Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 58m

The William Buckley and Edgar Smith Saga | The Nation www.thenation.com/article/cult...

The William Buckley and Edgar Smith Saga

In her new book, Scoundrel, Sarah Weinman tells the story of how a conservative journalist and editor ended up befriending a convicted murderer.

www.thenation.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 5h

"where fighters have tended to prefer cheaper, hardier Chinese and homegrown drones instead."

The War Over Defense Tech | Susannah Glickman | The New York Review of Books www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...

The War Over Defense Tech | Susannah Glickman

Last October, on a Martin Luther–inspired website called www.18theses.com, a software executive named Shyam Sankar published a four-thousand-word polemic

www.nybooks.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 5h

"Anduril and other companies that offer 'autonomous,' AI-enhanced hardware, for instance, have by now attracted criticism from a range of commentators: the evidence indicates that, despite their claims to the contrary, Silicon Valley drones and counterdrones have underperformed in Ukraine,

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 5h

"Because they are above all instruments of financialization, designed to bring future values into the present, they tend to be better at generating short-term profits and juicing shareholder value than at creating durable, high-performing software or hardware systems.

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 5h

"...venture-funded defense-tech firms like Palantir and Anduril have positioned themselves as the solution to these ills without any clear evidence that they can deliver on that promise. The problem, put simply, is that they don’t have expertise in building things.

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 6h

Does Europe Really Want to Save Itself? phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/does-europ...

Does Europe Really Want to Save Itself?

We will know Sooner Than Many Understand.

phillipspobrien.substack.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 7h

In Chicago, clergy and faith-based protesters say ICE is threatening their religious freedom | National Catholic Reporter www.ncronline.org/news/chicago...

In Chicago, clergy and faith-based protesters say ICE is threatening their religious freedom

Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as 'Love thy neighbor' and 'Who would Jes...

www.ncronline.org

2 4

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 10h

GOP Congresswoman Rants "People Yell at Me at Church" Saying "I Should Be Ashamed" www.msn.com/en-us/news/p...

MSN

www.msn.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 21h

Emergency Triad: The Chicago Rubicon and What Comes Next www.thebulwark.com/p/emergency-...

Emergency Triad: The Chicago Rubicon and What Comes Next

We aren’t at the worst-case scenario yet. But if you squint, you can see it looming out there, just over the horizon.

www.thebulwark.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 21h

Trump turned the shutdown into spectacle. That's not helping him. www.msnbc.com/news/news-an...

Trump turned the shutdown into spectacle. That's not helping him.

The president put himself in the spotlight, so he's taking the blame.

www.msnbc.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 21h

Tilly Norwood Isn’t New. Artificial Actors Were Tried Already. www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

I Know Exactly How AI Actress Tilly Norwood’s “Career” Will Go

A massive 2001 flop also starred “synthespians.” It bombed.

www.esquire.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 21h

The Right Is Suddenly Obsessed With ‘Heritage Americans’ - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

Are You a ‘Heritage American’?

Why some on the right want to know if your ancestors were here during the Civil War

www.theatlantic.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 22h

"The greatest crisis of American civil-military relations in modern history is now under way."

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here

The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

www.theatlantic.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 22h

"Trump clearly wants to use military power to exert more control over the American people, and soon, top U.S.-military commanders may have to decide whether they will refuse such orders from the commander in chief."

1

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 22h

As Money Rushed In, ICE’s Rapid Expansion Stalled Out - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

As Money Rushed In, ICE’s Rapid Expansion Stalled Out

Immigration arrests have declined and jail overcrowding is worse despite billions in new funds.

www.theatlantic.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 23h

U.S. Hit by Record Drop in International Student Arrivals Under Trump www.thedailybeast.com/us-hit-by-re...

U.S. Hit by Record Drop in International Student Arrivals Under Trump

Federal travel data shows steep declines across nearly every region, with the sharpest drops among students from India, China, and Africa.

www.thedailybeast.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 23h

Democrats Still Have No Idea What Went Wrong - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Democrats Still Have No Idea What Went Wrong

The party’s progressives seem to think the problem is not with their platform but with voters.

www.theatlantic.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 1d

Woman, 68, sues US Marshals after false arrest at gunpoint, saying she’s been forced to move out of state over ‘paranoia’ www.msn.com/en-us/news/c...

MSN

www.msn.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 1d

For his 80th birthday and the 250th birthday of the United States, Trump is planning to host a UFC match on the White House lawn. Seriously.

Trump Reveals Incredibly Trashy 80th Birthday Plans www.thedailybeast.com/trump-reveal...

Trump Reveals Incredibly Trashy 80th Birthday Plans

The event will coincide with celebrations marking 250 years since the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

www.thedailybeast.com

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 1d

It’s Just a Virus, the E.R. Told Him. Days Later, He Was Dead. - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/w...

It’s Just a Virus, the E.R. Told Him. Days Later, He Was Dead.

www.nytimes.com

1

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 1d

"From October 2024 through September 2, more than 500 threats were logged against federal judges—an increase from the previous year—according to U.S. Marshals Service data."

MAGA Demanded ‘Holy Hell Fire’ Before Judge’s Home Exploded www.thedailybeast.com/maga-called-...

MAGA Demanded ‘Holy Hell Fire’ Before Judge’s Home Exploded

Some called for “something to be done” about the judge.

www.thedailybeast.com

1

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 1d

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the political impact of the government shutdown | PBS News www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the political impact of the government shutdown

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including the federal government shutdown reaching day six with ...

www.pbs.org

1

Michael Huggins @michaelhugg2591.bsky.social · 2d

www.linkedin.com/posts/billdy...

Facts I Did Not Know! My Respect For These Guards JUST SHOT UP!!! | William Dykstra

Facts I Did Not Know! My Respect For These Guards JUST SHOT UP!!!

www.linkedin.com