Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 10d

Kristi Noem: How DARE you accuse our glorious ICE agents of racial profiling.

Head of the Chicago raids: We are stopping people based on “how they look, how do they look compared to, say,” a tall, middle aged white guy.

Dan Mihalopoulos @dmihalopoulos.bsky.social · 10d

In which a top US Border Patrol official, incredibly, tells my tall and Anglo colleague @chipmitchell1.bsky.social that he's not the type they're looking for as they go about downtown Chicago arresting people based on "how they look"

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Feds in military gear flood downtown Chicago; top border official says arrests based on 'how they look'

The immigration agents were spotted making arrests in downtown Chicago and River North neighborhood early Sunday.

chicago.suntimes.com

120 1.7K 4.5K

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 14d

AMZ's biz is still about extracting monopoly rents, and we can see this approach continues to expand (e.g. ad tech): www.journalismliberty.org/publications...

Let's hope this doesn't happen with the bigger case the FTC still has pending against Amazon: that of its monopoly over online retail.

Let Them Use AdTech — Amazon’s Next Move to Control Online Retail — Center for Journalism & Liberty

Senior reporter Karina Montoya expresses concern on Amazon’s new ad tech service strengthens its market control, potentially threatening retailer independence and raising concerns about data and margi...

www.journalismliberty.org

1

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 14d

This ended fast. Looks like a big win on the monetary and behavioral front, indeed.
BUT, AMZ admits no wrongdoing. Also, AMZ makes +$10B quarterly from all Subscriptions & it's the growth of Prime Video what more recently allows AMZ to continue monopolizing retail media ads (market worth +$60B).

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 14d

BREAKING: Amazon to pay $2.5 billion to settle FTC allegations it duped customers into enrolling in its Prime membership program.

Amazon to pay $2.5 billion to settle FTC allegations it duped customers into enrolling in Prime

Amazon reached a historic $2.5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission which said the online giant tricked customers into signing up for its Prime memberships, and made it difficult to cancel after they did so.

bit.ly

1 1

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Craig Aaron @notaaroncraig.bsky.social · 16d

We need some of that Jimmy Kimmel energy over here. An innocent journalist has been detained for 100 days without charges. And now he faces the threat of deportation -- for the crime of committing journalism.

In fact, hey, @jimmykimmel.com, here's a story worth highlighting on your show.

Leading Press-Freedom Groups Demand Immediate Release of Journalist Mario Guevara

The government’s detention of Guevara sends a chilling message to everyone who records law enforcement, documents government activities and seeks to report the truth.

www.freepress.net

2 6

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 16d

I am very glad to see health reporters, rather than political reporters, leading most of the coverage of this announcement. They are not so easily deceived.

6 130 790

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 16d

Finally a headline worth reposting

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 16d

BREAKING: President Trump promotes unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without new evidence.

Trump promotes unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without new evidence

President Donald Trump is using the platform of the presidency to promote unproven ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism without giving new evidence.

bit.ly

1 1

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 16d

NEW: The Supreme Court granted cert before judgement in Rebecca Slaughter's suit challenging President Trump removing her from the FTC and stayed a lower court order keeping her on the commission.

The court will consider whether it should overrule Humphrey's Executor.

Application (25A264) for stay presented to The Chief Justice and by him referred to the Court is granted. The July 17, 2025 order of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 25–cv–909, ECF Doc. 52, is stayed. The application is also treated as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment, and the petition is granted (case No. 25-332). The parties are directed to brief and argue the following questions: (1) Whether the statutory removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission violate the separation of powers and, if so, whether Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, 295 U. S. 602 (1935), should be overruled. (2) Whether a federal court may prevent a person’s removal from public office, either through relief at equity or at law. The Clerk is directed to establish a briefing schedule that will allow the case to be argued in the December 2025 argument session. The stay shall terminate upon the sending down of the judgment of this Court. Justice Kagan, joined by Justice Sotomayor, and Justice Jackson, dissents. (Detached Opinion)

5 21 51

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 17d

The US Department of Justice and Google will face off today in federal court to argue about what remedies the court should impose to unwind Google’s monopoly in the ad tech market. Karina Montoya from the Center for Journalism & Liberty at the Open Markets Institute breaks down what’s at stake:

DOJ vs Google: Back to Court for Remedies to Break Digital Ads Monopoly | TechPolicy.Press

Without both behavioral and structural remedies, nothing will be achieved to prevent future illegal conduct, writes Karina Montoya.

www.techpolicy.press

4 8

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 17d

#GoogleAdTecg Just left the courtroom. First witness was Grant Witmore, VP of ad tech & programmatic revenue at Advance Local.

DoJ touched precisely on all these points, as I broke down for @techpolicypress.bsky.social ahead of the remedies hearings today:

techpolicy.press/doj-vs-googl...

3 3

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 17d

2. US v Google 2: Remedies hearings start today in VA for the antitrust case against Google's ad tech monopoly. It's the last big case on the DOJ's deck against the corporation.

Will be doing a little coverage for @techpolicy.press. More soon!

1 3

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 17d

Quite a big day for antitrust trials again.

1. FTC v Amazon Prime kicks off today in Seattle with a jury trial (a rarity, recently seen in Epic Games v Google Play in SF).

A good test before FTC v Amazon Online Retail -big monopoly case- goes to trial next year

www.theverge.com/policy/78219...

A jury will decide if Amazon illegally tricked people into paying for Prime

It’s the latest in a busy year for Big Tech trials.

www.theverge.com

1 1 4

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Karen Attiah @karenattiah.bsky.social · 24d

So many people are asking how they can support me..

The best way .. is to support @resistanceschool.bsky.social!

I’ll be teaching Race, Media and International Affairs 101 and 102 next month.

Sign up for lectures by me and guest speakers!

www.resistancesummerschool.com/fall-2025-re...

Fall Registration for Race, Media & International Affairs with Karen Attiah — Resistance Study Series

A virtual, seven week beginner and intermediate course on the history of race, mass media, and the modern world order.

www.resistancesummerschool.com

14 380 860

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 23d

Living in a South Park episode with no end in sight, it seems.
www.npr.org/2025/09/15/n...

JD Vance hosts 'The Charlie Kirk Show,' paying tribute with top White House officials

The broadcast was a striking reminder of Kirk's influence, both as a leader in the young conservative space and a behind-the-scenes political player who helped shape President Trump's agenda.

www.npr.org

1 2

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 24d

...over the ad tech remedies. The DOJ reaffirmed again they don't believe search has meaningful impact on ad tech.

Good news? DOJ will be allowed to discuss Google' internal docs on the feasibility of breaking up its ad tech stack. Google was fighting to keep those docs out of the court.

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 24d

#googleadtech update 👀 Remedies hearing will start as scheduled: next Mon 9/22 at 9:30 am ET in VA federal court.

Just left the pre-trial hearing. The remedies ruling for the search case will seem to matter a lot more than anticipated.

Google seems ready to explain how the search case bears...

1

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 27d

Just incredible - again with the immigrants, even with this news?? What next, we won't be allowed to breath in the direction of any building with Trump's face?

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 27d

#antitrustradar If David Ellison is going to offer FCC Chair Brendan Carr the same conditions he did to get the Paramount purchase approved, what's be left of the First Amendment, media plurality & press freedom? What's left of the FCC 'oversight' role?
www.wsj.com/business/med...

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

The bid will be for the entire company, including its cable networks and movie studio, according to people familiar with the situation.

www.wsj.com

6 21 73

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · 27d

💣"[The ruling makes] Bolsonaro the first former president in the country's history to be convicted for attacking democracy."

Let's hope he'll be the first and the last.

⚖️Parabéns Brasil! Facam valer o sistema judicial👏
www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Brazil's Bolsonaro guilty of coup charges, court majority decides in landmark trial

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted by a Supreme Court majority on Thursday of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election, a powerful blow to the populist far-right movement he created.

www.reuters.com

1 5

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Sep 8

Very harsh statement about SCOTUS ruling today from @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social, and appropriately so:

140 760 2.5K

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · Sep 8

Breaking: Michael Pratt, the ringleader of GirlsDoPorn, a sex trafficking ring that flourished on PornHub, was just sentenced to 27 years in prison. We were in the San Diego court room to witness and report the sentencing

www.404media.co/michael-prat...

Michael Pratt, GirlsDoPorn Ringleader, Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison

Michael James Pratt was sentenced to federal prison on charges of sex trafficking connected to the GirlsDoPorn crime ring. “He turned my pain into profit, my life into currency,” said one victim.

www.404media.co

27 140 770

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · Sep 8

It remains to be seen whether the states would appeal. The state of Colorado made a strong defense of various remedies, including the need for a break-up. I got very little expectation the DOJ will.

Regardless, it's worth calling on both the states and DOJ to appeal:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/o...

Opinion | Why Google Got Off Easy

www.nytimes.com

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · Sep 8

I'm back from a 2-week vacation overseas, feeling recharged and happy to have disconnected for a bit.

Back to reality now and to #antitrust news: Incredibly disappointed in Judge Mehta's remedies ruling for the #Google Search case.

So much for a strong liability ruling!

What next?

1 1

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · Aug 13

While we wait on several antitrust cases against Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple to survive this administration, here's a story I wasn't expecting to see, by @capitolforum.bsky.social: Dozens of Federal Judges Attended Antitrust Seminars Hosted by Big Tech-Funded Group (with Joshua Wright involved).

The headline and top two grafs of a story by Capitol Forum reporting that dozens of federal judges attended seminars in idyllic locales like Hawaii and Portugal held by a George Mason University law school organization funded by Big Tech.

1 2

Reposted by Karina Montoya

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · Aug 12

this is particularly rich coming from Republicans who spent 30 years whining about "the fairness doctrine" while pretending they had read Orwell's 1984

Trump FCC Installs Babysitter At CBS To Ensure The Network Kisses King Donald’s Ass

With the cowards at CBS/Paramount having paid their $16 million bribe, Trump’s FCC was quick to rubber-stamp its approval to the company’s $8 billion merger with Skydance (owned by Trump’s bil…

www.techdirt.com

3 18 51

Karina Montoya @pressgirlk.bsky.social · Aug 8

It seems we're all finally having ENOUGH of Google's PR trying to cover the sun with one finger.

Good catch by @pressgazette.co.uk @charlottetobitt.bsky.social

pressgazette.co.uk/platforms/go...

Google told to 'stop the BS' as it claims AI has not harmed website clickthroughs

Google's head of search has claimed that the platform is seeing "slightly more quality clicks to websites than a year ago" following the launch of AI Overviews.

pressgazette.co.uk

1 3