Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 42m

•Is Pete Hegseth really the best guy to lead the Armed Forces of the United States?
•Is Kristi Noem really our best choice to secure our Homeland?
•Is Kash Patel the best Law Enforcement Officer we could muster?
•Is RFK, Jr. the best pick to care for our health?
•Pam Bondi- Explain that one.

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Reposted by Mark Clemens

Lisa Reyna Loe @lisaloe.bsky.social · 1h

“Is not about politics, it’s about people.”
-Chuck Schumer

Now THIS is a good Democratic ad!

Hold the line, Democrats!
Our healthcare must not be negotiated ⬇️ or compromised in any way!

#TrumpShutUSDown
‪Pass it on ‬♻️

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1h

Reporter in Portland:“Oh, the humanity!”

And now for a report from the hellish war-zone that is Portland

YouTube video by The Bulwark

www.youtube.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 3h

Civil war is upon us.

Mozelle Victory @godswrath699.bsky.social · 3h

youtube.com/shorts/LMkGM...

Bulwark

And now for a report from the hellish war-zone that is Portland

YouTube video by The Bulwark

youtube.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 3h

The ACA is very popular with Americans of all stripes. What does the GOP have to replace it? Nothing. If the GOP is going to extend the subsidies anyway, why not just do it now, when it can help reopen the government? They have no credible reason to keep the government closed.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 3h

And resentment for Republicans is growing on several fronts, after Pam Bondi’s personal attacks on members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump’s personal retribution tour, and Tom Homan’s bag o’ cash, to name a few.

More Americans blame Trump and congressional Republicans for shutdown, new poll finds

A new poll found that more Americans blame President Donald Trump and Republicans for the federal government shutdown than Democrats.

www.usatoday.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 5h

Republicans all have at least one thing in common. They talk faster than the human brain can make sense of what they are saying.

Hear what Rep. Jim Jordan said about back pay for furloughed workers | CNN Politics

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) about where he stands on back pay for furloughed federal workers as the government shutdown enters its second week.

www.cnn.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 5h

He did promise to make us all rich. Maybe he’s just starting with his family and friends first.

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 7h

I’m shocked.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 13h

Trump’s superpower is making ignorance look unconventional.

Opinion: Nobody's ever talked the way Trump does. It's like no one before. Or so it seems

The former president's reliance on superlatives goes largely unmentioned. But it follows a style used by fascists and despots throughout history.

www.latimes.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 15h

This only makes sense to the guy who thought Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem and Robert Kennedy, Jr were qualified. This is the era of batshit leadership.

Senate Confirms ‘Sharpiegate’ Meteorologist to Lead NOAA

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 16h

Bondi won’t last as Attorney General. She lost respect from everyone, Democrat, Republican and Independent. Had she answered any questions, it most likely would have been a lie.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 23h

Pam Bondi disrespected the United States Senate today by launching personal attacks and non-answers when asked about Jeffrey Epstein and Tom Homan’s bag of cash. Bondi is owned by Donald Trump and nothing is transparent about this administration despite their advertising campaign of transparency.

Takeaways from Attorney General Pam Bondi’s contentious Senate hearing | CNN Politics

Attorney General Pam Bondi’s appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday showed the sharp divide between the left and the right on how justice in the US is being carried out.

www.cnn.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

Trump is on television every day and says the same things over and over. Landslide victory, Biden bad, Trump great, transformative, holy. Trump was talking and it was coming out of Bondi’s mouth in her Senate hearings.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

Trump whoppers:
“That was locker room talk.”
“They are eating the dogs.”
“I like people who weren’t captured.”
“I love the poorly educated.”
“I will make Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words."
“Portland is burning to the ground.”
“Chicago is burning.”
“The election was stolen from me.”

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

In Trump’s words, “It was locker room talk.”

'Sick' texts from Democratic AG candidate could threaten Spanberger chances in Virginia

Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones' messages joking about killing a Republican lawmaker might upend the Old Dominion's race for governor.

www.usatoday.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

The final Trump act before we descend into Autocracy.

Live Updates: Trump Threatens to Use Emergency Powers to Bypass Courts and Deploy Troops

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

By a wide margin, Trump is deploying more troops domestically than globally.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

Fewer agency heads means less resistance to unlawful Trump orders.

Social Security Head Named to Lead the IRS as Well. Advocates Fear Retirement Security Could Suffer. — Barron’s

Frank Bisignano has been given a second job at the IRS. Retiree groups criticized the move, while the SSA said the appointment “speaks to the incredible customer service turnaround that is happening a...

stocks.apple.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

Republicans just learned that there is a law that bans undocumented immigrants from healthcare benefits. “But they’re still eating the dogs!”

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 1d

Mike Johnson is keeping the House of Representatives recessed to avoid swearing in the Arizona Congresswoman who would be the 218th signature on a discharge petition that would force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Who are Republicans protecting?

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 2d

According to Donald Trump, riots at the Capitol on January 6, didn’t require the National Guard but protests in Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland do?

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 2d

When the majority of this court was being confirmed by the Senate, the common refrain from the future jurists was “it’s settled law” or “there are years of precedence” only to have these same people throw precedence to the wind? Shouldn’t they be held to their under-oath confirmation statements?

Supreme Court Returns to Face Trump Tests of Presidential Power

www.nytimes.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 2d

How bad are the Epstein files?
•Mike Johnson won’t schedule a vote to release files.
•Mike Johnson won’t swear-in a Rep from AZ to prevent a vote on the files.
•Senate voted against releasing the files.
•Trump says “case-closed” and calls it a hoax.

It’s “hide it at all costs” bad.

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 3d

Kristi: Read the Posse Comitatus Act. And another thing, Homeland Security does not direct the War Department to do anything.

Noem says Department of War is coming to Chicago | CNN Politics

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on “The Benny Show” she requested the Department of War be deployed to Chicago. Her comments come as DHS released a stylized video of an ICE ...

www.cnn.com

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Mark Clemens @markclemens.bsky.social · 3d

“The Portland protests have turned rougher since the president’s announcement last weekend with the arrival of right wing counterprotesters, some of whom have been spotted observing the crowd from the ICE building roof.”
Trump is sending gasoline and matches in his attempt to calm the situation.

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