Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Shepherd @neolithicsheep.bsky.social · 7h

Y'all told these motherfuckers it was OK to let trans people lose their rights. Now they're banking on people letting them abandon everyone who looks vaguely Latino as well as actual immigrants. Who are y'all advocating for moderation gonna abandon next?

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 11h

Durbin on whether Democrats can use reining in ICE in Chicago as a precondition to rein in the government says “can’t do that. It’s gotta be health care all the way.”

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Shepherd @neolithicsheep.bsky.social · 7h

You either defend trans people and people of color now, or you go out alone when it's your turn. Just like Niemoller thought the Nazis would leave him alone if he was a good German. You're as wrong as he was. You'll find out.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 7h

Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.

This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 8h

“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.

We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’

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Charles Keener @charleskeener.bsky.social · 8h

www.democracynow.org/2025/10/8/he...

Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $996 Million in Talc Baby Powder Cancer Case

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $966 million to the family of a California woman who died of mesothelioma. A Los Angeles jury found Johnson & Johnson liable for the 2021 death of Mae Moore, ...

www.democracynow.org

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 8h

Democrats Must Abandon the Moderate Messaging of The White Dude Data Complex

Democrats have their lowest favorability rating since 1994, & still believe they can be "Republican-lite" & win elections by ignoring a progressive, anti-oligarchy message. They're wrong.

open.substack.com/pub/thelefth...

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 8h

How it started How it's going

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🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 8h

People who treat people badly will be exposed but sometimes I want to know what the world would look like if they were just stopped and planned for when they are ass holes …

When the gotcha happens

Catincognito skeeting since 07/3/2023 @catincognito.bsky.social · 9h

newrepublic.com/post/201475/...

Despicable, desperate and weak

"Rather, Bondi had collected screenshots of social media posts, prewritten comebacks, and handwritten notes she hoped could give her a good “gotcha” moment."

Photographer Captures Pam Bondi’s Notes—and They’re a Doozy

Attorney General Pam Bondi came to the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing armed with nothing more than lame canned attacks.

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 9h

repost this if an editor has ever saved you from yourself

violent alien @blipstress.bsky.social · 9h

An actual hot take: Too many authors are afraid of editors watering down their voice or whatever and not afraid enough of editors letting you put any old slop on the page.

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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 8h

Adelita Grijalva won her election fair and square.

Now House Speaker Mike Johnson is refusing to swear her in because she would be the final signature to release the Epstein files.

Mr. Speaker, respect democracy. Obey the law. Swear Representative Grijalva in immediately.

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 8h

Teenagers still have neuroplasticity so you do NOT

want to pathologize their search for control and some direction

AND

Once you hit a certain age ?

Looking for slavery/ overseer dynamics where you are solely extractive or excusing similar behavior to “fight bad guys”

Is a CHOICE

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 9h

AI has a lot of issues but a big one is the way it’s used to :

- demonize basic real emotional desires and needs
- the inability to just straight up and say

“ there is something maladaptive and ill intentioned about wanting to have a digital slave “

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 11h

“The more ways that a student reports that their school uses AI, the more likely they are to report things like 'I know someone who considers AI to be a friend,' 'I know someone who considers AI to be a romantic partner.'"

1 in 5 high schoolers has had a romantic AI relationship, or knows someone who has

A national survey of students, teachers and parents shines a light on how the AI revolution is playing out in schools – including when it comes to bullying and a community's trust in schools.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 12h

The current paradigm of "AI"— all of its, e.g., embedded values, design, cultural deployment, & structural affordances— has been repeatedly demonstrated to harm both critical skills development & the structure & maintenance of the relational social fabric.

That sounds pretty anti-pedagogical, to me

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 17h

“One of the negative consequences AI is having on students is that it is hurting their ability to develop meaningful relationships with teachers, the report finds. Half of the students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teachers.”

Rising Use of AI in Schools Comes With Big Downsides for Students

A report by the Center for Democracy and Technology looks at teachers' and students' experiences with the technology.

www.edweek.org

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 12h

Cause the algorithms are increasingly shady and I don’t see much promotion, let me Gift Link this:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

Civil Rights Lawyer Bryan Stevenson on How America’s Story Should Be Told

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Wes Siler @wessiler.bsky.social · 12h

The Senate just voted to invalidate every permit written on public land since 1996. wessiler.substack.com/p/the-senate...

The Senate Just Voted To Break Public Lands

Every permit written on public lands since 1996 may have be rendered invalid

wessiler.substack.com

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Deborah Blum @deborahb.bsky.social · 13h

And for further reference, here is Consumer Reports list from last year on Do Not Buy recommendations. No other spice comes up as risky as often as cinnamon does and I would love to know why.

The 12 Cinnamon Powders You Should Never Use - Consumer Reports

Twelve of the 36 cinnamon powders and spice blends containing cinnamon had high levels of lead, according to Consumer Reports' testing.

www.consumerreports.org

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Paul Eric Scannell @pauleric70.bsky.social · 1d

Twitter BANNED the creator of this ad because it moves voters 7 pts toward Dems.

Voters are DISGUSTED by Trump’s gestapo kidnapping US citizens in Portland and Chicago.

SPREAD THIS EVERYWHERE

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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 12h

This is the President not only purporting to arrogate unto himself the ability to “take away free speech rights,” but also to do so for speech because it “aggravates and irritates.”

The bottom line is these people running our country are literally foreigners to the concept of democracy.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12h

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 12h

My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says "Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."

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Politico @politico.com · 12h

Pope Leo XIV says he will "stand with" Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to advocates who recently met with the Pope.

Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

The comments from the pope mark the most recent push from the Vatican against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

www.politico.com

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Stephen Robinson @playtyperguy.com · 12h

More calls for violence from Trump

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump posts that Sen. Blumenthal “should be allowed to speak no longer”

Sanctimonious Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the biggest “joke” in the United States Senate, is at it again! “Dick” lied until the midpoint of his political career, convincing everyone, in particular the Fake News Media, that he was a great “War Hero” who lived on the precipice of death in the jungles of Vietnam. He would talk about his life in the military in almost every speech, in particular the death defying dangers he faced in his many years “fight for freedom” while in Vietnam. He stated that “the battles were violent and long, but there was no going back” - And then it happened, Blumenthal was found out to be a FRAUD. The soldiers in his so-called “platoon” came forward and said that they had no idea who this guy was. He was revealed, broke down and admitted, tears flowing from his eyes, that he LIED, a Whopper, one that lasted 20 year. This guy shouldn’t even be in the U.S. Senate. It should be investigated, and Justice should be sought. Right now there is a Congressman sitting in prison for lying about his past during a campaign. Well, those lies were nothing compared to those of Richard “Da Nang Dick” Blumenthal, perhaps the greatest phony in the history of the United States Senate. He should be allowed to speak no longer!

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Reposted by marybethbass.bsky.social

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 12h

Folks, the oath of enlisted people and officers are two different oaths. The officer's oath does not include the stuff about the president.

Whey Standard @wheystandard.bsky.social · 12h

Again, the oath has mentioned obeying orders of the President since 1789. Here it is as established by Congress in 1962, in Public Law 87-751 (codified then in 10 USC 501, codified after 1968 in 10 USC 502):

Public Law 87-751
October 5, 1962
AN ACT
(H. R. 218]
To provide that individuals enlisted into the Armed Forces of the United States shall take an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Armed Forces.
Enlistment oath.
70A Stat. 17.
National Guard.
70A Stat. 602.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 501 of title 10, United States Code, is amended as follows:
"$ 501. Enlistment oath: who may administer
"Each person enlisting in an armed force shall take the following oath:
-→ do solemnly swear (or affirm) that
I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, accorang to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

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David Sirota @davidsirota.com · 12h

Trump is a dick to basically everyone at all times and he won elections and radically transformed American politics in less than a decade, so look I really don't understand the whole "Katie Porter must now be canceled because she was a tad snippy" thing

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Jenn Budd @jennbudd.bsky.social · Apr 24

I’m not kidding you when I say my work exposed Border Patrol’s rape culture, illegal coverup teams, the atrocities of deterrence policies, corruption,…Find out why BP Chief Rodney Scott has stated my writings/work have caused the Border Patrol a lot of problems. Available everywhere online.

AGAINST THE WALL
Jenn Budd
My Journey from
Border Patrol
Agent to Immigrant
Rights Activist
Foreword by Jose Antonio Vargas
Finalist, Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, The Publishing Triangle Honorable Mention, L.A. Book Festival
"courageous and compelling."
-Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present

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Rebekah Weatherspoon @rdotspoon.bsky.social · 12h

REMINDER!
You can order 12 of my books signed from The Ripped Bodice LA any time you like.

💘 www.therippedbodice....

rebekah weatherspoon titles you can order signed from the ripped bodice LA
the fit collection
A man for mrs claus
meegan
xeni
rafe
her good side (YA)
A cowboy to remember
if the boot fits
a thorn in the saddle
haven
sanctuary
harbor

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🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 12h

Everyone loves data until the data is

“The people you cater to are only as entitled as you let them be and you are not being a peacemaker by conceding other people’s rights to appease them. You’re being an enabler”

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