - buff.ly/MTUAV85

19 480 2.4K

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 1d

Is it my imagination or are these people getting oranger by the day.

5 13

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 1d

Every one of Trump's people believes they're an incredible insult comic hurling wicked barbs but they all come off as "angry wet loaf of bread threatening to nibble your ankles off."

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 1d

Schiff: This is supposed to be an oversight hearing when dozens of prosecutors have been fired simply because they worked on cases investigating the former president.

Bondi: What about the fires in California? Are the riots in LA serious?

1 4 15

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 1d

This is just the Tied An Onion To My Belt story with a few new words mixed in.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "If we didn't win this election. If we had these people that were running that were ruining our country, destroying our country with their open borders and men playing in women's sports and transgender from everybody and windmills all over the place ... I'm not sure we'd even have a country."

1 1 6

Reposted by Hunter

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 2d

eventually politicians need to start advocating for criminal and civil penalties for people involved in fabricating stories to get citizens incarcerated.

or, put another way: a society that would like to keep functioning has to discourage baldfaced lying, especially by authorities

Chicago Sun-Times @chicago.suntimes.com · 2d

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

trib.al

62 1.6K 5.6K

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 2d

Do passengers get informed when this happens? Or do the airlines just YOLO the flights without telling them?

1 1 33

Hunter @hunterub.bsky.social · 2d

These fake oopsie moments infuriate me every time because Trump _organized a mob to try to nullify his election loss_ and it was on television and if you voted for him after that you knew damn well what he was and you LIKED it.

Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 2d

“I voted for none of this."

Prominent influencers, including Theo Von, Joe Rogan, and Andrew Schulz, are starting to distance themselves from the president they helped propel to the White House.

Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

1 8