Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 26m

Whether or not they can is an empirical question we should have answered.

MAKS 25 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 3h

😵‍💫 Kremlin: Russia knows how to shoot down Tomahawk missiles.

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Hans de Vreij @vreij.bsky.social · 7h

ISW: 'Russia appears to be accelerating the informational and psychological condition setting phase — “Phase 0” — of its campaign to prepare for a possible NATO-Russia war in the future. understandingwar.org/research/rus...

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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 13h

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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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 13h

Presence of Western parts in Russian drones and missiles speaks to the failure to effectively enforce sanctions -- the presence of Chinese parts speaks to their collaboration
kyivindependent.com/over-100-000...

Over 100,000 Western-made parts found in drones, missiles used in Russian recent mass attack, Zelensky says

The components were reportedly manufactured by companies based in the U.S., China, Taiwan, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, and the Netherlands.

kyivindependent.com

Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 16h

Dodging questions is a classic indicator of a deception motive.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 20h

"This is supposed to be an oversight hearing" -- Schiff helpfully ticks through all of the incriminating questions -- and there are many of them -- that Bondi refused to answer during today's hearing

Reposted by Mike Jensen

Center for European Policy Analysis @cepa.org · 17h

“Moscow’s financial strategy for the fifth year of war is unmistakable ... the Kremlin will attempt to muddle through without major expenditure increases, instead passing the war’s costs to  the whole of society.” Alexander Kolyandr

https://cnb.cx/3IDrdYP

Russia's economy is creaking -- and the Kremlin wants Russians to pay more for the war

The Kremlin's commitment to the Ukraine war was in focus this week after the finance ministry released its 2026 draft budget.

www.cnbc.com

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Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 19h

‼️According to calculations made by OSINT researchers, the amount of Russian tanks in decent condition remaining in storage is ZERO.

◾️1656 are in "poor" condition (about 60% of them probably cannot be restored).
◾️1231 Russian tanks are in "worse" condition, according to the researchers.

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 1d

They will be used to degraded Russian offensive capabilities.

UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 1d

⚡️ Trump says he’s decided on sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but wants confirmation on how they’ll be used.

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Monica Potts @monicapotts.bsky.social · 1d

2024 was an anti-incumbent year around the globe largely because of forces beyond any one lawmaker's control and I feel like that's where all analyses should start and I don't really know how much more complicated it should get than that.

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 1d

The United States has unilaterally disarmed in the information wars. The Trump administration has ended key efforts to defend against Russian, Chinese and Iranian targeting of Americans with false claims.

How foreign powers are gaslighting Americans

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | How foreign powers are gaslighting Americans

Russia, China and Iran pay no price for spreading false claims about the U.S.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 1d

cepa.org/article/the-...

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Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 2d

This federal judge appointed by President Trump found his claims of “chaos“ in Portland, Oregon “untethered to the facts.“

Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 2d

www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 3d

New weapons systems for Ukraine might be used to send a deterrence signal: stop the drones, surveillance, and sabotage, or we will increase Ukraine's capacity to execute damaging strikes.

Center for European Policy Analysis @cepa.org · 3d

Tomahawk Missile Threat Rattles Putin’s Regime | "Russia’s deepest fears are all-too-visible in its media output. High-performance cruise missiles are high on its anxieties list." @juliadavisnews.bsky.social

Tomahawk Missile Threat Rattles Putin’s Regime

Russia’s deepest fears are all-too-visible in its media output. High-performance cruise missiles are high on its anxieties list.

cepa.org

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 4d

Storm 1516 -- an influence operation attributed to Russia -- is expanding its target audiences

www.recordedfuture.com/research/cop...

CopyCop Deepens Its Playbook with New Websites and Targets

CopyCop expands Russian influence ops with 300+ fake websites targeting the US, France, Canada & more—using AI, deepfakes, and GRU-backed infrastructure.

www.recordedfuture.com

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Kriszta Satori @fulelo.bsky.social · 4d

#BBCNews - Russia targets UK military satellites on weekly basis
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Russia targets UK military satellites on weekly basis

Moscow is attempting to collect information from UK spacecraft, according to the MoD.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 8d

AUKUS Pillar 1 is reportedly full steam ahead after review
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Pentagon review reportedly confirms Aukus submarines pact is safe

US official says inquiry launched in June still under way but Australian PM and defence minister confident deal is secure

www.theguardian.com

Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 8d

Meeting with 800 generals is aimed at getting them to back a national defense strategy designed to pull back from competing with China and Russia. China and Russia seek to bully other countries, countries that are weak and afraid back away from a bully. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Military leaders voice concern over Hegseth’s new Pentagon strategy

Top military officials have voiced concern over the Trump administration’s forthcoming defense strategy, exposing a divide between the Pentagon’s political and uniformed leadership.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 9d

"It's a different sort of war, but the hostility, the cyber attacks, the physical attacks, intelligence work, is extensive."

Ex-MI5 chief says those who think UK already at war with Russia 'may be right'

Baroness Manningham-Buller, MI5 director general from 2002 to 2007, recalled meeting Vladimir Putin after the G8 meeting in 2005, and said "we all hoped that the past history of Russia wouldn't prevai...

news.sky.com

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 9d

By the time you have figured out your adversary is already at war with you, deterrence has failed. There is no binary of war/peace. Deterrence matters to keep things from escalating to a full-blown war
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Britain may already be at war with Russia, former head of MI5 says

Eliza Manningham-Buller points to extent of cyber-attacks and other hostile activity orchestrated by Moscow

www.theguardian.com

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 9d

So, the laws could be changed to both alleviate the human suffering and alleged sin. Why would one then endorse strict immigration laws?

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 9d

lot to unpack here

Paula White-Cain took a somewhat different position when defending the Trump administration’s border separation policy and detention of immigrants. According to her, it’s true that Jesus was a refugee because he lived in Egypt for three and a half years. “But it was not illegal,” she insists. “If he had broken the law, then he would have been sinful and he would not have been our Messiah.

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 9d

We all remember that part of the Gospels where Joseph goes to the Egyptian consulate to make sure their refugee status has been approved and then leaves with the visas and documentation in hand so they could present them to the officials working the border checkpoint.

Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 9d

lot to unpack here

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Reposted by Mike Jensen

Joanna Schwartz @jcschwartzprof.bsky.social · 9d

Justice Kavanaugh: “If the person is a U. S. citizen or otherwise lawfully
in the United States, that individual will be free to go after the brief encounter.”

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 9d

79. American citizen.

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Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 10d

Oddly, coercing researchers through threats requests that require cost-prohibitive legal representation does not make their list of things that censor otherwise free speech.

Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 10d

“Moderation is censorship” was 2018-2023
“Media literacy is censorship” was 2024
“Transparency is censorship” is 2025+
“Curation is censorship” is 2026

Frame Game (Mike Benz) and the other far-right propagandists are already laying the groundwork.

That’s why they’re going after the DSA now too. 🧵

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 10d

We are a government ruled by viral video fiat now.

You aren't even allowed to research which viral video has whipped the regime into a mania and how they came to believe it, because the research of the systems themselves is viewed as "censorship."

This how you end up randomly invading Portland.

Mike Jensen @mikejjensen.bsky.social · 11d

TL/DR When political systems no longer have what Easton called "diffuse support," life becomes pretty uncomfortable and democracies have to rely on their their people as the last remaining guardrails. alexzfinley.substack.com/p/i-didnt-ge...

I didn't get Raptured, but the Rule of Law may soon leave this Earthly realm

A friendly reminder that Rant!

alexzfinley.substack.com

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