Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 11h

October 8, 2025

Yesterday, journalists observed members of the Texas National Guard at a U.S.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

36 310 980

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 1d

Today in Politics Chat, I talked about how power sloshes around when a president is checked out, and noted that right now unelected officials like Stephen Miller are trying to grab it. But instead, We the People can take it back and create a better nation.

41 540 1.6K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 1d

October 7, 2025

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) today floated the idea that workers furloughed during a government shutdown are not guaranteed back pay when the shutdown is resolved.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

55 450 1.3K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 2d

October 5, 2025

October 6, 2025

If White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is at the head of the administration’s deployment of federal agents against undocumented immigrants, it appears that Office of Management and Budget...

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

38 500 1.4K

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 1d

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Arnj7K/

@amandasmildtakes

(10/7) That first judge is all of us

TikTok video by Amanda Nelson

www.tiktok.com

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 2d

Guarded by Lark Taylor

a.co/d/60b6sTS

#NowReading #PNRRomance #LGBTQRomance #LoveIsLove #MMRomance #ReadWithPride #BookLove #bookish #HopelessBlessed #LarkTaylor

@larktaylorauthor.bsky.social

“All this time, I’d lusted after an angel. In reality, it was a demon I needed to set my heart and soul aflame.”

1

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 3d

October 5, 2025

On Friday the Minnesota Star Tribune reported a conversation on the messaging app Signal between one of Stephen Miller’s top deputies, Anthony Salisbury, and a senior advisor to Secretary of Defense P...

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

45 410 1.2K

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 3d

Yay and I hope you enjoy!

1

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 3d

Lynx by Annabelle Jacobs

a.co/d/3noADzr

An alpha president with a pack and a club to protect, a human looking for a place to belong.

#NowReading #PNRRomance #LGBTQRomance #LoveIsLove #MMRomance #ReadWithPride #BookLove #bookish #WildWolvesMC #AnnabelleJacobs

@annabellejacobs.bsky.social

“I need to f*ck him.
Bite him.
Make him mine.”

1 2

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 4d

The same holds for me.

Any account on TikTok asking for money is NOT ME.

Someone is posting the audio from our Saturday morning conversations, and pretending to be us.

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 4d

Folks: I am not on TikTok. Any account there is not me. And I will NEVER ask for money!

3 46 200

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 4d

Folks: I am not on TikTok. Any account there is not me. And I will NEVER ask for money!

92 1.2K 6.2K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 5d

October 3, 2025

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-3-...

October 3, 2025

Although President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

38 360 1K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Abigail Spanberger @abigailspanberger.com · 5d

Women in Virginia deserve to know that their reproductive rights are protected here.

Winsome Earle-Sears supports banning abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Virginia, hear me when I say — as Governor, I will always protect your reproductive freedom.

11 210 800

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 5d

What a bunch of inept idiots

www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8ALhJH6/

@amandasmildtakes

#FDT #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles

(10/3) all hail the statue!

TikTok video by Amanda Nelson

www.tiktok.com

Melissa Johnson @moolissap.bsky.social · 5d

How to Stake a Vampire by A.D. Starrling

a.co/d/1XzgKeL

A werewolf's guide to vampire politics: trust your nose, pack extra stakes, and never EVER investigate blood banks without backup.

#NowReading #UrbanFantasy #BookLove #bookstagram #bookish #DiaryOfAReluctantWerewolf #ADStarrling

“I don’t like this,” my dog finally stated a tad sullenly. “One of you gets bitten by a werewolf and the other one is now Miss Succula. I thought my life was going to be normal.”
“So did I, but here we are…”

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 6d

ICE is running around Chicago harassing people for not being white.

Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States and now it’s commonplace.

That’s not making America great again.

South Shore Residents Return To Ransacked Apartments After ICE Raid: 'It Looks Like Hell'

A "now renting" sign outside touts granite countertops. Inside, residents are trying to make sense of the raid that made their already neglected building even worse.

blockclubchicago.org

1.4K 10K 29K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

Joni Ernst: "Unfortunately, our farmers do need that assistance. They don't like it. They consider it welfare. They want trade, not aid. So we really need to see some of these new markets opening up around the globe ... but if there's anybody that can make a deal, it's President Trump."

1.4K 410 1.9K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 6d

Americans aren't buying Trump's shutdown blame game, and for good reason

Americans aren't buying Trump's shutdown blame game

Early polls show that most blame Trump and Republicans—and for good reason.

www.motherjones.com

26 91 370

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 6d

Trump's CEA is circulating its estimate of the economic cost of the government shutdown.

But, BREAKING: It's wrong. It makes a simple arithmetic error. And it's dishonest.

Surprising, I know. 🧵

23 470 1.1K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 6d

October 2, 2025

At about 1:00 on Tuesday morning, federal agents from Border Patrol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) raided an apartment b...

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

49 500 1.3K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 7d

October 1, 2025

Last night, as the government barreled toward a shutdown, President Donald J.

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

34 320 970

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 8d

New in PN: Trump attempts a major step toward dictatorship

"So far, nothing he's done has prompted a critical mass of Republicans to speak out about his abuses of power. And in his address to military brass, Trump signaled he intends to go much further."

Trump attempts a major step toward dictatorship

He's going for it. Who will stop him?

www.publicnotice.co

140 760 2.1K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · 8d

Tonight, a post that is longer than usual. But a Judge in Boston issued a 1st Amendment decision that is incredibly important (& long), and we trace his reasoning and some startling conclusions he committed to paper. I hope you’ll stick with me and read to the end. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

The First Amendment (And A Court) Punch Back

Tonight, we have a post that is longer than usual.

open.substack.com

75 910 2.7K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 8d

September 30, 2025

Last Thursday, September 25, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly announced he was calling about 800 of the nation’s top military generals and admirals, along with their top enlisted advisors, to m...

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

53 380 1.1K

Reposted by Melissa Johnson

Jay Kirell @jasonkirell.bsky.social · 8d

The reason we have rules of engagement isn’t to keep warfighters from killing our enemies.

It’s to keep them from killing a farmer with a shovel bc they thought it was a rifle and didn’t bother to wait to check.

Or a family in a car bc the driver looked nervous.

Or a boat full of fishermen.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 9d

Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."

97 660 2.4K