Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 3d

Kash Patel's new coin does not signify gravitas. It says: "I am a grown man who has spent way too much time on the internet.’ www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Kash Patel’s Challenge Coin Is Perfect for Him

The FBI director has created a memento that symbolizes his unfitness.

www.theatlantic.com

6

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 6d

"One female officer told us that she was disappointed by the contents of Hegseth’s address. She said that officers were open to altered fitness or grooming standards but expected the secretary to be focused more on refining strategy and winning future wars." www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...

Hundreds of Generals Try to Keep a Straight Face

Pete Hegseth gathered commanders from around the globe to unveil new physical-fitness standards.

www.theatlantic.com

1 2

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 7d

The government shutdown my give Trump the chance to finish the demolition job on independent, career civil servants that DOGE wasn't able to do. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Trump’s Grand Plan for a Government Shutdown

The Trump administration might use a shutdown to finish the job that DOGE started.

www.theatlantic.com

1

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 7d

Trump was bitter, unhinged, and nonsensical onstage today. That's fine at a rally. But what are the consquences of doing that in front of military officials who are trained to treat every word from the commander in chief with respect? www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Commander in Chief Is Not Okay

Trump put on a disturbing show for America’s generals and admirals.

www.theatlantic.com

1 4

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 7d

Extraordinary. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/u...

1 3

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 8d

"In the end, I suspect that Hegseth is trying to bolster his stature by flexing his bureaucratic muscles. He’s disrupting the work and daily life of hundreds of people to emphasize that he has the power to do so." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

Why Does Hegseth Want More Than 800 Admirals and Generals in the Same Room?

Few things are important enough to justify the security risk of putting all of these people in the same place.

www.theatlantic.com

2 3

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 8d

"Now that Trump is perverting the DOJ into an instrument of political persecution, jury nullification may be one of the only mechanisms that everyday Americans have to protect the rule of law."

Trump’s Politicized Prosecutions May Hit a Roadblock

When the president puts his political enemies on trial on pretextual grounds, jurors have the option of refusing to convict.

www.theatlantic.com

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 9d

Garry Kasparov has lived through a transition to authoritarianism. He has studied it his whole life. And he’s very worried now.

The Race to Save America’s Democracy

Trump’s administration may seem chaotic, but Americans should not take the integrity of next year’s elections for granted.

www.theatlantic.com

5 15

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 11d

“His murder transformed him from an abstract idea or menace into a man with a loving family who was suddenly gone.”

A fabulous Mark Whitaker essay on the deaths of both Charlie Kirk and Malcolm X.

How Charlie Kirk’s Death Will Change His Message

For a case study in how martyrdom can transform a firebrand, look to Malcolm X.

www.theatlantic.com

5

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 12d

lol, perfect.

1

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 12d

"James Comey’s rights and liberties are not the only ones at risk today. So is your own right to participate in free and fair elections in order to render a verdict on Trump’s invasion of those rights and liberties." By @davidfrum.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The Comey Indictment Is Not Just Payback

It’s an advance glimpse of Trump’s next attempt to seize power.

www.theatlantic.com

2 8

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 13d

Social media tried to keep us infinitely engaged through their algorithms. Chatbots are now trying through asking infinite questions and nudging us to stay engaged. It's now called "chatbait," it's taking over the Internet, and there's a lot that can go wrong.

Chatbait Is Taking Over the Internet

How chatbots keep you talking

www.theatlantic.com

1 3 7

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 16d

Trump's agenda requires that people do things they know are wrong --- and that they know could harm them if his grip on power loosens.

So as the public turns---his polls are dropping and the stench of corruption is climbing---will they keep doing his bidding? www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Trump Might Be Losing His Race Against Time

The president is gambling that he can consolidate authority before the public turns too sharply against him.

www.theatlantic.com

1 2 6

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Noah Shachtman @noahshachtman.bsky.social · 17d

More than that. "The FBI ***recorded*** Tom Homan taking the money "after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration."

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 17d

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.
www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.

The FBI and Justice officials closed the investigation, which a Justice Department appointee had called a “deep state” probe in early 2025.

www.msnbc.com

160 1.7K 4.1K

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Jan 31

A new era of government censorship has begun.
It started with the silencing of scientific speech, when the admin blocked release of research on bird flu. But MAGA has also cracked down on other wrongthink—on race, geography (!), and of course Trump himself
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Opinion | A new era of government censorship has dawned

Donald Trump fancies himself a champion of free speech. Oh, really?

www.washingtonpost.com

440 3.4K 9.8K

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 18d

It is truly astonishing that the government’s reaction to Kirk’s murder has been more about the 1st Amendment than the 2nd.

4 11

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 18d

""A complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective,” Judge Merryday wrote. “Not a protected platform to rage against an adversary.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/b...

Judge Dismisses Trump’s $15 Billion Lawsuit Against The New York Times

The judge said that the complaint failed to contain a “short and plain statement of the claim.” Mr. Trump has 28 days to refile.

www.nytimes.com

2 4

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 19d

“Authoritarianism is like measles: ignore it and it will go away. I have this guidance straight from Secretary Kennedy.” www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

A Beautiful Day for Saying Nothing

That chill in the air isn’t Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended. It’s just autumn!

www.theatlantic.com

4

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 21d

The idea that the alleged killer in the Kirk case was a right winger is really not borne out by the evidence submitted in the indictment yesterday and people should stop saying that.

130 96 830

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 21d

Charlie Kirk supported free speech.

Free speech laws, and norms, protected Kirk.

And now Kirk’s horrific death is being used as an excuse to crack down on free speech.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Irony of Using Charlie Kirk’s Murder to Silence Debate

The conservative activist couldn’t have risen to prominence without robust free speech.

www.theatlantic.com

1 13 18

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 23d

"Much of the right is focusing on pro-violence statements by pet-hospital owners in Oklahoma while ignoring them by the world’s most powerful person." www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Leading Democrats Are Condemning Charlie Kirk’s Murder

Why is the online right having such a hard time recognizing that?

www.theatlantic.com

1 2

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 24d

This horrible cycle of violence, BS, and outrage won’t end until the platforms change.

The algorithms—and the structure of the platforms—is making everything worse.

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Something Is Very Wrong Online

The cycle of violence will continue as long as the medium doesn’t change.

www.theatlantic.com

2 5 12

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 26d

Kamala Harris, in her new book—excerpted yesterday—says Joe Biden's run for reflection "wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego."
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

The Constant Battle

The first excerpt from 107 Days

www.theatlantic.com

1 4

Nicholas Thompson @nxthompson.bsky.social · 27d

"The impulse to solve political problems through violence would be a danger to any society, but it can prove particularly lethal in the United States, where firearms are common and easy to obtain." www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

The Horrifying Assassination of Charlie Kirk

The shooting of the conservative activist is the latest act of political violence in the United States.

www.theatlantic.com

14 37 210

Reposted by Nicholas Thompson

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 27d

Whether by accident or malice - and likely intentionally - the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe. The only path to reducing such a threat is for the world to force Moscow to call off its campaign of butchery in Ukraine.
Unfortunately, America is AWOL:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Russia’s Reckless Provocation

Whether by accident or malice, the Russians are risking a wider war in Europe.

www.theatlantic.com

72 380 1.4K