Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by James Downie

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 2h

So this is funny.
The administration just issued a rule slashing foreign agricultural worker wages. And to justify it, in a public filing, Trump's Labor Department alleges that Trump's immigration enforcement has devastated the Ag workforce and caused a "risk of supply shock-induced food shortages."

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 1h

I have never allowed YouTube to use my watch history or otherwise personalize recommendations, and the default algorithm has two consistent features: 1) recommending the same videos again and again; and 2) recommending at least two pieces of right-wing gateway slop, no matter the video I'm watching.

Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 3h

Hot on the heels of bribing Trump with $24.5 million, YouTube has ramped up shoveling right-wing gateway slop into recommendations. YouTube has no reason to believe I'm interested but even more of this is now nestled between videos actually relevant to my viewing history.

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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 1h

this was really hard to read. my son is almost exactly the same age as the kid in here that Trump and Musk deliberately starved to death apnews.com/article/myan...

Starving children screaming for food as US aid cuts unleash devastation and death across Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly said “no one has died" because of his government’s decision to gut its foreign aid program.

apnews.com

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 1h

In unrelated news, here's @juliesulabor.bsky.social writing for @msnbc.com about how Amazon mistreats its package handlers and delivery drivers: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 1h

"I normally pay don’t pay much attention to gold, which doesn’t play an important role in the modern economy. But I believe that the recent runup in gold prices is telling us something — namely, that the world is losing faith in America." -- @pkrugman.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Ingots We Trust

Are soaring gold prices telling us something important?

open.substack.com

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 15h

thank you brett kavanaugh!

Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 15h

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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Denise Wheeler @denisedwheeler.bsky.social · 17h

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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Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 21h

“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
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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…

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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 23h

Tyrion Lanister from Game of Thrones: “I’m not questioning your honor. I’m denying its existence.”

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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 18h

Someone uploaded the video to reddit. He said it and then just abruptly stopped talking. The video is still working - you can see him blinking. And it's not an audio problem his mouth isn't moving

www.reddit.com/r/LateStageC...

From the LateStageCapitalism community on Reddit: Stephen Miller states that Trump has plenary authority, then immediately stops talking as if he’s realized what he just said

Explore this post and more from the LateStageCapitalism community

www.reddit.com

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Amy @lolennui.bsky.social · 23h

George Orwell’s Animal Crossing

Someone in a frog costume facing down a line of police in riot gear

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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 23h

The View segment where Whoopi asked how ordinary people could read SCOTUS opinions was revealing.

They're free. They're online. They're much easier to read than legislation. Conquer your imposter's syndrome, you are smart enough to read a decision and know if it's bullshit.

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 23h

It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all

Tom Scocca @tomscocca.bsky.social · 23h

One thing about American's widespread distrust and disapproval of the Supreme Court is that mainstream news coverage mostly doesn't dwell on stuff like standing, so people don't even begin to grasp how rigged the Court truly is www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

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Audrey Truschke @audreytruschke.bsky.social · 1d

A Rutgers professor has been forced to flee the country for his safety, after targeting by a far-right student group that was *checks notes* claiming they felt unsafe.

I'm horrified.
I'm angry.

A short 🧵 #AcademicFreedom #Rutgers #violence #antifa

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Rutgers professor moving to Europe after threats over antifa accusations

Mark Bray says threats intensified after a Turning Point USA petition accused him of promoting political violence

www.theguardian.com

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Dante Atkins @danteatkins.bsky.social · 1d

It's amazing to think about how we got here: The delusional mad king was watching Fox News b-roll, thought it was a current event, and decided to invade Portland--and now the entire MAGA movement is trying to turn Trump's delusions into reality.

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 1d

Trump's tweet that Portland is "war ravaged" just backfired. A Trump-picked judge cited it in blocking National Guard deployment to Portland, declaring him "untethered from facts."

On the pod, Oregon AG Dan Rayfield illuminatingly explains the ruling and what's next:
newrepublic.com/article/2014...

Trump’s Own Tweet on Portland Backfires as Judge Deals Him Harsh Loss

As a judge’s blunt ruling blocks Trump from deploying troops in Portland, Oregon’s Attorney General tells us in an interview that Trump’s lawless threats are working against him—and discusses what com...

newrepublic.com

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Jacob Soboroff @jacobsoboroff.bsky.social · 1d

I’m in Chicago where Trump continues his push for the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and to send federal troops to U.S. cities — and local leaders and civilians continue to push back.

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 1d

And as we all know, "owner's enforcer intervening randomly" is famously efficient model of decision-making.

David Klion @davidklion.bsky.social · 1d

The notion that Bari will be "running CBS News" is slightly misleading. What the reporting suggests is that Tom Cibrowski, a guy with normal qualifications, will be doing that. Bari will be Emperor Ellison's Vader-esque enforcer, outside the chain of command, intervening at will.

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Soraya Nadia McDonald @sorayanadiamcdonald.com · 1d

Aww is Weird Stephen mad?

Don't put in the paper that AOC made Weird Stephen mad.

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 1d

Stephen Miller responding to AOC calling Miller a clown and saying he is angry that he is 4’10”: We knew her brain didn't work—now we know their eyes don't work.

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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 1d

“A federal team in El Paso that once pursued child traffickers has been disbanded.

“A task force in Kansas focused on stemming fentanyl has been redirected.

“Highway checkpoints near the border—on roads identified as major drug-trafficking routes—have gone unstaffed”

🎁
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump’s Immigration Push Diverts U.S. Agents From Drug, Money and Sex-Crime Cases

Federal investigators are resigning, and morale is low, as they juggle complex cases and detain migrants.

www.wsj.com

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 1d

My new op-ed with @lkfazio.bsky.social:

Trump sent a 'compact' to our universities. They should reject this devil's bargain.
Any institution that yields to these broad and intrusive demands would forever be subservient to the whims of the government.
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 2d

Statement from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

This evening, President Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate.
We must now start calling this what it is: Trump's Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state's military troops.
I call on Governor Abbott to immediately withdraw any support for this decision and refuse to coordinate. There is no reason a President should send military troops into a sovereign state without their knowledge, consent, or cooperation.
The brave men and women who serve in our national guards must not be used as political props. This is a moment where every American must speak up and help stop this madness.

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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 2d

May the words "couldn't happen to a nicer person" be said more and more in the years to come...

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 2d

it does give me some pleasure that Milo's life just seems completely miserable nowadays. Couldn't happen to a nicer person.

Sekayra F slur Chaos @sequeira.bsky.social · 2d

But also me watching this

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 3d

Just wait, folks, the emperor *is* wearing clothes:

"Trump’s advisers are counseling him to refine his economic message with a pitch to voters aimed at easing their anxiety about weak jobs growth and stubborn inflation."

“Their new mantra: Just wait until next year.” www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Trump’s Team Hones Message on Economy: Just Wait Until 2026

Advisers are privately assuring the president that his policies will pay off.

www.wsj.com

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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 3d

ICE GOONS in Chicago are escalating their actions, storming hospitals, detaining individuals from grocery stores, and operating without judicial warrants. Ald. Jessie Fuentes was arrested and handcuffed inside Humboldt Park Health simply for demanding accountability.

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James Downie @jamescdownie.bsky.social · 3d

Today in stove-touching: "The Trump administration is preparing a plan that will make it harder for older Americans to qualify for Social Security disability payments...Officials are considering eliminating age as a factor [in disability claims] entirely." wapo.st/4qa8yoq

Trump plan would limit disability benefits for older Americans

Trump administration officials are considering eliminating age as a factor in deciding whether someone is capable of working.

wapo.st

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