Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jennifer Harris

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 57m

People ask what they can do in this moment: here's a crucially important election. There are 52,000 elections taking place next month, many of which will be determined by turnout.

Alex Burness @burness.bsky.social · 23h

Dispatch from Pennsylvania on a highly unusual state Supreme Court election—one of the few most consequential matters on the ballot anywhere in the country next month. New from me in @boltsmag.org: boltsmag.org/pennsylvania...

Inside the Clunky Elections to Control Pennsylvania's Supreme Court - Bolts

The GOP is making an expensive push to end Democrats’ majority on a court at the center of election lawsuits, sparking a fledging campaign season with little precedent or template.

boltsmag.org

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 6h

“.. I think they are absolutely struggling to figure out how they are going to get out of this.”

@politico.com #Shutdown
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

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David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 5h

I really believe that huge majorities of Americans don’t want masked soldiers shooting priests in the street. They don’t want naked children ripped out out of their apartments in the middle of the night and handcuffed. We win by making sure these stories get told.

Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 5h

The same people who insisted devout Catholic Joe Biden was leading a “war on Christianity” are now cheering Trump on as his armed goons assault clergymen.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 6h

WATCH: Trump’s lawless Ice goons shoot an unarmed priest in the head with a pepper ball. Completely out of control.

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LOLGOP ❌👑❌ @thefarce.org · 5h

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 5h

If by heavy machinery you mean a smart phone camera and an inflatable dinosaur costume, then sure, Todd…

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

Deputy AG Todd Blanche: "We have organized efforts by domestic terrorists -- and that's what they are -- to do things like box in law enforcement's cars ... they are armed with heavy machinery."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5h

Trump calls for Brandon Johnson and JB Pritzker to be imprisoned

Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also!

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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 21h

Journalism Fail: This implies there is a donut shop aflame in Portland, Oregon right now but the photo is
1) Not Portland
2) Not 2025

It's a 33 YEAR OLD FILE PHOTO. You have to open the story & read the fine print to find out it's Los Angeles in 1992.

Come on @cnn.com. Do better.

CNN @cnn.com · 1d

"President Donald Trump and his top aides are using the word 'insurrection' more frequently to describe anti-ICE protests in places like Portland," writes Zachary B. Wolf. https://cnn.it/4pWYmzr

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Sarah Posner @sarahposner.bsky.social · 6h

Pope Leo tells US bishops to address Trump's immigration crackdown

www.reuters.com/world/pope-l...

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Peter B. Kaufman @pbkauf.bsky.social · 7h

“Overlapping.”

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 7h

“.. the latest example of the Trump administration’s policy priorities overlapping with the business dealings of the president and his family.”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/health/pharm...

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 6h

A sobering assessment by @cashsteven.bsky.social

We Are Stardust We Are Golden @yo-momma.bsky.social · Aug 7

"But what's so scary is, what's happening here is what my organization and what intelligence officers and diplomats have seen overseas, which is a democracy sliding into an autocracy."
— Steven Cash, Former State Prosecutor and veteran within the CIA and DHS.

Former prosecutor questions legitimacy of Bondi’s Russia probe

Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into accusations that members of the Obama administration manufactured intelligence about Russia’s 2016 ele...

www.pbs.org

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 13h

🖖 Vulcan reference also noted

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 13h

Even in the darkest article, I have to allow myself a chuckle now and then

Vivian M. Lumbard @vivian-m-lumbard.bsky.social · 14h

I loved this paragraph intro...

"Trump and his valet at the Defense Department, Secretary of Physical Training Pete Hegseth..."

Seriously, though, read this.

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 14h

Do not bail these Republicans out. Make them own the shut down and the rising cost of healthcare

Senator Patty Murray @murray.senate.gov · 23h

Here are the 10 states that will see the highest premium increases for families that lose tax credits if Republicans refuse to act.

West Virginia 387%
Wyoming 382%
Alaska 346%
Tennessee 320%
Mississippi 314%
Texas 289%
South Carolina 285%
Alabama 284%
South Dakota 235%
North Dakota 234%

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T. Greg "Antifa General Counsel" Doucette @gregdoucette.bsky.social · 16h

Outside counsel / in-house counsel / sales rep

Screenshot of an ESPN Monday Night Football interview, with Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, and Patrick Mahomes seated left to right. Reid is wearing a light gray suit, light-colored dress shirt, and red tie that makes him look like he's sitting in an unpleasant deposition. Kelce is wearing a relaxed short-sleeved button-up shirt with a whimsical pattern and a brown newsboy cap that makes him look like he's in organized crime. Mahomes is in a pink dress shirt, slightly darker pink tie, and dark-pink-and-white checkered vest that makes him look like a dandy.

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Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 15h

Lol, it really is all just cosplay

Brad Duplessis @bradduplessis.bsky.social · 15h

Pete is out here playing Operator. We do not have a SECDEF.

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Plenary Popehat Power @kenwhite.bsky.social · 15h

These people are evil. Never stop saying so. Don’t be intimidated into shutting up.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 17h

Here’s video of the incident

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 18h

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 17h

Oh my goodness! Prayers up for Dolly!

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 19h

Dolly Parton’s sister, Freida Parton, is asking for people to pray for her sister’s health.

Verified Facebook post by Freida Parton. The caption reads:

“Last night, I was up all night praying for my sister, Dolly. Many of you know she hasn’t been feeling her best lately. I truly believe in the power of prayer, and I have been lead to ask all of the world that loves her to be prayer warriors and pray with me. She’s strong, she’s loved, and with all the prayers being lifted for her, I know in my heart she’s going to be just fine. Godspeed, my sissy Dolly. We all love you! ❤️”

Below the caption is a photo of Dolly Parton standing outdoors in front of lush green ivy, hands clasped in prayer, wearing a shiny silver outfit with lace-trimmed sleeves, her signature blonde hair styled in soft curls, looking upward serenely.

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 17h

Ken Paxton is in a flop sweat now that Wesley Hunt is in the race. His corrupt a** is watching a Trump endorsement slip away in real time.

On the other hand, if I was Cornyn, I still might worry that I end up third in the primary unless he finds a way to out crazy the crazies.

Lord Businessman II @lordbusinessman.bsky.social · 18h

You don't announce an undercover operation that is being done in good faith

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Reposted by Jennifer Harris

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 18h

This is out of hand. These agents are there to cause trouble and violence, not to keep people safe. These are the scenes that play out in war torn, destitute countries - not America.

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 21h

Paxton probably also feeling more heat to “perform” now that Wesley Hunt is in the race.

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Department of Shoe @shoe.bsky.social · 21h

The problem with the Right's meme-based online politics is that everything fades within a week.

Paxton is way late here and the Right has already moved on to whatever trending post is happening now.

bsky.app/profile/robe...

Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 1d

Citing the “martyrdom” of Charlie Kirk, Texas AG Ken Paxton says his office is pursuing sweeping undercover investigations into “leftist” groups. “To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."

"Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people," said Attorney General Paxton. "The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America.
There can be no compromise with those who want us dead. To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."
The radical Left has incubated an environment where political violence is not only justified but celebrated and praised. In July, nearly two dozen armed leftists connected to various Texas-based Antifa-like groups ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") facility in Alvarado, Texas. On September 10, 2025, a leftist assassin connected to the radical transgender movement murdered Charlie Kirk because of Kirk's bold support for truth, love of country, and unshakable faith. Two weeks later, another deranged leftist opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas.
President Donald Trump has officially designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and instructed his administration to "utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa." Building on President Trump's bold actions, Attorney General Paxton has instructed his office to initiate sweeping investigations into radical leftist organizations engaged in or providing support to those performing political violence.

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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 21h

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

George Pearkes @peark.es · 22h

Well that's not how appropriations work at all

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

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 22h

That “tariff revenue” is drying up quickly.

Axios @axios.com · 22h

Scoop: White House says it has funding to save food aid program that had been threatened by the government shutdown

Scoop: White House says it has funding to save food aid program

The administration will transfer funding derived from tariff revenue to keep WIC going for "the foreseeable future."

www.axios.com

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Jennifer Harris @jwharris.bsky.social · 1d

It’s the words of a man who thinks he can write a check or lie and skate his way through life — which he sadly mostly has. Why should faith or the afterlife be any different in his eyes? He surrounds himself with charlatans and religious grifters.

💥🐟🌮🇺🇦🇨🇦 @crunchyfishtaco.bsky.social · 1d

These are not the words of a man who has given his life to and put his faith in Christ.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "I want to be good because you want to prove to God so you go to that next step, right? So that's very important to me."

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Department of Shoe @shoe.bsky.social · 1d

Every CEO involved in these "deals" should be prosecuted.

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