Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Shannon Bond

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 4d

Mario Guevara, an Emmy-award winning reporter, was deported to El Salvador — a nation he fled more than two decades ago. He was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.

U.S. deports journalist Mario Guevara to El Salvador, family says

Mario Guevara, an independent journalist, was arrested while covering a protest of the Trump administration in a case that has alarmed free speech groups.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Tim Marchman @timmarchman.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: Federal workers had their out-of-office replies changed to an unhinged and probably illegal partisan screed; when they changed them to neutral language, the replies were changed yet again. @leahfeiger.bsky.social and @telliotter.bsky.social have the details:

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

Some employees at the Department of Education changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

www.wired.com

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 5d

NEW—US Department of Education sent out standard Out of Office language to employees on Wednesday in light of shutdown. Later yesterday, workers tell me they found someone had updated their auto-responses without consent to a new one blaming Democrats.

Version of original on left, updated on right:

Thank you for your email. There is a temporary shutdown of the U.S. government due to a lapse in appropriations. I will respond to your message as soon as possible after the temporary shutdown ends. Please visit ED.gov for the latest information on the
Department's operational status.
Thank you.

Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently in furlough status. I will respond to emails once government functions resume.

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Jenna McLaughlin @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social · 6d

UPDATE:

At the Small Business Administration, employees were given "suggested" language for OOO email replies: blaming Senate Democrats for the shutdown and praising the "record-breaking services we are providing under the leadership of the Trump administration":

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...

Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

www.npr.org

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stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 6d

The Justice Department website now has a banner that blames Democrats for the government shutdown.

More on the partisan messaging strategy pushed by the Trump administration:

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...

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stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 6d

Despite DOGE's promise that canceling contracts and terminating leases would help reverse the trend of the government spending more money than it brings in, the most recent Treasury data shows an *increase* in expenditures by hundreds of billions of dollars more than the year before.

Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut

Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.

www.npr.org

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stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 7d

Agencies ordered to drastically slash their workforces over the last eight months are now hiring back hundreds of workers, as they struggle to perform basic operations or carry out some of President Trump's top policy priorities.

Read more with @shannonbond.bsky.social @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social

Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut

Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Shannon Bond

stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 7d

NEW @npr.org: The so-called Department of Government Efficiency effort has failed to deliver on its outsized promises to cut costs and increase efficiency, NPR's latest analysis of federal data finds.

Federal agencies are rehiring workers and spending more after DOGE's push to cut

Eight months after the Department of Government Efficiency effort to shrink the federal workforce began, some agencies are hiring workers back – and spending more money than before.

www.npr.org

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 7d

tfw you watched Mountainhead and learned nothing.

Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 7d

OpenAI employees are very excited about how well their new AI tool can create fake videos of people doing crimes and have definitely thought through all the implications of this

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Reposted by Shannon Bond

Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 7d

New: ICE has bought a tool that tracks the locations of hundreds of millions of phones globally, updates every single day. Usually harvested from apps and advertising

www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-t...

ICE to Buy Tool that Tracks Locations of Hundreds of Millions of Phones Every Day

Documents show that ICE has gone back on its decision to not use location data remotely harvested from peoples' phones. The database is updated every day with billions of pieces of location data.

www.404media.co

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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 7d

Scoop: CBS News' corporate-installed, MAGA-loving ombudsman visited the network on Monday, visiting with senior leadership. Meanwhile, the Bari Weiss appointment is imminent.

More in @status.news: link.status.news/4nrFwyD

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Mississippi Free Press @mississippifreepress.org · 7d

A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012.

The infant was less than two months old and was not old enough to receive the pertussis vaccine.

buff.ly/8epl2QS

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough Amid Rising Cases

A baby in Mississippi has died of whooping cough for the first time since 2012. The baby was less than two months old—too young for vaccination.

www.mississippifreepress.org

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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 7d

SCOOP — The White House instructed all federal agency leadership on Tuesday to send out a mandatory message to workers blaming the impending potential government shutdown on House Democrats, The Handbasket was first to learn. Absolutely no modifications to the email were permitted.

My story:

Trump mandates all federal agencies send email blaming Dems for potential gov’t shutdown

Workers call the partisan email "a vile slap in the face."

www.thehandbasket.co

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 7d

The White House is pinning the shutdown on Democrats, in a message blasted to agencies that's raising ethical questions. HUD & VA blame the "Radical Left"/"radical liberals."

"It basically read like a campaign email," one federal worker told me.

w/ @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social & @stphnfwlr.com

Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Shannon Bond

Jenna McLaughlin @jennamclaughlin.bsky.social · 7d

NEW from @shannonbond.bsky.social, @stphnfwlr.com and myself:

Staffers at over 10 federal agencies (and counting) received political internal messages blaming "Congressional Democrats" for the impending shutdown. Several say it originally came from OMB.

www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...

Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

www.npr.org

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Reposted by Shannon Bond

stephen fowler @stphnfwlr.com · 7d

@npr.org EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

@jennamclaughlin.bsky.social @shannonbond.bsky.social

Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown

Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.

www.npr.org

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Nathan Kalmoe (he/him) @nathankalmoe.bsky.social · 11d

Some big implications for journalism, too, where reporters often mistake trending posts as a reasonable reflection of public opinion.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 11d

🤷🏿‍♂️

Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say

Doesn't that make more sense than lots of people caring about Cracker Barrel?

gizmodo.com

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Bobby Allyn @bobbyallyn.bsky.social · 11d

NEW: The Trump admin asking TikTok investors for a multibillion-dollar payment to US is the latest extractive “fee for service” from WH.

"These are shakedown schemes…I'd even call it extortion…Privately, CEOs are horrified."

www.npr.org/2025/09/26/g...
w/ @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social

Trump's TikTok deal payment criticized as 'shakedown scheme' by experts

The U.S. government will collect a multibillion-dollar fee from the American investors who will take over TikTok. Some experts call the fee and other deals like it "extortion."

www.npr.org

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 12d

remember when the Twitter files were supposed to be a big scandal showing the US govt illegally pressuring a social media platform to censor content?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12d

REPORTER: Now that Americans will have operational control of TikTok, do you want to see the algorithm suggest more MAGA-related content?

TRUMP: I always like MAGA-related. If I could make it 100% MAGA I would, but it's not gonna work out that way unfortunately.

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Reposted by Shannon Bond

Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 12d

I looked into the group and the guy pushing the FBI to create a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism”—itself a political project, meant to conflate the fact of trans people’s existence with extremism.

The Right’s Baseless Project to Link Trans People With Extremism

A campaign for the FBI to adopt a new designation of “transgender ideology–inspired violence and extremism” is less about law enforcement than politics.

newrepublic.com

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 12d

my favorite footnote

The following exchange occurred at this point: Mr. Japson: They’re all GSA employees… we’ll have to get back to you. HSGAC Staffer: When you say you’ll get back to us on the DOGE information, do you all just not know who’s on the agency DOGE team, or are you not sure what you can share with us right now? Mr. O’Connell: I’ve been here two weeks, I can get you the information, I’m more than happy to. GSA has yet to provide staff with this information. General Services Administration, Site Visit with Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Majority and Minority Staff and Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works Majority and Minority Staff (May 28, 2025).

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 12d

very normal

Additional details about the sixth floor of GSA from the Committee Staff site visit: In an office labeled “Chief of Staff,” there was a large ping-pong table set up along with a sofa and a whiteboard with cloud computing architecture diagrams scribbled on it.1 Bedrooms outfitted with IKEA furniture occupied most of the executive suite, including an adjoining room on the Administrator’s office that is normally the Administrator’s dining room.2 A kitchen included a dedicated fridge stocked with Celsius energy drinks and Muscle Milk.3 The windows in one room were crudely covered with black trash bags.4 Many other conference rooms and offices in the executive suite stood empty. GSA officials told staff that as far as they were aware, these rooms were not serving as the primary residence of any GSA employee.5 However, the unstaged bedroom in the Administrator’s dining room showed signs of long-term use.6 The twin beds were unmade. Smartphones, tangles of cables, a hot plate for cooking, and what appeared to be small personal items surrounded them on the floor and nearby ledges. On the floor next to one bed was a large computer console that was covered with a fleece blanket.7 Mr. Japson was unable to identify whether this computer console was GSA-issued.8 There was also an adjoining closet full of clothes.9

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 12d

inside DOGE's GSA bedrooms:

Ultimately, Senate staff saw just one bedroom in the executive suite corridor, perfectly tidied, with one queen bed, a wardrobe and a big screen TV.113 GSA officials leading the tour seemed unfamiliar at times with the executive suite space or what it would look like on the day of the congressional staff visit.114 In particular, when staff were in the Administrator’s office, Mr. Japson was initially surprised when staff discovered the makeshift bedroom directly adjoining the Administrator’s suite and he remarked, “What’s in there?” The room contained two twin beds on the floor, with sheets unmade.

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Shannon Bond @shannonbond.bsky.social · 12d

in addition to alarming detail on what DOGE is doing with Social Security data, the Senate Dems report also gives a hilarious peek inside DOGE's workspace at GSA
www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

Highlights • Staff visited the executive suite of GSA, which was occupied by a handful of DOGE staff and segregated from the rest of the agency by armed security guards. • GSA officials were unable to answer basic questions about which employees were working in the suite, what their roles were, and who at the agency oversees their work. Some officials were clearly seeing parts of the DOGE setup for the first time. • GSA prevented staff from taking photos or interviewing GSA employees during the visit, failed to answer follow-up questions, and refused a staff request for a follow-up visit. • The Acting Administrator does not work out of the Administrator’s office – instead, DOGE programmers do amid stacks of laptops of unknown origin. • GSA officials attempted to prevent staff from seeing cloud architecture diagrams in the DOGE workspace. • DOGE has installed a Starlink network at GSA, potentially allowing them to circumvent agency IT oversight as required under OMB guidance and agency policy, and creating a potentially significant cybersecurity risk.

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